The disclaimer can be found on the first chapter.
A/N:
I'm terribly sorry about being late by a day (or two, depending on where you're living). I've got a sore throat from scaring all the customers, so I had to put off writing yesterday and get a lot of sleep. Nevertheless, it's done! It's finally done! *laughs like a maniac*
However, I have some important news to share. I'm going to be away in Jakarta for a while, until Wednesday night. I'm going to be significantly busy there for a charity drive, so I won't have time to write. Even if I did, there's a lack of internet power to go around, so chances are, I can only return online on Thursday morning.
As such, I will be taking a short hiatus of about a week. Rest assured there's no way I'm giving up on writing. It's just a small vacation, that's all. I'll be back soon, and when I do get back, the much-anticipated Santalune Gym Battle will finally commence!
Well, that's my quota. Enjoy the chapter!
Oh, and this Event Chapter is entirely canon.
~Earlier that day, 3.51 p.m., on a plane~
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. As we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on bags are stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Please turn off all electronic devices until we have safely parked near the gate. Once again, thank you for flying Mistralton Airways, and we hope this landing doesn't kill us."
As the passengers gasped in horror, the intercom signal came back on. "Kidding! Don't worry. Mistralton Airways has a 100% success rate in delivering passengers to their intended destination safely. Then again, this is my first fli- Swanny, don't touch that!"
As the plane veered sharply to the left, a certain white-haired passenger's head shifted from leaning on the window, to the side of her headrest.
"How is she still sleeping through all of this?" Her seatmate, a Guitarist asked the Roughneck on her left.
"Jo, if you don't know the answer, how do you expect me to?"
Billy Jo tapped her head. "Right. I was always the smarter of the two of us."
"Hey!" The Roughneck retorted. "If you're so smart, why are you, dating me, of all people?"
Her cheeks turned red. "N-Nicky, whether I love you or not has nothing to do with-"
"Hold on to your seats, we're touching down!"
No sooner had the announcement finished, that the plane's landing gear impacted the runway. While it was a particularly hard landing, by the time they had come to a stop, everyone was fine.
Well, except for the ten or so people who had wet their pants, but still, they were fine.
"That was quite a bumpy touchdown, wasn't it? Well, I assure you, it wasn't our airline's fault, it wasn't the plane's fault, and it definitely wasn't my fault... it was the asphalt!" (A/N: Read that out loud.)
The voice paused, before adding, "Wow, Elesa, you and Hilbert are really rubbing off on me."
As the door opened and the staircase was being attached to the plane door, the intercom signal beeped for what passengers all hoped was the last time. "As you exit your plane, please make sure to gather all of your belongings, and take them with you. Anything left behind will be evenly distributed between the flight attendants. Skyla, out."
As the passengers filed out of the plane, Jo turned to the still-sleeping form of their band leader. "So, which one of us is going to wake her up?"
Nicky held up his hands. "Hell no. Last time I woke her up, she broke my drum sticks in half!"
"Well, I'm not doing it either! She nearly threw my guitar out of the window that day!"
They both sighed in unison. "If only the kid were here. He always knew how to wake-"
Just then, a person in a brown overcoat passed by their row, but not before flinging a card into Nicky's lap. As quickly as the figure had done so, it went out the door.
He turned over the card.
Back of her right ear. Give it a little squeeze. Hide this card. Don't tell her I came along. Meet me later in Santalune Pokécenter. Going to crash her concert.
Billy Jo, who had finished reading the card, smirked. "Typical. Just like the kid to think ahead of everything."
She reached behind the white-haired girl's ear, and gave the area a small tug, just as Nicky saw the tiny scribble on the bottom of the card.
Oops. I meant her left. Roxie turns feral if you pinch her right.
~Present time, 6.20 p.m., Chapeaux Fabuleux~
"What do you mean, these are the only ones left in stock?!"
"Exactly that. You people," the clerk gestured to the five of them, "are buying this last minute, so all the good outfits are gone. That's all you have left to choose from."
"That's not a lot. What are we going to go as?" Trevor asked, looking at the ten selections on the counter.
Serena ran a hand through her honey-brown hair, before grabbing one of the outfits. "This will have to do."
Shauna, Calem and Trevor followed suit. Tierno, however, paused.
"These outfits are all size medium. Do you have anything in extra-large or bigger?"
By now, the clerk was very exasperated. One could easily forgive her for storming to the back of the shop, and flinging out a box at him.
"Take it! Just go, before you give me a migraine!"
"Merci!" the five chorused in unison, before walking out of store.
The clerk slumped on her desk, frustrated.
What I wouldn't give for a Casteliacone right about now. Give… Pay… Wait.
The sudden epiphany hit her like a pile of bricks. "They haven't paid for their costumes!"
Calem slipped out of the room. Since his outfit was the simplest between the three guys, he'd already finished changing, and decided to give them space, and probably some measure of privacy.
As he walked to the lobby, he tugged on the gold ring that he had weaved into the front of his hair. Satisfied that it wasn't going to drop or be pulled off by accident, he took the two black and yellow ears out of his pocket, and attached it to both sides of his head.
"That should do it."
He settled on one of the sofas, before taking a quick glance around.
He noted the several different Pokémon that were being portrayed all around, ranging from a couple dressed in white and green dress, representing Gardevoir and Gallade; to a brown-haired boy in alternating beige and brown colours, who represented Zigzagoon, and looked familiar from somewhere (he couldn't figure out where exactly); to a girl in alternating navy blue and white, who definitely looked distinctly familiar…
It took all of three seconds for the girl to walk over to him, and for him to remember that it was the same girl from the café.
