1 DAY UNTIL THE TOURNAMENT:
Glacias' Kasumi City was well known for holding the Region's largest stadium, Sumire Stadium, which had been built at the orders of the tenth ruler of Glacias, High Princess Violet Yoshizawa. The stadium itself only served two purposes, the annual Platinum League, and the once in a century Legend's Tournament. Connecting to the Stadium was a massive Tower built to house League Officials from across the world during such times. The Tower was bustling with activity as League Members began to arrive and unpack, a lot of them suffering terrible jet lag from their overnight flights. Currently, a young blonde stood in the lobby helping a worker prep a get-together of all League Officials set after the opening ceremony tomorrow.
"Ash and Ruby are going to be there you know, and Ruby might be bringing Kiriko. So it's not really a question of what kind of food, but how much." Bonnie shrugged as she spoke. The worker nodded, jotting down some notes before turning and walking off.
"There she is!" Bonnie turned at the gruff, older voice, a smile forming on her lips.
"Dad, Clemont!" She ran up to the pair, throwing her as around them. "Sorry I couldn't meet you at the airport, it's been pretty busy here, but Dad, I'm surprised to see you. Are you entering?"
"Nah, my days of battling are past." Meyer waved his hand. "But I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to see my little High Knight."
"Dad, I'm 24."
"You'll always be my little girl, even when you're 64."
"Anyway..." Clemont adjusted his glasses. "It's probably best that you didn't come to the airport. We saw a certain group of undesirables there and you tend to attract a crowd." Bonnie clicked her tongue.
"I do not."
"Hey, isn't that the High Knight Bonnie!?"
"Oh my Arceus it is!"
"Let's see if we can get her autograph!" With that, they were rushed by a sudden crowd of fans.
"I can understand why Kiriko would choose not to participate in the Tournament, but I'm surprised you chose not to participate as well Rico." Ruby stated as she unpacked her clothes.
"Ah, at my current level of experience I don't have much of a chance of beating you Sensei."
"If that's your mindset on the matter." Ruby said as she finished with her clothes, opening another suitcase full of anime and manga. "Even so, you two could learn a thing or two from watching trainers in the Tournament, so I got you each a room in the tower. Ruby finished with her unpacking and dusted off her hands. "Okay then. I'm going to change cause I'm meeting the girls. I'll leave you two to your own devices." She blinked as the two stood there. "that means 'get out'." She reiterated, nudging the two out of her room and shutting the door. The two stood in awkward silence.
"...I'm hungry" Kiriko said.
"Aren't you always?" Rico questioned.
"By me foooood." The girl droned in her usual monotone.
"Doesn't Sensei give you an allowance?"
"I spent half of it on oil pastels." Rico sighed.
"Must have been a LOT of pastels "
Rico made a face.
"And you harp about Sensei's diet!?" He asked incredulously, staring at the triple cheeseburger topped with bacon, cheese sauce, chili sauce, french fries, and peanut butter. A massive meal which the girl ate with an ever blank face. "How are you still so skinny!?"
"I'm told I have an abnormally fast metabolism." She stared at him blankly, taking an abnormally large bite as she did so.
"Good to know Ki-Chan." Rico sighed. The door to the diner opened, a a young, blue haired woman entered and made her way to the counter to order. "But anyway, I-" Rico stopped, blinking as the giant plate of food Kiriko had just started on was gone. Kiriko burped, her face still as blank as ever. Rico blinked. "Okay then." He sighed. "Honestly, you could probably keep up with Sensai and Ash-sama like that." The blue haired woman froze briefly as she sat down at a nearby table. "Alright, let's go. If I don't call my mother within the next hour she'll come down here and shout my ear off." Rico paid their bill, leaving a generous tip as he and Kiriko left, the blue haired woman watching them with wide eyes.
"Ash?"
"It's about time you called." The voice of a middle aged woman shouted through the phone. Rico winced.
"Hello mother. I've settled into the room Sensai has set me in."
"Is that orphan with you!?" Rico winced again, glancing up at Kiriko, who stared blankly.
"No... No, mother, Kiriko isn't here."
"Good! You are a member of the elite society and don't need to be fraternizing with people like her! I honestly don't understand why someone as elite as the Princess would fraternize with someone like her!"
"Okay mother. The Princess needs me to help her with some errands." Rico lied.
"Very well. Make sure you call me when you wake up tomorrow morning." She snapped, ubruptly hanging up.
"I get the impression your family doesn't like me." Kiriko said blankly as Marnie strode up to them.
"Oh. Yer' Kiriko, right? The one followin' Ruby around the other day."
"Hmmm." Kiriko's face remained blank.
"So, this is yer' boyfriend, right?" Rico's face turned crimson.
"Eh!? Boyfriend!?" He shook his head wildly. "No no no!"
"Eh? You sure? I coulda' sworn you were dating."
"W-we are both the Princess's students!" Rico stuttered.
"Hmmm..." Kiriko had her head down, not facing Marnie.
"Whas' wrong? Feelin' a bit shy?" Kiriko abrubtly walked behind Rico so that the boy was between her and Marnie. "Eh? She was a lot more talkative the other day."
"That may have been because Sensei was with her." Rico explained. Marnie shrugged.
"Eh, alright then. I gotta go pick up my brother at the airport. Seeya."
"Arcade..." Kiriko said quietly as Marnie walked off. Rico sighed.
"Oh come ON!" Rico complained as Kiriko was kicking his ass in the arcade's Gun About machine, her face as blank as ever as she pointed the toy handgun at the screen. "This is one sided. My mother never lets me play videogames. You play this stuff all the time!"
"I've never played Gun About before." Kiriko stated.
