Because they want the D. The Triple-D, in fact. (Inspiration for joke credited to Animesrock145) (Thanks)

A/N:

This chapter might be a bit shorter than the other recent ones. That's because I don't have as much time as I had before to work on this story. I'm feeling guilty about taking so much time away from actually writing this, but when you're stuck on a group with a hypermanic girl who wants to get the job done as soon as possible and an apathetic guy who's all-talk-and-no-work, well, it can only get better from there, can't it?

*yawn* It's getting harder and harder to juggle between my school life and this. I'm even resorting to pulling all-nighters on some days.

Anyways, hello again, readers. There's not much to address on the topic of reviews, so I'll quickly run by it. To G, I can't keep toying with Calem's luck; gotta give him a break every once in a while. To Anon, oh yes, I'm very well aware of that. I'm sorry; I'm so sorry I took a non-copyrighted catchphrase. To Logan, Chapter 5. Author's Note. To Norad2, Arnold and Not Bad At All, thank you both for the compliments and in NBAA's case, the constructive criticism; although I think bumping this up to M's a bit overkill, so it'll stay a T. For now.

So yeah, that's basically it. That's all from me, so, allons-y!

"The Pokémon Center is a staple in many towns and cities worldwide. The Center itself is a building, primarily painted red-to-orange and most colours in between. Depending on the region, the Center may also encompass your local PokéMart; otherwise, the PokéMart is a blue building that is usually situated close to said Pokémon Center.

What is its purpose, you ask? Well, the Pokémon Center acts as a hub of sorts, providing both regulatory services and lodging for Pokémon trainers, and, once again, depending on the region, many other different amenities for its trainers. Their main service throughout, however, revolves around healing; the machines operated by the Nurse Joys are healing wave generators, which amplify the regenerative healing potential of each Pokéball by an, as-of-yet, unknown amount. However, this is sufficient to return most Pokémon to their full strength, though this may vary based on Pokémon.

Other side amenities include the aforementioned PokéMart, where items and TMs are bought and sold; a lounge where Trainers and their Pokémon can relax; and, exclusive to Kalos, a changing room, where you can freely change your outfit to fit your current style preference.

Never had to use it myself, but hey, I didn't have much of a fashion sense in the first place.

For more information regarding the topic, I suggest you pick up 'Memoirs of a Nurse Joy' by Margie Brooks. Mayhap you find what you're looking for."

From, 'Academy Graduation Exam Preparation Guide, 2nd edition' by Professor Trevor Lapointe

"Thanks for waiting! Your Pokémon are all happy and healthy now."

"Thanks!" Calem received his Pokéballs back from the Nurse Joy.

So, how are you guys doing?

Pretty well. Nothing much else is new on this end.

Shrugging, he rehooked them back on his belt clip, before moving off to join Tierno and Trevor by the PokéMart side of the Center.

"Yo, Trevs, how's it going?" he asked, clapping his friend on the back.

"I'm just deciding what to spend my money on." He gestured to the clearly-marked price tags hovering next to the holographed items on sale. "I don't want to spend too much right now, so maybe just a few Potions and one or two Pokéballs."

"I see. And Tio?"

Then again, he didn't have to ask that question.

It was hard to miss the eighty-kilogram dancer who was busy talking with the clerk.

"Swords Dance?"

"Yep. That's what it says on the cover, genius."

Tierno fistpumped the air. "Cool! Eugene'll be psyched to learn an actual dancing move!"

The clerk, who by all means looked too young to be doing the job, smiled sardonically. "Well, it ain't for free, ya dig? If you're gonna buy it, pay up."

"Sure! This TM costs…" Tierno's voice trailed off.

"10 000P, that's right."

"Isn't this a bit expensive?"

The clerk rubbed a hand over his dark-brown hair. "Them's the prices; I don't make 'em, just sell 'em."

Tierno pondered that a while, before he sighed in resignation and pulled out his wallet.

"The things I do for what I love." He handed the credit card inside of it over.

Scanning it, the clerk handed it back with the Technical Machine. "Enjoy, mate."

Replacing his wallet and pulling out a Pokéball, he tossed it. "Eugene, come on out!"

As the Corphish materialized onto the Pokémon Center floor, he placed the TM onto one claw.

