Chapter 13
Cinderella and her Pokémon left the Colosseum. On their way out, several of her fans were gathered at the door to see her off. They gave her more presents and words of congratulations. Rex and Mikey flattered their many female Pokémon fans, while Ariel and Bella did the same for their male Pokémon fans.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming today to watch me." said Cinderella, "I appreciate all the support you've given me. I hope to see you all again soon."
Rose smiled. "Vee! Vee!"
The fans cheered again. Valiant stepped forward.
"Alright, everyone," Valiant called out, "That's enough. Let us through, please."
As they walked out the door, Rose caught sight of a Jolteon, a Vaporeon, an Espeon, and a Glaceon. They were standing next to a finely dressed nobleman who was standing next to a carriage that was having a broken wheel fixed. The male Jolteon wore an Order of the Aurum riband, while the others, females, wore lovely jeweled collars.
All four Eevee evolutions caught sight of Rose. The Jolteon looked very surprised. For a moment, Rose felt a strange feeling. It was as if there was something familiar about them. But she didn't know why.
"My Lady. Let's go."
Valiant's voice caused Rose to remember they were in a hurry.
"Oh, sorry, my Lord." she said, "I was, uh, distracted."
"Come on, Rose!" Cinderella called, "We have to go home!"
Rose took one last look at the Eevee evolutions, then ran to catch up with the others.
Duke Edward Jolteon was standing outside the Colosseum as his master and trainer, the Duke of Ethersome. He and his master had been watching the Pokémon league championships, along with his sister, Duchess Pearl Vaporeon, and his sisters-in-law, Duchesses Lilac Espeon and Crystal Glaceon. They were big fans of the Masked Maiden. They had been watching the battle earlier that day and were impressed with her Eevee's feat.
They often wondered who this beautiful lady was and where she came from. From her grace and etiquette, they guessed she was either the daughter of a noble family or the princess of a neighboring kingdom. They even heard a rumor that she was the daughter of the Archduke.
However, they were nowhere near going home. One of the carriage's wheels broke after hitting a pothole. Now their footmen and several strong Pokémon were working to get the wheel fixed. It was fortunate that it was a nice sunny day. As their master talked with their coachman about the repairs, Duke Edward and his family passed the time with some small talk.
Duchess Pearl was in the middle of a conversion.
"So I said to him, 'What's wrong with the berry pie?', and he said to me-"
"Ruby?!"
Duchesses Pearl, Lilac, and Crystal looked at Duke Edward. He was staring as if he had seen a ghost. They looked and saw that he was looking at an Eevee. It was the Masked Maiden's Eevee and she was leaving with her trainer and her Pokémon. The Eevee looked just like his mate before she evolved into a Flareon. Not only that, she walked like her and danced like her. She looked back at them curiously. It was then that Duke Edward saw the pendant the Eevee was wearing. It looked like his mate's pendant that she always wore on her collar.
"That Eevee…" said Duke Edward, "And that pendant…Could it be…?"
He was about to call out to the Eevee when…
"My Lady, let's go."
Suddenly, the Masked Maiden's Lucario called out to the Eevee. She looked at the Lucario.
She gave a guilty look. "Oh, sorry, my Lord. I was, uh, distracted."
Her trainer called out to her to come. The Eevee looked back at them one last time, then followed the Lucario to catch up with their trainer. They disappeared around the corner of a building.
Duke Edward stared at the spot for a few seconds. Suddenly, he got up and dashed after the Eevee.
"Brother?!" gasped Duchess Pearl.
Duchesses Pearl, Lilac, and Crystal stared after him, bewildered. Duke Edward Jolteon was the fastest relay racer in the kingdom. He was sure he could catch up with the Masked Maiden. He had to find out who that Eevee was. He rounded the corner to find…
…nothing.
The Masked Maiden and her Pokémon had disappeared. He looked around, trying to spot them, but they were nowhere to found. He didn't see a carriage leaving or anything of the sort. It was as if they vanished into thin air.
Where could they have gone?
"My Lord?"
Duke Edward turned and saw Duchesses Pearl, Lilac, and Crystal running up to him.
"My Lord, what possessed you to leave Master's side?" asked Duchess Lilac.
"That Eevee." said the Jolteon duke.
"What about her?" asked Duchess Pearl.
"That Eevee looks exactly like Ruby before she evolved." said Duke Edward, "And she's wearing the pendant I gave her."
Hope and elation filled Duchesses Lilac and Crystal.
"You mean…? Could that child be…?" said Duchess Crystal.
Duke Edward nodded. "My missing mate and child might actually be alive."
