Chapter 10:
Filming Frenzy
"Could you remind me again why exactly are we hiding in the bushes?"
"Because, genius, the brats are out there on the open road. You want us to be recognized or something?" the older twin shot a glare at his mirror image and sighed with flushed cheeks "I do not want to be forced to escape from prison with only a bath towel again. Especially if we're using the windowsill escape route."
Draco abandoned his brother's silly spying routine and plopped on the ground. The grunt leaned back casually on one of the numerous old oaks around the road and laughed.
"Vlad, it's not my fault the wind blew away your towel. The only exit was through the bathrooms' window after all. It was windy. That's it. Man, the looks of all those Officer Jenny were priceless. What's the chance of the wind blowing it away when we were crossing a part with a window?" the blond man's mouth was swiftly shut by his brother's hand. The group of pre-teens on the road had stopped and looked around in surprise of the strange sound. The crazy one, who had a special place in the brothers' Hall of Hate, even threw a prolonged glance in their direction but just shrugged and followed the others.
"Need I remind you, dimwit, that because of your plan we were stuck 7 floors above the ground with only 20 centimeters of ledge to stand on?" Vlad bridled up and dusted off his grey trench coat as he stood up "If not for my luck, they'd have never given us those uniforms to start with."
The younger twin just sighed at his brother's usual habit of claiming all the glory. He had gotten used to that- living with the synonym for ego that was Vlad for more than two decades thought many things about being patient. Still, Draco knew that one day they would score it big time. And when they were finally second only to the Boss himself, each one of them would have more than enough things to brag about.
As the older blond kept on talking about some infantile plan of disguising as Magikarp salesmen, Draco just dreamt about all the money, the glory and respect… and all those cute new recruits that would look up to him. Only a few more years, he was sure of it! The last mission, while costing him a broken rib or two and some blood loss, was a success. The Commander had taken all the glory, as tradition had it of course, but they finally had a high ranked mission marked as 'Successful' in their files. One daydream after another kept on passing through the young man's head until suddenly he found himself pinned to the ground. His brother's hushed voice came from somewhere on his right.
"Stay down, there's someone nearby," the hand placed on Draco's back pushed him further down and he was about to give Vlad a good smack up the head and be on his merry way to Oreburgh. Unfortunately an impassive and unfamiliar voice cut off Vlad's angry whispers that were probably the reason the stranger had approached them to begin with. Well, that and the fact they were two grown man hiding in the bushes.
"Is there a problem, gentlemen? Do you need help?"
Vlad let out a frustrated sigh and cursed their misfortune. He opened a single eye and inspected the newcomer with a dumb grin on his face. The other man's expensive-looking shoes, probably all that was left of some unfortunate Arbok, were the only things he could see at first. As the blond mused who on Earth had caught them red-handed, his gaze slowly went up. A pair of black trousers was nearly hidden behind the buttoned-up leather trench coat, so different from the dusty cheap ones he and his brother wore. There was a questioning look on the stranger's face. The man was apparently somewhere around their age, if only slightly older, but had an air of authority around himself. Like how Saturn demanded to be treated like some demi-god and how Mars went out of her way to make the female grunts feel bad. Like how Neptune had made clear he was the only one of the Commanders allowed questioning any prisoners.
A stray sun-beam that had made its way through the veil of the newcomer's sandy-blond shoulder-length hair caught Vlad unprepared. Raising an arm to protect his yeas, the twin soon felt something poking his forehead. There was a long object aimed between his eyes and despite becoming cross-eyed in the process, Vlad managed to recognize it as some kind of alabaster cane. Its tip was decorated with a silver, or maybe even platinum, figurine of a Charizard- or at least the twin thought so. He had never being good with Pokémon not from his home region. The young man noticed that the hand holding the 'weapon' was heavy-decorated itself- there were at least three massive rings of the same material as the cane's tip. And when Vlad noticed they were shaped like Pokémon heads with open jaws, he started to doubt they were facing an innocent passer-by.
For the past minute, one that had felt like a century to Draco, his hand had been slowly moving towards his belt. If only he could reach Seviper's poke ball! His partner had popped out on his own for the smallest of reasons before- why not do it now, when it would actually help? Still, the prick that had caught them by surprise, whoever he was, was busy piercing Vlad's head with his stare. His brother's face would have normally made Draco laugh but somehow, they had managed once again to get in a wicked mess without even noticing. And that was when the laughing stopped and the acting begun. They had survived in Team Galactic by sticking together. Some rich weirdo wasn't going to be their ultimate demise. There, only a couple more centimeters.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
The passionless voice made Draco freeze. For Pete's sake, the weirdo hadn't even looked in his direction! Maybe, maybe they were facing a psychic? Get a hold of yourself, Draco, were the words that crossed the younger twin's mind. It wasn't time to be daydreaming about magic tricks and other bogus. Wait a minute, why's the weirdo searching for something inside his trench coat? Oh no, no, no ,no! A gun! He must be searching for a gun!
With that kind of troubled thoughts in his mind, and all the life since kindergarten flashing before his eyes, Draco pleaded whatever God was up there for help. Any kind of help!
"PERVERT!"
The scream was strong enough to shatter a bullet-proof window. Flocks of Flying types hightailed it out of the area and concerned Pokémon picked their little offspring up with their teeth before rushing into the opposite direction. The leather-clad man glanced with a concerned look in the direction of the shout and several outcomes quickly played in his mind. If he could just deal with those two quickly enou…
Several tiny dust clouds were the only things his dark blue eyes saw when they inspected the ground where the two twins had been just seconds ago.
"Those two sure are quick on their feet."
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"PERVERT!"
"NOT THE FACE!"
This lovely scene was taking place just around 50 meters down the forest road. The sun shone cheerfully, what deaf birds were left in the area sung and the occasional dimwitted Bidoof that didn't know what was good for it jolted from one way of the road to the other. The shouts of the two pre-teens were accompanied by the charming voice of the rainbow-colored blur that circled above their heads with blinding speed and screamed 'YAY MAY-DAY YAY' on top of his lungs.
