Amelia and Ash had explored a part of Kiloude City together and now were having lunch at a café. Ash and Pikachu had ordered a bunch of food while Amelia ate her own relaxed pace with a cup of coffee. She was happy to pay the bill for him after standing up for her against her father. Ash did not exploit her and her family so far and she had a good feeling it would stay that way.
"Kiloude City. What do you think so far?" Amelia asked hoping she was a great tour guide and that they can repeat it in her hometown eventually not to be disturbed by the local populace.
"I like it. People seem nice and go about their day. It reminds me of home." He enjoyed the calming presence. It might be called a city but the remoteness of it laying in a beautiful landscape and the lack of tall buildings with reminded him of his home in Pallet Town. People were friendly and helpful and he understood why Amelia also liked it here compared to the busy life back in Fluerrh City.
"Still bummed out the Battle Maison isn't open." He really wanted to battle there.
"The Showcase committee is still breaking the set down. I promise I'll bring you another time." The Performer said feeling happy just to spend the day with him. After yesterday she needed this boost and the re-experience of discovering things together like on the cruise liner was the perfect distraction.
"When are you going for your third key again?" Amelia glad he looked forward to her next Showcase though. It be hard pressed to say he is not becoming her own favorite fan in a quick pace.
"Why? You're staying with me till then?" She said with a smile not having set a date that he would leave again.
"I really want to see you win a Showcase with me watching for once. I seem to bring bad luck whenever I watch you." She giggled at his joke not sure if he intended it as one. It's true she failed twice with him watching but Amelia didn't mind.
"First time wasn't your fault as we didn't even know each other. Second time I got distracted by other things. Third time is the charm right?" Determined to win the next one he was watching. Amelia took out her Rotom phone and began to search for the Showcases next dates.
"Let me look it up for a minute." Going to the site she pulled up a list. Skimming over it she found an interesting one.
"Snowbelle City. That's close to Fluerrh City." Only a short trip south of her hometown it gave Amelia a good incentive to go so her stay at home with Ash can last longer. Depending on what her father had in store as a side business of course with arranging dates with potential husbands and what not.
"Are you going to enter that one?" Ash wondered as he hasn't seen a Showcase in the snow before.
"I don't know if it's actually being held. The Showcases in Snowbelle are different from others. The Free Performance is not normal." Ash always thought they had the same structure unlike the Master Class.
"How?"
"You aren't given a stage to dance on but a field of ice instead in which you got to perform on with your Pokémon. The Free Performance is a figure skating Performance."
Playing into the winter wonderland theme Snowbelle has going for it Performers were challenged to put up a show on ice as opposite to solid ground. Amelia explained to her guest that the stage is an ice field. There weren't many of them and it was only an occurrence when enough people entered making it one of the rarest Princess Keys.
"Can you skate?" Amelia being one of many talents she shook her head.
"Not good enough to come up with a figure skating Performance. There is no ice rink where I live for practice. Can you skate and can you teach me?" Maybe he could share some tips at staying on her feet.
"Not at all." Ash told her.
"Then we're going to look for another one." Not to confident about that one she looked at the next entry. Amelia suddenly felt her wrist be grabbed by him. Looking up to him Ash took her phone off her gently, her phone screen no longer visible he turned it round so it the rear casing was only visible.
"You want to compete in that Snowbelle Showcase?" Ash asked her kindly as she thought about it for a moment.
Winning a Showcase like that would prove she did belong to the best Performers the region had to offer. Learning how to figure skate in a short amount of time plus creating a dazzling Performance on such a time scale seemed impossible. Then again watching Ash's battles on TV he made type disadvantages work in his favor even when going against the regular flow.
Watching his eyes he waited for an answer. Ash is one of the few who truly believed in her. His hand holding her wrist he was rough yet gentle. Amelia blushed at his touch as she actually felt hid thumb stroke her wrist. He seemed unaware that he was doing it though. With his confidence in her she wanted to repay him.
"You want to see me do a performance on ice?" Ash nodded yes with Pikachu joining him. Amelia sighed. She would indulge his request as he was just too nice to say no to.
"Ok. I will sign up for the Snowbelle Showcase." He smiled even more now.
"Can you let go off me now so I can register?" She asked as he didn't realize that he still held on to her. His grip loosening he pulled his hand back.
"Sorry." Breaking contact Amelia took her Rotom phone and registered online. No going back now at having signed on the dotted line she needed to come up with a schedule and how to have a constant field to train on. The dance studio she has at home couldn't just be renovated by breaking out the floor and a huge amount of coolers were needed as well.
"First I need to buy some skates. Do you mind if we get those first before continuing the tour?"
"Not at all."
Ash finished up his lunch as to the nearest store that actually sold them. Amelia still not to certain about was glad Ash would be there to help her from the start for once. Her next Showcase appearance she had an uphill battle to climb but with the aid of her new friend a certain weight fell of her shoulders. Maybe she could teach him to skate in return.
