Chapter Twelve: Famous
And Everything Came Crashing Down
I awoke with a yawn and crawled out of bed. Before I stood up I felt the silk sheets one last time. Deep inside I liked the luxuries of the Golden Cities, but I would never dare say it.
I ended the day before with hard training. I knew I would have a huge disadvantage with Fantina's collection of Ghost and Dark Types. She was voted Gym Leader, rather unfairly in my mind, because she was a Super Contest champion and knew much about Pokémon. She is a year younger than I, being the youngest Gym Leader of Sinnoh.
I started my day with a shower, fresh clothes and breakfast the Center provided. Then I was off to the Pokémon Park where I could train some more.
I was at my own section of the park, apparently the other people came to the park to walk their Pokémon and not train, so they asked me to move to a more secluded section. I did, but I stomped my feet with every step.
I had trained a lot with Hoothoot and Bibarel. I learned that Bibarel knew Water Gun, which I knew would come in handy, and was on the brink of learning Headbutt. Hoothoot was also making progress. He was growing quickly. From experience I knew that meant he was going to evolve soon. He was getting tall rapidly, he almost stood as tall as my shoulders.
When I finally started training with Gible, she about mastered Sand Tomb. Now her moves were Dragon Rage, Sandstorm, Take Down and Sand Tomb. She also had grown from when I first trained her with Ellena.
I trained with Psyduck and Roselia also. Psyduck was becoming one of my strongest Pokémon, although they were all pretty tough. For some reason he just stuck to me like a leaf on a tree, and he always stared at me with huge eyes. My Pokémon egg was extremely close to hatching. It moved quite a bit, and had started to crack slightly. I was anxious to know what Pokémon would hatch from the faintly blue egg.
After my training I went and picked up some Pokébread for lunch. I went back to the park and shared it with my Pokémon. It was nice to have some money for good food. I ate my piece of bread and laid back and relaxed in the sun of Hearthrome. The clouds lingered in the same spot forever. Sometimes one would get hit by a gust of wind and mash into another cloud, pushing both of them across the baby blue blanket. They were all huge, plushy clouds. So unlike the wispy fog-clouds back in Celestic.
Bibarel sat about a foot away from me. He was eating a bush and pulling at the grass. Roselia was sitting against me napping, and Psyduck was staring at me while sitting on my knees. Creepy little duck. I thought. Hoothoot was flapping his wings and hovering around. Gible was pouting in her Pokéball for now.
I was ready, or at least I thought I was. I was extremely confident that I could go and battle Fantina. I gathered my things and dropped the unneeded items back at the Center, then took my Pokémon over to the Gym. I walked through the long streets of the Golden City in waves of people. All along the way people stopped me and said how much they loved me. It was so weird to be known by people other than the twenty from Celestic. I was famous in a weird way.
A strange thought came to mind: Lea knew who I was. That made me feel odd. To know that an evil man such as Lea knows who I am. Maybe he even has spies watching my every move. But Lea has better things to do. Did he? He hadn't had a challenger in forever, so he didn't have to train, what does he do all day? What would I be doing all day as the champion? He has to be busy with Sinnoh; I mean he has a region to look after. He isn't doing that good of a job… So he must have nothing to do. I instinctively studied the groups around me. They were all normal Golden City folk. (I never thought I would call the Golden's 'normal') I was getting use to the insanity called their style, but I would die before wearing any of it.
Still, the thought lingered. Lea probably saw my battle on television, he'll be watching this battle, and he really might have people following me. If so, then he knows all about Sake and Ellena's illegal escaping from Oreburgh by a secret tunnel in the mines, and them slipping through electric fences. And he would have put a stop to it by now. That made me feel better.
I made it to the gym. It was huge. I thought Eterna's gym was big, but it was very small in comparison. This was a huge circle arena. It had painted purple beams and pillars and gold walls. It was a huge coliseum.
I entered the arena. There were multiple battle fields. Each one was empty. In fact, the room was empty.
"Cynthia?" I heard in the perfect Golden accent.
I turned around to meet a young girl facing me. She had long purple hair tied in a fashionable bun and a huge pink dress on. The average Golden. "Yes. Are you Fantina?"
