Keldeo the Critic
Season 4 Episode 21- The Absol Danseuse by thatdragonwiththetophatcom
tinyurl: hbt3k5w
"So after Austin hijacks Gigig's performance, and we're apparently supposed to be on Austin's side on this for some reason, all the Pokemon go to mingle in the green room," Keldeo said.
Now, I am going to stop you right there.
Keldeo lurched backed slightly, looking startled. "You talking to me?" he asked.
You see, I have neglected to fully and properly introduce all the members of White's Pokemon team in a way that will stick with you. Therefore, I shall take the time to do so now. This way you won't be confused or miss anything.
First we have Darling the Deerling, whom I believe
"Yeah, okay, it's nice of you to describe White's Pokemon for us, and normally that would be thoughtful, but here's the thing: with the acception of Amanda and Barbara, they don't really contribute much to the plot. So the descriptions seem a bit long-winded and unnecessary," Keldeo said honestly.
"How long is this going to go on?" Austin asked impatiently as he sat sprawled out on his chest, on top of a couple of comfortable cushions, tapping the claws of his left fore paw on the floor in annoyance.
Keldeo groaned, "Oh come one, even Austin is agrreing with me!"
"How long is what going to go on?" Nancy asked in curiosity.
Austin turned to Nancy and said, "Oh? Did I say that out loud? Sorry, it was just something in my thoughts, I suppose."
*Ding!*
Rip Off Side Pot: 10- Pinkie Pie from "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic"
The actor Solosis floated over to Sally and said, "This Absol isn't a sign of disaster."
"Indeed," Sally replied.
"I would say, he is the exact opposite," the other Solosis replied.
"Ah- no. He's a disaster," someone said.
Keldeo gasped, "What!? Who is this heartless demon who dares speak out against a Pokemon who has shown himself to have an inflated ego and to care little about the feelings of others?"
The Pokemon looked over to see Gigi walking in with a slight sway to her hips.
Keldeo pointed dramatically with his left forehoof and said, "THE CELEBRITY!"
There was the sound of loud booing, and Keldeo joined in on it.
"That, horrendous display was a total disaster," the Tepig said, doing her best to appear sad and glum, her bow even gaining a slight droop, "A disaster that hijacked my performance."
"How dare she complain about how she was disrespected and insulted for no reason whatsoever!" Keldeo said in a shocked sounding voice, " . . . Is the Sarcasm Sphere fixed yet?"
No longer looking forlorn, Gigi tossed her head back and laughed before shouting at Austin, "You use words others don't normally use to insult your rivals, and you think that makes you smart or better or something? YOU? Someone who thinks lights and using moves as special effects and wild break dancing and loud pop song-type singing is better than classic heartfelt song and dance? I'm an artist! You're just flashy!"
The Absol shoved his face into the fur of his right foreleg and rubbed hard. His voice was muffled by the fur as he replied, "Oh my gosh. You're so ignorant it's not even funny." Austin removed his leg from his face and said, "And the scary part about all this is that you actually believe what you're saying. You actually called my well thought out choreography break dancing. That's cold, Gigi. Especially coming from a Fire-type. Again, you fail to understand that my so called 'loud pop song-type singing' is just ONE of my performances. Sure, I'm sure I could quite easily surpass your fame with just that style alone, unless you can produce a benign Perish Song. Can you? No? I didn't think so. Anyway, classic heartfelt song and dance is well within my repertoire."
"You kicked me off the stage!" Gigi shrieked.
"Ah yes! The stage!" Austin shouted as he rolled onto his back, extending his limbs out as he spoke as if enraptured by the thought, "It was the very first time I had seen it! It called out to me! It was the power of fate! La forza del destino! Die Macht des Schicksals!" Austin rolled back onto his stomach and looked right at Gigi. With eyes as wide as he could make them, and a sad pouty lip a trembling, Austin said to her, "After so long, I had finally found my place. I could not last another minute without my paws touching that stage, the place where I was always meant to be. I needed to show the humans what I could do before it was too late. That is why I took the chance."
As he spoke, Austin was slowly crawling on along the floor on his belly, inching closer and closer to the now pacified Tepig.
When Austin felt he was close enough to Gigi, he said in a soft voice, "Now do you see why a rising star might feel compelled to knock a shooting star out of orbit?"
Gigi blinked at the whimpering Absol, not sure how to respond.
"Oh, come on, Gigi! Look at him!" Nancy said, floating over and around the two performers heads, "You can't really blame him for what he did. Can you?"
Gigi began to feel a ball of guilt form itself in her stomach. She gave a sad sigh and bowed her head to Austin. "Please, don't feel bad about all this. I'm sorry for not understanding."
"ACTING!" the Absol exclaimed.
Austin had suddenly changed from glum to smug in an instant. He performed a back-flip and landed in between Yamask, Vanillite, and Solosis. He put his forelegs around them all and said, "Now wasn't that little performance better than whatever she was trying to do earlier."
While most of the other Pokemon laughed, Nancy just stared at Austin in pure shock. Gigi had a similar facial expression, but then it changed to a fiery red face of rage as she held her breath, puffing out her cheeks and turning them red.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Gigi let out a huge Flamethrower that filled the center of the room, burning to charred rags the cushions Austin had been laying down on earlier.
Keldeo stifled his laughter and said, "And watch this, Austin is so arrogant that he actually compares himself to Meloetta without even knowing who she is!"
"Do you think you're Meloetta?! The Legendary Pokemon of Song and Dance?!" Gigi squealed out with rage in her voice.
"No. I'm clearly an Absol. But I probably could be a worthy rival to her if I tried, whatever a Meloetta is." Austin lifted his left foreleg from the Solosis. He sniffed the backside of the leg and said, "Hmmm. I'd have to make myself smell nicer first. I wouldn't want a Legendary to think I'm filthy or lazy."
"But wait!" Keldeo exclaimed, "It gets worse! The other characters are written so one dimensionally that Austin wins them over by singing one line from The Sound of Music."
After a quick breath, and a dainty lift of his right fore paw, Austin closed his eyes and sang out loud and strong, his voice reverberating throughout the entire room.
"The hiiiiills are aliiive with the sound of muuuuuusic!"
Gigi wore a big smirk on her face, and she had to stop herself from laughing. She was about to speak when all of a sudden all the other Pokemon in the room ran over to the Absol. Pokemon were patting Austin on the back, hugging his head, and trying to shake all four of his paws.
Frustrated more than ever, Gigi exclaimed over the congratulations of the other Pokemon, "All he did was sing a line from The Sound of Music! Anyone could do that! How is that special!? How!? HOW!? ANSWER ME!"
Austin pushed his way through his small group of fans and pointed a claw at Gigi. "I'm sure that other Pokemon will one day play in the roles you've played in, and they will have to make those parts their own. Don't you get it?! Maybe I didn't write what I just sang, but what matters is that I sang it to the best of my abilities and gave it a style and passion that others liked." Absol put his paw down and stood in a puffed up position. "And that understanding is what makes me the better performer."
*Ding!*
Rip Off Side Pot: 11- Christian from "Moulin Rouge!"
"Can you play dead?" Austin asked.
This caught Gigi off guard. "Wha-?" she asked in confusion.
"Can you play dead?" Austin asked again.
"Any fool can play dead," Gigi replied.
"No, I mean really play dead," Austin embellished, "Totally and completely! Fully surrendered into it. Give your all into the appearance of death. One has not truly become an actor until they have played dead."
"That has to be the most stupidest thing I have heard today, and given what you've been doing all day, that's really saying something!" Gigi said bitterly.
Austin turned away from Gigi and walked towards the scorched cushions. Suddenly, in the middle of a step, Austin's eyes rolled upwards and his jaw dropped open. His legs seemed to give way, as if his whole body had suddenly rag-dolled. His blade-like tail fell limp against his rump as his body hit the pile of scorched fabric and stuffing with a whump! Austin's legs were bent slightly, and his long grayish-blue claws were spread out wide.
Before Gigi could think of a snide remark to say, Amanda suddenly entered the room with Barbara in tow.
"OH, COME ON!" Barbara exclaimed at Gigi, who cowered back in response, "We had the perfect evil revenge scheme all lined up for Austin the Sassy, Pompous, Big Headed Absol; and you have to just go ahead and kill him and ruin the whole thing!"
Spongebob Narrator: "One bad skit later. . ."
"So, tell me all about your 'perfect evil revenge scheme all lined up for Austin the Sassy, Pompous, Big Headed Absol'. Oh no, wait!" Austin quickly held a paw up and continued, "Don't tell me. I want to be surprised! Yes, yes, carry out your plan born out of jealously and envy. It'll be amusing to watch you three slay yourself with your own arrows."
Austin stopped to laugh contentedly for a moment, but then stopped when something caught his eye.
"Oooh, is that what humans call a mini-fridge? Okay, let me see this. . . and here's the Moo Moo Milk. Hmm, I don't think I'll wash myself with it now, that would actually be quite a waste. I'll just drink it now. Mmmmmmm. . ."
"We get it! He likes Moomoo Milk! How many times are you going to hammer that in?" Keldeo asked loudly in frustration.
"Well, it turns out that Barbara was the head of an gang of Vullabys before she was captured, and she somehow managed to sneak away from White in order to enlist their help in putting Austin in his place. It turns out that White knows that Barbara left, and. . ." Keldeo gave a look of amazement as he said, ". . . you'll never guess what conclusion she came to."
White was completely unaware of the battle of death glares and walked over to Amanda. She gave a friendly smile and said, "Can you tell me if Barbara will be back soon?"
Amanda broke off her stare with Austin and merely looked at White with an emotionless expression.
White kept a bemused smile as she breathed out through her nose. "When you kept me from searching for Barbara when she disappeared, I thought to myself, 'what would N do?' So, I figured you knew the reason why she left, and felt it was a good reason. I can't hear the voices of Pokemon, so I figured that your judgement was good enough for me. It stings to loose such a good villain actor, but maybe Barbara just really wanted to be free, or was homesick and wanted to visit friends or family or her old gang or something. I understood that, but I still wanted to know exactly why you wanted me to let her go . . ." White's bemused smile turned into a knowing one, "But now I think I've figured it out."
