This chapter was updated/revised on November 10, 2019. It is significantly longer than I orginally planned, so come prepared to read!
Festival, Part 1
"Tonight, I'll sing my songs again,
I'll play the game and pretend.
But all my words come back to me
in shades of mediocrity
Like emptiness in harmony
I need someone to comfort me."
Simon and Garfunkel
Day 32
Most of his Pokémon were already out cold. The only one awake was Xatu. Jezz lied repentant and perturbed, knowing from experience that the moment he fell asleep, Xatu would attack his dreams.
"Please not stare at me," he asserted. "And please do not give me nightmares. I am already distraught."
"Xatu Xaaatuuu," the Pokémon replied.
"When you were a Natu, you were my conscientious comrade; now you play mean tricks whilst I sleep and mock my fears. I have tried all I can surmise, from searching for a new home for you to begging, but you return to your vile habits despite my best efforts and benevolent conditions. I don't understand what you want me to do!"
Jezz heard a faint knocking on his door. He opened it and discovered Maya.
"Good evening, Miss Maya. My apologies for waking you," said Jezz, bowing.
"Don't be sorry; I was already awake. May I come in?" she inquired.
"Certainly."
The two of them sat down on his bed. Jezz asked why she came.
"I heard you arguing with Xatu," Maya explained. "He is mean to you."
"He gives me nasty dreams. Sometimes he gives them to other people, but I believe I get them the most," Jezz gathered.
Maya turned to Xatu and initiated a conversation in her Pokémon language.
Xatu yelled at Maya. She was unfazed and continued to argue with the psychic bird. After they had both gone silent for several seconds, Jezz asked about their conversation.
"I thought if I talked to Xatu in Pokémon language he might trust me more," Maya explained. "I asked him why he gave you nightmares, and he says that it is because it is fun. Then I told him that it was mean and then he yelled at me."
"Xatu, what do you want from me?" Jezz asked desperately.
"Xatttt Xatu Xatttt," Xatu retorted.
"He says that he doesn't want to take orders from humans," Maya translated.
"You don't have to be my Pokémon. I was being serious when I said you could leave," said Jezz.
"Xatu tuuuu," he replied.
"Xatu likes the free food and medicine and he likes hanging out with your Pokémon," said Maya. "I can understand that. Having a home is a wonderful thing. But Xatu, you do not need to be cruel."
Xatu shrugged, yawned, then curled up as if to sleep.
"That means he doesn't want to talk anymore," Jezz sighed.
"I am sorry I could not be a bigger help," Maya replied.
"I very much appreciate your efforts; it was awfully nice for you to help me. I wish you a good night."
"It was no trouble. Ditto on the 'goodnight'."
That night, Jezz's nightmares continued. In one of them, he saw a young girl on a bike, riding passed the Cerulean Gym. Then he saw that same girl, a bit older, lost in a dreary obsidian forest. Then there would be a scene change and loud noises and Pokémon would fly out of a void, afflicting reprehensible damage on humans and other Pokémon.
Jezz woke at midnight in a nervous sweat. His Pokémon gazed at him with concern. Maya returned, this time accompanied by Lily, Jay, and Annastasia.
"Are you okay? You were yelling," Annastasia whispered as she strode to his beside. "Maya said that Xatu was terrorizing you earlier. Is that still happening?"
"Yes," he answered solemnly.
Annastasia turned to Lily and Maya. "If one of you could help me translate…"
"Sure," Lily offered.
"Okay…Jezz, why don't you go sleep with Jay? He has two twin beds in there."
Jay grinned widely, nodded, then coughed, embarrassed yet content.
"You aren't sleeping in your bedroom yet across the street yet?" Jezz asked Jay. "I thought you moved back in yesterday."
"Umm…so…the babies were still kinda loud so I changed my mind and decided to stay in the hotel," he answered. "But yeah…Xatu should…stay here. Y-you…come with me."
"Thank you very much. Annie, may I stay while you keep talking?"
"Of course," Annastasia replied.
"Kk, you listen to the rest of their conversation…I'll uh, get ready…for you," Jay said before dashing down the hall.
The others turned to Xatu, who refused to look at them.
"They say that Xatu can see the past and the future at the same time, that is why it always looks like it is thinking really hard," said Lily. "But I think he's just dumb."
"Hey Xatu, can we have your attention?" Annastasia asked in a frustrated voice. "I'm tired, and when I don't get enough sleep, things happen to me."
"She gets seizures, and they are triggered by stress. Right now, you're the one causing all the stress."
"Xa tuu," he chirped, still not looking at them.
"Xatu says to talk," said Maya.
"Tell us why you're hurting our little friend," Annastasia demanded.
"Xatu Xatuuuuu tu."
"Xatu says he is giving Jezz what she wants," Lily explained. "Who's 'she'?"
"Xattttttttu."
"Xatu says that isn't any of our business."
They looked to Jezz to see if he had an explanation, but he looked away, keeping his face as obscured as possible without leaving the conversation.
"Jezz is my business. If something is hurting him, it is my job to stop it," Annastasia asserted. "Jezz doesn't need to be waking up past midnight because he is having dreams so intense that they make him scream."
"Xa Xaaaatu!" the Pokémon argued, ruffling his feathers indignantly.
"Xatu said that it is not his fault that Jezz is frightened," said Maya. "I disagree, I believe that it is your fault."
"She is right; it is your fault," said Annastasia.
"Xa tuuuu Xat," he retorted. "Tuuuuuu!"
"Now he is saying that it is not his fault that Jezz is so sensitive," Logan explained.
"Jezz, you don't need this stress," Annastasia sighed. "Go find Jay, he's probably waiting for you."
"Thank you oh so very much for helping me," Jezz responded. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," the others replied.
As Jezz and his team of Pokémon—other than Xatu— relinquished, Annastasia, her Pokémon, and the three talking cats persisted.
"Jezz has a lot going on in his life right now," Annastasia murmured. "He'd truly benefit from a Pokémon partner that is loving and supportive. You can show him the past or future in a safe way. Frightening him should not be a part of that pursuit."
"Tu, tu Xaaa xa xxxx," said Xatu.
"He thinks that as long as Jezz wants this, he should keep showing him the flashbacks," Maya hesitantly explained. "Lily, Logan: am I decoding that right?"
"That's definitely what he said," Lily replied.
"Totally," Logan agreed.
"Jezz told me and you and everyone else here that he wants peace. Leave him alone," Annastasia ordered.
Xatu spoke quietly—and somberly—to the translating Pokémon.
"Xatu says: 'Jezz will be lost forever if I left. I'm the only one with all the answers'," said Lily.
"That is what I heard as well," said Maya.
"And me," said Logan.
"And though I don't know the vocabulary, I can feel that he is genuine about this too," said Annastasia.
She and the others sighed heavily.
"Whatcha suggest we do next?" Logan asked.
"The only thing we can do," Annastasia replied, reaching for the light. "Go to bed and hope that things will be better tomorrow."
XO
While Annastasia and her team of translators finished up their talk with Xatu, Jezz had joined Jay in the hotel room that Jay had made his second bedroom.
The entire room was Jay-influenced: rainbow and purple chattel, ceiling, walls, floor, and beds, posters of guitars and hot shirtless guys, rows of anime and manga collectibles, stacks of tabloids and Pokémon League Illustrated, hanging photos of family and friends—three of which had Jezz in them—, pillows galore, and a sizeable vanity with a plethora of makeup and accessories that Jezz had never once seen in a preteen boy's bedroom.
"You truly have made this a home away from home, despite your original home being within walkable vicinity," Jezz said as he meekly surveyed the room.
"Yeah, well, it's not that the babies are too loud…" said Jay, giggling, blushing, and stammering. "I-I like a little independence too."
