Author's note: This is probably the third chapter in a row to feature cosplay, but this time, expect some crossdressing.
This chapter is based after BW episode 98, but this time, the Flower Garden Opera Troupe is consisted of five members instead of the original three.
EDIT: The 'On the next chapter' segment has been edited out.
Chapter 22
Wholesome Crossdresser
It was already morning in Fami's house.
Brendan was in the bedroom, packing up some things in what happens to be a familiar looking backpack.
Kyon asked, "Why does your bag have wings in it?"
"It's Ayu Tsukimiya's bag," Brendan replied, "I purchased it on a store that sells Kanon-related merchandise."
"Uguu. . . . . ," mumbled Kyon as he facepalmed.
Meanwhile, the rest of the others were at the living room.
"What? The location for the Pokemon League has been confirmed?"
"Yes, Ash. Cynthia contacted me this morning and said that the Pokemon Center has already confirmed that it will take place in Higaki City."
Ash pumped his fists and exclaimed, "Looks like we're now so psyched!"
Outside, the nine decided to bid Fami their farewells.
"Thanks for letting us stay with you," Ash said to Fami.
The latter replied, "You should go now to Higaki City and prepare. According to Cynthia, the nearest route that you can get to reaching there is in Opelucid City."
Iris was surprised.
"Well, I never expected that," she said, "Even though it may be a detour, perhaps should we head right off to the Village of Dragons?"
"Village of Dragons?"
"Yes, Haruhi and Kyon. That's where I was raised," answered Iris.
Ash said, "I wanna go and check out that place before heading for the Unova League in Higaki City."
Fami informed, "Do your best and take care of yourself, Ash. Brendan, Iris, Cilan, and the SOS Brigade, take care of yourselves as well. I will be rooting for all nine of you."
"Looks like we'll be going now," said Ash.
"Bye!" said Iris and Haruhi.
Suddenly Meloetta showed its presence.
"Is that the Pokemon from last night?" exclaimed Fami.
The Melody Pokemon suddenly danced all over Fami, indicating that it wanted to stay with her.
The latter asked, "Meloetta, would that be fine if you stayed with me for a while?"
Meloetta immediately agreed, since Fami already befriended it.
Suddenly, Oshawott came out of its Poke Ball.
Brendan and Kyon both said, "Looks like Oshawott is sad about letting go of Meloetta."
Oshawott was obviously distraught as Pikachu and Axew both attempted to calm it down.
"Goodbye, Meloetta," said Iris.
"Take care of yourself, Meloetta," Ash added, "It was nice to be meeting up with you."
The Melody Pokemon gave Ash a hug as the latter said, "I'll be doing my best to win the Unova League, and that's a promise I want to fulfill."
"We'll meet again someday!" Brendan said to Fami.
"All of you, stay safe!" Fami replied as she and Meloetta waved their hands, bidding them a farewell.
The nine left Humilau City, heading for the detour route to the Village of Dragons.
Ash once again fist-pumped, exclaiming, "Alright, it's time to head for the Unova League and win it!"
On the way to the forest, Haruhi suddenly stopped.
She mumbled, "I'm so bored. Should we stop here first?"
"Sure, Haruhi. Perhaps it is the time we feed ourselves with the ramen that Fami provided for all of us," replied Cilan, bringing out his backpack.
Ash, Iris, Cilan brought out some of their Pokemon.
Kyon asked Brendan, "Why aren't you bringing out your Pokemon?"
"Well, one of them would actually want to eat lunch as well."
When he summoned Mienfoo, it proceeded to feed itself along with the other Pokemon the Pokemon food that Cilan and Fami prepared.
The nine spent lunch with the ramen Fami prepared for them.
Kyon asked Yuki, "Miss Nagato, do you want to eat up? It seems you haven't eaten a thing."
"I'm fine."
Ash's Pignite and Oshawott were feeding themselves some Pokemon food. When the latter's plate became empty, it greedily ate all of Pignite's food.
This left Pignite at an outrage as it fired a Flamethrower at Oshawott.
Ash said, "Both of you, would you kindly stop it?"
The latter fired back with Hydro Pump, which ended up hitting Emolga and sending it on a far distance.
"Emolga!" exclaimed Iris.
When she noticed Emolga in the cliffside, already knocked away by the impact of Oshawott's Hydro Pump, she asked, "Emolga, are you alright?"
While Iris comforted it in its shoulders, Ash berated Oshawott and Pignite for quarreling.
Suddenly, a voice was heard.
"Do you own this ugly Emolga?"
Iris responded, "Who the heck are you branding my Emolga as ugly?"
The quintet showed up, ready to introduce themselves.
"I call myself Maya. Meet Cinccino, the most beautiful Pokemon in the Unova region."
"Cinccino?" Kyon, Mikuru, and Ash muttered in unison.
The latter scanned his Pokedex on Cinccino and it said, "Cinccino, the Scarf Pokemon. It is coated with a special oil that enables it to deflect enemy attacks."
"My name is Mizuki, and this is my Lilligant, the second most beautiful Pokemon in the Unova region."