"Oh yes, I am Fantina, zé Ghost Type Specialist! And you are my challenger, zé Young Trainer Cynthia! I am very excité for our battle. Come, come. Let us go to the real battle area!" Fantina chirped. She grabbed my arm and pulled me across the room and into an elevator. It was a quick ride to the second floor. Once the large, gold doors opened, they revealed a huge battle field. It took up the whole floor. And it was purple.
Fantina squealed. "Let us begin, Young Trainer Cynthia!" She about sprinted to the host side, and I took my time as I walked to the challenger side.
I gave myself an in-mind pep-talk like I did before every battle. You can do it, you have trained, and you are ready, Young Trainer Cynthia! I smirked. I looked around at the cheering crowd. Some cheered me on, and some cheered Fantina on. I didn't want to disappoint them, but I was confident.
I waited for Fantina to release her Pokémon. It felt weird to stand there being gawked at by every person, and television camera, in the room. I was use to getting engrossed in the game.
Fantina finally released her Pokémon. "Andate é la battaglia, Drifloon!" A purple, floating balloon-like Pokémon came out. It was small, had two string-like legs and an 'X' on its face.
"Go, Roselia." I released my Pokémon. She came out and twirled around. I rolled my eyes, but she looked strong.
"Drifloon Gust." The foe lifted up his arms, and a puff of air brushed past Roselia. She wobbled a bit and almost lost her balance, but gathered herself well.
"Mega Drain." I commanded. Roselia extended her invisible hand and sucked the energy from Drifloon. Drifloon made a weird sound of pain, but didn't show any hurt.
"Payback!" Fantina spun around in a circle just like Roselia. The rival started spinning rapidly. He spun to my Pokémon then hit her hard. Roselia collided with the ground and whined in pain. With shaking legs she stood back up. The crowd cheered.
"Magical Leaf." I yelled. Roselia held her arms out and colorful leaves appeared. They spun around her, gaining speed and multiplying, and then they shot to Drifloon. They pieced his skin. He yelped, but still nothing happened.
"Gust again." Fantina called. Drifloon used the move Gust. Roselia was hit with the air. She fell to the ground hard.
"Come on Grass Type! You can do it." I yelled. But Roselia wasn't getting back up. I returned her and grabbed Bibarel. "Bibarel, bring your all." Bibarel materialized and got in the battle stance. He growled then turned towards me. "Rollout, now." He focused, and then rolled to the foe. He smashed into him multiple times. On the fourth hit, Drifloon fell to the ground.
"Do not claim victory, I have more! Continuiamo." She released another Pokémon. "Haunter, lotta bene." A purple Ghost Pokémon came out. It had a floating head and hands. It was grinning wildly, and rather evilly.
"Bibarel, Headbutt." He sprinted to the rival and headbutted it perfectly. Haunter was pushed back, but didn't show that he took too much damage.
"Shadow Punch." Haunter grinned widely then disappeared.
"Be on guard." I warned. "Be ready to dodge."
"Obtenez de l'arrière." Fantina yelled.
A purple fist appeared behind Bibarel. "Dodge!" I yelled, but it was too late. The fist punched Bibarel to the ground. He growled and stood back up. The Haunter appeared back in his place across the arena.
The crowd cheered. They were loud but I was focused. "Water Gun." Bibarel shot water from his mouth and onto Haunter. The Pokémon cried out as the liquid hit his face. "Now Rollout." Bibarel rolled to the foe.
"Dodge zé attack." Haunter disappeared and avoided the move, making Bibarel roll and crash into a wall.
I glared at Fantina, but she didn't react. "Use Water Gun again." I said through clenched teeth. Bibarel shot water at Haunter. "Headbutt." He ran to the opponent and hit him. Haunter was thrust backward. He fell to the floor and let out some weird cry. But nonetheless, he got back up.
"Sucker Punch." Fantina chirped. Haunter flew to Bibarel and punched him with a black, blazing with energy fist. "Shadow Punch." Haunter disappeared.