"You know what to do with this, right?" Tierno patted Eugene on the head, "I hope you'll be able to work with it, because I think it's got some killer moves, y'know?"

He waved his claw at him nonchalantly. "Aye, aye."

Well, he couldn't understand that, but hey, it's the vibe that counts.

Sending him back to his ball, Tierno looked up. "Oh hey, Trevs, C-Sharp, you guys are done?"

"Pretty much." Calem glanced around. "Any sign of the girls?"

"No. To put it another way, they're still shopping in Vernal Avenue." Trevor answered.

"How d'you think it is going?"

"What do you mean, I'm not as stylish as I can be? These pants are a hundred percent leather!"

Predictably, their jaunt around Vernal Avenue achieved… less than stellar results.

"Yet again, I am so sorry to tell you this, but this is a place for stylish people only."

Serena was miffed. Apparently, the jeans she had bought on that one trip overseas weren't as fashionable as she thought; or at least, fashionable enough for the Boutique's standards.

"What about these leather shoes?" Shauna, who had been on the trip with her back then, stuck her feet out.

"Not stylish enough either." The doorwoman repeated, now looking a bit annoyed. "May I kindly suggest you try various things in Lumiose City before you come back again?"

Sighing, both girls walked out.

"Great. We're probably the only people, ever, to be rejected from a boutique." Serena huffed loudly.

"Nah, yer just 'nother bunch ay wee lassies who've been rejected by ta Boutique Couture."

A dark-skinned man, even more so than Shauna, with an eyepatch over one eye said from his seat at Café Classe, right next to the Boutique. "Yer nae ta first, ne'er ta last."

Shauna, who could barely understand his heavily-affected accent, asked, "Others have done the same thing we have?"

"Coorse." He shrugged. "Ya be wantin' ta increase yer style to get in, right?"

"Indeed we do. How, exactly?" Serena inquired.

"Well, ye could eat at a restaurant. Le Nah's datta way, just a little past Route 4." He pointed in the same direction. "For some reason or 'nother, dat always works."

"We see. Thank you, mister!" Shauna exclaimed, before she and Serena ran in that same direction, the late sun to their backs dipping below the horizon.

He waved goodbye, before his expression turned puzzled.

"Now, what was I daein', again?" he said to himself, knocking his head. "C'mon, Tavish, think…"

He shrugged, and took a swig from the bottle of Scrumpy on the coffee table, before going back to thinking.

"So, remind me again, why there's just the three of us standing out here?"

"Well," Serena tapped her chin, "Trevs is back at the lab and he's already eaten, and Tio was saying something about making a video, so there's just the three of us. Besides, I heard the dinner here's délicieux."

Calem was suitably less than surprised. "This sounds just about right for some kind of excuse plot, honestly."

"Aw, C-Sharp, won't you eat with us?" Shauna attempted to drag the slightly-reluctant boy towards the entrance, with little success.

"…Fine. This isn't a date or anything, though, right?" Calem folded his arms, "Just a normal dinner appointment, between three good friends."

"If you want it to be." With one final push from behind, the combined efforts of Serena and Shauna ended with the three of them inside the restaurant.

Now, admittedly, Restaurant Le Nah wasn't the most cheerful of places. Heck, the name itself was a dead giveaway, giving the image of a rather unpretentious and moody restaurant.

But, of course, thanks to a little vacation, quite the different story played out inside the restaurant.

"Bonjour, and welcome to Restaurant Le Nah." The receptionist greeted them, with a sad smile on his face. "Our flavours will never overwhelm your palate."

Serena stepped forward. "Bonjour. Table for three, thank you."

"Certainly. Please review our recommendations for the evening."

Scanning over the choice of meals, Serena turned to the newest page in the booklet (not that it was hard to guess; that page was the only one not in monotonous black-and-white), and turned it over to show the receptionist.

"The Special Triple Battle Meal?" The receptionist straightened his tortoiseshell glasses. "A wise choice, madame; although I fear it may be a bit pricey. Who shall be paying?"

Beat.

"Not it." "Not it." "Not- darn."

Calem threw his hands up in resignation. "Fine, I'll pay."

Handing over a credit card of his own, he asked, "What's so special about this meal, anyways?"