"Not bad at all, miau. You'd do an Umbreon proud, uh…"
She scratched her head. "You know, I think a purr-oper introduction is in order."
He shook her hand. "Calem, from Vaniville. Yours?"
She smiled. "Kathy. Santalune."
"No kidding."
She adjusted one of her gloves. "Actually, it's Katherine. But nyowadays, it gets tiring to pronyounce, so everyone just calls me Kathy or-"
"Kat! How long are you going to spend with your boyfriend?!" a female voice yelled from halfway across the Centre.
Kathy's expression turned stone-faced. "Excusez-moi, Calem, but I must go pound some sense into that friend of mine."
"See you around, then, Kat."
Without another word, she stormed away.
"Oh, C-Sharp! I didn't know you'd already finished changing!"
Recognizing the voice as Shauna's, he turned his head to reply, "It was very fast since all I had to d-d-d-d-d-d-d-do…"
His voice stopped short in his throat.
Shauna had gone out of her way to look as humanly (or was that Pokémonly?) adorableas she could. Her pink and white strapless dress hugged her small curves in a way that made them look larger than they actually were (he was saying this from past experience), and she had dyed some of her bandages the same colour to make them look like part of the actual costume. She also wore pink and white tights that stretched to her toes, pink sandles, and a small pink tail as an accessory.
And the bows; they were everywhere! Calem counted five large ones in total; one on the left side of her fringe, two more tying her hair in her usual curved shape, one around her neck, with its ends in blue and pink, and a final one loosely tied around her waist. Tiny, glittering bows dotted her dress, which made an already intricate outfit all the more precious.
In short, she made a very mignonne Sylveon.
She did a twirl, with the ribbons glinting in the light of the Pokémon Centre. "How do I look, C-Sharp?"
It took about ten seconds for Calem to reboot his mind and unhinge his jaw.
"Absolutely adorable, Nana."
She took the comment very well, actually, by jumping onto his lap.
Having lost a ridiculous amount of blood earlier in the day, Calem didn't feel like repeating the same thing over, so he went with a solution Tierno had prescribed.
Think of the most un-arousing thing in the world. An Eevee, that always works. Just think of an Eevee, lying on your lap-
"C-Sharp? Nana? Does this outfit make me look weird?"
Still imagining, he turned his attention to Serena, and immediately regretted his decision.
She was wearing a brown one-piece dress that went down to her thighs, showing off her long legs, along with a cream cashmere scarf, and an equally cream-coloured pair of high heels. Two large brown ears, the same colour as her hair, were attached to both sides of her head, and one large and poofy tail to the back of her dress.
Suddenly, the image of the Eevee in Calem's head began to transmute, until, you guessed it, he was imagining Serena lying on his lap.
It was at this point something else actually went right. Shauna had left his lap, in favour of pointing at Serena, horrified.
"You-you-you-"
"Th-Th-That looks pretty tight on you." Calem stuttered out.
Serena blushed. "Don't stare at me so much. Nana, how the heck did you fit into a size M when it's this tight?"
Comparing the ample free space in her outfit with the ample, well, size of the chest protruding from Serena's outfit, Shauna came up with the most obvious swear for this special occasion.
"F**king C-cups."
Of course, Kathy picked the single most perfect time to come back. "Calem, what did I miss- whoa hoa hoa!"
Kathy also pointed at Serena, although her expression was one of mirth than of shock.
"I know that two of you like to fight over him, but I didn't know sex appeal was an acceptable weapon!"
Trevor, who was the last to come out, squeaked in surprise at the scene he had just run into.
"What in the world happened here?!"
Tierno, who was readjusting his dark-grey cape, pointed at the unconscious girl dressed as a Meowstic. "Siri called for me, so I walked up to them, and when she turned around and saw me, she freaked out and dropped."
"Well, with what you're dressing up as, I'm not even surprised. Oh, and you're stepping on your shoot."
"Hm?" Tierno bent down and picked up the small straw he had painted brown for the occasion. "Thanks for the tip. Here's one in return: careful with your whiskers."
Trevor proceeded to check that the scotch tape holding them in place was secure. Once he was satisfied, his eyes turned to behind Tierno, to where Shauna and Serena were having another heated talk. This time, the topic seemed to be about… chest sizes?
"Is it me, or are they-"
A voice called from behind. "It's not just you."
Calem set the tray down on the table, before taking one of the Pumpkaboo-shaped carriers on it. "There really isn't much they can talk about, but ever since we left Vaniville, the new exposure to things have given rise to a lot of new areas for… discussion."
Trevor folded his arms. "I feel like you're using 'discussion' in place of something else."
"Go guess it yourself, genius. Now," he turned to the girls, "as much as some of us like a good catfight-"
"I do!" Fontaine jumped, and successfully avoided the cinders sent his way. "Joke's on you, Fia! I saw that coming!"
"…As I was saying, we should get a move on, or all the candy will be gone."
The two girls glared at each other one last time, before Shauna stuck out her tongue, got up, grabbed Calem's arm with one hand, and a Pumpkaboo basket with the other.
"Come on, C-Sharp, let's go."
Serena stood up in a huff. "That's my line."
She also grabbed a basket, and took Calem's other hand and started to pull him away. "He's coming with me."
Shauna, not having any of it, pulled just as hard. "He's with me!"
Calem, knowing that anything he did at this stage would only add fuel to the fire, sighed.
"My arms hurt."
The boy in the Zigzagoon costume sighed and smiled. The kid in the Umbreon get-up reminds me of me, somehow. Two girls fighting over one guy… I distinctly remember Yance and Roxie doing the same thing.
