Disclaimer: Same as before. Own nothing save Maecenas and Mycroft. And now, I give you: Chapter Four: Food and Fight.
Ferk Ramalo sprawled in a comfortable armchair in the lobby of Pokѐtopia Tower, chatting with Maecenas and Mycroft as the three of them waited for the next group of Trainers to be called up to the front desk to register. Mycroft had explained to Maecenas who Ferk was-they had met during the Lilycove Tournament when Ferk, who'd been poisoned by studying a shiny Nidorino a bit too closely, had collapsed at Mycroft's doorstep; Mycroft had ended up with no choice but to take him in and bring him back to health.
"So, I presume you're still conducting your research into unusual Pokemon, correct?" asked Mycroft, who was fighting the urge to jump up and begin madly scrubbing his suit to remove the last traces of Lickilicky saliva. He contented himself with a faint shudder, and mentally congratulated himself on keeping his cool.
"You bet!" replied Ferk enthusiastically. "Four hundred and sixty-seven Shiny Pokemon sightings so far and counting! I'm still branching out, though-I tried my hand at Pokemon breeding when I was in Sinnoh a while back. I try to study a little of everything, be a real renaissance man…"
"Hang on, your last name isn't Ramalo, is it?" asked Maecenas, as if suddenly remembering something. "There was a name added to the Day Care Association's blacklist last year--"
Mycroft elbowed him. "Well, in any case it's excellent that you were able to join us for the tournament."
"It's gonna be a blast." With his trademark carefree grin, Ferk pulled a coin out of his pocket, tossed it into the air, and hit it a backhand in the general direction of the fountain of the corner of the room. It sailed clear of the fountain and collided with Jenina Kuze of Viridian City, who shot Ferk an annoyed glare.
He remained, as usual, oblivious. "So, what else have the two of you been up to lately?"
Since Maecenas and Mycroft had been discussing exactly that with Ferk for the past ten minutes, both of them were at a loss for words.
"Here's something I haven't mentioned before," Maecenas said after a few seconds. "I have a new Pokemon on my team for this tournament."
Mycroft frowned. "Really? Your team is such a close-knit little group-I'm surprised that you'd change it."
"It's not a permanent change," Maecenas explained. "You know that some Legendary Pokemon are banned for this tournament, right? I entered Manaphy with no problem"-
"But not Orion?" Mycroft finished for him, grinning. He couldn't imagine that Maecenas would have been able to get his Deoxys, which he'd obtained through an unlikely chain of mysterious circumstances the previous year, through security.
"That's right. So I got one of my friends to trade me a replacement." Jumping up, Maecenas snatched a Pokѐball off of his belt and flung it onto the floor of the lobby. "Progreidi, Ludicolo!"
The pineapple-shaped Pokemon burst form the Pokѐball and did an energetic twirl on the spot, then straightened its lily-pad sombrero and regarded the three Trainers cheerfully.
"Whoa, a Ludicolo! That's awesome, man!" commented Ferk. "I've always wanted to study that strange energy they always get when music is playing…"
"It's an excellent-looking Pokemon," said Mycroft approvingly. "You should do fine using it."
At this point, the conversation of the three Trainers was interrupted. "At this point," the receptionist, Ms. Anna, called, "Would all remaining Trainers not yet registered for the tournament please form a line at the front desk? Thank you."
Maecenas quickly recalled his Ludicolo and joined the line with the rest of the Trainers who had been waiting in the lobby, including Kane, Markus, Jenina, and a rather short boy with long, dark hair and an intense expression who'd identified himself as Varacei Algerand. As Maecenas grabbed his Trainer ID out of one of his many shirt pockets, a grin spread across his face. The sooner he was registered, the sooner the battles could begin!
***
Xavier Omnik was pleasantly surprised to find himself at the front of the line. He'd be able to get a good seat for the banquet, then, he mused-or at least a better seat than the other thirteen or so Trainers in line with him, who were the last out of hundreds to register, he corrected himself. Oh well. He wasn't about to let trivial concerns like that get in his way for long.
