When there's something strange...
In your neighborhood...
A Mid-Sinnoh Night's Dream - XXII - Who You Gonna Call?
They'd retrieved their Pokemon from the Move Tutor weeks before, but after relaxing and seeing what Snowpoint had to offer, Team Black was ready to head back to Hearthome City.
After saying their goodbyes to the cheerful Gym Leader, Barry decided to flex and fly on Regice.
His hands slipped on the back halfway up and he slammed his face into its back, before sliding back down to the ground.
"Ow… How come that works for Hilby?"
"Cuz I'm awesome." When Hilbert hopped on Golurk's shoulder, the stone melted away and formed a handhold. He leaned back to help Dawn up while blowing a raspberry at the blond.
After she got a safe grip, she smacked Hilbert upside the head and started scolding him about maturity. Not that he'd ever listen, (Or get hurt) but someone had to keep him in line.
Regice had a sort of shield against the elements, and so, Hilbert bestowed upon Barry the position of Field Leader ICE.
"What does ICE mean?" Barry asked, confused. Their small fleet looked like it was at the center of a comet, and the wind was barely a passing breeze.
"In Case of Emergency."
"Wouldn't that be in most of our battles then?"
"No, only when there's no one else."
"Aw man…"
"Dude, you know the leadership thing is all jokes, right?"
"It is?"
"We're not like, Team Galactic or anything, there are six of us. We don't really need that kind of thing."
"I, uh, I knew that!"
Lucas shook his head behind them, his Staraptor rapidly flapping its wings to keep up. "Why does Hilbert grow brain cells when he's around Barry?"
Cheryl shrugged on Tropius's back, having borrowed them since Barry didn't need them. "Someone needs to be the smart one, right?"
"From what I can tell, going by standard archetypes, we're actually missing that one."
After landing on the outskirts, and to very much excitement on the boys' parts, the gym was open.
But, Dawn had to compete in a contest before then, explaining, "We'll have to leave early when you destroy the gym out of shame."
"You mean 'if', right?"
"You heard me. Let's go check the schedules."
The contest hall would be open for registration until Saturday, something about a special guest, so they had a few days. First things first though, they went off to find the hotel.
Cheryl walked off to find the Pokemon Fan Club. She slowly pushed open the door, and after a brief few moments of having kids look at her, as if trying to remember if they'd seen her on TV, she was allowed to pass.
"Cline," she greeted the green-haired boy with a light wave.
"Oh, hey, cousin!"
Funny thing, while Cheryl was a treasure hunter, her cousin was similarly fascinated by Pokemon. Though, because he was once or twice removed, he chose to stay at home instead of traveling.
"I have a few exclusive shots I thought you'd like to get your hands on," she explained as she ruffled through her bag, looking for her camera. "Did you hear about what happened in Snowpoint City with Regi-"
"Yeah! That was super cool! Man, I haven't really been following Barry's stats, but his Empoleon is impressive!" Just as luckily, the cross-transceivers had Vs. Recorders built in, and per common courtesy, most trainers uploaded videos of their battles.
"Please don't stalk my teammates…"
"It's not stalking! Those guys are professionals, it's my job to keep track! I know the stats of every challenger from this year- Well, the ones with a lot of Gym Badges, at least. That Paul guy is something else though, have you-"
"I heard Hilbert say something about some guy, though he couldn't remember the name. It started with a 'P', do you think that could be it?"
"Man, I wish I could see that match! But no, no, I haven't seen it online. You need permission from both sides to upload, so that's probably it," he said, fervently shaking his head.
"That sounds about right. Anyway, I do have some new photos to print."
"Super cool, I'll get those developed! You don't mind if I send them to Jubilife TV, right?"
"I don't think that would upset them, it should be fine."
"Fantastic!"
The contest hall was even more packed than Hilbert remembered, though they were luckily able to snag some seats. Barry had bought popcorn from Arceus-knows-where, and was halfway through the bucket before the lights in the auditorium dimmed.
"Hello, welcome all! Before we get started, I'd like to introduce a very special guest!" The show-woman was elegant and wearing a dress with so many ruffles he couldn't actually tell how many layers there were.
"Hailing from the Hoenn region…"
A spotlight lit up with an inaudible 'clang'.
"The Top Coordinator…"
Another two joined it.
"And not to mention very pretty…"
Bright multicolored lasers began dancing across the stage.
