Hi. This is an absurdly long chapter. Bye.
Ok, but really, this is actually the longest chapter, and possibly one of the longest chapters I've ever written. Yes, I could have split it up and put it into two chapters, probably. But, I decided to cram it altogether, because I'm crazy. Oops, spoiler alert. No, wait, you probably knew that already. Oh well!
Anyway, this is the ball chapter that I kept talking about! Now hold it. Stop. Lower your expectations. …Lower. Ok, good. But don't worry, there will be Sneakpast fluff. Lots of perspective swaps here, along with lots of words, so set some time aside to read everything. And enjoy!
...
[Chesnaught]
It's funny how the ballroom isn't used frequently during the warmer seasons, considering how spacious it is, and works well for sparring sessions. Regardless, the knights worked about it now, as we set up various tables along the sides and pinned up decorations along the beige walls. Purple, green, and gold streamers dangled from the ceiling, while confetti filled balls were ready to be pulled open during the night. The middle was left open for dancing and socializing, but there were some seats lined up on the sides as well.
Most of the time, I worked away from the other knights, who were clearly avoiding me. Anyone else to alleviate the tension was currently occupied, sans General Rhydon; Samurott and Typhlosion were off getting the food for the night, while Greninja and Accelgor were out training.
"Right here should be good." The General and I carefully placed down another wooden table. "Perfect. Heracross?"
Silently, Heracross placed down the tablecloth, and then took off without another word. General Rhydon shook his head while I shrugged and smoothed out the cover.
"This kind of stubbornness over romantic inclinations?" The General gazed at the group finishing across the room, as they glanced at us before hurrying out. "Did I give them permission to leave?"
"Honestly, Sir, I'm surprised they stayed here this long." He shot me an annoyed look as I shrugged again, and he let out a heavy sigh.
"And here I thought the orchestra would be the only nuisance to deal with."
"Orchestra? Why would they cause an issue?"
General Rhydon bit his lip before explaining. "It's the Shining Summit players."
"Summit?" I blinked and raised a brow in confusion. "Are they from the Great Mountains Kingdom?"
"Queendom, actually," the General corrected. "Though it's been like that for a while, a lot of history texts referred to it as the kingdom, mistakenly. Gives us a bit of a laugh, but they'll gut you for it over there."
"Yikes. But, why are they coming to play here? They're not like the Empire; they're more hostile around us."
"A bit, true, but not totally." General Rhydon shrugged. "They do have a beautiful orchestra, in spite of its small number. Less than ten of them, but they still play the most enchanting music, rivaling any other major group out there."
I scratched the side of my head. "Those are awfully nice compliments."
"They're certainly worthy of it!"
"…Our King got them specifically for you, didn't he?" My eyes narrowed accusingly.
"W-What? No!" General Rhydon turned his flushed face away from me. "Either way, they have agreed not to instigate anything tonight, and we're paying them handsomely for it, so everything should be fine. Hopefully."
"They'd better be worth the risk of a premature war," I deadpanned.
"Don't be silly; everything will be just fine."
"Famous last words?"
A smile curved onto my lips the second I heard his voice. We turned to see Greninja walk into the ballroom. He looked around at the setup, impressed with it all.
"You guys did a great job!" Greninja congratulated.
"Thanks!" He came up and I hugged him into my side. "Finished training?"
"For now." Greninja sighed. "We must have been out there all morning."
"You were." Rhydon paused and glanced out the window. The sky was bright and sunny. "It's afternoon already. The ball begins in just a few hours."
"Does it really?" Greninja murmured. "I'm already exhausted as it is."
"Then go rest up for a bit." I nudged him to go back outside. "This goes late into the night."
"Yes, I remember." He laughed and waved as he stepped back out of the room.
I turned back to the General, who grinned at me. "To think, you weren't sure if you liked him two months ago."
"Not true. I almost always liked Greninja, not long after his arrival."
"Is that right?" He teased. "What happened to, 'honestly, sir, I hardly know him,' and all of that other nonsense you spat at me?"
"Well it was true!" I defended. "Back then, anyway. And now—"
"You two can't stand to be separated." General Rhydon smiled and rested his hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad you found each other."
Blushing, I smiled back and nodded. "Thank you. After all, you and the king—"
"No, no, don't credit us," he asserted. "We just pushed you. Getting together was just the two you." He smiled again, but cleared his throat right after. "Now, come on, let's finish the preparations already!"
He hurried back around the ballroom, and I followed him, waiting for my next orders.
[Greninja]
Night came and the castle was filled with many others walking in and around. I had disappeared into my room to change, glad to avoid the crowds pour in.
On my bed sat my box of clothes from "Simply Chic." Rolling my eyes, I opened it up and slowly took the clothes out. The trousers were a dark blue, as was the tailcoat. I held it up and watched the back of it trail down near the floor, much longer than the usual ones were. Placing it down, I studied the brighter and darker blue designs woven into it, which seemed wavy, and shook my head.
"These will be ridiculous."
Chuckling, I picked up the light cream, almost white, colored shirt. I slipped it on and straightened it as I slipped the pants on over its hem, tucking in the bits that puffed out. Once I finished fixing them, I took out a black belt, tossing it around my trousers to keep them in place. Under my tongue, I slipped the tie on, fashioning it around the shirt. It probably wouldn't be visible under my tongue, but I figured I might as well wear it once. Lastly, I lifted my arms through the tailcoat and let it drape down behind me.
In spite of my misgivings, I had to admit, the clothes fit practically perfectly.