Ms. Anna, a young lady with short blonde hair who was dressed in a turquoise jacket-and-beret outfit, as well as a microphone headset (Xavier wondered for a while how you could combine that with a music player, then snapped himself back to attention)-smiled warmly at him.
"Welcome to Pokѐtopia! You're Xavier Omnik, correct? I'll just need to see your Trainer ID for a second, and then you'll be signed in and you can go to the opening banquet."
Xavier nodded, and after fumbling around for a while produced his Trainer ID with a shudder-he still hated how the photo had turned out-and slid it onto the counter. Ms. Anna swiped it through a scanning machine, and Xavier's photo and several rows of typed information appeared on the wall-length screen behind her-to Xavier's dismay, as his dreadful photo was now being broadcast to everyone in the room.
"Fifteen years old, born in Mossdeep City, currently with eighteen Badges and one Contest ribbon, team of Milotic, Umbreon, Gallade, Ninjask, Flygon and Scizor. Is that correct?"
Xavier nodded again. "Then you're all set!" said Ms. Anna brightly. "Thank you, and I hope you have a great time here in Pokѐtopia! She bowed.
After pausing to ruffle the fur of the stuffed Pikachu mascot on the desk for good luck, Xavier switched a quick, upbeat song onto his radio-earning his usual quota of weird looks from the other Trainers-and dashed out the door, the chandeliers overhead blazing past him, into the cool night air of the Pokѐtopia city proper. He was starving, and he had an opening banquet to attend.
***
The pathway behind Pokѐtopia tower was lined with lampposts and planters full of exotic shrubbery, and was currently filled with the sounds of conversation from the tournament contestants. Kane Yaiba strode through the masses of Trainers towards the place where he'd been told the banquet would be being held. Since his arrival, he'd flirted with fourteen different girls, and he was in an excellent mood. He whistled an airy tune as he walked along, swinging his arms in time.
Suddenly, a movement at the edges of his vision caught his attention. He looked behind him, trying to see what it was that he'd noticed. It was hard to tell with all of the brightly glowing lights around him, but it looked like someone was standing on the roof of one of the many skyscrapers around him.
Kane did a double take. Wait, what?
Looking more closely, Kane found that, as improbable as it seemed, he had been right. Whoever it was stared out over the city for a moment, then jumped adroitly onto the fire escape and began to descend, her dark blue hair fluttering in the evening breeze.
Luce Delaray hit the ground lightly and walked briskly away, not looking at Kane as she passed him.
This was all most interesting, Kane mused to himself. He would be sure to talk to this girl at the banquet.
***
Maecenas and Mycroft strolled along the tree-lined avenue, chatting-an extremely hungry Ferk had dashed off for the banquet as soon as he had registered-and enjoying the tantalizing smells of delicious food that were already beginning to waft over to them on the breeze. Maecenas had released his Lucario to walk alongside him, and Thalia was again perched on Mycroft's shoulder.
Alex De la Roche brushed by them, looking a bit frustrated, and Maecenas suddenly lost track of whatever it was he'd been saying. The dark tan of his face slowly deepened into a bright red, and his breathing turned somewhat unsteady.
Clearing his throat and seeming to get control of himself again after almost a minute had elapsed, he turned first to Lucario and then to Thalia. "Neither of you was messing with my emotions again, were you?"
Lucario shrugged, and Thalia shook its head. Both of them were grinning, although Lucario was trying to hide it out of deference to his Trainer and old friend.
Maecenas groaned. "I was afraid of that." Suddenly, Alex turned around and headed back toward him.
Maecenas started looking nervous again. "Oh, if it isn't Kane Yaiba! Greetings!" said Mycroft abruptly, in a much louder tone of voice than usual, and walked quickly off.