The bespectacled boy fought for his life, dodging blow after blow, and the blonde girl with the uncanny gift to conjure pepper spray out of nothing was trying to strangle him. Only the older boy, one in his early teens, just stood silently and inspected an ordinary-looking oak branch while scratching his chin.
Alas, luck was not on Kale's side that day, and he ended up cornered between two intertwined trees. Viviane cracked her knuckles and was ready to serve, at least in her not-so-humble opinion, righteous justice.
"Calm down, Viv," pleaded the dark-haired boy "It's not my fault that Jed tripped me with that branch for Pete's sake! We were just walking in a single line and I fell on top of you. I certainly did not try to feel you up! "And then, all the bottled-up rage against the unjustly accusation finally broke free "I'M NOT SUICIDAL ENOUGH TO DO IT, WOMAN!"
The girl's blonde eyes just kept on piercing through him, and most certainly through the tree bark as well, and Jed finally decided to speak up.
"It's true, Viv. Tripping someone with an oak branch when a Bidoof crosses your way is one of the ways of determining whether said someone is a Werepsyduck," the boy stated without even looking up. Nor did he look up when Kale started shouting at him.
"AND HOW EXACTLY DO YOU DETERMINE IT? BY HAVING THE VICTIM BEATEN UP BY A GIRL?!"
"Beats me," Jed shrugged and waved around the branch to see if something would happen.
"Oh, sweetie, can you remind me where were we?"
Kale could only gulp when he met Viviane's glare.
"STARLIIII! Starli, star-aar!"
With furious shrieks and a flash of light, Starly was suddenly out of his poke ball. Glaring around with his black beady eyes, the little brown bird smacked the blonde up her head with his wing. And just as Kale was about to thank him, the Flying type smacked his own trainer for good measure as well.
"What's this all about?"
Starly tried smacking the speaker on reflex, but his wing suddenly met the hard surface of polished wood. The dark blue eyes of the newcomer met with Starly's surprised stare for a moment. And then the sandy-blond man just sent the Flying type to the ground with a flick of his cane.
"Hey, what giv…" Kale's words refused to leave his mouth when the boy realized the cane was suddenly across his throat, effectively pinning him to the tree. The stranger spoke to Viviane without even sparing the trapped trainer a look.
"Are you okay, Miss? Were these boys…"
"Oh no, no no! See, Sir, it was just one big misunderstanding. There's no need to worry at all!" Viviane hastily cut of the man and waved her arms in front of her. Seeing her sweatdrop and smile nervously, Kale was glad that she at least wouldn't get him in trouble with the authorities or something. Guess she didn't even believe her own accusations. The boy felt the cane's pressure disappearing and let out a thankful sigh. Starly was back in the air and squeaking something to the cane-wielding man. He just examined the Flying type with an amused smile and asked Kale:
"To Oreburgh, right? With that kind of a feisty battler, you're surely a gym challenger."
"Uhm, yeah. I am. I'm Kale and this is Viviane and the lunatic right there is Jed… and you are?" the young boy asked with a suspicious look.
"Norrington. Julian Norrington. I'm heading towards the Oreburgh Gate. Mind if I walk with you three?"
As Julian shook hands with Viviane, the boy mumbled something about having nothing against him traveling with them for a while and then outstretched his hand to shake Julian's as well. But to everyone's surprise, except Chatot's of course, Jed somehow crossed the distance from where he was staying to where they were in less than a second. Taking hold of Norrington's hand, Jed grinned widely and started chatting excitedly.
"Gee, dude, you struck me as some stuck-up snob with these clothes. But no, look what a shiny ring you have! How does it glow so bright despite the sun-beams? Where did you get it? Where can I get one? What's your least favorite number?" wave after wave of stupid questions drowned the man and Jed just kept on shaking his hand and admiring his ring. Which one, Kale couldn't tell. Yeah, Julian had some crazy looking rings- they were shaped like Pokémon heads after all. Like Dragon Pokémon to be precise, Kale noticed. But none of them shone, at least not with their own light.
But under Julian's dumbstruck look, the black-haired boy congratulated mentally Jed for managing to wipe away the newcomer's straight face. Jed just kept on trying to get a hold of one of the rings again and again. Viviane sighed and covered her face in shame. Typical. The crazy one was out to ruin her image once again. And why hadn't Chatot put an end to this alrea…
The blonde was suddenly forced to cut out her musings. Whenever Jed acted… the way he acted, Chatot had always kept a straight face or acted weirdly himself before whacking his trainer. Now the colorful Flying type was just sitting on a nearby branch and carefully observing the otherwise comical scene in front of them with a slightly tilted head. Following his look, Viviane noticed that Jed was trying to pry from Julian's finger the only ring that wasn't shaped like a Pokémon. Said accessory was actually quite ordinary looking compared to the others- a silver base with some kind of a blue gem shaped like a dragon circling it. In the center of the circle, just above the place where the dragon bit its tail, was placed another gem, this one cut like the numerical 'VII'. And if Jed was to be believed, the ring glowed brighter than a flashlight in the dark.
Maybe it was nothing, maybe it was her woman's instinct, or she had finally gotten Jed's disease, but Julian did look somewhat… surprised. Like if he had not expected someone noticing it. But how could Jed see something that was not actually there? She glanced at Kale but he was busy laughing his head off at the situation. Norrington finally decided enough was enough. Prying Jed's fingers off the ring, he stated sternly:
"Young man, if you don't remove your appendages from the ring, I'll remove them period. Understood?"
Jed just grinned, gave a thumbs-up and started telling the man about his Werepsyduck theories. Kale's smile grew even wider when he noticed that Norrington was already sorry for offering to accompany them.
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"Breathe in… breathe out… breathe in…"
"Just shut up and breathe!"
Forrest Pokémon scattered around as the blond duo screeched to a halt. Falling to his knees, Draco panted and tried to make his lungs work once again. His eternally irritated brother was in a similar position, albeit just leaning on a lonely willow. Despite being used to egotistical psychos- one couldn't survive at their workplace otherwise- the twins were positively sure they had lost some of their nine lives while running away from the weird stranger.
