"Effie, finish it off with an Ice Fang!"
Effie lunges forward, sinking her ice-coated fangs into the Pelipper, who is weakened by a savage Fury Swipes from Cleo. Effie sinks her fangs right into Pelipper's wing, throwing it to the ground, unconscious.
It's been a few days since N has left, and we have made the most out of it. Effie has grown exponentially stronger, learning Thunder, Fire, and Poison Fang, along with Screech and Swagger. Cleo has also learned her fair share of new moves, including Hone Claws and Assurance.
Today though, there has been a meeting called for after dinner time, regarding a job that is coming up somewhere in the western part of Unova.
I'm going to go.
"Good job girls!" I high five/fin them, before we start our long trek back, managing to take out any stray pokemon that happen to cross our path.
Both Effie and Cleo are strong enough now to take out the wild pokemon in the area with relative ease, so a change of scenery would do us good.
We make it to the car, which is sitting patiently right outside the Route, and it zooms off, whisking us to the castle.
"I heard they are taking us over to Floccesy Ranch, to help with the Mareep and Miltank!" Prim laughs as we enter the dining hall.
"That would be cool! My uncle had an Ampharos, sweetest pokemon you'll ever meet." Sky gushes as we sit at our table.
We don't wait to long before the chefs bring out the food for the night, Chicken Parmesan and stew.
"So, how's N doing?" Cosmo asks nonchalantly as we eat.
"Not sure, haven't heard from him since he left..." I try to make eye contact with Prim, to change the subject, but her face is stuffed in her stew.
"Oh? I thought you two were together?" Sky asks, his face the image of innocence.
Prim almost chokes on her food.
"What?" I ask, floored.
"Yeah, you guys spend a lot of time with each other, and he's always going up to your room." Cosmo states, as if thats enough to render us together.
"We... um... we arent..." I stutter, not prepared for this turn of events, when Prim finally clues in.
"Hey! Leave the poor boy alone!" She squeezes my hand under the table, but Cosmo's face lights up.
"So... your single?" He obviously meant it as a comment, but it came out more like a question.
"Um... Yes...?" My answer comes out like a question as well, but Cosmo winks at me.
"Good." He laughs, and Prim squeezes my hand under the table again.
"So! Enough about his love life, more about this assignment!" Sky interjects, seeing how uncomfortable I am, and I spare him a grateful glance.
"Floccesy Ranch! It's supposed to be beautiful in the fall!" Prim gushes, her eyes lit up.
"Hey, don't you have that show with Elesa coming up soon?" I turn to her, and she nods vigorously.
"I leave sometime in the early early morning, actually! Got the outfit finished, she's going to love it!" Prim laughs.
"Can I come by and see it tonight?" I ask, and she nods again.
"I would love that!" She giggles, and Minerva walks out onto the stage.
"Attention, Team Plasma!" She claps twice, and the room immediately goes silent.
"As most of you have heard, we have an upcoming job over in Floccesy Ranch, by Virbank City-" My eyebrows shoot up, "-and we will need all hands on deck! There are multiple different jobs available in the Ranch, including herding Mareep, milking Miltank, and even feeding the tamed pokemon in the area. If you are interested, please come to the front and sign up with me after dinner. That is all. Enjoy!" She curtsies, then sits on the edge of the stage, chatting with one of the other members.
Me, Cosmo, and Sky all get up, and head over.
I make it there first.
"Ah! How are you doing dear? How goes the training?" She asks, smiling sweetly.
"Amazing! Cleo is almost ready to evolve, I believe, and Effie is getting there!" She laughs happily, clapping in excitement.
"So, you interested in the job?" She asks, suddenly serious.
"Of course. I have hands on experience with Mareep, my cousins having ran a farm out in Johto. And Miltank are sweethearts, if you can get past their tough exterior." Her face lights up again.
"Your perfect! Get packed, we leave tomorrow night!" She signs my name, and puts a star sticker beside it.
Smiling, I walk back to Prim, who has grabbed her purse and is ready to head back to the room
We head back, and Effie, Princess, and Cleo meet us in the commons room with the other pokemon.
"So, I'm sorry for the mess, I've been very busy getting the outfits done." She laughs as we head up.
"Outfits? Plural?" I ask, and she nods.
"I have thirteen finished products, Elesa will pick her favorite out of the bunch." My eyes must go huge, because she laughs and pats my arm as we enter.
"It was nothing, I got it all done last night." She throws her door open, and my jaw drops.
There are ropes and poles hanging from the ceiling, every which way, and each and every one has fabric, scissors, needles and thread, and much more hanging off of it. Prim stealthily makes her way through, as I stumble and knock into things.
"So here are the final choices, but I wont bore you with all of them, just my favorites." She throws open a large closet, which was hidden behind a wall of fabric from the roof, and walks in, me following close behind.
On the far back wall, there is a bunch of blue-themed outfits, all hung up neat and clean, and Prim grabs two to show me.
She holds the first one up.
"I call this one Whirlpool, just a prototype I thought might be cool..." She trails off as I examine the breathtaking view in front of me.