The receptionist swiped it, before returning it to Calem. "Instead of our usual waiters and chefs, you will have the pleasure – or lack of it from being served by-"

"Three guests from Unova?" Shauna, who had read the fine print at the bottom of the page, exclaimed. "Who're they?"

"I suggest you let them introduce themselves instead. Now, come along." The receptionist moved out of his counter to show them to their seats.

Once they had comfortably settled into their chairs, Serena noted something. "Correct me if I'm wrong, guys, but does the space between our tables and the tables over there look a bit wide?"

"It's not just you, Siri." Shauna held her pointer fingers and thumbs in a director's pose. "It looks like it was measured with something in mind."

A group of patrons rose from their seats and left, scarcely a few seconds before a waiter skated in from the kitchen, a pitcher of water in hand.

With an immaculately-gelled mop of deep blue hair that fell over his eyes to one side, and a posh waiter's outfit that looked as clean as the day it was made, it was evident that he paid waaaaaaay too much attention to personal appearance.

"Good evening. I, Cress, will be your most esteemed waiter for this special occasion, so," he flipped his bangs over so that both of his blue eyes were visible, all the while pouring their drinks into the now-upright glasses. "Care to tell me if you're ready to dine?"

"We are." Serena replied.

"Good. I shall take my leave, then. My brother will be back with your entrée." And with that, he skated away, back into the kitchen.

Calem tapped his head. "He looks… familiar. I know I've seen him somewhere before, but I don't remember where."

Very quickly afterwards, another waiter skated out. This time, however, he had a head of green hair that stuck up in front, rather like a leaf.

Stopping gracefully in front of their table, the Pansage on his shoulder helped to serve the bowls as he spoke, "I hope the evening finds you well, ladies and, well, gentleman. My name is Cilan, and I hope this entrée I prepared is to your liking."

Carefully crafted to look like a meadowland of Pokémon, the assortment of vegetables and fruits looked almost too precious to eat. "I duly hope you enjoy the dish."

And enjoy they did.

In between bites of the palatable coleslaw, Calem kept on thinking.

Okay, now I know I've seen him somewhere else as well, but where?

No sooner had they finished their salad, than a third waiter zoomed out to meet them. This time, the waiter sported a ridiculous red and spiky hairdo that looked just as if he had set his hair on fire. Which was probably the intention.

"Fresh hot, piping soup, courtesy of my brother, Cress, and of course, me, Chili!" he announced as he dished up all three bowls. "It has been delightfully broiled, and we've just added a little bit of condiment to make it as delicious as possible!"

Just a little bit? Shauna could make out the upper layer of pepper that covered the rest of the broth.

"I hope you'll enjoy the dish, and if you want anything else, just call me maybe." And with that, he zipped back to the kitchen, the finished, now-empty bowls of salad in one hand.

The sound of a bowl hitting the table resonated throughout the restaurant, as Serena downed the entirety of her soup in a single gulp. To either side, Calem and Shauna stared, slack-jawed. Neither had taken a spoonful just quite yet.

"It's just a little piquant, that's all!" Serena grinned at her friends' expressions. "Nothing to worry about, seriously."

By the looks on their faces, and the fact they were wordlessly inching their bowls towards her, needless to say, they were unconvinced.

As soon as Serena finished downing the third bowl, all three waiters reappeared by their table, a tray in each of their hands.

"Your main courses are here!"

Setting them down in perfect synchronization, they lifted their covers to reveal an array of fried Goldeen fillets; dehorned and deboned, of course.

"The esteemed eyes of I, Cress, caught the fish just this morning, so it is just as fresh as it looks! You may thank me later."

"But first, allow us to warn you." Cilan advised. "The fish fillets are fresh out of the fryer, and the lemon butter coating needs time to seep in, so you can't eat them just yet."

"And of course," Chili fistpumped the air, "We'll battle you to pass the time!"

A cricket chirped.

"…What?"

Promptly, also in perfect synchronization, the three of them facefaulted.

Cress smoothed out his bangs. "You've never been to a restaurant in Lumiose before, have you?"

"One of the main attractions is battling the chef, or chefs, in our case!" Chili added on.

"And," Cress cut in, "You have the honour to be duelling us!"

Another cricket chirped.