"If that's true," said Duchess Pearl, "Then we must find out who the Masked Maiden is. If that Eevee really is your daughter."
Just then, they hear the Duke calling. "Edward! Pearl! Lilac! Crystal! Where did you all run off to?!"
"Oh, we strayed too far." said Duchess Pearl, "Coming, Master!"
And the Duke and Duchesses ran for their trainer. The carriage had been fixed and was ready to go. They all hopped into the carriage and proceeded to tell the Duke of Ethersome about their discovery.
Cinderella and her Pokémon teleported in front of their home. Their Pokémon friends were gathered near the front of the chateau, waiting for their arrival. They saw Lester the Purugly, Jamie the Rapidash, Flo the Vulpix, Mimi the Marril, Patch the Buneary, Pip, Jac, Louis, and Lil the Rattata, the Pikachu twins Matt and Chase, Sparky and Sparkle the Dedenne, the four Roselia, the half dozen Vivillon, and the five barnyard Unfezant. Even three Electrike, a pair of Scraggy and Scrafty brothers, a Duckett, a Fletchinder, and a Vibrava were there.
The moment Cinderella and her Pokémon appeared, her friends greeted them with a cheer.
"How did you do, Ella?" asked Lester.
"We won, guys!" cheered Rose, "We won!"
The Pokémon all leapt and cheered. Several of them began to dance around Cinderella.
"Really?!"
"Congratulations!"
"That's so awesome!"
"So, what was the prince like?" asked one of the Vivillon.
"Actually, Philip was the prince," said Cinderella.
"What?!" gasped her friends.
"Philip?! Do you mean that Philip?! That handsome guy with the Umbreon who was with the Archduke?!" exclaimed Patches.
"Yes, that's the one," said Rex.
"Are you kidding me?" said Pip, "I didn't even know!"
"I didn't neither." said Cinderella, "It's hard to believe myself."
"What was it like?" asked a Roselia, "Please! Tell us!"
Valiant held up his paw. "First things first. We need to get Ella back into her work clothes."
Everyone rushed into the house. The whole house had been cleaned and Cinderella could smell that dinner was already being made. She went to her room, took off her beautiful dress, and got back in her working clothes. She took the golden rose and her many gifts and hid them under the loose floorboard under her bed.
In the entrance hall, Cinderella and her Pokémon told the others everything that happened at the Pokémon League. What the battle was like, how Rose won the final round. The Pokémon were ecstatic about Philip's invitation to the ball and shocked to learn the truth behind Patricia's rude behavior.
"What a horrible thing to lie to your own daughter!" said Mimi.
"That sounds like something Victoria would do," said Lester.
"No wonder Patricia was rude to Cinderella." said Jac, "If someone told me my true love left me for a friend of mine, I'd be mad and rude, too."
"Valiant, do you know anything about an Erik Watson?" asked Rose.
"Yes, I do." said Valiant, "Lord Erik Watson is the son of Baron and Baroness Watson. They live a few miles down the road from the chateau. The Watson family are well known in the kingdom for their charities for the poor. Every year, they hold a charity ball to raise funds, giving money, food, clothing, and books for the poor of the town. They help orphanages, hospitals, farmers, and even wild Pokémon."
"I like this guy already!" said Lil, "Have you met him before?"
"I used to play with him when we were children." said Cinderella, "We were friends growing up. But I haven't spoken to him since returning from finishing school."
"I've met him several times while attending the family's charity balls with my master." said Valiant, "He was but a child when I first met him. Now he's a fine young man."
"We have to find those letters and clear Cinderella's name." said Flo, "Lester, do you know where Cinderella's stepmother would hide letters?"
Lester shook his head. "No, not that I know of. I've never heard of any secret compartment in the grand staircase."
"Hey, guys! Take a look at this!" Sparky called.
Sparkle and Sparky were fidgeting with a foot-long panel on the bottom of the grand staircase.
"What is it, Sparky and Sparkle?" asked Cinderella.
"I think we found something!" said Sparky, "This panel on the stairs is loose! Maybe there's something inside!"
"What?" said Valiant.
He rushed towards the stairway. He pulled on the panel to reveal a hidden drawer. Inside the drawer was a tin box.
"Oh, I had almost forgotten about this panel." said Valiant, "My master used to use it to hide his most valuable treasures."
Valiant took out the box and opened it. Inside were several unopened letters. They were all from one Erik Watson and were addressed to Patricia. Valiant picked up one letter and looked it over. The envelope was made from white high-quality paper and sealed with the Watson family seal.
"What do they say?" chattered the Pokémon.
"They're from one Erik Watson and addressed to one Patricia Livingston." said Valiant, "They've never been opened. The wax seals haven't been broken."