"Man, Vlad, I've never run as fast in my li…"
"Hey, you two!"
The two 'brave' grunts felt their hearts skip a beat. What kind of force of nature had they angered?! No one should have been able to find them so quickly. Well, it was a short but good live, Draco thought. He guessed it was time to say goodbye to his beloved brother, and to his Ma, and to Auntie Em. And he never managed to tell Mina he loved her. Oh, cruel world! Cutting short such a youthful life like his! But no! He would fight to the death if he had to!
"FOR MINAAAA!"
"Stay put, Romeo, it isn't him!"
Draco felt his brother's hand grab his collar. But unfortunately, the passionate warrior was already in mid-air so that resulted in a rather comical and painful landing on his bottom.
"The castings have already ended, son. Maybe next time," said fatherly the man, seemingly in his fifties, that was facing them "Now come on, lazy bums! These mics and cameras won't carry themselves! Start working or I'm firing you here and now!"
Oblivious to why the old geezer was scolding them, the twins just shrugged and followed him for around a minute. Things became clear when they reached the end of the bushes. In front of them was the entrance to the tunnel widely known as Oreburgh Gate. But this time, there were a surprising number of people running around. Trucks and trailers had parked all around the place. Another group of men ran nearby, dressed in the same trench coats as the twins- for protection against the cold of the tunnel no doubt. Things painfully slowly become clear to the two blond men- apparently they have gotten themselves in another mess. They had been mistaken for a movie's filming crew.
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Around a hundred meters down the road another merry group was making their way to Oreburgh Gate. Kale and Julian had struck a conversation revolving around the Oreburgh Gym leader- some Rock type trainer named Roark. The black-haired boy's father had already told him all the types of the gyms of course. But learning about the leader him or herself was a whole other thing. Viviane just enjoyed the gentle sun-beams that kept away the native Sinnoh coldness and lazily watched Jed who was several meters ahead and currently playing scout. Talk about being childish- he had even put on a leaf-decorated helm that had apparently been stashed away in his seemingly bottomless backpack. The blonde shook her head in disapproval and returned to following the man and the young trainer's conversation. Apparently this Roark was a chief miner or something.
And still, Viviane kept noticing how Norrington constantly hid the hand with the mysterious ring. It was either behind his back- in the pose one would expect to see a noble in- or kept in his pocket. The frequent looks he gave to the cheerful teen in front of them seemed very suspicious as well. For the first time in her life, Viviane actually thought that maybe, just maybe, Jed wasn't talking complete nonsense.
"Here it is, children, the Oreburgh Gate," Julian announced with his usual passionless voice before raising an eyebrow "But what are those trucks and people doing here? Maybe there was a cave-in?"
The adult seemingly forgot about his young companions and quickly headed towards the tunnel's entrance. By the time the kids finally caught up to him, Julian was already in some kind of an argument with a bulky guy that probably was security.
"I'm sorry, but you can't pass through here. We're starting filming today. There are a lot of things to be done so the pass's closed 'til tomorrow. You'll either camp out here or take a detour through Floaroma Town."
"A detour through Floaroma?! That would take more time than waiting here!" despite keeping a steady voice, the traces of anger were clear in Julian's heated words "Listen now and listen well. I am going through Oreburgh Gate. Now. "
With that, Norrington just brushed past the guard and headed in. But, fate would have it, the Universe had other things in mind. The Machoke-built guy grabbed his arm in an iron grip and dropped the nice guy mask.
"No, you listen, pal," the man grunted as Julian just stared at his hand with an empty look "The Gate isn't open today. So scram, you snob, before I throw you out."
Julian finally looked the man in the eyes and questioned with an amused voice:
"Is that so?"
The young group of three could only stare in amazement as the cane was swiftly turned in Julian's hand and the tip with the Charizard found itself hooking the guard's ankle. One quick pull later the man was on the ground with a shocked look on his face. Julian poked his forehead with the cane's tip.
"Now that we have settled that, my dear friend, why don't we call the director?"
After a performance like this, it was only natural that the director arrived nearly inhumanely fast. Along with what seemed most of the film's crew and actors. The frustrated film-creator, a man in his forties, demanded to know why was Norrington going around and attacking innocent guards. The sandy-blond man just sighed and tried to pull out something from his trench coat's inner pocket. Of course, with so many celebrities around, it wasn't unusual that around a dozen guards and some genuine Machoke sprang up in readiness. Julian slowly pulled out the item he was looking for…
A badge.
"Norrington. Julian Norrington of the International Police. Your guard here was denying me passage through Oreburgh Gate and jeopardizing an important investigation in doing so."
The kids' eyes grew even wider. The director along with the unfortunate guard was soon offering apologize after apologize to Julian. Of course, they let him pass. And after a meaningful cough from Viviane, Norrington mentioned they were with him as well. The somewhat uneasy smile on the man's face proved to Kale that Viviane's uncanny gift of threatening males around her was working even on him. If barely. The bespectacled boy had just called out Blace, they needed his tail-flame to light the deepest parts of the tunnel, and had started musing on Viviane's ability when the blonde's abnormal scream made him stumble and fall.
"MAJESTICO! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S YOU!"
They had reached a place where the crew had positioned numerous cameras and there were a bunch of actors around. The numerous flashlights covering the rocky walls gave off a bright artificial light. And that was why the actors had gathered there, near one of the brightest places under the tunnel's jagged roof. Most faces were known to Kale- judging by them the movie must had had some serious budget. One of them in particular stood out. The young man, going by the alias 'Majestico', who Viviane was currently fangirling over. Kale's mind still struggled to process the alien data.
Majestico, as every newly cemented celebrity, had tons of fangirls. The guy was young, rich, famous and had a feminine appearance that somehow made women like him even more. On the other hand, most males- Kale included- found it hard to take seriously someone who had longer hair than most girls. Still, Majestico was famous for another thing as well- having Pokémon battles on TV. He was just around average but the hype was enough to give him even more fans. Plus, he had never lost yet. The black-haired boy sometimes wondered whether his opponents lost on purpose.