With a heavy sigh, I dug Chesnaught's gift out from my wardrobe and tucked it into my tailcoat's inner pocket. Then, I opened the door and walked out, back to the main hall.
Surprisingly, there were no guests that bustled past me, and I searched to find someone else stride through the hall. I walked partway down the left staircase to check the lower part of the main hall, but aside from Golurk's figure outside, there was no one to be found.
"Wow, you look fantastic, Greninja!"
Turning, my mouth dropped open a bit as Chesnaught walked down some steps. His outfit was similar to mine, but with different colors and sizes to fit him. His dark forest green trousers went down to his feet, snug over his legs. My eyes wandered up at the white shirt he had tucked into them, kept in place with a brown belt. There was a bright red tie right down the middle of Chesnaught's chest, perhaps to match mine. However, he also wore a light pink ruff near his neck, which almost mimicked my tongue scarf. While his tailcoat was partially under his shell, the bottom went down to his legs, just above the floor like mine. While he stepped down, it swayed just a bit, with various shades of brighter and darker greens woven into it.
Chesnaught stopped a few steps down and tilted his head, as he looked me over. "Are…are you all right?"
My face burned, but I didn't even consider looking away from him. "Fine." My voice was distant and I remained fixated on Chesnaught. "You look spectacular."
He blushed deeply and scratched behind his head. "Aw, come on. You're going to make me redder than my tie and we haven't even walked in yet." He jumped and pulled a small blue box from his jacket. "Speaking of, I don't want to forget to give you this."
"Ah, right." I dug out the green case and passed it to him, as he handed me the box. He lowered his hand just before I opened it, causing me to pause. "Aren't you going to open yours too?"
"Yeah, but I want to see you open that first."
Chesnaught smiled and watched me as I slowly opened the box. Inside was a droplet shaped pendant, with a light blue, almost clear, case around the dark blue water that swished within it. Gently, I took it out as Chesnaught took the box from me and stuffed it into my coat.
"This is…Mystic Water?" I gazed at the pendant as it dangled by the thin necklace that held it up.
"Yep! I wanted to make sure you got something that looked great for tonight, and something that you could carry around…well, whenever, I suppose." He helped me put it around my neck, gently bringing it under my tongue as I held it up. The lace was soft, to the point where I barely felt it against my neck, let alone under my tongue. Chesnaught scratched tenderly under my chin before he pulled his hands away, grinning as he did so. "Now you're all set!"
"Thank you." I kissed him right on the lips, pulling his face into mine. However, I broke away from him and held up his hand again, forcing the green case up. "Your turn, let's go."
"Ah, ok." He opened it and let the Miracle Seed slide out onto his hand. It sparkled from the lights as he observed it, grinning again. "Miracle Seed! Perfect pick, you matched our gifts!"
"Happy coincidence," I giggled and took it from him. There was a short pocket on his chest, and I gently stuffed the gem in. It was a tight fit and stuck out a bit, which meant it wasn't likely to slide out. "There we go."
He cupped his hands over mine and I looked up as his eyes lowered. "Thank you."
Before I could respond, he planted a kiss right on my lip and tongue, rubbing my hands with his. I pushed into him and nudged for his tongue, which he slipped across mine. Softly, I moaned as his tongue came back around on my lip and retreated back to his mouth. What was too soon for me, we broke apart, panting.
"And we still haven't even walked in yet." I chuckled.
"Ooh, right. Let's go line up!"
"Line up?"
"Yeah, Nidoking will call us in and we'll process in with the other knights and their dates."
"W-Wait, what? And everyone watches us walk in?"
"Um, yep, guess so!"
He hurried me back up the stairs and we dashed over through the halls and to the ballroom. The knights and their dates were already at the door, with a few walking in already. Escavalier and Accelgor were at the back of the line, turning as we approached.
"Just in time, lads!" Escavalier laughed.
"Oh, Greninja, you two look great!" Accelgor gently squeezed my hand. "Hope you two have a lovely night."
"Thank you, Accelgor. Same to the both of you!"
They nodded and turned back around to follow Armaldo and Blissey inside. Chesnaught and I exchanged nervous smiles as we wrapped our arms together and followed them.
Clapping sounded and I could barely scan the audience around us, catching a glimpse of Blaziken and Swampert as we walked in. A green lizard with a bushy tail stood near them as well, but I lost track of them as we continued inside. At the front of the crowd stood Jynx and Hitmonchan, who clapped especially loud once they caught Chesnaught and I.
"Marvelous, they look simply marvelous!" I heard Jynx call out.
"But of course, they'd get no less from us!" Hitmonchan agreed.
Shaking my head slightly, I glanced around and spotted the orchestra on a slightly elevated stage. I wasn't able to identify them though, as we continued into the ballroom and lined up again, this time in front of Nidoking, who clapped from his throne on the other raised platform.
"Let's give another round of applause for these esteemed knights! And again, welcome, to the Parting Summer's Ball!"
The ballroom vibrated from the ovation that erupted around us. I joined in and clapped as Chesnaught blushed.
Soon, the knights dispersed and the crowd moved in, with all sorts of conversation already buzzing about.
However, Nidoking called out for attention again, and the banter slowly died down. He raised his arm and gestured toward the doors.
"From the Great Mountains Queendom, please welcome Ladies Leavanny, Audino, Ledian, and Lords Feraligatr, Krookodile, and Aggron, the Shining Summit players!"
Clapping sounded as the players strode in. Scizor walked by, cut between Chesnaught and I, and made a point to bump into me as he passed. Though I glared, my eyes caught Chesnaught tighten his hand into a fist and raised it up. Quickly, I stepped in front of him and grabbed his hand, acting as if we were readying to dance.