Ash scanned on Lilligant. The Pokedex said, "Lilligant, the Flowering Pokemon. The beautiful flower on Lilligant's head gives off a relaxing fragrance, but even veteran Trainers will find it complicated to make it bloom."
"I'm Shion, and this is my partner Pokemon, Roserade. It is the third most beautiful Pokemon in the Unova region."
Ash scanned Shion's Roserade and it said, "Roserade, the Bouquet Pokemon, and the evolved form of Roselia. It lures the prey with its aroma and proceeds to attack it with the thorns hidden in its arms."
Kyon muttered, "The one dressed in blue looks like a boy to me."
Shion yelled, "Who are you judging me by the outfit I'm wearing?!"
Mizuki said, patting Shion in her right shoulder, "Calm down, Shion. These strangers have yet to know the fact that you are actually a girl."
"I'm Juri, and this is my partner Vespiquen, the fourth most beautiful in the Unova region."
Ash scanned his Pokedex at Vespiquen, and it said, "Vespiquen, the Beehive Pokemon, and the evolved form of Combee. Its abdomen resembles a hive. It raises its offspring on honey collected by Combee."
"And lastly, I'm Nanami, and this is my partner, Delcatty. It is the fifth most beautiful Pokemon in all of the Unova region."
Being scanned at Delcatty, the Pokedex said, "Delcatty, the Prim Pokemon, and the evolved form of Skitty. It prefers resting in comfortable spots and does not have a permanent nest."
Kyon asked, "If you're criticizing Iris's Emolga, what's your purpose of doing so?"
Maya informed Iris and the eight others, "In order to make sure Cinccino looks more beautiful, we decided to go out and stroll for some fresh air. Cinccino used to be a very beautiful Pokemon unlike your Emolga, until it took a hit in the knee by that ugly Pokemon of yours."
"Yes, indeed. That Emolga looks very ugly," added Juri.
"Who are you calling my Emolga as ugly?!" yelled Iris.
"And that Snivy? It looks like it has an uptight personality, yet it isn't at the same level as our Pokemon. Somehow, all of your Pokemon are lame, and are unsuited for good taste," Maya sneered, "Now go get yourselves some fancy and beautiful Pokemon. Perhaps, it's time for us to go, for we all don't want to be infested by their ugliness."
Nanami added, "Oh, by the way, one of you here definitely looks like Yuri Nakamura. I do believe that it's her who's ripping Yurippe off. After all, I've seen her in the Junior Cup on television, witnessing victory against her." She was referring to Haruhi.
"What did you say to Haruhi?!" Kyon exclaimed.
The five left off, leaving Iris offended.
"Why you. . . . !?"
When Iris attempted to catch up after them, the five already left in their RV. Kyon, Haruhi, and the rest of the others caught up with her.
"It looks like they went away," said Kyon.
"Enough is enough! I have had it with those meddling people and their stupidly beautiful Pokemon!" yelled Iris.
Brendan thought to himself, "Was it me or did Iris unintentionally make a movie reference?"
Now in a nearby city next to Humilau City, the gang went to a fruit vendor to ask some questions about the RV.
"Oh yes, the RV with the floral patterns in it. I know that one, it's the same vehicle owned by the Flower Garden Opera Troupe," the fruit vendor answered.
"Flower Garden Opera Troupe?" asked Haruhi, Ash, Cilan, Mikuru, and Iris, all speaking in unison.
"You don't know them? They are the most talked-about theater group in the Unova region. As you can see, the five of them perform lots of wonderful shows."
She added, "Pretty much of their performances are solely performed by women and female-gendered Pokemon."
Iris suddenly became interested, staring at the fruit vendor.
"The school of the Flower Garden Opera Troupe is just nearby. Take note though, boys are not allowed in the premises."
"Huh? Boys aren't allowed in there?"
"Yes," the vendor replied to Kyon's question, "Not even a single one has managed to enter the premises."
The nine peeked outside the fence of the opera school.
"So this is the RV that those meddling people were riding on," said Iris, looking at the RV parked behind them.
"And this is the place that the vendor talked all about," said Kyon.
"We're gonna beat them up to a pulp!" said Iris.
Kyon and Ash both responded, "But boys aren't allowed, right? Because of that, we can't be able to enter."
Suddenly, Brendan had an idea.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Kyon?"
"No, I think I'm not, Brendan. What is it?"
"Too bad. Crossdressing time. What do you think of that, Kyon?"
"Please don't tell me I have to dress up like a girl or something," Kyon muttered, having a deadpan look in his face.
Itsuki added, "On the bright side, Brendan has an idea of how us boys can get in."
In the dressing room of the fashion store:
Kyon saw Itsuki dressed up as Anthy.
"Why are you dressed up like Anthy, Koizumi?" asked Kyon.
"According to Brendan, those were one of the costumes that the saleswoman just mentioned that was already available in the costume rentals," replied Itsuki.
Itsuki then showed Kyon a familiar costume.
"What's this?"
Brendan showed up, crossdressing as Rosalie Lamoriere, replying to Kyon's question, "The same outfit that Utena dresses up as when she crossdresses as a prince, complete with a skirt to boot."