"Please wish a happy birthday to, and welcome- May Ple!"
Invisible confetti and clapping filled the auditorium.
"Um… it's Maple, actually," the coordinator said, correcting the host after walking out onto the stage wearing a red dress that fluttered and floated like flames, only partially covered by a white leather jacket. A Blaziken followed behind her, its feathery hair somehow tamed into a nordic braid.
"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, I thought that was a typo!"
The dim theater was filled with echoes of a smattering of facepalms in the audience.
Hilbert briefly tried to remember why she seemed familiar but shrugged it off.
"Well, moving on! Miss May will be competing in a Contest Battle against our very own Fantina!"
The following applause was in contrast to earlier, deafening, and as it died off, Hilbert asked, "Battle? I thought this was a contest hall."
"That means it's half and half. Looking good while kicking ass, I suppose," Lucas explained.
"Huh. I can get behind that." Hilbert leaned back and crossed his arms.
The Gym Leader, who had fittingly been a ghost the last few times they were in Hearthome, finally made their appearance. Fantina had light skin, similar to a lot of people in Unova. Most of the people that moved from Kalos or Galar had the same tone, though you could never be certain. Purple dress lace with sequins, and she had an aristocratic grace to her; It would later become clear that it was completely by accident, but intentional all the while. There was an odd object in her hair, gleaming in the spotlights like a marble.
"Greetings, everyone! The très fantastique Fantina has made her way back home!"
There was a brief pulse of confused muttering in the crowd.
"Fantina being myself, of course."
The crowd roared with approval. She was something of a regional idol for those not interested in the league, and they were always glad to see her return.
The purple-haired woman turned to the visitor and offered an outstretched hand. They shook, and the host quickly, but not obviously so, vacated the stage.
Fantina gracefully moved to one side of the stage, as her slightly-edgier opponent did the same. The theater held a bated breath as the their Pokemon appeared.
Rather than using a Pokeball, Fantina simply snapped her fingers, and a Dusknoir slipped upwards through the shadows cast by the spotlights.
May's Blaziken jumped from her side, spinning and twisting the air, until it landed in a light puff of flame in front of the Dusknoir.
"Begin!"
"Let us give them a show, madame! Dusknoir, use Dark Pulse!"
Shadows gathered from the edges of the stage, slipping around the Pokemon like black fire, and gathering in front of Dusknoir. With timing that was likely the result of thousands of hours worth of practice, Dusknoir danced in the air, making odd hand gestures, before palming the pulse towards Blaziken with the 'clang' of a church bell.
Back in the stands, Hilbert was puzzled, and so he dialed Dawn for a Lifeline.
"Hey, you're watching the battle, right?"
"Of course I am!" Her side of the line seemed much quieter than his, given his side was crowded by cheers and applause.
Blaziken dodged, jumping over the pulse and splitting its legs as if it were a breakdancer.
"Why would she use a Dark-type move? Blaziken are Fighting-type, right?"
"Well, it's not that simple, Hilby." She paused, as whatever screen she was watching on caught up to his view. "If you lead with your best moves right off the bat, some people see that as rude, like you don't have time for them. I have no doubt a Shadow Ball could have looked the same, but it's not about the exact strength, it's about giving a good show. Though, you're right, beating your opponent is good too."
"Wow, you really know your stuff."
Blaziken used an odd move by stomping on the ground and igniting a spiraling column of fire. It spun like a vortex, though it was thin enough that everyone could still see what was happening inside.
"What move was that?"
"I think that was Fire Pledge!"
"I haven't heard of that one before."
"You know how Hoenn had the first league to allow multi battles?"
"...No?"
"Well, May came up with it for the contest circuit, and showed off how it worked with other moves!"
"You lost me."
"In an interview, she said she came up with the idea of combining moves for contests after she had a double battle with her boyfriend's Sceptile-"
He had trouble hearing Dawn's voice as a closer voice called out to him, "Hey, Black!" A young man with white hair/a really weird beanie, though not younger than him, leaned down from the walkway behind them. "Are you guys talking about me?"
It clicked for Hilbert just where he recognized the coordinator from. "Oh, hey, Brendan, how's it going?"
"It's good, just traveling for a while, making sure May doesn't get into trouble, y'know how it is. Being Champion is boring when Groudon and Kyogre are behaving."