I didn't try to say anything, this time it happened so fast. The fist appeared and punched my Pokémon. It was possibly a critical hit and it knocked out Bibarel. The crowd cheered and yelled at the same time. "Yeah Fantina! Oh no, Cynthia!" I would hear.
I returned Bibarel and got Psyduck's Pokéball. I hit the button; it popped open and landed at my feat. Psyduck formed from the light. "Go Psyduck."
"Young Trainer Cynthia, I am not sure who holds the upper hand here, but I do know we must be tied, no?" She laughed good-heartedly.
I ignored her. "Water Pulse." Psyduck focused and sent out pulsations of water. They slapped Haunter hard on the face, and he fell to the ground. An instant faint.
Fantina returned her Pokémon. "Oh ciel! What is this? My final Pokémon?" She wiped her face clean of any worry. "Je vais l'emporter and you will not."
What is she even saying? "Now I have the upper hand, Fantina. I would be worried if I were you."
"Worries and Fantina no mix, Trainer. So you are not me." Fantina chided. She tossed her last Pokéball in the air. A weird Pokémon came out. It was a black, hovering skull Pokémon. Fantina said something in another language. I only heard 'Duskull.'
"Psyduck, Water Gun." My Pokémon used Water Gun perfectly. Unfortunately, Duskull didn't seem affected.
"Astonish mes Pokémon." Duskull started to screech wildly. It flew over to my petrified Pokémon and ran into him. Psyduck fell down and let out a cry. He shook his head and jumped back up. "Shadow Sneak." Fantina yelled. A dark shadow appeared under the floating Pokémon. It traveled over to Psyduck.
"Dodge it." Psyduck jumped away, but the shadow struck too soon. It leapt up and hit my Water Type. He fell to the ground and landed right on his face. He stood up and spun around, facing the rival Pokémon. "Confusion!" Psyduck concentrated. I noticed his eyes turning a purple color. They were mesmerizing. I just wanted to keep staring, staring and staring. Then I mentally slapped myself in the face. Stop it! Get your head in the game. I thought. I shook my head and focused. Duskull was hovering in circles. Good.
"You think that a simple, astuce will bring me and my Pokémon to our finale?" Fantina laughed.
"…Yes." I said. I was unsure, but sounded pretty confident… I think.
She continued to laugh. "Vous êtes malade, dans l'esprit!"
"Okay." I blinked. "Psyduck, Water Pulse." My Pokémon sent water zooming at Duskull. In his state, he could not dodge, and Psyduck could not miss. It was a perfect hit. It sent Duskull flying through the air. He rocketed over Fantina and smashed into the far wall. A camera man had to duck out of the way. I grinned. This had to be the final knockout.
"Duskull, no!" Fantina whimpered. She pouted her lip and sighed. I took that as a good sign… On my behalf.
I waited. Duskull wasn't moving, and then he floated up. His jaw was separated from his floating body, but it levitated and reattached. "Psyduck—" Wasn't quick enough.
"Shadow Sneak!" Fantina called. Duskull grinned and almost laughed. Then the round, black shadow underneath him dashed towards Psyduck. It was like lightning. It shot through the arena then collided with Psyduck. My Pokémon, being dense, didn't even try to dodge or act like it was waiting for a command. That was something to add to the 'down side' column.
Psyduck fell to the ground with the shadow lingering under it. Duskull squawked and the shadow ran back under its master. My Pokémon stood up slowly. His legs were trembling. He was wincing.
"Astonish." Duskull started screeching and screaming. His eyes grew wild, he dashed to Psyduck. He crashed into the Water Type and sent him to the ground again. This time I knew he wasn't going to get up. I returned him. I chose my last Pokémon carefully.
No need to bring out Gible. Let's try Hoothoot and see if that evolve moment is going to come. I thought. "Go Hoothoot." He came out of the ball. He crowed and 'hooted' a bit before turned his head around (Still scary) and awaited his command.
"Shadow Sneak again." Fantina yelled. Although she was losing, she had on a smile. It looked like she had mastered the ultra confident thing.
Her Pokémon used the move. The shadow darted to Hoothoot. It seeped beneath him. Nothing happened. I grinned. He was immune.
