Story Title: Somebody's Fool
Disclaimer: I still don't own Pokemon. Might own a few OCs but probably not.
Author's Notes: Thanks to Madi, moxieweed, and darkangel22rebel for reviewing.
Okay, I really want to apologize for the long delay for this chapter. Between work and some close holiday specials looming, I had to set aside this chapter for a bit. If there's any compromise, here's a nearly 10,000 word chapter. As always, thanks for reading.
-o-
Chapter Eight: Gather 'Round Bluebell Town
-o-
There was nothing like flying on Pidgeot, Kris believed. It was one of those everyday delights, the kind most Trainers never thought about and took for granted and sorely missed when they suddenly couldn't take off. There was something in being surrounded by nothing but blue, the wind in one's face, the feel of Pidgeot's heartbeat and movements beneath her, and for a fleeting moment, being in sync as they soared through the sky as one. Kris loved flying on Pidgeot. Faulkner would understand. Irwin didn't.
"You all right back there?" she asked, peering over her shoulder.
Irwin made the same high whimpering sound as before and Kris guessed it meant he was okay. Arms wrapped around her waist, he was shaking and clinging to her in fear. He wasn't used to flying. Actually, this was his first time off the ground. He didn't seem to like flying and Kris didn't see why. They weren't in any danger so he didn't have to be scared. He probably just needed a bit more time to get used to it, to see what a wonder it was. Kris had been a little nervous her first flight too but Pidgeot was her pokemon so she knew he wouldn't let her fall.
"We're going down," Kris said, leaning with Pidgeot as he followed her orders and circled down into the clearing to land.
Landing in an open rest area beside the dirt road running through the forest leading to Bluebell Town, Kris guessed they were about an hour and half walk away. By now, letting her legs stretch a while sounded great and Irwin was doubly happy just be on the ground, getting down on his hands and knees and kissing the ground until a bug flew up his nose and forced him to sneeze.
After every flight, Kris looked and felt through Pidgeot's feathers and made sure his wings weren't damaged or that he hadn't strained himself for her. While he would answer her truthfully if she asked him enough times, Faulkner and Violet City's Nurse Joy had given her plenty of advice and taught her how to recognize the most common flying injuries. Aside from needing a well-deserved rest, Pidgeot didn't seem to have any other aches. He probably could have flown them the rest of the way if Kris had forced him but after flying ten hours with only a break for lunch, Pidgeot had earned his sleep.
Hugging him around his neck as he trilled in joy, Kris thanked Pidgeot for all his hard work and returned him to his Pokeball.
"Flying wasn't so bad, now was it?" Kris said cheerily as they walked along the dirt road toward Bluebell Town as a swarm of chipper, chatty Ledyba and Ledian passed by overhead.
"No, no, there were some good parts to it…" Irwin said as Kris saw him stare up sheepishly into the growing pink sunset and blush. "I just don't like the whole high-up part."
"You won't fall off Pidgeot," Kris assured. At least he had found something he liked about flying—that was good.
"It's not the fall that frightens me," Irwin said, flashing a twitchy, nervous smile. "It's what breaks my fall, my face, my spine, all my squishy inside parts that scares me."
"But think of what you liked about flying… If you just focus on the good, you'll get over that fear, I know you will." Her light tap on his arm was meant to be an encouragement but Irwin immediately gasped, grabbed his arm protectively, and winced in pain. Concern flooded her. "You all right?"
"Y-Yeah, c-course, I am," Irwin stuttered and smiled through his ache. "My arms…just a little sore."
At first, Kris couldn't figure out why—he hadn't wrapped his arms around her waist that hard—and then it clicked. "Must've been all that shoveling you did," she realized. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think about that."
"I-It's fine. I-I'm fine. Really, I am," he assured.
"Sorry…" Kris said. "I'd give you a potion but I don't think they work on people."
Irwin flashed her a grateful smile as they headed onward toward Bluebell Town.
A lot had gone on since Kris had last passed by MooMoo Farms on her way to Olivine City. In that time, a cute little town had sprung up and around that one expansive Miltank farm. There was enough milk now to allow passersby the opportunity to buy more than one bottle a day and farms were experimenting with making cheeses and yogurts. There were talks of selling MooMoo milk in regular grocery stores, instead of just PokeMarts, across Johto and even into Kanto.
Walking down the main street through town, Kris watched as the curious Hoothoot peeked through the trees as she and Irwin passed by. She soon found Everight, clipboard in one hand and the other brandishing a pen, giving out orders as was her natural state of being.
Everight had what was known as a Bellsprout body—she was tall and thin and the vast majority of her body was her head. Her head wasn't particularly larger than her body but her seafoam green hair was big and fluffy and somehow she managed to keep it perfectly orderly bound together with a large cream-colored bow that reminded Kris of a Vaporeon's head fins. Kris still hadn't asked her where she bought it. Kris wanted one just so she could make her ears look like Vaporeon fins too.
"Well, now she arrives…" Everight said, her tone dripping with sarcasm, as she held her head high and adjusted her small, rectangular glasses. "Now when I say I have a plane for you, you're supposed to stay put and get on it. Don't think I'll forget what you did, missy. Hopping on Pidgeot was fine back when you were nobody but you can't just do whatever you want now that you're Champion. Am I understood?"
"If you're worried about something bad happening, Pidgeot is far more safer than any plane," Kris said and then looked to Irwin for agreement. "We got here fine, didn't we, Irwin?"
Irwin was still noticeably shaken and his forced smile was twitchy. "…Uh, yeah, sure, we did." He then turned his head to the side and not-so-quietly murmured, "Some walls around us would've been nice…"
Everight gave a sharp, disbelieving stare that confirmed her point as Kris's smile begged she overlook him. She tipped her head toward Irwin and said through her weak laugh, "First flight."