Alex walked up to Maecenas and said apologetically, "Excuse me-I'm sorry to ask favors of a stranger, but my Chinchou got away from me again, and I know that Lucario can sense the presence of Pokemon. Do you think he could find Chinchou for me?"
Maecenas swallowed, his face again brick red, and after stuttering for a few moments said hastily, "Umm…sure! Lucario, you know what to do, right?"
The Aura Pokemon nodded and closed its eyes, emitting a pulse of light blue energy. It paused for a moment and frowned, then dashed off into the crowd, dodging the groups of Trainers with expert ease. A moment later it returned, with Chinchou held in its arms. The young Electric Pokemon waved merrily at its Trainer.
"Chinchou, how many times have I told you not to wander off like this?" said Alex exasperatedly, recalling the Pokemon quickly and clipping its Pokѐball to the chain attached to her belt. "Thanks for helping me out," she told Maecenas, shaking his hand gratefully. "I'm sure we'll see each other again soon-I'm Alexandria De la Roche, but you can call me Alex."
"Name's Maecenas," the other muttered bashfully, then dashed off. Alex looked a bit startled. Lucario, who had remained behind, rolled his eyes in a that's-the-way-it-goes kind of way, then followed his Trainer.
Maecenas, replaying his encounter with Alex a million times in his head, walked over to a fountain and began splashing his face with water. Had he imagined it, or had she looked a bit nervous too when she was talking to him?
Shaking his head, he continued his journey to the site of the banquet. There was nothing like a gigantic pizza to help you when the world appeared to have turned upside down.
***
Yet more gasps of amazement filled the air as everyone approached the site of the banquet. Six long tables covered with a white silk tablecloth were laid end-to-end, with long, thin benches providing the seating. Many Trainers were already seated. String quartets were placed strategically on raised platforms around them, playing ambient music. The whole thing was in the open air beneath the star-strewn night sky, in a tree-lined courtyard. Strings of lanterns hung above the tables, adding to the magical feel of the entire arrangement. However, the Trainers' attention was held solely by the mountains of delicious food heaped onto the length of the table. Whenever someone new arrived and sat down, one of the tuxedoed waiters hovering around the premises would whisk off to bring them whatever favorite food they'd mentioned in their invitation, but all of the remaining space was taken up by a sort of general buffet of food freely available to anyone – mounds of burgers, flame-grilled and dripping with cheese and crispy strips of bacon, huge platters of artisanal cheeses, vast bowls of fresh, green salad, huge plates of juicy, perfectly seasoned steak, gigantic pizzas bristling with every topping imaginable, baskets of bread, bowls of delicious-looking pasta – it was all too much to take in. It was hard to think of anything that wasn't present on that table somewhere.
Instantly in his element in the formal surroundings, Mycroft sat down near Ferk and Maecenas, glanced approvingly at his New Bark Strip Steak-marinated in a Haban Berry-based sauce that had gained much favor with chefs lately due to its intense bittersweet flavor and crusted with Parmesan flakes-and picked up a wine list, quickly deciding on a bottle of Pinot Dusknoir.
"I would have gone with the vintage Howlin' Loudred, myself," commented Ferk, gratefully receiving his platter of chocolate-fried crickets and leaning back to revel in the disgusted looks it was receiving.
Maecenas pulled a cheesy slice from his gigantic pizza, which was topped with basil, garlic slices and olive oil. "Now, this is more like it!"
Next to him, a small commotion occurred as Mycroft's Whiscash, the Welzz, burst from its Pokѐball and attempted, as usual, to eat his top hat.
"All right, all right, enough!" the tall Trainer complained, prying his Pokemon off and tossing it a baguette, which it swallowed in one bite. "I'll feed you later!"
"Welzz's appetite still giving you problems, then?" asked Maecenas, smiling, as Mycroft recalled the Pokemon hurriedly. "You should just feed it your whole suit after you get the new one."