Then the next best thing happened. Light beams shot out of Hoothoot. He started to morph into something great, into something better. He shifted back and forth. Hoothoot, Noctowl, Hoothoot, Noctowl.
"Simply magnifique!" Fantina was caught in the spellbinding light. It was beautiful. Soon, Hoothoot fully evolved into Noctowl.
"Alright Noctowl, Peck!" The huge bird flapped his wings and glided to Duskull. He used Peck hard on the skull Pokémon. The foe crashed to the ground. His jaw bone fell off again, and his forehead cracked. Fantina returned him. She smiled and started walking towards me.
I returned Noctowl and took long strides. Victory was a warm and amazing feeling. I met her in the middle of the field. She reached her hand out, I shook it. The crowd was in uproar. She gave me the badge. "Never give up, never surrender. You're fantastically strong! Si deve andare lontano." She gave me a bow.
"Thank you Fantina. I will take that advice and use it." I smiled.
I left the arena with a lot of satisfaction. I went back to the Center to relax a bit, but unfortunately my plans weren't going to work out that way.
I walked into the Pokémon Center and was greeted by Constance and her makeup crew. "Blondie!" She chirped. She hugged me. I just awkwardly patted her back.
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked. No, I didn't sound friendly, but whatever.
"We aren't guys, thank you." The all-too-familiar voice said. I looked passed Constance. Sure enough, there stood Maxina smirking. "Happy to see me?" She walked up to me and crossed her arms. She thought she looked intimidating, but really a short girl trying to be tall with six-inch heels, ridiculous purple hair and matching ball gown was the complete opposite. Fantina was the only one who could look acceptable in purple.
"Yeah, ecstatic. Practically blissful." I growled.
"Whoa there, down girl." Constance laughed nervously. "Anyways, the reason why we're here is because we need to get you ready for tonight."
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You are having dinner with a bunch of important people." She started twirling her finger around in my hair. It reminded me too much of Jamie and her compulsive hair-twirl when she was in-thought. It stung me.
I brushed the thought away and shook my head. Constance sighed and took the hint. "Sorry." She murmured.
"Who are the 'important' people?" I asked.
"Come on, let's go back up to your room and discuss this." Constance dragged me to my room on the third floor. I used the card key and opened the door. Everyone filed in and started setting up things that would soon put me in torture. I groaned. "Oh stop it Blondie. It isn't that bad!"
"Constance, really, what is this dinner? Why do I have to go?"
She pushed me over to a chair and sat me down. "This dinner is going to be with a judge from the contests, a few people from Jubilife Broadcasting, Maxina, Fantina of course, some people from the League, and other famous people."
"Will Lea be there?"
"No, no. With the attacks he doesn't think he should leave his post. But other important people of his will be there. Since he can't meet you he's sending his best workers to instead." Her crew began raking through my hair.
"This dinner isn't… For me, right?" My stomach balled up.
"Yes it is. It's a celebration, you should be happy. Everyone wants to meet the latest trainer who has made it this far." I peeked at Maxina, she rolled her eyes.
I felt sick. The last thing I wanted was to meet a bunch of Golden's, and whatever Lea's people were, and have dinner with them. What would they say if I didn't eat meat? "Cynthia, why haven't you touched your Goldeen and Bidoof?" "Because I am against non-vegetarianism, unlike you who eat the stuff every day." "Oh… Then we'll have to kill you." Okay, maybe that was farfetched, but it still made me nervous.
"Do I have to go?" I whined to Constance.
"Yes! You'd be stupid to miss this. You need to meet these people. And getting on Lea's good side could have its perks, right?" No.
"I can't excuse myself after meeting everyone and then bolt?"
"Absolutely not. Enjoy yourself. I'll be in another room eavesdropping the whole time, so if you want a break come find me. Plus Maxina will be there."
I looked over at her. She grinned. "Yep, sitting right beside you."
"Joy." I muttered.
All the ladies worked on my hair and face. Constance brought a black dress with silver on it, and I was thankful. I didn't want an orange mess like the dress she was going to make me wear last time. I didn't want the horror of looking at myself in the mirror, so I just left the room with Maxina and Constance without sneaking a peak.