That little fact didn't seem to convince her. "The point of the matter is not all about safety, Kris," Everight said, sliding her pen behind her ear. "It's about you listening. Listening and obeying. You're not some Trainer now. You represent Johto and Kanto. Your actions and decisions have far-reaching effects now. You can't act like a child anymore."
"Funny, because you seem to think you're my mother," Kris said dryly.
Everight's cheeks turned red but otherwise remained composed. "It is my job to make sure you are organized and prepared and on schedule. Now come with me," she said, snapping her fingers and heading off. "We are far behind and have far too much to go over with you for the big, big day."
Puffing her cheeks in annoyance, Kris reluctantly followed her in tow with Irwin a step behind her. She somewhat listened as Everight went over the various things they would go over in preparation for the ceremony as she pointed out what had already been done to decorate for the event. Media had already arrived and gathered up enough material for their broadcast and plenty more to promote tourism to the area. Lovely hanging baskets hung from every street post, except from those outside the town hall, which were decorated with white banners marked with MooMoo Farm's insignia, now adopted as the town crest.
Entering a meetinghouse elected for the League's use and looking around at all the equipment and the overall setup, Kris could not believe all the people busily walking about were in some way here because she was here. Sure, they were here for the ceremony but the League did not make to do over every little town that popped up. These people were here because someone in the League had decided that the Champion should appear at this town's dedication and for no other reason.
Stopping in the makeup department, Everight spoke briefly to a young man who nodded and headed off in a hurry while Kris peeked through the many products set out on two tables pushed together. Everything was laid out in a chaotic-orderly manner but Kris tried not to disturb anything, mostly because she had no idea what most of it was. There were sprays and bottles and jars of hair styling products Kris had never seen in any store but was pretty sure were very expensive.
"This stuff is weird," Irwin said, picking up one of several test tubes filled with different colored liquids. "These aren't even labeled. What is this supposed to be?"'
"Oooh, that's a secret, our secret, and we won't tell," said a girlish voice as a young man with light blue hair, save for a single streak of bubblegum pink, peeked out from crouching behind Irwin. Before Irwin could turn toward him, the young man was gone.
However, he immediately returned, peeking out from Irwin's other side. "And it's labeled. Don't you see?" the young man said, taking the test tube from him and turning it to show its sticker scribbled with letters of an unreadable language. "But only we know what it says."
"We? There's only one of you!" Irwin said, still perplexed as to how he had gotten around him so quickly.
"Wrong again!" Two similar voices said as one as the identical twins, smiling and giggling in their own amusement, hopped out from hiding behind Irwin.
"You're zero for two," one of the twins said. Both wearing the same purple pinstripe pants and graphic T-shirt of an Oddish made out of spattered paint, Kris had no idea how to tell them apart yet. Actually, she was still trying to figure out if they were really boys and not girls with really short haircuts….
"What are you talking about? How I am zero for two?" Irwin said as the twins, now standing beside one another with their hands clasped behind their back, grinned angelically and giggled for reasons only known to them.
As the juggler asked again a bit more sternly and the twins continued to simply grin at him and say nothing more, Everight called Kris over to a beautiful dark-skinned woman with cream-colored hair cut in a stylish modern pageboy. She possessed the elegance and composure of a Persian, so much so as Kris approached her she wondered if the gorgeous woman's violet eyes were sizing her up as prey.
"This is Taylor Tess. She'll be your stylist," Everight explained.
"A pleasure to meet you in person," she said in a slow, silky voice as she bowed to Kris and kissed her hand. To Kris's surprise, her glossy white lipstick did not leave white lips on her skin. "Ever since you became Champion, I've poured over every image I could acquire of you in preparation to being your stylist. I would like to have a chat to finalize a few concepts and add just the perfect final personal touches. Do you like jasmine tea?"
"Uh…I've never had any before but I'd be happy to talk, ma'am," Kris said, taken aback in the presence of such a beautiful woman, a woman whose job it was to clothe her awkward, scrawny eleven-year-old body in the most gorgeous and perfectly flattering outfits.
"It'll be my treat then. And please…" she said, smiling, her smooth voice sending chills through Kris. "Call me Tess."
Kris couldn't see herself in and didn't think it was right for her to wear anything Tess had made for her. She would probably have to make so many adjustments to get her beautiful clothes to fit her gawky body that she would ruin the outfit. It would be such a waste. Kris didn't think she could ever wear something right made by such a gorgeous woman.
"Say something already!" Irwin stamped his feet and fumed in frustration, drawing Kris's attention, as the twins continued their silent game.
"Ah, looks like my boys found a new playmate," Tess said, smiling very cat-like. "I'd advise that your friend not indulge their mischievous ways too much. They've put more than one intern in an asylum."
"Allegedly," Everight correctly swiftly.
"True, we have no documented proof," Tess said as she and the twins shared a knowing smile. "But is it not believable?"
"You have me there," Everight grumbled, scribbling something quickly on her clipboard. "Kris, these two are—"
"Dedicated to the perfect profile—" one of the twins said as he pushed Irwin aside and stepped in front of him and flourished his arms out.
His brother soon joined him. "Conjurers of color and contour—"
"We are the dreamers who make our and your dreams so," the twins said together as they danced and twirled and flourished with much grace and perfection. If their honed dancing skills wasn't enough of a sign, Everight and Tess's unsurprised faces made it clear that this was completely normal for them. "Beauty is our heart and soul and we will banish imperfections. We will stop at nothing to make you unforgettable."
Coming out of a spin, one of the twins dropped down to one knee in front of Kris, laid one hand on his heart, offered his palm to her, and said, "By my brush, you will be a bright, blinding shooting star racing across sky guiding the way to a new avant-garde standard of beauty and style."