White turned from from Amanda to Austin and said, "Ya see, Austin. Amanda didn't want it to mess up your debut."
Keldeo face hoofed hard.
Amanda's eyes narrowed into slits as Austin began laughing hysterically and promptly fell down on his side, his stomach heaving with every new burst of laughter.
White chuckled a bit as well and said, "That's right Austin! You've got it now!" White then turned to Amanda and tutted at the Serperior's expression. "Aw, come on now Amanda. Don't be that way. Austin is just really likable. You have nothing to be ashamed or angry about. At least now that he knows you really care, there's nothing in the way of you two becoming friends. I'm going to go talk to the Director now. Austin knows to come join me when he's done here."
Principal: "What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
It was amazing Amanda's eyes didn't burn holes into the back of White's head as the girl walked over to the Director's office.
"(Why, N? Why am I stuck with her?)" Amanda moaned aloud. Then she noticed that Austin was still laughing.
Keldeo raised his forehooves high and shouted, "Would somebody please explain to me how and why we're supposed to like the character of Austin Saturn?!"
"So Austin's debut performance begins, but it turns out Barbara's gang is ready for action."
Of course, as Austin stood there, he could not have known that Barbara and her gang of Vullaby had snuck into the building through the door Amanda opened for them, and that the other three Vullaby snuck over to the light and sound room with the CD Gigi had given them, while Barbara, Amanda, and Gigi gathered together and got into position.
What Austin did know was that the host was standing in front of the closed curtain and was saying a few words.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Humans and Pokemon! I welcome you to another Pokemon Musical sponsored by the BW Agency! Now, before we start our main event, let us take some time to acknowledge a new rising star in the Pokemon Acting world! A Pokemon of great style and unique talent! An Absol who you will be surely seeing in future musicals to come, none of which will be a disaster, I guarantee you! I present to you, Austin Saturn performing Bohemian Rhapsody!"
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me, that's why his last name is Saturn? Just for this joke?" Keldeo shouted in disbelief.
*Ding!*
Rip Off Side Pot: 12- Freddy Mercury
The audience applauded and spoke quietly, excited about seeing a preview of a new Pokemon acting star at the very start of his career. All of the lights in the theater went out, covering everything in darkness. The curtain slowly opened, and Austin could make out all the people in the audience. Austin made sure to focus on his position, standing tall and bipedal, his left hind leg crossed in front of his right hind leg, his forelegs outspread, and his head looking up just slightly.
Then a single spotlight clicked on, illuminating him for all to see. Some people in the audience gasped. They had never seen a quadrupedal Pokemon stand up like that before. There had been some rumors spread by the people who had seen Austin a few days ago, but not many believed them to be true.
"I already talked about this. I broke the Sarcasm Sphere talking about this. So let's just tick off two me characters for the rip off side pot I neglected to bring up earlier," Keldeo said.
*Ding!*
Rip Off Side Pot: 13- Odie's dancing from "Garfield The Movie"
*Ding!*
Rip Off Side Pot: 14- Garfield's dancing from "Garfield The Movie"
Dog Show Announcer: "This is amazing!"
Austin counted 5 seconds in his head, maintaining the facial expression of a Pokemon in torment, with a mountain of inner turmoil built up in his chest. Then, still keeping that expression, Austin sang the first four lines a capella, just as was planned.
(Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality)
At that exact moment, the three Vullaby smoothly knocked out the people in the light and sound room and replaced the CD currently in the player with the one Gigi gave them, and started it up as instructed. They also turned on a few more spotlights and took control over them.
When Austin heard the music, he willed himself not to break character and show confusion. This was very difficult, as he was genuinely confused with what happened next. instead of the gentle piano tone he expected, he was instead greeted with drumbeats and a comical slide whistle sound effect.
Austin was then forced down onto all fours by Barbara, who came down seemingly out of nowhere and landed on his back. She pulled on his horn like a reign, pulling his head up as she hijacked the song, singing the next few lines to the Polka-style accordion music.
"Whoa, wait a minute!" Keldeo exclaimed in shock, "So now we're doing Weird Al Yankovic's Bohemian Polka?"
(Open your eyes!
Look up to the skies and see!
You're just an Absol, (Absol!)
You need no sympathy
'Cause you're easy come,
Easy go
Little high,
Little low
Anyway the wind blows,
Doesn't really matter to me
To me!)
"I. . . honestly did not expect this. . ." Keldeo said, then he blinked and asked in confusion, "So, wait a minute, what's their plan to get Austin to eat humble pie?"
In spite of this sudden turn of events, Austin was quite calm. In fact, he cracked a wide grin and thought to himself, "'Wind blows'? Heh, good idea."
Austin's horn glowed, and a Razor Wind attack knocked Barbara clean off of him, and straight up. Austin then used his strong limbs to leap straight up and catch the Vullaby in his forepaws.
In an instant, Barbara was pinned to the ground with Austin's right forepaw on the side of her head. Austin had a Banette-like grin on his face, and his red eyes blazing as he sang along to the wild and fast Polka version of the song, holding his left paw over his heart dramatically as he did so.
(Mama, just killed a 'mon
Put my horn against her head
Used a move, now she's dead
Mama, life had just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away)
"And, to be honest, you guys, this is all that happens," Keldeo said honestly, "Austin just goes along with the show and he fights off his rivals in a stylish way so it looks like part of the act to the audience. Is it clever? I suppose so. Heh, even Joltik gets a piece of the action."
(Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go
Beelzebub has this devil put aside for meee,
For meee!
For meeeeeee!)
Being called a devil only increased Amanda's rage even further. She was about to squeeze Austin harder when all of a sudden, Joltik dropped down and landed right on her head and used Bug Bite on her with all his might.
"But before that, Austin pretty much spits on her. . ." Keldeo said with a disgusted frown.
Then Austin licked Amanda, making sure his mouth was filled with saliva when he did so.
Amanda gave a high pitched shriek as her coils opened out of reflex. Austin shot out and tucked and rolled across to stage right. He quickly returned to a sitting position and outstretched his left foreleg, pointing a paw at the trio of rivals. He peered down the length of his foreleg, as if fighting to make them out as he resumed singing to the bright and bouncy Polka beat.
(I see a little silhouetto of a 'mon
Scaramouch, scaramouch, will you do the Fandango?)
With Amanda begging and pleading for someone to get the glob of Absol spit off her face and the lights going all crazy, the Serperior ended up getting a blast of fire in the face from Gigi.
"Our hero, Austin Saturn, ladies and gentlemen," Keldeo said, not even bothering to fake a smile.
Anyway the wind, anyway the wind, anyway the wind blows - HEY!)
Austin basked in the applause as if it were a tidal wave of Moomoo Milk.
"So after Austin turns the trio's plan around on them, he then proceeds to. . . gloat. . ." Keldeo said, beginning to very much annoyed.
"(Now that I've performed well in that Polka, White will know now that I can perform songs and dances with vibrant themes; not just performances involving darkness, anger, and serious somberness. So thanks for that.)"
"(THANKS?!)" Barbara shouted as Amanda and Gigi simply stared at Austin, "(But-but-but-but-but that was supposed to embarrass you and destroy your career! Everyone was-)"
"(Ooooohhhhhhh! So that was your 'perfect evil revenge scheme all lined up for Austin the Sassy, Pompous, Big Headed Absol'!)" Austin said in a tone that claimed sudden realization, "(I had no idea until just now. Yes, I obviously knew that you were trying to upstage me and throw me a loop by changing the music, but I didn't think something that pathetic and petty was going to be your 'perfect evil revenge scheme all lined up for Austin the Sassy, Pompous, Big Headed Absol'. I honestly thought your real plan was going to come later after Operation Polka had me disoriented. But now you're telling me that the amazing performance we just created was your evil scheme?)" Austin pouted, his eyes were slightly bigger and shimmering, and he tilted his head to the side to make himself look pitiful. "(To be honest, this is just kinda . . . sad,)" he said with a pouty lip and a whimpering tone of voice.
"Okay, Austin is soooo one-dimensional that you can't even find him funny anymore. He's like that guy you know who has everything because everything goes his way and he rubs it in everyone else's face. That's not a guy you want to root for!" Keldeo exclaimed, "In fact, Austin is so insufferable that Gigi actually gives up!"
"(That's it. I'm done with this petty rivalry. There's no point in going on any further. I'm already a household name. You're no threat to me Austin. The Pokemon Musical World is big enough for the both of us, and I gotta respect a guy who takes an attempted attack on his dignity in stride. So with those things in mind, I say to you: goodbye and good luck!)"
"Barbara just tries to attack Austin physically, but Amanda holds her back and says this to Austin:"
"(I'm going to give this to you straight, Austin Saturn. We are going to even the score. I don't know how. I don't know when. But we will. It's called Karma, smug puss. And it will bite you in the butt. Hard.)"
Amanda slithered out to the door, still carrying Barbara wrapped in her tail.
"Hello, favorite character!" Keldeo said with a smile.
As Austin stood all alone in the Green Room, staring at the closed door, something began to stir in his gut. Austin grimaced, confused as to why the stomach soothing effect of the Moomoo Milk was being canceled out. The Absol suddenly began to feel very small and vulnerable as he laid back down on his stomach in silence in his Sphinx-like position. He looked around the empty room, as if searching for something he knew he couldn't find or have, while at the same time not knowing exactly what he was even looking for, although a few vague concepts floated around inside his head.
"(What's this weird feeling in me?)" Austin said in a wavering tone, "(It feels bad. . . I . . . don't like the bad feeling. . .)"
Suddenly, Austin felt something tickle his forepaws. He looked down to see Joltik standing on his paws. The tiny Pokemon made it's was along his forelegs and stopped a few inches away from Austin's nose. Joltik blinked his four blue eyes solemnly at Austin, and then gently nuzzled the Absol's small black nose.
Austin smiled.
"(Bad feeling's gone.)"
Keldeo looked as if his mind had been completely blown upon. "Whooooooa!" he said in amazement, "Are we starting to see some. . . character development in Austin?"
"Well, in the next scene, we see plans for Austin to star in a musical called Sol of the Samurai. While that's going on, Barbara and her gang are planning on simply attacking Austin in broad daylight."
A few minutes later, outside the door, Barbara was instructing her three friends in the new plan.