We didn't have to walk far to get to the Dining Hall. It was on the opposite side of town from the Contest Hall. If there weren't so many huge building in the way, you would see the Contest Hall looking directly at you through a window.
The three of us walked up to the front door where many guards stood. They had to use the same electronic pad that was used in the white building in order to let us in. I felt fancy, but so out of place.
The first huge room was a ballroom of sorts. It had stone floors and walls, and on the ceiling was a mural of a building surrounded by puffy clouds and flying Pokémon.
"What is that building?" I whispered to Constance. The building was dull and gray, nothing you would see in a Golden City.
"That's the League building." She whispered back. Her accent at its finest, or fakest.
"That's the building? I would expect it to match the Golden Cities."
"No, Lea likes it like that. It used to be very pretty. There use to be flowers everywhere and statues and fountains, that's the way Annie had it. Now there's only one private garden." Constance shrugged. "It's the way Lea wants it."
Right. Sinnoh is the way Lea wants it, isn't it? We walked out in the middle of the room, as Maxina suggested, and then a person walked up to us.
"Hello there Maxina!" It was an older man with gray hair and a black suit. He grabbed Maxina's hand and kissed it. "And you must be Cynthia, my oh my, what a beauty you are!" He grabbed my hand. His grasp was tight, and that made me uncomfortable, and he brought it up to his lips and kissed it for much too long. I was overly grossed out, but Maxina looked at me in a way that was almost jealousy. I just smiled and said hello to Mister Creep.
"I am Georgo Clank, I own a few buildings and businesses here and in Jubilife. So, how many gyms do you plan to challenge, my dear?" He stood way too close to me. In my head I had a restraining order of at least three feet, he was about a foot away and slightly leaned his face towards me. I subtly took a step back.
What kind of question is that? Doesn't everyone shoot for all of them? "I hope to make it through all of the gyms, sir."
"Do you now? Say, that's a pretty big goal." He wiggled his finger in front of him, as if expressing 'don't do that' to me.
"Not necessarily. I train a lot, and apparently enough since I've made it this far." I shrugged.
He chuckled. "Young girls and their big dreams. But I dreamed big, and look at me!" He gestured towards himself. He was a plump, short old man. What did that mean? "I'm rich and famous." He sounded disappointed that no one said that for him. "And you're a famous, beautiful young lady… You'll make it in this world somehow." He smiled at me and looked me up and down. I wanted to throw up, so I just turned to Constance.
"Constance, why don't you introduce me to that person you have been talking about?" I asked. I raised my eyebrows, hoping that would help.
She cocked her head at me. "Sure, he's over here." She started walking to a large group of people. Maxina stayed back to talk to the creep.
I stayed to Constance's side. "Thank you so much." I whispered. "That guy is a disturbing, bizarre man."
She shook her head. "He's important, that's what counts, right?"
I gave her a weird look. "No." Just then more people approached. This time it was three men in business suits with woman on their arms. They were more rich people who owned businesses. Once they moved on to talk to other people, I turned to Constance. "I thought this was supposed to be really important people, how come I haven't met Lea's workers yet?"
"Anyone who is important will make sure they're fashionably late. They won't arrive until dinner."
"Why didn't we do that? I'm important, right?" Wow, that's odd. Thinking of myself as 'important' and 'famous.' I thought.
"You're the reason this party was put together, you're supposed to be on time. Don't worry, not all these people will be having dinner. Most of them will leave, the servants will be excused to the sitting rooms, the children and family will leave. This is just mingle time."
"Will you have to be excused to a sitting room?" I thought that was ridiculous.
"Yes. I'm considered your servant. That's why I'm dressed like this." She gestured to her outfit. She was wearing a long black skirt and a blue sweater. I didn't think she looked bad. "In case you, Miss Unfashionable, can't figure it out, I'm not suppose to look better then you. All these horribly dressed people are servants, here to accompany their 'masters' and obey them like Pokémon." She scoffed. "Don't expect me to get you a drink or massage your shoulders. If you have hair problems, then we'll talk."