"A snip here, a spray there," the other said as he stood behind her and fiddled with her hair, "and one look at you will fill every heart with utter devotion and fascination. Boys will fall at your feet. Girls will want to be you."
Taking his brother by the hand, the twin standing in front of Kris guided his brother around her and then the twins began another short dance. "You'll be in everyone's mind and the darling in our hearts. With us by your side, we'll see to it that your very presence is utter perfection."
The twins stood back to back.
"Emery!" He held a fan of brushes in his hand. Kris noticed he wore heart-shaped studs in his ears.
"Emsley!" The other raised a thin pair of scissors skyward. The studs in his ears were star-shaped.
"At your service!" they said in unison, each striking a finishing pose with Emsley standing and Emery dropping to the ground.
Kris didn't know how to respond and glanced over at Irwin, who had the same stunned reaction as her. In the end, she slowly and softly offered them applause.
"Don't encourage them," Everight said without a drop of amusement. "They watch way too many magical girl cartoons and eat nothing but sugar. …But I'll admit they're the best there is."
"Of course, we are," Emsley said as Emery nodded and agreed emphatically beside him. "We're the pretty soldiers of beauty and love."
"And a new star is about to be born!" Emery chimed in, arms raised over his head.
"So do we get to work some magic? Do we get to play around before tomorrow's big day?" Emsley asked as Emery pulled Kris over to one of the makeup chairs.
Kris really didn't know what to do other than go with Emery and sat down in the makeup chair. Emsley soon joined his brother and the two circled around her chair, chattered quickly, making more noise than the flock of chirping Pidgey roosting in one tree, and bounced ideas off one another as they gathered supplies. Things were going so quickly, the twins were barely a blur around her, and Kris had no idea what they were going to do to her so she watched them nervously. Noticing her uncertainty, Emery stopped and grinned at her and patted her hand reassuringly.
"Stop! We don't have time. Not right now," Everight ordered, much to the twins' disappointment and teary eyes and pouting lips. "I have a lot of things to go over with Kris before we can get to hair and makeup."
"And I still haven't settled on the outfit she'll wear," Tess said. "But I could use a pair of expert sounding boards for some fabulous brainstorming. What do you say, my boys?"
The twins' faces immediately brightened. "Can we get ice-cream?" Emsley asked, taking hold of Tess's left hand as Emery took her right.
"Yea! Yea!" Emery cheered. "With extra fudge and sprinkles and lots of candy pieces. Can we? Can we, please?"
Tess simply smiled, much to the twins' happiness. As they headed off, with the twins chatting rapidly to one another about what kind of ice cream and toppings they were going to get while Tess calmly walked in the middle, Kris couldn't believe that they were her prep team. Of course, the League wouldn't have them if they weren't the best at what they did but they seemed an odd match.
"You would figure they'd clash but Tess chose the twins," Everight explained, perhaps seeing the confusion on Kris's face. "She's their counterbalance. Somehow they work beautifully together and that's all I care about." She motioned Kris to follow her. "Come along now. Still so much to do."
Still not liking Everight's tone as she herded her around with Irwin in tow, Kris quickly shot her a defiant stare before looking over at Irwin and noticing him lost in deep thought. She asked him what was wrong but he didn't give her an answer. Not at first.
"Wait…" he finally said, realization coming to a head. "…They were boys?"
Kris softly laughed. At least, she wasn't the only one who wasn't sure.
-o-
Everight kept saying there was so much to do but it looked to Irwin that everything was fine and ready to go. The ceremony would be in the morning and the town was decorated and the cameras and reporters were already here or coming in early and Kris was here so what was left? Apparently, a lot if Everight was to be believed. She seemed to think Kris had to be taught how to smile, walk, talk, and even how to wave to the crowd. Kris did everything as she had been told to but nothing ever seemed to be right to Everight so she forced Kris to practice again and again, much to Kris's frustration.
After coming to Kris's defense and making one too many jokes about the pointlessness and silliness of Everight's 'preparation', the commissioner eventually kicked Irwin out of the meetinghouse. Which was why Irwin was laying down on a nearby park bench, watching the stars and idly tossed and caught a ball in the air as he waited for Everight to decide Kris had enough punish…er…preparation and let her go. Kris probably wasn't coming out anytime soon so Irwin would wait for her outside (or at least until he could sneak back inside without Everight pointing him right back out).
He was up to counting two hundred and fifty one stars when a giant shadow passed overhead and blocked the night sky from view. Irwin shot up from the bench and watched as the shadow circled around and came down to land on the main street. In the streetlights, the shadow became an Aerodactyl. A man no older than his late twenties hopped off the supposed-to-be-extinct pokemon's back. Irwin couldn't see his face well from where he was but he could definitely see his burst of red hair even from the other end of the street.
As he drew closer, Irwin finally recognized who the man was. He almost pitched over in his surprise. Why he was here, Irwin didn't know. All Irwin knew was that he didn't see a point of him being here now that Kris was the Champion. He decided he would find out exactly why their old Champion was flying into Bluebell Town on the eve of the ceremony.
"You're Lance, the former Champion," Irwin said, trying to pretend to be a little star-struck, even though he actually was. He never once in his life had he expected to ever meet Johto's long-standing, legendary Champion. "What are you doing here?"
Which as Irwin heard himself speak, he realized he didn't sound like a very important man but like a starry-eyed boy meeting a very important man he had always dreamed of meeting. Definitely wasn't the impression he was going for.
Lance flashed a quick amused smirk as he fed his Aerodactyl fruit in thanks. "I'll admit you're right there. Not many people seem to know yet but word is spreading so it seems." Once it finished its snack, he recalled his Aerodactyl and secured its ball to his belt. "I'm here because I need to speak with my successor. Sorry but I cannot stay."
