Chapter 9: Make Ballroom for Two
A new morning… Pikachu, Harmony and Melody slept as the sun beamed into the room. The two Pokémon woke to the sun's rays. Clouds actually shielded Melody's face. ("Good morning, Pikachu,") whispered Harmony.
("Morning, Harmony,") Pikachu returned. Moans from Melody made the Pokémon turn to her.
"Ash…" she whimpered in her sleep. "Stay with me… Ash, stay… I love you, I… I can't let you go…" The two Pokémon wondered what her dream was as she puckered her lips.
("Does she love your master?") the Rendezvous Pokémon wondered.
("I think so,") Pikachu assumed. The sun's rays finally touched Melody's face and stirred her awake.
"That was a nice dream," she yawned. Barely opened, her eyes viewed her and Ash's Pokémon staring back at her. That made her eyelids open entirely. "Did I say that?"
("You kinda did,") Pikachu replied. Melody shook her head.
"Sorry…" she apologized. She got out of bed and looked outside from the window. Her face brightened. "Today's the day of the ball… And maybe I'll get a chance to tell Ash my feelings." Pikachu and Harmony gasped, hoping she would. Melody picked up and kissed Pikachu, who enjoyed it. Outside, Ash was back on the beach, his hair back to normal.
"Misty would lose her mind with seeing Sebastian and Flounder," he muttered. "Not to mention the mermaids and King Triton. Maybe her sisters as well." Someone heard a name and decided to speak up.
"Who are you talking about?" asked Flounder. Ash turned to the water and found the yellow fish.
"A former traveling companion. She's one of four Pokémon Gym Leaders in Cerulean City and they specialize in Water Pokémon." While Ash did help in mentioning Misty, Flounder still felt unclear on a few things.
"What's a Gym, and are these sisters as gorgeous as the king's daughters?" Ash wasn't too sure how to answer Flounder when Triton emerged from the water. He faced Ash as he stood up.
"It's a good thing I have a chance to see you this morning," he greeted. "What did you do to your hair?" Ash chuckled to the notice.
"This is my natural look," he replied. "Grimsby and Carlotta said they'll have it redone by the time of the ball tonight." As Ash spoke up, a giant chariot emerged which looked a lot like a seashell. Dolphins beaked to the trainer to board with Triton.
"Why not come aboard for a little discussion?" Ash gulped to the invite.
"Now I wish Pikachu's with me." As if cued…
("Wait for me!") squeaked Pikachu. Ash turned to see his Pokémon joining him.
"I was just thinking of you!" he gawked.
("I bet you were,") Pikachu sneered. With Pikachu, Ash boarded the chariot before the dolphins started to pull and take them around the beach.
"I heard from Melody that you had saved her when over in your world," Triton recalled. Ash and Pikachu remembered the incidents from when Melody arrived to the rescue of her and the Lapras.
("He sure did,") Pikachu confirmed.
"Twice, actually," Ash corrected. Triton's eyes opened wide to the news. "Melody brought over a Horsea, a Seahorse Pokémon, that had been separated from its family when a Sharpedo chased the two. I had Kingler help save the two and stop Sharpedo who ran away." Triton listened to the story and recalled a similar story.
"Reminds me of a time Ariel was being chased by sharks in what she claimed was a… dinglehopper," he thought back. Ash could ask but the question would seem pointless.
"I'm not gonna ask." Deciding to forgo explanations, Triton wondered about the second rescue.
"So what prompted you to save Melody again?"
"It was the end of the AquaMon Festival when Team Rocket caught all the Lapras and Melody was in their net. They used their submarine, a ferry that can go underwater, and dragged the Lapras and Melody below surface. The reason is for Melody's locket." The news made Triton pull on the dolphins to stop. The dolphins looked back and saw Triton seething.
"Who… is… Team Rocket?" Ash dug in his pocket with a folded poster. It had Jessie's and James' mug shots.
"They're usually after rare and valuable Pokémon, and knowing that, they'll try to make a mess at the ball for Pikachu or the locket." Triton knew what he needed to do.