"(Alright, so we've all got it, right? We rush in there, overpower that punk, and carry his unconscious body to Lostlorn Forest, where he'll get so lost that we'll never see him again! Right?)"
"(Right!)" the three Vullaby chorused.
"(Wrong!)" came the strong voice of Amanda.
The Vullaby turned to see Amanda with all the rest of White's Pokemon gathered behind her.
Barbara sneered, "(What's wrong? Jealous that you didn't think of it first?)"
"(Barbara, if you think you can get away with this, you're insane,)" Amanda said flatly.
"(Austin can't take us all down!)" Barbara persisted.
"(What about White and the other humans in there? What do you think they're gonna do when they see you are your friends attack Austin, apparently unprovoked?)" Amanda shot back.
"(Who cares! As long as Austin's gone-)" Barbara began.
Darling interrupted her sharply, "(You'll be gone too if you try to pull that crazy plan off!)"
Barbara puffed herself up and said, "(White can't afford to get rid of me! I'm the very best villain actor that no one ever was!)"
"(Quite frankly, Austin has more value as an actor that you do,)" Sally said in an analytical tone, "(His talents are more wide reaching in terms of portraying of characters and choreography. I would say that if anything untoward were to happen to Austin, White would react sharply and swiftly to the loss of such a valuable asset.)"
Darling piped up, "(Translation: White's not gonna let you get away with harming her precious Austin Saturn!)" The Deerling said this in a sarcastically drawling voice with a few overemphasized bats of her eyelids.
Barbara pointed at the Deerling and said, "(Aha! See! Even you're sick of him!)"
"(Oh, I wouldn't say that,)" Darling said, "(I'm not crazy about him, but I'm not threatened by him either. Can't we just let him do his thing and not get so crazy?)"
"(I agree with Darling,)" Nancy said, "(We would all be better off if we try our best to coexist peacefully with our new, sassy, and slightly flamboyant companion, instead of trying to make things difficult for him. He was the prisoner of poachers before White freed him, so I believe he deserves his new life, even if he can get a bit annoying, pompous, and slightly vain at times.)"
"(Hear, hear!)" Dorothy chimed in.
Barbara was seething with rage. "(What about you, Amanda! That jerk spat at you!)" she said.
"(I know,)" Amanda said coldly, "(But I also told you to let Karma win out in the end, and I don't want to let you make an idiot out of yourself.)"
"(I don't need your help, I can do that myself!)" Barbara shot back.
Darling couldn't help but chuckle at this humorous statement.
"(You do realize that you just called yourself an idiot, correct?)" Sally asked.
And Sally just killed the joke. Thanks a lot, guy.
"Okay, this is getting monotonous," Keldeo muttered, "The short version is that the Pokemon scare the gang away and Barbara just storms off. We then see Austin rehearse one of the songs for the musical, which turns out to be a parody of Starfire by Dragonforce, which just happens to be the greatest power metal band in the history of mankind, and don't you forget it!"
Keldeo blinked, apparently shocked at his own passionate outburst. He cleared his throat and continued, "Well, Austin's dancing actually fits the mood and tone and beat of the song pretty well."
Austin suddenly performed a back-flip and landed perfectly on his hind legs. Standing tail, he performed a kind of aggressive Tai-Chi along with the three Patrat, thrusting forth his fore paws to the beat.
(And we're standing one and all, fighting till we fall, hoping for a better day
Never giving in, until we find the words, till we find the words to say
Until we find the words to say!)
All four Pokemon pointed up towards the sky. While Austin kept looking straight ahead, the Patrat turned their eyes upward and gazed with a look of wonder apparent in their eyes. As they did this, they all sang the next few lines together in perfect harmony.
(Burning starfire, shine in the sky
For the lives of great mons, who stand by your side
When the night fall, on we will ride
For the lost souls will live on forever)
Keldeo's eyes were glazed over as he stared into space. His head was moving to the beat of the music. Suddenly, he snapped back to reality and said, "Sorry, sorry, it's just that. . ." Keldeo broke into a big smile and said gleefully as his tail swung back and forth excitedly, "Dragonforce is just so AWESOME! In fact, it's so awesome that I'm going to completely get off topic and give you my top 10 favorite Dragonforce songs!"
Top 10 Dragonforce Songs
10. Reason to Live
9. Blackfire
8. Prepare for War
7. Fury of the Storm
6. Starfire
5. Strike of the Ninja
4. Through the Fire and the Flames
3. The Fire Still Burns
2. Heart of a Dragon
1. Where Dragons Rule
"After Number 6. we get an unexpected visitor."
Suddenly, the doors to the theater were pushed open and brown haired boy with glasses briskly walked down the aisle to where White sat.
"Excuse me-," he began, but was cut off by one of the BW Agency executives.
"Excuse you is right! You cannot simply barge in here during rehearsal! I demand you leave at once!" the man said.
White practically flew over and nearly knocked the executive over. "You FOOL! That's critically acclaimed film-maker, Luke! He won the Pokestar Studios Competition in Virbank City!"
"(You know, I'm pretty sure somebody told me off in a similar matter not too long ago,)" Austin remarked as he laid out on the floor with his fore-legs folded. Joltik peeked out of Austin's fur to watch the scene play out.
"Austin, this is not your scene!" Keldeo complained. Then he quickly calmed down and said, "Anyway, hey, it's Luke! So I guess this story takes place in both. . . the Anime and the Manga? Not sure how that works, but fine! Let's go with it!"
Luke took out a Pokeball and tossed it, "Come on out, Larvesta!"
The Torch Pokemon appeared for all to see. It was a fuzzy, moth larva-like Pokémon. It had blue eyes in a shadowed face. Its white mane of fuzz encompassed its head and the upper half of its body, while its lower half was brown. It had three pairs of small black legs. There were five orange, slightly whorled horns on the sides of its head. It spat fire out of it's horn, looking wholly excited.
"(A star has been born!)" it declared as embers showered down around it.
Meanwhile, Luke continued his explanation, "Larvesta was in charge of my special effects. But not too long ago, we learned about Pokemon Musicals. We all saw one of them, and well, Larvesta fell in love with it. Larvesta starting practicing dancing and spinning and jumping and even singing. As I watched her, I realized that she was pretty good. Great even. She could carry a tune as good as the Pokemon actors in the musicals. She had some really good moves too. But, as she went deeper and deeper into Pokemon Musicals, she got more and more distracted from her work in special effects. So, I knew what I had to do. It was like how Zorua only wanted to do female roles. Sometimes, you have to let the Pokemon make their own decisions to do what they want to do. So, after making sure Larvesta knew what was going to happen, I decided to make an offer to give the BW Agency a new actor for their Pokemon Musicals!"
White was intrigued, "You really think Larvesta is that good?"
"I know so!" Luke said confidently, "Larvesta used the experience she had watching Pokemon in movies, and she does have the roly-poly body for a unique dance style, and who doesn't like pyrotechnics!"
White thought for a moment, then replied, "Well, that sounds promising, but I don't know if we have time for an audition-"
"Neither do I, actually," Luke said, "I have a new movie to make in White Forest, and I heard you were here, and, well, I wanted you to see how could Larvesta could be, so, I . . ." Luke handed White a DVD. "This is a quick performance I filmed. Figured you could take a look at Larvesta's skills since we don't have time for a live performance."
"So Larvesta sings a quick fire-based parody of Let It Go-"
Austin sat up on his haunches and rested his chin in his right fore paw. "(Huh. Why does this song make me feel like I've heard it a hundred times already and just want it to end?)" he remarked.
Larvesta and Luke just. . . leave. . . huh. . ." Keldeo shrugged and said, "Okay, I guess they'll be back later. So then Austin goes off to have some alone time with Joltik, I guess."
Austin soon found himself pulling a bottle of Moomoo Milk out of the mini-fridge. Using one of his sharp claws, Austin punctured the milk tab and began sucking the cold drink down. After coming up for air, he set the empty bottle down and then walked over to the corner of the room. Using his sharp claws again, he pulled up the corner of the carpet, pulled out a double A battery, and pushed the carpet back into place.
Smiling, Austin held the battery in front of his ruff of fur. "(Hey. Joltik. You hungry?)"
When there was no sound or movement, it suddenly occurred to Austin that Joltik wasn't even there. He couldn't feel anything in his fur. Dropping the battery, he felt around in his own fur in search of the tiny Pokemon.
"You know, it's kind of weird," Keldeo said, "When Austin discovers that Joltik isn't with him and can't find him, he goes through a kind of emotional breakdown."
Oh, Austin. Really? Look at you; running around the building, checking in dressing rooms, scrutinizing the curtains, jumping around through the aisles. I mean, you check out Dorothy and the others, come up empty on your search, and then go bonkers looking for that tiny Pokemon.
"(Is he really doing this to me?)" Austin said to himself as he paced through the aisles of seats, "(Did Joltik actually get up and leave me after all this time? After all he did to get me where I am today; manipulating the lights, using his Stringshot to help me pull off stunts, using Bug Bite on Amanda. Was he really able to leave it all behind after all he's done for me?)"
Austin halted his pacing and stared straight ahead, throwing his left fore paw up high and then bringing it down hard, slamming the floor and punching three holes in the carpet with his sharp claws.
"(NO!)" Austin said firmly, "(I refuse to believe that! I refuse to accept that! My small cohort, choosing the wide open unknown the good life I've achieved? That's ridiculous. just impossible. There must be another reason. A reason in which Joltik is most surely a victim.
"The weird part is that even though Austin has been a really arrogant jerk through most of the story, you don't feel that Austin's getting his just desserts here. You actually feel sad for him," Keldeo said with a frown, "His whole life falls apart when one person leaves him? Who ever heard of something like-."
Starlight Glimmer: "QUIET!"
"AHH!" Keldeo shouted with a jump, "Okay, okay. So, anyway, Austin determines that Amanda kidnapped Joltik. Why?"
Austin suddenly stopped as a sudden memory returned to his mind.
Amanda slithered by Austin, only to quickly flick him on the nose with her tail tip which quickly slid down his chest as it trailed off behind its owner.
Keldeo tossed up his forehooves and said, "Oh yeah. Sure. That obscure scene that's contrived beyond belief!"