Down the length of the table, everyone was enjoying the meal. Jenina Kuze, Candice Isra, Love Nami, Mimi Darius and several other girls were all talking excitedly together, barely noticing their meals. Megan had joined Alex and Markus, and all of them were talking and laughing like old times, sharing Megan's plate of bacon cheeseburgers. Xavier had pulled everything within a four-foot radius of himself closer to him, and was wolfing it all down ravenously. Celeste Skye and Selphy Renton were both chatting animatedly, trying with little success to involve the somewhat aloof Broly Banes in their conversation. A small cadre of more coldhearted, individual Trainers sat at one end, paying attention only to the food and not talking to one another.
"What is it about these tournaments that attracts them?" Ferk wondered.
Mycroft shrugged. "I suppose spending weeks in the wilderness with nothing but your wits and your Pokemon can get to you after a while." They had been joined by an enigmatic fellow who identified himself only as Media, and after this exchange Mycroft returned to comparing notes on steak with him.
On the other end of the table from them were Alex, Sevvy (although she kept popping up from her seat and dashing off to do a few quick interviews) Jojo Jones-Mycroft remembered her causing a bit of havoc at the Lilycove Tournament- and Maikeru Tapang, a tall, dark-haired Trainer who was enjoying a spicy plate of curry (Alex was studiously avoiding all of the spicy food that he and Jojo had piled up around themselves). Lastly, at the end of the table, was Kane, who was attempting to make small talk with Luce, who was concentrating on her salad and making a point of ignoring him.
The next several hours passed by in a bliss of culinary perfection. All too soon, it seemed, most people were down to after-dinner coffee and conversation.
Xavier, who had been talking strategy with Maecenas-a friendship was quickly developing between the two very similar Trainers-looked up at the sound of raised voices, which had been escalating over the past few moments. "Just what is going on over there?"
Mycroft looked over to see Luce and Kane in a fierce argument. Kane was looking offended, and angry tears danced in Luce's eyes, her hair flying all over her face."I suppose it's those two. Kane's insufferable flirting has given rise to more than a few rocky situations…I suppose I'm left to go break it up."
He was interrupted by a flash of light from the end of the table and Luce's voice shouting, "Go, Destructor!"
An enormous, ferocious-looking Rhyperior exploded from the ball, its eyes glowing with malice. It slammed its muscular, granite arms together, slammed its clubbed tail onto the ground with enough force to crack the cement and let out a bellowing roar. A wineglass shattered somewhere.
"Is it live?" asked Maecenas innocently. Mycroft shot him a this-isn't-the-time-for-that look.
The string quartet players moved back nervously, although one cello player released a Kricketune and Scyther and looked like he was ready to join in any battle that started. Many of the Trainers were jumping to their feet and rushing towards Luce and Kane. Unfortunately, it was Ferk who arrived first.
"Now, let's not turn this into a confrontation…" he warned pointlessly, grabbing one of his Pokѐballs. Luce whirled on him, blinded by rage.
"Use Rock Wrecker!" she shrieked at the Rhyperior. As there were no boulders around for Destructor to launch in the attack, it was confused for a moment, then grabbed a bowl of mangosteens and loaded them into its arm cannons.
Within seconds, fruit was flying. Ferk dashed into the fray and was immediately hit with one, collapsing to the ground and dropping the Pokѐball he'd been holding, which released his Probopass, which promptly fell on him. All heck then naturally broke loose.
"I'm not going to stand for this!" shouted Kane, now just as red-faced as Luce, releasing his Empoleon. "Hydro Cannon!"
A powerful jet of water burst from the Penguin Pokémon's mouth and hit the Rhyperior dead-on. With a roar, it toppled backwards and began to skid down the length of the banquet table, plowing food out of the way with its bulk.
Jojo and Maecenas both pointed with alarm towards an untouched plate of cheeses directly in the Pokémon's path. "We've got to save them!"