"Ash, I thank you for making sure Princess Melody is safe."
"Anything to help out." Ash now wondered about the possibility of Jessie and James arriving. "I've got that sinking feeling about Team Rocket. They're always chasing me wherever I go. I don't want to-"
"Say no more." Ash looked up to Triton "If my soldiers find these fiends, they'll notify me." Ash and Pikachu knew Triton would do anything for his family.
"Thanks…"
("We appreciate it,") added Pikachu. Ariel entered Carlotta's room on a check of Melody's dress.
"How's it coming?" she asked. Carlotta turned to Ariel with a smile.
"It's finished!" she replied. "See for yourself!" Ariel circled around Carlotta and found the dress on a mannequin. She gasped and awed the finished project.
"My goodness, Carlotta! She'll love it!" As time passed, servants cleaned and fixed Ash's, Melody's persons and some of the Pokémon as well. The sun began to set as the people from the village began to journey their way to the palace for the ball. All wore different colored ballgowns and suits. Ash had his hair back into a ponytail with a little braid.
"You shall look spiffy when the ball starts," Grimsby believed.
"Can't wait…" trusted Ash. The chef continued hard working on the feast for all the guests appearing. Melody saw the crowd coming.
"So many people…" she gulped as she hid from sight and plopped her back to the wall. "They can't all be for me! This isn't good! I don't know if I deserve this much attention! What do I do?" She began breathing rapidly and repeatedly just as Ariel and Eric entered.
"Baby, calm down!" she urged. "We're here!" Melody's eyes grew in fear from the people attending.
"I know it's a lot, but it's not just you, alright?" he promised. Melody's breathing eased, longer and deeper breaths to calm herself.
"I'm sorry, Mom, Dad," she whined. "I know I should be stronger than this but… what if Ash finds out? What if he doesn't like me-"
"Now's not the time to concern yourself with what he thinks," Ariel assured. "I know what he wants and that's for you to have a good time." Seeing her mother's smile, Melody dove onto her chest, crying.
"It's alright," Eric assured. "I know you love him and want to be your best." A sniffle to breathe from, Melody's smile emerged. In the ballroom, Ash met with some of the local children who came to the ball. He donned himself in a blue military-style uniform as Pikachu wore a black button-down shirt with a bow-tie. Squirtle and Totodile wore a bow-tie each.
"So, you're actually from another world?" the carmine-haired girl gasped. She wore a brown ballgown. The white-haired girl wore a black ballgown while the blond had blue and the chestnut brunette donned gray. "I'd say you're full of it if not for Pikachu and your little turtle and cute crocodile."
"It's not hard to believe after meeting my Pokémon up close," Ash pointed out before sipping on a glass of cranberry-pomegranate juice. "I was just surprised to have had Princess Melody in my world to begin with."
"Oh, so she ran away again from the palace?" guessed a lavender-haired boy.
"Not intentionally," Ash corrected. "A Pokémon found its way here and she wanted to return it before going back and I got caught up in her life somehow."
"So, she helped out?" the chestnut brunette mentioned.
"I thought she'd have a good heart," a blond boy sided. Peering through the windows of the ballroom, Jessie, James and Meowth found Ash and Pikachu as the white-haired girl held the Mouse Pokémon.
"I can't believe our luck!" gawked Meowth. "Da twerp is hanging out with royalty!"
"And who would've guessed that the twerpette with the gold locket is the princess of this place," James awed.
"Just makes this all the more satisfying when we get that, Pikachu and the grub," sneered Jessie. "It's been sometime since I've had anything gourmet." That made James and Meowth turn to Jessie.
"Maybe if we invested in low-tech ideas instead of using the money on equipment that the twerps destroy on a normal basis," James scolded. "We'd be having little issue about our budget!" Unknown to them, Sebastian found the three waiting to make a move. Flounder partially surfaced.
"Da king notified?" the crab whispered.
"He's on his way," Flounder confirmed. "Soldiers on the move."
"Good… Dash?" The walrus emerged.
"Here!" he announced.