But Viviane to be one of those rabid fangirls? That was impossible! Jed getting normal was more possible than that! And yet, there she was, squealing and asking for autographs and pictures and… Kale was starting to feel dizzy. The cavern's walls were getting closer and closer. This time she wasn't joking around- and that meant the world was really coming to an end. And he hadn't earned a single badge yet!
"Ouch!"
"Chaar-chimchim-chaar!"
Kale checked to see whether his ear was still connected to his head. In his concern Blace had pulled it rather painfully. The young trainer made a mental note to have a discussion about the ways to wake him up painlessly from daydreams with his starter. Now back in the real world, the bespectacled boy found Jed's comment really appropriate.
"Say wha?!"
"Oh it's such an honor meeting you, Mr. Majestico! Can I have your autograph? And a picture? Pretty please?" Viviane kept on bugging the long-haired celebrity, fingers intertwined as if she was praying, and the man just looked at her amusedly. Smiling widely, Majestico took her hands and replied with a wink.
"Now, now, how can I say no to such a beautiful young lady? Plus, people are not supposed to know I'm in this film yet. Oh my, is it possible for you to keep it quiet if we took a picture together? I'll sign it 'For my dearest of fans'," the last part of the sentence was sung. Badly. But Viviane's bright blue eyes just kept on shining and she just nodded and nodded and squealed.
"There's no time," Julian finally said and the two boys sighed happily "if we want to reach Oreburgh City before the sun sets we have to keep going."
"Oh, don't listen to this killjoy here, dear," Majestico laughed and waved Norrington off "Now that I think about it, it isn't as cold as I thought it would be here. Hey, Killjoy, leave it in my trailer. Down that part of the tunnel," the celebrity ordered and threw his fur coat at Julian's face.
Even Viviane stood in silence, awaiting the inevitable reaction. But Julian just kept his usual straight face and picked up the coat, which, in Kale's opinion, was all that was left of some unfortunate Floatzel. Majestico bridled up and turned his back to his colleagues, searching for a camera.
Click! Click!"
The sharp clicks echoed in the cavern and the celebrity turned around to inspect whether something was happening to his precious coat. They would have given him any role in a vampire movie with the pale face he acquired then. Norrington was holding a lighter to the coat, one of the sleeves already on fire and just watched as it burned with an empty look.
"Why, you!" Majestico stepped forward with clenched fists but Julian just tossed the coat between them and stomped the flaming sleeve.
"Unless you want an urgent meeting with your plastic surgeon, I wouldn't recommend you picking a fight with me."
Maybe it was more the emptiness in his dark blue eyes than his threatening words, but Majestico's shoulders slumped in defeat and he sighed.
"Okay then. But no pics for the annoying girl!" Viviane pouted before realizing what he had said and shouted 'Hey' "We're gonna have a Pokémon battle. I haven't had one aired for some time after all. It'll help my rating to stomp you flat."
"Not interested. I have better things to do with my time," Julian stated flatly.
"I'm gonna battle you!" Kale announced "I've battled on TV once before."
"Even if you have," Majestico said with hands on his hips "what's in it for me if I beat some k…wait a sec! You've a Chimchar so you're one of that prof's starting trainers, right? What was his name… Logan, Richardson…"
"It's Rowan," Kale corrected with an irritated voice. How dumb could this guy be, the boy thought. Not knowing the leading Pokémon Professor of Sinnoh?!
"Yeah, Rowan. So we have a battle and if I beat 'ya you keep it quiet 'bout the movie."
"And if I win," Kale announced with a sly grin "we get to stay in a luxurious trailer for the night. Since we can't make it on time to Oreburgh after all."
"You've got yourself a deal, kiddo. Heck, I'll throw in my own trailer. As if you're going to win it!" Majestico then pointed furiously towards Julian. "But I'm not letting him stay!"
"Whatever," the police officer waved off "Since they have accommodations for the night, I'll be going now. I'll be sure to watch you beating him on TV, Kale. Farewell." And with that, Norrington just headed down the seemingly endless tunnel.
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"Heh, Draco," the older twin said between gulps of coffee "Who would've thought we'd actually get lucky with that!" Vlad took a vicious bite from his sandwich before continuing "We just have to carry around stuff and hold mics and cameras and stay out of the actual filming- and then they pay us on time! Not like with Team Galactic!"
"True!" Draco muffled with his mouth full "Plus, we've lunch break and free sandwiches and coffee. And the colleagues are nice. Maybe we should sign a full-time contract?"
The other twin chewed some more and swallowed before replying while scratching his chin:
"Yeah, it'd be nice to work here… but that would mean quitting Team Galactic," his twin choked upon hearing those words "And they'd send someone after us- maybe even one of the commanders! What if they send Neptune!"
Draco let his brother pat his back rather harshly before replying: "Or they'd sent those two witches! You won't believe what the guy who's on guard duty at the cafeteria told me! Poor Jekyll and Hyde," Draco said with fear in his voice and shuddered "They just tried stealing some rare Pokémon from that Rowan while on their mission in Sandgem. And after they got back, Mars…" the younger twin leaned and whispered something into his brother's ear. Vlad's eyes went wide and a Water Gun-like stream of coffee shot out of his mouth.
"SHE DID WHAT?" he shouted while nearly hyperventilating "There's no chance we're quitting Team Galactic! We'll just get what we've earned today and hightail it outta here."
"Nice plan," Draco grinned- something his brother found majorly disturbing after what Draco had just told him seconds ago "Besides, Vlad, if we quit that means no more stealing and threatening people and doing bad stuff. Can you picture us two earning our money in an honest way? Impossible!"
"Wise words, little brother," Vlad judged and was about to take another bite from the sandwich when he suddenly froze.
"What's the matt…" it was Draco's turn to shoot out caffeine projectiles from his mouth when he noticed what, or more appropriately who, was his brother's shaking hand pointing at.