Kyon responded, "Do I have to wear that outfit?"
"Well, that costume actually fits you better."
Brendan then cracked a thinking pose.
Kyon mumbled at the latter, concluding, "You would definitely qualify to become a specialist at cosplay."
Tilting his face at Cilan, Brendan asked him, "How do you like the costume I selected, Cilan?"
"Well, this is indeed a very fabulous cosplay," answered Cilan, as he brought out a fan, dressed up as Antoinette.
Ash, on the other hand, sweatdropped as he was dressed up like Oscar.
Kyon asked, "Are you sure Ash can still get in with that costume? It seems he isn't dressed up like a girl at all."
"Ash can still get in. Besides, Oscar is also a crossdresser, since despite having a masculine name, she's actually a girl," Brendan replied.
Iris showed up in a green dress, her hair already adjusted to make it look formal looking.
Cilan's Pansage sweatdropped when a pink ribbon was placed on top of its head, courtesy of Iris herself.
Pikachu's tail was taped with a heart-shaped cardboard to make it resemble a female Pikachu.
Along with Ash's Snivy, the two sweatdropped as they noticed Kyon and Itsuki come out of the dressing room in the outfits of Utena and Anthy, respectively.
Haruhi and Mikuru showed up, dressed up as Fine and Rein, respectively.
"Now, now, Mikuru. Don't be shy. I picked that costume for you because it looks good for moe characters!"
"Moe?" asked Ash.
"Yes, I forgot to tell you what this term means," replied Haruhi, "Moe is a term used to describe an adorable and cute-looking character."
Kyon facepalmed and thought to himself, "Now it looks like Haruhi is defining what moe means in front of Ash and his friends. I wonder where's Miss Nagato."
That was when Yuki was dressed up in a white dress with some frills on it.
Kyon nervously muttered, "I don't know if I can sound like a woman."
"Relax, Kyon. If you confidently use your false voice like a woman, you'll be safe than sorry."
Back in the opera school, the nine were at the entrance, making their entry.
The woman at the guardhouse said, "Excuse me, where are you heading?"
Kyon, pretending to sound like a woman, replied, "Please excuse us."
Haruhi said, "We're the SOS Brigade, and we were here to ask something about Miss Maya."
"So you're all affiliated with Miss Maya? Go ahead then."
"With pleasure," replied Iris.
"Thank you," muttered Ash.
He didn't pretend to sound like a woman, but the gang proceeded anyways.
Now inside the premises, the nine walked in a hallway.
"I wonder where the heck are they," thought Iris
"No wonder this place can get spacious," said Kyon.
Brendan said, "Kyon, you need to pretend to sound like a girl once we meet up with Maya."
Suddenly, they noticed Juri about to leave, opening the door.
"I don't think the nine of you are familiar. What is the reason you are all here for?" Juri asked.
Bringing out her fan, Haruhi replied, "As you can see, we're from another town. Our latest agenda for today is to perform a beautiful drama in the same way as Miss Maya, and in order for us to do that, we want to see all of you in your rehearsals."
"Our. . . . rehearsals?"
Brendan, Itsuki, Ash, Kyon, and Cilan, all pretending to sound like a woman, replied, "Uh, yes."
Cracking a thinking pose, Juri said, "Haven't we met yet?"
The nine sweatdropped, with Haruhi answering, "No, not really. It's the first time that we've actually met."
Suddenly, Shion, Nanami, Mizuki, and Maya showed up, interrupting the conversation.
The latter said, "Juri, what seems to be the problem?"
"Oh, it's Miss Maya."
Juri then whispered to the latter, "As you can see, I met those girls today, and they want to see our rehearsal."
Maya replied to the nine, "Very well. It is an honor to be seeing you all watch us practice in our performances."
Haruhi said, "Thank you very much."
"The clothes. . . . . . "
Ash, Brendan, Cilan, Itsuki, and Kyon were astounded after Maya said those words.
". . . . . . are all approved and accepted. In fact, you are all dressed up as characters from some of my favorite anime series. It is essential that all of you should treat even the most expensive clothing as casual attire. That is why we wear our stage costumes even when we are not performing on stage."
Ash and Kyon both deadpanned.
"By the way, what are your names?"
"My name is Iris." Iris was the first to introduce herself.
"And who are the other eight?"
"Their names are, Mikuru, Yuki, Haruhi, Kyou, Ashley, Cilla, Brenda, and Itsuki-"
Iris gasped, covering her mouth.
Maya responded, "What seems to be the problem? Oh, you just said Itsuki. That's fine by me, because Itsuki is a girl's name."
She added, bringing out her fan, "And speaking of Itsuki, her name reminds me of that certain magical girl who is a tomboy."
Everyone sweatdropped again, except for Itsuki, who replied, pretending to sound like a woman, "Well, thank you for the compliment."
Kyon thought to himself, "Even though Iris inadvertently mentioned Koizumi's real name, it's fortunate enough that Miss Maya knows that his name is also a girl's name too."
Maya remarked, "Kyou and Itsuki would make the perfect Utena and Anthy, I should say so by myself."