"Right… I can totally relate to that."
"Ugh, I know, it's so boring." He leaned down, sighing, before looking back to the stage and watching Dusknoir summon an army of ghostly hands to reach up from the floor.
"So, how do the Pledge moves work, exactly?"
"Oh, those things? I don't know exactly, May uses them more than I do. When she came up with it, some grunts were trying to rob a contest hall. She told my partner, Sceptile, what to do, and then there was this crazy 'fwoom', and it gave the grunts' Pokemon a burn. And then there was that time Wally teamed up with me, and she teamed up with Wally, and then that other kid with a Grovyle, he was weird…"
"Who's Wally?"
"Oh, he was a cute kid. He's like my little brother, got a Swampert, and he's about your age now, I can give you his num-"
"Hell no."
"Just messing with you. I think he said he'd be coming to Sinnoh this year, actually. Haven't seen him around though."
Their attention turned back to the stage for a brief moment, as Blaziken punched through the column in rapid succession, sending fists made of fire towards Dusknoir.
"Hilby? Are you talking to the Hoenn Champion? Right now?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Is your name seriously Hilby? I kind of feel bad for you." Brendan flinched, almost like he expected to be hit. Not by Hilbert though, probably by his girlfriend.
"...It's Hilbert."
"Sucks for you."
"You wanna fight? We can go right now- I mean, as soon as this is over." He quickly corrected himself, not wanting to miss Dawn's performance.
"Bet."
"Yeah, bet. I can take you."
"Oh yeah? Well I bet on your bet being wrong!"
Click.
"She hung up…. Guess she has to get ready. Women and their makeup, you have permission to laugh now."
"You really don't know how girls work, do you?"
"I'll tell May you said that."
"I'll tell whoever-that-was you said that."
"Mutually assured destruction?"
"Oh, definitely."
The stupidity of men when in groups larger than one truly cannot be underestimated.
Blaziken and Dusknoir were in a dramatic tussle at the center of a spiral that burned black and orange. Shadow Punches met Fire Punches, and neither side seemed to give in.
"Looks like we have to use our ultimate technique, Blaziken!" May shouted, giving her partner a thumbs up.
The Fire-type nodded, and the column of fire closed completely, sealed off from the world.
"Now, Blast Burn!"
There was a massive roar of surprise and shock, as people ran for cover.
Pop.
The flames exploded outwards, but instead of flying into the audience, they sputtered out like leaves falling from the sky, leaving a light impact on the crowd.
That may have actually been lightheadedness from the lack of oxygen. Most of it burned up in the explosion. Hence why both Pokemon were knocked out when the last of the blazes flickered away.
"Hoo. Guess he should have held back more…" May awkwardly laughed, her hand on the back of her head.
"AYE! That's my wife!" Brendan became the loudest person in the theater in seconds with his shout.
The coordinator lit up red, turning towards him and pointing. "Brendan! What are you doing here?"
"You kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world!"
"And… I'm not your wife, you know!"
Brendan let out a blue cloud-covered Pokemon, grabbing a hold of its neck and flying down to the stage. He slipped a hand in his pocket, before approaching the girl with his hand behind him.
"Oh, I do."
He kneeled in front of her.
"But do you?"
A ring was sitting in a small box, which he held in an outstretched hand.
Hilbert could only say one thing, almost sounding loud in the silent theater.
"What."
Beat.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"
May had clapped a hand over her mouth, and was bouncing excitedly.
"Of all the days for him to propose, it had to be the one we were around to see. I hate being the protagonist sometimes. Ouch, my quasi-interdimensional alter-ego just kicked my groin area, I'm going to stop thinking now."
After that whole thing was done with, and Brendan carried out his new fiancee, bridal style (Into the midday sunset, of course), everyone settled down, the actual contests started up. Four coordinators would enter the stage each round, and only one would move onto the next. Given the hype surrounding the day's event, there were many more than usual.
That left Dawn with a faint feeling of confusion.
"...How do I top that?"
She decided to think about drills, and then go from there. And no, that's not an innuendo.
When she arrived on the stage, dressed in a pink dress with as many frills as the contest host, she was less nervous than she'd been before, but she was worried about her routines.
"Alright! The theme for this round is… Cool!"
Dawn let out a sigh of relief as the other contestants let their Pokemon out.
