I hope you all enjoy the chapter! :)
Chapter Fourteen
A man in a spiffy blue and red uniform bowed in greeting and accepted four tickets from Ash before gesturing toward the port side of the mind-bogglingly huge cruise ship.
"Welcome aboard the St. Anne! If you all will go to reception, they can give you your cabin assignments and answer any questions you may have."
They politely returned the bow and followed the man's directions. Reception was busy, so Ash, Misty, and Brock decided to come back later, choosing to explore the ship instead. They looked around excitedly while Mariah dragged her feet behind them.
"Guys, come on! We shouldn't waste time playing around on some dumb boat. Ash and I have badges to win, and I'm going to miss the contest in Saffron City!" Mariah whined.
She had been trying to convince her friends not to board the St. Anne ever since a woman had given them free tickets earlier that morning at the beach. Mariah had been prepared to unmask Jessie and James if those two had tried to give them tickets like on the show, but she hadn't expected a random grunt. Even if she'd accused the woman of being a member of Team Rocket, she didn't have any proof. Her friends had been all too willing to accept free tickets to a week-long luxury cruise, leaving Mariah in her current predicament.
Brock and Ash hesitated when she mentioned missing a contest, but Misty wasn't perturbed.
"There are pokémon contests in Saffron all the time, Mariah. Even if you miss the next one, there'll be another in a couple weeks. Now stop complaining. The St. Anne is like its own city! There's so much to do, and we've only got a week on board. There's no time to waste." The redhead exclaimed.
Ash nodded, eyes sparkling as he watched two trainers run by with a tyrogue and a vulpix.
"Misty's right, Riah. We just won our third badges. We can take a week off of training to have fun, right? And, the pokémon deserve a break too." He said, distractedly.
Brock decided to sweeten the pot.
"I've heard that there are booths selling rare items and pokémon on board. Plus, the passengers and crew members come from all over the world, and I'm sure a lot of them are trainers. It would be a good experience for you and Ash to battle a variety of opponents." The older boy added.
Mariah's shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Fine! Fine. You guys win. We can stay."
Her friends cheered, and after making plans to meet at the buffet for lunch, they all split up. Ash and Pikachu charged toward the designated battle area, Misty practically skipped to the booths selling clothes, and Brock floated on a cloud of hormones and unrealistic fantasies to the ship's largest pool and, by extension, the largest population of bikini-clad women. Mariah watched them go worriedly, but she didn't stop them.
They'll be fine. Team Rocket won't attack right away; they'll want to wait until we're out on the water, isolated from outside help. Plus, the authorities know their plan. I'm sure there's a ton of undercover officers on board, and Champion Lance should be nearby too. There's no need to worry.
After giving herself a pep talk, Mariah made a beedrill-line for the booths selling pokémon-related products. She would visit the battlefields after making her wallet cry for mercy.
. . . . . .
Hours later, Mariah was bound in rope, dangling over a small pool filled with carvanha. Drops of sweat slid down her back as a timer ticked down in her periphery. Nearby, Athena fluttered calmly in front of a large projector screen. A laser pointer floated in front of the butterfree, held aloft by her confusion attack. A red dot moved slowly across the screen as Athena searched for her target. There were only five seconds left. The spectators that had gathered to watch counted aloud; their raised voices attracted more passersby until a sizable crowd had formed.
Five!
The pelipper in charge of holding Mariah captive yawned and beat its wings lazily to hold their position above the scary-looking fish below.
"Not thrilling enough for you?" Mariah asked drily, amused by the bird's apathy.
Pelipper didn't bother to reply.
Four!
"Yo ho ho! Many scallywags have challenged Captain Jack and his crew, but none have prevailed! Soon ye trainer will join those landlubbers and become food for my carvanha!" A large man in a pirate costume chortled devilishly, taunting Athena and riling the crowd further.
Three! Two!
"You can do it, Athena!" Mariah yelled encouragingly, eyes glued to the little red dot tracing over the screen.
One!
The dot stopped and quickly circled twice around the image of a nearly imperceptible red, zigzagged line of a camouflaged kecleon.
Beep!
Pelipper lowered Mariah back to the ground and released her from the rope. She immediately tackled her butterfree.
"Athena, that was awesome! How in the reverse world did you do that?!" She exclaimed.
"Free free free? Free?" She asked hopefully.
Mariah guffawed at the little glutton.
"Yes, I'll give you extra poffins after dinner tonight."
The man dressed as a pirate pulled a treasure chest out of his pelipper's beak and hobbled over to Mariah and Athena on fake peg legs.
"Congrats, ye lucky seadogs! Ye have defeated Captain Jack and his crew, and their booty is yours for the takin'." The man bellowed his words for the audience's benefit, handing her the treasure chest.
Mariah accepted it with anticipation. The prize was a mystery, but she knew it had to be something good to justify such a tough challenge. According to the sign tacked to the man's booth, no one had beaten his game in six months. Athena was really something else to be able to look at a picture containing hundreds of different pokémon and spot a kecleon's zigzag pattern in less than thirty seconds.
Mariah tilted the box so that Athena could see the contents as she flipped the lid open. Nestled on the red felt lining the inside lay a single piece of paper.
"What's this?" She asked, confused and disappointed.