Kyon sweatdropped.
"I hope to expect that those Pokemon of yours are female too." Maya was referring to Cilan's Pansage, as well as Ash's Snivy and Pikachu.
"Pikachu? Well, yes, it's female."
Pikachu pointed at its tail to prove it.
"To make it more formal, perhaps all of you should add the -chan suffix when you call out your Pokemon. They'll behave prettily if you do so."
Ash muttered at Iris, "I don't think I can be able to do that."
When Maya heard Ash's muttering, she was surprised, causing the latter to sweatdrop.
"Uh, yeah. Pikachu-chan."
"Well then. We'll demonstrate and show you our rehearsal area next."
"Follow me."
The nine headed off to the rehearsal room where the five members of the Flower Garden Opera Troupe obviously do their rehearsals.
Maya did a demonstration in front of the gang.
"The first rule of the sake of tomorrow is always be aware of other people's glances. The main reason why the main stars of the show are prettier in every TV appearance is that they are well-polished by the glances of the audience."
The quintet then proceeded to perform their demonstration performance along with their respective Pokemon.
"My Cinccino-chan is the most beautiful, isn't it?"
"I can't imagine how magnificent Lilligant-chan is."
"My Roserade-chan is so elegant I could do anything but sigh."
"Delcatty-chan is quite adorable, I should say so myself."
"I could portray Vespiquen-chan as something better than gorgeous."
"And so, we are all beautiful!" the five chanted, giving Iris a little pinch of frustration.
Ash and Kyon both mumbled quietly, "Both of us don't want to see ourselves in those kinds of costumes."
Cilan replied, whispering, "Take your time, you two. Be patient."
Ash's Pikachu and Cilan's Pansage were also in doubt.
The nine were then introduced to the next room. Before they entered, Maya gave them another lecture.
"The second rule of the sake of tomorrow is that if the way you walk on stage isn't beautiful, you can't be able to shine properly."
With a push of a button in Maya's remote controller, the floor shifted into two, giving way as a pedestal similar to a balance beam emerged from below.
"I wonder what was that?" Ash and Mikuru both thought.
"The Pokemon will walk on this balance beam. Without looking on their feet, of course."
Ash's Snivy and Iris's Emolga walked on the beam without losing their balance.
In a fake girl's voice, Ash remarked, "Well done, Snivy-chan and Emolga-chan!"
"But that does not end until there. This is where we also demonstrate all the hard work and effort we exert here every now and then."
With another push of a button by Maya, the floor extensively divided by itself, revealing the bottom to be a pit full of mud.
Haruhi mumbled, "Is that a. . . . "
Nanami explained, "To continue any further, it's just a pit of mud. If your Pokemon falls down the mud, it'll look like this."
She gently threw a stemless flower on the muddy pit, causing the flower itself to change color and sink through.
Maya added, "In our world, flowers need to bloom. They will stain if they end up soaked in mud. Our Pokemon will walk on one side of the beam, and the one who makes it unscathed in the mud is the winner. Are you all confident enough to do it?"
Haruhi and Iris both replied, "You'll be surprised, milady."
"Now that's more I like it, Haruhi and Iris."
Shion's Roserade and Cilan's Pansage were on both sides of the beam.
"Roserade-chan, take the glory of winning it as always."
"Pansage-chan, do your best."
Maya announced, "Battle, begin!"
Roserade and Pansage both approached to each other in the center of the beam, pushing each other.
When Pansage pushed further, Roserade took advantage of its momentum, causing the former to fall off to the muddy pit.
"No, Pansage-chan!" Cilan exclaimed in a false woman's voice.
Shion remarked, "It was a clumsy sight to see."
"Roserade-chan is the winner of this match!"
Maya then said, "Pansage-chan has to improve a bit more."
Cilan frowned at Pansage, now soaked in the mud.
In the next match, it was Emolga up against Lilligant.
The two Pokemon crossed the beam, pushing against each other.
The latter attempted to take advantage of Emolga's momentum. However, Emolga clung on and glided from under the beam.
Lilligant had a hard time touching the gliding Emolga. This ended with the latter making the former lose its balance by pushing it with its feet.
"Lilligant-chan!" Mizuki screamed.
Lilligant was now soaked in the mud, humiliated.
Iris and Haruhi cracked a noblewoman's laugh, both poking their elbows at Ash and Kyon, respectively. It was a sign that they should do the same too.
"Like what you just said, in our world, flowers need to bloom. They will stain if they end up soaked in mud. Then that means Emolga is now the bloomer, right?"
Maya slightly raised her temper as Juri was about to approach her.
Juri convinced, "I want to go and challenge Brenda next."
"Go ahead, Juri."
Brendan's shiny Weavile and Juri's Vespiquen balanced on both sides of the beam.
Haruhi said to Kyon, referring to Brendan's Weavile, "It appears that that Pokemon of his is of a different color."
She then showed Kyon a card of a Weavile with a normal coloration.
"Miss Nagato, can you tell me why Brendan's Weavile is of a different color?" The latter asked quietly.
