CHAPTER THIRTEEN
We proceeded to the large wooden dance floor where many Pokémon were attempting to dance. The only Pokémon who seemed to have a vague idea of what to do was a Jynx and a Machoke.
"I'm not doing this," I said.
"Sparkles," Denari begged.
I saw a Slowpoke and a Psyduck doing what was their confused idea of a samba. They looked idiotic, yet they both wore dopey smiles and seemed to be the happiest duo alive.
"Okay," I said softly, "I suppose I promised. Let's do this."
Denari inched closer and shakily stood on two legs. "I'm not used to two legs," he admitted, "But when I was in Johto I saw humans do it like this."
"You went to Johto?"
"Doll face, I've been all over the world! I'll tell you all about it, but for now…" He gently wrapped his arms around my waist. I stopped breathing and felt a surge of fire rush inside me, an inferno of terror and excitement.
I put my arms around his waist too.
"Sparkles," he laughed, "You put your paws on my shoulders."
"I knew that," I said with false confidence.
Denari chuckled.
"Don't laugh at me!" I blushed.
"I'm only laughing because you're sweet."
I couldn't think of anything else to say and the music of a new song slowly started up. Denari stepped forward and we swayed side to side.
"See?" he said. "It's easy!"
I followed his moves and took another step forward. As my foot stepped down I felt it bend with the music, the music that was suddenly crashing through my head like a tidal wave, cutting through the fog. Something sparked and I looked into Denari's eyes.
"I've done this before," I choked. I remembered doing this. I remembered. I… remembered. I remembered!
I broke away from the dancing and pulled Denari into a bear hug.
"I remember something!" I screamed into his ear and rabidly pulled him closer. "I remember! I remember dancing! You were right! This party is triggering my memory! Thank you, thank you, thank you—" I realized that I was hugging him and quickly stepped away.
"That's fantastic, Sparkles!" he said. "What exactly do you remember?"
I paused and closed my eyes. "Well, I see a grey and barren town. A dead and twisted tree. Something large and magnificent is in the background. I see myself dancing. It's very blurry."
"So you're in a grey town, dancing by yourself?"
"No, wait, there's someone else. They're brightly colored and they're dancing with me and they're very kind. I know him. We've danced multiple times. But I can't remember anything else." I opened my eyes.
"Interesting," Denari said, philosophically stroking his chin.
"There is one more thing I remembered, Denari." I said coyly. "It's how to do this."
I seized his shoulders and twirled him, then I spun under his arm and recovered perfectly. I then launched into a series of advanced steps that Denari followed with an expression of bewilderment. I spun him around one more time then posed.
"Ta-da!" I said while panting.
"Sparkles," Denari said slowly, "You're wonderful!"
"Would you like to do it again?" I inquired, letting my wide grin blossom.
"How could I say no to a professional dancer? But let's go a bit slower this time."
I smiled and buried myself in his fur, then we danced the night away.
The clock struck twelve and the powerful sound reverberated throughout the room. Every muscle in my body ached, yet I had no intention of stopping my vigorous dancing.
"Attention! Attention!" a voice boomed.
The whole room hesitated and the music abruptly cut off. I looked up and saw the Arbok slithering down the staircase bannister.
"I am Sylvester," he hissed, the letter s greatly exaggerated. "I'm a Team Rocket representative. We have a presentation for you that will answer all your questions."
"This is it, Sparkles!" Denari said with a squeeze of my paw. "This will answer everything! We'll learn what Team Rocket is and you can go back!"
"Yes," I said distantly. "Go back…"
We followed Sylvester to a locked door. He rapped on it six times with his tail and it swung open. What followed was a large auditorium with a stage and velvet seats. Denari and I shared a human sized chair and had to stand up to see the stage. An irritatingly hyper Vigoroth sat next to us.
It felt like it took hours for the guests to filter in and place themselves. Everyone eventually settled down and Sylvester cleared his throat, triggering a projector screen to emerge from the ceiling. The house lights dimmed and a slideshow began.
"Team Rocket is an organization for you, that makes you stronger," Sylvester explained, gesturing to a picture of a happy Rattata with his tail. "We offer three square meals and wonderful trainers, guaranteed to make you happy. We have delightful housing in the heart of Celdon and are ready to make you the best you can be. We are looking for cunning, powerful… non-regretful individuals like yourselves, and that is why we gathered you here today."
The slideshow continued, showing pictures of smiling Pokémon and mountains of food. The PowerPoint cut off after the team logo. The dim lights brightened and the room erupted in loud chatter.
"That was so vague," I whispered to Denari.
"Attention!" Sylvester yelled, his voice a mere peep in the chatter. "I said attention!"
The room shut up and looked at the angry cobra.
"Care to explain what the video did not clarify?" Sylvester said. "Let me allay your worries!"
"No one said Team Rocket involved trainers!" a Krabby shouted. There was a chorus of agreement.
