=Chapter 8, Inner Beauty!=
*Jacob to Arky*
*Today was yet another interesting day, first of all my team did amazing work in our battle in the tournament, Ivan and Harold really showed their stuff, and Roran was not to be outdone during the fight, taking on two Pokemon back to back before being defeated. I'm really proud of them all and it's all thanks to your tutoring me about how to train my team. Still I can't wait for my battle with Tara, the Rustboro Gym Leader. With Harold and Ivan, and now Sara all ready, I'm confident that together we can win our first badge.*
*Speaking of my team, after we won the first thing we did was head over to the Pokemon Center and join up with Karen, a fellow trainer, I think I told you about her before. She's the trainer with the Zigzagoon named Ziggles, she's always itching for a Pokemon battle and really likes fighting different kinds of Pokemon, win or lose! She's one strange trainer, always hyper and never one to sit patiently and relax. Anyway, after we regrouped with her at the Pokemon Center, I handed over my team and Sara to Nurse Joy for her to take care of. I wanted Sara looked at especially because she was really exhausted from fighting Abra. She really exhausts herself when using her psychic powers, a single Confusion is enough to give her a splitting headache, which is why I'm not too keen on fighting with her in battles yet.*
*Yes I know what you told me, Pokemon aren't like humans, they can endure ten times more then what we could, but still she's a young Ralts Arky. Maybe I'm just being overprotective because of our psychic connection, but I really don't want to see her hurt. I wonder Arky… is this how my mom felt when she watched me leave each day when I went for my lessons with you?*
*This is between me and you Arky, but each night when I go to bed, whether Sara is there with me or not, I feel really lonely. All of my friends at the orphanage aren't there, you aren't there, and I don't know when I'll ever return to Littleroot again even for a short visit. Being away from home makes me realize how much I really miss you both… you and mom. I wish you were both here to help me on my journey, I feel as if I've entered a world that I can never hope to fully understand. I just wish I had someone to look over me and make sure I'm not doing something wrong…*
(Jacob's PoV)
"You won three to one, not too shabby Jacob!" Karen said enthusiastically.
"Yea, well it's not like I can take all of the credit here, my team did a lot in our battle." Jacob said as they left the Pokemon Center for their next destination.
While he had his Pokemon treated by Nurse Joy, Jacob wrote in the book Arky gave him. He did his best to make it short and simple, but realizing that Arky was so far away made him realize how lonely he was even with his Pokemon there. He really wished he had his teacher to give him advice about what to do to prepare for his Gym match, or even just to give him some encouraging words. Still he knew that Arky would want him to not worry about the upcoming match.
After his team was taken care of, he left the Pokemon Center and met up with Karen again who had been doing some shopping. She was now sporting a set of navy blue jeans with a bright yellow tank top and a new black vest. One thing that confused Jacob was why she had purchased the exact same outfit four times.
"Because I like it and there's no reason why I can't." She replied with a smirk.
Now he and Karen were heading back to the rest area so that they could have a practice battle and eat lunch. When Jacob asked about where her tent was, she replied saying that she didn't have a tent. When he asked why she didn't, she said she had an all-weather sleeping bag and didn't need one.
"What about privacy, every trainer I've ever seen around the rest area has made fun of me for having or not sharing a tent." He asked in amazement.
"Oh I don't care about what other people say about me!" She said with a hearty slap on his back, causing Sara to clutch his shoulder for dear life as she all but knocked him down. "Let em say what they wanna say about me, I like my sleeping bag more than any tent. It's cheaper than owning a tent, its faster to set up, it's warm and comfy for me, and what's more it saves me weight to carry around on my back while walking."
"That's nice." He said as he helped Sara back onto his shoulder. "You okay Sara?"
(She needs… to stop… doing that!) Sara said to him as she eyed Karen with a glare.
"Sorry there Sara!" Karen said with a laugh. "I can't help it when I meet a trainer with a sweet looking Pokemon riding around on his shoulder. You're just so cute the way you hang onto his shoulder everywhere you two go!"