Yuki replied softly, "It is a special factor called shiny Pokemon. Data for an occurrence of a shiny Pokemon to appear are extremely rare."
Kyon whispered at Brendan, "Is your Weavile female?"
"You can distinguish a male Weavile with a female one by its ear feathers," the latter whispered back, "Because Weavile's ear feather is short, it is technically a girl."
The conversation caught Maya's attention.
"What are you two talking about?"
Brendan, pretending to sound like a woman, replied, "It's nothing, really."
Weavile and Vespiquen pushed themselves as they approached to the center of the beam.
Vespiquen used its flight to take advantage of Weavile's momentum. However, Weavile clung on and went back on top of the beam.
"Do your best, Vespiquen-chan!"
"Do the same too, Weavile-chan!"
Vespiquen charged at Weavile. However, the latter was quick enough to take advantage of Vespiquen's momentum, gripping one of its claws on the latter's other claw, sending it down to the mud.
Vespiquen was also humiliated.
Juri exclaimed, "Hey, no fair! How come Emolga-chan has managed to glide its way to victory when my Vespiquen-chan can't?!"
Brendan thought, "Looks like we're leading by two victories."
Iris and Haruhi both laughed like a noblewoman, once again poking both Ash and Kyon respectively with their shoulders.
Iris bragged, "It looks like all of your Pokemon have yet to know our true skills. After all, Weavile-chan is also a bloomer."
This left Maya slightly enraged.
Nanami convinced, "I want to go challenge Kyou."
"What? Me?" thought Kyon, "I don't think I can be able to win this challenge."
In the next battle, Nanami's Delcatty faced off against the Mienfoo that Brendan loaned over to Kyon prior to the start of the match.
Both Delcatty and Mienfoo pushed themselves on the center.
Pretending to sound like a woman, Kyon and Brendan both chanted, "Do your best, Mienfoo-chan!"
"Don't give up, Delcatty-chan!"
Delcatty and Mienfoo both took advantage of their momentum. However, both of their forces equaled.
The challenge ended with both Delcatty and Mienfoo both falling in the muddy pit.
This caused a mixed reaction on both sides.
Maya and Ash faced off in the final match. The former's Cinccino and the latter's Snivy crossed to the center of the beam as they both attempted to push with each other.
"Do your best, Snivy-. . . . . "
Ash almost forgot to sound like a woman when he said that.
". . . . -chan!"
"Don't give up, Cinccino-chan!"
Cinccino attempted to take advantage of Snivy's momentum, but it failed. It then charged back at Snivy.
Unfortunately, Snivy managed to retaliate, sending Cinccino falling down on the mud. The former then managed to cross to the other side of the beam.
This left most of the gang surprised while Maya, Shion, Mizuki, Nanami, and Juri were left in shock as a result of their defeat.
"Alright!" exclaimed Ash, failing to pretend to sound like a girl.
Maya noticed Ash's actual voice. The latter instead replied, now in a false girl's voice, "You did it, Snivy-chan."
Cinccino went back on the ground, shaking all of the mud on its body. It was now clean again.
Kyon was surprised.
"How incredible!" Iris exclaimed.
Laughing like a noblewoman, Maya replied, "As you can see, Cinccino-chan's body is coated with a special oil. No matter how dirty Cinccino-chan really is, it will get rid of all the dirt easily by shaking it off from its body."
Kyon muttered, "Are you trying to make it realistic?"
Iris, enraged, responded, "We're not going to lose just yet, you'll see!"
The nine were toured in the next room.
"This is the third rule for the sake of tomorrow."
Maya opened the door, revealing the room to be a sort of battlefield that was at the center of a muddy pit.
"Is that a. . . ." Ash muttered.
Maya added, "Yes, that's right. It's a battlefield. We believe that a Pokemon's beauty lies in its strength. That's why we have set some special rules in the Pokemon battles here."
Juri added, "Here, it is a loss if the Pokemon is soiled along with its Trainer."
Haruhi asked, "The trainers as well?"
"That's right. Trainers can't be able to get up on stage if they aren't beautiful, right?" Maya cleverly convinced.
"I think you have a point," Iris answered.
"Okay, let the 'Flowers need to bloom - They will stain if they end up in the mud' challenge. . . . . begin!"
The first battle was between Juri's Vespiquen and Brendan's shiny Weavile.
"Vespiquen-chan, start the battle using Sweet Scent."
Pretending to sound like a girl, Brendan commanded, "Weavile-chan, dodge it!"
Vespiquen's Sweet Scent caused Weavile to get stunned for a short while.
"Use Attack Order!"
"Weavile-chan, dodge, then use Night Slash!"
Vespiquen's eyes suddenly glowed red. Several grubs of Combee appeared from its underside, all of them charging in at Weavile.
Kyon quietly thought, "What was that move called?"
Yuki replied in monotone, "It is a move called Attack Order. It inflicts damage at an increased critical hit percentage."
"Then that means it would hit real hard if it did, right?"
"Yes."
Weavile dodged all of the Combee, attempting to hit Vespiquen with Night Slash.
"Block that Night Slash with Defend Order."
