A/N: Hey Everyone! Okay, I know it's been over a year since I updated this story and I sincerely apologize for that. I'll just say that my personal and family life has been a struggle, but my passion for this story is aflame and I am eager to start writing again. So, hopefully the updates will be coming in more often now. Again I sincerely apologize for the year long wait.
The Fall City Cruqué Studio was a massive commercial building. It had multiple levels and hundreds of rooms sequenced in the twenty storey building. Just maneuvering around the structure proved to be an incredible challenge and it was so easy to get lost.
"Solana?"
Solana jumped when she felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder.
Lunick quickly drew his hand back when he realized he startled her.
"Hey, it's okay. It's me, Babe."
Solana exhaled softly.
"Oh. Lunick. I'm sorry," Solana nervously chuckled.
Lunick scrunched up his face in uncertainty.
"Solana, are you sure you want to do this?"
"What do you mean? Of course I do. It's for a good cause remember?"
"But you're so jumpy."
"It's nothing, really. I'm fine. Besides, we already put our papers in for Spenser."
"We can always go back."
"Lunick, I'm fine. Really. You have nothing to be worried about."
"…If you say so, Solana. Just let me know if it becomes too much for you."
"I will."
"Hey guys!" they heard someone call.
Solana and Lunick stopped in front of an open doorway. They glanced inside and could see Freddie and Leilani waiting for them.
"You made it!" Leilani exclaimed as she greeted them at the door.
"Yeah. It took us a while to find the place. I don't think I've ever been to the Cruqué Studio before." Solana answered.
"I know. The place is huge, ain't it?"
"Very," said Lunick. "It's even bigger than the BASD building in Fall City."
Leilani squealed once again. "Eeeee! I can't wait! We are so gonna rock this! Right Solana?"
Solana stammered, "Huh? O-Oh. Right. We totally got this in the bag."
Just then, Victorian Starsi sauntered into the room. A young woman with long sea green hair pulled into a high ponytail and a middle aged man with off-black hair lined with silver walked on either side of her.
"Ah, you made it lovelies. I'm so happy you decided to come," she said with a smile.
"Of course," said Leilani, "Pokémon Rangers are always ready to help those in need of our services."
Victorian's smile widened. "Lovely. Well, we have much work to do, so get set up with wardrobe then meet Gisela and Raúl on set. Hurry lovelies. We've got to make the most of our time together. We have another project in 3 hours."
Victorian started out of the room.
The young woman extended her hand to Solana.
"Hello there. I am Gisela. And this is Raúl."
"It is an honor to be working with Fiore's finest."
"The honor is all ours," said Lunick.
Gisela took the strap of her camera from around her neck.
"In the far left-hand corner of the adjoined room is the dress room. For the first shoot you'll have to wear the swimsuits we've provided. They're all designer so please be careful. The makeup artists are already in there to help you. When you are finished, meet us on set and we will explain the rest to you."
"Yes, Ma'am," replied Leilani.
Nodding her head, Gisela and Raúl made their way out of the room.
Leilani couldn't contain her squeals any longer.
"EEEEEEE! I can't believe this is actually happening! We're actually gonna be for real models! Ooooo, I'm so excited!"
Freddie chuckled. "Like a dream come true, Leilani?" He asked as they made their way over to the dressing room.
"Totally! This is fantastic!"
Solana watched them go. She bit down on her lower lip when she felt a hand lightly touch her right shoulder.
"It's not too late to back out, 'Lana. Leilani will understand."
Solana shook her head.
"Don't be silly. Of course I'm going through with it. It's like you and Leil said, Pokémon Rangers are always there to help those in need."
'This isn't exactly a need. More of a favor."
"Nevertheless, if it's to have a positive impact on Fiore, it's worth doing. I'll be fine."
Lunick still wore a look of concern but he trusted that Solana was more in tune with her emotions than he was. He wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and together they joined Freddie and Leilani in the dressing room.