"Well she's not exactly the fastest of walkers." He said as Sara glared at Karen still. "So the only way she can keep up with me is if she rides on my shoulder, not that I mind, it's like having an extra pair of eyes."
They continued walking through town before they took a 'shortcut' through the grooming part of Rustboro. Along this street on both sides there were beauty salons, hair salons, massage parlors, everything and anything that had to do with grooming both humans and Pokemon. There were a ton of trainers and Pokemon walking this way and that from one salon to another, clearly wanting to take care of their Pokemon.
As they passed by the ritziest parlor on the street, a Salon that went by the name Beauté intérieure, they all gazed through the glass on the inside. The inside was massive; there was enough room for all sorts of Pokmon, even a massively tall Onyx. There were lots and lots of trainers and their Pokemon, and even non-trainers waiting in a long line.
"I wonder what they are waiting for." Jacob asked Karen as they saw the variety of Pokemon just waiting in line.
"I don't know, but if I had to guess they are probably waiting for the business owner to return if that 'Be back in Five' sign is anything to go by." Karen replied, pointing at a sign to the left of the front entrance.
(Be back… in five?) Sara asked Jacob, clearly confused as to what that phrase means.
"Well if I'm correct it means they'll be back in five minutes." Jacob replied.
"Actually it means be back in five days!" A familiar voice said behind them.
"Wha?" Jacob and Karen shouted in shock.
Behind them a man wearing blue striped robes and a matching design shirt and pants stood. On his head was a hat bearing the name of the Salon, and what appeared to be a picture of a Magikarp underneath it. "Who are you?" Jacob asked.
"You'll find out in a second." He said with a grin as he walked over to the door, took the sign down, and opened the double doors wide. "Hello everyone, I'm sorry about the long wait!"
"Hey its Segan, he's finally back!" A man with a Ninetales said happily.
"Segan's finally back, alright!" A woman with the Onix said.
"Hey Segan, we've been waiting for days, my Pokemon needs that Spa treatment before we go to the Pokemon contest in Slateport!" Another man said with a Flareon.
"You, my Pokemon has been waiting a month for her treatment here!" Yet another woman with a Politoad declared.
"Now now settle down, I apologize that we've been closed for so long, but rest assured our therapists and cutters and all of our facilities will be ready in just a few!" Segan said as he walked inside. "Now let me just show these two inside and I'll go open the doors. Come on in you two, there's no fee to look around."
Jacob and Karen, both stunned for words and unable to find any reason to not take a look around the most expensive Salon in the city, walked inside after Segan. The inside consisted of a single large lobby which had a dozen doors lining the walls in different intervals. What lay behind the doors they didn't know, but after a few minutes of waiting and watching Segan unlock each door and check inside, declared that 'Beauté intérieure' was officially open for business once again.
"All those with reservations please check your cards, and enter the corresponding doors." He said happily, doing a little twirl behind a desk as he flung his robes off and put them back on inside out, revealing a new design on them. "All of our employees will see you, have a WONDERFUL time here, and remember; True Beauty is on the INSIDE!"
Each of the trainers and their Pokemon and even non-trainers started walking off towards different doors. The trainer with her Onyx recalled it before heading off to one of the doors with the trainer and his Ninetales. Once they were all gone he finally approached Jacob and Karen with a smile.
"Tell me, what do you think of my Salon?" He asked.
"You own Beauté intérieure?" Karen asked in amazement. "I've only heard rumors of this place, that it's the biggest, most expensive, most amazing Beauty Salon in all of Rustboro and is ranked the fifth best Salon in all of the regions! Not to mention that it was started only several years ago, and in just ten it's become the classiest ever! You have to schedule treatments here three weeks in advance JUST to have a chance of getting a spot!"
"Well I don't know about the rest of that, but yes I am the owner of Beauté intérieure." He said with a smile. "Of course I'm only one half of the equation, the other half is my sister. She's the REAL business owner around here!"
"Ya got that right bro!" A female voice called from behind them.