"I suggest you two stay put," Julian advised coldly and started searching for his badge and handcuffs in his trench coat's inner pocket. The two grunts however, had other things in mind. Throwing away the food and drinks, the blond men ran away in panic with Draco shouting: "FORGET THE MONEY! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"
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"Okay now, are we all set? You ready? Majestico? Little boy?" were the lazily asked by the cameraman questions.
"I've a name you know! It's Kale!" was the young trainer's frustrated answer. Majestico's on the other hand…
"Yup, I'm all set… wait a sec! Miranda? Where's Miranda?! GET ME MIRANDA AT ONCE! SOMEONE HAS TO POWDER MY NOSE!"
Kale just covered his face in shame while Blace scratched his head in confusion. Weren't those people seen on TV brave and like heroes or something, thought the little fire-monkey. Viviane and Jed were watching from the sidelines along with a ton of movie staff. The black-and-yellow clad girl was ecstatic. Jed was just watching her with a disturbed expression on his face. Seeing Viv act like a girl her age was something even the depths of his seemingly insane brain had trouble comprehending.
Well, Majestico's precious nose was soon powdered, his long dark hair brushed and after half an hour of positioning the spotlights so they could light his "even better side", the battle was ready to start.
"Okay, little boy," Majestico announced while Kale grunted in irritation "Here're the rules! I'm gonna use just my darling Luxio and you can use as many Pokémon as you want. The battle ends when one of us has no more Pokémon left. I win, you keep it quiet 'bout the film, you win-which isn't going to happen- you get my trailer for the night."
"Whoa, whoa, wait a sec!" the black-haired boy waved his hands frantically "You're saying you're gonna face me with just one Pokémon?! But I have two! Surely, even if you beat the first one, Luxio will be too tired to win again! And what if I had a team of six?"
"Whatever!" the lead cameraman shouted "Majestico has faced worse odds! Shut up and battle! Lights, camera, action!"
"Go, my darling Luxio!" Majestico tossed up a heavily-decorated poke ball after giving it a good luck kiss.
"Whatever, it's his loss," Kale said quietly to Blace "Go get 'em, boy!"
The Fire type cheerfully jumped off of his trainer's shoulder and landed in a battle-ready position. On the other side of the field, after the usual white flash, appeared a small blue lion with black mane. It looked around slowly and when it saw the Chimchar, just bridled up and let out a forced sigh.
"Oh, you're as handsome as usual, "cooed Majestico before ordering sinisterly "Now fry it with Spark!"
The Luxio obeyed immediately. His whole body was covered with blue electricity and the lion jolted forward. Blace waited bravely to be told what to do and just as Kale ordered a last second Dig, burrowed underground. The Electric type screeched to a halt and looked around with a dumbstruck expression. Soon enough, the Chimchar shot up from the ground and stuck Luxio with a vicious uppercut. The blue lion was sent flying due to the effective Ground type move.
"Hey, no fair!" Majestico accused and stomped the ground "Get up, Luxio! Iron Tail!"
The crew just kept on filming, doing whatever various jobs they had to. Jed and Chatot gave Kale and Blace a thumbs-up. Viviane… Viviane kept shouting Majestico's name and cheering him on. The Luxio got back on its feet and with an angered expression. Its tail, adorned with a yellow star at the tip, shined a bright white. The Pokémon jolted forward once again but this time jumped in the air and somersaulted downwards.
"Dodge it and use Scratch!"
Once again Blace managed to get out of harm's way in time. By jumping above his attacker, the little fire-monkey managed to get in a good position to attack. And soon enough, his sharp claws were scratching the blue lion's face. Majestico screamed something about ruining the perfectly combed mane and Viviane was getting angrier by the minute.
"What do you think you're doing, Kale?! You're ruining his reputation! Don't you know how the press will react? Let him win! NOW!"
The battling trainer himself was about to bark back but Jed interfered and shouted on top of his lungs:
"VIVIANE, ARE YOU INSANE?" the blonde threw him a look that would normally freeze the blood in his veins but the teen was too shocked to stop talking. "Kale is our friend and you're rooting for some stuck-up weirdo?! Shame on you!" the girl was surprised to hear the auburn-haired boy talk normally and was about to accuse him of feinting his craziness. But…
"Another word, missy, and I swear upon the Order of Guys That Had Swore to Protect Us from Werepsyduck, aka OGTHSPUW, I'm jinxing you with the Squishy Ears curse!"
The silence was palpable. Majestico and Kale forgot they were battling at all, same with their Pokémon, and just stared blankly. The filming crew's mouths were hanging open and only one of the mic-carrying guys managed to speak and ask, "We're cutting that part, right?" Viviane's face was redder than ever. Maybe it was the acoustics of the Gate but Kale could have sworn the slap must have been heard in Oreburgh.
"Shut up, you moron!"
Jed ended up falling backwards and hit his head on one unfortunate rock. The blonde covered her mouth and gasped in fear of what she had done upon hearing the cracking noise. Some of the staff around started shouting for paramedics. Only Chatot just stood calmly and after sparing an uninterested look to his trainer, stated:
"Yay! I think the rock just cracked! Yay!"
"You can't silence me! Go, Kale, go! Show him who knows how to… eat asparagus out of… control? Sorry, dude, I'm kinda off with the rhyming today."
Jed, who had sprung back on his feet just a second ago like nothing had happened, scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Viviane looked like she would pass out. Luckily, Majestico returned everyone's attention to the battle.
"Thunder Fang, now! He's distracted!"
"What the… Blace, Flamewheel, now!"
Despite the underhanded tactic, Luxio charged up the blue sparks in his teeth somewhat sluggishly. By the time he reached his opponent and prepared to crunch him, Blace had had enough time to cover himself whole in rotating flames. The fire cocoon proofed more than enough to withstand the jolts and soon Luxio was blown away by the explosion. The Chimchar was as well, but unlike the blue lion, he landed steadily and screeched to a halt after digging his claws in the ground.
"Honestly, dude, for all that hype, you're pretty bad as a trainer," Kale laughed and scratched the back of his head with an enormous grin. "Train some more and then come back, kay? Now where's that trailer?"
"Don't pass judgment yet, Stale," Majestico let out a false sigh before continuing. "Ah, the young today and their overconfidence. Luxio, it's time for our ace in the hole."