Their moves were interesting. A lot of Fire and Fighting-type attacks, but those generally were pretty cool, even if it was a bit boring.
She chose Oricorio for the round, to spice things up. 'Do what people don't expect for the hell of it, it'd be kind of funny'. That's what Hilbert would probably have said. Not that he knew a thing about contests, but it was the thought that counted.
"Oooooh, what's that Pokemon?"
"Oricorio, use your pink flowers!"
The yellow Flying-type fervently nodded and pulled a living flower from thin air. Whether it was beneath its feathers or not, the world would never know. Sleight of hand could be pretty cool, but that wasn't the intended effect.
In short order, its feathers turned pink, flipping outwards as they replaced the pom-pom style and grew into wide and wavy fans, and soon it had a dress and feather crown of off-white.
After the other rounds had passed, it was time to get started.
"Oricorio, make like an Abra and use Protect!"
The pink Pokemon froze for a second in incomprehension. While Team Black's Pokemon met often, given the ridiculous nature of some of their stories, Oricorio found them hard to believe. And so, while not doubting she could, she looked back at her trainer with feathers furrowed on her crown.
"Yes, I'm serious!"
Oricorio shrugged and began waving her fans, coalescing a sphere, and flexing it inwards with an Aerial Ace. It looked like a bulbous cone, but it was on the way there.
Another round passed, and they reached the point of no return. Dawn was far behind the other contestants on points, and unless she managed something spectacular, she was out.
"Now, split it, but keep it the same size!"
Oricorio's feathers tensed, but it managed to split the cone in four, redirecting them in opposite directions like a compass, floating above her head.
Another round passed. They only had half a minute to get this right.
"Surround them with Air Cutters!"
Oricorio was becoming visibly fatigued, but nodded nevertheless, and the drills began lacing themselves with shuddering air. They were still clear, but seemed to have a faint gray sheen.
There were mere seconds before the round ended.
"No time for dramatic move-calling! NOW!"
The drills whirred and shot off through the theater, wildly tearing through the air and coming into orbit around with Oricorio at the center. There was a wild wind blowing through the audience, tearing up loose food wrappers and empty cans.
Hilbert was already paying attention, what kind of boy… What kind of friend would he be if he wasn't? He jumped up, his jacket whipping around him, and starting clapping as loud as he could.
Barry quickly followed in the hype, and soon, through the weakening chaos, most of the audience was as well, louder than they had for any other coordinator.
And so, Dawn won her first ribbon.
As soon as they were out of the contest hall, Hilbert could only mutter one phrase.
"Gym battle gym battle gym battle-"
It looked like he'd worn himself out in all the excitement.
Dawn stood in front of him, pointing at him then the ground.
"Down, boy!"
Hilbert stopped, and had he a tail, it would have frozen as well.
"Let's go tomorrow, you look like you could doze off any second now."
"Aw man…"
"And you really need to be more patient."
"Zzzzz…"
Dawn pressed her hand to her forehead, sighing in disgust. "How'd he fall asleep standing up…? Barry, catch him before he falls."
"Uh, yes ma'am."
"Gym battle gym battle gym battle-"
"BY ARCEUS, HILBERT, GO TO SLEEP!" Lucas shouted, slamming a pillow over the half-functioning boy's face. He fell back onto the hotel bed, still wearing his normal clothes, and conked out as soon as he hit the mattress.
Barry shook his head, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Man, I get excited for them too, but he's taking it too far."
Lucas looked at him, his face the perfect picture of annoyance. "You think?"
The continental breakfast in a hotel is considered by many to be the key to unlocking human inhibitions. Well, that, or a place in between realities, like a certain TV studio that doesn't exist, and no, you cannot make me go back there!
Ahem, what was I saying?
Hilbert's first words the next morning; In exact quotation.
"Gym battle?"
Dawn nodded, stretching her arms and yawning. "Yes, Hilby. Gym battle."
That actually woke him up from his daze, as he jumped out of his skin, metaphorically of course, and started looking around wildly.
"What? I was in the contest hall a second ago…"
"I didn't think people could get that bored. Seriously, disassociating for a full twelve hours? I'm honestly a little impressed," Lucas remarked, shaking his head begrudgingly. "I guess you ought to step up your game, Dawn. I don't think anyone else could have stayed awake much longer than he did. Well, except for me."