The man grinned, flashing his fake gold teeth.
"That, Missy, is a certificate allowing ye to get a free pokémon from Happy Houndoom Breeders, one of the finest pokémon breeding companies in all the seas! I'm sure ye can find a worthy addition for ye crew!"
Murmurs of shock and envy spread through the onlookers like wildfire. HHB was considered one of the top five best pokémon breeding companies in the world. Every single one of their pokémon was guaranteed to be as healthy and strong as was naturally possible. In her old world, where a pokémon's abilities could be quantified in stats, the pokémon produced by HHB would be shown to have a complete set of perfect IVs or at least very close to it. Getting one of HHB's pokémon was equivalent to winning the lottery to most trainers.
Mariah suddenly felt very nervous about all the eyes on her. She felt like she was standing in front of a group of starving snorlax, and the only food for miles was the certificate in her hands. Clutching the paper to her chest, she thanked the pirate man and hot-footed it away from there as fast as she could. Thankfully, she had already finished shopping for the day and could leave the area without regret. She had multiple pursuers. While following her trainer, Athena watched them for any suspicious movements. They might have had good intentions, most probably wanted to buy the certificate or make a trade, but Mariah didn't want to take any unnecessary risks, especially when she knew there were Team Rocket members around. After some silent communication with Athena, she strode to the railing looking out over the ocean, Vermilion City a dot in the distance, and confidently climbed onto the rail. As soon as a bluish tint outlined her body, Mariah jumped, giggling at the resulting screams from the other passengers.
Athena laughed with her as the butterfly pokémon used confusion to gently deposit her trainer a couple decks lower than the previous one.
"Thanks, Athena. I'm glad you're so smart. I would've taken a swim if I'd tried the same thing with Bolt." Mariah said fondly.
After handing Athena the certificate, Mariah pulled a black cap and sunglasses from her bag. Her outfit was fairly plain, and once she covered her face with the large-framed shades and her blonde hair with the hat, it would be difficult for a stranger to recognize her.
"I need to go incognito for a while. Will you hold onto the certificate for me? I know it'll be safer with you than in my bag." Mariah asked while slipping on her disguise.
"Free." Athena agreed, humming happily when Mariah rubbed her soft purple head.
"I bought a new pokéblock recipe from one of the booths. I was planning on trying it out later since our cabin comes with a fully stocked kitchen. Want to be my taste tester?"
Athena nodded, but her antennae drooped.
"Don't worry. You can have the poffins I promised you too." Mariah chuckled, holding out her pokéball.
"Free free!"
Athena twirled joyfully and disappeared in a flash of red light with the certificate clutched firmly in her hands.
Moments later, Mariah was glad she disguised herself when a group of people ran by, talking to each other about finding "the blonde trainer with the big butterfree". They didn't recognise her, and neither did anyone else on her way to meet up with Ash and the others for lunch.
The buffet was located in one of the largest rooms on the ship. Mariah stood by the wall out of the way and looked at it all in wonder. She had never imagined being in such a fancy place. Dozens upon dozens of long tables were covered in mouth-watering delicacies from all over the world, gorgeous chandeliers and other expensive decor graced the ceiling, walls, and tables, the waitstaff consisted of highly trained individuals that knew exactly how to keep their patrons happy, and an orchestra made priceless art for the ears of everyone in attendance.
"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore." Mariah whistled, impressed.
An older woman looked at her funny, but Mariah ignored her and searched for her friends. She was running a little late, so they should already be there.
"Mariah!"
Mariah turned at Misty's yell and spotted the redhead waving her down from a table near the center of the room. Mariah waved back. Their table seemed to be overflowing with food already, so she didn't bother to grab anything else before joining them.
"Hey, Riah." Ash greeted her around a mouthful of food.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Ash. You'll choke." Mariah chided him.
Ash just shrugged and kept on stuffing his face. Pikachu sat on the table next to him, stuffing his red cheeks just like his trainer. Brock nodded at her, too absorbed in his food to bother saying anything. Misty had a whole two-tier cake in front of her to Mariah's disbelief. The redhead ate a forkful of icing with relish before speaking.
"Why are you wearing a hat and sunglasses? It's silly wearing sunglasses indoors, and you never cover your hair. You like showing off how pretty it is." Misty stated bluntly.
Mariah coughed in embarrassment and slipped off her sunglasses.
"The sun was hurting my eyes, and the breeze kept blowing my hair in my face." She lied, deciding on a whim to surprise her friends with the HHB certificate later.
Misty seemed to buy her excuse, enjoying another forkful of icing before speaking again.
"So what have you been doing all morning? Something more exciting than what these two did, I hope. Ash wouldn't leave the battlefield until I reminded him of the buffet, and Brock had to be dragged away from the pool before someone's boyfriend tossed him overboard."
Mariah took a bite from a casserole sprinkled with tomato berry flakes, and her eyes involuntarily rolled back into her head. When she regained her ability to speak words rather than just groan in mindless pleasure, she replied.
"I don't know if my morning could be called exciting. It was definitely fun though. I tried a few of the game booths. They were a little expensive to play, but the prizes were too tempting to pass up. It kind of felt like I was at a fancy carnival, except there weren't any roller coasters. I shopped a lot too and managed to get most of my Christmas shopping done. I even got a gift for myself, with Athena's help."