"So then, get this, Austin decides to pull a Barbara and attacks Amanda directly, demanding her to tell him where Joltik is."
"(What is wrong with you?)" Amanda demanded, not at all worried or intimated, but extremely irritated.
"(Let him go, or I'll never stop attacking!)" Austin shouted before launching another Razor Wind.
Amanda spat an Energy Ball at Austin. The Razor Wind sliced the Energy Ball in half and collided with Amanda. Austin then charged in with a Sucker Punch. This time it connected with Amanda's belly, knocking her backwards.
Amanda quickly regained her bearings, and swung a Leaf Blade at Austin's head. Using Detect, Austin dodged it and hit Amanda with a sucker Punch to the face.
Amanda was knocked flat on her back side, and Austin jumped right on top of her.
"(Where is he?") Austin demanded, raising his paw, and then smacking Amanda across the face.
SMACK!
"(Where is he?") Austin demanded again.
SMACK!
Amanda fired another Energy Ball at Austin's face, who cleanly dodged it with Detect, and then struck back with Razor Wind.
"(Where is he?") Austin demanded again.
SMACK!
Amanda gasped out in disbelief, "(I - I don't-)"
"(Where is he!?") Austin demanded yet again.
SMACK!
"Why do so many of the stories I review keep referencing The Dark Knight!?" Keldeo exclaimed.
*Ding!*
Rip Off Side Pot: 15- Batman from "The Dark Knight"
"(You did something to him, didn't you?!)" Austin spat, his eyes widened as his breathing became heavy and labored, "(That was your plan, all along, wasn't it!? You hated me so much, you decided to take away the only-.)"
Austin froze in mid sentence, seemingly struck by sudden realization. Amanda watched the Absol's legs tremble as he swayed unsteadily, as if he were about to fall over.
Amanda ventured to ask a question. She spoke in a calm, quiet voice in an attempt to avoid riling him up again. "(The only . . . what, Austin?)"
At the sound of Amanda's voice, Austin snapped out of his daze. He turned to her, a new righteous fury glowing in his eyes. Austin gave another ferocious snarl, and pounced at Amanda again. However, in mid jump, Austin suddenly became a mass of red energy and was sucked away into his Pokeball.
Amanda gave a thankful look to White, who was standing in the door holding out Austin's Pokeball. White had a look of shock and perhaps confusion on her face as she stood there, viewing the aftermath of Austin's fit of rage. Amanda noticed that White's upset gaze was primarily fixed on her.
Amanda sighed, "(If only N were here,)"
Within the cave environment generated by the Pokeball, Austin lay looking defeated and humiliated, and feeling every bit like a total failure.
"(Joltik . . . Joltik, my true friend . . .)" he wept.
"Alright, I think the story is going to be much better from here on out," Keldeo said confidently, "Now we see that Austin is going through some actually character development and is showing some actual depth. He seems to have a hard time making friends and an even harder time loosing them. Why? Well, let's move on to the next scene- hey, wait a minute. . . is that. . .?"
Starfire
By Dragon Froce
Let it Glow Fire!Elsa (Frozen Let it Go parody)
By Nim Aranel
"Okay, now you start giving songs credit? And wait a minute, you didn't write that Let It Go parody yourself? And you misspelled Dragonforce?! I - ugh! Whatever, moving on!"
When Austin was released from his Pokeball, he appeared looking downtrodden, forlorn, and depressed. Across from him was Amanda, clearly looking and feeling concerned for the Absol after his bizarre breakdown.
"(I can't believe I'm actually feeling concerned for that smug little . . . well, okay, he doesn't look very smug now . . .)" Amanda thought to herself.
The three of them were at the edge of Lostlorn Forest, and it was now a few hours after the fight had been abruptly interrupted. White looked from the thoughtful looking Amanda to the spent looking Austin. With her hands on her hips, White told both Pokemon at large, "I don't know why you two were fighting each other, but I do know one thing: it all ends right now. So, we're going to sit here until you two work out your differences." White's attitude dropped down low for a moment as she said, "I'm sorry I'm not like N, and that I'm not able to understand you two perfectly. I'd probably be able to help you better if I could." White took a deep breath, and built back up her confidence enough to continue, "But you can be sure that I'm going to do the best I can. And that means sitting here and making sure you two talk it out."
"Okay, if White is anything like this in the Manga. . . I might start reading them Manga," Keldeo said, sounding very impressed with White.
Amanda nodded slowly, "(Of course a Joltik. They're small enough. Although I fail to see how a Joltik would cause you to snap the way you did.)"
"(He was my partner!)" Austin said strongly, standing firmly, his back straight and no longer slouching with depression, "(Who do you think powered those lights in just the right way, leaving the human engineers bewildered? Joltik! Who do you think maneuvered those light to match the music and highlight my moves, further bewildering the humans? Joltik! Who sneaks a few volts from Dorothy when she's not looking, making sure never to take too much so the Stunfisk needn't suffer any ill effects? Joltik!)"
"(And who used String Shot to help you out with that last trick during your Starfire performance?)" Amanda said with a clever smile.
Austin nodded silently.
"(Well I still don't understand why you went so crazy about it,)" Amanda continued, "(So you lost a partner who helped you out, big deal! Getting all emotional and upset is clearly not like you, Austin Saturn. You're a self absorbed Absol who's focused on his own abilities and talents, and the haters don't phase you at all. Yet here you are, getting enraged and then depressed as if you just lost the only friend you ever had-)"
Right after she said this, Amanda immediately brought her tail tip up to her mouth, her eyes widening in sudden realization. At that very moment, she had discovered the answer.
"(Ohhhhhhh . . .)" she said.
Keldeo tapped his chin with his left forehoof thoughtfully, then he said, "You know what? This actually puts Austin's 'unlikeability' in a new perspective. It must be lonely for a person like that. Not many people would want to deal with someone like him, so to finally get a friend, and then loose it must really be a painful experience."
Keldeo smiled and said, "But in order to drive the point hope, I think we need to hear Austin vent it out himself."
It's not just lonely at the top. It's desolate at the top! It's empty at the top! It's comfortless at the top! I needed Joltik to avoid that! I knew that if I went ahead and perused my career and succeeded at being the greatest performer that ever lived, and how could I not, I mean, come on, I'm a genius and master in rhythm and movement and tone, I'd run a good chance of ending up alone with jealous rivals on one side and faraway fans and admirers on the other side. What am I going to do now that Joltik's gone? No one else is going to tolerate me. They'll all like my performances, yes. But no one is going to like me! Everyone I've ever met can't take how sassy I am. I've been called a highbrow, a snob, an upstart, and whole bunch of other names in the same section of the Thesaurus. So if Joltik is just gonna get up and leave, then where am I supposed to look for support?)"
"And now, with Austin's inner depths as a contrast, we can have an easier time liking him," Keldeo explained.
Austin fell flat on his stomach, and then slowly rolled over onto his back and melodramatically crossed his fore legs across his chest. He closed his eyes and spoke in a downtrodden tone, "(I can't go on that way, knowing I'll be all by myself like that. I'll be constantly reliving it, being left hanging like that. In fact, I've already started reliving it. How can I live that way? My career is over, there's no sense going on. None! This is it. I've sung my last song. Shalom.)"
Keldeo sighed and face hoofed. "Oh gosh, Amanda, do your thing."
Amanda promptly turned to Austin. She lashed out with her tail, grabbed him by the horn, and flipped him up high. Austin cried out in shock as Amanda did this to him.
WHUMP!
After Amanda placed him down on his paws back on the ground, he said sharply, "(What the heck was that!?)"
"(Tough love,)" Amanda said sternly.
Austin's mouth opened, but no words came out, nor did any sound at all. Austin had certainly not expected Amanda to say that.
"(Now I truly understand,)" Amanda said as she slithered up to Austin so that they were once again one foot from each other, "(The famous need friends.)"
Austin still couldn't find any words to say, a very rare occurrence for him.
Amused by the Absol's silence, Amanda gave a small smile and said, "(You know something, Austin. I just realized . . . we have no reason to hate each other.)"
"But-!" Keldeo began fiercely, but then he stopped and thought for a moment. Then he said, "You know what? Amanda has a point. I mean, sure, Austin was kinda boastful, and he did upstage Gigi rather rudely, but the only reason things got so heated was because Amanda, Gigi, and Barbara escalated things. And all things considered, maybe they approached Austin entirely the wrong way."
Keldeo smiled sheepishly and said, "So, as cliche as it may sound, Amanda uses the Power of Friendship to fix things up."
"(Austin, look. We didn't have the smoothest of meetings. I thought you were an arrogant, know-it-all, drama-king, showoff who didn't care about anyone else and was going to take all of White's attention away from the rest of us. Upstaging Gigi like you did was the last straw. I wanted to take you down a couple of pegs. When that revenge plan didn't work, I said Karma would take care of you. But now that it has, well, now I see you're no less a Pokemon that I am. You're still an arrogant, know-it-all, drama-king, showoff; but now I have to admit, you're a talented one. You're also a Pokemon no worse than any Pokemon. You need a friend, and I don't want to go on hating you anymore. So . . .)"
Amanda stopped averting her eyes and looked Austin directly in his eyes, "(So, I want us to be friends. You're the only Pokemon around here who has brains and an interesting personality. You're actually not a bad Pokemon when you're not answering someone's challenge. So, I think if we give it a chance, we can get along fine.)"
Amanda held out her tail to Austin and said, "(Decision time, Austin.)"
"Now, if you think that this means Austin is going to be more humble and reserved now. . ."
Austin clicked his tongue loudly and nodded to himself. "(Alright, I got it.)"
Austin suddenly pushed off with his fore paws and was up on his hind legs once again. Smiling confidently, he did a quickly 180 spin, and jutted his blade like tail out to meet Amanda's. Making sure not accidentally slice at Amanda's tail, Austin kept his tail steady and gently placed it against her serpentine tail. Amanda wrapped her tail gently around Austin's, and the two Field Pokemon shook tails in friendship.
Lex Luthor: "WRONG!"
"But to be fair, he does apologize for his actions," Keldeo added.
Austin turned back around to face Amanda and landed back down on all fours. He pawed at the ground and said, "(Uh, for the record, I still apologize for the drool incident. It was impulsive. I'm an impulsive Pokemon. It comes with my Sassy nature.)"