He frowned. Speaking of Roxie, where are those two?
Almost immediately after, a rough hand gripped his shoulder. "You got some nerve, kid, tricking us like that."
Knowing who the speaker was, he didn't bother facing them as he replied, "What can I say? Few things in life amuse me nowadays."
Nicky and Billy Jo slid into the seats facing him. "So, how are you planning to crash it?"
To that response, he took out a brand-new portable synthesizer from the large bag on the floor.
Jo's eyes widened. "This model… I don't think I've seen in in shops yet! How did you-"
"Remember the girl I cast for the Love and Battles series? Turns out her dad's one of the makers. Pulled a few strings, paid a few bucks, and that's it."
Nicky looked unconvinced. "And, what? You're just going to stroll up onto stage and start playing your own songs? Even if you make it there without getting molested by some random fangirl-"
"They don't recognize me." He gestured at the crowd. "I've been here an hour and the only person who even gave me a second look was that boy in the Umbreon suit by the entrance."
They all turned to face the boy, who was being dragged outside the door by two girls, with two other guys (at least, one of them; they weren't quite sure about the shortie in the Dedenne get-up) following right behind.
"Even then, Roxie wouldn't stop for anyone, not even you."
The boy held up a hand. "Correction: Roxie would stop for the public. Set this synthesizer on stage, then, tell Roxie you're planning on giving a member of the public a chance to play after her opening piece. When she asks for volunteers, I'll pop out from backstage, and give you," he pointed at Nicky, "the cue to start."
"What song?" Jo asked.
"Lampent. You know the one."
Nicky grinned wolfishly. "Aw, isn't somebody here a sweetheart."
The boy grinned back. "I'm the warmhearted one, remember? If you wanted sassy, you're looking at the wrong half."
They all shared a hearty chuckle, before Nicky got up to leave. "Well, we'd best get going. She's going to suspect something if we're taking more than ten minutes for our bathroom break, isn't she?"
"Trick or Treat!"
"Oh, what lovely costumes! This makes me wish I was your age again!" The elderly woman in normal, everyday clothing said, before calling into the house, "Dear! Get the candies!"
As they waited, Calem turned to Kathy, who, half an hour after the near-heart attack, had recovered and had joined him. "You were lying about getting us thrown out, weren't you?"
She shrugged. "I only wanted to see you in costume-nya. It was an added bonus that all of them decided to dress up as well."
"…Je te déteste."
"Well, à toi aussi."
The woman's husband had since returned with a bowl of assorted goodies, which she was now holding out. "Have a handful!"
They both reached in and pulled out a small handful, so as not to seem wanting. As they did, a small blue candy dropped to the ground.
They stared at the Rare Candy, then at each other, then at the candy again. They dived.
Calem grabbed it first. "Mine!"
Kathy snatched it out of his hands. "Mine!"
Calem snatched it out of hers. "Mine!"
"Mine!"
"Mine!"
"Mine!"
"Mine!"
"Mine!"
"Mine!" He then thrust the candy into Kathy's hands. "Yours!"
Kathy, inexplicably returned the gesture. "Yours!"
"Yours!"
"Yours!"
"Yours!"
Kathy all but threw the Rare Candy at Calem. "It's yours and that's final!"
"If you say so." Calem said as he walked off.
It took exactly three beats for Kathy to realize what exactly had just transpired.
"Sacrebleu! I can't believe I actually fell for that!"
Who says you can't learn anything from Bugs Bunnelby?
While their Trainers went off to the houses, all of the Pokémon decided to spend their now-free time doing whatever they wanted.
"Got any fours?"
Well, whatever they wanted in the confines of the Pokémon Center.
Fontaine checked the rest of his cards, including the ones he had hidden up his mask, before replying, "Go fish."
Eugene took a card from the pile, and promptly turned it over. "4 of Diamonds. Sparky, got any aces?"
Sparks grumbled, and his cheeks buzzed. He handed over three of the aces he had on hand, letting Eugene put down a set. He chortled as he adjusted the blue shirt Tierno had put him in. "I can just smell the money rolling in, hehehe."
"So, you're saying your trainer is trying to trade you away?"
The Farfetch'd, whose name was Quacklin', sighed. "It happens. One day, you're frolicking with him along Route 4, and the next, he's selling you away for a bunny."
"Aw… cheer up. I'm sure he has some purpose to want to do so."
As if on cue, a Hitchhiker picked him up from the ground. "Good news, Quacklin'! I found a Trainer who's going on a journey, and he says he can take you along! Now you can live your dream of going around the Kalos region!"
Quacklin' turned to Fia. "How did you know?"
Fia adjusted her witch's hat and smiled. "A witch never reveals her secrets. Have fun on your journey!"
"These pumpkin cookies are très fantastique!"
Almond took a breather to allow him time to swallow, before diving once more into the mountain of pastries and other assorted delicacies. An unused shield and sword, made out of wood and a one of his rigid quills respectively, lay on the ground next to him.
"I recommend you slow down, Al. No one's going to take them away from you." Oberon said, sitting off to one side and enjoying a cup of what the humans called 'Dracula's Blood', but he knew was just rose syrup with water and tasted nothing like actual blood.
He swirled the cup around. While Halloween was very much enjoyable for Sir Calem and his friends, there wasn't much for him to do, except watch them go by and play dress-up.
He tugged at the miniature burlap sack on his head. While Pokémon were not required to actually wear a costume, Fontaine's Trainer (Shauna, was it?) thought that it would be adorable for them to dress up as well, which explained the green tunic he had donned. He distinctly remembered her saying something along the lines of, "It will help to increase the bonds between us and our Pokémon!" or something similar.