"Fling me to da cat!" ordered Sebastian. Dash used his fin to scoop Sebastian before throwing him at Meowth. Within reach, the crab snapped his pincer on Meowth's tail. He leaped into the air in immense pain. At its apex, Sebastian leaped off onto the palace roof as Dash hurled Flounder.
"What was that?" asked Jessie. She turned back to the ocean where she butted heads with the tropical fish who bounced off her face before whacking her with his tail fin. He dove back into the ocean as Scuttle flew at James.
"And they say I'm not too bright," he admitted before pecking at James' head.
"Stop pecking me!" he cried. Jessie wondered where the next attack would come from. Tip flew out of the water and winged Jessie in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground. Meowth recovered and looked around.
"What's going on!?" he mewed in anger. Suddenly, Triton rose from the depths and spotted Team Rocket. James and Meowth gasped in shock to Triton's size.
"He's huge!" they screamed. Triton viewed the three.
"So, Ash sensed you three were coming for my granddaughter and the Pokémon," he realized. Jessie's face read anger.
"Not fair!" she argued. "Twerp should know better than to predict us! Besides, once we get that locket, you won't see us again!" Triton rose and pointed his trident at Team Rocket.
"You're right about one thing!" he scowled before shooting lightning at the three when a blue blob standing straight up with a flat black tail emerged. It didn't matter as the lightning hit the three. They quickly morphed and shrunk. All three were little greenish polyps.
"What just happened?" gulped James.
"We're hideous!" gawked Meowth.
"Hey, change us back!" demanded Jessie. The blob stood in shock as four Pokéballs were by its side, as well as Meowth's coin. Triton picked the Rocket polyps. "We didn't do anything to you!"
"You mean trying to kill my family?" he growled. A merman wearing an iron helmet and a breastplate emerged. "Take them to the depths of the ocean."
"Yes, your majesty," he obeyed. Triton handed the polyps to the merman, though Jessie tried to hang on to him by jumping up and wrapping herself around his neck. However, she was so weak as a polyp, she didn't get a good grip. Triton removed Jessie from his neck easily and dropped her into the merman's hands. He dove underwater and Team Rocket couldn't do a thing.
"Team Rocket's got a sinking feeling!" they garbled. Back inside, all waited for Melody's arrival. That's when three more kids found Ash.
"This must be the one who brought Melody back," a girl scoffed. Ash turned to see another blond girl in an orange ballgown. She was joined by two brunette boys, one that was skinny in a green suit and one rotund with freckles in purple. "Probably would've been better if she was left there." Ash and Pikachu started to feel unappreciated from her tone.
("Maybe you're right,") mocked Pikachu. ("Away from you…")
"Do you know what kind of a troublemaker Princess Melody is?" the freckled brunette asked. "She's always running from her home to go on her adventures."
"She'd rather be in the ocean than getting a real princess treatment!" the blond girl argued.
"You bringing her back means nothing if she runs away again," the skinny brunette warned. Ash took their fowl and scoffed.
"What makes you so sure?" he pondered. The blond decided to try a different angle.
"We're commoners to this royal family," she pointed out. "I'm more suitable than some troublemaker who won't listen to her parents… and you don't need a mouse like him to have a good time." Pikachu felt offended and growled to the blond.
"I don't think insulting Pikachu is a good idea, since he can take down dragons," Ash came back. "Heck, I own one." The boys gawked to Ash's story.
"You… have one?" the skinny brunette asked.
"Totally," Ash sneered. "A winged dragon that can breathe fire, has sharp claws and teeth…" The brunettes began to quiver as Pikachu knew who his trainer referred to.
("Not sure you wanna talk about Charizard like that,") he warned. Ash remembered one more item.
"Oh yeah, and there's more of them that can tear people apart in seconds. I just happened to see the horde in action and boy, do they leave nothing behind." The brunettes screamed in great fear before running away and leaving Ash with the blond. Melody peered to see Ash but not the blond.