Mariah braced herself and took another bite of the casserole, but her caution didn't make a difference. Once again she lost control of her eyes and felt fireworks of pleasure explode on her tongue.
Misty tilted her head.
"What did you-"
Ash swallowed his food with an audible gulp and rudely interrupted.
"Christmas is months away! Why are you shopping for it already?"
Misty rolled her eyes in annoyance and replied for her. Mariah was grateful for the assist, bites three and four had made her momentarily blind and speechless, just like the first two, and she didn't want to stop eating long enough to regain those functions.
"More like weeks away, Ash, and not everyone waits until the last minute to buy gifts."
"I don't wait until the last minute." Ash argued.
Mariah distinctly remembered him running around Pallet Town in a panic on Christmas Eve last year, because he hadn't bought a single present yet, but she didn't say anything. She was far too engrossed with devouring the rest of the magic casserole to care.
Time passed in a haze of deliciousness. Mariah had gone through three servings of the magic casserole before abandoning her dignity and grabbing an entire pan from the buffet table. Misty had given her a look, but those who eat whole two-tier cakes by themselves shouldn't cast stones.
Mariah was trying to discreetly force herself to burp so that she could make room in her protesting belly for the last bite left in the pan, when an older gentleman in a suit with a cane and tophat walked up to their table accompanied by a woman that would emanate wealth even if she hadn't been wearing diamond earrings, a designer dress, and one-of-a-kind, hand-stitched stilettos. Brock flushed and dropped his sandwich, luckily on his plate rather than his lap. Misty smirked and waved her hand in front of the older boy's face, but Brock didn't react.
"Hello, young man. Are you having yourself a good time?" The man in the tophat asked Ash.
"Yes, sir. We're having a great time." Ash answered, setting his fork down on his plate.
The man smiled perfunctorily and got to the point of his visit.
"You know, that butterfree of yours is quite extraordinary."
"It's incredible." The woman added with a grace reserved for the upper-class.
Brock reddened further.
"She's beautiful." The lovestruck young man whispered reverently.
"Here we go again." Misty giggled.
"Well, I put a lot of work into raising it." Ash said proudly.
"What did you think of my raticate?" The man inquired.
Mariah finally managed to burp, silently thanking Arceus when the music swelled with perfect timing to drown out the sound. She ate the last bite of the casserole with relish and regret; she hoped they would keep serving it throughout the week. She set her fork down and paid attention to the conversation. The older gentleman didn't seem like a bad guy, but she didn't trust him nor did she like his air of masked arrogance and proud wealth.
"It looked great, and it really put up a tough fight." Ash replied.
"In that case, I'll be direct. Why don't we trade?" The man asked smoothly, leaning on his gold-tipped cane.
"Trade pokémon?" Ash repeated, brows furrowing.
"When two people find that they each like the other's pokémon, they trade. It's quite a common practice everywhere."
"Everywhere?"
The man placed his hand on Ash's shoulder in a friendly manner. The action reminded Mariah of restaurant servers trying extra hard to earn a big tip.
"You see, friends trade then trade with their other friends and so friendships grow deeper and continue to spread wider and wider. Trading and making new friends is one of the best things about having pokémon. That's how pokémon friendships get to spread all around the world."
The man removed his hand and stepped back after delivering his passionate, well-practiced speech. Mariah had to give the man his due, he knew exactly what to say and do to reel Ash in, and based on her brother's expression, it was working.
"Wow." Ash murmured.
"Friendship is wonderful isn't it?" The woman said, smiling brightly, and Mariah could practically see Brock's hormones smothering his brain cells.
Her friend's dark, spiky hair swayed as he frantically nodded his agreement.
"Yeah, yeah. Why don't you and I start a friendship right now?" Brock asked with glazed eyes.
The woman covered her demure smile with a ruby-studded folding fan.
"Should I trade, Brock?" Ash asked the older boy unsurely.
Brock continued to impersonate a bobble-head.
"Oh yeah. You got to trade. Everyone should trade. Let's start trading."
Mariah exchanged exasperated looks with Misty before interjecting.
"Don't listen to that idiot, Ash. His brain is pickled in hormones. He would jump overboard if a pretty lady dropped her handkerchief in the water and asked him to get it."
"Like you wouldn't consider doing the same." Misty said impishly.
Mariah ignored her and continued speaking to her brother.
"Like the man said, trading can be a great thing. I won't tell you if you should do it or not, but you should really think about it before you decide. You love Butterfree, and if you trade him, you might never see him again. Plus, you should think about his feelings too."
"Butterfree's feelings?"
"He's been with you since he was a caterpie, Ash, and you've done a good job raising him. He might not want a different trainer."
Ash palmed Butterfree's pokéball and considered it seriously before tossing it into the air. Butterfree appeared in a flash of light and fluttered above the table, looking down at Ash, who gestured to the man.
"Butterfree, he was impressed by you in our battle earlier and asked me if I'd trade you for his raticate. I'm leaving the choice to you. Do you want to stay with me or go with him?"
Butterfree examined the man curiously.
"Hello, Butterfree. How do you feel about being my pokémon? I can assure you that you would be in great hands. My pokémon have never wanted for anything while in my care. I can provide you with the best food and training money can buy." The man said, giving his best charming smile.