Amanda shrugged, or made a shrug-like movement seeing as she had no shoulders, and said, "(I've already forgiven you, Austin.)"
A small innocent and adorable looking smile- wait a minute, adorable? Was Amanda loosing it? The Serperior felt a shudder run through her long body as she tried in vain to banish the thought from her mind.
"Oh no, she's a love interest?!" Keldeo exclaimed in shock, "Why? What does it add? I mean, how does this work? This comes out of nowhere! She's interested in him because. . . she felt bad for him?"
"Well, anyway, Austin and Amanda show their friends that things are peaceful between them-"
"(SHUT-UP! SHUT-UP! SHUT-UP! EVERY SECOND YOU SPEAK IS LIKE A HYPER BEAM TO MY SKULL! SO PLEASE, JUST SHUT-UP!)" Barbara shrieked at Austin, eyes blazing madly.
"Like I didn't see that coming. . ." Keldeo muttered as he looked away in annoyance.
Even Austin was slightly taken aback by Barbara's outburst. Seeing this, something sparked deep within Amanda, causing her to almost reflexively inch close to him and touch his side with her tail tip.
"(Traitor!)" Barbara gasped out as she saw this. She would have screamed louder if she wasn't out of breath from her previous outburst.
Amanda sighed and gave Barbara a look of annoyance and irritation. "(Barbara, we have no reason to hate Austin-)"
"(I don't need a reason a hate someone,)" Barbara said dangerously, each and every one of her feathers sticking out stiffly as she narrowed her eyes at the Absol.
Austin let out a small chuckled as he looked over to Amanda. However, Amanda's face was void of any humor as she looked upon the Vullaby with pure contempt.
"So, great, she's the strawman-" Keldeo groaned.
"(It's ironic. It really is. I spent so much time stewing in my dislike of Austin, building him up as horrible Pokemon with no sympathy or compassion, and yet you are far worse than I could have ever thought Austin was. Austin only annoyed us with his arrogance and showing off, only striking back after we struck first. The only one he offended directly was Gigi, when his impulses caused him to hijack the stage. Now I know he was only trying to jump-start his purpose in life, and Gigi was no worse for wear anyway. But the fact is, back then, I orchestrated that plot against him because I felt bad for Gigi and I didn't like Austin's attitude either. I assumed you felt the same way, Amanda. I thought we both had the same reason for carrying out that plot. But now I see. Now I understand completely. All along, it was all just a reason for you to fight and make someone else miserable and feel justified in doing it. You never cared about Gigi or anyone, but yourself. When you came into the Green Room and saw Austin playing dead, your first instinct was annoyance that you didn't get to play a role in his 'death.' You haven't changed since Café Sonata. You're still the antagonist, caustic, cruel Vullaby that assaulted Meloetta just because you felt like it. Austin has something you will never have, Barbara. A heart.)"
"MIND! BLOWN!" Keldeo shouted with wide eyes, "Okay, this is brilliant! Aside from the fact that hurting Meloetta makes you an irremediable monster who should get the snot beat out of you, this reveals that Barbara doesn't just play an antagonist. She is an antagonist! It goes back into Barbara's cannon backstory as a gang leader and actually utilizes it! I am amazed!"
"(I am positive Barbara has a heart. All organic bird-like Pokemon require hearts in order to be alive,)" Sally remarked, once again ruining a moment with his annoying literalness and exposition. Great job, guy. Great job.
"And yes, I enjoy Sally's logical comments. He reminds me of Thomas from Rising Storm," Keldeo said with a grin.
Then, Barbara looked straight at Austin and Amanda and spat two harsh words at them.
"(Dang you.)"
The other Pokemon watched Barbara silently leave the room.
"( . . . . Soooo . . . )" Austin said, breaking the awkward silence with red eyes bright and confident and a glad grin on his face, "(Who's up for a song? Strike of the Ninja?)"
At that moment, there came a sound that no one was expecting.
Amanda was laughing.
It wasn't just a quick chuckle or even a quiet giggle. It was full, loud, sincere, honest to goodness laughter.
As she laughed with her eyes closed and her tail tip wiping tears of laughter from her cheeks, Amanda thought to herself, "(Oh, I like this Absol! A whole lot! I've never been one to get into Pokemon Musicals, but perhaps I should be taking a closer look at them, specifically the ones Austin is in.)"
Meanwhile, as Austin stared at all the shocked faces that appeared in response to the Serperior's laughing, he smirked and said, "(Wow. I'm good.)"
Keldeo snorted and said, "Yeah, this romance sub plot is still annoying. But anyway, we skip ahead a few days where Austin is back to preparing for Sol of a Samurai."
During the next week, Austin devoted himself to the work he loved so much. Every dance, every song, every movement was done with all the passion the Absol had for the performing arts. These were the rehearsals for his first musical. That musical would be the day where the world would see the full extent of his talent, depth, and range to portray a living character. He would show White and the BW Agency his true worth, make a name for himself in the world, and gain adoration from Amanda.
"(What? Where did that come from?)" Austin stammered out, feeling a bit flustered at his own thoughts. He turned to the side to see Amanda watching him from backstage.
Keldeo nodded, "Okay. Getting better. Now Austin is feeling a little off balance too. So, now Austin is rehearsing a scene where he sings a cover of Paris from Les Miserables, when a familiar face returns to the theater."
Amanda was also wrestling with some confusing thoughts as well.
"Oh wait, sorry, the hastily written romance comes first," Keldeo mumbled.
She knew that she felt some sort of kinship with this Absol, and that she was willing to put up with his faults in order to get to know him better. Amanda sincerely felt that it was worth it, as the "real" Austin Saturn was quite an interesting character who she felt glad to know. Yet, she was very surprised at how much she was opening up to him. She had a warm relationship with N. Then she had a professional relationship, then a caring and sympathetic relationship with White. She also had honest friendships with White's other Pokemon, although her friendship with Barbara might be over. But Amanda's relationship with Austin was, for lack of a batter word, very comfortable. For reasons she couldn't explain, Amanda felt that with Austin, she had nothing to hide. Well, anyway, although Austin could go on and on about things, it was very clear that he wasn't a gossiper.
"But to be fair, it is slowly getting deeper. . ." Keldeo said with growing interest.
"So, Luke comes back with a special surprise."
All of White's Pokemon were gathered in the front row before the closed stage curtain. White and Luke were having a conversation in the front row as well.
"That video sample you gave me was a masterpiece," White said, "Larvesta is most certainly talented, and perfectly suited for the performing life."
"Thanks," Luke replied, "And with her new evolution into Volcarona, and her new partner, Galvantula, I'd say she's even better than ever."
White gave a nervous smile, "Well, I'd imagine evolving would help her, but as for her new partner, well . . . we'll see how it goes."
"Don't worry about it," Luke assured, "I've seen Galvantula and Volcarona move and perform. Believe me, they're perfect for each other."
"Okay, if you say so. Are they ready?" White said.
"They're just waiting for the curtain to raise and the music to start!" Luke said cheerfully.
The signal was given, and the curtain rose, revealing a large, moth-like Pokémon with four small feet. It had compound eyes that are two shades of blue, and a red horn-like structure on each side of its face. The fuzz on its upper body was smoky white and tangled. Its abdomen was black in the center and light blue with black dots on the outside. It had six leaf-like wings that are orange in color and had small black spots.
Spotlights shone down on Volcarona, and then jerked up towards the ceiling as the music began. Hanging from a stand of Stringshot was a Galvantula.
"Oh gee. I wonder who that Galvantula is?" Keldeo said in a monotone.
Portal 2 Announcer: "Sarcasm Self Test Complete."
"Oh, good, that's back online."
The EleSpider Pokemon hung upside down gracefully, moving leg over leg as he climbed down the strand, swinging slightly as he sang.
"(Bug-Types up in here tonight
No fighting
Refugees in here, no fighting
No fighting
Carona! Carona!)"
Keldeo raised an eyebrow and looked on with a look of disbelief. "Is that. . . ?"
Galvantula broke the strand and landed next to Volcarona. As the music kicked up, Galvantula took wide striding sideways steps, using his long legs to cover a good distance with each step. He was moving quite quickly around Volcarona as she was using Fiery Dance in a magnificent display of pyrotechnic skill and choreography. Galvantula was singing out as all this was happening, moving to the dance-inducing beat of the music.
"(I never really knew that she could dance like this
She makes a mon wants to speak Spanish
Como se llama?
Bonita
Mi casa
Su casa)"
"Hips Don't Lie by Shakira?" Keldeo asked in disbelief.
Volcarona momentarily stopped her Fiery Dancing and then posed with her wings spread wide as she levitated up a few inches. Galvantula froze standing on his rear left and front right legs as he looked up at Volcarona as she sang out in a beautiful melodious voice. Galvantula occasionally sang a word during her lines to accompany her.
"(Oh baby when you talk like that
You make a Bug-type go mad
So be wise (si) and keep on (si)
Reading the signs of my body (uno, dos, tres, cuatro)
And I'm on tonight, my abdomen won't lie
And I'm starting to feel it's right
All the attraction, the tension
Don't you see baby, this is perfection)"
"I think I should be having a stronger reaction to this, but to be honest, I think I've gone entirely numb," Keldeo said in a steady tone.
Volcarona then went into a Quiver Dance that any Bug-type would find, for lack of a better word, sexy. *Sigh*. I can't believe I had to write that.
"Acknowledging that something is painful and stupid does not make it any less painful and stupid!" Keldeo shouted.
"So after the song and dance scene, which admittedly is done pretty well considering we're dealing with dancing Bugs, we find that Austin blown away by it."
"(Well, throughout the duration of the song, my rear end somehow gained sentience and began moving from side to side to match the beat of the music,)" Austin said plainly as he turned his head to look at his backside. "(Stop that, Tail,)" he commanded at the blade-like appendage, which was still bopping to the salsa/pop music still fresh in his mind.
Amanda sniffed, "(Well, sorry that you didn't like it Mr. Stuffy.)"
Austin suddenly grabbed the curled extensions on either side of her neck and pulled her face close to his. "(Bite your forked tongue! That performance was amazing! I had no idea such music as that existed! That music was life itself! Organized chaos! Chaotic order! And most of all, it had passion! I thought only I could work up that much passion! What I wouldn't do to see and hear that again!)"