"…Who are you guys?" Shauna asked.

Again, once more in sync, the three hit the floor as quickly as an anvil.

"They forgot me? ME?! I, Cress, will not stand for this!"

Chili groaned. "See, I told you nobody would remember us!"

"To be fair, um, we have left our positions for nearly five years now." Cilan interjected nervously, "We haven't been in the public spotlight so much since then."

Seeing the three of them together, something clicked.

The realization came to Calem suddenly. "Aren't you guys the Striaton Triplets?"

"Finally," Cress huffed, "Someone actually remembers I, the esteemed Cress, and his siblings! Took you long enough, if I say so myself!"

The other two girls stared at them.

"C-Sharp?" Serena whispered so that, "Mind telling me who they are, and what part of them makes them triplets?"

"Yeah," Shauna whispered in turn, "C'mon, you can't be serious; different hair colours, different eye colours, how can they be triplets?"

"Are you whispering because you are in awe that there are three ex-Gym Leaders in front of you?" Chili queried.

"Beats me, but just play along." Calem whispered with finality, before turning and resuming normal voice. "Apologies, but they were whispering because they didn't know who you were."

"Well, then, shall we introduce ourselves?" Cilan shot a glance at his siblings, before smiling, and continuing, "As we've probably introduced, I'm Cilan, and these are my triplet brothers, Chili and Cress. We hail from Striaton City out west in Unova."

Calem snapped his fingers. "You were joint-Gym Leaders! I remember seeing you guys on television a long time ago!"

Cress sighed. "Emphasis on 'were'. We don't hold our positions anymore, although we do appear at the PWT every now and then."

Chili held out his hands in a cross. "Now, hold on here, we can save the introductions for after your meal! Otherwise, we won't have enough time to battle before the butter melts!"

Serena stood up. "Fine with me. Let's do this."

Similarly, the other two got up, and all six moved to the centre of the restaurant.

"Wait."

The three triplets looked at each other and nodded.

Chili stepped forward. "We would like to conduct these battles separately!"

"We want to prove to ourselves that we're capable of fighting individually, and that we're each strong in our own right." Cilan added.

"As such," Cress said, with a flourish, "Which one of you will have the honour of fighting I, the esteemed Cress?"

"So, who do you think is going out?" Skye chirped.

Fia bit into another Nanab Berry-PokéPuff, before replying, "It could be any one of us, really."

Shelby stared at the television from the indoor pool section of her hotel suite. "I believe there is a substantially higher probability that it will be Fia. After all, she is the most experienced between us, and, I would hypothesise, the strongest as well."

As if on cue, the glimmering rope snaked in from the balcony window, making its way for… Skye?

"Guess I'm up." Quickly downing the rest of the PokéPuff with one wing, she was dragged, claw first, towards the illusionary night sky outside.

"Well." Shelby stated, a little disgruntled. "Evidently, it appears my supposition was false. A novelty, to me, if you will. Curiouser and curiouser."

"That's Serena for you." Fia admitted. "She doesn't like to stick to one Pokémon. Your time will come soon enough."

The Striaton City Triplets!

VS

The Kalos Power Trio!

BATTLE, BEGIN!

Rookies Shauna, Serena & Calem are challenged by Waiters Cilan, Chili & Cress!

Waiters Cilan, Chili & Cress sent out Pansage, Pansear & Panpour!

Rookies Shauna, Serena & Calem sent out Skitty, Fletching & Misdreavus!

(Quick A/N: In case it's not clear, the following one-liners are read in order of sendouts; Pansage, then Pansear, then Panpour, then Skitty, then… you get the idea)

"Oh look, finally, we're getting involved in another battle. This'll be fun, don't you think, guys?"

"Hear, hear, Seymour! I'm raring and ready to go! What about you, Effie?"

"It's Euphemia, I say! I absolutely refuse to be called otherwise, Heath!"

"Ooh, it's finally time for me to battle! I'm gonna hit you, you, and you, so let's go, go, go!"

"Woah, slow down now, Kat. Since this is one-on-one, our opponents have already been decided for us, right?"

"Apparently. Kat's got the Monkey Torch, I have Bubbles, and leaf-boy's yours, Skye. Suppose we get to it?"

