Our heroes are hitting the road once more. Now that Ichigo has earned his sixth badge, they're aiming for Senerena City so that Orihime can win her fourth and final star medal.

"Only two more to go, Absol. We'll be there in almost no time." Ichigo said. With them taking a break at a local pokemon center, they were all going to hit the road again soon.

"Absol."

"How about you, Orihime?" Rukia asked. "Senerena City will be coming up soon. Do you think you'll be ready for it?"

"I hope so." Orihime said. "I want to be able to battle with Meowstic in this one, but I'm not sure what to do in the first round. I don't know how to show off Meowstic's uniqueness or best quality." It has Orihime puzzled on what she's going to do.

"Attention! This is a message to all those who are competing in Pokemon Talent Star." Orihime looked to the television and saw Baron was on there. "In honor of the Ultimate Talent Star that will be happening soon, we are hosting a little fancy party. We like the chance for all showmen and show-women to enjoy themselves, and to thank them for all that they've done. It will be held at Lake Valant. We have plenty of dresses and suits for all to choose, and you must have a date." This party sounds like it could be a fun time. Orihime certainly doesn't want to miss it.

Pokemon

No time to question my moves

I stick to the path that I choose

Me and my friends are gonna do it right

You'll never see us runaway from a fight

To be a master is my dream

All I have to do is believe

(I believe)

I'm on a master quest

(Master quest)

I'm on my way to victory

I can be a champion if I just believe

I'm on a master quest

(Master quest)

I want the whole world to see

(I believe)

I'm gonna be the very best

Cause all I have to do is believe in me

Pokemon!

(Orihime's voice) Dance and Battle Away

"That sounds like it could be a lot of fun." Orihime said. "What do you say guys? Do you want to check it out?"

"I guess it could be fun." Rukia said. "Lake Valant isn't that far from here."

"You really want to attend one of those fancy parties? They're not as much fun." Ichigo said as he wasn't really looking forward to this. He didn't like going, but he did see the pleading eyes Orihime had. He couldn't say no when it came to that. "Well, if it really means that much to you." Orihime was excited for this. Rukia wrapped her arm around Orihime to whisper something to his ear.

"Baron said you need to have a date. This might be the perfect opportunity for you to get close to a certain carrottop." Rukia said. She's aware of Orihime's feelings towards Ichigo. The thought of having Ichigo as her date made Orihime blush.

...

Lake Valant

Lake Valant was a beautiful lake with a small castle-like structure. Showmen and show-women lined up to get inside the party. They partnered up with someone and their pokemon. When Orihime got there, she was pretty excited.

"Wow. This ended up being a bigger deal than I thought." Ichigo said. "It looks like they go in with a partner and one of their pokemon."

"Don't you think it would be fun, Meowstic?" Orihime asked as she had Meowstic out to enjoy the party.

"Orihime, Baron said you needed a date, right?" Ichigo asked. "What are you going to do about that?" Orihime was getting a little nervous. She wants to ask him to be her date, but she couldn't bring the words.

"Hey, Ichigo. Mind being my date?" All of them looked and saw Riruka and Stufful were there.

"Riruka?!" Orihime said as they were all surprised to see her, but Orihime was more shocked that she asked Ichigo first.

"As if I was going to miss this." Riruka said. "Of course, Stufful and I don't have a date. That's why I'm asking you, Ichigo. You're being my data for this party."

"Uh..." Ichigo wasn't sure what to say.

"Come on." Riruka said as she didn't even give Ichigo the chance to respond. She just grabbed his arm and walked in. Stufful pushed against Absol and Absol went along with it. Orihime couldn't believe that Riruka did that. It certainly didn't help that Riruka turned to Orihime and stuck out her tongue at her.

"That girl is something else." Rukia said. "It didn't seem like she was going to take no as an answer." Rukia and Chad noticed how disappointed Orihime was and knew they had to help. "Come on, Orihime. Don't let that stop you from having a great time. You can still have some fun." Chad agreed as he held out his arm and offered to be her date. Orihime thought it over and figured that they were right. Even Meowstic was trying to tell her to go for it.

"Yeah. Thanks guys." Orihime said. She took Chad's arm and walked inside to enjoy the party.

...

The Castle

Orihime and the others went inside. Their were suits and dresses for all of them to wear for the party. There were even a few accessories for the pokemon to wear.

"Here you go." A worker for the party said as she handed Orihime and Chad a card.

"What are these cards for?" Orihime asked.

"It's for a small event that is going to be held soon. You just better hope you're one of the lucky ones." The worker said. Orihime didn't get it, but she was excited to learn what it was. Once they all got what they needed, they all went in and enjoyed the party. There was a fancy ballroom with everyone feeling like they're at a royal party.

"It's beautiful." Orihime said with her wearing a red dress with white gloves. She even found a bowtie for Meowstic. Chad was in a nice suit and Rukia was in an elegant teal dress. They had Hawlucha and Jynx with them too with Hawlucha wearing a tophat and Jinx wearing a pearl necklace.