"Yeah, Austin still hasn't changed much."
Amanda blinked at him, and then said, "(Hey Austin.)"
"(Yes?)"
"(I'm gonna lick your face.)"
Austin promptly let Amanda go and backed away, grinning. "(Touche!)" he said.
Amanda let out a small chuckle and said, "(Well, anyway, for someone who liked that performance so much, you didn't seem very interested at first.)"
Austin shrugged and said, "(I'm used to maintaining a professional image. I'm not very comfortable sharing my feelings . . . at least, until now.)"
Keldeo cocked his head, "Or wait, has he?"
"So Galvantula goes up to Austin and we get the obvious reveal."
"(I've learned a lot from you, Austin,)" Galvantula said gently, as if hinting at something.
"(Oh, so you've seen that Bohemian Polka,)" Austin replied.
"(And . . .)" Galvantula said helpfully, his pedipalps twitching.
"(And . . .)" Austin said slowly, then he said with a deadpan expression and tone, "(Can you give me a hint?!)"
"(It's me!)" Galvantula cheered enthusiastically.
Austin stared at the EleSpider with a look of impatience. "(Is there some memory I'm not recalling? Did I get amnesia at one point in my life or-)"
Amanda groaned loudly and said, "(Austin! That's Joltik! He evolved!)"
Austin stared at the large Bug/Electric-type in front of him. Galvantula had an expectant look in his eyes. As if in a daze, Austin turned slowly to Amanda and shook his head, "(Ah . . . no. I - don't - think so.)"
Amanda turned to Galvantula and said, "(Please tell me you had some way of proving it quickly.)"
Galvantula nodded, and then slowly stepped closer to Austin. Once they were real close, the Garvantula spoke in a low, slightly blase voice. As he spoke, the Galvantula's eyes betrayed neither happiness nor gloom, and his countenance was entirely wistful.
"(You see,)" the Galvantula said to the Absol, "(You... well, you shall never be free. And I... shall never grow bigger than 4 inches tall.)" The Galvantula gave a laugh that was wry and humorless, "(Hmm-hmm-hmm, OR NOT! shalom!)"
Keldeo smiled and said, "Okay, that was pretty clever."
Austin stared at Galvantula in utter shock for a moment. Then he pointed a paw at him, making odd sounds as he attempted to speak. Then, Austin stepped boldly forward and touched the tip of his nose to the EleSpider's face.
"(I missed you,)" he said softly his eyes simmering as he blinked away furiously.
Galvantula didn't pull away. Rather, he leaned forward slightly to return the gentle nuzzle. He backed away and fiddled his pedipalps around as he said, "(I am sorry for leaving kinda . . . sudden like. Yes, yes, I really am. Something happened that I couldn't ignore or wait to do. You forgive me, Austin? Maybe I can make it up to you?)"
"(You're my first friend,)" Austin replied firmly, "(Of course I forgive you.)"
Galvantula perked up at this, shaking his abdomen with joy. Austin reached out with his paw to him, and he held out a foreleg to let Austin shake it. However, Austin surprised him by suddenly smacking Galvantula on the side of the head.
Galvantula stared at Austin with a look of confusion in his eyes as the Absol narrowed his eyes at him and said, "(But that was for leaving me all alone.)" Austin then gained a mischievous grin as he held his forepaw up as if making an oath and said, "(No more hitting, my companion. I swear that to you.)" Austin then laid down in a comfortable Sphinx-like position and said, "(Now, how about you tell us what was so important that you had to leave without at least tapping me on the paw and pointing at the door before hopping out on your merry little way?)"
Galvantula gave a laugh that sounded like a soft rattle and said, "(When you're right, you're right Austin. I just hope you like long stories.)"
"(I love them,)" Austin replied.
"(I'd like to hear this too,)" Amanda replied as she settled down into a coil.
"(I believe the rest of us share your sentiments,)" Sally cut in as the rest of White's Pokemon, except for Barbara of course, got in close as well.
Galvantula gave another unique laugh and said, "(Well then, if I have an audience, here I go!)"
The EleSpider couldn't help but chuckle a third time, and he said, "(Oh boy!)"
"So then we go back in time to see where Joltik went. . . after the narrator belly aches a bit. . ."
Wha-!? Really! We were in the middle of something, and that something was an awesome story about an Absol! Not a Joltik turning into a Garvantula! I've kept quiet for so long and now-
Army: "GET ON WITH IT!"
"So, as we move into a first-person perspective from Joltik, it turns out that Joltik, I kid you not, falls in love with Larvesta and follows after her and Luke," Keldeo said in a dead serious tone.
This was an important moment I was planning for. First impressions are everything, as I'm sure you know very well Austin, if the show you put on for White to get her to be your Trainer is anything to go by. Also, my own first impression with you was what led me to become close friends with a big softie like you. That, that's it, there, I said, I said, that what I kinda feel you are, Austin, if I'm honest. Literally and figuratively, of course. No offence, really. I'm not saying you're weak or anything. I just feel that you got a soft heart underneath all your fur and acting skills. I mean, I know you didn't throw me into the Ampharos' cage by accident, if you know what I mean.
Well, anyway, back to my point. I had to find a way to show Larvesta who I was, and what I could offer her. And, of course, since this is real Fate we're dealing with here, the opportunity came.
"Alright, Larvesta," Luke said, "Let's work on that mysterious bard-like song."
He turned on a portable music player, and such beautiful music started to play, with a lovely stringed instrument as the star.
Larvesta swayed back and forth slowly to the almost water-like flow of the music as she sang in that enchanting voice of hers.
"This is even lazier than Austin and Amanda's romance!" Keldeo complained, "And it turns out that Luke likes indie games, because they sing not one, not two, but all three of the songs from Bastion. Well, they only sing the first two songs. The third is actually invoked by Joltik's interference."
"Okay," Luke said, "Now I think we should work on a new version of Mother, I'm Here that I thought up. The original music is slow, quiet, and really somber, but I think adding a stronger beat, stronger drums, and more instruments and feeling to it can elevate it up to new heights. What do you say?"
Larvesta nodded excitedly and said, "(Oh yes! That sounds beautiful!)"
Luke played the next track, and I felt a thrill pass through me as the music began. It was just as Luke had described. Also, as the introduction played out, and my mind worked on it, a brilliant idea that would lead me to my happy smiling Fate arose in my mind.
As Larvesta rocked to the music, she closed her eyes again and sang the song with a bit stronger emotions than she did before.
"(I set my sail;
Fly, the wind it will take me
Back to my home, sweet home)"
At this point, I made my move.
"(Lie on my back,
Clouds are making way for me
I'm coming home, sweet home)"
Larvesta's eyes opened as a twitch ran through her body. She had clearly heard something, had felt the sensation that she was not singing alone. She did not miss a beat though, and continued her song effortlessly.
"(I see your star,)" / "(Build that wall and)"
"(You left it burning for me;)" / "(Build it strong, 'cause)"
"(Mother, I'm here)" / "(We'll be there before too long)"
As a stronger yet still beautifully stringed instrument got its solo, Larvesta's eyes were now lit up, fully aware of the voice that had come out of nowhere and begun to sing along. Luke had heard it too, and his eyes were wide as well. His Golett, Zorua, and Leavanny looked quite surprised as well, and yet, also enchanted by what they had just heard.
Larvesta looked up at Luke, and she nodded slowly and seriously. She then took a deep breath, and began to sing again, only this time, she was singing the lyrics to Build That Wall instead. This was a very smart move on her part, because I personally believe that the Build That Wall lyrics are best sung by a female, while the Mother, I'm Here words are best sung by a male.
"(Eyes open wide,)" / "(I dig my hole, you build a wall)"
"(Feel your heart and it's glowing)" / "(I dig my hole, you build a wall)"
"(I'm welcome home, sweet home)" / "(One day that wall is gonna fall)"
"(I take your hand,)" / "(Gonna build that wall up to the sky)"
"(Now you'll never be lonely)" / "(Gonna build that wall up to the sky)"
"(Not when I'm home, sweet home)" / "(One day your bird is gonna fly)"
"(I see your star,)" / "(Build that wall and)"
"(You left it burning for me;)" / "(Build it strong, 'cause)"
"(Mother, I'm here)" / "(We'll be there before too long)"
Keldeo rubbed his forehead and said, "Fanfics with songs in them really frustrate me for a number of reasons. For one thing, we have no way of knowing what the character's singing voices would sound like. We just have to take the author's word for it. Therefore, unless the authors tells us that the character can't sing, we just assume that the singing is so perfect or is like the actual artist who originally sang the song. Second of all, putting an amazingly good song in, like the songs from Bastion, which are the most beautiful songs ever specially written for a specific video game, seems like a lazy way to improve the quality of the fanfic. It's like riding on the coat tails of the awesome music. And third of all. . . none of it matter because I can't resist the amazingness of this music!"
The song ended, far too soon in my opinion, and then Larvesta looked around and said, "(Well, I know you're a Joltik. Mind letting us know where you are?)"
"(My gift is my song!)"
Larvesta turned to me as I approached, deciding to walk slowly, inching my way towards her.
"(And this one's for you. . .)"
Larvesta looked at me with a thoughtful expression.
"Oh great. Another Moulin Rouge! reference. That movie wasn't that good," Keldeo grumbled.
"(Speaking of singing skills, your performance of Let It Glow completely overwhelmed me.)"
Her horns twitched, indicating the motion of sniffing, more out of body language than for actual smell probably, and said, "(I'm not stupid. You're infatuated with me.)"
Oh uric.
All my eyes were wide with shock and despair. This was compounded with the fact that I hadn't really thought this plan through, specifically what to do if she wasn't interested.
Standing over me, she said in a questioning tone, "(What do you have to offer me?)"
"Wow! A more realistic take on romance. Good to see!" Keldeo said with grin, "But the scene is suddenly cut short when Team Rocket shows up and- WHAT?"
I didn't know how to answer that right away, and before I could think of an answer, a heavy metal cage with chain link fence sides came flying in out of nowhere and crashed down around us.
"Larvesta!" Luke shouted in shock.
The cage dug into the ground and closed in underneath us, closing us in.