First thing I notice is the long, flowing, dark iridescent fabric, attached at the hips, and flowing with the illusion of waves all the way down to the floor. They are on both sides, and they are attached at the hips of a teal body suit, that has rhinestones and gems sewn across the neckline and hip curves. The neckline plunges down, almost to where Elesa's belly button would be, and the shoulders have wave-themed pieces surging out of them. Also on the hangar, are a pair of knee length-high heeled boots, and a beautiful circlet and necklace, both made out of a greenish material, to resemble sea weed.
"I made the boots from scratch, so they are a little bit iffy, but... what do you think...?" She asks expectantly.
"Why is it called Whirlpool?" I stutter, failing to bring the right words to mind.
"Oh! This is why I love it!" She steps back a bit, holds the dress against her, and twirls.
The wave fabric instantly flies out to its full length, and the spinning motion causes the bottom of it to twirl lower than the hips, making it look like the entire dress is being swallowed by a vortex of dark water. The fabric shimmers in the light as well, as if tiny gems were stuck in the raging whirlpool.
"Holy crap..." I gasp, and she stops, hanging it back up.
"What did you think?" She asks, hands clasped in anticipation.
"I... I cant even... wow. I'm at a loss for words..." I whisper, words failing me.
"Thank you so much! Well, since you liked that one so much..."
She takes me through the rest of the twelve outfits, and each one gets better and better.
There are dresses, skirts and camisoles, bodysuits, even a flashy pair of coveralls, and they are all so beautifully sewn and made, my breath catches with each and every one.
By the time we finally finish, the sun is well down, and it's close to midnight.
"So yeah... but anyways, I have to go catch my plane pretty soon." She smiles as I hug her.
"Elesa is going to be floored by these outfits!" I laugh, and she smiles.
"Thanks, that means a lot. Now, you get to bed! I have to finish packing." I hug her again, then me, Cleo, and Effie head back out and up to our room.
"So! We train tomorrow, then we're off for Floccesy Ranch!" They cheer, and we quickly get into bed, sleeping in no time.
"Watcher, use Tackle!" Cosmo orders, and Watcher flies at the Pelipper quickly, but barely makes a dent in it's health.
"Ugh!" He moans, and I laugh quietly.
Cosmo decided to come train with us today, so we allowed him to tag along.
"Effie, Poison Fang, Cleo, Assist!"
Effie coats her fangs with a deadly toxin, and sinks them into the poor Pelipper's wing, as Cleo launches with a Fire Fang of her own, chomping hard on Pelippers leg, and together they render it unconscious.
Effie lands gracefully, but Cleo lands awkwardly, landing on her back paws, she stumbles around a bit.
Afraid she might have absorbed some of Effie's poison, I run up to her, cradling her slowly.
"Hey baby girl, whats the matter?" I whisper, and she smiles up at me, as her body is covered with a blinding white light.
I step back, and her figure grows behind the light, until shes standing at half my height. The light fades away, and the new and improved Cleo looks around, confused.
"Liepard?" She purrs, her voice smooth and velvety.
"CLEO!" Me and Effie jump onto her, embracing her as she laughs.
Where her beige fur used to be, is now bright, daisy-yellow silky smooth fur, and her purple fur darkened. She also has leapord spots along her body, sporadically placed, and her tail is easily a few feet long, and she flocks it in excitement.
"So Watcher can't even take down a measly Pelipper, but your Purrloin can evolve after one hit?" Cosmo groans, and I see Watcher sulk a bit as well.
"Hey, you stop that! Watcher pulled off an exquisite Tackle, and if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have gotten it down!" I growl, and his eyes shoot up.
"Your right... I'm sorry, Watty, I didnt mean it." He hugs his Patrat close.
"And also, we've been training for almost a full week now, so Cleo has been due for an evolution for a while. Effie isn't too far behind." I explain, and he nods.
"So... could you help us train?" He asks quietly, and I nod.
"Of course, Cosmo. It would be my honor. Lets start basic..."
Watcher is a normal type, and knows the moves Tackle, Leer, Bite, and Detect.
"Okay, so try this; Use Leer to weaken your opponent, then Detect to ward off any incoming attack, then Bite to deal some damage! Then, rinse and repeat until you win!" He nods, and Watcher pulls a local Delibird into battle.
He looks back at me uncertainly, but his eyes harden and a smirk spreads across his face.
"Watty, use Leer!" The battle begins.
"See, I told you you could do it!" I laugh as a tired Watcher hugs Cosmo tightly, proud of their first win.
"You did it!" Cosmo laughs, spinning the Patrat around.
"From now on, Watcher and Effie can spar a bit, help you guys build up your strategy." I suggest, and Cosmo nods.
Cleo rubs against my hand, purring loudly, and pointing at the treeline with her tail.
"Huh? Oh, thats right! I almost forgot!" I laugh, and Cosmo tilts his head in confusion.
"Forgot what?" He inquires.