Butterfree fluttered down to perch on Ash's head after only a moment's hesitation, his choice clear.
Mariah smiled softly when her brother's eyes gained a glassy sheen. She discreetly slipped her pokédex out of her pocket and snapped a picture. Held below the table edge, she looked the image over with a critical eye and nodded in satisfaction; Mom would want to frame this one for sure.
Ash smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry, sir. I'm sure your raticate is a great pokémon, but Butterfree and I have been through a lot together. He was the first pokémon I ever caught, and I raised him all by myself. I can't trade him."
The man grimaced, obviously disappointed, but he responded like a gentleman and wished them a good time on the cruise before retreating with his companion. They finished their meal in a great mood, except for Brock, who was once again nursing a broken heart after the woman had clearly linked her arm with the man's and kissed his cheek on their departure.
Rather than splitting up after lunch, they all decided to go to the battlefields together. Misty and Brock only spectated Mariah's and Ash's battles at first, but it wasn't long before Mariah convinced Misty to join the fun. Brock participated in a few matches too, infected by his friends' love of pokémon battles. Their second and third days on the week-long cruise followed a pattern similar to the first day with each of them doing their own thing in the morning, meeting for lunch, and then spending the evening together, battling, swimming, or doing whatever else seemed fun. The morning of the fourth day, Ash, Misty, and Brock ran up to Mariah excitedly after she'd beaten a trainer from Johto with a tough teddiursa.
"What's up, guys?" Mariah asked, reclipping Bolt's pokéball to her belt.
"Riah, you gotta hurry to reception and sign up!"
"Sign up for what, Ash?"
"The pokémon contest!" He exclaimed, as if that explained anything.
"The Saffron contest isn't for a few weeks, and I can't register for it here." Mariah said, confused.
Misty grabbed Mariah's arm and started dragging her impatiently.
"Not the Saffron contest, there's going to be a contest right here on the St. Anne. Brock overheard people talking about it. I checked with a member of the crew, and they said it's going to be a real contest with an official ribbon and everything. It was planned last minute, which is why we hadn't heard about it. We've gotta hurry and get you registered; the contest starts later today and registration closes in thirty minutes!"
Mariah stopped dragging her feet and ran to reception with her friends. There was a large line, but she managed to register with a few minutes to spare. Before they left, the receptionist handed her a flyer with information on the contest. They moved to a corner out of the way while she examined it.
"It's going to be a double contest." Mariah informed them.
"Maybe that's a good thing. You're pretty good at double battles." Brock commented.
"Thanks, Brock." She smiled.
"What about the preliminary? Have you practiced any double performances with your pokémon?" Misty asked worriedly.
Mariah confidently put her hands on her hips.
"No sweat. My pokémon and I haven't wasted our time since the Viridian Contest. I made sure to include double performances in our training."
Her posture slumped as her confidence faded.
"I may be good at double battles, but I'm still worried. There are a lot of tough trainers on board, people that have been training with their pokémon for years. I've only been with my team for a few months."
Ash clapped his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Riah. You're one of the best trainers I know, and your pokémon are really strong! There's no way you can lose."
"Ash's right, you've got this in the bag. And remember, we'll be there cheering you on the whole time." Misty added, pulling her into a side hug.
Mariah's heart felt pleasantly warm and soft in that moment. She had the best friends in the world.
. . . . . .
Mariah wiped her sweaty palms on her shorts and walked out to center stage. They were on one of the upper decks in a moderately large concert hall that was normally used for plays, concerts, and other performances. It had been refurbished for the contest with the stage being strengthened to handle pokémon battles. The roof could be opened, a function that would be utilized for the duration of the contest, letting in sunshine and the salty sea air. The crowd was positioned in cushioned seats at eye level with the stage as well as in balconies overhead. In the judges seats, sat Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, the St. Anne's exclusive Nurse Joy, and as a surprise guest judge, Professor Samuel Oak. Mariah had been surprised when she realized that the professor was here, but she shouldn't have been. He may be a world renowned pokémon professor, but he was also Kanto's former Champion before he retired from the position and passed the mantle to Lance. It wouldn't be odd if he was asked to help stop Team Rocket's takeover of the St. Anne. His position as a guest judge must be his cover story to keep Team Rocket from getting suspicious; the professor was a celebrity and was often asked to guest star on the radio, in reality shows, and at other various events.
Mariah acknowledged her mentor with a respectful nod, amused by his overly wide eyes when he recognized her. The man obviously hadn't expected to find her on a luxury cruise; she'd made good money as his assistant but not that good. Pushing the professor and everything else out of her mind, Mariah focused on the performance ahead and palmed a pokéball in each hand.
"It's showtime, Athena, Courage!"
Athena appeared in a cloud of pink glitter, while Courage peeked out timidly from the center of a pile of rainbow-colored bubbles. Mariah grinned as murmurs swept through the crowd at her magikarp's appearance.
"What's this? Coordinator Mariah's butterfree must be one of the biggest I've ever seen, and even more strangely, she's using a magikarp in her performance, without a pool! Will their performance make a splash anyway, or will it be a flop? I can't wait to find out!" Lillian, the caster of ceremonies, commented with her usual flair.