"I'm not having another trainer after my trainer abandoned me!" a Jigglypuff yelled. About half the crowd began to roar in affirmation. Denari began to curl into a tightly wound ball.
"Let me assure you," said Sylvester, "That we have the best trainers in the world. Wouldn't you like to be loved again by a human?"
"No!" the crowd shouted in unison. Denari furled up his ears and squirmed, suddenly climbing out of the chair.
"Where are you going?" I asked, lightly grabbing his paw.
"Just want some fresh air," he mumbled.
"Don't go," I pleaded, causing Denari to shake his head and sit back down.
Sylvester now looked absolutely pissed. Ten Ekans slithered out and tried to console him.
"Food!" Sylvester screeched, pushing the Ekans away. "You'll get free food every day! We'll teach you how to be strong! You'll be special! You'll be powerful! Now which one of you weaklings have the guts to join? Get on stage and prove your worth!"
"Sparkles," Denari said sincerely, "It's been a great run. I'll miss you more than I can explain, doll face. Tonight was one of—no, tonight was the best night of my life. Goodbye."
My heart clawed against my ribcage. How had I not put thought into this? That I would be at a Team Rocket party and not realize I would leave to pursue my memory? Second thoughts bounced throughout me. What happened to that firm mindset I had when I left Kasey, so determined and anxious?
I looked into Denari's eyes and I knew what happened.
"Goodbye," I whispered.
I could never have a normal life with him not knowing about my past. I had to leave. Not looking back, I shuffled behind the line of Zubat and Rattata filing up the stage. As I walked over I made eye contact with Sylvester.
"It's you," he whispered, his sharp features brimming with fear. He stared at me with a fixated terror. Without thinking I fled to Denari.
"Sparkles, what are you doing?" Denari exclaimed.
Meanwhile, the only Pokémon on stage were Zubats and Rattatas. There were a lot of them, actually, but they were the only species to join. It made sense, they finally had a chance to stand out from their large population, and their life in the wild was so difficult.
"Nobody else?" one of the Ekans questioned weakly, noticing that Sylvester had become paralyzed. "Not a single one? Even those of you from different regions released in Kanto, you don't want another shot? New place and new life?"
Sylvester cleared his throat and growled. At that moment a fat Sealeo waddled on stage, coughing loudly.
"Well 'scuse me," he said in a crotchety voice. "I'm sure you're all tired, doin' all this dancin' while I flew in from another region. My fins are also tired… after all, I flew here!" He laughed heartily, wiping a tear away with a flipper.
"Oh no," Denari groaned. "I saw this old guy preform in Hoenn, his comedy routine is the opposite of funny."
"That is right," Sylvester said in a blasé tone. "All the way from Hoenn we have the famous Sir Leo here to entertain you. Sit back, and enjoy this delectable show." He slithered off and Sir Leo scooted to the center of the stage.
"Welcome," the old Sealeo chortled. "I hope you realize you made a large mistake—you pathetic bunch of idiots." The seal began to glow purple and suddenly transformed into a Jigglypuff identical to the one in the front row.
"It feels wonderful to shed the looks of that moron," the imposter Sir Leo sighed, stretching his pink arms. "Goodnight, everyone."
He began to sing Jigglypuff's sleepy melody and my eyes began to feel weighted. Denari's eyelids drooped lower and lower, the whole auditorium growing fatigued. An Ekans with earmuffs wheeled out a large barrow of ultra balls. The Vigoroth next to me did not seem tired, but he twisted in his seat and chewed his claw as his eyes anxiously darted around. I could no longer fight the temptation to sleep, and in my last seconds I saw Denari struggle to crawl over and bite the Vigoroth.
At that moment the strange sloth shrieked, causing the loudest uproar I ever heard. All drowsiness wore off in an instant. An Exeggutor flung the stage curtains aside with a psychic attack, but every snake had already ran off, along with the Zubat and Rattata who volunteered to join. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the Jigglypuff briefly transform into a blob, only to quickly change into a Yanma who fired a sonic boom at the windows and zoomed out.
The whole room began to run away with a panicked frenzy, and in the midst the cart with the ultra balls toppled over. The capsules opened upon impact, causing a dodging game right next to the narrow entrance way. An agitated Nidoqueen punched a hole in the wall, widening it with her bulk. Several Pokémon mimicked her and went screaming into the ballroom. Somehow, a Hitmonchan punched a disoriented Slowbro and sent him spiraling tail first into the gorgeous fountain statue. There was a loud crunch, and a crack spider-webbed across the marble tree. The thick object toppled over and splintered the wooden floor, nearly crushing a Magmar. The Magmar attacked in surprise, spewing jets of flame.
That, my friends, is the night Denari and I had to escape a burning building.
A/N: Pokemon, propaganda, and panic-all in one chapter! This very long and hopefully entertaining entry is my thank-you-for-reading present.
When will we ever find out about Sparkle's past, or even Denari's past? You'll find out sooner than you think. Please review, follow, and favorite!