Mycroft leapt into action. "Thalia, take over!" He threw the Quick Ball, which expanded in a blur into his Mesprit. The Pokemon surveyed the situation with alarm.
"Iron Tail!" Mycroft commanded smoothly. Thalia's twin jewel-studded tails turned to polished metal, which reflected the glint of the candlelight brightly, and, turning around, it slammed them with tremendous force into the Rhyperior, which was approaching like a freight train.
The enormous Rock-type crashed to the ground unconscious, inches from the cheese plate. Luce recalled it to its Pokѐball, looking concerned.
Maecenas sighed with relief, helping himself to a piece of toasted Mozzarella. "That was a close one."
Mycroft had turned angrily to Luce and Kane. "All right, you two, what exactly was going on there?"
"He was hitting on me!" said Luce angrily, pointing an accusing finger at Kane.
Kane, who was extricating himself with difficulty from a pile of wreckage, groaned, "I prefer to think of it as innocent flirting…"
Mycroft scowled. "Well, this is neither the time nor the place for this. You'd better separate."
Nodding, the two moved to opposite ends of the table and continued eating, smoldering at each other.
Alex turned nervously to Sevvy. "It's not always going to be this crazy around here, is it?"
"I hope not," said Sevvy with a laugh. "Of course, it was still a great dinner until those two psychos started fighting. At least most of the food was gone."
Ferk emerged from under the table, his face bright orange from the mangosteen juice. "That…was…AWESOME! I should have my food shot at me all the time!"
Luckily, the rest of the banquet passed by much more peacefully, with the exception of a rather messy pizza-eating contest between Maecenas, Xavier and Megan (who didn't want to be outdone at anything) over the leftovers. Soon, everyone had finished.
A bell tone sounded, and a string of lights lit up to the left of the table, illuminating a pathway. The Pokѐtopia announcer's voice broke in, apparently over an intercom: "Will all Trainers now proceed to the area indicated, where the tournament's opening ceremony will be taking place?"
Talking excitedly among themselves, the contestants followed the pathway through a grove of trees and emerged to find themselves in a large open space in the middle of the city, with one deserted-looking office building in the center. The announcer himself, looking flamboyant in a bright orange suit and nicely clashing tie, was waiting for them with a very familiar face standing beside him.
"May I introduce our special guest… Tower Tycoon Palmer!"
***
What do you know- a cliffhanger ending! Obviously I won't say much about the upcoming scene, except to direct you to a few important details of the invitation in the first chapter and to mention that this was the first scene I ever had in mind for this story. It's going to be mightily impressive, I believe.
Well, the much-anticipated banquet scene has now taken place! I hope everyone's satisfied with it. I apologize for using Mycroft and Maecenas so much-I'm just used to them, since they're my characters. Besides, I could really use a few more male characters. Hint hint.
A bit of Maecenas/Alex romance going on there! What do you think of that one? It'll be developing more as the story goes on.
I'd like to start a poll of sorts, asking for everyone's favorite character so far (as K. Fang did in the Lilycove Tournament). You can each vote for two, to make the decision a bit easier. My two favorites thus far-besides my own-are probably Xavier and Alex, but all of my OCs are great. You guys all rock for submitting them!
All right, character credits…I did mention everyone in this chapter, although The Triumvirate of Rei's Demetri Koslov and CyberWolf101's Jason Jay Brown weren't mentioned by name. Sorry about that, you two, they'll both have roles to play, trust me.
Mycroft and Maecenas-Yours Truly
Luce and (for some reason that didn't show up last chapter. I typed it…Apologies, Fang.)
Alex-nellchan0013
Alex and Markus-Legendary Fairy
Ferk-SilentlySnowing (I really had some fun with him this chapter, didn't I?)
Kane-KK the Prophet
Jenina-mhadz0021
Media-MediaMessiah
Varacei-Startix-Master of the NoLess (is he really only four feet tall, or was that a typo? Oh, and you're Startix from now on here. Definitely).