And then Lance headed off, cape swaying in his strong stride. It suddenly occurred to Irwin that he might not know where Kris was. And before the two sides of his brain could debate whether or not to tell him, his mouth decided to go ahead and blurt out everything.
"I know where Kris is." And Irwin could have kicked himself for still sounding like a perky fanboy. Lance did kind of have that effect on most people. Of course, Kris was better than him and she was going to be a whole lot more famous and greater than him one day but Lance was still Lance.
The Dragon Master paused in his step. "You do?" Lance seemed genuinely surprised.
"Of course! I happen to be really close buddies with Kris," Irwin said, head held high and proud, and posed with his hand on his heart. "I've been by her side and rooting for her since before she whomped you and now we're traveling together and seeing Johto and Kanto anew. Just a Champion and her sidekick walkin' hand in hand…"
As if set off by something Irwin had said, Lance narrowed his eyes. "I find that hard to believe."
Well, Irwin had exaggerated the whole walking-hand-in-hand part but it was still mostly true and it pressed on a nerve that Lance didn't believe him and how quickly he had turned suspicious of him. "Why not?"
"Kris does not need a sidekick. She has her team," Lance said, his voice edged a little cool. Irwin found his calm doubly insulting, simply because he made his words sound like absolute fact rather than just his opinion. "And you seem like you'd be a bigger distraction than a partner and Kris doesn't have time for distractions."
"Well…" Irwin said brusquely as he tried to stay calm but felt his face swiftly turning red. "We are friends! Ask her yourself!" He punctuated his words with a shaking raised fist.
Lance didn't seem bothered at all and remained cold and stoic throughout Irwin's heated outburst. "Lead the way," he ordered.
Maintaining his steady forceful pace, Lance followed closely behind as Irwin stomped his feet all the way to the League's meetinghouse.
He isn't so great, Irwin grumbled to himself and puffed out his cheeks in annoyance. Thinks he's all knowing and soo cool but he's not. I'm glad Kris whomped him. We don't need a know-it-all jerk representing us, telling us we're all distractions so nyeah. …Jerk.
Kris and Everight were still in the same spot practicing how to walk and smile and whatnot. But it seemed after hundreds of tries, Kris had finally had enough. Irwin could hear her yelling long before he found her. Her glare as sharp as her frown, she stood in front of Everight with her hands bunched at her sides while the commissioner held back her irritation under a tense, stoic mask.
"But I'm doing everything just the way you showed me," Kris shouted. "You keep telling me I'm wrong."
"It's all she knows to do," Lance interceded. "No one else is ever right than Everight."
The Dragon Master's sudden arrival surprised both Everight and Kris and provided a swift break to the thunderhead brewing between them. While Everight didn't care that Lance was there, Kris acted kind of funny. She was acting shy. Kris wasn't shy. Kris was bubbly, confident, and bright but not shy. Not normally. And yet she peered up at Lance and smiled bashfully.
"Lance? When did you get here?" Kris said. Her cheeks were red in embarrassment.
"At the last moment like he typically does," Everight said, a bitter edge to her voice. "Why I ever thought the loss of your Championship would affect your punctuality, I'll never know…"
"I very well could have arrived much earlier but I thought I'd drop in the night before just for you, Commissioner. For old time's sake. " Lance smirked as he tossed the slipped side of his cape back over his shoulder.
Everight was not amused. "Yes, and you'll no doubt be proud to learn your successor shares that particular habit."
"Champions are busy people," Lance said. "Besides, it gives you something to do all day."
Red flushing her cheeks, Everight jabbed her index finger into Lance's militaristic-inspired uniform. "I'll have you know that I am up to my neck as is and that's without having to track down a missing disobedient Champion," she said. "Not that you ever appreciated what I did for you."
"I'm sure whatever that was, I couldn't have done it without you," Lance said and lightly laughed as an outraged Everight sharply turned away and stormed off.
Happy to see Everight rush off feeling just a spark of her frustration, Kris grinned. There was such a bright look of awe in her eyes as she looked at Lance. "Wow, this is such a surprise," she said cheerily. "Are you here for the ceremony too?"
"Yes, I'm here to help transition you into your new role as Champion," Lance said, his overall mood and smile lifting as the commissioner left.
Irwin didn't think she needed his help. She would do fine on her own. Kris was better than him anyway. Arms crossed over his chest, he snorted in disbelief. "How are the people of Johto and Kanto supposed to see her as the new Champion when our old one is standing right beside her?"
Lance glared at Irwin. "Do you know him?" he asked in a harsh tone as Irwin fumed.
"Yea, Irwin's my friend," Kris said. "We're traveling together."
"So you were telling the truth…" Lance didn't sound at all apologetic, or caring.
Irwin stuck his tongue out at him but the Dragon Master had already looked away. Mr. I'm-so-cool was talking to Kris and telling her not to let Everight get under her skin, basically stuff Irwin didn't think was all that important enough for Lance to swoop in and personally tell Kris about. Irwin didn't think he was really needed here and the ex-Champ could have told Kris all this over the phone or, better yet, could've holed himself up the Blackthorn City for a really long time and wrote Kris a handbook on everything and mailed it to her.
He doesn't have to be here, Irwin thought, his cheeks ballooned out and his arms crossed over his chest. He stood off to the side and was pretty much ignored—Lance was definitely ignoring him while Kris was just absorbed in the Dragon Master's plentiful advice. What do we need him for? Not like he's the Champion anymore. There's no fire, no flood, just a peaceful ceremony to celebrate the town's completion. It's not a medieval reenactment. What do we need his dragons for?