"Set the stage, Athena." Mariah ordered.
Athena flapped her wings in a gentle gust, scattering the bubbles and glitter from the ball capsule effects throughout the stage and up toward the sky where they mixed together and displayed their colors brilliantly with assistance from the sun. Before the effects disappeared, the bubbles and glitter froze in place and gained a subtle blue tint as Athena used confusion.
Mariah beamed proudly when not a single bubble or piece of glitter was missed; it had taken weeks upon weeks of practice for Athena to improve her control of her confusion attack to its current level. One day, she hoped her butterfree could not only freeze it all in place but also be able to move each individual piece at will.
"Your turn, Courage."
Courage used splash, slamming his tail on the ground with a loud thud and catapulting himself in a parabola. It was difficult, if not impossible, for her magikarp to be truly graceful out of the water, but as he arched over the stage, twisting and flipping as necessary while using tackle and flail to pop any bubbles in reach, he showcased his athleticism. Courage's attacks dislodged the pink sparkles from their static positions and caused them to either follow him, briefly clinging to his reddish orange scales in a pretty contrast of color, or to rain down softly and disappear before they touched the stage floor. He landed and launched himself with splash twice more before the last bubble was popped.
"Big finale, guys."
Athena gained altitude before releasing a cloud of sparkling, light-blue powder. The butterfree twirled in a simple aerial dance while using whirlwind, dispersing the sleep powder through the stage and the stands. The powder was scattered enough to greatly dilute its effects, so no one fell asleep. There was only a comfortable feeling of relaxation as sighs of contentment sounded throughout the hall.
Courage used splash once more, launching himself significantly higher than before, and landed perfectly on Athena's back. The butterfree finished her dance with Courage on her back before perching on her trainer's head and bowing to the audience. Mariah bowed as well, amidst cheers and whistles. The crowd quieted at Lillian's signal, giving the floor to the judges. Mr. Contesta spoke first, followed by Mr. Sukizo, Nurse Joy, and lastly, Professor Oak.
"I must say I never expected to see a magikarp perform so well out of water. You've trained it well. As for your butterfree, it showed admirable control of its confusion attack, and I enjoyed your unorthodox use of its sleep powder to relax the audience. Keep up the good work."
"Remarkable!"
"I'm pleasantly surprised to see a magikarp perform so well in this kind of environment. It's a wonderful example of how adaptable pokémon can be. Your therapeutic use of butterfree's sleep powder was also very impressive to me. It's nice to see pokémon moves being used for something that can benefit people and pokémon in ways that have nothing to do with battling."
Professor Oak nodded and grunted in agreement with his temporary colleagues.
"Yes, historical records have shown that pokémon have been used in human disputes for thousands of years, which eventually evolved into the fun and harmless pokémon battles we know today. However, it is only recently in our history that we have started partnering with pokémon in fields of study that have nothing to do with battle. I could give many examples of how the relationship between humans and pokémon is evolving. . ."
Professor Oak winced as Nurse Joy discreetly elbowed his side. Mariah forced herself not to laugh, trust the professor to forget his purpose as a judge and give an impromptu lecture on human and pokémon relations.
He cleared his throat embarrassedly.
"But I'll save them for another time. Mariah, while there is always room for improvement, I saw no mistakes in your performance. You can leave the stage with your head held high."
Mariah smiled shyly at her mentor's sincere praise and began to bow again before leaving, but the professor suddenly spoke with boyish excitement.
"Before you leave, young lady, I have a poem I want to share. Your performance has inspired me!"
Mariah bit her cheek to contain her laughter. She loved the elderly man, but he could be such a goof.
Professor Oak stood from his seat and delivered his poem with the same passion he would give one of his lectures.
"As the sun rained down,
there sparkled a golden crown.
Amidst bubbles enjoyed as playthings,
there fluttered black and white wings.
How could we frown with butterfree and magikarp around?"
Everyone clapped, some politely and some with enthusiasm, as Professor Oak finished with a bow. A snort escaped Mariah when an elderly woman in the audience made a loud catcall and caused the professor's wrinkled cheeks to gain a ruddy complexion. Before her mentor was inspired again, Mariah bowed and quickly made her escape. Once she was out of sight of the crowd, she pulled her pokémon off her head, much to her aching neck's relief; the two of them weren't exactly light. Mariah hugged them, rubbing her cheek against Athena's soft, purple one.
"Thank you, guys! That was an awesome contest debut for both of you. Athena, your moves were beautiful and on point, and Courage, I know all those people had to make you super nervous, but you were so brave and didn't flinch. I'm so proud of both of you! If we don't make it to the next round, I'll eat Ash's hat."
"Free!" "Karp!" Her pokémon cried happily, nearly knocking her over as they enthusiastically reciprocated the hug.
Mariah tucked them safely into their pokéballs and returned to the large waiting room designated for the contest participants. She made herself comfortable on one of the couches and watched the live broadcast of the stage on one of the TV's installed in the room. She became more and more tense with every dazzling display and subsequent round of praises from the judges. There were people that were obviously only participating for fun, but there were serious coordinators too. After watching a girl with a hitmonchan and a rapidash put on one of the best performances she had ever seen, Mariah palmed Sol's pokéball and quietly confided in her partner.