"Okay!" they all cried, before dashing to different places around the restaurant.

Sending out a burst of Water Gun, Euphemia was dismayed to see Blair completely phase through it.

"No fair, that's cheating!"

"I'm a ghost; this is what we do!" Blair's gem glowed crimson. "Psywave!"

Filled with fresh energy from that afternoon, two red hands of energy shot out at a breakneck speed (not that there were any necks on Blair to break) towards the blue monkey, who dodged to the side.

"Stay still, why don'tcha!" she yelled, with a Growl.

"And tell me, why would I do that?!" Throwing off the otherwise blow to her morale, Euphemia charged up another Water Gun.

"Agility!"

Skye darted forward, her afterimage a blurry red where she once hovered.

"Peck!"

Just barely absorbing the blow of the attack, Seymour went for her head-on.

"Scratch!" he shouted, the blunt ends of his hands sharpening into claws.

It was by pure speed that Seymour missed.

Watching the robin fly away, Seymour grabbed his tail.

"Vine Whip!" he cried, a white vine coming out from the middle of its end, and shooting out towards Skye.

Oddly enough, she had the insatiable urge to cry out "Now that's a vine!", although she forwent that action in favour of actually dodging said vine.

"Work Up!"

Heath raised his hands over his head. A flowing red aura enveloped him, and just as quickly, it dissipated.

"Haha! Now, I'm ready to attack!" Heath yelled, full of strength.

And attack he would have, too, if not for Kat running up to him and bampfing him in the face with it.

"Ooh, Fake Out!"

Stumbling back, Heath focused his sights on that attractive feline- wait, did he just call her attractive?

Slowly, as his gaze centred on her, he saw exactly how endearing the cat was to him, looking as if he would love her forever.

Twin hearts appeared in his eyes, and with that, the Cute Charm came into effect.

"Why, hello there, cutie pie." He said, approaching her with all the jaunt of a casanova wannabe and closed the gap such that he was staring right into her, well, lack of exposed eyes.

"Has anyone ever told you how cute you are?" he said, reaching for her face, "Because I-"

As Blair phased through the Water Gun once more, she turned around, and noticed exactly where the water was going.

"Kat!"

"Ooh, what?"

By some strange miracle of chance, or as we here at the production studio like to call a Deus ex Machina, as Kat turned to the side, she barely stepped out of the trajectory of the hydromissile.

Which, instead, completely doused the fire monkey.

As per the usual, Kat was completely oblivious as to what just happened. "Ooh, no fair, I wanted to get drenched too!"

Heath, on the other hand, not so much.

"Effie, what the hell?! I was just about to score!"

Fury and attraction overtaking all common sense, the internal fire within him bellowed, and he spat out a fireball.

"Incinerate!"

Euphemia barely dodged as the fireball glanced off the top of her head, instead flying in an arc towards-

"Hot, hot!"

Seymour hopped up and down, patting away the flames that scorched his legs. When they were sufficiently extinguished, he turned towards his teammate. "Guys, can we not aim for each-"

That small lapse in concentration provided the perfect opportunity for Skye to swoop in for the KO.

"Tackle!"

Turning around far too late, Seymour caught the blow face-first, and tumbled to the ground, where he didn't get up.

"One down!" Skye chirped happily.

Hearing a crash, Blair turned to witness Kat using her tail as a spring to Tail Whip the still-smitten Heath into a nearby table, where he, from the combined barrage of water and fluff, didn't get up.

"Ooh, I'm done!"

Laughing, it was too late that Blair heard, "Did you forget about me?"

She turned around quickly, only to come face-to-face with a very volatile simian.

"And I say you're finished! Fury Swipes!"

Claw after claw marked Blair's face. Over and over they struck, each deeper and wider than the other, or so Euphemia hoped.

But it was only when she finished, that she realized Blair hadn't even flinched. There wasn't even a scratch on her still-grinning face.

"Oh, bugger!" Effie panicked "Lic-"

"Confuse Ray!"

Unable to train her eyes away in time, Euphemia fell under the spell, biting her tongue mid-move.

"Ippen… shinde mita!" Blair's expression turned horrific. "Astonish!"

It took all of one second for her to drop to the ground, where, of course, she didn't get up.