"Agreed." I said. As much as I didn't understand Constance, I still had more respect for her than that. She pushed me over to the large group of people. I was way out of my element. I wasn't the type of person to just approach people, especially a group, and talk.
With shaking knees I walked up to these people. Each one of them turned and stared at me.
"You're Cynthia." One lady said. She wore a much too tight dress and her white hair in a bun, but wasn't old enough to have naturally white hair. She grinned. "You're like, the best trainer ever!" She chirped, half-losing her accent.
"Yes, I am Cynthia. And thank you." I forced a smile. After that the whole group started asking me questions. I became the center of attention. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it either. Others joined the huge group and started talking to me, and soon Maxina came over. She acted like my best friend most of the time, which was annoying considering she was doing it for attention. She wasn't getting any.
I got overwhelmed soon and pulled Constance away. "Why'd you do that? They love you! When Lea's workers come and are asking everyone about you, they'll say nothing but great things." She said.
"Because, I'm starting to hate people bombarding me."
"Please, it's an honor. Why can't you wrap your pretty little head around that?"
I sighed. I didn't know how I felt about that. Only Golden's thought I was famous, everybody else could care less. So I should not have liked it, but in a way, I did.
Maxina joined us. "I must say, they like you. Too bad they don't know what's really in there." I rolled my eyes. "Constance, get me a drink, will you? Something sweet."
Constance glared at her. "Your legs don't work?"
Maxina looked offended, which was the opposite of the situation. "Excuse me? If I walked over there and got my own drink, you know what people would say? They would say horrible things, Constance. You're the servant, act like one!" She spit.
Constance fumed. "Whatever you say, Master." She muttered through clenched teeth. Maxina smiled.
"Constance, wait." I said. She turned around to face me. Maxina glared at me. "You don't have to get her a drink, you're here with me."
"She's here for both of us idiot!" Maxina growled.
I gave her a mad look. "You know what? I'm going to get Constance and me a drink."
"You can't do that." Maxina grabbed my arm as I walked away. This made many eyes look our way.
We both noticed the eyes. Maxina let go and smiled thinly, I did the same. "Why can't I get a drink?" I whispered.
"Because, if they see you getting your own drink, you suddenly aren't important anymore. And I came with you, people think we're friends, you would ruin my rep."
"You think I care?" I grinned then turned toward the table filled with drinks and crackers. I walked my 'I'm going to the battle arena' walk and approached the table. There was a fountain spewing some pink drink, and other colors in cups around it. I stuck with safety and got two waters. I walked back to Constance and handed her a cup. I peeked around. Everyone was staring at me, a few were even whispering. Then, one of the servants, the one that accompanied Mister Creep, started clapping. Soon the other servers joined in, until the whole room was applauding. I couldn't help but smile at Maxina, who ached for attention, and then enjoy my water like it was the best tasting thing in the world.
About ten minutes passed of more people talking to me. A few servants even came and told me they thought I was their hero. Everyone was getting their own drinks that night. Then an intercom came on, telling everyone to go to the dining room. Like Constance said, a lot of people left. But a few business people stayed, including Georgo Creep, and entered the dining room. I walked with Maxina and Constance. She said she had to seat us and then she would go to the sitting room.
We walked through two huge double-story doors and into a grand dining room. It was the same size as the ballroom, which was insanely large, and had a huge gold chandelier with twinkling candles on it. Since the room was lit by candles, it looked as if the gold-colored walls were shimmering, and the white marble floor was luminous. It was beautiful. The long table seated in the middle was huge, but didn't take up any space in this large room. On the far wall stood a bunch of in-uniform servants, ready to work. There were cards with everyone's name on them sitting on the plates. Sure enough I was seated next to Maxina, right in the middle of the table. Center of attention.
Constance pulled out our chairs before I had any say, then stood and watched while we sat down. She bent down and whispered in my ear. "I'll be down that hallway with the other servants in the sitting room, excuse yourself to the bathroom if you need me." I watched her walk down a slim hallway with the other servants. I looked over at Maxina, who was sitting up straight and fixing her wig. The card on the plate next to hers read 'Fantina.' That's probably why Maxina wanted to steal her look. I looked at the card next to me, it read 'Catalane.' I thought I had heard that name earlier while talking with the huge group, so maybe I wouldn't have to go through the introductions. The card next to that, however, read 'Georgo.' At least I wasn't sitting next to him.