"These performers really go all-out." Rukia said.

"Hold on. Where's Ichigo?" Orihime questioned as she looked around for him.

"There he is." Chad said. They spotted Ichigo and Riruka. Ichigo was wearing a fancy blue suit with Riruka wearing a pink dress with a matching cape. Riruka even had her tied in a giant braid. Absol had a bowtie with Stufful wearing a yellow dress. Orihime hates to admit it, but she was a little jealous that Riruka is Ichigo's date and not her.

"Hey, guys." Ichigo said.

"Can you believe how amazing this place looks?" Riruka said.

"It does look rather amazing." Rukia said.

"Hold on. Chad is Orihime's date, but how did you get in Rukia?" Ichigo asked.

"Orihime vouge for me and helped me get inside since I'm not a performer like her." Rukia said.

"I didn't want Rukia to miss out on this." Orihime said. It looks like everyone was going to have a good time. Baron looked down from above and enjoyed seeing so many there that were enjoying themselves. When it looked like everyone was settling in, he clapped his hands and got everyone's attention.

"I'm please to see all of you were able to make it." Baron said. "This party is in honor of all of you for your hard work, dedication, and passion you all have for performing. Now, we have a special guest here as well. Please welcome Nicholas." Nicholas revealed himself with everyone cheering. He looked around the place and he was surprised to see Orihime was there.

"It's her..." Nicholas whispered.

"What's the big deal? Who is that guy?" Ichigo asked.

"You really don't know who that is? Do you live in a cave?" Riruka questioned.

"I don't know who he is either." Orihime said.

"That is Nicholas. He's one of the best showmen of all time." Riruka said. "He won Ultimate Talent Star in just about every region. He's one of the best there is. On top of that, he's a former model as well as a successful business man. He's made many investments in Pokemon Talent Star. He's somewhat of a legend to us."

"He's really that good?" Orihime said as she was impressed with this guy.

"I am pleased to be here and to see so many joining us. I hope to see you all when Ultimate Talent Star begins." Nicholas said. "For now, all of you just enjoy yourselves." Nicholas kept it short and sweet as he allowed the music to begin. People were dancing together, eating, and having fun at the party.

"Come on, Ichigo." Riruka said as he pulled on his arm to dance.

"Hey! You're hurting my arm!" Ichigo said as he was getting annoyed. Orihime so wishes that was her dancing with him.

"Shall we?" Chad offered to dance with her. Orihime took it as they moved to the dancefloor and danced together. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their time. As for Orihime's Meowstic, it just stayed back and leaned against the wall.

"Meowstic, don't be shy. Go and join the party." Orihime said. "It looks like you have a few friends who want you to join." She pointed to a few pokemon who were hoping to dance with Meowstic. Meowstic didn't seem that excited, but just went along with it. Meowstic grabbed a few pokemon and equally danced with all of them as best as he could. The dancing pokemon certainly caught the attention of a few.

"Orihime, check it out. You're Meowstic is quite the dancer." Rukia said. Orihime looked and saw how Meowstic danced with all of the pokemon that it could. It was elegant, quick on Meowstic's feet, and Meowstic looked great while doing it. Orihime never knew that Meowstic was such an amazing dancer. She loved seeing her dear Meowstic like that.

...

Later

The party went on for a few hours. It was still a fun time. Nicholas and Baron watched it all happen and had some fun themselves. Baron kept an eye on the time and figured it was time for the big event. He clapped his hands and got everyone's attention.

"The time has come for our event." Baron said. "All of you have been given cards upon entry. Here's what the cards are for." He snapped his fingers and part of the floor began to open up and revealed a battlefield. "We're about to have a battle. You can't have Pokemon Talent Star without a battle because all pokemon shine their best in battle." Now that sounded like a lot of fun. "It shall be a tag battle. Each of you have been given a card upon entry. Simply hold to the light. If you see your card is marked, you and your date are partners and we'll have our battle. Let's see who it is. Everyone, please hold your cards up to the chandelier." All of them were excited for a battle. They all held up their cards to see if they're the ones battling.

"I'm in!" Orihime said as her card was marked with a star. Chad's was as well. "It looks like it's your and me, Chad."

"I wonder who we're battling." Chad said.

"That would be us." Riruka said as she showed she and Ichigo had their cards marked as well. It's certainly an interesting development. When they made themselves known to Baron, the four of them and their pokemon took their positions on the battlefield.

"I can't believe it's Ichigo and Riruka we're going against." Orihime said.

"This will be a tough battle." Chad said.

"I know they're your friends, but you better not hold back." Riruka said.

"I usually don't." Ichigo said.

"Normally, we go until one side is no longer able to battle, but not this time. We'll have a time limit of five minutes." Baron said. "Both of you do your best. You may start...now!" The clock started and the battle begin.

"Let's take the initiative! Absol, Night Slash on Meowstic!" Ichigo said.