Jezz repressed a giggle then humbly climbed to the extra twin bed.
"I very much appreciate you letting me stay in this room with you," he told Jay.
"It's like, really, really no problem at all! I-I really don't mind. Even if you snore, I'm used to it, ha…" Jay replied. "Uh, I'm sorry about Xatu. At least…well, maybe A and the others already convinced him to leave us alone."
"I sure hope so…"
Jay looked over at Jezz. He was twiddling his thumbs as he stared at the ceiling.
"Is there anything you need?" Jay asked. "I want to help but…I am really not used to dealing with this kind of thing."
"Oh, no, no it is okay. I am okay. I am going to be fine," Jezz responded, purposely muffling his response.
"No, it's not 'fine'."
Jay sat up in his bed in order to get a closer look at Jezz. Jezz pulled his head under the covers, and Jay walked over and lifted them up. Jezz was disconcerted by Jay's upsurge of confidence but didn't break his thunder.
"So…Amb and I have a lot of sleepovers," Jay began. "Usually, I'm the one who gets emotional and she's the one with the brain…she really is smarter than most people seem to think…I bet you noticed that, huh?"
"Oh, yes, I have," Jezz answered.
Jay coughed. "W-what I mean is, that like, after we talk, it's like all my stress kinda just goes away for a while. It's one of the reasons we get along so well, and one of the reasons I think the three of us make an awesome team. I know you have something else on your mind other than Xatu. What's bothering you?"
"What makes you believe there is something else?"
"Amb, mostly, but like, I thought about it too."
Jezz lowered his voice despite it being barely audible as it was before.
"I'm afraid of the future," he confided.
Jay raised his eyebrows; Jezz seemed fearless in most scenarios.
"Worrying about the future is pointless," Jay confidently replied. "What's the worst thing that can happen? The more you think about it, the more pointless worrying becomes."
"I suppose that is true. I am awfully sorry for being a burden to you. I wish I wasn't like this," Jezz sighed.
"You aren't a burden. Not to us, not to the Hales—besides, my family is used to this family-drama stuff by now…When I first saw you, you were so confident. You can be like that again if you stop worrying all the time."
"I sometimes feel it would be better if I leave. Or hide."
"Everyone hides some things, but if you try to hide everything, life gets too difficult. And we'd be upset if you leave."
Jezz bowed his head. Jay climbed into his bed and under the blanket, covering his entire body. As usual, Togekiss was sleeping beside him, emitting the calming essence that kept Jay—somewhat—chill.
"Jezz?" he called.
"Pardon?" Jezz yawned.
"We all care about you a lot. No matter what happens in the future, that'll always be true. Swear."
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it…and goodnight…I think it's time that both of us got some sleep. Before you know it, we will be at the Cherryblossom Festival. And since you have never been before, we are going to make it be as awesome as possible."
"Goodnight."
"G-Goodnight!"
XO
Day 33
Michio pulled the one-month-old car into the festival grounds of Pallet.
"Day one, here we come!" Annastasia childishly announced as she, Lil-G, Bleu, Peruva, Jay, Jezz, Togekiss, and Sandshrew stumbled out of the car.
She paused to observe Michio, who seemed more relieved than excited.
"Good driving," she added.
"Thanks," Michio replied, smiling subtly yet proudly.
Jessie, driving James, Jocelyn, Rose, Silver, Meowth, Lucy, Lily, Logan, and Maya, pulled up next to them.
"He parked inside the lines," Jessie remarked. "It that's not husband material, then what is?"
"Having a job?" Lily guessed, equally sardonic.
"One step at a time."
"ONĒSAN AND MICHIO ARE GETTING MARRIED?!" Jocelyn shouted. "NO ONE TOLD ME THAT!"
"FLAAAAA!" Flaafy added, copying Jocelyn's dramatic gestures.
"Huh?" said Jay.
"Jocelyn, relax, Mom was just teasing him again," Annastasia calmly explained. "If we ever marry, I'll make sure I tell you before she does. K?"
"Okay," Jocelyn sighed.
"Flaaa," Flaafy lamented.
"There are many humans and Pokémon here. I don't understand the appeal," Sandshrew commented as it looked around. "Where are the rest of your Pokémon?"
Michio released his team. Lunala and Solgaleo took to the skies. His Arbok and Weezing went over to Jessie and James' Arbok and Weezing, who were already exploring the fair. Michio's Lickitung, Venomoth, and Golem chilled with Annastasia's Pokémon.
Jay released Aipom, Chimchar, Meganium, several Zubat, and two Tauros while Togekiss took after Solgaleo and Lunala. Jezz let out his Porygon, Delcatty, Furfrou, Deerling, Vileplume, Chimecho, Xatu, and Komala.
"Wowy, it's been so long since I saw everyone's Pokémon all together!" Jocelyn said as she greeted Star and Abnoba, Annastasia's Espeon and Xerneas respectively.
"Flaaa," Flaafy said before joining a conversation with Jessie's Ninetales and James' Raichu.
"The festival is our last time together before we all leave for our journeys," Annastasia told Sandshrew. "It's a celebration. That's the appeal."
After Annastasia spoke, two Lucario appeared in front of her, apparently having arrived via Teleport.
"Lucario, Mewtwo, I was wondering if you were coming," said Annastasia.
"One of you is Mewtwo?" Jocelyn asked the two Lucario. "Why are you disguised?"
"Because Mewtwo showing up at a public event like this would kinda be a big deal," Jay explained. "Even a bigger deal than the Lunala, Solgaleo, and Xerneas."
"Your brother is right. So, I imitated this Lucario," Mewtwo responded.
"I am so happy you came!" Jocelyn exclaimed. "Now we can hang out together!"
"Flaafy Flaafy!" her Pokémon agreed.
Jocelyn grabbed the Lucario's paws. She dragged them towards the rides. Jessie, James, Annastasia, Lucy, and Meowth sniggered.
"She already has them wrapped around her fingers," James observed. "I bet they will be visiting you in Alola often."
"I think they might travel with us," Annastasia replied. "They like being around people more than they care to admit."
"What about all of Mewtwo's cloned Pokémon friends?" Jay asked.
"I bet they are living peacefully on their own. Who knows? Maybe they'll join us."
Rumika, Mondo, Duplica, their son Alex, Misty, Ash, Amber, Delia, and Giovanni were next to arrive.
"Sup," Amber greeted Jay and Jezz. "Wanna hit the rides? They got a new roller coaster."
"Sure!" the boys responded.
The trio ran off together.
"Do you wanna do the Pokéringer?" Annastasia asked James.
"What a dumb question," James retorted.
"Pokéringer?" Michio questioned. "What's that?"
"It's a competition for flying-type Pokémon and their trainers," Annastasia replied. "The trainers and their Pokémon go up in individual hot air balloons. Then a separate hot air balloon is released containing a ring hanging from it. The Pokémon try to retrieve the ring before the other competitors and deliver it to the target on the ground. You can bring one Pokémon other Pokémon to help assist you, and you can attack the other players."
"Oh yeah. I remember this now…"
"I lot has changed since last year, hasn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go sign up," James told Annastasia.
"Sounds good to me," she responded.
"Michio you can help me babysit while they're doing that," Jessie told Michio. She handed him Rose. "She is going to need a diaper change soon, and I suspect she might deliver blowout, so it's a good thing you are here."
"I didn't sign up for this," Michio grumbled.
He tried to hand Rose back over to Jessie, but she already had her hands full with Silver, and Lucy and Meowth were carrying the diaper bags. Everyone else had fled. Michio gave a deep frustrated sigh.
"Don't complain," Jessie told Michio. "You love her. Now let's get them in the shade. They need more sunscreen and we need to adjust those hats."