Solana looked at herself critically in the mirror. The girls were separated from the guys in the dressing area so Solana hadn't seen Lunick since they changed their wardrobe. Even though Victorian Starsi told them this was a glorious opportunity, they weren't the sole models on the shoot. There were at least five more professional models of both sexes representing her. Most of them were in their mid to late 20s and Solana could tell they had been in the business since a very early age. As if modeling for an actual advertisement wasn't intimidating enough, and in a swimsuit to boot, Solana had the added pressure of standing out just as much as the professional models.
Solana groaned as she looked herself over. She once again found herself in a bikini and it just made her skin crawl. She was in an allover print pink, lilac and blue fringed bikini. It had a halter cut, halter tie closure, and a back sliding hook closure. Truth be told, it looked more like lingerie than swimwear and showed off a lot more of Solana's body than she felt comfortable.
"Girl, you look so hot."
Solana turned around. Leilani was wearing a yellow and green printed flounce halter top bikini. It was fully lined and had a halter neck and self-tie.
"I feel like I'm in my bra and panties. Why are these suits so skimpy?"
"They're designer, Sole. These are the suits all the celebs will be wearing. You know those women gotta show off their curves and skin for the tabloids."
"Evenso, it just feels so wrong. I feel so exposed."
Leilani put her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.
"Remember what I told you earlier? Don't feel so insecure. You look amazing."
Solana smiled weakly. "Thanks, Leil."
"Don't mention it, girl. We're so gonna rock this!"
"Hey ladies," they heard a voice called.
They turned to see both Lunick and Freddie approaching. They were both wearing swim briefs that had low-rise captain square cuts. Lunick's was red and white and Freddie's was blue and black.
"Woof woof!" Leilani cried. "Oooo, you fellas looking so sexy."
Freddie chuckled. "Thanks, Leilani. You two looking mighty fly yourselves."
"I know," Leilani said as she twirled around.
Lunick exhaled nervously. He covered himself with his hands.
"Oh man. Why did they have to be swim briefs? It's not like we're racing competitively or anything."
"Oh you're just upset they gave you that color."
"You think? White isn't exactly discreet. Not to mention the C-Ring is making me more aware of my body than I'd like to be. The boys don't like being restricted."
"Oh quit your boohooin' and moaning, Lun. The boys are just fine."
Leilani put her hand to mouth as she giggled hysterically while Solana blushed slightly.
Lunick growled at Freddie's remark but he immediately straightened up when he saw Solana.
"Whoa, Babe. Y-You look incredible."
Solana smiled weakly. "Thank you. Lunick."
Lunick smiled a goofy grin.
"You think they'd let you keep that suit?"
Solana placed her hands on her hips. "As if. You got any idea how much these things cost? Besides, you don't need any more stimulation. You get enough of that at home."
"Touché, Sole," Freddie snickered. "Whoa. You were right. White isn't very discreet at all, Lunick."
Lunick gasped and quickly tied a towel around his waist.
"Shut up! Don't look at me!" he cried frantically.
Freddie held his sides as he continued to laugh uncontrollably, followed by Leilani, causing Solana and Lunick both to blush even more deeply.
"Alright models," called Gisela as she and Raúl walked into the room, "Front and center. I hope you all are ready because we are about to start."
The four rangers approached the creative director and photographer.
Raúl held up a small tube in his hands.
"Altaria's White Mist. A lotion-based product that protects the skin from damage from ultraviolent long-wave and shortwave radiation."
"Sunscreen." Lunick said plainly.
Raúl nodded.
"Exactly. UVB is the chief culprit behind sunburn while UVA rays, which penetrate the skin more deeply, are associated with wrinkling, leathering, sagging, and other light-induced effects of aging. They also exacerbate the carcinogenic effects of UVB rays and increasingly are being seen as a cause of skin cancer on their own."