And then my worst fear at that moment happened. Georgo walked to his seat with his servant, looked at me, then back at his seat. He winked at me and switched the cards so he was sitting next to me. His servant pulled out the seat and he sat down. The servant then fixed his handkerchief so it was hanging from his collar. Even that grossed me out. "You may leave me." He said to the servant. She nodded and left for the sitting room. She basically acted like this old man's nanny. That made me gag a little.
I ignored him and watched the other people come and sit. Just as Constance said, people I didn't see before came in. Most of them walked over to me and said hello. One I recognized as Steven from Jubilife news and others from the studio that day of my interview. Fantina came in with two servants bustling behind her. She wore another ball gown, this time is was sparkling silver paired with her purple hair that hung to her waist. She patted my shoulder as she walked to her seat. One servant picked at her hair while the other pulled out the seat. She sat down then said something in a language that was not Modern Poké. They left her. There were four seats still empty. The two at the head of the table, and the two right across from me.
One man with neatly combed red hair walked in. I recognized him, where did I recognize him? Maxina leaned in towards me. "Since I know you don't know I'll be nice. That's the famous contest judge Locus Lane." She whispered. So I know him from television. He sat at the head of the table to the left of me.
He smiled around at everyone and he stopped at me. "Hello there, Cynthia. Welcome to my place." He lifted his arms and gestured to the room. "Yes, that's right, I own this very fine building just like I own the Contest Hall." He chuckled. "It's so nice to meet you, lovely."
"As it is you, Locus." He seemed impressed and delighted that I knew his name, and I could feel the awful glare I was getting from Maxina.
"Well everyone, I am sad to say that my good friend Champion Lea couldn't make it, so please welcome his advisor Maroon." An older guy with beady eyes and glasses came in. He walked to the other head of the table to my right and took a seat. "Since our last two are late because they're traveling from Jubilife, let's get our drinks and salads right away." The servants standing on the far wall all stumbled into another room. They almost immediately brought out salads and drinks. They sat the huge salad in front of me and a pink drink.
"Excuse me, I would like water." I said to the servant.
"Why?" Uh oh. I turned to Locus.
"Because I'm not a fan of, of…" I looked at the drink. I didn't even know what it was.
"That's the most expensive drink money can buy. Drink it, enjoy it." He insisted.
I nodded and smiled. "You're right, thank you." I started eating my salad, which was pretty good, and I reached for my glass. I picked it up and brought it to my nose. It smelt fruity, so I took a sip. Wrong, very wrong. It was bitter. I calmly swallowed the drink and put the glass back. "What is that?" I whispered to Maxina.
"That's mixed berry spirit, it is the most expensive drink out there." She said. Great. I wasn't going to be drinking that, expensive or not.
I looked over at Locus to make sure he didn't see that. He was chatting with the person sitting next to him, who was a business man, and something caught my eye. I looked passed him and to the huge doors that were still open. There was a lady and man talking right outside the door. The lady had her back to me, showing only her black hair and the back of her regal pink and blue dress, and the man was wearing a fancy business suit and had brown hair. The man seemed to be grabbing her arm and trying to force her through the door, but she was shaking her head. I was horrible at lip reading, so I couldn't tell what was being said. But finally they stopped and the lady turned around. She grabbed the man's hand and they walked in. She was looking at the ground so I couldn't get a good look at her face.
Locus looked at them. "Well here are the people! Cynthia, this is Jackson, he works for Lea, and this is his wife Selene."
"Hello." I greeted. I had a weird feeling about them though. Something inside me told me these two weren't right.
Then I found out why. They sat across from me, and the lady finally raised her head. I was so shocked that I almost gasped, but sucked the air in and kept calm. The person looking back at me was an exact Sake look-alike, the same look-alike I saw back in Jubilife. This can't be Sake, right? I thought.
This night is going to be a long one.