"Calm down," I hissed.
"No, that was totally uncalled for."
"It's no different from what happened in town the other day."
"Yes it is," Chesnaught grumbled. "Unlike townsfolk, I can teach a fellow knight a hard lesson in etiquette."
"He's just annoyed that we can actually enjoy ourselves." I smiled and lowered our hands. "So, let's not give him the satisfaction of ruining that."
With a deep breath in and out, Chesnaught nodded as I guided him toward the dance floor. I took a minute to study the stage, and the Shining Summit players on it. They were a very small group for an orchestra, with only six of them up there. Krookodile moved behind a timpani, while Ledian slid past him and over to a large harp. Feraligatr, Aggron, and Audino sat in front of them, with a violin, trumpet, and flute respectively. Leavanny held an ocarina, with her leafy hands tangled covering the holes while she held the instrument within her mouth and bottom ends of the leaves. Word fired around from the crowd that the first song would be a waltz.
"She can play like that?" I quietly asked Chesnaught.
"Apparently. I can't even play a simple tune with any of those." We laughed.
Softly, the music started. Chesnaught held his hand out and I took it as he guided me forward. We stepped out with the other couples and stood facing one another. He bowed to me first, and then I to him.
As the music began to pick up, we stepped closer to one another, as he lifted my right hand with his left. He cupped his right arm around my waist while my left arm went over his shoulder.
We swayed a bit before the music picked up its pace again, to which we moved together in a small box formation. He stepped toward me as I stepped back, we slid parallel with one another, and then I moved to him as he backed away. The music continued and we repeated this for a bit.
Chesnaught would go back and forth between checking his steps and gazing into my eyes. Though I had to watch my movements a bit as well, I spent more time watching Chesnaught, with a smile stuck on my face.
The orchestra grew louder and the melody carried on. Couples began to move along and danced around the floor. Quickly, Chesnaught and I followed, with just a bit of a stumble from him. We moved about in an almost circular fashion, tailcoats rising up a bit, and danced around one another as the groups continued to step onward.
Several soft gasps sounded around us. At first, I thought to pay them no mind, keeping my eyes focused on either Chesnaught or our steps. But then clapping came with the gasps and I let my gaze stray to the onlookers. Eyes on us, naturally. However, it wasn't quite what I was expecting; they seemed awed, not repulsed, by the two of us.
Our movements sped up, Chesnaught grinned as he looked around, and then I realized it. Our tailcoats spun around much higher now, and together, seemed to portray a flashing image of a riverbank, with his green designs making the grass and leaves, while my blue patterns created the running waves of the water.
"Told you they were visionaries!" Chesnaught laughed as we continued and my smile broadened.
Again, we spun about and swayed, stepping around as the music continued. The murmuring continued and I checked again to see people nudge one another and point to us. We beamed to one another as the music slowed for the end of the song. Chesnaught spun around and straightened his arm to hold me in place as I spun away from him. I twirled back into him and he dipped me down as the music reaching a crescendo and ended.
The onlookers applauded as Chesnaught pulled me back up and into him. He smiled while he rubbed my back and I stroked his face.
"Mind if I cut in?"
We turned to find Samurott and Lilligant standing nearby. The samurai, dressed in a nice blue outfit, stepped over by me, while Lilligant grabbed Chesnaught's arm with one hand. Her other leafy hand brushed her large pink dress, which had small red petals adorned on it.
"Would you mind if I stole Chesnaught for a bit, Greninja?" Lilligant asked. "I was hoping to spend a little time with him at the ball."
"Um, sure, I suppose." I nodded and scratched the back of my head, but nibbled on my tongue.
"If you'd like, I could take his place, for a bit," offered Samurott. "My date wandered off, so I haven't had a chance to dance yet."
"Oh? Well, yeah, ok then."
Chesnaught hesitated to let me go, but smiled and mouthed his thanks to me. Lilligant then dragged him off and I watched as he disappeared into the crowd. Right after that, I turned to Samurott, as the next song started up.
"So, shall we?"
"We shall!"
Samurott took my hands into his as the music started. It seemed like a slower waltz than before, as we pulled away from one another and then stepped back together. He lifted one hand away with mine, while releasing the other and bringing his arm around my waist. I placed mine around his back as we stepped around with one another in a circle.
His legs drew close to mine, and I had to step around them to keep moving, causing our thighs to slide against one another.
"Sorry," I whispered.
"About what?" Samurott grinned.
Confused, I continued to move with him. For a moment, only the timpani and the violin played, as Samurott released me into a twirl. I spun for a bit and rolled back to him, grabbing his back tightly to keep my balance. Though my heart raced from what I thought were blunders, along with a bulky audience watching us, Samurott's breathing was even and his smile ever present. The trumpet sounded and the other instruments rejoined as he backed away from me. I advanced my steps to him and we synchronized until our hands met again.
The music shifted a bit to an allemande rhythm as we twisted around one another's arms and then back to each other. Samurott brought up our hands and we stepped around in a circle. He smiled as he watched me and we made it back around before raising our other arms and moving in the opposite direction.
It shifted back into the slow and tender music from before, with the violin taking a moment to play alone before being joined by the rest. Samurott and I stepped around with slow steps, toward the center of the floor, and then back out again. Though our thighs continued to cross, he didn't seem to mind, and even made movements that seemed to intentionally bring us together. Our eyes kept meeting as we went, with his having some kind of fire or excitement behind them. My cheeks grew warm as I tried to look away from him, only to burn up from the crowd around.