Gisela began. "In recent years, tanning has become a serious problem in this world. More and more, people are exposing themselves to these harsh ultraviolent waves as a means of beautifying themselves and promoting attractiveness. Tanning booths themselves emit up to 15 times more UV radiation than the sun. 90% of melanomas are estimated to be caused by ultraviolent exposure. The tanning industry has brainwashed people into thinking that exposing themselves to these dangerous levels of radiation will help them achieve some promotion of attractiveness and even increase Vitamin D intake when in reality that couldn't be further from the truth."
Raúl continued. "Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common form of cancer for young people 15-29 years old. Too many young people are subjecting themselves to these ultraviolent rays and it's time they not only become aware of the nasty truth behind tanning, but that any extended exposure to UV, whether it is from the sun or tanning booths is detrimental to their health. Insert Altaria's White Mist."
He held up the tube again.
"Victorian has partnered with Barrier Inc. and Go With Your Own Glow to create this product – Altaria's White Mist. It is a new uniquely formulated sunscreen lotion that combines several carefully blended ingredients to help prevent the sun's UV rays from reaching the skin and causing any damage. Sunscreens vary in their ability to protect against UVA and UVB. What makes AWM different from other sunscreens is its Sun Protection Factor. Most sunscreens with SPFs of 15 or higher are excellent for protecting against UVB. SPF 15 filters out approximately 93 percent of all incoming UVB rays. SPF 30 keeps out 97 percent and SPF 50 keeps out 98 percent. They may seem like negligible differences, but if you are light-sensitive or have a history of skin cancer, those extra percentages will make a difference. Altaria's White Mist has an SPF of 76, which quite frankly is astounding."
Gisela finished for him.
"This is a cause that is really near and dear to Victorian's heart. The Go With Your Own Glow campaign was developed to encourage women to love and protect their skin, whatever its natural hue. The campaign focuses on fashion and beauty trends to show that tanning is neither fashionable nor flattering and is obsolete as a , glowing, healthy skin is the look that makes everyone look their best. When you tan, indoors or out, you increase signs of aging as well as your risk of developing melanoma. Once people stop associating tanned skin with beauty we will really make headway against our fight against skin cancer."
Raúl clasped his hands together.
"So, if you models are ready, please follow me and Gisela to the set and we'll get this started already."
"This is gonna be so awesome!" Leilani cried as she, Freddie, and the other professional models followed behind them.
Solana and Lunick still stood behind.
"Babe, are you sure you're ready for this?" Lunick asked, his eyes full of concern.
"Yes," Solana answered without looking back at him.
Lunick took her hand in his and squeezed it lightly. Then together, they and their pokémon followed the others onto set.
"Okay guys. Just act natural," Gisela said as she picked up her camera. "Just have fun. Behave like you're at a party or on the beach or something."
Lunick and Freddie were laughing hard as Lunick took a pool noodle and wrung it playfully around Freddie's neck.
"Great boys. Great," Gisela said between shots. Raúl was in the back looking through the digital shots as they appeared on the monitor.
Solana drummed her fingers against her chin as she and Leilani watched from the side. She felt as if her stomach was tying itself in knots.
"Beautiful, boys. Stay in the light. Get your pokémon engaged as well."
Minun and Weavile appeared behind their rangers, seemingly glaring at each other for their human's behavior. Minun alternated from the ground to Lunick's shoulder and Weavile from between Freddie's legs and taking a battle-ready stance, both with expressions varying from extreme concern to outright anger.
Lunick then slammed Freddie playfully into the sand-covered set, pretending to be wrestling with him.
"Remember where the camera is. You want to show the gleam of the light on the sunscreen." Gisela warned.
She stopped taking pictures. "Alright. Girls, on the set. Let's go. Boys take a break and go put on more AWM."
Solana and Leilani started for the set as Lunick and Freddie picked themselves off of the ground.
"You guys were great," Leilani praised.
"Yeah right. I think Lunick was trying to snap my neck." Freddie complained as he dusted off the sand from his legs.
"Please, Fred. You heard the lady? Act like we were at a party. You know we'd be roughhousing and all that if'n we were."