"These must be the letters Ella's stepmother was hiding!" said Bella.
"Should we take all the letters then?" asked Pip.
"No," said Valiant, "Ella's stepmother would know we took them if we did that. We'll have to wait until tomorrow when she's gone. It's getting late and Ella's family will be coming back for dinner."
He then placed the letter back in the box, put the box back exactly as he found it, then closed the drawer and panel. With nothing else to do, Rex and Mikey went to the barnyard with the forest Pokémon and Cinderella and her other Pokémon went to the kitchen to finish dinner.
By the time her family returned home, dinner was ready. Things had gone pretty much back to normal. Except for one thing. While the stepmother continued yelling and mistreating Cinderella and her Pokémon, Patricia never so much as scowled at her. Her rudeness and coldness towards them had disappeared entirely. However, Patricia was still a bit withdrawn from her and couldn't look at her without dropping something. Cinderella understood that she was taking her advice as the Masked Maiden, but Patricia just needed a little more time to get her feelings together.
Cinderella served dinner as usual and ate in the kitchen with Rose, Valiant, Ariel, and Bella. Cinderella also made sure Rex, Mikey, and all the barn Pokémon ate too. Patricia and Sabrina were talking all about their time in town. Cinderella was serving dessert when they were on the subject of the Pokémon League Championship.
"So, who won?" asked Cinderella, knowing the answer.
"The Masked Maiden." said Patricia, "She defeated the prince in the finals."
"Did you meet her?" asked Cinderella, "What was she like?"
"She was very beautiful." said Sabrina, "She gave us seats in the front row, gave our Pokémon Poké Puffs, gave us a box of candies, and she gave us some flowers."
"She sounds very nice." said Cinderella, "What was her name?"
"Now that you mention it, we forgot to ask." said Patricia, "I heard that she's the daughter of the Archduke."
"I didn't know he had a daughter," said Cinderella with a thoughtful voice.
Just then, there was a knock at the front door. They heard a voice calling out, but it wasn't loud enough to hear what they were saying.
"Cinderella, answer the door." barked the stepmother.
"Yes, Stepmother." Cinderella replied, "Ariel, could you please take over for me? Thank you."
Cinderella handed off her dish to Ariel and left the dining room. In the entrance hall, she could hear someone knocking on the front door.
"Open in the name of the King!" echoed a man's voice.
"Coming, coming!" Cinderella called out, "I'll be there in a moment!"
She opened the door to find a footman and his Ponyta on the steps with a bag full of letters. The saw the royal crest on the Ponyta's saddle and knew it was a royal footman.
"Good evening, sir." said Cinderella politely, "May I help you?"
"I have an urgent message, miss." said the footman, "The whole household and Pokémon must hear it."
"Of course," said Cinderella, "Could you wait for just a minute, sir? I'll be right back."
She left the footman at the door and returned to the dining room.
"Stepmother," said Cinderella, "The king's footman is at the door with a message for us and our Pokémon. It's urgent."
"The king's footman?!" gasped Patricia, surprised.
At once, everyone put down everything and made their way from the dining room. Valiant heard everything from the kitchen and called for Rose, Ariel, and Bella to follow. Lester came running down the stairs as the whole family arrived at the front door. Rex and Mikey were right outside, staying at a safe distance.
"Good day to you, sir." said the stepmother, "What brings you to my household?"
The messenger pulled out four sealed letters and a note.
He read, "In a few months time, there is going to be a Pokémon Ball at the palace in honor of His Majesty, Prince Philip. Everyone, rich and poor, has been invited. Formal attire is required. Everyone is permitted to bring up to six Pokémon. The ball will start at six. Introductions will start at six, and dinner will be served at eight. The ball will go on all night long. For those who cannot afford transportation, a carriage will be provided by the royal family. And by royal command, every eligible maiden is to attend."
The stepmother's eyes lit up. Cinderella's heart fluttered. The family was used to attending balls as guests, but this was the first Pokémon ball in some time. Rose smiled in delight. She had never been invited to a royal ball in her life.
The footman handed Cinderella four envelopes stamped with the royal seal.
"Here, I have four invitations for this household," he said.
"There are two eligible maidens here." said the stepmother, "We only need three."
But the footman didn't listen. "Madam, we've received a complaint from your household and we know your maid is in fact, Ella Livingston. As a duchess, she must come to the ball in appropriate attire as ordered. Regardless of that, 'every eligible maiden' means servants and maids, too."
"What?" said the stepmother. "Surely you must be jesting."