Jacob turned around to see a girl wearing a business suit and hat just like Segan's. "Brother what have I told you about letting just anyone in without me?" She complained as she walked over and smacked him on the shoulder. "You opened the Salon fifteen minutes early, that's twelve times in a row! Do you know how high the bills are to run this place? Really, if it weren't for me your 'Salon' would be broke!"
"That's my sister Fera, ever the business lady of Beauté intérieure." He said with a smile. "Good to see ya sis, how'd the deal go for purchasing a new boiler for the heating system?"
"Alright I suppose, its ganna cost us a pretty penny." She said. "In any case it's lucky I called everyone in early today. I had a sneaky suspicion that you'd do something like this again. Really if I weren't here we'd be out of business."
"That's right, your business smarts and my beauty smarts make a great team!" He said happily. "Now that that's out of the way say hello to our guests, who I forgot to get the names of."
"Oh, my name is Jacob… and this is Karen… and this is Sara." Jacob said, pointing to himself first, then Karen, and finally Sara.
"Mhmm so that's your name?" Segan said with a smile as he walked behind the desk again and pulled out a suitcase. "Tell me, how's the Feebas you're taking care of, is it doing well?"
"Feebas, what Feebas?" Karen asked curiously.
"Wait… how would you know about Coral?" Jacob asked.
"Oh so you named it Coral huh, by the name I'm guessing its female, and to answer your question…" He said with a grin as he opened the suitcase, performed another twirl and pulled on a dirty looking trench coat along with a heavily patched hat. "Does this look familiar?"
Sara and Jacob gazed in amazement at the man before them. "You're the guy who gave us Coral yesterday!" He said.
"Precisely!"
"But why the disguise… and why were you selling Coral to begin with?"
"Uh… what's going on?" Karen asked in confusion.
After a few minutes of explaining what had happened the day before, they were led into a very spacious room with a small pool, comfortable chairs, a big table with adjustable head holder and leg holders, and even a mini refrigerator. Along one side of the room was another table with several bowls of colored blocks, as well as a tea tray with freshly brewed tea and cupts waiting to be served alongside a plate of crackers. There was also a desk with a mountain of paperwork and computer on it, which is where Fera sat and started reading papers and punching in numbers in a calculator.
"You see Jacob, I have a philosophy, True Beauty is Inside, and those who can understand it can bring it out!" Segan said as he put the empty briefcase down and stretched. "That's why every so often I have my sister go when she has no business things to take care of..."
"Which I always have thanks to my idiot brother!" Fera complained, though she smiled as she said so.
"And go fishing or searching for particularly unattractive Pokemon, like Feebas, but on occasion I like to go on my own to go searching!" He said happily, taking a Pokeball out and showing them. "For example, do you have a Pokedex?"
"Yea I do." Jacob said, pulling it out and showing Segan.
"Look up the Pokemon Snorunt for me please?"
Jacob did so and looked up Snorunt in the Pokedex, watched with interest by Sara, having only seen the Pokedex a few times and amazed at the wealth of Pokemon knowledge it contained for being so small. In a few seconds it showed a black, cone like Pokemon with visible white teeth and two tiny blue dots for eyes.
[Snorunt, the Snow Hat Pokemon, Snorunt tend to move about in groups of around five Snorunt. In snowy regions, it is said that when they are seen late at night, snowfall will arrive by morning.]
Segan nodded at the information and held out the Pokeball. "That's right, not a very interesting looking Pokemon is it?" He asked them with a smile. "Not many trainers would bother with Snorunt for this reason. Yet there are quite a few who truly understand the value of such a Pokemon. As I say and say again, true beauty is on the inside. When I went searching out for Snorunt, it was only as a dare from my sister, because she wanted to get out of going looking for it, and guess what I found?"
"Uh… a Snorunt?" Karen replied.
"That's right, but also one of my closest friends I could ever hope to have." Segan said proudly. "Come on out Glace!"
He opened the Pokeball and released the Pokemon inside. "Froslass…" It said gracefully.