Jed, for all the Werepsyduck and other unearthly theories that haunted his maze of a head, couldn't help but feel uneasy when he noticed how the filming crew nodded to Majestico's wink. Kale, on the other hand, was oblivious and ordered Blace to finish it with a Flamewheel.
The blue lion had just gotten shakily back on his feet. Viviane, desperate to find what kind of move could have that 'ace in the hole' been was consulting her Pokédex ( Luxio, the Spark Pokémon. By touching friends with its front paws, Luxio is able to communicate through the sparks it emits.). Jed and Chatot were waiting disaster to strike and Majestico was just repeatedly flicking his hair.
"Focus Punch!"
"Seismic Toss!"
"Low Kick!"
The rotating comet was just upon Luxio when a bulky blue humanoid Pokémon appeared out of nowhere. It took the hit and halted it with one hand before uppercutting Blace with a glowing fist just as the flames dispersed. The fire-monkey flew upwards where another one of the blue humanoids took hold of him and after somersaulting downwards several times, crashed him head-first into the hard ground. A third one appeared out of nowhere and harshly kicked the already dazed Fire type in the gut. To top it all, Luxio took part in the beating as well and sent Blace flying after finally hitting him with a Spark attack.
Kale could only recall his bruised, battered and scorched starter and ask with a shaking but furious voice:
"What on Earth do you think you're doing?! Four on one out of nowhere! That's cheating! You're disqualified!"
"Get a hold of yourself, junior," the cameraman replied instead of Majestico "as your friend said, do you know what losing will do to his career? Majestico can't lose matches on TV, that's bad publicity. Honestly, why must you 'professional' trainers always react that way? It's showbiz, mate."
"Always? You've done this before?" Jed nearly shouted.
"Of course, Majestico is a famous actor, he has no time to train his Pokémon like you lazy bums do. He has to film movies and that stuff. When things are getting bad for him, some of the Machoke just interfere, tip the scales a little and leave him to win. Besides, we're still gonna pay you some to keep quiet 'bout that."
"We ain't finished yet!" Kale announced with clenched fists "I still have one Pokémon left. I don't care if you throw a dozen Machoke against me, I'm still gonna prove you how pathetic you are! Starly, show 'em how it's done!"
The Flying type had just appeared in a flash, with righteous fury in his eyes, when Viviane asked with a shocked voice:
"You mean Majestico's a cheater? And how do you air the battles? The Machoke are clearly filmed!"
"Editing and montages, now shush!" the cameraman waved her off.
"Kale!" the blonde's voice nearly pierced the trainer's ears "Don't you dare lose to this no-good cheater!"
"Talk about mood swings," Jed mumbled and Chatot nodded in agreement, "And besides, do you think we'll let you cheat?"
"We've taken care of it, son, just don't make any sudden movements," the cameraman announced without even sparing a glance as another group of Machoke circled Jed and Viviane. One of them even grabbed Chatot by the beak in a vain try to shut him up.
Machoke, the Superpower Pokémon. With enough strength to lift a giant truck with one hand, Machoke are often used to do extremely heavy work.
"Fighting types, eh? At least I have the type advantage," Kale mumbled to himself before addressing his partner "Starly, we're playing against the odds here. No show this cheater your Aerial Ace!"
"Hah, he's a Flying type, boy. I won't even need help here. Luxio, use Spark and be done with it."
And so, the blue lion coated itself once again with blue sparks and sprang forward. The little brown bird facing him didn't even blink and just sped up even more. Cutting streams of air swirled around him and just as they were about to clash, Starly flickered out and appeared again above Luxio before ramming into him. The Electric type had just hit the ground when, upon hearing Kale's commands, Starly begun whacking him with one Wing Attack after another.
"Help Luxio!" the cameraman ordered the Fighting types when he saw the lion couldn't handle his opponent itself. The Machoke swiftly surrounded Starly but the Flying type, one small little birdie surrounded by bulky giants, met their stares without flinching.
"Agility! Show 'em your Wing Attack, too!"
One of the blue humanoids had just punched forward, only for his fist to meet nothing but air as Starly disappeared with blinding speed. And then appeared again and again, hitting and running, and laughing in his own language every time he scored a hit. Seeing the strange battle dance and how his Pokémon managed to fight four-on-one made Kale proud. But at the same time, something inside the boy told him that Starly had faced this kind of odds before… without being the victor.
But this time he had a chance and despite what would anyone advise, the Starly met a wild Cross Chop with his glowing wings crossed as well. It was somewhat hilarious, seeing a little Starly trying to hold off a Machoke, but Kale knew his partner had been blinded and shuddered as he saw how the Fighting type easily pushed back.
"Staaaar-liiiiii!"
The Flying type had suddenly let out a blood-chilling shriek and, yanking free his wings, had jolted forward in an unordered Aerial Ace. The attack hit the Machoke dead on and he was pushed back for meters- the brown bird just kept on going forward after the hit. But alas, his fury was his undoing. One of the other two humanoid Pokémon jumped in front of him and just as Starly was about to dodge, rammed his glowing fist into the Flying type. One punch after another, the Machoke avenged his brother by using his opponent as a punching bag. And then, as he had done with Blace before, uppercutted the bird and sent him flying up.
Kale's heart sunk when he realized it was over. He was cheated out of his victory. The last Machoke had taken hold of his Pokémon and the boy could only watch as the Fighting type somersaulted downwards, as if in slow motion, to execute the Seismic Toss. Only a few meters were left…
The ear-splitting sound that followed cracked several of the cameras' lenses. Pokémon and people alike covered their ears, trying in vain to cut off the unearthly screech. The Machoke holding Starly dropped his victim and despite being in mid-air, instinctively tried to cover his ears. And just then, a large glowing tail rammed into him and sent him crashing into the cave wall. The other Fighting type didn't even comprehend what was happening as something rocky wrapped around him before tossing him aside and knocking him out.
Starly managed to land somewhat shakily and shook his head in an attempt to clear it. His trainer however, could only stare at the familiar scar on the Onix's face.