"Why is everyone still staring at us?"
"It's not us." Samurott smiled as he let me go for a spin, and then pulled me in close. "They're staring at you."
"Oh, well, that's a great way to take off the pressure," I deadpanned. "Thanks for that."
"My apologies, but it's true." He sighed and shook his head softly. "Just…you're a standout, truly. Eye catching, and eye pleasing. You look gorgeous, if I may say so."
My face burned and we slowed to a stop with the music. Samurott pulled my hands away from him, but didn't let them go. I searched his eyes, and there was something about how he looked at me that was familiar. We stood so close that I could almost hear his hear hammer, but I don't know if it was from the dancing or…
"Samurott!" He lifted his head and we looked behind him to find Typhlosion hurry over to us. His eyes seemed panicked, and his pleas quite desperate. "Samurott, please, help me."
"With…?"
"Avoiding the worst mistake I've made in ages."
"Typhlosion!" We cringed at Lopunny's sharp voice snapping out above the crowd. "Wherever you are, I will find you and tear you apart!"
"What did you do?" Samurott hissed.
"It's not what I did! …Well, not entirely." Typhlosion snatched Samurott's hand and tugged. "Please, please help me!"
"Fine, just…go that way, and I'll follow you."
"Thank you!"
Typhlosion nodded and hastily shoved his way through the crowd. Samurott let out a heavy sigh and glanced back at me. Slowly, he dropped my hands from his.
"Guess I'll see you later." He chuckled and turned to walk away, but I grabbed his shoulder.
"Samurott, wait." He stopped and turned back to me. "What you…before, about you complimenting me, that—"
"It's just the truth." He smirked. "Chesnaught will always tell you how fantastic you seem, but you should hear it from others once in a while."
Something about his word choice was kind, yet teetered between careful and reckless. "Samurott, do you—?"
"I've got to run, before Typhlosion dies prematurely." He forced out a laugh and turned away from me. "Go find Chesnaught; I'm sure he needs you back by now."
Leaving me with half a dozen unanswered questions, Samurott disappeared into the crowd, following Typhlosion's direction. I turned around, only to have Lopunny pop through the crowd and in front of me. She wore what was meant to be a thin and sleeveless white dress, which didn't go too far past her knees. It was, however, given a large, charred black spot right in the middle of it. She glared and marched right up to me, teeth bared.
"Where…is…Typhlosion?" Lopunny growled with every syllable.
"Ah, not sure. My friend went to go find him, though." I pointed in a direction away from the path they took. "Somewhere that way, I think."
She brushed past me and darted through the crowd. Though I was curious to see the resolution, I shook my head and began to search around for Chesnaught.
[Chesnaught]
Lilligant tugged me over to the food table, where several folks were taking plates. I eyed a dish of berries, but she pulled me along the table. Just barely, I caught Heracross gawking at me as he fumbled with a plate.
"So, who did you come with?" I asked to take my mind off of the food we passed up.
"The fox mage himself: Delphox."
"Wait, what? Him?"
"Don't sound so surprised. He's actually quite nice…when he's not berating the world around him." Lilligant paused and added, "It's also unhelpful that he wore bright purple robes that rival my dress."
She pulled me along and we found Delphox as he took a bowl of berries and chomped down on them before noticing us and waving.
"Want any?" Delphox offered to Lilligant.
"No, thank you." She rubbed her stomach. "I've had more than enough."
Just as he shifted the bowl to me, someone jumped into me and wrapped me in a tight hug.
"Chesnaught!" Gardevoir cheered as she pulled away. "Oh, you look so cute! Handsome too, of course." I gave her a smile and nodded, but hungrily glanced as Delphox continued to scarf down berries. "Gallade, over here!"
Earl Gallade appeared from a large crowd of followers, who excitedly cheered and clamored around him. Gardevoir dragged him away from them and winked at their protests. Delphox pulled out his wand and created a barrier to push people away.
"So!" Gardevoir clapped her hands together. "How's everyone so far? And…where's Greninja?"
"Oh, I pulled Chesnaught away while Samurott took a minute to dance with Greninja," explained Lilligant.
"Huh. You're not jealous of that, Chesnaught?" Gallade inquired.
Jealous? "Why would I be?"
"Well, I would, if someone swept Gardevoir away from me." Gallade shook his head. "But, you guys are all friends, so that's silly."
"Aw, Gallade's a jelly belly!" Gardevoir teased as she wrapped her arms around him.
Quietly, he stammered, "Uh, um…well…yes." She giggled and kissed him lightly on the cheek, turning his face red.
"Such a cute couple." Delphox mocked the pair and finished his bowl of berries. My mouth tightened to keep the drool from sliding out.
"Apparently, that's the buzz about you, Chesnaught," Gardevoir poked my arm and winked. "You and your cutie of a boyfriend, that is."
"Us?" My eyebrows rose. "Why?"
"After that waltz with your tailcoats, the pretty mix into a riverside, how could they not?" She laughed as my cheeks fired up a bit. "Honestly, people were whispering about how nicely you two matched when you walked in, but now I hear your names getting tossed around with mine and Gallade's!"
"Apparently, we're a popular couple." Gallade scratched the back of his head, still flushed.
"Can't imagine why." Delphox snickered, to which Gardevoir elbowed him.
"Well, it's about time everyone stopped ridiculing Chesnaught and Greninja," Lilligant piped in. "For two months too many, I've heard so much silly nonsense at their expense and I've grown sick of it."
"Just because some folks are starting with nice words doesn't mean everyone will," I reminded her.
"Better a start than nothing at all," she insisted, and I couldn't argue.