"I don't think we can win this one, Sol. We've barely left the starting line, but our competition is already like two steps away from the goal. We're going to get our mudbrays kicked for sure."
The pokéball clicked open, and Sol appeared glaring in front of her.
"Sol, you're not supposed to come out yet." Mariah said, looking nervously at the other coordinators in the room. No one seemed to be paying them any attention, but she lowered her voice anyway.
"The competition-"
"Char! Char charmeleon!" Sol growled, tail flame flaring along with her temper.
"I'm not giving up before it's even started. I'm just being realistic." Mariah defended.
Sol scoffed.
"Charmeleon. Charm. Char char. Charmeleon!"
Mariah clenched her fists.
"Of course I believe in you and the rest of the team! I- I just. I don't believe. . . in myself." She finished in a whisper, head bowed.
Sol placed her hand on her trainer's knee.
"Char char. Charmeleon."
Mariah swiped at her eyes, hoping no one was watching her breakdown. She was too embarrassed to look around and check.
"You'll believe in me, even when I don't believe in myself?" She asked, searching her charmeleon's eyes and finding solace in their unwavering green depths.
Sol nodded firmly and turned to place her tail flame, the most vulnerable part of herself, in her trainer's lap. It was a show of trust and faith that had Mariah once again swiping at her face. She traced her fingertips with the utmost care over her partner's tail, feeling the texture of the scales, rougher than when she was a charmander but still fairly smooth, and the heat of the flame.
"Thank you, Sol. For being my partner." Mariah choked out.
They silently kept the position, content with their closeness, until the results from the first round were announced. Mariah noted her picture amongst the pictures of the other coordinators that passed the performance round.
"I hope you and Bolt are ready. We've got some tough battles ahead of us."
Sol grinned ferally, always excited for a good battle.
"Char!" The charmeleon cheered before disappearing into her pokéball.
Through a feat of willpower, Mariah kept her hands from shaking long enough to add capsules to Sol's and Bolt's pokéballs. Then, she took a deep breath, imagining all her anxiety leaving her body when she exhaled.
"It's showtime." She murmured to herself before leaving the room with all the confidence that she could muster.
. . . . . .
After winning her first battle by the skin of her teeth, Mariah was about to face off against the girl that had used a hitmonchan and a rapidash in the performance round. She just had to beat this girl and then one other person to claim her ribbon.
You can't lose it now, Mariah Ketchum. Your pokémon are counting on you. Just two more battles, easy peasy.
While Mariah was standing in a hallway out of sight of the audience, waiting to be called onstage and wiping her sweaty palms on her shorts for the fifth time, someone from behind her called out.
"Hello!"
Mariah whirled around, clutching at her pounding heart. Her next opponent stood in front of her, smiling wide. The girl seemed about her age or maybe a little older. She had dark red ringlets that would reach a few inches below her shoulders if they weren't currently contained in a ponyta-tail, loose strands framed her heart-shaped face and bounced as she moved, and her pink irises were as bright and pretty as mother of pearl. She was wearing white khaki shorts, a navy blue tank top, and an alolan-style shirt with all the buttons left undone, similar to Mariah's outfit except sans the touristy pullover.
"Sorry for scaring you! I just wanted to introduce myself. The name's Victoria, but you can call me Vicky. All my friends do." She said with a wink.
"We don't know each other." Mariah stated bluntly, lowering her hand as her heart rate slowed.
"Semantics." Victoria shrugged.
"Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself, since you know, it's weird for friends to not know each other's names, and I wanted to wish you luck. . ." She trailed off suggestively.
"Mariah. And we're not friends."
"Mariah. . ." Victoria mulled contemplatively, completely ignoring her second statement.
The crazy girl nodded with satisfaction, her red ringlets bouncing vigorously with the movement, before heading down the hall with a wave.
"It was nice talking with you. Good luck, Riri!" She said cheerfully.
Mariah spluttered.
"We're not friends! And don't call me, Riri!" She yelled.
Vicky turned and walked backwards, her pretty pink eyes dancing mirthfully.
"I'll see you on the battlefield, Riri!"
Mariah growled and gestured obscenely, but no one was there to see it. Victoria had disappeared, heading around to the other side of the stage before they were called out by the master of ceremonies.
Minutes later, Mariah was glaring across the battlefield at Victoria, who grinned and waved before releasing a venusaur and a wigglytuff. Mariah's annoyance gave way to fear as she observed her opponent's pokémon.
Arceus, please don't let us get knocked out in one hit. She prayed silently.
She had seen that monster venusaur dominate in the first battle round; it had only taken one ridiculously powerful petal blizzard to knock out both of the opposing pokémon. The wigglytuff had just lazily floated above it all, not having to lift a finger while its teammate rampaged.
"It's showtime, Sol, Bolt!" Mariah called, relieved when her voice didn't break.
Sol appeared in a brilliant flash of light while Bolt appeared and raced lighting bolts into the sky, where Wigglytuff waited. Mariah had coached him beforehand to gain enough altitude to avoid Venusaur's petal blizzard. It was his job to concentrate on Wigglytuff while Sol battled Venusaur.
"You can have the first move, Riri!" Victoria called out jovially.
Mariah's eyebrow twitched.