"Yes, Ma'am," he mumbled.
Jessie and Michio left the parking lot with the twins. As they were walking, they noticed that some of the other members of their group had arrived. Michio was also surprised at the number of people he recognized since the last time he was on these grounds. Many people were trainers that they had met on the road or friends of Annastasia's that had come to visit her when she was in the hospital. Just when Michio's anxiety from it all started to seep in, Jessie started a conversation.
"So, Giovanni told me about your family, this so-called Kapule Klan," she began.
"What of it?" Michio replied.
"He told me that they are condescending, snobby, elitist, and even richer than I am…Those are the kinds of people I hate the most."
"There's nothing I can do about it. What is your point?"
"My point is that they aren't the kind of people I want as in-laws."
"Well, they aren't the kind of people I want as my family. Besides, what Annie and I do has nothing to do with you."
"It has everything to do with me! She is my perfect daughter. She is a princess, and your family better treat her like one, or they are going to have to deal with me."
"Sure."
Jessie fumed as Michio continued.
"It's not just my parents that are the problem," he said. "It's everyone."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jessie nervously queried.
"I mean they are all horrible. fucking racists, sexists, xenophobes, homophobes, aphobes... I'm talking about my aunts, uncles, grandparents. I haven't spoken to my cousins in a while, but I can imagine they are the same way."
"I don't know what half those words mean, but I know Annastasia can deal with that. She's been to Alola before."
"It's different with guests than it is with family…not that she's family…"
"I still hate this, and you are the only person it makes sense to blame."
"Great."
The two of them sat down under a food tent. The babies watched the festival curiously while their guardians zoned out—until an old friend took them by surprise.
"Jessie, is that you?" he asked.
Jessie and Michio looked up simultaneously. A tall purple-haired trainer in all green and his Cacturne partner advanced on them.
"It's your lucky day, asshole," Jessie responded cheekily.
"I never got a chance to meet them," the 'stranger' huffed, holding out his arms. "Let me see."
Jessie handed Silver to Harley. The long-time rival asked a bunch of questions about Jessie and the twins, ignoring Michio until five minutes into the conversation.
"And who are you?" he finally asked.
"Michio," he answered.
"Just, 'Michio'?"
"I'll tell you more about him later," said Jessie.
"Great," Michio grumbled.
"The name's Harley," Harley continued. "Jessie and I go way back."
"Not that far back…" said Jessie.
"You can't quite call us 'friends'."
"It depends on the day, mostly."
"Mmmhmm. I want to hold Rose."
"…Okay," Michio replied, reluctantly passing her.
"Oh, she is so precious," Harley gushed. "Are you the sitter?"
"What?"
"He does this for free," Jessie interjected.
"…Sure…"
A few more people came over to talk to Jessie, and Michio took this opportunity to leave. Following his instincts, he soon found Annastasia sitting and talking with her father over iced tea.
"Anna-chan says you are going to the estate before you take the kids to Alola," James said as Michio sat across from them.
"Mmmhmm," he murmured.
"Are you going to bring everyone else, or go by yourself?"
Annastasia looked Michio in the eyes. Without words, they made an agreement.
"We're going by ourselves," Annastasia replied. "We'll go for dinner, spend the night, and be back before our caravan embarks."
"What do you plan on doing there?" James asked.
"Just something private…we'll tell you about it eventually."
"You're not going to tell me? Really?"
"Please, don't be like that." Annastasia gently squeezed his hand. "I'm going to look around a little and Mom probably needs you now that Michio escaped serfdom."
"Yeah. I'll see ya later."
"See ya."
"Good luck," Michio added before James was completely gone. Then he focused on Annastasia. "So…what is there to do here?"
"There are games, contests, food, and demonstrations. Just like there is every year. What did you do last year? You were here alone for like four hours."
"I slept under that tree."
"Hmm. Well, this year, my suggestion is that you do something more interesting while you still have the chance."
"Like what?"
"Like…"
Annastasia saw Hiro and Elsa walking nearby. She smiled and waved. The couple approached them.
"You two look so cute on your little date," said Elsa.
"Thanks," Annastasia said cheerfully. "Touché."
"So, this is where you first met?"
"Yes."
"Awe."
Though Annastasia was not at all bothered that Michio had told Elsa so much, Michio seemed a bit embarrassed by it.
"But it was under very different circumstances; we've come a long way since then," she added.
"We've heard," Elsa replied.
"Honey, now's your time to get him to buy you things and do the things he wouldn't normally do," Hiro advised. "That is what Elsa would tell you."
"Good advice, H."
"Anytime."
"Oh, I know that already," Annastasia replied, winking. "Do you have any festival plans?"
"We're entering our Solgaleo in the Pokémon grooming contest. I expect a win."
"My parents are entering with their Ninetales and Arcanine and our friend Jezz is participating with his Furfrou."
"And yourself?"
"I'm doing the Pokéringer. It's a family tradition."
"Do you have any plans?" Hiro asked Michio.
"Food at some point…and watching the competitions…I suppose," he murmured.
"A bucket of adventure, this one," Elsa said as she patted his back. "But it's good to see you relaxing for once. We'll see you later."
"Bye. Have fun," said Hiro.
"Ditto," Annastasia replied, bowing.
Michio added a single (and sarcastic) salute before they departed.
"I often find friendships are more valuable than anything exclusive," Annastasia pondered aloud.
Michio snickered. "If you want to share your inheritance with them, go for it; they don't need the money either."
"Let's head to the Pokéringer grounds; it's starting any minute."
XO
Annastasia decided to once again compete with Bleu with Lil-G as her assistant. As expected, James chose Weezing with Inkay as his assistant. James instantly relaxed when he heard that Ash Ketchum wasn't competing, but was thrown into a state of mild anxiety and utter surprise when he learned of three other new competitors, all of whom he knew very well.
"Lily, Jay, Amber, you three are doing Pokéringer?" James asked in astonishment.
The Meowth and two kids' pictures appeared on the screen in front of the group, informing them and everyone else that they would be performing in the B and C blocks. James was in Block A with Annastasia.
"Duh," said Lily. "Those pictures aren't just up there to display our beauty."
"Good fer you," Meowth told Lily. "Teachin yous how ta fly de Meowth balloon came in handy. You'll wipe de floor wit Jimmy and yous might beat A too."
"Yup. Speaking of that Meowth balloon: I call dibs."
"But…but…I always use the Meowth balloon for Pokéringer," James pouted.
"Why should you get to use it? It is ours, not yours," Jessie added.
"It's one tird mine," Meowth pointed out.
"It's one-third James' too. And I am on his side, so that is two against one."
"Dat's not fair. Weeze agreed yous wouldn't gang up on me no more!"
"I don't understand, why does the shape of the balloon matter?" Jezz asked the closest person to him, who happened to be Michio. Michio just shrugged.
"How about you just let Jay use the balloon?" Annastasia suggested.
"I can't just hand it over that easily," Lily argued.
"Then have a Pokémon battle," said Amber. "Let Jay earn it fair and square."
"We don't have time for that. Lily, just let it go," said Jessie.
"Yous let it go!" Meowth retorted.
"Yeah! Let it go!" said Lily.
"Rock, paper, scissors," said Amber, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, just do that," Annastasia breathed. "Geeze, I thought we were over fighting over balloons."
"Have you all forgotten that I have FREAKIN' PAWS?!" Lily exclaimed. "I can't do 'rock, paper, scissors', morons."
"Sure, yous can," Meowth replied. "Like dis."
While Meowth attempted to show Lily how to contort her paws into different shapes, Annastasia, Amber, and Jay left to pick out their own hot air balloons from the rental station. Michio and Jezz tagged along.
"Jay, you aren't doing the rock, paper, scissor, battle," Annastasia observed.