Hilbert set to calming the slate-haired girl immediately, restraining her from bashing Lucas over the head by grabbing her under the shoulders and pulling back.
The other boy simply chuckled and sipped his coffee. He took it black, because he was an adult or something, and that's what mature people do. Totally.
Never underestimate the flanderizing and mind-altering effects of the continental breakfast. Especially when dealing with teenagers, who are addled enough by hormones as-is.
The Hearthome Gym was incredibly similar to the contest hall, though there were much less seats, and the stage was clearly more durable. It was dim, but lit well enough by the purple-flamed torches that lined the walls.
The Gym Leader herself was dancing alone on the stage, along with some of her Pokemon. A graceful Drifblim, an elegant Dusknoir, a spinning Mismagius, and an orbit of odd orange Pokemon surrounded by electricity.
Soft classical music faded away as she slowed, taking notice of the challengers. Their non-competing half had split off to find seats, which were just as crowded as the contest hall.
"Ah, my first challengers. Elfin, isn't that fantastique!"
"That's an odd accent. Must be a Kalosian dialect," said his inner Lucas. He told it to shut up, as he wasn't supposed to be smart enough to recognize that.
"...And my friends from Lumiose, how exciting! Who would like to go first?"
"Lucas, you're up," Hilbert said, before walking off to find the girls. Barry quickly caught on and did the same, leaving the two battlers to prepare themselves.
"How many Gym Badges do you have?"
"We all have five… technically."
"Very well. Let us begin!"
And so, the stage was set. Faint piano music began playing over the speakers, with an impactful edge.
"Pyukumuku!"
"Rotom!"
A purplish blob landed on the stage. It looked around wildly, before noticing the floating Electric-type.
Rotom had a mischievous grin, flickering around while waiting for its orders.
"Ooh, isn't that an Alolan Pokemon?"
"It is. We did a lot of traveling. Now, start with Safeguard!"
Pyukumuku spit out a hazy gas that filled its side of the arena, though it quickly became as visible as air.
"Eerie Impulse, my dear Rotom!"
The Ghost-type's face split into a grin, before a wave of static washed over the stage. Lucas and Pyukumuku shuddered.
He eyed the flickering Rotom, watching its erratic movements.
"We're not going to hit anything moving like that. Use Gastro Acid!"
Pyukumuku shuddered again, but more aggressively. It raised itself on its rear before flopping back down. A shower of purplish liquid coated the Rotom, who recoiled in disgust.
It was surprised when it fell to the ground moments later.
If Lucas was wearing glasses, he would have adjusted them. "You see, Gastro Acid stops special abilities from working!"
"Next you'll be telling us Pot of Greed allows you to draw two cards!" Hilbert shouted.
"Shut up, Hilbert. Now-"
"Rotom, use a Thundershock!"
An arc of lightning sent Pyukumuku flailing.
"Pyu… *Brp*."
In a flash of white organs, a blast of yellow energy covered Rotom, knocking the Electric-type out.
"Lu-cas-Lu-cas-Lu-cas!"
Lucas looked over to the stands, and saw a small crowd of girls cheering for him.
"What the…"
Barry yelled, "That's not fair, I want fangirls!"
Hilbert shook his head. "You're not nearly brooding enough. And definitely not stoic. Also, you don't wear black."
The blond turned to him, offended. "Dark blue is totally close enough!"
"With yellow?"
"He's got red on his jacket!" Barry said, attempting to defend himself.
"It's different. He's got the most edge out of the three of us."
"So what, I gotta dye my hair?"
"Doesn't work like that."
"Man…"
Lucas coughed on the battlefield. "If the peanut gallery has nothing else to say, can we continue?"
"Absolutely! Now, Drifblim, take the stage!"
With a cry, the ghostly blimp flew towards the center of the arena.
"Can't use Infernape…" As if there was a lightbulb flickering above his head, he reached for his newest catch. He released it and patted it on its slimy head. "Alright, go for it, Goomy."
It shyly waddled towards Drifblim, eliciting a squeal from the fangirls, because teenage girls are like that or something, it was 2009, the internet really needed to find a new target by then, yadda yadda.
Fantina had a dimpled frown on her face. "I do hope you're taking this seriously. You should have evolved them by now, non?"
"I subscribe to a… different school of thought. A friend of mine said I should let them take their time. Now, Goomy, start with a Rain Dance, alright?"