"Well." Blair joked, "She certainly made a monkey out of herself."

Rookies Shauna, Serena & Calem defeated Waiters Cilan, Chili & Cress!

"Your crème brûlée." Cilan set the desserts down, before producing a slip of paper. "And your bill, Calem. Thank you for visiting Restaurant Le Nah."

He then proceeded to bring a small Tupperware box out from within his vest. "And here, to commemorate your visit, we have a gift."

Opening it, Shauna glimpsed inside. "Mushrooms?"

"Yes; they make perfect good Pokémon food, although I think someone, somewhere, buys them at a high price." He knocked his head. "I don't remember where, though."

"Well," she slipped the box inside her handbag, "Guess we'll find a use for it later in our adventure, so I'll hold on to it right now."

Getting up, the three shook hands with Cilan, who was the only triplet free, before walking out of Le Nah with a chorus of byes.

Frankly, Calem thought, that hadn't been so bad after all.

A/N:

Délicieux – delicious

Piquant - spicy

"Ippen… shinde mita!" – A variation on Enma Ai's "Ippen… shinde miru?"/'Won't you try dying this once?', by adding in a tone of finality, as if to say 'You will try dying this once!'

Pokédex count:

Central Kalos – 43/150 seen.

(Coastal Kalos – 1/153 seen. – Rhyhorn – Unregistered)

(Mountain Kalos – 1/151 seen. – Ditto – Unregistered)

(National – Koffing, Misdreavus – Unregistered)

Calem's Team

Name: Blair

Species: Misdreavus

Approximate level: 15 (+1)

Abiity: Levitate

Moves learnt: Growl, Psywave, Spite, Astonish, Confuse Ray, Return

Serena's Team

Name: Skye

Species: Fletchling

Approximate level: 15 (+1)

Ability: Gale Wings

Moves learnt: Tackle, Growl, Quick Attack, Peck, Agility, Return

Name: Shelby

Shauna's Team

Name: Katherine

Species: Skitty

Approximate level: 12 (+1)

Ability: Cute Charm

Moves learnt: Fake Out, Growl, Tail Whip, Tackle, Foresight, Attract, Sing

Pokémon used by the Striaton Triplets

Name: Seymour

Species: Pansage

Approximate level: 14

Ability: Gluttony

Moves learnt: Scratch, Work Up, Leer, Lick, Vine Whip, Fury Swipes

Name: Heath

Species: Pansear

Approximate level: 14

Ability: Gluttony

Moves learnt: Scratch, Work Up, Leer, Lick, Incinerate, Fury Swipes

Name: Euphemia

Species: Panpour

Approximate level: 14

Ability: Gluttony

Moves learnt: Scratch, Work Up, Leer, Lick, Water Gun, Fury Swipes

Bonus scene:

"Jump! For my love, jump in and feel my touch!"

The on-screen video of Tierno performed a variety of one-second dance moves, as he stepped, shuffled and, of course, jumped, to the preset song, Eugene dancing in sync along with him.

As the video drew to a close, he opened his arms wide and got to his knees.

Upon which, his shirt disappeared, showing the dancer in all his plump glory.

(A/N: I'll give you a cookie if you can identify which YouTube video series I'm referencing)

Trevor, the only one in the Studio presently not cheering, laughing, rolling on the ground or any combination thereof stared at the screen, his jaw having unhinged itself the second time the video had played on the PPPRP, uh, hold on, oh right, P's showcase screen.

"Thank you, thank you, oh, merci!" Tierno said to the small crowd of adoring fans as they handed over things for him to sign.

Sighing to himself quietly, Trevor said nothing else.

Honestly, nothing else surprised him anymore since they started on this journey.

Next time, on The Kalos Chronicles...

We're saying goodbye to Serena, Trevor and Tierno for a while.

"Personally, I need to get a few things done. There has to be something else I can do to increase my style."

And embark on what I'd like to call the 'Shauna route'.

"Guess it's just you and me, C-Sharp! C'mon, let's get to Camphrier Town!"

And I might just add another member to Calem's harem.

"Welcome to 'So You Think You Can Skate'! And here's your one and only host, give it up, for…"

Might. Key word is might.

"INCOMING!" *CRASH*

Join us next time, for Chapter 17: Skate Beat!