"I'd like to use that one, but it doesn't matter much to me," he responded. "You know how moody Lily can get when she doesn't get her way."
"That's very mature of you. No offense, but I hope you aren't good at Pokéringer; I still want to win."
"I plan on winning, so you should be worried about me," said Amber.
"I'm always worried about you."
"Pikachu pi pika," said Pip.
"Piiiika!" said a second Pikachu.
"Amber, I just noticed you have two Pikachu," Annastasia commented. "And since when do you even know how to fly a hot air balloon?"
"I have no idea how to fly a hot air balloon, but my dad's Pikachu can. So, he is going to be my assistant. Pip's goinna watch. I'm gonna use Talonflame too," Amber explained.
"My papa is going to be crushed if he loses to Ash's Ketchum's eleven-year-old daughter; it'll be worse than losing to Ash himself."
Amber shrugged. "He'll have to deal with it."
"And I, uh, you know, I might win too," Jay coughed. "I have just as good a chance as you do."
"We'll see."
"Pardon, I just noticed…" Jezz murmured. "That I haven't seen Sandshrew in at least an hour."
"Neither have we. No doubt its off annoying someone," said Michio.
"But I have a feeling we will be able to tell if it causes any serious damage," Annastasia added. "It's most likely exploring this place—and asking poor unsuspecting people loads of questions."
"I wonder how people will react to a talking Sandshrew," said Jay.
"They'll probably think it's a festival attraction," Amber mused.
"I agree," said Jezz.
XO
When they got to the rental tent, Michio left to go to go get some more food and agreed to meet them at the front gate near the Pokéringer area.
"We need three balloons for the Pokéringer contest please," Annastasia told the young man running the tent.
The worker stared at her for several seconds.
"You're amazing," he told Annastasia. "Are you here alone?"
"We're with her," said Jay.
"That's not what he means," Amber whispered to him.
"I just want three balloons for the Pokéringer," Annastasia repeated. "Please stop staring at me."
"Oh, yeah, sure," the worker muttered. "What type?"
"I want a Pikachu balloon," Amber requested.
"I want a Togekiss one," said Jay. "But any kind is fine really."
"It doesn't matter what kind I have. Whatever is least popular I suppose, so I'm less likely to take someone's favorite," said Annastasia.
"Anything you need," the worker responded.
"She does like Lillipup and Altaria though," Jay hinted.
The worker typed a few names into the computer and then printed out three tickets. He leaned in and carefully handed the first two to Annastasia. She stepped back and handed him the $24 balloon rental fee, then reached for the third—the ticket for the Pikachu balloon—but the worker held it tight in his grip.
"Have these for free, on me," he told Annastasia, pushing the money back into her hand.
"Why?" she asked suspiciously, eying the third ticket.
"I figured you can me your number and we can call it even."
"No thanks. Please give us that third ticket, take the money, and let us go."
"She's taken," Amber added.
"So? I don't see anyone with her now," he replied.
Lil-G yapped angrily and Pip glared, but as usual, they weren't an intimidating pair.
"It doesn't matter who's here, because I said 'no'," Annastasia asserted. "I want that third ticket."
"You can at least give me a chance," the worker said as he grabbed her hand.
Annastasia pulled away and Lil-G stepped forward. The worker sneered at the guard-puppy.
"We're not interested in anything but the tickets," said Annastasia.
"Because you haven't met me," the guy replied. "You don't know what you're missing. Give me an hour and I'll give you this ticket."
"Or you can do your fucking job and give me the ticket so I can walk away and resume my life."
"Uh, A—" Jay started.
"—I got this."
"You tell him, A!" said Amber. "Tell him that you can kick his ass in a battle!"
"I'm not battling over this. I'm here to buy tickets."
"Loosen up! This is a festival," the worker continued, once again grabbing her hand.
"You're really pissing us off," Amber growled. "But you aren't noticing because your head is too far up your as—"
"Amb, chill," Annastasia sighed.
Annastasia ripped the ticket from the worker's hand, slapped the money on the table, then walked away as the guy cursed at and insulted her.
Jay cringed at the rude things he caught the man saying.
"Yikes, A, you okay?" he asked his sister.
"I'm well," she responded.
"You should tell someone."
She kept walking and the others kept following. She shrugged.
"Happens all the time," she said.
"Oh," Jay replied. "Um, why does that happen?"
Annastasia paused, stopping the line.
"There are two things I want you to take away from this encounter," she told the preteens. "Things of equal importance. First, if you ever talk to a girl in the way he just did to me, dead or alive, you will feel my wrath."
"But I'm not, like, even uhh, you know," said Jay. "Uh, into that."
"And I'm not a lesbian," said Amber.
"It doesn't matter what their gender is, what matters is that people aren't bargaining chips, even if it's just for something little like free tickets for a date, and grabbing someone is creepy and wrong," she replied. "No is no, okay?"
"Got it," Amber and Jay said together.
"Secondly, don't pick battles with losers."
XO
When Michio caught up with them, Plusle and Minun were clinging to each of his shoulders.
"They found me," he explained as the two electric Pokémon helped themselves to some of his inarizushi.
"I can see that," Annastasia replied with a smile. She lifted Minun off his shoulder. "We should return them to my parents."
"We don't have time. We have to get set up for the Pokéringer," said Jay reminded her. "Maybe if that guy wasn't wasting our time—"
"Shhh," Amber interrupted, covering Jay's mouth.
"What guy?" Michio asked.
"The guy at the hot-air balloon tent was flirting with her," said Jay, moving Amber's hand.
"So…?"
"He was creepy, and an asshole," said Amber. "If it were up to me, I'd have taught him a lesson."
She made two fists and punched the air.
"Amber's right, he was creepy," said Jay. "He prepositioned her!"
"Jay, I'm not sure if you know what that word means…" Annastasia mumbled. "And Amber, you can't go beating up people. That has only gotten you in trouble in the past. Don't forget all I've taught you." She turned to Michio. "It was nothing, it happens all the time. Don't be jealous."
"Ummm I know. I mean I figured… I'm not jealous," he responded hesitantly, trying to picture the scenario. "So…your family's waiting for you."
They made their way to the balloon tent and handed their tickets to the manager. Lily had apparently won the rock, paper, scissors contest, because she, Squirt Gun, and Jessie's Yanmega were getting things ready in the Meowth balloon. James, Inkay, and Weezing were working with a Growlithe balloon. Jessie, Rumika, Mondo, Duplica, Alex, Meowth, Lucy, Logan, and Maya were standing on the sidelines. Rumika and Jessie were holding Rose and Silver. Annastasia and Michio carried over Plusle and Minun.
"Plu plusssss!" Plusle protested.
"Minununun," Minun complained.
"Please hang out with the twins. I know they are young, but they at least like to cuddle," Annastasia told the electric Pokémon. "Please?"
"Plusssss!"
"Miiiiiiiii!"
"Don't worry about them; just get ready to win," Jessie told Annastasia.
In a matter of minutes, it was time for the first round to begin. All four competitors were lined up and ready to go. Annastasia and James both spotted Sandshrew and it soon joined their family and friends by the sidelines, holding a different flavor cotton candy in each of its paws. They sniggered; festivals must not be so bad after all.
"Round 1, block A of the annual Pokeringer contest of this year's Cherryblossom Festival is about to begin!" the MC declared.
The MC announced each of their names and hometowns, then they were off. Bleu had no problem securing the ring the first time it was released, but he didn't make it to the goal, as a competitor's Fearrow used Hurricane on him last minute. The fourth competitor, a man and his Unfeasant scored the goal, but only after using an extremely powerful Whirlwind attack on James' Weezing.
"These people are good. It looks like they are working together," Annastasia texted to her father.