As Irwin sulked and decided between a few classic prank plans, he heard the cheery chirps of the twins chattering in their own shorthand. They munched on chocolate cream-filled powdered doughnuts from large paper bags stuffed with more and sighed in rapture after each bite. Irwin considered asking them for one but didn't want to play their kind of head games for one doughnut—he would for a whole bag, but not for one.
"Ah, look, brother! Look at who it is!" Emsley said, catching sight of Lance, and then waved at him." Hi, Lance!"
"We didn't know you'd be here too!" Doe-eyed and smiles beaming, the twins came running to him. "Did you miss us, did you? Did you?"
Lance, trying not to be irritated, forced a twitchy smile. "Of course. How could I not?"
The twins shrieked in absolute, overwhelming joy and threw their arms around Lance.
"Do we get to make you pretty again too?" Emery asked, peering up, his cheek resting on the Dragon Master's chest.
"Oh, yes, do we? Emery and I could do it. We have lots of ideas!"
Lance laid a hand on the top of their heads and just barely ruffled their hair once in an obligatory show of warmth while fighting the urge to push and pry the overly-affectionate pretty boys off of him as they nuzzled their cheeks against him. "But you forget I'm not yours anymore. You have to take care of Kris now. She's your new Champion."
"Oh, yes, yes, of course!" Emsley said. "And she is wonderful!"
"Oh, yes, so wonderful," Emery chimed in.
"But since you are here," Emsley continued, "should we not make you pretty one last time?"
"But you can't. You're Kris's team now," Lance said, at long last freeing himself and stepping back and away. "I'm afraid I'll have to fend for myself."
"Of course, you must be very afraid!" Emery said, nodding in presumed understanding. "You never listened to your Emery and Emsley even when we were yours. How ever will you take care of yourself without us?"
"I'll find a way to manage." Lance forced another smile.
Emery and Emsley looked to one another and then suddenly grabbed a hold of one another, and with tears gushing like a fire hydrant, wailed, "He's doomed!"
Irwin, Kris, and Lance all covered their ears tightly and still their high, shrill cries slipped through and attacked their ear drums, leaving them paralyzed and doubled over in pain. When Irwin had set out to find his first Voltorb, a whole group of them had used Screech at once on him—luckily their first choice hadn't been to self-destruct. He hadn't been able to hear anything but a high ringing noise for three days after it happened but he eventually got his hearing back. The twins' cries were very similar but Irwin wasn't so sure he or any of them would get their hearing back.
"Stop! Stop! Before you make us all deaf!" Irwin shouted.
"You would cry too if you knew," Emery said through his tears. "Oh, how Emsley and I suffered, how we worried and cried—"
"And we will worry and cry more," Emsley said. "For Lancey-lamb does not listen and he will not take care of himself."
"That's up to him now!" Irwin shot back. "You don't have to worry anymore and if he doesn't take care of himself, so what? That's not your problem. You're working with Kris now. She's more important than him now!"
"That is true," Emsley said, coming to his senses quickly and drying his tears. "We are working with Missy Krissy now and we cannot let our worry distract us from making her look her best."
Emery still shook in grief and his eyes shined with heavy tears. "But Lancey-lambkin was our first and we will miss him!"
"Oh, yes, we shall miss him something terrible!" Emsley said, nodding, as he wiped away his brother's tears and smiled reassuringly at him. "But Missy Krissy is quite wonderful. She is quite lovely and pleasant. Perhaps she will listen to her Emery and Emsley better..."
Peering up into his brother's bright eyes, Emery pouted and sniffled and calmed. "Perhaps she will not make us worry and cry and do mean things like come to us with dirty, stubby nails or avoid lotion like a Charmander avoids the rain or make scary faces at us. She will be nicer to us."
"You will, of course?" the twins said, running up to Kris and taking hold of her hands. "You will be nice and listen to us and not make us cry and worry and do mean things, will you?"
Thrown off by their speed and sudden attention, full of big, pleading eyes and pouty lips, Kris smiled and shakily replied, "Of course."
The gray storm clouds parted and their tears dried up completely and there was instantly sunshine and rainbows and beaming grins from the twins.
"Oh, Missy Krissy, we're gonna make you pretty!" Emsley said chipper.
"So pretty!" Emery chimed in as the twins took Kris hand in hand over to the hair and makeup station.
Watching the tension in his shoulders fade as the Dragon Master breathed a sigh of relief and dropped his faux smile, Irwin smirked and gently elbowed him in the side. "They really liked you, didn't they?"
Pulsing veins marked Lance's forehead. "The pixies are very…loving to their favorite people. It's a good thing they bonded quickly to Kris."
"They'll never forget their Lancey-lamb," Irwin sang, still grinning, and relished way too much in prodding the Dragon Master with the twins' sickeningly-sweet pet name for him.
"They're hyper and more irritating than a cave of Zubat," Lance said, scowling, as he turned, tossed one side of his cape over his shoulder, and walked away, "but at least they have their uses."
Staring at Lance as he went somewhere else (which was fine by Irwin), Irwin wasn't sure if he liked the way he had said his last words. As he thought and thought and pieces clicked together, he finally caught on to what he had actually said.
"Hey!" Irwin shouted but when he turned and glared back at him, Lance was long gone.
Jerk…Irwin grumbled as he made his way over to sit with Kris in hair and makeup. I'm useful too. I do lots of things. He don't even know what I can do. Lancey-lamb can't do what I can do. I bet he can't juggle and do magic tricks like I can and Kris likes my magic tricks.
Lancey-lamb doesn't even know what I know.
-o-
Swept up in the twins' tidal wave of boundless energy and perkiness, Kris found herself dropped off in a makeup chair staring at her reflection in a brightly-lit mirror as the twins once again twisted and spun around her. They chattered rapidly around her, rarely using full sentences and sometimes not even whole words and yet they still understood one another perfectly. They also randomly broke out into short, brisk dances whenever one or the other was overcome with joy and praise for an idea, no matter which brother first came up with it.