The grubs of Combee from earlier formed a shield resembling a honeycomb, blocking the Night Slash.
Pretending to sound like a girl again, Kyon asked Yuki, "Now what was that move again?"
"Defend Order. It increases Vespiquen's Defense and Special Defense at a higher percentage."
Kyon thought to himself, "Please don't tell me there's a third move that ends with 'Order'."
"Weavile-chan, use Faint Attack!"
Weavile sneaked behind Vespiquen.
"Vespiquen-chan, behind you!"
It was all too late for Vespiquen to avoid Faint Attack as Weavile hit it from behind with its claws.
"Now use Faint Attack again!"
Once again, Vespiquen was unable to see Weavile since the latter quickly sneaked behind it.
"Weavile-chan, hit it with Night Slash!"
Weavile's Night Slash drew through the upper side of Vespiquen's abdomen from behind like a sword, much to the astonishment of Juri.
"How. . . . . how did your Weavile-chan do that?"
Brendan replied in a false girl's voice, "Weavile-chan learned this trick from Utena. Now finish it off with one more Night Slash!"
Weavile released its left claw from Vespiquen, ramming it once more with a cross-armed Night Slash. The force of the impact caused Vespiquen to collide with its Trainer, sending both of them into the mud.
Juri muttered, "No fair! My Vespiquen-chan would've gotten away with it if weren't for you and your meddling Weavile-chan!"
Iris did a noblewoman's laugh as Brendan scored the first victory on their side.
Iris bragged and said, "Looks like Weavile-chan proved that it's now a flower that already bloomed, while Vespiquen-chan has stained because it ended up in the mud."
While Iris made one more laugh, Shion, Maya, Nanami, and Mizuki were not amused.
Iris poked her shoulder on Ash, convincing him, Cilan, and Kyon to laugh like a noblewoman. The latter three did the same, albeit unwillingly.
The second battle was between Shion's Roserade and Iris's Emolga.
"Roserade-chan, use Poison Sting!"
"Dodge it and use Discharge!"
"Keep your distance!"
Emolga's Discharge was avoided.
"Use Bullet Seed!"
Emolga made an attempt to avoid Bullet Seed until it almost fell into the mud. Fortunately, it was still able to gain its momentum getting back on.
"Emolga-chan, Hidden Power!"
Roserade was hit, having been knocked away.
"Roserade-chan, get up and use Bullet Seed!"
"Discharge, Emolga-chan!"
Just before Roserade could use Bullet Seed, it was hit by Emolga's Discharge.
"Roserade-chan, don't give up just yet! Use Bullet Seed again!"
"Dodge it!"
Emolga avoided Bullet Seed by gliding away.
"Use Energy Ball!"
Energy Ball landed a hit on Iris's Emolga, sending it down to the muddy pit.
"Looks like this is the end," said Shion.
However, Iris was becoming very optimistic about it, since she knew that Emolga can glide.
Emolga was fortunate enough to have glided away from the mud, stunning Shion.
"There's no way Emolga-chan would have done that!"
Cracking a noblewoman's laugh, Iris explained, "Of course, Emolga-chan is skilled at gliding."
"Isn't that supposed to be cheating?" Maya exclaimed.
"Oh really? It's not that Emolga-chan would cheat by flying past the mud when compared to Cinccino-chan's special oil coated in its fur."
"Roserade-chan, Poison Sting!"
"Keep your distance, Emolga-chan!"
Emolga glided away to dodge it.
"Discharge!"
Emolga hit Roserade with Discharge and flew past it.
"Roserade-chan, look behind you!"
"Let's finish this off with Hidden Power!"
Emolga hit Roserade on-the-spot with a Hidden Power, sending it along with its Trainer falling into the mud.
This left Ash, Kyon, Cilan, Haruhi, Mikuru, and Itsuki surprised. On the other hand, the other four members of the Flower Garden Opera Troupe were not amused.
"Looks like Roserade-chan and I have been soaked in mud. . . . . . . Gah! Why did Roserade-chan have to bite the dust against Emolga-chan?" Shion exclaimed as Iris laughed like a noblewoman yet again, proving that she has won.
"Emolga-chan, you have bloomed like a flower very well. Take a look at it. Shion's Roserade-chan on the other hand has lost, having been withered into the mud," taunted Iris.
Maya was not amused as Iris made another rich, booming laugh.
The next battle was between Cilan's Pansage and Mizuki's Lilligant.
"Bullet Seed!" Cilan commanded in a fake woman's voice.
"Dodge it and use Leech Seed!"
Lilligant managed to get away, firing a Leech Seed at Pansage.
"Use Dig!"
Pansage burrowed on the ground to avoid Leech Seed.
However, Mizuki was being very clever about it.
Pansage got out of the hole, already soaked in mud.
"Why did Pansage-chan suddenly get stained with mud in all of a sudden?" wondered Cilan.
Mizuki replied, making a booming laugh, "The mud is not just there outside the battlefield. It's also hidden under the ground as well!"
Iris and Ash were not amused.
"Finish it off with Energy Ball!"