Come to think of it, he didn't have many friends outside of the team. That was a rather depressing thought.
Alright, time to get to know some new people.
He shifted across the Pokémon Center, dodging a human leg there, avoiding being flattened by a Dunsparce there (those Pokémon are bigger than I'd thought they'd be), trying to find a conversation he could get into. Unfortunately for him, they were either unsociable, or had nothing completely in common, making it hard to find a conversation starter.
Crestfallen, he hung his head low, and walked back, making sure he didn't get into anyone's way by looking at the feet on the ground in front of him.
He hadn't however, taken into account the Pokémon who lacked feet, and so, he bumped into someone. Looking up, he nearly recoiled in shock.
It was a natural reaction; members of his line had precisely three weaknesses. While Steel-type Pokémon were rare and didn't attack you on sight, and Poison-type Pokémon were felled by their psychic powers, Ghosts were a tricky bunch, and one false move could spell disaster for him.
But just as he was getting over his shock, the Misdreavus in front of him spoke, "Strange. I feel like I know you from somewhere."
Just as strangely, so did Oberon. The voice was very hauntingly familiar, but the only Misdreavus he had ever met in his life was-
Oh, no way.
He took a deep breath, and recited, "Seventeen memories spooked the meadowland."
"The moon Pokémon leaves sweet dreams, indeed." She found herself replying.
He beamed. "Long time no see, Blair."
Her eyes widened. "Berry-niichan, it is you!"
"How is it I still have three cards left over?! Where's the Jack of Hearts?!"
Fontaine gulped. He was planning on sliding it out, but the rapid-fire sets had given him no time to take it out from its hiding place in his mask, and if he did it now, when everyone was watching, he would have to forfeit his share of the bet.
He needed a distraction, pronto.
"Blimey, did Oberon get a girlfriend or something?"
Eugene stopped ranting about the missing card to stare at where Sparks was pointing. Fontaine took this opportunity to take swipe it from his ski mask, and slide it discreetly under Eugene's legs.
He then looked up to see a Pokémon he didn't recognize chatting with his buddy in the green dress. She looked like a ghost, probably was one too, and was an otherworldly shade of bluish-green. The top or her head was a mess of 'hair' that was lilac-tipped, and several red gems around her neck, like a necklace of some sort.
"Guys, I'd like to introduce my half-sister. Her name is-"
"Blair! I'm Blair. Nice to meet you all!"
Six pairs of eyes darted to Oberon, then to Blair, and back again. They could see the similarities; that is to say, the eye colour, and pretty much nothing else.
Fia was the first to break the silence. "How, exactly, are you two related?"
Meta, who had been silently dozing off in one corner, responded before Oberon did, "Was one of you a Ditto baby?"
Blair nodded. "Me."
Almond raised a hand. "Sorry, Met, but what's a Ditto baby?"
"Let's have a hypothetical situation on what I've covered so far.
Suppose you have four Pokémon – a male Mismagius, a male Gardevoir, a female Gardevoir and a Ditto. Now, assume you leave the Mismagius or the male Gardevoir and the female Gardevoir at the Daycare. The Egg they will produce will hatch into a first-stage Pokémon of the female's evolutionary chain; in this case, Gardevoir's pre-evolution, Ralts.
Now, assume you leave the Ditto with either the Mismagius or any of the Gardevoir. The Egg they will produce will hatch into a first-stage Pokémon of the non-Ditto parent's evolutionary chain; thus, a Mismagius and a Ralts, respectively.
Finally, assume that you leave the male Gardevoir with the Mismagius. You'll certainly get no egg, but you'll make some girls very, very happy."
'Breeding: For Dummies' (2020 Edition), by Shauna Bonnet
"…And that's it, really."
"Wow… did you-"
"If it's whether I've been part of one, no." He gave a wink to everyone present. "Not yet, anyways."
Everyone gave a half-disgusted, half-amused laugh.
Sparks turned to Oberon. "So, Berry-"
"Oberon, if you please. I'd rather we keep to a formal name basis."
"Embarrassed at your nickname, Berry-niichan?" Blair giggled.
"I can only ever tolerate you, because if I didn't, you'd scare me into submission."
"Niichan? Isn't that-"
"She's from Sinnoh. So am I, actually."
"Well, technically, I'm half-Kalosian on my mother's side, but still."
"So, what's next?"
Calem checked the small map that had been included with the carrier. "We've visited all of the houses already, so our only option left other than mingling around before the concert would be the haunted house, situated at the Trainer's School."
"Cool!" Shauna squealed in excitement.
They approached the two-storey building, which was now decorated with tattered banners and the occasional broken window; a sharp contrast to the prim and proper institution they had seen just a few hours earlier.
As they approached the door, Trevor saw something, or rather, someone, who made his heart beat nearly twice as fast.
He nudged Shauna with an elbow. "Shaw…"
When she saw the source of his newfound worries, she also felt very faint.
Enseignant Paul-Henri Babin, their old tuition teacher, dressed up as an imposing Heatmor, was the attendant and cashier.
When they were children, long before they had met Calem, the four of them were taught by a pair of teachers from the Trainer's School. Their parents had arranged for them to come to the same café they all met up at, and teach them basic Pokémon topics for a few hours each weekday.
Trevor, who had already mastered a basic grasp of all the topics since he was young, was very prone to falling asleep in the sweltering afternoon heat, which generally provoked Enseignant Babin's ire. He was just as irked by Shauna, who he just couldn't stand for one reason or another.
Something to do with "parle trop".
"What are we going to do?" She asked.