Kris sat and watched them but couldn't help but smile—their cheer was infectious and constant. She almost broke down into giggles as she imagined cool, calm, collected, and ultra-serious Lance in the makeup chair as perky and bubbly Emery and Emsley danced and bounced and giggled around him. She had almost laughed at the unpleasant, uncomfortable look on his grim face when the twins hugged him, his frown deepening further as they nuzzled their cheeks against him. She hadn't said much, mostly because she hadn't been able to without laughing.
Irwin came by not long after and sat nearby in a folding chair. There was an open makeup chair closer to Kris but the twins had already promised with a scary grin that if he sat in that chair, they would work on him too so Irwin planted himself firmly in his folding chair and watched.
After much giggling, chatting, dancing, and excited energy was burned off, the twins finally began to focus on Kris.
"It's like your hair has elbows…" Emsley said, gently pushing down on the ends of her ponytails.
"How do you make your hair point up like that, Missy Krissy?" Emery asked, peering at her hair at different angles in curiosity. "What kind of product do you use?"
"Uh…nothing. It's always done that."
Emsley removed her hair bands and the twins watched in amazement as her hair fell and lay perfectly flat. "Missy Krissy has strange hair…" Emsley said as Emery nodded in agreement. "Pretty but strange."
After a quick brush and Emsley thoroughly diagnosed Kris's hair type and its overall health, with him promising to make a shampoo and conditioner best suited to her hair, the twins began deciding what to do with Kris's hair. Their first idea was to cut it. Irwin let out a high squeak of panic, drawing the twins' attention and Kris's curiosity.
"Wha? You disagree?" Emsley said, a little taken aback while Emery simply frowned at him, his mouth like a Bulbasaur's, in disapproval.
"I-It's just…er…uh," Irwin stammered. "You said it yourself that Kris has pretty hair. Be a shame to cut it off when you could play around with it so much more. You didn't get to do that with Lance."
"And I like my hair the way it is," Kris said, idly running her fingers through her hair and staring saddened at the prospect of losing her locks. She had finally gotten her hair to a length she really liked. She hadn't had short hair since she was six when Gold cut her hair to make her look more like a boy so she could enter the boys-only treehouse too. It had been a bad idea from the start, especially when they got caught and kicked out anyway, and while Emsley would cut her hair better than Gold had, Kris didn't want her hair short again.
With much touching and fanning and running his narrow, tiny fingers through Kris's hair, Emsley considered and reconsidered while Emery nodded in agreement to every reasonable point his brother made. Kris also asked them nicely if they would keep her hair long and giving her comforting hugs and smiles, the twins decided to leave her hair the length it was.
"What shall we do with Missy Krissy's hair then? What can we do…" Emsley said. "Pin it up high into a stylish bun so it looks like a blossoming lotus? Cascade ringlets so that it flutters like Goldeen fins when she walks?"
Kris tried to picture their ideas but nothing she imagined was probably as pretty and grand as what the twins had in their minds. When it came to styling her own hair, Kris knew ponytails and that was it.
"Ooh, so many possibilities! This is as refreshing as the breeze from a Chikorita's leaf, isn't it, brother?" Emery said beaming as he selected through lip-gloss colors at a cursory glance. "Lance was old Tauros-stuck-in-the-mud to us. He barely let us touch his hair and no matter what we did, he always came back to us with burnt, sliced, electrified, muddy, you-name-it hair… So dreadful!"
Kris wondered if they had seen Lance after they had taken down Team Rocket's base in Mahogany Town. They probably had if 'electrified' referred to any specific instance.
"And impossible to style! The man trains Dragon-types, yes, but you think he would try to protect his hair." And then as he fixed her part, Emsley grumbled, " …Or clean his nails once in a while."
Immediately and making Kris jump in her seat, Emery moaned, the back of his hand resting dramatically on his forehead, and leaned back as if he was about to faint. "Oh, please, my dear brother, do not remind me! Haven't I suffered enough?"
Emsley rushed and caught his brother and helped him to his feet. "Forgive me, my darling Emery! I knew you were responsible for the health and well-being of his nails."
Emery shook and cried and clawed the air as he fumed, his face scrunched up in a scary mix of disgust and anger. "They were always dirty, always broken, jagged and chipped. He brought me nasty, dirty, filthy nails and I'd make them pretty and shiny and he'd muck them up again!"
"He probably did it on purpose," Irwin said.
Emery pouted and nodded in agreement.
"But it's okay now," Emsley said, wrapped his arms around his teary-eyed brother and rubbed his back, "because Missy Krissy has pretty hands and her nails are clean."
"Yes, yes," Emery nodded and returned the hug, "and Missy Krissy will be nice to her Emery…"
Kris sat still and quiet and simply watched. Much as they had loved Lance, they no doubt had fought with him too. Kris knew Lance wouldn't meticulously upkeep his appearance like the twins would want him to and the twins were very…passionate about their work. Lance's strong will and the twins' boundless passion probably made for a lot of noise and tears.
As brother consoled brother, Irwin leaned over to Kris and, shielding his hand over his mouth, murmured, "Heaven help you if you break a nail…"
Apparently, he hadn't spoken enough under his breath because Emery, his feelings still raw, had overheard him. "Bad!" he scolded, face contorted in a harsh glower. "You don't ever say bad things like that!" Grabbing the extending shower spray, he pointed the nozzle at Irwin. "In the name of beauty, I will punish you!" He sprayed Irwin and the unusually high-pressured and far-reaching water knocked Irwin into a wall.
Visions of his Voltorb exploding flashing across her eyes, Kris rushed and stumbled to get out of the makeup chair quick enough. She was relieved to find him just confused and wet, mostly soaking wet.