"Yeah, uh huh. Act, Lunick. Act!"
"Boys, clear the set. We're on a tight schedule." Raúl ordered.
Freddie rolled his neck.
"Good luck, girls."
"Thanks," said Leilani.
Lunick gave Solana a kiss on the check before walking off. "Everything's going to be fine. Okay?"
Solana nodded.
"You're gonna do great."
As Lunick walked off-set Solana felt herself getting increasingly nervous. The other female models joined them on-set.
"Okay girls," Gisela started. "Leilani, Solana. As with you colleagues, you are going to be the focus of this shoot. We're gonna get a couple of you girls just chillin' and having fun before we bring you all back together for a group shot. Okay?"
Solana meekly nodded while Leilani nodded excitedly.
"Alright," Gisela picked up her camera, "Let me see some movement ladies. You're on the beach. You're playing volleyball. You're chillin' on the lounge chairs, soaking in the sun and you've got your AWM sunscreen lotion with you."
"Can we dance?" Leilani asked with a raised hand.
"Go for it. But nothing provocative."
"Sweet!"
Leilani instantly started moving and grooving on her own while the other models engaged with each other, throwing beach balls, laying on the lounge chairs, and playing in the sand.
Solana stood their awkwardly.
"Miss Solana. Do something," Gisela commanded in between shots.
Solana stammered. "I-I…I don't know what to do."
"Do something. Anything. Imagine you're on the beach with your friend here. Get active."
"Come on, Sole. It's easy," Leilani tried to encourage. She took her friend's hand and tried to encourage her to follow her movements.
Solana tried her best to move like Leilani but she just felt completely awkward.
"Mind your angles. Watch your angles. The camera is this way," Gisela scolded.
Solana felt her heart pounding. She stopped trying to dance like Leilani and instead took up one of the beach balls and tried to pose with it.
"Stop posing," said Gisela, "Natural movement. You don't just strike a pose with a beach ball. You throw it. Just throw it."
Gulping, Solana threw the beach ball up in the air.
"Stop!" Gisela nearly screamed. "When I said just throw it, I did not mean just throw it any ole way. Come on, Solana. Follow my directions. Hit your mark. We're telling a story. What are you trying to say in these photos?"
Lunick winced as he and Freddie watched from the side. Solana was getting in her own head and he knew if she didn't get out soon she was going to be berating herself the rest of the day.
Gisela exhaled a frustrated sigh.
"Okay. Okay. Let's try something else, alright? Go lay down on one of the lounge chairs, Solana. You too Leilani. Pretend you're unwinding on the beach."
Solana felt herself start to shake. She felt Leilani gently put her arm around her and guide her to the longue chairs.
"It's okay, girl. You're doing fine. Deep breaths."
They both lied down on the longue chairs as Gisela once again started taking pictures.
"You're too stiff! Relax. You're lounging on the beach."
Solana once again felt herself starting to pose. She tried to calm down as she lied across the chair.
"Relax, Solana. You're thinking too much. The tension is showing all over your body. Stop posing. Stay in the light and tell your story."
Solana's throat started to burn. She tried her best to fight back the tears that demanded to be released from her eyes from the pressure.
"No, no, no, no no." Gisela said as she lowered her camera. "Okay, this isn't working."
She motioned over to the male models.
"Boys, come back on set. We're just going to move on to the group shots."
Freddie, Lunick and the remaining 5 male models joined the girls on set.
Lunick and Freddie approached Solana and Leilani.
Lunick extended his hands to Solana.
"Babe, are you okay?"
Solana nodded frantically as she took his hands and stood up. Lunick could tell from her jerky movements that she was having a lot of anxiety.
"Deep breaths, Baby. Deep breaths," he coached, "Relax. I'm right here."
Gisela sighed again.
"Okay, rangers. Front and center, please.
All four of them walked to the center of the set to hear Gisela's instruction.
Victorian walked into the room. She approached Raúl by the creative consultant's desk.