Candice-PokeStarr
Megan-Fire Drastar
Love-apapa155
Mimi-PokemonJoe1
Teal-thebeats
Celeste-Nicolette7
Jojo-Flaaffy (her bio is on Flaaffy's website, for those who wish to see it)
Maikeru-Onyxshade7
Broly-Clarosoo
Selphy and Cyan-DevoTheMadCashCow/Hellokittyismybestfriend (whichever, there was a bit of account confusion. No offense to either, I hope?)
Phew…okay, I think that's everyone. I might have another all-characters chapter like this in the future, but for now I need time to recover.
Thanks again to all my loyal readers! I welcome your comments and feedback.
Maecenas's bio is below for those interested.
Maecenas out.
Name: Maecenas Augustus Octavian
Age: 15
Hometown: Unknown, but grew up in Celestic Town, Sinnoh
Occupation: Trainer, explorer, adventurer
Favorite Food: Anything and everything Italian, particularly large, cheese-laden pasta bakes.
Appearance: About 5'11" to 6'1" and 175 lbs., somewhat muscular. Very deeply tanned, he travels enough for this to be permanent. Long, sandy hair and olive-green eyes. Always wears the following items, all from Battle Revolution:
Summer Hat B (a black ski-type cap with a white Pokѐball symbol on each side)
Expedition T-Shirt (sturdily made brown t-shirt with lots of pockets, handy for the frequent traveler)
Emerald Brooch (a badge commemorating his many visits to his favorite region of Hoenn, a large emerald worn on the right breast pocket of his t-shirt)
Ocean Pants (white pants with a blue wave design, which combine with the Expedition T-Shirt to give Maecenas something of a land-and-sea appearance.)
He also wears a heavy traveling bag filled with useful supplies (and snacks) and metallic green fingerless gloves.
Back History: Maecenas was raised in sun-drenched Celestic Town, where he gained a deep appreciation for myths and Legendary Pokemon. Upon his tenth birthday he traveled to Twinleaf Town to begin his Pokemon journey, starting with a Turtwig. His was the typical Trainer's story of exciting adventure, and his trip through Sinnoh was unforgettable. He entered a tournament for the first time before even getting his third badge, but his ragtag team of underevolved Pokemon somehow managed to triumph over several far more experienced Trainers before he lost in the middle rounds. It was here that he received his Honchkrow in a trade. He finished his Sinnoh journey with a flourish after getting mixed up for a while in the fight against Team Galactic, defeating the Sinnoh Elite Four with honors. Soon after this – allowing him some time for exploration of the islands around Sinnoh – he left for Pokѐtopia for the first time. There he met Mycroft, and the two struck upon unlikely friendship. They hunted Thalia through Sinnoh cooperatively, and then spent some time touring Hoenn, which Maecenas fell in love with instantly. After this they parted ways for a while, and Maecenas' explorations continued.
Personality: Maecenas is enthusiastic and friendly, and always looking for a challenge. He has a good knowledge of Pokemon in general, although his battle strategy usually runs along the lines of "attack like crazy and see what happens." He's loyal to his friends, although romantically he's usually a bit wrong-footed. He tends to lapse into Latin, which he speaks fluently, when he's angry or in a tight corner of battle. He's your typical hero type in some ways, and it's hard to keep him down for long.
Single or Double Battle: His team was designed for singles and that's what he'll be doing here, but he's remarkably good at shoehorning them into Double Battle strategies.
Skills and Talents: Athletic and good at mountaineering and spelunking, good knowledge of Pokemon myths and legends, adept explorer, speaks fluent Latin, and can cut a mean move on the dance floor. Oh, and he can eat an entire extra-large pizza in two minutes and thirty-seven seconds.