"Irwin, are you all right?" she said, kneeling at his side and checking the back of his head for hurts. Finding one swelling bump, she gingerly searched for more. "Don't upset them," she warned quietly. "They have scissors."
"…And a spray hose," Irwin added, eyes wide in disbelief.
That was true, Kris had to agree as she made sure Irwin was all right while the twins didn't so much argue but rather talked rapidly between one another over on whether Emery should apologize. Helping a rattled and water-logged Irwin to his feet while the twins wrapped their arms around one another and cried, Kris felt less so much the Champion than a babysitter.
-o-
The next morning, Irwin felt as if a Rhyhorn had knocked him down as his shoveling combined with Emery's hosing had left his head, neck, arms, back, legs, pretty much everything but the tip of his left pinky toe aching. He laid flat on his back with his arms and legs spread out in bed and groaned if he even thought too hard about moving.
It didn't help matters when Kris's Eevee came back to the bedrooms, hopped on his bed, and sat on his sore arm. Irwin winced and sucked in a sharp breath but being a baby and not sharing his father's mean streak, Eevee didn't seem to understand that he was in pain and walked along his sore body, drawing several different kinds of cries and pained moans out of him, as he urged Irwin to get up. The little brown fuzzball probably just thought he was making funny noises.
Head turned to the side and with one of Eevee's paws mashed against his mouth, Irwin managed to say through the corner of his mouth, "Ee…vee…go to…Kris. To Kris. Go. Leave…me… Get…off…"
Eevee took his paw off Irwin's mouth but laid down on his neck and chest and licked his furry collar.
"Glad to know that if I'm ever in real danger, I can count on you," Irwin said wryly and stared flatly at Eevee as he cleaned in between his paws.
At least, it not Umbreon or Typhlosion laying on me, Irwin thought as he dealt with Eevee's weight sending a steady pain across his tender chest and neck. Come to think of it, any of Kris's other pokemon on me would be a whole lot worse.
"There you are, you sneaky little…" Kris said as Eevee perked up, hopped off the bed, and went to her arms. "Oh, Irwin, you're not up yet? You've got time but you should get ready. …Are you all right?"
"Of course!" he said readily and scrambled out of bed. "I was just laying there 'cause Eevee looked comfy. I was totally about to get up though." He stood tall and proud and strong.
Kris still looked at him with concern in her eyes. "But your arm was awfully sore yesterday…"
"And I'm all better. Remember I'm part Steel-type," he said, grinning. "There's nothing a good rest at night and Moomoo milk in morning can't fix for me."
Her concern softened into relief. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Irwin. I'll be in hair and makeup, okay?" Peering down at Eevee as he looked up at her and wagged his tail, Kris said, "You wanna meet Emsley and Emery, Eevee? They'd love to meet you."
While Irwin had to agree with that, he also thought the pixies would traumatize the puffball. It took less than a minute, even seconds, to figure out the twins could be…much to handle.
As soon as Kris was gone and far down the hall of the Pokemon Center, Irwin dropped his strong façade and hunched over in pain. Rubbing his shoulder, he hobbled over to his backpack and changed out of his nightclothes. Sure, he hurt but a good glass of Moomoo milk and the prospect of watching Kris at the ceremony soon was enough to keep him going.
And he was glad he dragged himself out of bed when he saw Kris standing by the mayor of Bluebell Town. Her prep team had decided to go with a natural look using just a touch of shadow, a bit of shine here and there to highlight her features. Her hair was drawn away from her face and left soft and flowing. A sparkly flower made of silver wire and diamonds was pinned above her right ear.
She wore a pale yellow dress the color of a ray of morning sunlight, the brightness broken up by a fancy dark blue ribbon around her waist. The dress was light and youthful but strikingly simple. She certainly didn't give off the impression that she was just the mayor's daughter. Anyone that saw her could tell she was more important than that and that she belonged up on those town hall steps with the other very important people. She looked just as she was—gentle and warm, like evening candlelight. She was a marked difference from stone-faced and ice-hearted Lance, who never looked as approachable as Kris did right now in any of his public appearances.
Irwin listened in and out of the mayor's speech and mostly just admired Kris, placed beside Lance on the League's representative side. He had to admit, childish and unpredictable as the pixies were, they were the best at what they did. After the mayor's speech and Kris cut the ribbon on the town hall doors to a barrage of camera flashes, the cameras became further seizure-inducing as the very important people posed for pictures, with the flashes and reporters going wild as (fake) smiling-for-the-cameras Lance put a hand on Kris's shoulder.
Somehow, the story of Bluebell Town's completion became less and less headline news to the wake of the reporters discovering the tantalizing news of having two Champions, one new and one old, in their midst. The last moments of the ceremony became an impromptu public interview with Lance (and sometimes Kris) taking even more pictures and answering questions. Irwin stood in the crowd with his arms crossed over his chest and scowled as another reporter asked Lance yet another question, completely overlooking Kris yet again.
…Thinks I'm the distraction. He's the distraction. Here to help Kris, ha! He's hogging all her spotlight. This should be her time, not his. She can't even get a question. It's all 'Lance, you're soo cool. How ever will we go on without you 'cause you're so awesome even if you lost!' Irwin nearly yelled at the reporter when Lance was asked his opinion of 'the new Champion' but he painfully bit his tongue. You freaking kidding me! She's right there! Her name is Kris and if you wanna know more about her, why not ask her?
Sure, Kris looked important, was important, but Lance had been Champion for so long, it was clearly hard for the rest of the world to look away from the man they had so long upheld and admired as a hero and Champion. But at long last one reporter finally did ask Kris a question…about what she thought and felt during her battle with Lance. Irwin blew a hard snort of air in aggravation. He lost. It's time to say goodbye to Lancey-lamb. Don't let the door hit you on your way out, jerk.