"How is everything going? Is all well?"
"More-or-less," Raúl sighed. "I honestly expected a lot more from Fiore's heroine. But a hero does not a model make."
"Are the shots useable?"
"For the most part. I've already selected the best shots. It's not going to get much better, I don't think."
"Let me see what you've chosen."
Raúl glided to the left so Starsi could look at the monitor.
"The single ones aren't so bad. But why this group shot?"
"It's the one where they all look most natural and the product is clearly shining on their skins and visible on the table for identification."
"Here," Victorian pointed to the monitor, "Do something about that. Fix it."
"Whatever you say."
"Yes." Nodding, Victorian looked up at the rangers modeling once more before departing out of the room.
Gisela once again raised her camera.
"Okay guys. Get in close together. I want to see the glare of the light reflect off your body from the AWM sunscreen. You're buddies, enjoying each other's company. Camaraderie."
Freddie and Lunick stood on either side of Leilani and Solana respectively. The all wrapped their arms around each other and smiled.
"Good," Gisela said between shots, "You all are couples, correct?"
"Well, actually, Solana and Lunick are a couple, but not me and Freddie," said Leilani.
"Well here you are," Gisela replied, "Boys get in close to the girls. Hug 'em. Show the camera that you care about them.
Lunick wrapped his arm around Solana's waist and stood behind her. He gave her belly a light squeeze and lowered his lips to her left ear.
"You doing okay, Babe?"
Solana barely nodded.
Freddie wrapped his arms around Leilani's shoulders as she brought her arms up behind her and lightly grasped the back of his head.
"Good," Gisela praised. "Boys don't haunch over. We want to show off the AWM on your skin. You're wearing less for a reason. You can still caress them, just remember to not to hide yourselves behind the ladies. Be bold with it. Confident."
Both Lunick and Freddie side-stepped beside their respective female partner to make sure they weren't hidden. Plusle, Minun, Weavile, and Lucario were also sitting proudly beside their rangers.
"There you go. Good," she lowered her camera, "Go lay down in the lounge chairs. One chair per couple."
All four of them walked over to the lounge chairs and lied across them. Lunick lied down behind Solana and wrapped one arm around her waist and rested his chin on his fist with the other. Freddie reclined back on the lounge chair and Leilani sat down in his lap, also lying down.
"Fantastic! Très bien! Now boys I want to get some shots of you applying the sunscreen. Pick the tubes off of the table and massage them into the girls' skin."
Getting up from the chairs, both Lunick and Freddie picked up a tube of AWM sunscreen and squirted it on their hands. They walked back over to Solana and Leilani and gently began rubbing it in. Freddie rubbed it into Leilani bare back while Lunick rubbed it into Solana's arms and legs.
Solana felt herself getting hot. A warm tingly feeling filled her stomach as she felt as rush flow throughout her whole body from her center. Lunick's touch was gentle yet sensual and galvanizing. She felt herself craving for more of his touch.
Her eyes locked with his as his face was mere inches from hers.
"That's it!" Gisela cried. She lowered her camera and wore a big smile. "We've got our shots. We're done. Great job models. You were superb."
She looked to the four rangers. "You all did well. We've got to start our next project so that'll be it for today. Victorian will contact you if we need anything else. You may go to wardrobe and get cleaned up and then you are free to go. Thank you very much for your help today."
Gisela looked back at the other models.
"You ten change costume. We're moving on to Go & Grow. Chop-chop. Let's go."
The other models left the set. But Solana and Lunick stayed transfixed. It was as if everything around them didn't matter.
"Hey, you guys alright?"
They both blinked several times at the sound of Leilani's voice and looked up to see her and Freddie standing above them.
"I think they're in a world of their own, Leilani," Freddie chuckled.
Solana blinked several more times before trying to sit up. Lunick climbed off of her and slid to the side of the chair.
"Yeah, we're fine," Solana finally answered as she held her forehead. Her mind was racing as she tried to dispel the erotic fantasies in her head.