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"Quick, in here!" Vlad beckoned his brother and stormed into some random trailer. One short female shriek later he was out, apologizing and with flushing red. "Not here, Draco- here!" the older twin corrected himself in an irritated voice. The two grunts swiftly hid in the neighbouring trailer.
"He's a ghost I'm telling 'ya. He's gonna find us soon!" Draco shouted frantically and started shaking like a madman. Vlad's fist served as medicine once again. "Shut it! There're wigs and clothes and stuff here. We're gonna do what we do best!"
"Run away like cowards?"
Another punch.
"No, disguise ourselves."
Some five minutes later, the twins were out of the trailer. Their new looks could have fooled anyone. Draco had put on some medieval peasant suit. Vlad was looking like some young nobleman and his wig was long and dark. Much like Majestico's own hair. Unfortunately.
"Hey, you two!"
Seriously, one more time hearing those three words, and Draco was committing suicide.
"Glad you two have showed up on time. Didn't you phone to tell us that you're stuck in a traffic jam in Jubilife?" the director questioned. Vlad could only answer with a prolonged 'Erm'. "No matter!" the movie-maker beamed a smile before shouting to the crew "Come on people, the doubles are finally here and we can film the scene."
Not a minute later, the two unfortunate grunts were in the center of attention surrounded with cameras and with scripts in their hands. Seeing there was nothing left to do, Vlad just shrugged at Draco and inspected the script. Several minutes later…
"What the ACHOO is this ACHOO?! The protagonist is some unknowing village boy who's actually a prince and after a week of training with an old drunken motherACHOOO he learns how to fight like a live-long experienced master?! And just after a day of knowing the princess they're stranded in a cave and instead of lighting a fire they ACHOOOOOO?!"
Vlad grew redder and redder before shouting: "For Pete's sake, stop sneezing!"
"Sorry, my hay-fever is suddenly kicking up," Draco apologized while scratching his head sheepishly.
"Hay-fever?! You don't have hay-fever, moron!" Vlad shouted and whacked his twin's head- only for Draco's wig to fall off.
"Hey, you two!"
"What now…" Vlad begun before freezing mid-sentence. Julian was making their way to them and ordering guards to block their escape routes. "How the ACHOOO did he get here so fast?"
The older twin swiftly grabbed his brother by the collar, yanked Draco's poke ball off his waist and ordered a Smokescreen. When Seviper executed the move, he grabbed the snake-like Pokémon by the tail and, with his brother hanging from the other hand, ran away shouting.
"Less sneezing, more running!"
After what seemed like an eternity running down the cave, they finally saw the welcoming white light of the entrance. Without even looking back, they headed to the first car they saw- a rather expensive looking cabrio, and hopped in.
"Oooh, the brand new Tauros Royaldo!" Draco cooed with shining eyes before starting to shout again "Vlad, Vlad, he's gaining on us! VLAD, START THE CAR NOW!"
"I CAN'T DO IT IF YOU KEEP SHOUTING!" Vlad's shouts came from below the driver's seat. "Why did they have to place those wires below the seat? There!" the twin happily said as the engine roared to live. Vlad was still upside down when Draco took hold of the wheel and rammed his foot on the pedal. The cabrio jolted forward with Seviper's long tail and Vlad's legs sticking out. As it disappeared into the thick bushes, the disappointed Julian heard Draco shouting: "So long, sucker!"
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"Pathetic."
One simple statement. But everyone could just stay still like statues and struggle to comprehend the situation. The giant rock snake looked around with pride in his dark eyes and then just crawled away to his trainer, who was casually leaning on a nearby stalactite. The awestruck crowd just parted in two as the Onix passed through. The Rock Snake Pokémon made his way without rushing and slowly wrapped himself loosely around the red-haired boy. The Rock type's eyes lazily inspected his 'audience', as if to see whether someone would challenge him, but they were all still too surprised to react. Kale was the first one to speak up.
"Honestly, Nigel, can't you just say 'hello' like normal people?" the bespectacled boy questioned and shook his head "And what do you mean by 'pathetic'? I was outmatched four-on-one! I'd like to see you try fighting at these odds!" Kale added with more vigor in his voice.
"A moderate performance Onix, you were somewhat sluggish. We'll work on your speed later," Nigel told his Pokémon as he recalled him and didn't even look at the boy currently shouting at him.
"Hey, don't play dumb! Answ…"
"Keep your voice down, I'm not deaf," the redhead cut him off with an irritated voice "I wasn't talking to you. Although considering you were facing amateurs you could've done better," he added with a smirk before continuing "I was talking to that prick over there," Nigel announced and nodded towards Majestico.
"Honestly, what kind of coward gangs up his opponent? And then airs an edited version on TV and pretends he actually knows anything about battling?!" Kale and Viviane, the only ones who actually knew Nigel beforehand, were surprised by the anger in his words. "You're a disgrace to every Pokémon trainer out there! Getting the glory without knowing you've won it because of your own abilities is nothing! Battling is about earning the victory, proving to your opponent you are better by overcoming your weaknesses and making them your strengths. And if some of you think you could stop me from interfering again, I'd like to see you try," the boy finished and meaningfully tapped the three miniature spheres on his belt.
"Not that anyone wants to listen to any more of your idealistic nonsense, kiddo, but how did you get past security?" questioned the cameraman with a dumbstruck look.
"Easy, Onix just dug another entrance. We got into the Gate itself nearby and I heard the commotion. I'm glad that I showed up. Losers," Nigel announced with a smirk.
"You actually helped me?!" Kale questioned with the look of a child realizing Santa wasn't real on his face.
"Yeah, yeah, now finish your battle so I can see that prick over there humiliated like he deserves," Nigel bridled up and waved Kale off.
"Oh, I'll finish him alright," the bespectacled boy finally answered after several seconds of just looking at Nigel and suddenly gave a thumbs-up to his rival. "Plus, I'll do it in a single strike! Starly, you ready?"