"They are," he replied.
"Go, Papa! Go, Onēsan!" Jocelyn cheered.
"Flaafy Flaaaaa!" Flaafy shouted.
"I don't understand the point of this, Sandshrew remarked as everyone added their cheers.
"Just shut up and watch," Jessie snapped.
"You're in a terrible mood."
"You would be too if you haven't slept three nights in a row."
"I wonder how James has the energy to compete," said Rumika.
"Papa is never too tired for Pokéringer; it's one of his favorite things in the world," Jay pointed out.
"True," said most of the others.
Block A was now about to start the fifth and final round before it was block B's turn. Then the competitor who had received the most goals would move on the next tier. So far, the man with the Unfeasant had scored two, the man with the Fearrow had scored one, and Annastasia had scored one. In case of a tie there was a sudden death Pokémon battle to decide who went on to the final round. James decided to help Annastasia out, since even if he won this round, the man with the Unfeasant would move on. However, if Annastasia scored, there would be a tie and a battle to decide the winner. He knew there was a very good chance Annastasia would win in a Pokémon battle.
"There is a way that Annastasia can win this, if James helps her," Lucy noticed. She explained how to the others. "I hope he sees it."
"If he doesn't see it then Annastasia does," Jessie responded.
"One…two…three…go!" the official announced as the final ring was released.
Bleu soared above the others while Weezing used Sludge Bomb on Fearrow. Fearrow was immobilized, and Jessie, Rumika, and Lucy quietly cursed.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Jocelyn questioned, confused.
"He should have aimed for the Unfeasant since that guy is in the lead. Not only by points, but look, it's already closer to the ring," Rumika pointed out.
Bleu and Unfeasant were battling over the ring. Unfeasant ultimately got it, but then Weezing came to their assistance. Using Sludge Bomb, Weezing blinded Unfeasant. Bleu snatched the ring and scored the goal.
"Yes!" her family cheered.
"She did it!" Jocelyn squealed.
"Flaaaa feee!"
"Onēsan is the best!"
"Flaaaaa!
"I wonder why Papa didn't score any goals. He's usually so good!"
"Probably because he got two hours of sleep last night, and three the night before that," said Jessie.
After the balloons descended, Bleu returned to Annastasia. She hugged, patted, and fed him Sitrus berries. He cooed pleasantly and then rested by her side.
"For those of you unfamiliar with Pokéringer here at the festival, our tiebreakers are the classic: a sudden death Pokémon battle!" the MC announced. "Trainers must select one Pokémon from their team and have them battle. The last one standing will move on to the next tier and later compete against the champions of groups B, C, and D. Are the trainers ready?"
Annastasia and the man she was going to battle stepped to the side. He returned his Unfeasant and released an Avalugg. Her family groaned.
"What's the matter?" Jocelyn asked.
"Fla, Flaafy fla," Flaafy attempted to explain.
"Ice is super-effective against dragon and flying-type Pokémon," said Jay. "Because A let all her other Pokémon go to enjoy the festival or let them chill at HQ, all she has with her is Lil-G and Bleu, and Lil-G is too…lil…for competitive battles."
"Onēsan and Bleu are amazing. I bet they can win anyway," said Jocelyn.
"Fla…" said Flaafy, disagreeing.
Plusle, back on Michio's shoulder, screeched then ran into the arena. Several people in the audience laughed.
"Ah…I'll go get her…" Michio murmured.
The announcer made a few comments about how they had to delay the battle a few minutes until someone got the stray Plusle off of the battlefield while Michio made his way through the crowd and over to the gate exit, as the fence holding the audience back was a bit too high for anyone to hop over easily. He didn't need to go far, because to everyone's surprise, Annastasia squatted down and embraced the Plusle.
"I choose Plusle to battle for me," she announced.
"Taria?" Bleu asked.
"I'm sure. Go take a break."
Bleu looked at her and Plusle quizzically, but then flew off, no doubt over to the soft grass of the nearby meadow to take a well-deserved nap.
"I don't get it. Did Onēsan train Plusle without telling us?" Jocelyn questioned.
"Fla?" said Flaafy.
"I don't think so," said Jay. "Even if she did, Plusle is only a baby!"
Michio returned to the others. "I mean, I can't say I'm shocked that she chose to be weird…"
"Okay then," the announcer responded, utterly confused that she chose a tiny Plusle to battle what looked to be an extremely powerful Avalugg.
It seemed the only thing that Plusle seemed to have going for her was the fact that Annastasia's other option, an Altaria, had an obvious weakness towards ice, and the Lillipup was just as cutesy.
"I'll give you the first move, Honey," Annastasia's opponent sneered.
"No, you can have it, Cupcake," Annastasia replied.
The guy tried to hide his blush with anger while the crowd laughed at him. He ordered his Avalugg to use Earthquake on the tiny Plusle.
"Jump as high as you can, Plusle, then try a Quick Attack," Annastasia instructed.
"She knows Quick Attack?" Jay asked. "It took Togepi years of training and an evolution to learn that move."
"A dodge followed by a critical hit!" the MC gasped. "Impressive!"
"Wowy, Plusle did great!" Jocelyn hooted.
"Flaaaa!" Flaafy cheered.
"Whoa," said Jay and Amber together.
"Hey, where's Jezz?" Jay said as he looked around.
"The grooming contest," Amber reminded him.
"You mean we're missing it?!"
"I mean it happened already so Jezz should be here. Or he's lost or something. Chill, Jay; he can obviously take care of himself."
"I-I know…"
"Thunderbolt!" Annastasia instructed.
"Avalanche!" her opponent countered.
Plusle's underdeveloped Thunderbolt did barely any damage but at least managed to paralyze half of Avalugg's body. Plusle was able to land three more Quick Attacks and one more critical hit while Avalugg tried to shake off the paralysis.
"Great Job, Plusle! Keep it up!" Annastasia cheered. "You can do it!"
Annastasia's friends and family, as well as over half the onlookers, chanted cheers for Plusle.
"Wowy! Plusle has lotsa energy," said Jocelyn. "She looks like she has even more electricity in her then Flaafy does, and Flaafy's a lot older than she is!"
"Flaaa, fee," Flaafy commented, irked by her statement.
"Maybe Annastasia did train her," Jessie mused as they continued to watch Plusle dodge and attack. "Although I don't know when she would've gotten the time."
"Me neither," Michio sighed.
He didn't want to bring it up, but Michio felt disappointed that Annastasia trained Plusle without him. He decided he must have been wrong about the red and yellow electric type taking a special liking to him more than anyone else.
Avalugg's HP fell slow and steadily until the ice-type couldn't budge. He collapsed. Since Pokémon matches are considered forfeited after fifteen seconds of inactivity, Avalugg was disqualified. There was a pause of silence as the crowd stared in disbelief, then an enormous uproar as they burst into applause.
"You did it! Great job, Plusle," Annastasia told the Pokémon.
"Plusle Plus!" she cheered as she hugged Annastasia.
"That Plusle is deceiving. It must be of a high level, despite being so small. It must be a dwarf variety!" the MC laughed. "Well done, Annastasia Morgan and Plusle!"
"I don't get it," Jay murmured. "Plusle isn't a dwarf...right?"
"I know what dwarf variety Pokémon look like, and Plusle's not one of them," Amber replied.
"She isn't at a high level either," said Soledad. "Last week she was level 5. And I don't think A would have trained her without telling anyone."
Jay shrugged. "I just don't get it. I am happy for her though. We better go. It's our turn."
James walked over to Annastasia before she returned to her family.
"Anna-chan, Plusle, I don't think anyone expected that. Did you?" he questioned.
"I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting," Annastasia replied. "I just had this feeling, and I knew she was ready, so I went for it."