"I know it was a bit of a rough start for you, Sole, but I think you turned it around in the end," Leilani encouraged, "Especially since you had Lunick here to entice you."
Solana blushed faintly. She glanced over at Lunick. He was always quite slim and probably always will be, but over the last few years his chest had filled out nicely. Him actually starting a workout regimen along with her when they were sixteen helped as well. She admired his near-adult form, her thoughts drifting as she imagined running her hands over his wiry chest, tracing the lines in his abdomen as she traveled down toward his naval. Years of conditioning told her to be ashamed of such thinking, but she wouldn't let herself be. She was nearly an adult now and she was with a guy she could not imagine being ever without. It was like her soul was set free the day Lunick finally told her how he truly felt about her.
"Well, this was fun," Freddie said, "I kinda wish we could just take the rest of the day off but I gotta get back to Wintown. I know Leader has an assignment already lined up for me."
"Right," Leilani agreed. "I nearly completely forgot about work. It's such a shame. I could get used to this kind of lifestyle."
She looked back at Solana. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sole. Call me tonight if you need to talk, okay honey?"
Solana nodded.
Smiling, Freddie and Leilani turned to go to the dressing room area with their pokémon.
Clearing his throat, Lunick looked nervously up at Solana.
"So, uh…How're you feeling? You okay?"
Solana again nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. No worries." Solana could still feel her heart racing.
"Do you need to take the rest of the day off?"
"Don't be silly. We've got a job to do, remember? We only took off a few hours. Spenser's expecting us back."
"I guess so."
Solana stood up. She turned around to face Lunick, then her eyes stretched wide and she quickly turned away.
Lunick grew concerned.
"What? What is it? What's wrong?"
Solana covered her face.
"Nothing is wrong, honey…Um, I just…uh…Y-You may want to go get changed."
Lunick scrunched up his face in confusion. Solana didn't turn to face him and merely pointed down.
Lunick followed her motion and his eyes got as big as saucers.
"Oh God, not again!"
He quickly snatch the beach towel off from behind the lounge char and covered himself as he sprinted into the male's dressing room. Minun followed closely behind him.
Solana uncovered her eyes and stared in the direction Lunick was running. She blushed ever so slightly as a small smile spread across her lips.
At least she wasn't the only one getting aroused from the close skin-to skin contact.
Lunick continued to watch Solana as they walked down East Road. Solana had not been saying much of anything since they got back from the photo shoot. They completed four missions together and not once did she utter anything other than a command when necessary when they were on a mission. Lunick could tell she just wasn't herself and he was concerned about her state of mind since then.
"Solana?" he called.
"Hm?" she looked up from the ground.
"You're awfully quiet. Is something wrong, Babe?"
Solana looked back down at the ground.
"No, nothing is wrong."
"Solana, I know you. You don't stay mute like this for so long unless something is on your mind. But you're usually comfortable enough to talk to me about it."
Solana was silent as they continued to walk.
Lunick grew more concerned.
"Look, if this has anything to do with what happened back at the studio, please don't be mad. I don't always have full control of my body and it does betray me at times."
Solana stopped walking.
"What are you talking about? You didn't do anything wrong."
"I didn't offend you?" He asked coyly as he stopped walking as well.
"How could you possibly offend me?"
Lunick's frown deepened.
Solana then understood what he meant without saying it and quickly corrected him.
"Oooh…No, Lunick. I'm not mad at you. Your body just responds to stimulus. It's a natural response. You can't help it…And truth be told, you weren't alone in that regard."
That surprised him."Really?"
She nodded. "I mean, you may not be able to see it as visibly as yours because, you know, you're a guy, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at the very least starting to feel something myself."
Lunick lifted his head slightly.
"So, what exactly were you starting to feel?"
"Do you really need me to go into detail? You can't paint a picture?"
Lunick really wanted to ask her more but he knew he had to get to the bottom of what she was feeling at that present moment. But he made a mental note to ask her about that again later.