"Prepare for trouble, you got that right!" a male voice said.
"And make it double, cause we're here for a fight!" a female voice said.
I turned to see two humans wearing black t-shirts with big red "R"'s on them.
"To infect the world with devastation!"
"To blight the people in every nation!"
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"
"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"
"Cassidy!"
"And Butch!"
"We're Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and night!"
"Surrender to us now or you will surely lose the fight!"
"(That's right!)" shouted a Shuckle standing between them.
Keldeo shrugged, "Okay, I guess this fanfic merges both Manga and Anime. So, Biff and Cassidy kidnap Larvesta, and Joltik by accident I suppose, and quickly drive off."
"(Larvesta,)" I said, speaking up in a rather loud voice for my size.
Larvesta turned to me, staring at me with her gorgeous blue eyes.
I said, "(You asked me what I have to offer you. . .)"
I effortlessly hopped through one of the spaces in the cage, turned back to Larvesta, and said, "(I'll show you.)"
I then jumped over to the front of the truck, ran up along the side, and into the open window on the driver's side.
"(Surprise, Bach!)" I shouted as I jumped on his hands and used Bug Bite with all my strength.
And yes, I know I got his name wrong. I don't know why, but I doesn't matter. It's not like he heard me.
"For the record, his name is Bud," Keldeo corrected.
"So, they end up crashing, and Joltik decides that hurting yourself is a good way to get someone to like you. For the record, I disagree."
I spotted the damaged lock on the cage, and jumped onto it, clinging to it with all four legs. "(Use Flamethrower on it!)" I said.
Larvesta seemed to pause for a moment, then said, "(But what about you?)"
"(I'll be fine, just do it. Quick, before those bad humans come!)" I called out urgently.
I was very well aware that this was going to hurt, but I was serious when I decided to go after Larvesta. She was a talented performer, she was strong, and she had smarts and spirit. I was gonna save her no matter what. So the moment I felt her Flamethrower, I discharged into the damaged lock with all my worth.
Luckily for me, it didn't take too long to pop the lock. Unluckily for me, when the lock popped, so did the door to the cage. It snapped upwards, tossing me high into the air. I tumbled and spun up through space, and then began my quick decent downwards. It was all over in a matter of seconds.
WHUMP!
I landed in something very soft and white. . .
"(Gotcha,)" Larvesta said.
I was very quite amazed, honestly. I was resting rather comfortably in Larvesta's fuzz, which, if I'm honest, felt even better than your fur, Austin. No offense of course, but that's just how it felt to me. Perhaps it was whose fuzz it was that made it a more pleasant experience. Anyway, I must have gotten a little too comfortable in there, because she ended up shaking me out.
We look at each other eye to eye for a moment, but are suddenly rudely interrupted.
"Get them Shuckle!"
"You too, Granbull!"
We look up to see the two humans approaching with their two Pokemon in front of them.
Larvesta turned towards me and said, "(Run. It's me they want.)"
I just laughed and said, "(Please no cliches.
"You're in the wrong story," Keldeo said.
You know I'm not going anywhere.)"
To my delight, Larvesta's eyes lit up and she shook briefly with a bit of soft laughter. "(I know. . .)" she said softly.
There were suddenly eight flashes of light, and we were suddenly surrounded by a Raticate, Houndour, Sableye, Tentacruel, Primeape, Hitmontop, Mightyena, and Cloyster.
"And so, by The Power of Love, both of them evolve at the same time!"
Ma-Ti: "HEART!"
Larvesta blinked solemnly at me. She was so expressive with her eyes. They were from where all her emotions and inflections came from.
Then, she closed her eyes, leaned it close, and tenderly touched her head to mine.
"ATTA-" the humans shouted, but were halted in their tracks when the two of us started to glow.
I have never felt so much power before. EVER! For so long I've been snacking on outside power sources, but now, for the first time ever, I had my own power source within me! I was no longer a consumer! I was a producer of electricity!
And so, in what felt like a sudden instant, I was a Galvantula.
Check that, a Galvantula standing next to a gorgeous Volcarona!
Feeling that extra burst of confidence, Volcarona and I proceeded to take the rest of those Pokemon down without breaking a sweat-
"(Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait, waity-wait!)" Austin said, holding up a paw to interrupt Galvantula's story, "(So. . . you and Volcarona defeated an army of 8 Pokemon? By yourselves?)"
Galvantula blinked his two biggest eyes, then shuffled around on his four legs nervously. "(Well. . .)" he said, "(Maybe Luke came in with Zorua, Golett, and Leavanny in the middle of our battle and gave us a hand. . .)"
"Okay, when Austin Saturn has to call you out on something, you know you're gone too far," Keldeo remarked.
Galvantula gave a nervous chuckle and said, "(Well, we knocked out all of Team Rocket's Pokemon, and sent them flying into the distance in a big explosion!)"
"(Why?!)" Austin asked incredulously, "(You pretty much helped them escape. Shouldn't you have captured them for Officer Jenny or something?)"
"(Heat of the moment,)" Galvantula said nonchalantly.
"The ironic part here is that Bart and Cassidy have been arrested multiple times, but they were always able to break out. Apparently this got so implausible that the writers just decides to have them Blast Off every time instead to make seeing them all the time more plausible."
"So, yeah, Galvantula and Volcarona are happy together, but that just makes Austin want Amanda even more. So, later on he actually asks Galvantula for romantic advice."
"(Again with the time gaps? I'll have you know that things did happen during all that time,)" Austin remarked indignantly.
Ahem! Well, it was soon the day before opening night.
"(Actually, it's the night before opening night,)" Austin corrected.
"Insert Get On With It Meme here," Keldeo said quickly.
Love. . . now that was a word that made Austin nervously. Mostly because all the events that had occurred over the previous month had put quite a few things in perspective for him. In fact, Austin had come to a certain realization. This realization both thrilled Austin and chilled Austin. For once in his life, Austin did not know what to do and admitted to himself that he did not know what to do. He needed assistance.
And so, he asked Galvantula to sneak away late a night and meet him amid the woods. Not too far in, just far enough for a little secrecy.
Much to Austin's relief, Galvantula was there waiting for him.
"(It feels good to come to a place and be greeted by a friendly face,)" Austin remarked with a smile.
"(Sure thing, Austin,)" Galvantula replied, "(So, what is it that you want to talk about?)"
Austin nodded and said, "(Well, it's like this. Friends always help each other, that goes without saying. Now, I'm good at a lot of things. I'm in the know about a lot of things. So, yeah, I've scratched your back plenty of times, since it's always been in my power to act. That's what you do when you have the opportunity to help someone. Now, my back could use a little scratching, so to speak, and if there's something you can do that I actually aren't very strong in, then it just follows that I'd come here in this manner, especially when current events are taken in consideration. Another victory for logic, right?)"
Austin leaned in towards his friend and smiled, breathing loudly after saying his peace.
Galvantula's pedipalps twitched a bit as he stared at Austin. Then he said, "(Okay, I get that you want me to help you with something, and sure, I'll be glad to help! But what is it?)"
Austin kept his smile and said coachingly, "(Current events. . .)"
Galvantula blinked, then he chuckled and said, "(Oh, I get it! Current events! Like electric current! Ha-ha!)"
Keldeo was actually smiling as he said, "You know, the scenes that showed Austin's friendship with Joltik were few and far between. Plus, Joltik didn't talk. . . for some reason. I mean, he talked to Larvesta, so it's not like Joltiks can't talk. . .whatever. . . The point is it's nice to see these two friends actually interact with each other. It makes Austin more. . . likable and relatable, I guess."
Austin's mouth fell open, and he hung his head in disappointment. "(NO, no, I mean-.)" Austin lifted his head and brushed his tuft of hair with his left forepaw, "(Fine, I'll spit it out. You got together with Volcarona, so tell me how I can get together with Amanda. Yeah, I like Amanda like that, and it shows how much I trust and value you as a friend to have told you that.)"
Galvantula's two main eyes went larger than normal, and his pedipalps hung down to convey the same message as jaw dropping. Then he said, "(Well, I did notice you being . . . closer friends. . . heh. . .)" Galvantula then started to chuckle.
"(Why are you laughing at me?)" Austin said with his head titled.
"(Because you're the one kinda helped me out with my first impression to Volcarona,)" Galvantula said, "(Where else did you think I got the idea to sing like that?)"
Austin breathed out through his nose heavily and said, "(But what about the part after that. I don't mean Bud and Cassidy! I mean, you know, talking to her, selling yourself to her. . . and anyway, a song won't work here. Amanda's not a performer.)"
"(A song could still work,)" Galvantula's said optimistically, "(What is it that you want to convey to her?)"
"(That I'm not always the arrogant, over confident, proud performer I am in public or on stage,)" Austin said with his heart, his body language becoming smaller, more restrictive, and closer together. It was as if he was subconsciously retreated into himself. "(That I can be a Pokemon who hates being alone, who doesn't want to be alone, and will gladly open up his heart and soul to the one Pokemon he things is worth it. And that she's worth it.)"
Keldeo nodded, "Okay, good, good, I'm starting to see the sincerity in this romance as well as some depth to Austin's character. So far so good. As long as Galvantula doesn't burst into a random musical number-."
Then, much to Austin's surprise, Galvantula broke out into a musical number as he continued his fierce dancing.
"(Auuuuuuuu-stin!
You don't need to put up such a fight,
Rack your brain for concepts,
Or fear how to make it right.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Keldeo moaned.
Auuuuu-stin!
You don't have to fear your heart tonight
Auuuuu-stin!
You don't have to let doubt rule on this or any night)"
Austin's eyes slowly widened by degrees, as he began caught up in the beat and passion Galvantula was created. Then, as if in a trance, Austin began to move and step to it, raising his voice in song.
"(My eyes upon your face
My cheek upon your cheek
My fur brushes your scales
What words could I possibly speak?!)"
Keldeo stopped moaning, and he said in shock, "Wait a minute, isn't this a parody of Tango de Roxxane from Moulin Rouge! , the song that the Nostalgia Critic parodied as Tango de Pretense which I in turned parodied in my review of A Guardian's Princess by ThatOneDwarf?"Keldeo held his head and said, "Ugh. I think I'm giving myself a head ache."