In time, the national media found nothing else of interest and dispersed and only the local news stuck around for follow-up questions with the mayor and, lo and behold, with Kris and as a double shocker, they wanted to talk about Bluebell Town and not Lance.
"Well, I had expected worse for your first public appearance but you did okay, I suppose," Everight said as they gathered in the meetinghouse after the ceremony was over. Tess helped the pixies break down the makeup and hair stations while they removed Kris's makeup and hair when the pixies weren't feeding Kris's Eevee sugar-coated strawberries.
"I guess so…" Kris offered a quick half-smile at Everight's rare compliment but it was clear she didn't agree. And neither did Irwin.
"Except no one wanted to talk to her and was all over Lance," Irwin grumbled aloud. "I guess by public appearance you literally mean Kris just showing up."
Everight's glare was as sharp as a Scyther's blade. "We've haven't had a new Champion in a very long time. Lance has standing, popularity, legacy. Kris doesn't. Bringing in a new Champion isn't a simple switcheroo game. We need the people to see he supports her."
"He's not the Champion," Irwin replied and pointed at Kris, a little occupied and keeping still as Emsley removed her false eyelashes. There was still a little moment where she looked down in embarrassment, earning a quick but mild warning from Emsley.
"And this is above your head, boy," Everight said. "Little do you know, Kris needs all the support she can get and Lance is the best she's got."
"She's got Emery—" Emery said, raising his hand in the air.
"—And Emsley," he added, pausing mid-lash removal, and raised his hand too and clasped his twin's hand. "And we'll make her pretty and cool and awesome so all the people will love her like we did with Lancey-lamb!"
"Maybe they'll love her even more," Tess said, smiling all too pleased. There was something about her voice that sounded…slinky to him. "…If we play our cards right."
Irwin hung his head and whined, "Kris looked great but no one cared…"
"They noticed her, trust me. Sometimes a glance is more powerful than a stare." As Irwin met eyes with her, he felt a chill, as if a slushy snowball was melting down his neck. "Have patience. Grabbing the attention and heart of every man, woman, and child in Johto and Kanto is a subtle art. It takes time. But it will happen." Peering over her shoulder, she smiled and the twins followed suit. "…We've done it before."
Irwin could believe that and decided she and the pixies had a large hand in making Lance what he was, at least in the people's eyes. He certainly couldn't have won the world with his personality.
"Everight, I meant to ask you…" Kris said, once freed from the makeup chair, changed out of her dress, and the pixies began to pack up. "You think you could set up a charity match between me and Whitney and Morty for the benefit of Goldenrod and Ecruteak's relief fund?"
"That's actually…a really good idea," Everight said, honestly surprised before she nodded in approval. "Finally thinking like a Champion."
"Actually, Irwin came up with it."
Irwin grinned proudly.
Everight shot him a cursory once-over. "That seems…highly doubtful."
Irwin fumed but he really wasn't all that surprised.
"Well, come along, my boys," Tess said, carrying a small makeup kit with her. "We have to prepare for battle."
"To battle!" Emsley cheered with Emery joining him a moment after, each dragging a rolling kit behind them.
"All right, we're out of here in ten," Everight said into a walkie to the crew, her order repeating itself simultaneously around the meetinghouse. She then turned to Kris and said in the same demanding tone, "You're free to go but I'll be in touch so don't turn off your Gear, got that?"
Even though Kris said she wouldn't, Everight still shot her a sharp look before hurrying off, her phone to her ear.
Out of the meetinghouse, Irwin walked with Kris as they headed away from town and out into the farms. They weren't leaving yet since their backpacks remained at the Pokemon Center and Irwin wasn't really sure what they were doing—he just followed Kris and waited for her to say something. Except Kris didn't say much, except to tell Eevee to stay close by, occasionally looked around at the green meadows and pink and black Miltank grazing and napping in the warm afternoon sun but mostly she kept moving down the dirt road.
In time, they paused and rested on a length of fencing as Eevee chased a tiny white butterfly around. Kris stared idly into the neighboring pasture, her eyes much too heavy and deep in thought. Irwin removed a square of paper out of his pocket and started folding it.
"Pidgey for your thoughts?" he asked, holding up a rushed origami Pidgey, one wing was much smaller than it was supposed to but this wasn't his best folding.
Kris didn't even look. "You were right… They didn't care I was there. They wanted Lance." The look in Kris's eyes ran needles through Irwin's heart. "…And I'm not him."
That was a thought Irwin wasn't about to let Kris dwell on.
"So what? You're better," Irwin said, his voice raised, catching her attention and surprise. "You won. You're the Champ now and you're a whole lot nicer than him. You're gonna be a way better Champion than he ever was."
Looking down, Kris drew in her bottom lip. She didn't seem very convinced. Irwin softened his voice and expression.
"It's like Tess said. It'll take time," he said. "Everyone's got to kick ol' Lancey-lamb out of their heads and make room for you. They'll see how great you are soon enough. I know you're gold but not everyone's as smart as I am." He grinned.
At last, he earned a small smile out of her and Kris warmed up. "Did I really look great?"
Absolutely, positively, undeniably, without contest, indefinitely to the end of time yes, Irwin quickly thought but simply said, "Yeah!"
"Thanks," she said quietly and then looked out toward the farm. "Eevee, no!"
She hurried off the fence, hopped over the other, and ran out into the field and picked up the little puffball as he drank straight from a Miltank's teat.
He shouldn't have been there, Irwin thought, watching Kris tell her Eevee no as he wiggled in her arms and reached out for more milk. Everight's wrong. You don't need him. You're gold.
…Everight just has to let you shine.