"Oh… my… gosh!" she squealed in awe. "I can't wait to be with him!" Grimsby came to the ballroom for his announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is a grand pleasure to welcome you to tonight's ball," he proclaimed. "Not only for the safe return of Princess Melody, but of meeting the hero who has joined us tonight. Before I greet the returner, allow me to welcome King Eric and Queen Ariel!" Eric, wearing a white military-style uniform with a sash, and Ariel, in a white ballgown and lavender skirt, entered and were greeted by the attendees. They reached the center of the ballroom to be met by everyone else, some who've been dancing to the orchestra playing.
"We thank you for coming tonight," Eric praised. "We've had a rough few days when our daughter had mysteriously vanished. While we feared the worse, we're happy to say that not only has our daughter returned, but he has also traveled here to be part of tonight's festivities."
"Not to mention bringing his creatures as you may have seen," Ariel added. "Pikachu, Squirtle, Totodile…" The named Pokémon raced to Ariel before she picked up the Mouse and Big Jaw Pokémon. Eric lifted Squirtle. "These are some cute creatures we would love to keep for ourselves. Still, let's welcome to the palace's ballroom, Ash Ketchum." Ash joined his Pokémon and the family while cheers and applause echoed the ballroom.
"By the end of the night, Ash will be part of my world," sneered the blond. Now was the time for Melody's arrival.
"Let us now welcome… Princess Melody!" announced Grimsby. All turned to find Melody in a new ballgown and hair flowing freely. The ballgown was cream-colored with pinkish wing-like fins on her back. Her shoulders were blue with a pink diamond on the top of the long sleeves. Finally, the linen of her skirt was blue with ovals and cut to ovals at around the knees. She also wore a coral-colored tiara. Ash and the Pokémon gasped at her design.
"Is that… Milotic?" he guessed.
"She drew it and I was enamored by what she could do," Ariel admitted.
"Seeing Milotic, I wouldn't argue."
"Right?" Ariel now turned to the crowd. "Once again, we thank you all for coming!" With cheers, everyone resumed the party. With the music playing, Eric and Ariel joined the dance floor to waltz with others. Even Carlotta and Louis began to dance as well. Ash and the Pokémon watched for a little while when the blond came up.
"So, what do you say?" she urged. "It'll be nice to dance with someone from a new place." To Ash, there was someone in need of something nice.
"It would be," he giggled. That's when he walked over to Melody after watching the dancing. The blond gasped to his decision as he offered his hand to a nervous princess. Pikachu and Totodile pumped their fists for Ash to ask Melody. "Princess Melody?" Her name heard and the blond now understanding his intention, Melody turned to Ash. "Would you like this dance?" Melody's face blushed to her boy's request.
'He- He's asking me!' she gasped. 'This is a dream, there's no way he would ask me out of the blue! But if I don't respond, I won't get another chance. It's now or never!' With a deep breath, she was ready. "…But of course!" She gave her hand to Ash to where she felt the soft skin of the one she fell for. Ash and Melody came to the dance floor and began to dance while the lights in the ballroom dimmed little by little as the two waltz for a minute. Ash noticed Melody's nerves not yet calm.
"You alright?"
"Yeah, just so… many… people watching." Ariel and Eric watched their daughter while Ash thought about how to keep her at ease.
"Don't worry about them. Just stay focused with me." Melody's head nodded. They waltz some more for a couple of minutes with Melody regaining comfort when Ash lifted Melody into the air and twirled her in a circle.
"Wow!" The moment gave Ariel and Eric a reminder.
"I gave you that spin after your father gave you human legs," he recalled.
"I thought that looked familiar," she joked. The song began to wind down and both Ash and Melody gazed into each others' eyes. Ash's chocolate brown eyes couldn't turn away from Melody's sparkling sea blue eyes and the other way around. They leaned in and as the song started to end, they embraced in a long kiss with their eyes closed and Melody's leg lifting up, the frills of her skirt rubbing her leg. The girls moaned that Melody won Ash's lips, though none more than the blond with the two brunettes.
"He doesn't deserve her!" she whined before stomping out of the ballroom.
"Sucks to be her," the white-haired girl sighed. Everyone else applauded Melody in finding love with Ash. The two may not break their lips anytime soon.
TO BE CONTINUED…