The Froslass, assuming that's what its name was, floated above the ground and was about four feet tall, had purple skin under a white kimono-like torso with a white skull-like helmet, had two 'arms' that looked like wings which ended in tiny claw-like hands, and had a red ribbon-like sash around it's waist. "Whoa, it's beautiful." Karen commented as the Froslass named Glace stared at them all before bowing respectfully to Segan.
"Hi there darling, sorry it took forever to get home." Segan said happily. "Hope you forgive me, but it was so hard trying to find a home for that Feebas my sister caught."
"Froslass Fros…" It said calmly, floating over to him and taking off the hat and coat.
It took the coat, folded it into a neat square, took the hat and placed them both on the table before pouring him a cup of lukewarm tea and handing it to him with a smile. "Thanks dear." He said with a smile before taking a sip.
"Wow, your Froslass is very considerate." Jacob said, admiring how the Froslass acted to its trainer.
"Yea, did you train her so she does this every time you're here with her?" Karen asked curiously.
"Glace and I have been together for quite a while, when I first met Glace she was just a Snorunt, and no I don't really train her in the sense that you would think." Segan explained as Glace started brushing his hair, using her hands to straighten it out and tidy him up. "She was always considerate of others, and when we first met I was a complete and utter mess. Not to mention on the brink of starving, I had used up all of my food trying to find where the Snorunt lived. Glace here found me long before I found any of the other Snorunt, so as repayment I offered to do anything she wanted from me. It took a while to figure out, but eventually she told me that she wanted me to capture her and take her home with me."
(Why would… she ask that?) Sara asked Jacob, to which Jacob translated.
"You see the other Snorunt were bullies to her and she didn't have anywhere to live where she wasn't going to be quickly evicted. She could survive yes but she was constantly pushed around because she was the weakest there. So she asked me to take her home, she promised to help me however she could, so that's how we ended up together. During the trip back we became good friends, having long conversations during cold nights as we traveled back here to Rustboro."
Glace nodded as she finished tidying up her trainer and floated back over to pour them all tea. "When we found our way back here, she found a Dawn Stone lying on the ground and used it to evolve into the amazing Froslass she is now. One thing she seems to have taken up is grooming the groomer, she always makes sure I'm presentable and looking my best in front of others. Since she evolved she's developed a basic form of telepathy and speaks only to me with it, but with her help I've been able to improve my business and really help trainers and their Pokemon out here in my Salon! It's done wonders for us here being able to communicate with Pokemon."
"She speaks through telepathy as well, that's just like you Sara." He said to his Ralts as she watched Glace float towards them, presenting them all tea.
(Wow…) She said.
"Froslass lass Fros… Froslass Froslass lass lass." Glace said, handing them their tea and floating back to Segan's side, before proceeding to lightly slap his cheek. "Froslass lass Fros!"
"Uh Sara, translation please?" Jacob asked.
(She says… she is happy… to help Segan… with understanding… Pokemon.) Sara said. (She owes him… her life… but wishes he… would take better… care of his… hair and clothes… and stop wearing… that smelly coat.)
Segan laughed as Jacob translated what Glace said. "You are just like my sister Glace, always hating on my sense of fashion!"
"It's not your sense of fashion we hate; it's the way you promote us that we hate!" Fera said, balling up a paper ball and tossing it at him. "We're a beauty Salon, the fifth ranked in the regions, you're supposed to look professional and like a REAL owner of this Salon. Yet what do you run around in when you decide to promote us, a smelly dirty coat and a hat made of patches? No wonder the other salons make fun of us! Not to mention you forget to take a bath when you decide to go on one of these 'crusades' of yours! Do you have any idea how much the cleaning bills are just to get rid of that stinky smell from your coat?"
"Hey now, that coat's my favorite!" Segan said, pretending to be offended. "That was the very same coat that I found Glace with. It kept us warm through the coldest of nights and dry on the harshest of thunderstorms as we traveled back here. Not to mention it covers up stains really well!"
Glace nodded in agreement at this, smiling at the dirty coat she had folded tenderly.