As they walked through the town again towards the shops Amelia kept tinkering with her phone. Ash seeing it too couldn't watch the screen due how the sun shined in it.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to find if there is a show somewhere that can give me idea's." Before Amelia stepped…glided on the frozen water herself she wanted to see true figure skaters at work. There had to be some professionals in Kalos if there was a competition like that. Searching the web she found an advert for such a show in another region.
"Circhester in Galar. Home of the Ice type Gym Leader Melony." The town in the mountains climate made it a great place for skating. Once done they can go to one of the many frozen places out of town to practice themselves.
"Want to come with me?" She invited Ash to come as well.
"Sure!"
Agreeing to come along he was looking forward to it. He's never seen a performance on ice before. And there's bound to be someone there who can teach Amelia to put on a great figure skating Performance. With some of their future dates set in the visit to the vineyard and the Galar region Ash had to stick around a little longer with Amelia and that was something he didn't mind at all.
"Knight takes king. Checkmate." A male moved a black piece towards a white one and trapped it in. Even without taking it the rules dictated the controller of the white pieces couldn't do anything to escape the block losing the game.
"One of these days I'm going to beat you at this game." The loser vowed slumping back in his chair. The winner of the board game used to the repeating result did not brag much.
"Then you should've studied chess instead of finances."
"Viktor beat you again Byron?" A girl with red hair in a white dress joined them at their table. The owner of the chess game collected his pieces and put them back in starting place.
"You want to play a quick game Stacy?" The chess master asked her.
"Don't know much about chess unlike you pawns, but the queen is the most versatile piece since it can move anywhere." Byron coughed in his hand after her vanity display.
"Can we get down to business?" Stacy joined the two at the table.
"Great job at winning that Showcase and showing up that Valuer girl." Viktor congratulating Stacy on her debut win the latter part was more important.
"My pleasure boys." The redhead took out her keyring and showed off her award.
"Think what you had in mind is happening now?" Byron asked Viktor as Stacy competing on this Showcase was his idea.
"From what I know of Charles Valuer he's currently disgracing her. He doesn't like failure and keeps his name high in value. A failing daughter is not good for his reputation."
"So he's beating her down even more than I did." Stacy asked while enjoying the prospect of a relative eliminating one of her competition without even having to lift a finger.
"Good, that makes things a lot easier so you'll just sweep in and be the gent you are picking her up." Byron knowing fully well about the date the chess master had with the Valuer heir.
"Before dropping her like a bad habit after getting what you need." The Performer said as the girl's association to the Power Band factory was the only thing that mattered.
"It would be easier if you didn't fluff it up on the SS Shimmer." Viktor blamed Byron for succeeding back then. A prime opportunity to be alone with Amelia and to weasel his way into the family the business man got rejected. Byron himself grimaced at the event. Some hobo with a Pikachu just had to get in the way.
"Also, our guy took this photo." During the Showcase somebody in the crowd kept an eye on the Valuer family. Viktor presented a photo of the mother and father with a raven haired boy with a Pikachu sitting on his lap.
"He is kind of cute. But no idea." Stacy said but not seeing or remembering him from anything. Byron meanwhile stared at the photo and then suddenly shouted in anger.
"That brat again!" This took his colleagues by surprise.
"Who?"
"That's the same brat that I told you about on the SS Shimmer."
Byron's first contact with Amelia a failure he blamed the guy with the Pikachu. If it wasn't for him they were deep into Valuer affairs already.
"What's he doing here?"
"Does it matter?" Stacy just brushed it aside as one boy wouldn't be much of a problem for a girl like her.
"You boys just let me deal with him. I'll make him drop her like a bag of bricks while Viktor will swoop in and be the gallant hero the heir needs. Just give me a few days to study on him while our guy keeps a track of him."
A spy in the Valuer household was feeding information to them at a price. The three's combined riches made it possible to achieve and bribe anyone but it wasn't enough. They wanted more. They wanted to control the region. Not by Team Flare methods but by setting up a secret group that would control things from the shadows.
Viktor would be the region Champion, Stacy the Kalos Queen and Byron handled finances. If the former two achieved those titles the sponsor deals would just keep running in and give them all the leverage they need. The first part they're working on now would be to take away the Valuer factory and use the connections they had made to their business partners and then expand from that.
"Here's to the triangle of battle, entertainment and money." The three toasted ready to begin their silent conquest of the Valuer family and the region that will follow.
A shorter one than normal but a good cut off I'd say for once.
Any of you remember Byron from the last one? Dude with the shiny Pyroar that bothered our Amelia? Turns out he's in cahoots with some others all along. And it's about time I did something with the summary of the story.
Let's see what I can make out of this one.
Later.