"Absol!" Absol charged right at Meowstic and got ready to attack.

"Meowstic, jump!" Orihime said. Meowstic jumped over Absol and avoided the attack.

"Stufful, Iron Head!" Riruka said. Stufful jumped in a shimmering white aura and smashed itself against Meowstic with Meowstic getting smashed to the ground.

"Hawlucha, Aerial Ace on Stufful!" Chad said.

"Hawlucha!" Hawlucha went at Stufful and used the attack against Stufful with Stufful taking some damage. "Now use Karate Chop on Absol!" Hawlucha turned around to attack Absol, but Absol jumped away from Hawlucha's attack.

"Meowstic, let's join the battle! Charge Beam on Absol!" Orihime said. Meowstic gathered electricity and fired an electrical beam with it blasting Absol.

"Not bad, Orihime, but you'll need to do better than that." Ichigo said. "Absol, Razor Wind!" Absol reared his head back and launched the attack. It stretched out and blasted both Hawlucha and Meowstic with them taking some damage.

"I want in on the fun! Stufful, Brutal Swing!" Riruka said. Stufful went at Meowstic. Stufful smashed her paw against Meowstic. Meowstic got twirled around until Stufful threw Meowstic. Meowstic bounced against the ground and took some serious damage.

"Meowstic!" Orihime called as she rushed to Meowstic. "Meowstic, please tell me you're okay." Meowstic took a lot of damage from those attacks. It wasn't looking good. Orihime was beginning to think it was over, but Meowstic was able to stand back up. "Meowstic? Can you keep battling?"

"Meowstic!" It was quite the sight. Meowstic didn't seem excited about being here before, but it's willing to go through with it.

"That's quite the pokemon she has." Nicholas said as he could see what a dedicated pokemon Meowstic has. Meowstic was up and was still willing to battle.

"Meowstic, you don't have to keep battling if you can't." Orihime said as she was concerned for his well-being, but Meowstic looked at her and cracked a smile. It told her that Meowstic could keep battling and was good to go. Orihime believed in Meowstic and kept the battling going. "Okay! Mewostic, Psyshock!"

"Meowstic!" Meowstic unleashed the attack as it headed for Stufful.

"Block it, Absol!" Ichigo said. Absol jumped in the way of the attack and blocked it. Being a dark-type, Absol wasn't affected by it. What they didn't expect was for Hawlucha to appear right in front of Absol.

"Giga Impact!" Chad said. Hawlucha had energy spiral around it and smashed into both Absol and Stufful.

"Charge Beam!" Orihime said. Meowstic used his attack and was able to blast both pokemon with it. Both of them were down, but now out. The battle was about to keep going, but that was when the timer went off.

"That is it! Time's up, but what a splendid battle that was!" Baron said with all of them applauding for them.

"Time's up? Wow. Time sure does fly when you're having fun." Ichigo said. All the trainers were proud of their pokemon for their work. Nicholas looked down at Orihime and was quite pleased.

"That Orihime is certainly an interesting trainer. Of course, I won't see what she can really do until she enters the Ultimate Talent Star." Nicholas said.

"That was certainly an enjoyable battle. As we are winding down to the final hour of this party, please enjoy yourselves." Baron said. The party continued on with it ending, but it was over for Riruka.

"You're leaving?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah. I had my fun for the day." Riruka said. "I still got some work to do for the upcoming Ultimate Talent Star. I heard Orihime still needs one more medal to get in. I'll see you then." Riruka said as she left the place.

"Riruka's gone?" Rukia said as she came over to Ichigo.

"Yeah, but at least she had some fun." Ichigo said. This means that Ichigo is available. Rukia saw this as an opportunity. She whispered something to Ichigo's ear. He wasn't sure what to think of her offer, but it was for a good reason. Ichigo walked over to Orihime and Chad. "Hey, Orihime. Riruka left. Do you want to have a dance?"

"A dance?! You and me?!" Orihime said as she was blushing. He held out his hand and caused Orihime's heart to beat like a drum. Chad pushed her to go for it. Even Meowstic did so by pushing her leg. Orihime reached for Ichigo's hand. Once it was there, Ichigo took her to the dancefloor. As he held her close, Orihime felt like her dreams were really coming true.

"Meow..." Meowstic said in a sly-tone. Whatever he said caused the other pokemon to chuckle as Orihime enjoyed her moment with Ichigo as the two of them danced together.

Having fun at the party, Orihime is more excited than ever for the Ultimate Talent Star to begin, but she'll have to win her fourth star medal first. For now, she's just going to keep enjoying herself. I'm sure this is a moment that she will savor.

To Be Continued...

Pokemon Question: Okay, trainers. The answer to the last question was...Nuzleaf. Nuzleaf love the flute sounds generated by leaves, but it can cause other people to feel dreadful when they play it. Here's the next question. What pokemon is known as the Water Dancer and can swim at a speed of five knots?