"All I'm saying is if you MUST wear it, CLEAN IT!" Fera groaned in annoyance, returning to her paperwork and calculations. "That's all I'm asking of you, clean that thing more than once a decade!"
"Fine I'll clean it, but only because you asked me nicely sis!" Segan said with yet another twirl, this time mirrored by Glace who twirled with him.
"I knew it; I should have stuck to being an accountant in Lillygrove, why did I have to become a business partner with my brother for his Salon?" Fera said, holding her head with one hand.
Jacob, Sara and Karen laughed a little as they watched the two siblings annoy each other, admiring them for working together even though they clearly got on each other's nerves. "So why did you bring us in here Segan?" Jacob asked at last.
"Oh yes, I brought you in here because I wanted to ask a favor or two of you." Segan said. "First of all, may I speak to your Coral? I just want to ask her a few things, and of course apologize to her."
Jacob nodded and pulled out Coral's Luxury Ball and released her into the small pool in the room. Immediately she started swimming around to look at Jacob with a happy splash attack directed at him. "Nice to see you to Coral, tell me do you recognize this guy?" Jacob asked before pointing at Segan.
"Feebas?" Coral asked, looking at Segan with curious eyes, which was quite a new look for her considering she always had a dimwitted expression being a Feebas.
"You remember, Mr. Salesman with the dirty coat trying to sell you to trainers?" Segan said, taking his patched hat and putting it on.
"Feebas!" Coral said, taking swimming start to jump out of the water and smack him in the face with her tail.
"I think I deserved that." Segan said with a small chuckle, as Glace rubbed the spot where Coral smacked him with her small hands. "In any case I hope you forgive me Coral, I just wanted to find you a good home. So tell me Coral, setting aside the fact I was selling you and letting trainers make fun of you, are you happy with Jacob?"
"Feebas Feebas!" Coral said happily. "Feebas bas Fee."
A moment of silence passed as he looked at Glace for a translation before he spoke again. "I see, so you really are happy with him, and I know it's not just the Luxury Ball." He said with another smile. "Well if he's that nice and kind of a trainer, then I know I made the right call giving him to you. Hope he treats you well and takes care of you."
"You bet I will, Feebas may not be the prettiest fish I've ever seen, but I know she's the toughest I'll ever see." Jacob said confidently. "I know I'll probably get a lot of laughs for taking care of Coral, but we'll show them wont we? We'll make all the other trainers so jealous of how tough you are, that they'll be running off in droves to find their own."
"Feebas bas!" Coral said happily.
(She says… she won't… let you down.) Sara said to him, giving him a confident nod.
"That's nice, and I wish you tons of luck in raising Coral, Feebas are particularly difficult to raise, but now that the introductions are out of the way would you mind hearing a teeny tiny request of ours?" Segan said sweetly.
"Uh… request?" Jacob asked, not liking the sound of the way it was phrased.
"What kind of request?" Karen asked this time, just as confused as Jacob was.
(I have… a bad feeling… Jacob.) Sara commented as Segan took his hat off and held his hands together.
"Jacob would you and your Pokemon be willing to represent Beauté intérieure in the Annual Monthly Inter-Salon Pokemon Contest today?" Segan asked politely.
"What?" Jacob declared.
"Huh?" Karen said.
(What's a contest…?) Sara asked, not understanding what they were all talking about.
Fera sighed and looked up from her paperwork at her brother. "Segan before you start asking the impossible; why not make sure they know what you're talking about?" She told him.
"Oh yes, I did get a little carried away didn't I sis?" Segan said, chuckling in embarrassment as Glace gave him yet another small smack to his cheek. "In any case, let me first ask, do you know about Pokemon Contests?"
"I know about contests, but didn't the Rustboro Pokemon Contest end last week?" Karen said.