"Gallade and I were off dancing as well, but people swarmed in to gush over him," laughed Gardevoir.
"Me? What about you?" The Earl questioned. "How many guys came over and begged you to at least wave at them?"
"Popular couples are the worst," teased Delphox, who earned dark glares from both Gardevoir and Gallade.
"At least all of you danced!" Lilligant laughed. "We've been stuck waiting for food and now I'm too full to spin around!"
"Well, when you're ready, we'll dance," offered Delphox. "But first…I'm eating more berries."
Out of nowhere, the bowl was lit in a light blue aura and lifted from Delphox's hands. He rolled his eyes as it spun around before him, but I realized that it wasn't any of the other Psychic types with us now. I exchanged confused expressions with Lilligant and we turned to see Gardevoir and Gallade staring with awe behind us.
"And that would be my new acquaintance, Alakazam," he introduced, and snatched the bowl back as we turned around.
Before me stood a yellow and brown fellow, wearing a blue cloak over the rest of his body. He held a pair of spoons in his hand, though he didn't appear to have used them for food. A long yellow mustache trailed from his long face. Nothing about him seemed too threatening, but Psychic types made me wary all the same.
"Ah, you're Chesnaught." I blinked while Alakazam grabbed my hand and shook it. "Pleasure to meet you, I'll be seeing more of you, Delphox here, and…" his eyes lit up in a light blue light and I tingle surged through my mind, "…your boyfriend Greninja, is it? Yes." With that, Alakazam's eyes returned to their normal dark color. "Well, I'll be seeing the three of you once you come up north. Enjoy your night!"
He strode away from us and vanished within the crowd. Though…if I didn't know any better, I would have assumed he vanished into thin air. But—
"Greninja!"
At Gardevoir's call, I whirled around and watched Greninja walk up to us. His smile broadened upon catching my eyesight and I grinned to match him.
"Aw, look, they do suffer from severe separation anxiety." Delphox teased. Lilligant bopped him, followed by Gardevoir smacking him. "Hey, come on! One of you is fine. But having you two beat me together? That's a bit much."
"Then don't mock them!" Gardevoir snapped and Lilligant nodded.
"What happened to Samurott?" I asked Greninja.
"Well, we danced, but then Typhlosion begged him to run off." Greninja laughed while I tilted my head. He stopped and cleared his throat. "Sorry, bad play on words. Anyway, Typhlosion wanted to get away from Lopunny. I think he burnt her dress."
"See?" Delphox prodded Gardevoir with his staff. "You punched me for it, but I told you! She was a poor choice, and now he gets to pay for it."
"Honestly, I don't think any of us expected that one to end well." Gallade shook his head. "The biggest surprise for everyone was Chesnaught and Greninja, perhaps second only to General Rhydon and the king. But even then, I'm not so sure."
A loud gasp sounded and we turned to find a pink blur zip in front of Greninja and I.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Blissey clapped her hands together, and then bounced up and down in front of us. "You two had the prettiest display on the dance floor! The colors and the spinning and the image were so perfect!" She spun around and shook Armaldo by the shoulders. "Why didn't we get to meet with them sooner?!"
"S-Sorry, L-Lady B-Blissey." Armaldo clicked his claws together.
There was a dark side of my mind that really wanted to call him out on avoiding us for the past two months, but I held back on it. Looking at Greninja, I noticed the same thought went through his head, as he lightly chuckled while glancing at me.
"Well, at least we got to meet at all!" Blissey laughed. "I'd probably smash an egg if I didn't meet the two of you after that performance." Everyone's mouths dropped open as we shared horrified looks for Blissey. "…Did I say something wrong?"
"Mama?"
Blissey gazed down and noticed a small purple kangaroo-like baby at her feet. "Hi there!" The child yelped out and ran under the table. "Oops."
"Hey there, don't be scared!" I crawled down on my hands and knees, lifting the tablecloth up to see the baby nervously look back at me. Slowly, I lifted my hand for her to watch. "We won't hurt you. Come on out." Calmly, I opened my hand and waited for her to take it.
Instead, she giggled and ran out past me. I was about to call out for her when a stream of water popped up from the floor. It spun around in one spot, right in front of the curious baby. She watched it in awe and followed the water as it spun around her. Glancing up, I watched Greninja concentrate and control the stream as it danced around the cheering child. He then used the water to wrap around the baby and slowly lifted her into the air. I stood up as she clapped and floated across along the water. Realizing that she was coming over to me, I held my arms out as the water splashed away and the baby dropped in.
She gazed up at me curiously and I smiled. "Hello there," I playfully whispered. She clapped her hands again and loudly giggled. My friends clapped as I gently rocked her about.
"Goodness me, is that my baby?!"
"Kangaskhan…!"
Her mother, a much larger brown version of the baby, came charging over to us. Behind her was Bisharp. Smiling to Kangaskhan, I handed her baby over, to which she gently took from me and bounced her a little.
"Oh, what were you doing out?" Kangaskhan held her baby up as the child giggled at her mother. "Yes, you think it's all fun and games to give Mama a heart attack, don't you? Back in you go."
The baby yawned as Kangaskhan gently placed her within her pouch, just below her jasmine dressy top.
She looked up at me and smiled. "Thank you so much for finding her. I hadn't even realized that she followed me out. She was supposed to stay home with her sitter while I came here tonight, and I wouldn't have even known if I didn't hear her."
"You're welcome, milady." I bowed gently to her. "I also had some help from my friends." She turned to look at the others, who pointed to Greninja. "Um…especially my boyfriend."