"Well, that's a relief to hear. I'm glad you're not upset about that. But then, if that wasn't it, then what's buggin' you? What has you so quiet?"
Solana lowered her eyes.
"Was it the photo shoot?"
Solana barely nodded.
Lunick sighed. "Look Solana."
"They weren't happy with me, Lunick."
"What do you mean?"
"Gisela wasn't pleased with my performance. She kept telling me all that I was doing wrong. And he may not have said anything but I could tell Mr. Raúl wasn't pleased with me as well, simply from the way he was staring at the screenshots on the monitor and shaking his head. I did a terrible job."
"Hey," he interrupted, "Stop thinking like that. You did a great job. Gisela was yelling at everybody. She's trying to get the perfect shot and has to work with a bunch of people. She yelled at me and Freddie too?"
"Yeah but she didn't tell you to stop what you were doing and try something else."
Solana covered her face. "I don't know how I could do so badly. You were right. I should not have gone through with it."
"Hey," Lunick walked in front of her and took her hands in his, stopping them from covering her beautiful crimson eyes, "What's done is done, Solana. You did your best. And from the praise we got afterwards I think it's safe to say you did a badical job."
Solana looked at him sorrowfully.
Lunick smiled.
"How about you and I go to Trainer Dee's and get ourselves a couple of corndogs and nachos? It'll make you feel better?"
Solana chuckled lightly at that.
"Thanks, but no thanks, Lunick. I don't really want fried food right now."
"Would you prefer a home-cooked meal?"
Solana smiled. "Would you mind?"
"Not at all. I lives to please my bon-diggity lady."
"Hm," Solana wrapped her arms around Lunick's neck, "Well, your lady might be up for some bon-diggity pleasing of her own."
"Is that so?"
"Mhmm," Solana cooed as she raised her head and gave her boyfriend a warm kiss.
"Do I get to play the field?" Lunick asked, waggling his eyebrows goofily.
Solana gave him a smug look.
"Hold on, Mister. I don't think you're ready for the big leagues yet. Maybe you should try the batting cages first."
"But how can I test my skills if I never play on the field?"
"Maybe Little League."
"I'm not a child."
"I beg to differ," she said cutely, "But maybe in practice you'll get to steal second before the umpire calls you out."
"Booyah," he whispered as he brought her in for another kiss.
Minun rolled his eyes, earning a rough shove and scornful look from Plusle.
"Hey, Lunick? A voice called.
Lunick broke the kiss at the sound of his name. He looked behind Solana and he and her both saw Lind standing a few feet away.
"This young lady is looking for you. She says she has to see you right away. She demanded I come and find you."
Lunick looked beside Lind. A young girl was standing timidly to his right.
Solana exhaled heavily at the sight of Iyori. She took her hands from around Lunick's neck and put her hands on her hips.
Lunick glanced at Solana then glanced back at Lind and Iyori.
Tearfully, Iyori sprinted towards Lunick and collapsed in his arms, crying hysterically.
Lunick looked back up at Lind.
"She won't take no for an answer." He replied.
Cringing and pursing his lips, Lunick looked back behind him. He saw Solana walking ahead of him down East Road, Plusle trailing behind her.
Lunick looked back at Lind, who just gave him an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry, man. I tried. She needs you."
Lunick sighed quietly and he uncomfortably began stroking Iyori's hair, trying to console her.
Bill scribbled feverishly into his spiral notebook. It was the wee hours of the morning and he was still fast at work at his next project. His brown hair veered off in all directions as beads of sweat trickled down the sides of his face. When he was focused on a project no one could pull him away until he was finished. That was the way of life a PokéManiac Pokémon Researcher and genius.
Bill finally set down his pencil. His pokémon could swear she could see smoke rising from the nubby tip of the pencil on the table.
"Clefable darling. I think this is it! Time for the moment of truth."
He quickly jumped out of his swivel chair and walked over to the large gene splicing machine in his office. He typed a code into the electric keypad beside the machine before putting a red, green and blue vial in three test tube holders.