"Well, it worked. Good for you."
XO
Annastasia and Plusle returned to her family and they watched Amber and Jay get ready to do their round. As she expected, everyone bombarded her with questions.
"When did you train her?"
"What did you feed her?"
"Did you plan this?"
"How did she do that?"
"I have no idea," Annastasia declared, discouraging the questioning to continue. "I didn't even know she could battle or that she would be interested in trying."
"Plusss!" Plusle exclaimed as she reached for Michio. He let her climb onto his shoulder.
"So, you didn't train her?" Michio asked Annastasia.
"I never even saw her use an attack before," she replied.
"I wonder if Minun can do that too," Jocelyn said as she and Flaafy patted the Pokémon.
"Maybe. These Plusle and Minun aren't blood-related though, just so you know. But they were born in the same place and around the same time, so I suppose it is a possibility that they could have battle skills in common too," said Annastasia.
"Hey everyone, Jay and Amb are up. Looks they're the youngest competitors," Mondo pointed out.
Everyone cheered for Amber and Jay. Jay had Togekiss and Amber had Talonflame, and they were up against an old man and his Pidgeot and a teenage girl with a Charizard.
"The one with the Charizard looks familiar…" Jocelyn murmured.
"Flaaa fee fla fee," Flaafy agreed.
"That's Mariana," Annastasia replied. "Rita's little sister. Speaking of Rita, where is she? I have a feeling she's nearby…"
"Here," said Rita, popping up behind her. "My whole family came. Lucas is competing in the next group and my parents are over by the food tent."
"Wowy!" said Jocelyn.
"Fla!" Flaafy cheered.
"But don't they have bording school?"
"PIKA always has the first two weeks of spring off," Rita explained. "Besides, they decided to take a year off to do some internships and training."
"What's a PIKA?" Jocelyn asked.
"Fla?" said Flaafy.
"That's the name of their school: The Pokémon Institute of Kalos in Anistar," said Rita. "It's a college but they're enrolled at the Subsidiary Level."
"Look!" Jocelyn exclaimed, pointing skyward.
"Flaaaa!" Flaafy shouted, copying her actions.
The ring was released. Pidgeot, Charizard, Togekiss, and Talonflame raced towards it.
"Flamethrower, Charizard!" Mariana instructed. "Don't let anyone else near that ring!"
"Hypnotize them!" Jay called out to Togekiss.
Hypnosis worked on Pidgeot and Mariana's Charizard, but Amber's Talonflame knew to avoid it.
"You're gonna have to try harder than that if you wanna beat me," Amber taunted.
"I intend to!" Jay called back.
Mariana's Charizard used Refresh to wake itself. It burned Togekiss, tackled Talonflame, and managed to score the first goal. Jay and Amber pouted in disappointment.
"I don't think Amber and Jay recognize Mariana," Annastasia remarked.
"Either that or they're too focused on winning to make small talk," said Rita. "The way these matters should be."
XO
Four rounds later, Jay had scored one goal, Amber had scored one goal, Mariana had scored one goal, and the old man whose name they did not know had scored one goal.
"Go, Everyone!" Jocelyn, Alex, and Benny cheered together.
Flaafy, Plusle and, Minin joined in. A few cheers later, even Nolan and Lexi's shy younger sibling's Nadia and Will were cheering. As the Pokémon vied for the ring, it soon became clear who the winner of the match would be.
"And the victor is Mr. Sakasono and his Pidgeot!" the MC declared.
"Awe, rats," Benny sighed.
"Yeah, double rats," Jocelyn added.
"Plusle?" Plusle asked.
"Minun?" said Minun.
"They don't mean you," Annastasia assured the electric rodents. "It's just an expression."
Jay and Amber returned to the group, glowering and unsated expressions. Mariana was behind them, looking cheerier than the other two.
"Turn around and say high to Mariana," Rita requested.
Amber and Jay veered.
"Mariana? Is that really you?" Jay asked. "We didn't know that was you in the balloon!"
"I dyed my hair," she replied. "You like it?"
"Love it!"
"Yeah, it's great," said Amber, still sour over her loss.
"And of course, I grew a little bit since the last time I saw you," Mariana continued. "As did you. Still, there's still only one redhead I know who carries a bow and arrows around and one boy whose makeup is always flawless."
"That's us alright!" Jay giggled.
As Mariana continued to catch up with Amber and Jay, group C got ready for their turn.
"Lily's up," said Annastasia. "No doubt she will be the only Pokémon competitor."
"I am so proud of her," Maya said brightly. "Even if she doesn't win. It's so brave to try!"
Everyone cheered for Lily as she got into position. She was up against Rita's brother Lucas, a woman who looked to be in her thirties, and another teenager. The announcer emphasized how Lily was a Pokémon without a trainer who was going to direct her borrowed Charizard.
"I thought she was using Yanmega. Is that Chary?" Logan asked Soledad.
"Yep. I figured Chary would be great at this sort of thing," Soledad responded.
"Has Lily ever trained with a Charizard?" June inquired.
"Uh…maybe…?"
Lily had a Squirtle balloon and Squirt Gun as her partner. Lucas had an Ariados balloon and a Klefki as his partner.
"One…Two…Three…Begin!" the announcer declared.
"Nyaaaaa ny ny Nya nyy!" Lily called out to her Charizard partner.
"Charrrrrr!" Chary responded.
Everyone in the audience seemed surprised that Lily, who was just speaking like a human a few seconds ago, had returned to speaking Pokémon.
"It's to throw the others off," Maya told her friends. "The other players don't know what Chary is going to do next."
Chary pushed past the other competitors and used Flamethrower on the Pidgeotto that was about to grab the ring and the Butterfree that was right behind it. Pidgeotto dropped the ring and Chary grabbed it.
"Klefki, use Hyperbeam then Protect," Lucas instructed.
Klefki's Hyperbeam hit the ring instead of Chary, causing it to fall to the ground. The competitors tackled and dodged each other as they vied for victory.
Chary was the fastest, and she landed smoothly and picked up the ring before the others. She delivered it to the goal and got the first point.
"Yes! We did it!" Lily cheered.
"Squirttttllllee!" Squirt Gun joined in.
"Charrrrrr!" Chary roared as she flew back to the starting line.
After ten minutes of competition, Lily became the victor of her block.
"That's how it's done," Lily smirked as the MC made his announcements.
"That was incredible," Maya told Lily. "I think one day I might want to try…after some practice."
"And I'd love to show you."
XO
After group D had their turn, it was time for the final— 'championship'—round of the annual Pokéringer. Lily, Mr. Sakasono, Annastasia, and the winner of the D group, a ten-year-old trainer named Case, were going to face off. Annastasia was about to enter her balloon with Lil-G as her partner, but Plusle pushed passed the puppy Pokémon and jumped in.
"You really want to help me out today, don't you?" Annastasia asked the electric mouse.
"Plus sl, sl," she answered thoughtfully.
Annastasia looked over to Rose, who was supposed to be Plusle's true partner. Rose was fast asleep. It was a bit sad to her. Her Swablu, and later Lil-G, were always there for her, Togepi was always there for Jay, and Mareep was there for Jocelyn. Minun was even warming up to Silver. But then again, Rose was only a few months old…Surely things would change once the babies started to talk and walk and do things without constantly being crowded by adults…
"You can be my assistant for this last round," Annastasia told Plusle. "Lil-G you understand, right?"
"Lil," Lil-G yipped, wishing them 'good-luck'.
Plusle gleefully jumped inside the balloon. Bleu flew up next to them. Lily, Chary, and Squirt Gun were next to the balloon closest to them on their right, while the other two were across. The MC made some announcements while the competitors heated up their balloons.
"One…Two…Three…Go!" he declared.