Lilligant hit Pansage with Energy Ball, creating an explosion that sent the latter falling off into the mud with its Trainer.
Cilan muttered, "We bit the dust. . . . . . "
Making one more laugh, Mizuki taunted, "Like what we just said, flowers need to bloom. They will stain if they end up in the mud."
Shion, Juri, Maya, Mizuki and Nanami all made a booming laugh as Iris felt insulted.
"Cilan and Pansage, the two of you will be avenged!" thought Iris.
The next battle was between Nanami's Delcatty and Kyon's 'Mienfoo', in which the former was obviously lent over from Brendan.
"Kyou-chan, are you ready to lose to me?" taunted Nanami.
Maya announced, "Let the battle begin!"
"Mienfoo-chan, use Force Palm!" Kyon commanded, pretending to sound like a woman.
"Delcatty-chan, Fake Out!"
"What was that move?" Kyon thought to himself.
Delcatty quickly ran off to Mienfoo, clapping its paws together, creating a shock wave that sent Mienfoo knocking away just before it could use Force Palm. Fortunately, it wasn't enough to send Mienfoo falling down on the mud.
"Mienfoo-chan, get up and use Force Palm one more time!"
Mienfoo managed to place its palm on Delcatty. The latter was hit by the white energy that came out of its palm, causing it to become paralyzed.
"Delcatty-chan, get up now!"
Delcatty was barely able to get up because of the paralysis caused by Force Palm. Haruhi and Iris both cheered for Kyon as Shion, Maya, and Mizuki were not amused.
"Let's finish this," Kyon said in a fake woman's voice, "Mienfoo-chan, use Focus Blast!"
"Dodge it and use Facade!"
Cilan and Iris were astounded.
"What's Facade?"
Delcatty avoided Focus Blast. It was later imbued in a yellowish sphere of energy that was presumably from its paralysis, slamming Mienfoo and sending it along with Kyon falling into the mud.
Haruhi was not amused, yelling at Kyon, "Why wouldn't you command Mienfoo-chan to avoid that Facade attack? You're getting a penalty for losing!"
Nanami and the rest of the Flower Garden Opera Troupe made yet another booming laugh as Iris was becoming more annoyed and outraged.
"Enough talk! Kyon you will be avenged as well!" Iris thought.
Maya convinced, "Who's up next in the next battle with my Cinccino-chan?"
Ash, pretending to sound like a woman, replied, "Snivy-chan and I would want to-"
Iris interrupted and replied, "Let me do it again."
"But why?"
"I'm not going to stop just yet until I see Maya and Cinccino get soaked up in mud and make regrets for insulting Emolga!"
Iris was then in a rage, leading to Ash saying, "I think I get your idea."
She then replied to Maya, "Snivy-chan and I will challenge you to a battle."
A few minutes later. . . .
Juri announced, "Battle, begin!"
"Cinccino-chan, Tail Slap. Let's go!"
Cinccino started the battle by hitting Snivy with its signature move.
"Snivy-chan, don't give up just yet. Use Vine Whip!"
Snivy retaliated by hitting Cinccino twice with its attack.
"Rock Blast!"
"Dodge it!"
Snivy quickly avoided Cinccino's Rock Blast.
"Use Leaf Storm!"
Snivy attempted to hit Cinccino with a Leaf Storm, but it only caused the latter to be blinded.
"It's not hitting real hard," mumbled Ash.
Cilan and Kyon both added, "It should've gotten more aim."
"Use Hyper Beam!"
Cinccino fired a Hyper Beam to clear away the Leaf Storm and make an attempt to hit Snivy. But the latter made a quick dodge, and so, it missed.
"Use Leaf Storm once more!"
Snivy fired another Leaf Storm, but it only blinded Cinccino's sight once again.
"Giga Impact!"
Cinccino was imbued in a white and orange sphere of energy with white streaks in it, charging back and forth on Snivy. But it was avoided several times.
"That Giga Impact is strong," remarked Kyon.
Cilan added, "No wonder it compliments with the self-confidence Maya has built up."
"Leaf Storm!"
Snivy whipped up another Leaf Storm to disrupt Cinccino's Giga Impact.
"Use Tail Slap!"
"Intercept with Vine Whip!"
Cinccino's Tail Slap was being stopped by Snivy's Vine Whip.
"Time for the final finish. Leaf Blade!"
Snivy slapped Cinccino with a Leaf Blade, slamming it along with its Trainer into the muddy pit. Of course, the four other members of the Flower Garden Opera Troupe were not amused.
"This can't be happening," Maya, already humiliated for losing to Iris, mumbled as Cinccino attempted to shake all the mud away from its body.
Unfortunately, it failed.
"Gah! The mud on Cinccino's body won't come off. I wonder why did it happen?" wondered Maya.
Iris answered, "If you've been forgetting something, it's all because of Snivy's Leaf Storm. The move itself managed to remove all of the oil in Cinccino's body."
"There's no way Snivy's Leaf Storm would have done that."
Ash concluded, "So that explains why Iris kept on commanding Snivy to use Leaf Storm. I never expected it to be just as planned."