A pair of hands gripped their shoulders from behind.
"Well, for starters, you could always greet me."
"Enseignante Bouvier!" Serena and Tierno called out from behind.
"Who?" Calem added.
Shauna and Trevor turned. Indeed, it was their other, much nicer teacher, Enseignante Colette Bouvier. "Miss me? I sure did miss you."
The two of them hugged her. If Enseignant Babin was a demon, then she was their guardian angel. "We did! It's nice to see you again!"
"Luckily for you, my shift starts now, so I'm just going to take over from him. Give me a moment."
As she walked over to the desk, Calem asked, "I'm guessing she was one of your old teachers, then?"
"Yeah. She was the nice one, while the guy you see over there," Trevor gestured to where Enseignant Babin was getting up from his seat and were staring at them, "was the evil… one…"
Trevor turned in shock, but Enseignant Babin had already left the area.
He sweatdropped. "He's got something planned for us, I just know it."
"Tango, Tango, this is Papa. The Doomsday Bunnies are approaching the school; I repeat, the Doomsday Bunnies are going to enter the haunted house attraction. Show no mercy."
He paused, before speaking into the walkie. "Play soundtrack L4V3ND3R."
Eerie, haunting music (you know the one) played, as the five made their way through the double doors. Inside, one of the students, who was dressed similarly to Trevor, with the same cheek whiskers and long tail, gave each of them a dim flashlight, with the warning, "The Pokémon and actors inside will not touch you, and so, as long as you don't touch them, nothing else will happen but the scare. We are not responsible for any mental scars on your behalf."
Since they were supposed to go in single file, Calem went first, citing that there wasn't much to be scared of, if they weren't going to physically harm you.
As they turned right into the pitch-black darkness, they instantly got their first fright of the night, when Calem's light shone upon a desiccated Dunsparce body, with a sign nailed to it, reading "BEWARE OF THE INHABITANTS."
They got their second fright when it moved.
Calem let out a strangled gasp, pointing the orange light at where its eyes belonged. They were cold, glassy…
Blink. Blink.
And blinking.
Shauna, whose hands had been around Calem's shoulders, were now crushing him in a vice grip, which would have made Eugene proud.
Serena, the braver of the two, shone her torchflashlight at the insides of the husk.
The eerily chrome gloss of the cogs and gears shone the light back at them.
"Animatronics." she said. "Where'd they learn to do that?"
"He must have specially pre-ordered them." Trevor deduced.
"Well, if he wants a challenge, he'll get one! I'm going on ahead." With that, she turned the second corner, and disappeared out of the current range of vision.
The remaining four turned the corner as well, to see Serena shine her flashlight at something on the ground in front of them, before dropping it, and running back to them.
"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Calem held out his hands. "Siri, calm down! It's only-"
Serena impacted into him, allowing him to look behind her at the supposed source of her fright.
The leafy little critter jumped. "Hoppip!"
An expression of disbelief washed over his face. "All the things in the world that can horribly murder and maim you, and yet, you're afraid of a little Hoppip?"
"Look into their eyes! They don't have so-souls... "
Her face suddenly turned redder than his cap.
"C-Sharp? Where do you think you're TOUCHING ME?!"
He felt his hands touching something soft. Right, he had been holding them in front of him in a gesture to calm Serena down. And she was hugging him from the front, which meant...
Oh.
OH.
Uh oh.
He quickly backed away from her. "Siri! I didn't mean to-"
Outside, Enseignante Bouvier, who had been enjoying a nice glass of wine at the reception desk, heard a scream not unlike a banshee coming from near the exit/entrance of the school.
"I sense a very strong explosion of embarrassment coming from that direction."
"Oh no! I was supposed to go back and meet her at the concert stage a while ago!"
"Who's she? Where's the concert stage? Why?" A flurry of voices asked.
"My Trainer, Fantina; to the north of the Pokémon Center; I'm going to participate in a battle, in that order."
"What are we standing around for, then? Let's- oh there's the Jack!"
Eugene looked down. He then looked at both Sparks and Fontaine, a sheepish look on his face. "No hard feelings towards me for screaming at you?"
"That's it, buster, pay up!"
"Ladies and gentlemen! The concert is about to begin! Please turn any and all Holo Casters into silent mode, please be careful not to trip over anyone, and if any of you even attempt to grope someone, we will not hesitate to release our pack of highly-trained Houndoom on you."
As they spread out around the stage, Shauna, whose hands hadn't stopped shaking from the 'zombie Dunsparce', checked the itinerary. "So, we have a band performance first, followed by a dance competition."
Tierno pumped his fists in the air. "I'm going to tango my way to the top!"
"And finally, a special event, which Kathy tells me, is going to be a battle event."
The look on Serena's eyes was unmistakable. She always switched to it when a prospect of an exciting battle came up.
Calem checked his watch, as he nursed his cheek. "It's almost time to start!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, the show will now begin! First up, showcasing off their new hit single, please welcome Koffing and the Toxics! We have Nicky, their drummer, Billy Jo, their lead guitarist…"
The aforementioned two took their places. With an unseen signal, Nicky tapped his drumsticks, signifying the start of the beat.
"And of course, their bassist and lead singer, it's the seventeen-year old gym leader from Unova, who's here to inject a little poison into your days, and a little more into the stage!"
"Put your hands together for the one and only, Roxie Beldona!"
In a burst of fog, a white-haired girl in a ratty purple and blue dress jumped out with a riff.
"Who's ready to rock?!"
The entire crowd cheered as Roxie launched into her first verse.
"I don't care about my makeup,
I like it better with my dress all ripped up.