"He's so gentle!" Cried one of the fangirls, followed by another squeal.
Barry was gritting his teeth, only Hilbert's iron grip on his arm to keep him from saying anything. "This is gonna be a lot funnier in hindsight, so chill out."
The humidity in the theater rose slightly, though it was denser in the arena. Drops of water began falling out of nearly thin air, and mechanized slots opened into a drain on the sides of the stage.
"Can you use Thunderbolt, little guy?"
"Goo- myyyyy…" It replied, puffing up for a second, before deflating physically and metaphorically.
"Don't worry, we'll figure something out."
Fantina was tired of letting him mess around. "Drifblim, blow Icy Wind upon them!"
Goomy froze up, not from the attack, but from the aggressive intent. Reflexively, it cried out.
And let loose a wave of Dragon Breath.
The purple blast pierced through the broad canvas of snow and surrounded Drifblim. It floated out of the cloud, just as surprised as the two trainers.
"Dragon Breath, then? Alright, good job, Goomy."
"Goo-my-Goo-my-Goo-my- Yeah!" The crowd of fangirls cheered.
Barry muttered, "Where did they even come from? This sucks."
"They can sniff out bad boys like Sharpedo can blood in the water."
Had he been looking in Marley's direction, he would have seen the scandalized look on her face.
"Hit them with another bout!"
Goomy sprayed fog filled with draconic energy, filling up Drifblim's balloon when it flew through the cloud.
An audible, very human-like cough came from the Ghost-type, like it was hocking up its non-existent lungs. It was shuddering, barely managing to levitate in the same cubic meter. "Ack! What's in that stuff, asbestos? Can't breath!"
Hilbert could only be left to ponder the implications.
"Finish it off, Goomy!"
"Hi-yaaa!" With another spit, it knocked Drifblim out of the air and onto the ground, KO'ed, to spread-out cheers from the audience.
"Very good, very good. You proved me wrong about those little dragons. Now, let us commence forth! You have three Pokemon left, and I two, but are you sure that will be enough?"
"If not, I'd be in a lot of trouble."
His fangirls really found that a lot funnier than they should have, but the battle carried on regardless.
"Can you keep going, Goomy?"
The blobby Dragon-type nodded to him, before nervously turning back towards Fantina.
"Dusknoir, the show must go on!"
The armored ghost slammed its gauntlets together, producing the clang of a church bell before charging forward through the dripping air.
"Dragon Breath!"
Dusknoir took the brunt of the fog, but broke through and swung an ice covered fist into Goomy, sending it across the arena with a 'splat'.
"Goomy?"
"...My…" It weakly tried to raise its form, but struggled.
Lucas recalled it to its ball in a short pulse of light. "Get some rest. Now, Infer-"
The wrong Pokeball burst open, revealing a bipedal blue and red frog.
"Toxi-tox," it ribbited, shadow boxing and taunting Dusknoir.
"Toxicroak, no-" Before he could recall it, Dusknoir had already closed in. "I'll have to deal with this, then."
"Guts guts guts guts guts-" Toxicroak jumped from leg to leg, dodging the Ghost-type's punches and trading a few Poison Jabs in return. It slammed a fist into Dusknoir's helmet. "GUTS!"
Truly, the reason Toxicroak hadn't tried to return to Saturn was that he believed Team Galactic was weak after being defeated by Infernape. So, he traveled with them, just to get a good fight.
He met another Shadow Punch with another Poison Jab.
"You are a strong opponent. Very unfortunate that I cannot use my full strength."
"Heh, sucks to be you. Guts!" Toxicroak jumped up, wrapped its fists around Dusknoir's helmet, and spun it forward in mid-air, throwing the Ghost-type into the stage floor, denting the faux-wood.
"Finish it off with Venoshock!"
Dusknoir fainted as soon as the attack hit.
"Magnifique! I am impressed! But how can you handle my last Pokemon?"
"Maybe. Toxicroak, get ready to-"
The Poison-type returned itself to its Pokeball before Lucas could finish speaking, having gotten the fight it wanted.
"No, get back out here."
The Pokeball refused to open.
"Fine, fine. We're both down to one, then?"
"That's right. Mismagius, give this show a perfect finale!"
Spinning like a top, the deep purple ghost appeared above the arena, silently cackling.
"Then… Hey, Hilbert, give me the drill!"