The little brown bird answered hastily in his own language and slowly got up with a few weak flaps of his wings. Majestico just flicked his dark hair and mocked:
"Aw, am I supposed to be scared now that you've gotten your pep talk?" then the angered expression got back on his face again "Luxio, we've played enough. Fry him once and for all! Spark, full throttle!"
"Oh, no," Kale answered with a sly grin as the blue lion got covered in blue sparks once again "You're supposed to be scared 'cause you've made him angry. And that's one baaad thing, trust me."
Majestico raised his eyebrow and beads of sweat trickled down his face when he noticed the Flying type's expression. He was just hovering in mid-air and glaring at the approaching Luxio, as if not even caring about the ferocious Electric type several times his size that was attacking. A pulsing vain was visible on the bird's forehead.
"Aerial Ace."
The calm but confident command was immediately followed. One weak flap of the wings so he could get some distance. A faint glow adored the little wings for a moment. Another flap-this one to help adjust his form and properly glide through the still air. Kale could've sworn his saw light dancing around the beak and the tail feathers. A third flap.
The ones who blinked back then missed the moment as Starly jolted forward with blinding speed. The razor-sharp streams of air swirled around the tiny form once again but the glow was getting gradually stronger and stronger.
"Staaar…"
The Luxio kept on charging, confident in its type advantage. Kale started noticing that the light had covered his Pokémon's whole upper body.
"Staar…"
The Luxio finally noticed its opponent barely visible eyes through the light and suddenly doubted its victory. Now everyone saw that the Flying type's whole body was covered in light. The Aerial Ace's streams intertwined with the light and created a stable, arrow-like veil around Starly.
"Avia!
The glowing arrow that was Kale's Pokémon flickered out of existence for a moment before it rammed into the Electric type with blinding speed. The blue lion was lifted up and as his opponent kept on pushing forward, it ended up crashing through a stalactite and into the cavern's wall.
"Star-star-viiiiaaa!"
Kale didn't even hear the bird victorious shrieks. All he could do was stare silently at the enlarged form, the prolonged crest, the white spiky pattern covering the face. The boy quickly consulted his blue Pokédex and smiled as the device confirmed what he was seeing.
Staravia, the Starling Pokémon. The evolved form of Starly. Staravia flies over forests and fields, and travels in large flocks.
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""WAAAAH, my life is ruined! How will I look my fans in the eyes after they see me losing like this?!"
"Relax, Majestico, relaaaax… I said relax, you overgrown baby!" shouted the cameraman as he punched the celebrity after seeing that just words wouldn't help. "We'll still show you winning! We've got the needed footage from the first battle and we'll just cut out entirely the second one. The people will be told it was just a one-on-one match, that's all."
"Wait a minute!" furiously shouted Viviane before Kale could even open his mouth "You're saying that after all Kale went through, you're still showing a cheap edited version of this prick winning?!"
"Hey, what happened to the 'Dear Mr. Majestico' in all those letters you said you've sent me?"
"Shut it, Lamestico!" the blonde threatened with raging fire in her blue eyes and the celebrity just whimpered.
"Yeah, we're airing the battle. Deal with it. And you know what? We're neither paying you, nor letting you stay in any trailer. You've attacked my Machoke, driven me nuts and even broke some equipment! I don't care if you blab about it- no one would believe you anyway! Now beat it!" shouted the reddened cameraman.
Viviane looked ready to argue, Kale was about to voice his disgust and Nigel just called out Onix and prepared to leave. Jed on the other hand…
"Here me, oh wretched souls! Hereby I, Jed, and he, Chatot…"
"Yay! Keep me outta this! Yay!"
"…we curse you and we shall extract our righteous revenge upon you! Repent! For the end is nigh!"
Jed then proceeded to pull out a red flute from his red-and-orange jacket's sleeve. Just as he took a deep breath and 'played' it, without anything happening, everyone voiced their opinion:
"Is he… you know…" Nigel confusedly asked Kale and gestured to his head.
"He is! And he's driving me crazy!" Viviane hissed.
"Nah, he's just eccentric," was the bespectacled boy's simple answer.
"Oh, for Pete's sake! Guards, throw 'em out!" pleaded the cameraman while facepalming.
"Ma-ma!" Majestico stuttered while shaking in fear.
The Machoke were just about to grab Jed and lead him away when a strange flapping noise echoed in the whole cavern. It got stronger and stronger and everyone, sans Jed and Chatot of course, looked around worriedly. Majestico looked like he was ready to faint. As distinctive high-pitched shrieks started echoing around as well, Nigel suddenly proclaimed:
"Of course! That's a Poke Flute! We didn't hear it so that means he actually has summoned…"
The redhead couldn't even finish his sentence because out of nowhere, a blue-and-purple wave of flying, and shrieking, Pokémon was upon them. The flock of Zubat and Golbat, along with the lonely Crobat here and there, obscured everything for around a minute before flying away in search of a place where they wouldn't be disturbed. The surprise 'attack' had left everyone disheveled, expect for Jed, who was just standing where they had seen him last with an enormous grin on his face.
"Majestico, Majestico, your car's missing!" shouted some random staff member who had just arrived.
"What?! My brand new Tauros Royaldo! I spent millions on it! I'm feeling fai…"
And then the celebrity finally passed out. The cameraman looked ready to tear them apart and Kale had just started considering whether they could outrun a crazed middle-aged man when something suddenly swiped him off his feet. Finding himself on Onix's back along with the rest of his friends, the boy threw a questioning glance at Nigel but he just shook his head as if to say: "Don't mention it. No really, don't."
"Jed, what on Earth did you do to his car?" Viviane asked with wide blue eyes.
"I did nothing to his car. I did this to him," Jed announced and pulled out a CD out of his pocket. "The unedited version of the battle. Rico had a friend in Jubilife TV, remember? I bet they'd kill for the chance to be airing the real deal."
"Jed, you're a mad genius!" Kale congratulated his friend with gratitude in his voice. Jed let out a strange, hoarse laugh, something between a Mamoswine snoring and a sick Exploud singing. The teen apologized with a trace of disappointment in his voice.
"Sorry, haven't gotten that one right yet."