"Let's roughen up the skies, Bolt. Use whirlwind. Then use back-to-back steel wings on Wigglytuff. Sol, flamethrower on Venusaur." She ordered, determined to wipe the overly friendly smile off Victoria's face.
Fingers crossed that Wigglytuff's special ability isn't cute charm. The last thing we need is a status effect muking things up.
Bolt flapped his wings powerfully, stirring up the beginning of a serious current, before darting forward with metallic wings. Mariah had been pleased to discover a few months ago that using whirlwind didn't always result in the opponent returning to their pokéball; that effect only occurred if Bolt wanted it to happen, which meant that it was perfectly fine to use whirlwind in battles where substitutions weren't permitted. The move was like an overpowered gust attack, except it didn't damage their opponents; it only stirred up the wind.
Sol inhaled deeply and expelled a scorching hot flame, the attack a fairly new one added to her repertoire after some coaching from Ash's charmander.
Sol's firepower has definitely improved. I'll have to make Charmander his favorite pokéblocks as a thank you.
Unfortunately, Victoria's smile didn't dim; it actually seemed to grow.
"Wigglytuff, keep using stockpile. Dust, use petal blizzard."
By inhaling and exhaling copious amounts of air, Wigglytuff inflated and deflated itself, allowing it to float and move in the sky. The whirlwind forced Wigglytuff around against its will, like a balloon caught in a strong breeze. Bolt was zooming around at top speed, a blur to his disoriented opponent. However, Wigglytuff didn't have to be able to keep up with Bolt's movements to use stockpile successfully. Its round pink and white body gained a white aura with every activation of stockpile. Bolt was dominating so far, that fact was reflected in Victoria's depleting points, but Mariah didn't let down her guard. The tide could turn in an instant if the balloon pokémon stored enough energy to attack before Bolt knocked it out.
Sol wasn't faring as well as her battle buddy. Pink petals appeared around Venusaur, twirling rapidly and shooting forward in a pink tornado that was powerful enough to snuff out the flamethrower with little change in its momentum before barrelling into its target.
"Sol!" Mariah cried out.
Sol laid still and silent on the ground. Frozen, Mariah stared at her partner and waited for the buzzer that meant the judges believed her pokémon was unable to battle.
No. Arceus, no. Sol can't be defeated by a single grass-type attack. It's not possible. It's- it's. . . Is it my fault? Sol's strong, and she works so hard. It has to be my fault. I'm holding her back. I'm not a good enough trainer. I'll never be good enough.
All Mariah could see was red, as flames engulfed her vision and burned her skin, though not badly enough to cause more damage than a sunburn would. She blinked, glancing at the soot covering her from head to toe before gaping at Sol, who had somehow stood and moved closer without her noticing.
From the corner of her eye, Mariah saw her points drop sharply; the judges were not happy with her charmeleon's supposed rebellion. Victoria's points were also dropping, but at a slower rate, as Bolt continued to bombard Wigglytuff with steel wings.
"I can't believe my eyes! The charmeleon attacked its trainer! Do we have a mutiny on our hands? What will Coordinator Mariah do now?" Lillian spoke dramatically, while the crowd gasped and murmured.
"Sol?" Mariah asked confusedly.
Sol stomped once in a show of temper, and her tail flame flared even higher than it had in the waiting room earlier.
"Char char! CHARMELEON!" Sol roared at her, pointedly hitting her own chest with her fist.
Mariah's hand tingled at the remembered warmth of a vulnerable flame. She chuckled quietly and then laughed openly as the darkness around the edges of her vision disappeared, chased away by her own personal sun. Everyone watching must have thought she was nuts, but Mariah couldn't care less.
"Thanks, Sol, for believing in me."
The charmeleon nodded smugly and turned back around to face Venusaur.
Mariah looked across the field. There were emotions on Victoria's face that she couldn't quite identify. However, the infuriating grin that suddenly grew was easy enough to understand. Victoria was way too confident and having too much fun for Mariah's comfort.
"You should never ignore your opponent during a match, Riri; it could cost you the battle. Dust, use petal blizzard! Wigglytuff, it's time to use spit up!"
"Bolt, counter with twister, make it a big one! Sol, use smokescreen and get close!" Mariah called out hurriedly.
"Char!" Sol growled as she released copious amounts of black smoke, obscuring the battlefield and her location as she darted into the darkness.
After using the dragon-type move, Bolt added a whirlwind to give the twister an extra boost and to renew the air currents that were hindering Wigglytuff's movements. However, Wigglytuff had started to find its balance in the turbulent air. It exhaled and propelled itself to the side, dodging the twister, and then, it opened its mouth wide and used spit up, expelling a large beam of energy. Bolt tucked his wings close and dived to dodge, but in this case, he wasn't fast enough. Bolt's body went limp as he fainted. The judges sounded the buzzer, and Mariah returned her favorite bird for a well-deserved rest.
The twister continued to ramage, catching traction on the stage floor and sucking up the smokescreen as well as petals from Venusaur's petal blizzard. Mariah hadn't heard anything from Sol, which she hoped meant that her partner had dodged the petal blizzard. As the smoke was sucked up, black streaks joined the purple dragon-type energy that fueled the twister. The crowd twittered excitedly as a flash of red joined black and purple, rising into the sky. Sol leapt from the top of the twister and landed a beautifully executed metal claw on Wigglytuff, finishing it off. The buzzer sounded, Wigglytuff was returned to its pokéball, and the twister disappeared, leaving Sol to freefall.