"That's why I had to make sure Cinccino would get soiled over with mud when it lost."
Iris then made a booming noblewoman's laugh, angering Maya.
"Gah! I'm totally in despair for losing to you!" the latter exclaimed.
Suddenly, the manager of the Flower Garden Opera Troupe showed up, clapping her hands.
"Congratulations," she said.
"Miss Chihaya?" Maya muttered, referring to the manager herself.
Brendan mumbled in a fake woman's voice, "I thought you were making an Evangelion reference."
"Me, making a reference to a certain anime? Actually, I would like to thank Iris for defeating the leading woman of the Flower Garden Opera Troupe, Maya. Because of that, I would like all of you to perform on the stage for the troupe itself."
Kyon, Ash, Brendan, and Cilan all sweatdropped.
Ash replied, "Well . . . . . . , uh. . . . . . "
". . . . . . We're actually new to this . . . . . . ," Cilan added.
". . . . . . and we have learned a lot for today. Perhaps it's time for us to go, since we're in a rush," said Haruhi, "Take care!"
The nine then rushed off as Haruhi dragged Mikuru outside the opera school.
"Come on, Mikuru! It's not the time to run so slowly!" The former exclaimed.
"Wait up and come back here and be a part of us!" Chihaya exclaimed, catching up after them.
"We didn't intend to join up with you!" Iris and Ash exclaimed, rushing out to the gate along with Ash, Cilan, Kyon, Itsuki, Yuki, Haruhi, Brendan, and Mikuru.
Haruhi added, "Excuse us!"
"We're terribly sorry!" Ash, Cilan, and Iris shouted in unison. The nine managed to leave the opera school, leaving Chihaya exhausted.
She sighed and mumbled, "It's too bad they managed to get away. What a shame."
That afternoon, the nine went back to the fashion store to return all of the costumes they rented.
Having left the store, Ash asked, "That was a scary moment dressing up like a girl. Iris, do you feel any better now?"
"Yes, and I'm very satisfied."
Brendan said to Kyon, "It's good to know that you have managed to dress up like a girl at least for a day."
"I don't want to reenact it again though," the latter replied.
Cilan said, "We were almost going to be recruited, and that was close."
"Nah, you, Itsuki, and Kyon all looked pretty good," remarked both Brendan and Ash.
Haruhi added, "Perhaps I would want to see Kyon dress up once again like a girl someday. After all, he's probably attracted by Mikuru every time she dresses up as a maid, right Kyon?"
The latter facepalmed, muttering, "What was that?"
Almost everyone laughed.
"Alright then, let's head off to Higaki City!" Ash exclaimed. The nine then left the city as Ash himself was bent on his next step to win the Unova League in Higaki City.
Indeed, that was a bit exhausting for Kyon, but he got to dress up like a girl, at least for a day.
On the next chapter:
The nine arrive in the Village of Dragons, the hometown of Iris. One of the Zweilous owned by a friend of Iris evolves into a Hydreigon, but when it finds out that it indeed evolved, it goes into a rage. Will Iris try to calm the Hydreigon down? Will Brendan's own Hydreigon be able to attempt to end its rage as well? Find out in the next chapter of The Best Wishes of Haruhi Suzumiya!
References and shout-outs:
* Brendan brings out Ayu Tsukimiya's backpack at the beginning of the chapter. Kyon adds up the Kanon reference by saying her catchphrase.
* "Both of you, would you kindly stop it?" A Bioshock reference.
* "My Cinccino used to be a very beautiful Pokemon unlike your Emolga, until it took a hit in the knee by that ugly Pokemon of yours." It is a reference to the infamous "arrow in the knee" phrase in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
* "Too bad. Crossdressing time." A shout-out to Brawl in the Family's "Too bad. Waluigi time."
* "Enough is enough! I have had it with those meddling people and their stupidly beautiful Pokemon!" Obviously a Snakes on a Plane reference.
* Kyon and Itsuki dress up as the main characters of Revolutionary Girl Utena, while Ash, Brendan, and Cilan dress up as characters from Rose of Versailles.
* Weavile drawing its Night Slash into Vespiquen's abdomen from behind is based on the drawing of swords in the chest in Revolutionary Girl Utena.
* Haruhi and Mikuru dress up as the two main characters of Fushigiboshi no Futagohime.
* "And speaking of Itsuki, her name reminds me of that certain magical girl who is a tomboy." Maya is referring to a certain character in HeartCatch Pretty Cure.
* "My Vespiquen-chan would've gotten away with it if weren't for you and your meddling Weavile-chan!" Juri makes a reference to Scooby-Doo.
* "So that explains why Iris kept on commanding Snivy to use Leaf Storm. I never expected it to be just as planned." The second line contains a Death Note reference.
* "Gah! I'm totally in despair for losing to you!" A shout-out to Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei.
Author's notes #2:
This is not the first time that Ashley would be used up again for Ash, at least for this fanfic. Ash dressed up as 'Ashley' in the original series canon.
This is the first time that I would be applying Japanese honorifics on this one. I actually based it on the subtitled versions of the episode this chapter is based on.