"Yes, the main contest ended and all of the trainers who are competing to enter the Grand Festival have all left by now, but there are still some smaller contests held every week for those not into serious competition or who just want to show off their grooming skills and talent for raising Pokemon."Fera said as she went back to her work. "Beauté intérieure and the rest of the Salons here in Rustboro have a monthly contest to see which the best Salon is, we all pitch in about one thousand Pokedollars into a pot as a prize and it's divided among the top three winners of our contest. It's not about the money though, it's more about pride, Beauté intérieure is the fifth highest ranked in the regions yet we're never the winners of our contest."
"That's right; at the end of each year despite all of our efforts we can never take one win for our name." Segan said unhappily. "I would enter Glace here if I could, and I would lavish all of my grooming skills on her to get her ready, but she can't enter because of the restrictions placed on each Salon by the rules."
(Restrictions?) Sara asked curiously.
"Restrictions, the rules state that each Salon may only enter Pokemon belonging to a NON customer, and has no affiliation with the owners or employees whatsoever." Fera said this time. "Another rule states that each Salo may also only enter Pokemon Trainers, this means Coordinators and Coordinator/Trainers are not allowed. My brother constantly goes out trying to find a trainer willing to enter, and while he does find them they just never win. Mostly because the Pokemon they have don't cut it in the Pokemon Contest ring."
"You see, Pokemon Contests have five special categories for Pokemon that they can enter." Segan said. "There's Smartness, Cuteness, Coolness, Toughness, and Beauty. These are what all Pokemon entering into contests can be categorized under. Once they enter under a category they then are judged by an official and are given a certain rating based on looks, grooming, appearance, and so on. After that they appeal before the judges by performing moves, combining moves, and so on to get additional points. At the end the winner is the team that has the most points."
"I see, so that's why you want Jacob's team to enter?" Karen asked.
"That's right, you see I had sis here watch the local tournament and she happened to have spotted you among those competing in the beginners section." Segan said. "She recognized you from the descriptions I gave her about you, and phoned me about seeing you there. Which is why I started running around finding you, and when I did I invited you here, and that about catches us up!"
"Brother, you talk too much." Fera commented as she went back to work.
"Well I'd love to help you but I haven't the faintest idea of how a Pokemon Contest works, I mean what do I do first?" Jacob asked.
"First of all, let me see all of your Pokemon, I just want to make sure they'll all be qualified to enter if you do agree." Segan said.
"Okay, well you already know Sara my Ralts." Jacob said as he indicated to Sara on his shoulder. "Next I have are Harold, Ivan, Roran, and Kora, and of course Coral!"
He pulled out each of his team's Pokeballs one by one and released them to show. Once they were all out they looked around slightly confused before spotting Segan. While Harold was a bit more respectful, Ivan started growling in anger at him. "Whoa calm down Ivan, he's nice…" Jacob said, instantly reaching down and scratching Ivan's ears to calm him down.
"Hmm well your Ivan certainly is a Tough customer; he'd be a perfect contender for that category." Segan said as he looked at each of them one at a time. "Your Harold seems more along the lines of either Tough or a Cool, Roran has more of the Cool flare going for him, Kora seems to be cute but your Sara certainly has Cuteness and Smarts going for her at the moment. As for Beauty I know Coral has that in spades!"
At those last words Glace shook her head worriedly at her trainer before speaking to him through telepathy. "Now Glace I know that Coral is a beautiful Pokemon, so there is no reason why she shouldn't compete under that category!" Segan declared confidently.
"Froslass lass Fros…" Glace sighed before going over to eat a cracker from the tea tray.
"Uh… Sara?" Jacob asked.
(She says… why does she… even bother?) Sara said to him.
"Brother, you can't expect that Feebas to win in a Beauty competition!" Fera said. "For our salon's sake, don't you event think of asking Jacob to use that fish. I have a hard enough time keeping our rank and reputation in the media, don't make my job even harder by entering a Feebas in today's contest!"
"Sister you handle business stuff and leave contest decisions to me kay?" Segan said happily, electing yet another sigh from Glace as she eyed her trainer with a worried expression. "I know this time we'll win! I can feel it in my bones!"
(Jacob… I have a bad… feeling about… this.) Sara commented as Segan twirled yet again in excitement.