Don't know, how to keep my mouth shut,
You say, 'So what?'"
"What if you,
and I,
just ride a
Crobat to the endless skies.
Let them know that we're gonna
Rock 'n roll!"
As the song ended, the entire crowd burst into a cacophony of cheers.
"Thank you, everyone! Now, to celebrate our new hit single, we're going to invite one lucky member of the public to join us on stage!"
Nicky shared a glace with Billy Jo, who thumbed in the direction of the figure who had already made his way up on stage.
Before Roxie could pick a supposedly lucky guest, a voice spoke softly, yet clearly through the speakers.
"I volunteer."
She turned in shock. "Wait. That voice! You can't be serious!"
The light over the synthesizer lit up, revealing the same brown-haired teenager from the Pokémon Center, still dressed in his layers of beige and brown.
"Can't recognize your own boyfriend's voice, luv?"
The crowd went wild. Trevor was on the verge of hyperventilating. "But that's-"
"Nathaniel Cadence Kyoumei, you ARCEUSDAMNED-"
"So hot, out of the ball, can we pick up the pace?
It's time to battle, time to rock, it's time to be entertained.
Push the limit, are you with it? Baby, don't be afr-a-aid.
My turn's done, it's your move, baby."
Roxie, who had picked up on the song, began to sing her side of the verse.
"Let's go, it's my show, baby, do what I say.
You'll be awed, at the skill our Pokémon will display,
I told ya, I'm gonna battle ya until you're amazed,
One of us is going to win this game!"
The two sang together, as Serena noted that their voice were in perfect symphony, with the boy's (Nathaniel, according to Roxie) being exactly one octave lower than Roxie.
"No escaping when we start!
Once we're in, we'll fight from our hearts!
There's no stopping my Cute Charm,
So battle on until it's over!"
(A/N: It was at this point I gave up. Sorry, but I'm just no good at adapting. T_T")
"Hold on a moment." Tierno turned to Trevor. "Trevs, who is that?"
He gulped. "You guys can't recognize him?! That's Nathaniel Kyoumei!"
Four puzzled faces looked at him. "…Does 'Nate River' ring a bell to you?"
If they were confused then, they certainly were surprised now. "Nate River?! The teenage actor who filmed the 'Love and Battles' series?!"
"Him, and much more! He was one of the key players for the Plasma Debacle two years back, along with his sister, the current Unova champion, Rosa Kyoumei! Rumour had it he was actually going steady with someone, but who knew it was Roxie of all people?!"
"No way!" Shauna exclaimed.
"Yes way!" Trevor shot back.
"But we're about to turn up the heat,
we're battling for your entertainment!"
The song ended, and the loud cheering of the crowd erupted once again.
The cheering abruptly stopped when Roxie balled both her fists and smashed Nate in the back of the head.
"Why. Did. You. Come. Along. Without. Telling. Me?!" She accentuated each word with a punch.
"It was because *ow* I wanted to *ack* surprise you!"
She stopped her flurry of punches, and just spent one moment looking at Nate, uncertainty in her eyes.
"You shouldn't have…"
With an embrace, she kissed him.
Half of the crowd whooped in joy, while the other half sighed dreamily with an "Aw...".
The speakers fired up again.
"Well, everyone, that was simply réconfortant. But, if you lovebirds are done,"
A woman in a purple dress, with equally purple hair done up in the style of a dancer, stepped out with a twirl.
"Then it's time for the Halloween Dance competition! I'm your host, Fantina, and I'm back home in Kalos! Everyone, let's start!"
"And in first place, we have Tierno Ortiz of Aquacorde!"
Tierno held the trophy up high, while Shauna took pictures with her camera to show them back home, when they got the chance.
The emcee, after shaking all of the prize-winners' hands, went to announce the final event of the day.
Well, and a few rule changes.
"Originally, we were supposed to facilitate a Double Battle with Madame Fantina and Mademoiselle Roxie challenging a duo of players. However, due to the unexpected appearance of Monsieur Nate, methinks we're shifting up to a Triple Battle instead. The point still stands: will a group of three brave trainers take the challenge?"
Without any kind of warning, a hand gripped Calem's and dragged him to the front of the crowd.
"We take the challenge!"
Serena, who had made the announcement, let go of Shauna's and Calem's hands, before taking out… an empty Pokéball?
She realized.
"Right… we left all our Pokémon at the Center."
Not quite.
Oberon?
With telekinesis, and a Psywave, Oberon and Blair lifted themselves, and Fia and Fontaine onto the stage. We came along thanks to Blair. She was saying something about a battle, and they wanted in.
What about Almond?
Fast asleep back at the Center.
"Ah, my little Blair!" Fantina hugged the ghost, "Your mère was looking everywhere for you! And I see you've even made some new friends!"
Nate took out a Pokéball of his own. "You guys are Pokédex owners, aren't you? I'll take it easy on you, then."
Roxie struck a chord. "Let's see what you've got!"
"At least give us time to take off our costumes!"
Novices Shauna, Serena & Calem are challenged by Leaders Fantina, Roxie & Nate!
Leaders Fantina, Roxie & Nate sent out Misdreavus, Koffing & Riolu!
Novices Shauna, Serena & Calem sent out Froakie, Fennekin & Ralts!
"Wish me luck, Berry-niichan! I'll do my best against you!"
"I'd like to apologize in advance. I had baked beans and onion rings for dinner just now. *burp*"
"The aura is with me! Hah! I've always wanted to say that!"
"Man, oh man, that Riolu is hot! Think she'll go on a date with me if I beat her?"
"Focus, Fonty! Even with Oberon, we can't afford to underestimate them."