Accomplishments: All badges of Sinnoh and defeated Sinnoh Elite Four and Champion, captured a Deoxys, twice faced Tower Tycoon Palmer and narrowly lost each time, mainly due to Palmer's ace card, Milotic. Has Castle, Factory and Hall prints from the Sinnoh Battle Frontier, has begun to challenge Hoenn and currently has Flannery and Winona's badges, as well as a Luck Symbol from the Hoenn Battle Frontier.
Pokemon:
Lucario (male): Maecenas' team champion and trustiest companion, received as a baby Riolu from Riley. Maecenas immediately took it to Rt. 211 and trained it against full-grown Machoke, which has made it unbelievably tough. He and Maecenas are great friends, and like him, Lucario is all about pure power. Knows Dragon Pulse, Aura Sphere, Close Combat, Extremespeed, etc.
Distinguishing features: right hand spike splits into a smaller side spur, making it look jagged. Has Pokѐball seal with a pattern of stars and blue flames.
TerraFirma the Torterra (male): Maecenas' starter Pokemon. The two have been through many adventures together, which culminated in Torterra's taking a full-power Flare Blitz from an Infernape and surviving it comfortably, then going on to defeat the Infernape, in a battle before his Elite Four challenge. Knows Crunch, Earthquake, Wood Hammer, Giga Drain, Stone Edge, Superpower, Leaf Storm, etc.
Distinguishing features: Perhaps a bit larger than most Torterra. Pokѐball seal has a shower of autumn leaves.
Paleo the Bastiodon (male): Maecenas knew he wanted a Bastiodon and headed underground, not emerging until he'd dug up a skull fossil. Paleo was the first Pokemon Maecenas attempted more strategic training methods on. Brutal at attack and defense, it once defeated an Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres three-on-one. Knows Stone Edge, Earthquake, Iron Head, Return, Protect, Metal Burst, etc.
Distinguishing features: None.
Manaphy (genderless): Maecenas received a Manaphy egg through a friend in Fiore (who, it later turned out, also knew Mycroft) and it hatched when he first reached Hearthome City. It's been a powerhouse from its infancy, and was the main reason Maecenas got as far as he did in his first tournament. Manaphy is perky, friendly and on especially good terms with Lucario. Knows Tail Glow, Surf, Blizzard, Grass Knot, Dive, etc.
Distinguishing features: The red jewel on its chest is larger than average. Has a Pokѐball seal pattern of bubbles (like a makeshift Dive Ball).
Honchkrow (female): Honchkrow was received in a trade at the first tournament Maecenas entered. After he gained its trust Honchkrow, or "The Boss" as it's affectionately known, was widely accepted into the family of the team. She serves as a courier-transporting Maecenas across the continent on command-but is also one of the team's most powerful strikers. It has a Razor Claw equipped, which makes it the perfect "special circumstances" operative to land a lucky, finishing critical hit. It's still true to its mob-boss nature, and Maecenas merely has to give it a mission and watch that mission be carried out. It's even taken out Jolteon in the past.
Distinguishing Features: Has a red ribbon tied around its "hat," with the ends flowing out behind it. This accentuates the look of its red tail and wing feathers.
Orion the Deoxys: Received under mysterious circumstances, a very fierce Pokemon, but has warmed up to Maecenas over time (it's hard for any Pokemon not to). Its presence is intimidating to other trainers, in the "oh my gosh, that trainer has a Legendary!" sense. It's the powerhouse of the team, and knows many attacks such as SolarBeam, Ice Beam, Focus Blast, etc.
Favorite Memory as a Trainer: A tossup between receiving Manaphy's egg, defeating the Elite Four, and his dramatic yacht-board battle with Mycroft last year. His Lucario helped him out of a tough spot to victory.
Also, a few more details about Mycroft that I forgot: Gawain, his Gallade, has a small, white scar on its helmet, a souvenir from its battle with Maecenas' Lucario. His parents, the Williamsons, are aging, but still very active in Hoenn high society, and he has a fourteen-year-old sister, Charity Williamson.