"Use flamethrower to direct yourself! Aim for Venusaur and use fire fang!" Mariah yelled up at her partner.
Sol used flamethrower to propel herself sideways, correcting her course. Her fangs gleamed as the charmander gathered flames in her mouth, fearless as she descended on her opponent.
Victoria laughed joyfully.
"Thanks for the great battle, Riri! Dust, frenzy plant."
"Saur!" The venusaur bellowed as its body took on a green glow.
A dozen vines, thicker around than a grown man, erupted from the battlefield. The largest vine darted upward and collided with Sol. The buzzer sounded, and Victoria was declared the winner.
Mariah squeezed Sol's pokéball, her fainted charmeleon nestled safely inside, as the crowd surged with applause and cheers. The bitter sting of defeat was unpleasant as always, and watching Sol get knocked out so easily, without dealing any damage to her opponent, was even more upsetting, though she had known it was bound to happen eventually on their journey. It was a big world, and there were a lot of pokémon out there that were stronger than they were. She would have to check in with Sol after her and Bolt were treated. Hopefully, her partner wouldn't be too upset by the loss.
Mariah was in a bit of a daze and didn't quite hear what Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and Nurse Joy said about the match. She just smiled politely and nodded in agreement, wishing she could retreat to lick her wounds already. However, when Professor Oak spoke, she listened; she had too much respect for the man to not give him her attention. She worried that she'd disappointed her mentor, but she could find nothing but pride in his wrinkled face. The professor spoke to Victoria first.
"As my colleagues said, this was a truly wonderful contest battle. Both coordinators and their pokémon gave it their all. Ms. Trysa, you kept an admirably cool head throughout the match. I was impressed by your attitude as well as your pokémon's power and toughness. I look forward to watching your next battle."
The professor's warm gaze fell on Mariah, the pidgey's feet by his eyes creasing as his smile deepened.
"Mariah, while some may criticize you and your charmeleon for your lapse of control during an official battle, I myself was quite pleased to witness the strong bond between you two. After all, pokémon battles are about more than just giving and following orders. Wigglytuff would not have been defeated if Sol and Bolt had battled as mindless subordinates rather than as equals with their own wills. I hope that you continue to walk side by side with your pokémon and that you've learned something from your loss today. Remember, it is through our failures that we find the potential to improve ourselves."
Mariah and Victoria bowed to the judges and left the stage. Mariah looked warily at Victoria when the redhead followed her rather than departing on the opposite side of the stage, but she didn't say anything. Out of sight, they could hear Lillian hype up the crowd for the next battle. When they passed the waiting room, Mariah expected Victoria to join the other coordinators and leave her in peace, but instead, the girl kept stride with her, humming happily. Mariah stopped abruptly and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Why are you following me, Victoria? Did you want to gloat?"
"Vicky." The redhead corrected.
"And no, I don't want to gloat, Riri. I wouldn't be a good friend if I gloated while you were so glum."
"We're. Not. Friends." Mariah enunciated as clearly as she could, beyond exasperated with the girl's stubborn insistence. Ash, Misty, and Brock, people that had proved they cared for her and that had earned her trust, they were her friends, not this annoying stranger.
Mariah started walking again, faster this time, in hopes of ditching her unwanted "friend". Her efforts were fruitless; even after taking off in a dead sprint and using Athena to move to a lower deck, Victoria remained persistent. Gasping to catch her breath, Mariah crouched over with her hands on her knees.
"That was fun!" Victoria grinned, returning her slowking, who had used psychic to move its trainer just like Athena had moved Mariah.
Mariah returned Athena and growled.
"Why are you following me, Victoria? You're going to miss your battle and be disqualified!"
"It's Vicky, V-i-c-k-y, and you don't have to worry about me, Riri. There's plenty of time." Victoria waved off her words casually.
The older girl had an impish sparkle in her eye that instantly put Mariah on guard.
"As for why I'm following you. . . it seemed fun?" She smirked.
BOOM!
The boat rocked violently, throwing Mariah headfirst into a wall. Vicky followed a similar path, her wrist breaking her fall with a sickening crack. Mariah lay stunned on the floor with the beginnings of a horrible migraine pounding at her temple. For a wild moment, she wondered if Victoria had actually made her angry enough for her head to explode, but then, a cold voice spoke over the ship's intercom systems.
"The St. Anne is now under the control of Team Rocket. Hand over your pokémon immediately. Resist, and we will use force to take what we want."
Team Rocket was finally making their move.
TO BE CONTINUED
A/N: Mariah's first clash with Team Rocket is finally here! (Not including our favorite trio of villains of course.) I'm in a groove, so hopefully, I'll get the next chapter posted quickly, but no guarantees. I hope you guys like Vicky so far. I had planned for her to be older than she is and an idol/rival to Mariah, sort of like Solidad was for Drew and May in the anime, but she's turning out differently than I imagined. Anyway, let me know what you guys think of Vicky, the story, or whatever. Reviews are better than sweet poffins, though I'm sure Athena would disagree.