"Let's not waste any more time. The night's as late as it is. Sortie!"
"Got it!" Fia responded, before the three combatants split up to fight their separate battles.
"I know we're battling and all that, but I don't suppose I can have your name?" Fontaine flirted, before using the foam from his chest to soften the damage from the Feint.
"Laura! Don't you forget it!" the Riolu replied, before parrying his Pound in return.
"So then, Laura, do you want to discuss the finer points of Route 34 when this battle is over?"
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!" she said, as she dashed in with a Quick Attack.
Fia let loose an Ember, but the small fireballs were outspeeded by Blair, who dodged them easily.
"I take it you also have a crush on Berry-niichan, is that right?"
Fia gritted her teeth. "What's it to you?"
Blair cackled, before she said, "I will never let you take him away. Over my twice-dead body!"
"So be it!" Fia retorted, before radiating out fire from her ears. This fire engulfed her body, giving her a red-hot mantle of sorts.
"Flame Charge!"
"Confusion!"
David, the Koffing, dodged the blue bolt of energy. "Not fast enough, I'm afraid. Smog!"
He huffed, and released a long stream of acrid grey smoke. In response, Oberon began to recite a new incantation.
"Blind seer, mute soothsayer, all of fate lies in thy cards… Lucky Chant!"
The move took effect, and small fragments of a shining material surrounded him. These fragments swirled around at a fast rate, forming a divine wind that blew David's smoke back at him.
"Good tactic. But it won't last. Smokescreen."
David once more released copious amounts of smoke. This time, it couldn't be blown away, and it spread, until it eventually engulfed the area between the two.
Oberon lost sight of David, but continued to keep his defense up. Unfortunately, his shield was only able to prevent direct attacks, so when he felt his throat sting, he lost his concentration, and broke the shield.
"Poison Gas…"
"Indeed. Now, take this! Assurance!"
David slammed into Oberon from the front. But to his great shock, Oberon, instead of being launched away, held his ground.
"How are you still standing? The poison, coupled with the attack, should have knocked you out by now!"
"It should have, yes. You planned to poison me, and then hit me when I was down for the count. It would have actually worked too, but you missed just one little oversight."
Oberon clamped his hands on both sides of David's body. "Here in Kalos, I'm part Fairy."
At close range, there was nearly no chance Oberon could miss his next Confusion.
As the smoke cleared up, David lay there on the ground, spirals in his eyes.
"I'm out… of gas… need a refill…"
Oberon, weak from the poison, turned to look at how his teammates were faring.
Sometime during his battle, they had switched opponents, because right now, Fia was busy dodging Laura's Quick Attack, and sending fireballs flying at the cobalt jackal.
"Aieeeeeee!"
That scream… Blair!
He turned to the far end, where Blair was twitching, with odd yellow sparks buzzing every now and then.
He craned his head further to see Fontaine withdrawing his tongue. It must have been a Lick that got her paralyzed!
"Sorry, Oberon's lil' sis, but I'm taking this victory!"
As Fontaine reared back his head, Blair, for all the damage she got, managed to mumble out her next move.
"P-P-Psywave!"
The blood-red gem on her neck glowed, as hand-like tendrils of the same colour shot out. They quickly latched onto Fia, and pulled her away from her battle with Laura.
"What is this?! Unhand me now!"
"Bubble!"
A long stream of clear bubbles shot out from his mouth towards Blair…
And all ended up hitting Fia, who Blair had moved into the line of fire.
As the steam cleared up, Fia lay on the ground, drenched, and definitely not suitable for continuing battle.
"Friendly fire… oh, the irony…"
"Oh merde, Fia! I didn't mean to-"
While Fontaine was distracted trying to come up with a suitable apology, Laura had already found her next target. She ran up to him, and threw him in the air. As he fell, she ducked under, and fulfilled one of Fontaine's lifelong dreams.
It was a pity that they were fighting, though, because in a battle, if someone's grabbed hold of your balls, you'd better pray that they were merciful.
And by all accounts, crazy, off-her-rocker Laura was the exact opposite.
"Force Palm!"
As the light from the yellow blast dimmed, Laura removed her paw and moved off; upon which, the frog that had been on top of her fell to his knees.
Nate winced. "I so did not train her to do that."
Oberon crossed his legs. "Merciful Arceus up on high…"
In fact, every male in the general area, Pokémon or not, groaned, reflexively crossed their legs and clenched their crotches in phantom pain.
Fontaine, predictably, keeled over and fainted.
"Mon dieuuuuu…"
Laura, unperturbed, turned and faced Oberon. "It's just you left, huh?"
Uh oh. Come on, tap into it, tap into it, tap into it!
And for the second time that day, he broke into the Psystream.
"Teleport!"
And not a moment too soon, for Laura had lunged at him, and was now shaking off the blue glitter from his afterimage.
"Ha! Just because you can run, doesn't mean you can hide from me, pretty boy!"
She closed her eyes, before opening them again, except this time, they were glowing red. "Foresight!"
She trained her eyes on the surroundings, before identifying a figure materializing about two feet to the right.
"Gotcha!" she shouted, as she rushed towards him.
She only noticed her mistake when she detected a second figure materializing right behind it.
Her Feint destroyed the illusion, and revealed the actual Oberon, who held out a pained hand.
"Try *huff* again. Confusion!"
Laura's face was bathed in a slightly lighter shade of blue light, compared to her fur. Mere seconds later, she dropped to the ground, as unconscious as the three before her.
"I got tricked… by Double Team of all things…"
Between the poison and the exhaustion from teleporting, Oberon had just enough energy left to stand up. With a cough and a wheeze, he shifted his head to look his last remaining opponent, who had recovered from her paralysis.