"Dragon Breath on Chary, and avoid the others by flying around them," Annastasia told Bleu.
"Nyyyy nya ny!" Lily told Chary.
Case had his Electrode electrocute Chary, knocking her down temporarily. Mr. Sakasono had his Pidgeot trail Bleu. Annastasia called out to Bleu, asking him to somersault and use Dragon Breath on Pidgeot.
Bleu made it to the ring first and managed to score the first goal.
"Yay! Onēsan is in the lead!" Jocelyn screamed.
"Flaaaafy!" Flaafy shouted.
"Annastasia is the best!" Jay hooted.
"Go, A!" Amber shouted.
"Plusle and Bleu too!"
"Go get em!"
The audience continued to cheer loudly for the team of Annastasia, Bleu, and Plusle; even her opponents thought they were adorable and had trouble attacking them.
"I thought we'd be the ones winning over the crowd," Lily grumbled. "Chary, let's go, harder!"
"Annastasia and Plusle are going to kill the competition with kisses," James commented.
"Really?" Alex asked worriedly. "That sounds awful scaryyy, Uncle James!"
"It's just an expression," his mother assured him.
"Oh, okay."
"It means I think they'll win," James added.
Annastasia claimed the next two rounds, then Lily stole a goal.
"Annastasia won already," Jezz murmured.
Amber jumped. "When the hell did you get here?!"
"Pardon?"
"We didn't see ya before," Jay clarified. "You scared Amb cuz you just came outta nowhere."
"I wasn't scared…" Amber grumbled.
"My apologies for scaring you. I did not mean to vanish…after the grooming contest I was speaking with…an old acquaintance," Jezz hesitantly replied.
"Cool," Jay replied. "G-glad you're here…so, what do you mean that 'Annastasia already won'?"
"No matter who gets the next goal, she is going to win since she scored three and everyone else has one or zero."
"Actually, the final tier has ten rounds, then a tie-breaker if there is a tie," said Amber.
By the ninth round, Annastasia was in the lead with four goals, Mr. Sakasono was in second with three, and Lily and Case were tied in third with one goal each.
"I love when the competition is close like that. Only I wish that was me up there almost tied with Anna-chan," James sighed.
"So, yous wish you were an old man?" Meowth replied. "Don't worry. Yous gonna be dere soon."
"Hey!" Jessie and James yelled together. The others tuned them out as they fell into an all-too-familiar TRio argument.
After a few seconds, however, they all turned their attention back to the competition. It became clear that Lily was going to assist Annastasia for the win when she had Chary defend Bleu. Bleu and Pidgeot were both inches away from the ring when Electrode shocked both of them, causing temporary paralysis. Case's Electrode took the ring.
"Even if the Electrode scores, it's not like they are going to win. A is still in the lead," said Amber. "Case just had them electrocuted for no reason!"
Amber yelled 'Boooo!' and many others joined in. Altaria and Pidgeot, however, got up and contended for the ring. They got to the Electrode before it scored, and by joint effort, knocked the ring onto the goal.
"Yes! She did it!" James cheered.
"She did?" Amber and Jay asked in confusion.
"I thought so," said Logan.
"Me too," said Jocelyn, though Flaafy was shaking his head in disagreement.
"She definitely had it," Michio avowed.
The announcer came on the loudspeaker. "Well, this is interesting, folks. It seems the judges cannot tell who exactly scored the goal, whether it was the Pidgeot or the Altaria. We will discuss this with the competitors and give you an answer in a minute."
"I think you had scored this one," Mr. Sakasono told Annastasia. "And even if you didn't, you had the lead anyway."
"Actually, I think we both scored. How about a tiebreaker?" Annastasia suggested.
"Are you sure? I think you earned this victory already."
"I am sure. Really, I don't mind. It's up to you."
After some slight hesitation, Mr. Sakasono agreed to a tiebreaker battle. Annastasia and Mr. Sakasono told the judges about their decision to have a full team battle to decide the winner.
"I need a few minutes. I only carry two Pokémon on me. The rest are at Team Rocket headquarters," Annastasia told her opponent.
"Take your time," the man responded.
Annastasia got the portable Pokéball transporter from her parents.
"The last time I used this, I was in Toka," she commented. "It's been a while."
"The last time I saw you use any Pokémon other than the ones who hang around you all the time was that Wobbuffet that saved Jay and I from the Gyarados fusion," said Amber. "Hey, why don't you battle with the Gyarados fusion? I have it right here in my pocket."
"Thanks for the offer, but should use my own Pokémon. Even though I haven't seen them in a while, I still have my own team filled with many good monz."
"What kind of monz?" Michio asked. She told him about some of her non-MVPokémon, but she never went into that many details about her training.
"You'll see," she answered after the transport was complete.
Annastasia picked up her bag of Pokéballs and headed back onto the battlefield with Bleu. As usual, Plusle followed her.
"I wonder if she is going to let Plusle battle again," said James. "I don't think it is healthy for such a small, inexperienced Pokémon to do so much in one day, even though Plusle is stronger than we thought."
"Annastasia will follow her instincts, as always, and I say she's solidly synced with that little beast," said Rumika.
'Speaking of little beasts,' Michio thought. 'Sandshrew is—'
"—here," Sandshrew said aloud.
Michio jumped back. "What the fuck?!"
The members of Michio's group, as well as some other people who were standing nearby and watching the contest, either watched him with amusement or gave him dirty looks.
"So, you're afraid of shrews now," Jessie commented.
"It fucking read my mind," Michio retorted. He glowered at Sandshrew. "Didn't you?"
"Perhaps," it replied. "You will never know the answer to that for sure."
"Michio, what were you thinking about that was so bad?" Jessie asked.
Now she was amused. As much as she hated the Sandshrew and liked Michio, she knew this was opportunity she needed to take advantage of.
"Nothing bad," he defended.
"Having dirty thoughts at a family event. We would have never guessed," Jessie tsked. "Not from you."
"You're fucking hilarious." Michio lowered at her, then at Sandshrew. "Leave me alone."
Sandshrew nabbed Michio's wallet—the same worn billfold he had last year, but this year, it had a credit card inside. Then it ran off.
"Hey! Get back here!" Michio groaned as he chased after it.
In the meantime, Annastasia's opponent released his first Pokémon, a Nidoking. Annastasia released her first, an Espeon.
"She has an Espeon?!" Benny exclaimed. "That is just like my mom's! Espeon is one of my favorites. Why doesn't it travel with us?"
"Annastasia's Pokémon stay at Team Rocket. She used to help train new recruits. Even though that she is no longer doing that, she left all her Pokémon behind to help others train," Jay explained. "She loves psychic-types."
"Nidoking, use Giga Impact!" Mr. Sakasono commanded.
"Star, use our special 'spirited away' technique, if you remember it," Annastasia instructed.
The Espeon disappeared before their eyes. Then Nidoking fell asleep.
"Star disappeared and then used Hypnosis!" Jay gasped.
"Yeah, we can see that," Amber replied. "Look!"
Star reappeared as a fuchsia wave surrounded her poison-type opponent. While Nidoking was still asleep, Star subverted its HP. Star was empowered and Nidoking fainted.
"Excellent," Annastasia told Star. "You've been working hard and growing up. I appreciate that."
"Well done," said Mr. Sakasono, bowing to Annastasia. "Next, I choose Nidoqueen."
'We got this,' Annastasia and Star thought together.
With the element of surprise eliminated, Star's next move had to be straightforward. Her fourth and final move slot was reserved for Psychic. Star executed a beautiful beam of pinkish light, only to have it rebound.
"That shoulda been super-effective just like the last psychic-type move!" Jay gasped.