"I am not." said the servant, "This order comes from the crown prince himself. It's a royal command and it must be obeyed. No exceptions."
The stepmother frowned ats the footman. Rex and Mikey watched from the garden, smirking. The Rattata blew loud raspberries at her. The footman gave the envelopes to Cinderella.
"Four invitations for Duchesses Victoria and Ella Livingston, and Ladies Patricia and Sabrina Livingston." said the footman, "Every guest will be accounted for. Good evening, ladies."
"Thank you." said Cinderella, "Have a good evening, sir."
The footman mounted the Ponyta and rode away. Cinderella closed the door and the stepmother took the invitations.
"Wow!" said Sabrina, "We're going to a ball!"
"That means I can go, too!" said Cinderella.
Patricia looked at her. "You?"
"There's nothing wrong with that," said Sabrina, "And he said servants and maids are invited too. Mother, please let Ella go to the ball with us. You can't disobey the king."
The stepmother hesitated. She really didn't want to take Cinderella to the ball. During the whole thing, Patricia said nothing.
"Patricia, what do you have to say about that?" asked the stepmother.
"Well, uh…" said Patricia, "If it's a royal command, then…we have no choice?"
Her mother stared at her. She didn't laugh at or teased Cinderella. She didn't mock her or say anything rude like she usually did. The stepmother was quite confused.
"Patricia, are you alright, dear?" asked the stepmother.
"I'm fine, Mother," said Patricia. Then she gathered all her courage and said, "Uh, is everything you told me about Erik true?"
The stepmother froze for a moment. Then she darted her eyes to the side as she answered in a cracking voice, "Yes, it is."
Cinderella and her stepsisters remembered what Valiant said.
"Watch closely and listen carefully when a person speaks. A true liar always hesitates for a second then avoids eye contact as they respond in a strained voice."
They then knew right then and there that she was lying.
"And Mother, do you really care about my happiness?" asked Patricia.
The stepmother turned away completely in annoyance.
"What kind of a question is that?" she asked sharply, "Of course I care about your happiness! I know how to give you happiness!"
Another lie, the girls noted.
"Well," said Patricia, "If it would make me happy…let Ella chose my ballgown for that night."
The stepmother was very surprised. And not just because of her soft request. It was the first time in months she had called her stepsister by her real name.
"That's all you want?" she asked.
"Yes," said Patricia.
"Please, let me go, Stepmother," Cinderella begged, "I really want to meet the Masked Maiden."
The stepmother hesitated a long time. Finally, she said, "Very well. You may go if you can get your chores done in time and find something suitable to wear."
"Thank you, Stepmother!" said Cinderella, smiling, "Thank you so much! I will do as you say!"
Cinderella ran up to her room, all so happy. Rose, Ariel, and Bella followed her. Valiant pretended to leave but hid himself to watch. Sabrina whispered something to her sister and returned to the dining room.
"Mother," said Patricia, "Are you really going to let Ella go to the ball?"
"It's alright, my angel," said the stepmother in a voice of poisoned honey, "I said 'if'. I'll make sure she never gets ready in time. She won't ruin your biggest moment."
Valiant should've known better. He knew there was no way she was going to let Cinderella attend the ball. Valiant knew now just how callous the stepmother was. There was no way she was going to say 'yes' to that.
"But Mother, disobeying a royal command is sedition." said Patricia, "It's just as bad as treason. And the Archduke knows who Ella is. He'll know what you did if she doesn't come. If he reports you to the king, we'll be in big trouble. I don't want to get in trouble."
"Don't worry about it, darling," cooed the stepmother. "I'll take care of everything. Now come and finish your supper. The dessert's getting cold."
And with that, she led her daughter back to the dining room to finish eating dinner. Valiant rushed on ahead to finish the dishes.
Many of Cinderella's Pokémon friends had been watching and listening through the windows. They had heard everything. Many of them were very sad or very mad. The Pokémon moved away from the windows and huddled together to discuss the situation.
"What is that woman's problem?!" said Lil angrily.
"It's always the same old thing." said Sparky, "That mean lady sets her up."
"You can say that again." said the Scrafty, "Just when Cinderella gets a break…"
"…she gets more work dumped on her." said the Scraggy.
"She'll never get ready for the ball at this rate." said the male Unfezant.
"We had to do something!" said Flo, "Cinderella just has to go to the ball!"
"But what can we do?" quacked the Duckett.
"We have to beat that old hag at her own game." said one of the Electrike, "We must take matters into our own paws and help Cinderella get ready."
"But how exactly can we help her?" wondered one of the Vivillon.
The Pokémon looked at one another in silence, but none of them could answer the question. How could they help their friend?