Hilbert shot out of his seat, unclasping the Key Drill from his neck. "You sure?"
"Positive."
Using his aura, Hilbert easily made the throw, though Lucas shook out his hand after catching it. Crystal could be a bit heavy and sharp, after all.
"Alright. Roserade, let's finish this!"
The Grass-type appeared in a blast of light, flourishing its flowers. There was a circlet on its crown. It started glowing in unison with the drill.
There was a blast of orange and blue, and Mega-Roserade revealed itself. Heightened in aggression and attack, it was ready to take on Fantina's last Pokemon.
"Oho? Mega Evolution? Then I suppose I'll have to match your bet; Come, Mismagius!" She reached for a clip in her hair, and Mismagius's necklace began glowing.
Mega-Mismagius had a longer cloak, sharper hat, and floating tendrils in the air surrounding it, glowing a faint pink. The black surrounding its eyes grew, completely shading them from sight, and leaving an infinite darkness beneath its brim. A single faint light of yellow floated inside, barely visible. A metallic staff orbited it, spinning and tracing lines of light in the air around it in a flat double helix.
Hilbert quickly tapped in some search queries on his cross-transceiver.
"Fairy-type…?"
Lucas probably already knew that though, as a faint smirk snuck onto his face.
"I had a feeling you would do that. Roserade, start off with a Leech Seed."
It nodded, the petals surrounding its mask fluttering. The flowers on its arms folded aside, revealing a Victreebel-like limb, and it began strafing and shooting seeds at Mismagius like a machine gun.
Mismagius telekinetically swatted some seeds away with its magical staff, though some impacted its body with a wince. Faint green orbs were already appearing on the surface of its cloth.
"Mismagius, cast Mystical Fire!"
The ghost's staff spun in front of it, sharply coming to a stop and pointing towards Roserade. A white-hot flame exploded from the gem, roaring towards Roserade in a dozen shapes of different spirits; Flaming apparitions of Gastly, Duskull, Misdreavus, and many others.
It dodged, however, only catching a hint of the heat, and ran to the side, beginning a barrage of Poison Stings.
The staff shot towards Roserade, making it stumble in surprise, before it was hit by an unmistakable Aerial Ace.
Roserade jumped back, hurt, but still able to continue. Some of its health was replenished by the Leech Seed, but it wasn't nearly enough.
"Stay back and use Grassy Terrain!"
Roserade jumped out of the staff's range, and as it touched down, grass sprung up from the arena's floor and spread in an outgoing spiral. It soon coated the entire ground, though it stopped at the edges.
"Now, Toxic!"
"Mismagius, split the stream!"
A noxious wave of liquid flew through the air towards Mismagius, though it coated the staff rather than the Pokemon. The staff shuddered, as if it were poisoned.
"Maybe it's a part of… Ah, I know- Use Venom Drench!"
Roserade's limb switched out, the roses swirling then shrinking to reveal a green ball coated into dark thorns, like a Cacnea. It shot out of its arm, popping on the ground before coming to a spot in between. It exploded into a wet cloud of purple, soaking both the staff and Mismagius. With a cry, Mismagius's attempts to move the staff were proving ineffective, as it weakly rose with half the vigor it had before.
"Now, Petal Blizzard!"
Hundreds of petals flew from Roserade's body, growing and detaching from its mask and arms, swirling into a storm in the arena. The storm enclosed on the ghost, ripping and tearing through it and its instrument.
The white petals floated away, dissolving, as Mismagius was revealed, reverted to its normal form on the ground of the arena.
Cheering erupted in the arena as Lucas gave Roserade a solid thumbs-up, which the Pokemon attempted to reciprocate despite not having hands.
Oh well. It's the thought that counts.
AN:
This chapter is going to be a two-parter, because there's a lot of stuff, and I want to get a new chapter out soon. Mega Mismagius is a thing now too, because I thought it would be funny and it would be boring for Fantina to use a Gengar instead of a Sinnoh Pokemon. Lucas has fangirls, because he's the closest to being a bad boy out of the three, except he's about as straight-laced as a guy who hangs out with Hilbert could get. The return of a one-off side character has occurred, who'd've guessed. And there's also some not so subtle foreshadowing. And the typical marriage subplot rears its head, out of nowhere. You ask why, I ask why not.
Oh, and before I'm assassinated, you would call the Gh-