"That Nidoqueen must have a special ability that allows it to…" Soledad stopped talking and used her Pokédex to scan Nidoqueen. She quickly read the material to herself and gasped when she was done.
"What is it?" Tamaki asked as Star's attempt to use Hypnosis on Nidoqueen also failed.
"That Nidoqueen is not a poison-type," Soledad replied. "My dex says it's a Galar hybrid and a pure dark-type!"
"Which means psychic moves won't have any effect on it…" June murmured.
"No fair! It looks poisonous to me!" Jocelyn huffed.
"Fla fee!" Flaafy added, mimicking her pout.
Annastasia returned Star and sent out the gorgeous Xerneas, Abnoba, who she had released onto the fairgrounds earlier that day.
"Nooo!" Soledad groaned. "A doesn't realize that that Nidoqueen's a dark-type!"
The crowd watched the elegant deerlike Pokémon in amazement.
"Moonblast!" Annastasia instructed.
"She's figured it out without a Pokédex! Yes!" Soledad cheered as Abnoba fainted the Nidoqueen.
"Oh, yeah, 'Moonblast' is a fairy-type move, and that's strong against dark-types," said Jay. "That's why it worked, even though Abnoba has mostly psychic-type moves."
"You're a true genius," Amber sardonically remarked.
"Indeed," Jezz agreed, missing the sarcasm.
"Jezz probably knew all that already, didn't you Jezz?" June asked, nudging his arm.
"Oh, yes, I did."
"Nidoqueen is out of the match!" the MC declared. "Who will Mr. Sakasono send to take on the Kalos legendary?"
"I think I'd rather quit than take on Abnoba," said Takeshi.
"I admire Annastasia's wit and her Xerneas is marvelous," said Jezz. "But I would not forfeit yet."
"You think you can take on a legendary Pokémon with your team?" Amber asked Jezz.
"Indeed."
"…Sure…"
As the battle continued, Annastasia's luck faltered; two minutes after Nidoqueen fell, Abnoba was defeated by a level 100 Bisharp's Night Slash. Next, she sent out her Wobbuffet, who also lost to Bisharp.
Her Pokémon—other than Star—were not performing as well as Annastasia expected. She wondered if the people working with them at HQ were as diligent a trainer and caretaker as she was…when her Cottonee hybrid from the rocky ridges of Rocambelsco fell, Annastasia decided that her hunch was correct.
"How odd," James commented. "Those Pokémon were some of the strongest, tactical, and talented in all the world…yet they're battling out there is below average."
"Lack of practice, perhaps," Rumika mused. "Annastasia always brought out their full potential and gave them the utmost care; I can't guarantee that our trainees did the same."
"That must be it," said Jessie. "Those stupid trainees, making things difficult for my daughter. The nerve of some people!"
The others watched pitifully as more of Annastasia's Pokémon—including Star and Bleu—went down.
"Poor A. She's an awesome trainer but looks awful out there," Soledad sighed. "It's embarrassing to have super-powerful Pokémon that look like they aren't even trained well."
"Yeah, but, it's not like A cares about those sorts of things," said Jay, though he too was concerned.
"Perhaps she is more concerned about her Pokémon's pride than her own," Jezz mused.
Jay smiled widely and put an arm around Jezz.
"I bet that's it," he agreed.
"Totally," his friends replied.
When Star fell, Annastasia had just one Pokémon left—so she thought. She was going to send out a Gabite when she looked towards Michio. Michio had Plusle in her arms. She nodded in their direction, and Michio let go of the Pokémon. Plusle sprinted towards her.
"I usually…you're so young…are you sure?" Annastasia said as she cradled the little electric-type.
"Plusss Plus!" Plusle loudly asserted.
"Okay. Be careful. Don't do too much. It's just a battle: no big deal if we lose."
"Plusle plu!"
"Then Plusle, I choose you!"
The crowd watching in awe as the Plusle jumped in front of the Steelix, poised with a glowing tail that indicated she was ready to bring her thunder.
"Ummmm…use…Wring Out!" Mr. Sakasono hesitantly ordered.
"Use Quick Attack!" Annastasia called out to Plusle.
'We're going to take advantage of that Scarlet-like speed,' she added in her head.
Plusle's Quick Attack landed a critical hit and helped her dodge Steelix's Wring Out.
"Shoot some rapid-fire Thunderbolt attacks!" Annastasia instructed. "Aim below the belly!"
With its weak spot assaulted, Steelix grew flimsy despite the its tough metal armor. A second Thunderbolt attack knocked it over. I third knocked it cold.
Plusle swiftly and viciously took on every one of Mr. Sakasono's fully-evolved, level one-hundred Pokémon until she the was the last one standing.
"Plusle and Annastasia are our champions!" the MC declared.
"Wowy!" Jocelyn shrieked. "That was amazing, Onēsan!"
"Flaaaaaa!" Flaafy cheered, riling up the other Pokémon.
"She did it! Wow!" June gasped. "Despite those odds!"
"Holy shi—, uh, 'holy guacamole'!" said Takeshi.
"Ditto!" said Tamaki.
"I am so impressed," said Soledad. "Who knew a Plusle could have so much power?"
"I…" said Michio.
'Almost did,' he thought.
"You, what?" Amber asked Michio, taking a break from cheering to mock his expression.
"Nothing much," he replied, shaking is head and grinning. "Just glad Annie's out there being herself."
"That's what I thought you said," Rita replied.
Plusle bowed before the crowd, seemingly untired despite the assumed depletion of her power.
After a receiving a medal and much applause, the crowd began to break and Annastasia was able to return to her friends and family.
Annastasia returned Plusle to Michio, who was back to helping Jessie and James with the twins.
Annastasia kissed Silver and Rose's hatted heads.
"I'm impressed," Jessie said as she patted Plusle. "Oh, how different our lives would've been if we had you twenty years ago."
"I say she came just in time," said James, noting how Plusle showed affection to Michio and Minun.
"She's one amazing lagomorph," said Annastasia. "And no, I can't explain how or why that battle just happened. We winged that 100%."
Lily and Amber eyed the medal Annastasia received for her victory jealously.
"I only won because of Plusle," Annastasia emphasized. "It was pure luck."
"We are happy for ya, A," said Jay. "Now I hear there is more to do around here…"
"Shall we resume our festival activities?"
"I say so!"
XO
In the Next Chapter:
- 'Kyukon'? Fucksake.
- Tattooed
- Amber gets on Jezz's case
XO
Trivia:
- The lyrics at the beginning of this chapter are from the Simon and Garfunkel song 'Homeward Bound'.
- Every time Jocelyn says 'Wowy!', I think of Bonnie/Eureka from the anime. I shoulda written her into this fic…
- Inarizushi (aka, 'inari sushi') is a Japanese fast food that—in my experience—looks and tastes like a rice ball stuffed inside some fried dough. The fact that Michio was eating something Japanese is what I like to call 'passive character development'. I love me some passivity:)
- The reason I spell it 'Cherryblossom Festival' instead of the grammatically correct 'Cherry Blossom Festival' is because when I first started writing fanfiction, I asked a Japanese friend who was still learning English if 'cherry blossom' was one word or two (I could've googled/Ecosia-ed it but we were out to lunch anyway) and she told me it was one word—by accident:) I never corrected it when I realized the mistake years later because I feel like my readers have come to know this one particular event as 'The Cherryblossom Festival'. Whenever I write 'cherry blossoms' in another context I keep it as two lowercase words. I also don't refer to the festival as 'Hanami' because that implies cherry blossom (and sometimes other blossom) viewing, not a literal festival as most Americans think of one…though there are viewings and party-ish festivals depending on how you celebrate the season and often the words are used interchangeably. And that's your useless trivia rambling from this chapter!
AN: REVIEW if you can please! :)!