"Ah, thank you so much." She took Greninja's arm and shook it, then did the same for mine, with a tight grip and a rough handshake. "You two might make wonderful parents someday, if you want to." My face flushed as I exchanged embarrassed expressions with Greninja, his face redder than mine.
"Perhaps?" I nervously laughed and scratched the back of my head. "Though, I'm not sure what it'd be like to have a child as a knight, let alone—"
"Knight? Oh my, are you one of them?"
"Me? Yes."
"Oh, listen to me, foolishly carrying on about…!" She shook her head, as her cheeks grew a bit pink. "Bisharp, why didn't you tell me about this fellow?"
"I was in the middle of it." Bisharp rubbed his hands together, but I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. To think that my own friend wouldn't mention me in passing, let alone the fact that he used to be my closest pal before I started dating Greninja. There was a little bit of guilt in his eyes as he caught mine, and quickly looked down at the floor. "Would you like to, uh, go back home, Kangaskhan?"
"No, I've got her, so she'll be fine now." Kangaskhan patted her pouch softly. "What you should do is actually introduce me to the rest of the knights."
"Yes, right." A little too quickly, he guided her away from us, not even waving with his date as they took off.
My head dropped down a bit and I stared at the floor in front of me. Greninja suddenly grabbed my hand and lifted my face back up.
"Are you ready to come back out dancing with me?" He smiled as his hand caressed mine. I nodded as his other hand gently scratched under my chin. "Good!"
"Ooh, let's go with them, Gallade!" Gardevoir cheered and tugged Gallade as we moved to go dancing again.
For a moment, I paused to see if Lilligant was coming with us, and checked back. She nodded and waved me on, while Delphox mindlessly stared at Blissey, who was talking quickly to both of them. I laughed as Greninja pulled me forward again.
[Greninja]
The four of us hurried onto the dance floor as the orchestra started a lively tune, with a bouncy beat to it.
"This will be so much fun!" Gardevoir clapped.
We lined up, with Chesnaught next to me, and Gardevoir across. Our group watched the others grab hands and jumped around in a circle. We shrugged, linked hands together, and followed, swinging one another quickly around.
"This seems so ridiculous," Gallade called as we hopped around.
"Are you joking? It's so liberating!" Gardevoir squealed.
Everyone slowed to a stop as the ocarina and flute took over. Again, we turned and watched as groups skipped to change places with one another. Chesnaught raised an eyebrow at it, but I turned and skipped around with Gardevoir to switch positions. We then watched and laughed as Chesnaught and Gallade did the same.
Abruptly, the music picked up again and we spun around in a circle, swinging quickly once more. Something about it made me burst out laughing, to which Gardevoir joined in, then Chesnaught, and after a minute, Gallade caved. Most of the music stopped again, with the flute and ocarina taking over.
The other four players stepped away from their instruments and clapped to keep a beat between the music. Following them, everyone broke apart and clapped as directed by the orchestra players. This lasted for a good half a minute before the players returned to all four instruments playing for a bit.
It didn't last, however, as the trumpeter and violinist began to play alone together. We followed the crowd as they turned to face their partners and looped around with their hands linked together. Chesnaught held his hands out and we slowly managed one turn around, with my arms feeling as though they might have broken off backwards. Gardevoir and Gallade, meanwhile, turn about twice. Shrugging, Chesnaught held up his arm and I twirled around beneath him.
After that, the timpanist pounded a few notes out, and then stopped as the harpist played a slow and soothing melody. The pairs came together and slowly moved around in a circle with their partners, rocking around as they did so. I smiled as we mirrored the group and easily kept up with the steps. Sighing, I leaned into Chesnaught and he grinned as we swayed.
It ended quickly to the high notes of the flutist, and the others joined in again for the lively beat. The tempo quickened and we spun and swung around with one another once more. We slipped apart and Gardevoir pulled me one way while Gallade and Chesnaught walked another. Laughing, we kicked out with one foot, then the next, and swung each other around again. Gardevoir then snatched my hands and we moved them back and forth as she got closer to me. Her grin helped me laugh harder and we began to walk in a circle, to watch as Chesnaught and Gallade awkwardly tried to keep up with the motions as well. Quickly, the trumpeter played off a few notes on his own, and then with the others joining in right after, as the silly song finally came to its end.
"That was the best ever!" Gardevoir cheered as everyone clapped. "And…now I'm hungry. Gallade, come!"
"W-What?" Before he could comprehend what was happening, Gardevoir snatched him and dragged him back away from the dance floor, happily waving to us as she went.
"Honestly, that was the strangest dance I've ever done," Chesnaught decided. I laughed and nodded in agreement.
Slowly, the Shining Summit put their instruments down and stood up, walking to the front of the stage together. Leavanny blew her leaf and the six hummed together. Their soft melody was enough to get several couples together as they swayed around.
"All vocals, I think." Chesnaught assessed as he watched the group. "Want to listen?"
"Sure, but let's join the others." I wrapped my left arm around his shoulder and my right around his waist. Chesnaught mimicked me and we swayed around with the other couples.
Soon, softly, the ladies began to sing:
High upon the mountains, she lived,
Fierce as the howling wind could be,
They sought to keep caged within,
But she'd rise until she'd reign free.
They sang it from the mountaintops,
Sent it out o'er the cold wide seas,
Across the scorching desert plains,
And echoed it from the forest's breeze.
"Is that a song about their queen?" I asked.
"Sort of." Chesnaught puffed out his cheek to think for a moment. "It's about each of the queens, actually, dating back to the first one who ruled. General Rhydon explained their history to me earlier today, since I didn't quite understand it."