"Then how are you so good at this!?"
"I've been playing Half Life: Alyx recently." Rico huffed as he lost the game, shoving the toy gun back into its holster. He looked around.
"Eh, Ki-Chan?" He spotted her at the crane machine. He walked up to find her having a staring contest with a Gomamon plush.
"I need that." She said with a blank face.
"Need, or want?"
"I need Gomamon and Biyomon and then I'll have all eight." Rico sighed.
"Well, I'm out right bucks on one claw machine." Rico sighed as they stepped out of the arcade, Kiriko holding her new Gomamon plushie.
"You come from a family of nobles. Money isn't an issue."
"Eh, true." The boy shrugged.
"I'm, excuse me?" The two looked up to the sight of a young, blue haired woman. She fidgeted a bit, looking nervous. "Um, I'm sorry, I saw you two at that restaurant earlier, I could have sworn you two mentioned an 'Ash'. You didn't mean Ash Ketchum, did you?"
"Hmmm." Was the only reply Kiriko gave as the white haired girl shut down verbally, looking towards the ground.
"I'm sorry. You must be mistaken." Rico spoke up.
"I understand if you're hesitant to say anything." She shifted uncomfortably. "My name is Dawn. It's just that I knew a guy named Ash Ketchum when I was younger." Kiriko ubruptly moved behind Rico, placing him between her and Dawn. The bluenette blinked. "Uh, is she okay?"
"Dawn, is that you?" The blue haired girl winced as a group of individuals approached. "Oh my gosh it is you!" May gushed. "How have you been? No one's heard from you in like, thirteen years. Misty honestly thought you were dead or something." She laughed, then turned her attention to Kiriko and Rico. "So, what's with the pretty boy and the midget?"
"H-her short stature is from years of malnutrition brought on by an abusive orphanage owner!" Rico snapped.
"Oh, what, can the girl not speak for herself?" Misty chimed in.
"Like I said, years of abuse!" Rico retorted.
"I-I was asking them for directions to my hotel." Dawn finally spoke up. "I was just getting ready to go there now."
"Yeah, hold on Dawn." Misty dismissed. "Who the hell you you think you brats are anyway?"
"We are apprentices to the Princess of this region." Rico responded, stunning the group into silence.
"Hold on." Max stared slowly. "Does that mean you guys are entering the Tournament?" Rico huffed.
"We have deigned to forgive Tournament entry. After wall the most likely candidates for winning are our Sensai and Ash-Sama." The group recoiled.
"Hold on, ASH!?" May snarled. "You mean Ash Ketchum!? Where is he!? Where is that spineless loser!?" Rico and Kiriko glanced at each other.
"I don't believe that information is ours to out." Rico answered.
"Hmmmm." Kiriko was still not speaking.
"You have to tell us!" Max snapped. "You have an obligation to!"
"No we don't." Rico scoffed. "We're not even obligated to interact with you people."
"Alright, then! Fine!" Max huffed. "A battle then! Me and Brock against you two brats. If we win, you have to tell us everything you know about Ash Ketchum!"
"No thanks."
"What!?"
"Like I said, we're not obligated to interact with you people."
"When two trainer's eyes meet-"
"That's a suggestion. It literally has no legal binding. And even if it did, you still can't legally force another trainer to battle against their will."
"GRAAAH!" Max growled.
"I see what this is!" Misty snarled. "You don't want to battle cause you know you'll lose!"
"I'd just like to point out that you are a group of grown adults harassing a pair of eleven year olds for a fight." He shook his head. "Goodbye." He and Kiriko turned to leave when May strode up to them.
"Hold on!" She snapped, grabbing Kiriko's wrist.
The normally stoic child's whole demeanor changed in barely a second.
"AAAAH!" The child screamed, startling everyone present. Kiriko's pupils had shrunk as she struggled violently in May's grip. "DON'T HURT ME! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I PROMISE I'LL BEHAVE! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"
"May! Let her go!" Brock yelped, panicking as Kiriko's screams were drawing people's attention.
"I'LL MOP THE FLOORS, I'LL CLEAN THE WINDOWS, I PROMISE! PLEASE DON'T BEAT ME AGAIN!" A loud smack echoed through the air. May stumbled back, her left ear ringing as she released her grip on the screaming child, who dropped to the ground, shaking with her arms covering her face. May blinked the stars away, her hand raising to the bruise forming on her cheek as she spotted Ruby standing between her and Kiriko, accompanied by Karen, Lumina, and a green haired girl with pigtails and a somewhat revealing outfit. Rico, who had been startled into paralysis by the whole event, was kneeling over the shaking girl, trying to comfort her.
"Wh-who the..." May tried to form words, she and her friends startled by the whole event. Dawn took this moment to slip away, distressed by the trouble she had inadvertently caused.
"I suggest you leave." Ruby's voice was low, dangerous. "Cause you REALLY don't wanna piss me off." Any argument the group had prepped died as they saw a group of Paladin's coming to see what the whole situation was about. Without another word, they turned and left. Ruby watched them for a few seconds before turning back to Kiriko. The green haired girl was kneeling over her.
"Aww, don't fret Kiriko-Chan." She cooed in a sing-songy voice. "All the bad people are gone. You don't have to be afraid."
"I don't think talking to her like she's five is going to help Naomi." Lumina sighed.
"I know! But even like this she's totes adorbs! I just wanna pinch her little cheeks~"
"Naomi..."
"Right, right. Probably not a good idea right now." Ruby bent down, gently scooping the traumatized child into her arms and grabbing the discarded plushie before trudging silently back towards the tower. Kiriko, recognizing Ruby, buried her head in the older girl's chest as she continued trembling in her arms.