"There is a forest trail around here, me and Cleo always race to see who can finish first. It loops around, ending in the same spot, but we both go separate ways, although i have a sneaky suspicion i might lose this time..." I shoot her a mock stern face, and she chuckles.
He nods.
"Effie stays here, so feel free to spar while we run." He nods again, and the three of them walk to a nearby clearing.
"Alright Cleo, lets see if you can FINALLY beat me! Three... two... GO!"
By the time I get back around, Cleo is dozing beside Cosmo, back at the clearing.
"Oh... my... god... Cleo..." I gasp, panting hard, and she smirks at me, cleaning her paw.
"You good?" Cosmo jumps up, helping me to the car, so we can head back to the castle.
"I'm... fine... just... ARCEUS!" I pant, trying to catch my breath.
He hands me a bottle of water from who knows where, and I take it gratefully, having forgotten to bring my own.
I chug it quickly, and my breath comes back soon after.
"Thanks, I needed that." I sigh, as we return our pokemon and crawl into the back of the car.
He turns to me suddenly, a weird look in his eyes.
"Do you like me?" He asks, and I sit straight, caught unaware by the question.
"I mean... yeah... your a great guy..." I trail off as he shakes his head, chuckling.
"No, idiot, like, LIKE like me." He laughs.
"I mean... no... yes... oh god, I dont know!" I throw my hands up, and he leans forward, gently caressing my face with his hand, and he kisses me.
I lean into it, wanting it so badly yet despising myself at the same time, and its this conflict of feelings that leads me to pull him on top of me, so hes straddling me. I run a hand down his back, while the other one holds him close by his jaw. He moans softly as I grope his ass, pulling him closer.
"But... what about... N..." He whispers between kisses, and I shake my head.
"N's... not... here..." I moan into his mouth.
It feels like we are just getting started, when the car pulls to a stop in front of the castle.
Sighing, Cosmo gets out first, then me.
Minerva is waiting outside.
"Ah, boys! Just the two I was looking for!" She strides over, smiling.
"Minerva! Hey!" I laugh, hugging her as she approaches.
"I had a question for you!" She smiles at the two of us.
"Shoot!" Cosmo grins wildly, still excited from the car ride.
I shake my head, chuckling.
"I was hoping to have you two and... Skyler, was it? I would like you guys to come up to my designer-y, I have a few designs I would like to try out for tomorrow." She asks, and we both nod.
"Of course! What time would you like us up there?" Cosmo asks, and she smiles even wider.
"Half an hour"? She asks, and we both nod.
"See you soon!" She giggles, hugging us both and taking off.
"We will finish later." He winks at me, brushing my arm as he passes to go inside, and my body yearns for him.
"How do I look?" I spin in a circle, and Effie and Cleo laugh at me.
"It doesn't matter how you LOOK, dear, it matters how you FEEL! Is it comfortable?" She asks, and I nod.
I'm wearing a loose pair of coveralls, that is made out of Galvantula silk, and is quite comfortable. It has the teams insignia on the left breast, and many pockets down the front.
"Good! I'll get the rest done tonight!" She smiles, and me, Cosmo, and Sky take our outfits off, stripping back down to our underwear to get changed.
After we finish, and Cosmo shoots me a devilish grin and a wink, they boys take off, but I stay to ask Minerva a question.
"Hey hun! Thank you so much for helping me out!" She hugs me again, sitting me down.
"Not a problem, but I had a quick question." I start, and she hands me a steaming mug of tea.
"Go ahead, Skiddo." She smiles at a pun I dont quite understand, and I keep going.
"Have we heard anything about Prim yet?" I ask, and she sits up straight.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" She grabs me by the arm, whisking me down corridor after corridor, until we reach a room, with a small T.V in it.
"N doesnt like having televisions in the castle, but I insisted on keeping one!" She flicks it on, and a runway appears on the screen.
"-wearing an outfit by an aspiring new designer, put your hands together for Elesa, the electric beauty!"
Elesa walks out, and I recognize the outfit instantly.
"Whirlpool!" I clap, and Minerva laughs.
Elesa struts out, pausing and posing at the end.
But instead of walking back right away, she twirls in place, and the dress surrounds her in a beautiful vortex.
"Did... did Prim make that?" Minerva gasps, mesmerized by the outfit, and I nod.
"It was her favorite one, a concept she was trying out. And obviously, it paid off!" The crowd goes absolutely nuts, losing their minds as Elesa stops, and struts back down, the fabric at her hips leaving a trail of waves following her.
"That settles it then!" Minerva claps, and I turn to her.
"I offered Primrose a position here, as my apprentice, but she told me she had to politely decline, because she didn't think she was skilled enough. But, as we just witnessed, I couldn't have asked a more skilled girl." I nod.
"She's going to love that." I smile, and she hugs me.
"Alrighty, kiddo, go finish getting packed! Plane leaves in a few hours!" She gently pushes me out, and I enter the hallway, where Cleo and Effie are patiently waiting.
We head up to my room, grab our already-packed bags, and go wait in the courtyard.
Floccesy Ranch, here we come!