"Ah, ok." I leaned into him as we rocked around, back and forth.
The lords came up for the next verse:
Several a lords laughed about her,
Did call her a fool right to her face,
'Til she raised their home from war,
And e'er more bowed to her grace.
They sang it from the mountaintops,
Sent it out o'er the cold wide seas,
Across the scorching desert plains,
And echoed it from the forest's breeze.
Chesnaught and I swayed about, still listening to the song. "It's powerful, if not a bit daunting," I decided.
"Yep, that's probably the point," he agreed as he massaged my shoulder. We held tight to one another and spun about in a circle, and then two, enough to elicit a few murmurs about the colors from around us.
Together, as a chorus, they sang the last part together:
Many a foe did try to take her life,
Many a lord begged for a royal wife,
Nay, she gave them all none but one,
Guarding her home, 'til she was done.
So sing it from the mountaintops,
Send it out o'er the cold wide seas,
Across the scorching desert plains,
And echo it from the forest's breeze.
Let her glory ring, across these lands!
Amen to all and now let her glory ring.
Carrying out the last couple of words, the group finished their lyrics, and garnered a warm applause from everyone, Chesnaught and I included. The Shining Summit bowed together and returned to their instruments.
"My, that was magnificent."
Chesnaught and I turned to see Nidoking, who appeared to be wearing his usual uniform, but with a red cape instead of the usual green one. He flashed us a smile, but seemed occupied with observing the party around us. For once, I believed that this was the king acting…nervous.
"Are you enjoying the night, your majesty?" I asked and laughed, hoping to get his attention with a title.
"Yes, very much so." Nidoking inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. "There's just…one last thing on my agenda that I'd like to take care of, specifically for tonight."
"Which is…?"
"A secret at the moment, but you'll find out shortly."
The king winked and strolled away from us, making his way to the center of the room. Rhydon bustled over, apparently trying to catch up with Nidoking.
"Did he just take off again?" Rhydon questioned, though it was more like a complaint.
"Afraid so, general," confirmed Chesnaught.
"He's been running off on me for the past…I don't know, fifteen, twenty minutes!" Rhydon folded his arms and grumbled. "Just what is he trying to do?"
"Sounds like he's looking to surprise you," I suggested. Rhydon gazed at me and tilted his head.
Before he could discuss it any further with us, Nidoking stepped up on the plateau, in front of his throne. "Attention please! Clear a bit of space just in front of me, if you will."
Slowly, the bulky crowd split open, leaving a wide and semi-circular spot before Nidoking. He swallowed hard and nodded with a smile.
"What is this for?" I whispered to Chesnaught and the general, who exchanged shrugs with one another.
"We have no idea," Chesnaught admitted.
"Quiet, please, I'd like your attention for just a moment." Everyone fell silent and watched Nidoking as he surveyed the gathered audience. "General Rhydon, please step forward."
He glanced back to Chesnaught and I, to which I shot him a reassuring smile. The general seemed a bit tense, and once he snatched my arm to drag me forward with him, I felt his shaking hands. Once he tugged Chesnaught and I to the front of the crowd, Rhydon released us, trudged to the middle alone, and stood at attention in front of Nidoking. The king to a moment to warmly smile at Rhydon, which made him relax a bit, but not completely, as he exhaled a deep breath. Nidoking raised his head and gazed out to everyone, with a quick wink to Chesnaught and I. He cleared his throat.
"Well, I don't want to take up too much time. However, it's impossible to keep it a secret, so…I figure I'll just beat the rumors out the gate this time." He inhaled a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "As many of you know, I went to a dark place after my wife died. It got to the point where a lot of us questioned my right to rule. Only one could bring me out of my stupor." Nidoking smiled as Rhydon's face flushed over. "General Rhydon has gone well above and beyond his duties, performing tasks beyond work for his soldiers, many a time for my own good. He has been by my side since we were young, and has always kept me fit for rule. What I didn't realize at first was that he also knew how to keep me emotionally stable. Beyond that, I hadn't even considered that he had seen me as more than his king."
A few whispers buzzed around while Rhydon raised his shoulders, poorly attempting to hide in plain sight. He was, however, laughing, and occasionally glanced around at the gawking faces in amusement.
"Truthfully, I don't think it's too bold to state that Rhydon helped make me a better king, as well as a better individual. To those that knew that, it was no surprise when he asked to be my date for tonight." A few knights, including Typhlosion and Samurott, cheered out for Rhydon, who laughed again and waved a bit to everyone. "Right, well, I've taken far too much time up here already, so now that you all know where this is going, I might just come out with it. So, I'll take this one final minute to ask my love if he would like to share my throne, as he already shares its burdens, and become my husband."
In spite of us understanding this, everyone still gasped as Nidoking stepped over to Rhydon and knelt down. He opened a small black box and Rhydon beamed broadly, nodding, and allowing Nidoking to clamp an engagement bracelet around his wrist. The general helped his king back up and the two shared a strong, passionate kiss, to which I happily cried out for them, along with a good portion of the party, flooded in gleeful uproars and thunderous applause.
Once it died down, Nidoking laughed and held Rhydon close to him. "Well, I think I've embarrassed him enough for a while. Thank you all! Now, I believe the fireworks will be up soon, so feel free to make your way outside to enjoy them!"
A few more cheers sounded about as large groups began to pour out from the ballroom to go downstairs and outside. I moved to follow them, but Chesnaught tugged me back.
"What is it?"
"Just keep quiet for a minute and follow me, ok?"