"(Auuuuuu-stin!)"
"(Why does my heart cry?)"
"(Auuuuuu-stin!)"
"(Feelings I can't fight)"
"(Austin!)"
"(She'd never accept me,
So please, don't decieve me
Why would she. . . believe me if I said, 'I love you'?)"
"(Aha!)" Galvantula shouted, stopping suddenly and pointing at Austin, "(There! That's it!)"
"(What - is - it?)" Austin said in a silted manner.
"(Austin, you're at your best when you act spontaneously and just flow freely. Remember that Bohemian Polka?)" Galvantula asked.
"(I never forget any of my performances,)" Austin said seriously.
"(Then you know what I'm talking about!)" Galvantula said excitedly, "(Don't compose a song for her. Don't think things out or rehearse it. Just focus on what you want to get across, and let yourself go. Fall into a beat or rhythm or whatever, and pour your soul out to her. That's the kind of Pokemon you are, so that's how you should present yourself to Amanda. 100 percent pure, honest to goodness Austin Saturn. No more, no less.)"
Austin stared at Galvantula with a blank expression, but looking closer at his eyes revealed that he was thinking. "(That. . . makes a lot of sense. . .)" Austin said slowly, then he nodded and said, "(Okay. I'll do it.)"
"That. . . actually does make sense, and is good advice for someone like Austin," Keldeo remarked, "And so, by the magic of plot convenience, Austin runs right into Amanda at the door and our little romance subplot comes to it's climax."
And so, Austin and Amanda moved amid the trees, in silence at first, then Austin asked, "(How did you end up with White?)"
"(I actually used to be with a person named N,)" Amanda remarked in a cold tone, "(I felt that he had more respect for Pokemon. However, he also had very little respect for other people. But it was enough for him to send me to look after White after she was injured. All in all, I prefer life with White. To be honest, N was far too narrow minded and bland for my taste.)" Amanda grinned mischievously and said, "(Anyway, it's never hard for me to remind White where her place is.)"
Austin and Amanda both chuckled at that sentiment.
Then, Amanda asked, "(What about you? How were things before you were. . .)" Amanda's smile faded as she said gently, "(Sorry. You probably don't want to talk about that.)"
Austin shrugged, "(Eh, there's nothing much to tell. Started out in a forest when I was just a kid, just an Absol family that all stayed hid, I didn't grow up an only child cause I had a little sis, of course that's all good stuff I miss; if I could bring them here, I wish.)"
Finding the rhythm, Austin went on, still walking all the while, "(Then we grew up and split and that hit hard, cause being lonely is my life's nasty Trump Card, folks said I had to move on, had to back off, so I walked behind my sister until she too said to back off, so I tried to make some new friends who didn't mind my cat sass,
I didn't figure out that my cannon was glass
Until I got snatched up by some hunters, those fat cats, or fat rats
I didn't mind the cages, cause of cell mates, how about that
I can't stand isolation
Not good at acclimation
I want fame, but I need friends
The top can be a sad end
And we're all different in dark rooms
Well I want you to see me
I'll let everything down, all for you!)"
"Okay, point for being clever, but is he singing or rapping? Yes, there's a difference," Keldeo said seriously.
"So, long story short, Austin makes a song, or a rap, about his life story and about how he wants and needs Amanda in his life."
Austin's talking had slowly morphed into singing, and his singing had builded and builded up with ever line, getting stronger and more passionate. Austin has let the rhythm carry him away, and Amanda was loving it. At this moment, he felt that she was truly getting a look deep into Austin's true self as his singing continued.
"(Right now, I'm not a legend, no,
I want to be more than just friends, oh,
I want you to see the real me now.
You to see the real me now
I'm more than the Absol Danseuse
I really truly want to have you
I want you to see the real me now.
You to see the real me now
So please see me)"
Austin looked up into Amanda's eyes as he sang sweetly to her.
"(Please don't go away
Forgive my mistakes
Fame means run fast to stay in the same place
But it won't make me change
I won't go away
You keep my paths straight
My soul knows that we have to stay
Or else my true self may fade.)"
Keldeo sniffed and wiped his eyes with his front left fetlock. He said with a said smile, "Okay, okay, Austin may have his faults, biscuits, this fanfic has it's faults. . . but this scene was legitimately touching and sweet. . ."
Austin mentally cursed himself when the words stuck in his throat. Feeling as if he had nothing to lose anyway, Austin held his head up high and sang out, "(Believe me when I say, I love you!)"
Austin took shaky, heavy breaths of panic as he stared up at Amanda. Her expression was not unreadable. She was clearly blown away by what she had experienced.
"(I really feel. . .)" Amanda thought to herself, "(That's I've seen Austin's true heart. He hates loneliness. He want others to understand him. But he wants one Pokemon. . . who could see his inner secrets.)"
Amanda gazed at Austin, who was looking up at her expectantly. Then, she sang to him in a whisper, "(Come what may, I will love you, until my dying day.)"
A great spark of emotion burst through him, and Austin immediately popped up onto his hind legs, and leaned forward a bit to kiss Amanda. He felt Amanda's vines wrap around him in an embrace, and at that moment, their hearts were complete.
FNAF KIDS: "YAAAAAAY!"
"So, Amanda and Austin are finally together, and we skip to the opening night of Sol of a Samurai."
Wearing his plastic mock samurai armor, Austin stood confidently, ready for his cue to come on stage.
Austin turned to one side to see Amanda, smiling brightly at him.
"(Is my thespian ready to make history?)" she said coyly.
Austin smirked and said, "(So, I'm your thespian?)"
"(Do you mind?)" Amanda said, tilting her head with an obviously fake look of confusion.
"(No. I like being . . . yours. . .)" Austin said softly.
"(Mind answering my first question?)" Amanda asked.
Austin turned towards the stage and nodded, "(Yeah, I'm ready. . . as long as you'll be waiting for me afterwards.)"
Amanda gave a nod, which came simultaneously with Austin's cue. Taking it as a sign that the future would be full of great things, Austin boldly walked out onto the stage, and into his future.
Keldeo looked excited. "Alright!" he said, "This musical has been built up big time, and we've seen several parts of it being rehearsed. I can't wait to see the whole thing play out. Barbara might even try to sabotage it. We might even get something like the Finale of Moulin Rouge! This is gonna be awesome!"
The End
Keldeo moaned and sobbed at the same time as he covered his face with his forehooves. "Oh, no, no! I don't believe it!" Keldeo uncovered his face, raised his left forehoof high, and shouted, "THIS IS NOT OVER. . . POKEMON!"
"(Wait a minute, what's with the 'The End'?)" Austin asked in disbelief, "(How is this the end! You didn't even let them see the actual musical! I'm positive that my story has not ended! I'm also positive the whole world didn't drop dead here either. No, this is not the end! No by a long shot. . . well, okay, this is all that's been written, but my story still goes on after this. So saying 'The End' isn't really fair. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to put 'To Be Continued' like in the anime. That's too cliche, and may not work here. Saying 'The Beginning' wouldn't work here either. How about we just leave it open. That always works. . . well, almost always. Ahh, whatever, I have a musical to preform! Catch you later. . . I hope. . . Just remember that my story isn't over. That's right. Okay. Goodnight, or day, or afternoon. Oh, brokh. Bye!)"
"And having Austin acknowledge it doesn't fix it!" Keldeo shouted angrily, "This fanfic is-."
Keldeo stopped in mid sentence, and he frowned as he thought hard on what he was going to say. He paced around for a few minutes, in very deep thought, then he turned and said, "This fanfic. . . is just like Austin Saturn himself. It's hard to tell if he's a good character or not. He's not evil or anything, but he's not entirely likeable. You know, he's a lot like another singing, dancing, arrogant, famous celebrity type character. Oh, what's his name? What's his name. . ."
David Saville: "ALLLLLLVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNN!"
*Ding!*
Rip Off Side Pot: 16- Alvin from "Alvin and the Chipmunks"
"Okay, okay, let me make something clear," Keldeo said quickly, "I hate the live action movies, of course, but I really like the cartoons, specifically the new CGI one on Nick. However, I'm not too crazy about Alvin. His arrogant nature, his selfishness, his impulsiveness. But I don't hate Alvin. Here's the thing, Alvin. . . personality causes him to go too far to get what he wants, and he ends up hurting others. But when Alvin fully realizes that he's hurt someone, and even the live action movies managed to get this part right believe it or not, he actually does have an ethical turnaround and does what he can to fix things."
Keldeo smiled sheepishly and said, "Austin. . . doesn't really have this. I mean, just look. The characters he hurts are either villains like Barbara, just give up and accept it like Gigi, or just excuse his actions and give him a pass due to some new understanding like Amanda. Austin never has that 'What Have I Done?' moment to make him more sympathetic. And that fact that nearly everything goes his way makes it even worse. Sure, he falls to pieces when Joltik leaves him, but to be honest, he just looks insane, petty, and pathetic in that sequence. I mean, he just walks over to Amanda and starts attacking her. Seriously?!"
Keldeo sighed and said, "But, on the other hand, the songs are well incorporated and are paired with excellent descriptions of choreography. The side characters are all pretty entertaining. And although I couldn't go through every single detail, I must say that the story has plenty of funny jokes, and the romantic moments are written to be very sweet and touching. And Austin's character does mellow out after the first half of the story, and in spite of his arrogance, he's good for a few laughs."
Keldeo smiled broadly and said, "So, I'd say give this story a chance and see what you think. I have no doubt that there's already a sequel in the works. We obviously can't get rid of Austin Saturn so easily. I'm Keldeo the Critic, and I review it so you don't have to." Keldeo left with a cheerful nod.
The End
Credits
The Lion King
Silence of the Lambs
Dora the Explorer
Nostalgia Critic: The Princess Diaries 2
Nostalgia Critic: Moulin Rouge!
Nostalgia Critic: Jupiter Ascending
Nostalgia Critic: Garfield
Nostalgia Critic: The Happening
Nostalgia Critic: Dumbest Superman Moments
Nostalgia Critic: Lady in the Water
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Animaniacs
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Portal 2
Confused Matthew: Lion King Re-Review
Little Shop of Horrors
Captain Planet
Bastion
Dragonforce
Special Thanks
Bulbapedia
Confused Matthew