"Manually activating transformative properties and synchronizing abilities. Rebirth operation in progress."
Many lights came to life and the machine vibrated dramatically as it emitted several loud beeping cries. The vials were quickly emptied and deposited through channels in the machine. The lights flashed erratically and it nearly looked like the machine would blow to kingdom come. But after a few more seconds the machine died down and the lights blinked off as the generator shut down.
Bill pulled a lever and two doors slid opened on the machine. A thick haze pooled out of the pods. After the opalescent air dissipated, two figures could be scene within the pods – an Alakazam and a Jolteon.
Bill held his breath.
The Jolteon stepped out. Its eyes glowed blue as it released several multicolored psychic undulations, the blast creating a hole in the side wall and causing Bill to duck so not to be struck by the blast.
"Synchronoise?" Bill pondered as he slowly stood to his feet.
The Alakazam stepped out. It crossed the two silver spoons it held in its claws and electrical sparks appeared around them. The spoons glowed yellow as a lighter colored yellow orb of energy expanded in front of them and it fired a massive blast of electricity in the opposite direction of where the Jolteon had fired its attack, creating a second hole in Bill's house.
"Charge Beam?" he cried. Bill suddenly wore a large grin. "Aha! It worked! The experiment was a success! I can't believe it!"
Bill rushed over to his notebook and began fervently recording the results.
"This has got to be the first experiment I've done that didn't result in an explosion or my being merged with a pokémon!" he cried excitedly. "What a major breakthrough! With this process, Pokémon are now able to relearn moves they'd forgotten long ago by their ancestors. This brings a whole new set of possibilities for pokémon breeding, pokémon training, genealogy, and the Pokéology science as a whole! Pokémon can now tap into the very mechanism that makes Mother Mew so elusive. They'll be able to learn moves previously only available to other species! Why this can even affect pokémon interactions and utility! No more needing only water pokémon to put out fires! No more draining electric pokémon for power. Type disadvantages are a thing of the past. New strategies will have to be formed for pokémon battling. This discovery will change the whole Pokémon-Human relationship forever!"
Bill threw his pencil down.
"HAHA! I can't believe it! What an astounding development! Bill you Pokégenius, you. You've done it again! I cannot wait to reveal my findings to the Pokémon Fan Club. I must contact Professor Oak at once and tell him about this discovery. He'd want a full report."
Bill then walked over to his desktop computer and immediately began writing a letter to Kanto's esteemed Pokémon Professor.
Clefable's ear twitched. Her ears perked up in alarm and she began to scan the room.
"Clefable?" she wondered.
Just then, a Smoke Ball broke through one of the windows and immediately the quaint house was filled with black smoke.
"Clefable!"
"Huh? What's going on?" Bill shrieked as he quickly stood to his feet.
Several more Smoke Balls dropped into the house, clouding it in thick black fog.
Bill started coughing.
Suddenly, Bill felt an intense pain shoot up his neck to the back of his head. He cried out before limply falling to the ground.
"Clefable!"
Clefable formed a large orb of pink energy between her paws before she fired it to try to strike down her human's attacker.
The attack was quickly deflected and sent spiraling back towards Clefable. She jumped to the side to dodge.
The Alakazam too tried to save his trainer by releasing the Charge Beam he had just learned and Jolteon did the same with her Synchronoise.
The shadowy figure quickly put up a dark blue shield, effectively protecting themselves from the attack. They then grabbed Bill's limp body and fired a grappling hook to the ceiling. Jumping up, they swung themselves and Bill out of the house through one of the openings his Pokémon had made in the wall earlier.
"Clefable!"
"Alakazam!"
"JoJo!"
All three Pokémon raced outside. But by the time they reached the intruder seemed to disappear. Their friend and master was nowhere to be seen.
"Alaka?"
"Jo? JoJo?"
"Fable…Clefable…" His beloved Pokémon cried.