We waited for an opening in the packs headed out and slipped between them. Chesnaught then guided me in the opposite direction of the outpouring throng, and hurried down the halls.
[Chesnaught]
Quietly, I zipped around a corner and pulled Greninja along with me. He huffed and held back a bit, forcing me to turn back around.
"Could you just tell me where we're going?"
"I'm taking you to a more private venue for the firework finale."
"Private?" He looked sideways at me. "…Wait, finale?"
"Yeah, the fireworks denote the end of the ball." I turned back and glanced at the door in front of me. "Oh, we're here!"
Opening it, I led Greninja through the small sunroom, which was mostly dark now. At the end of the room, I slid the glass door open and guided Greninja out, onto the balcony. There was just enough room for the two of us, and the plants that decorated the railing around the platform were off to the sides, giving us the perfect view of the skyline. Though the midnight blue sky was filled with stars, it wouldn't be clear for much longer.
"Wow, this is a great view." Greninja walked up to the white railing and peeked over it to look down at everyone gathering outside below us.
"Carefully near the edge," I cautioned and slid up behind him. "Heracross actually managed to fall backwards over it. Luckily, he could fly, but I don't recommend it."
Greninja bumped into me and squinted at me. "Relax, I'm fine."
"Right, I know, it's just…" I couldn't really explain my abrupt emergence of fear for him. Heights and high winds were never a particular favorite of mine. Instead of finishing my thought, I placed my hand on top of his. Greninja turned to me and I smiled as I gazed back. He blushed and smiled as he wrapped our arms together.
"Did I mention you look spectacular in that outfit?" He giggled.
I laughed and squeezed his hand. "You did. And I think yours looks fantastic."
A firework whizzed into the air and we turned to watch as it burst into the sky. The white flares rained down as another firework launched up. Red bits rained down as three more rocketed up. They were blue, green, and purple. Several more launched up, as the colors flashed and lit up the sky, as the smoke clouds covered the stars.
Smiling, I wrapped my arm around him as Greninja moved into me, placing his hands against my chest and around my waist. We watched a few more fireworks crash off in the distance.
"I'm really going to miss this place," I murmured.
"Me too," he agreed. "But…I'd miss you more."
"Actually…I feel the same." We turned to look at one another. Greninja tilted his head as I shrugged. "It's hard for me to leave, but, I'd probably be a mess if you ever left without me." I sighed. "Guess I'm not very loyal after all."
"You're leaving only because of your king's orders." Greninja rubbed my chest. "I think that's a great show of loyalty." I smiled again as he chuckled. "But, I must admit, I'm happy to hear that my absence would at least bother you."
"At least," I repeated. "At most, I'd either tear the place down or run off to find you again."
"The former, I doubt. The latter, I believe."
"Ok, I'd just go insane or follow you. Better?"
"Yep, that works." He laughed and I dropped my head on top of his. Slowly, he stopped and I nuzzled him.
"Your laugh is the cutest," I whispered.
Greninja pulled his head away from under mine and smiled at me. I massaged his shoulders a little as I leaned in. He met me and we kissed as the fireworks continued to burst into the night.
...
Oh, are you alive after that? Congratulations! I'll have to hand out those "I survived this chapter" t-shirts.
But yay, a ridiculously long party with all sorts of things happening! Hopefully you spotted every character that popped up. (In case you didn't quite catch it with all of the shopkeepers, one of them was Sceptile from the last chapter. Greninja never met him, and therefore did not know who he was.) But yes, I had all of the knights and other castle dwellers appear here or there, even Golurk! (He'll be the least remembered character, in spite of being one of the biggest. Darn.) Some even had their dates appear…if they dated outside of the castle, that is!
Anyway, I tried to research dance related stuff, and I kind of crashed while doing so. If you're curious about it, in order, they were: waltz (Greninja/Chesnaught), tango disguised as a waltz (Greninja/Samurott), folk music that combined allemande and swing (Sneakpast/Medieval Story), and…well, just slow dancing (Sneakpast), because I just caved at the end. At first, I aimed for more obscure choices, but that just blew up in my face, so that never happened.
Major event for this chapter? Nidoking and Rhydon are engaged, hooray! …I will make DrillShipping popular and/or adored, and you will not stop me! (Ok, that's a lie, but I tried.) Oh, and there was that new guy from the Iceberg Empire, Alakazam or whatever. It was a blink and you missed him moment. Um, and the Shining Summit orchestra group, them too. They'll be back in the next story, just…not how you're expecting them. However, the Great Mountains Queendom is not done for this story, and…more will come! (Excuse me as I casually tease you with vague details.)
As of writing, I believe this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Yes, out of anything so far. That will be broken in the future, but for now, I'll have this written here to commemorate it. (And you actually went through with reading that! You're almost as crazy as me-no, wait, that's a lie. I'm probably the only looney toon around here. Unless I'm not? Huh.) So, once you finish reading, go take a victory lap or rinse your eyes out, because that's totally necessary! (I think.)
With the next chapter, the adventure north finally begins! …After a dramatic goodbye, because yes. What will happen along the way? Things! As a reminder, it's the Kalos trio venturing off. And…everyone else will get left behind. Hope you enjoyed your favorites while they lasted; they might not show up again for a good number of chapters! (Or, they might appear once more in the next chapter, depending on who you like. If it's any of the main characters, you're probably safe.)
So! If you have the energy left in you, please send me feedback with a message or review! (Please, please do. I don't want to believe I wrote all of that for nothing. I know you shippers are out there! …Or, at least, readers. …Maybe?) Comments and criticisms are welcome! Thank you all again for reading all of this!