He grinned weakly. "Okay, Blair, you *cough* win. Even if I weren't *huff* crippled, I can't get *cough* over the type disadvantage *wheeze*. Besides, I don't mind *hack* losing to you."
Blair giggled. "Then it's my move."
In one blink, she disappeared from Oberon's view.
"Sweet dreams, Berry-niichan."
The next blink, she was right in front of him.
"Boo." she said, as she leaned in.
The shock of the Astonish, and the poison, whittled away the rest of Oberon's low health.
Calem, Serena & Shauna were defeated by Nate, Roxie & Fantina!
"While it was a closely-fought battle, the match goes to the three guests-of-honour!"
The cheering of the crowd was deafening, to say the least.
As the six returned their fainted, and in Fantina's case, celebrating, Pokémon to their balls, Nate held out a hand. "You put up a good fight, so don't feel down."
They all shook hands enthusiastically with the movie star, before high-fiving the young Gym Leader, with their left hands. "That was one of the most exciting battles I've had in a long time!"
She then proceeded to cup Nate's chin and whispered soft enough such that only the people on stage could hear them. "How about the two of us have a battle later tonight?"
He grinned. "Let's not make it too loud, then."
Serena retched. "Get a room, you two."
In response, Nate flipped up a card, embossed with a number 9. "Already do."
"Monsieur Calem, was it?"
Calem shook Gym Leader Fantina's hand before she continued. "I do not think you know this, but I've lived my life around the many ghosts of Kalos, so I can sense their emotions very well."
She held out Blair's Pokéball. "I could sense great longing and adoration coming from my little Blair during the battle, especially around your Ralts. I believe she wants to join you."
Calem looked surprised, shocked even. "Madame Fantina, are you sure about this?"
She smiled as she placed the Pokéball into his palm. "Ghost Pokémon tell no lies. She is my gift to you, so I will expect you and your Ralts to take care of her, okay?"
She then turned to the crowd of people. "Everyone, thank you for your time! The Santalune Celebration has officially ended!"
Trevor's head peeked out from under the three layers of sheets. "Tierno, have the lovely couple quietened down yet?"
Tierno, who was using both his pillows to block both ears, replied, "They're louder than ever!"
Calem, who had given up a long time ago, increased the volume on his MP3 by another level. "You know, if she's this loud in bed, then I'd hate to be in his general vicinity when she's angry."
What were they talking about? Well, if one were to be in the same room as them, without any of their sound-blocking 'equipment', they would hear something along these lines:
"Nate! Nate! Oh god, Nate!"
Trevor dived back under the covers. Tomorrow morning, he thought, I'm submitting a request to make the walls thicker!
In the soundproof environment of a certain Ralts' Premier Ball, a Misdreavus floated into the classy bedroom. Blair looked around, before hovering over to the satin bed.
She lay on the bed, snuggled next to Oberon, and closed her eyes.
"I've missed you a lot, Berry-niichan."
A/N:
Merci – thank you
Excusez-moi – excuse me
Mignonne – cute
Je te déteste – I hate you
À toi aussi – likewise
Sacrebleu – Old French term for surprise or anger; not actually widespread in use around France
très fantastique - Fantastic
Seventeen memories spooked the meadowland; the moon Pokémon leaves sweet dreams, indeed – The two sentences are anagrams of each other. Acts as a trust password.
-niichan – Japanese term lovingly used to refer to an elder brother
parle trop – too noisy
réconfortant – heartwarming
mère - mother
Merde – Damn/Shit
Mon dieu – my god
Pokédex count:
Central Kalos – 26/150 seen.
(Coastal Kalos – 1/153 seen. – Rhyhorn – Unregistered)
(Mountain Kalos – 1/151 seen. – Ditto – Unregistered)
(National – Koffing, Misdreavus – Unregistered)
Pokémon stats (as requested by kingawesome):
Calem's Team
Name: Oberon
Species: Ralts
Approximate level: 17
Moves learnt: Growl, Confusion, Double Team, Teleport, Lucky Chant
Name: Almond
Species: Chespin
Approximate level: 13
Moves learnt: Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Rollout, Bite
Name: Blair
Species: Misdreavus
Approximate level: 12
Moves learnt: Growl, Psywave, Spite, Astonish
Serena's Team
Name: Fiametta 'Fia'
Species: Fennekin
Approximate level: 14
Moves learnt: Scratch, Tail Whip, Ember, Howl, Flame Charge
Name: Skye
Species: Fletchling
Approximate level: 12
Moves learnt: Tackle, Growl, Quick Attack, Peck
Shauna's Team
Name: Fontaine
Species: Froakie
Approximate level: 11
Moves learnt: Pound, Growl, Bubble, Quick Attack, Lick
Name: Meta
Species: Ditto
Approximate level: 10
Moves learnt: Transform (that's the only thing a Ditto can learn, anyways)
Trevor's Team
Name: Sparks
Species: Pikachu
Approximate level: 13
Moves learnt: Growl, Thundershock, Tail Whip, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack
Tierno's Team
Name: Eugene
Species: Corphish
Approximate level: 13
Moves learnt: Bubble, Harden, Vice Grip, Leer
Only for this chapter
Nate's Pokémon
Name: Laura
Species: Riolu
Approximate level: 17
Moves learnt: Foresight, Quick Attack, Endure, Counter, Feint, Force Palm
Roxie's Pokémon
Name: David
Species: Koffing
Approximate level: 14
Moves learnt: Poison Gas, Tackle, Smog, Smokescreen, Assurance