"So, I don't really get this," Litleo admitted. "Or, well, I get some of this. You're a Fire-type, that much is obvious, and so you're doing that really amazing fire manipulation stuff that first got me interested."

She pointed at Ponyta, who was twisting together skeins of fire into a skipping rope. "And you're a psychic type, I… think? I'm most familiar with the idea of a Fire-type Ponyta but that's not what you are?"

"Yes," Ponyta confirmed. "I'm a psychic type, not a fire type…"

She stopped. "How do you capitalize what type a Pokémon is? Is it always Type, as in a proper noun, or is it type because it's a characteristic? And is it Fire type where the type itself is a proper noun, and do you hyphenate it or not?"

"How did we get onto this?" Litleo asked. "That's not what I was trying to ask about."

"But if I'm going to take notes on this then I don't want to misspell them," Ponyta replied. "Spelling is important for magic, and while I'm not sure which type of spelling that is I want to make sure I don't misuse something and end up skotching a bit of magic as a consequence."

"Okay, ow, that's…" Litleo winced. "So what you're saying is that, while how something is spelled isn't of any consequence in magic, the fact that it's called spelling might actually have a bearing on how spells work and that's what could affect it?"

"Exactly," Ponyta agreed. "It's important to keep track of all the variables."

"But shouldn't fire be more spontaneous?" Litleo questioned. "And – look, I'm getting distracted. I had a point, I think… how is Pancham doing those fire manipulation things he's doing? He's not a Fire type or a Psychic type."

"I do know Fire Punch, though," Pancham replied. "So I'm punching the fire into shape."

"Not really an option for me, but useful input," Litleo mused. "And Eevee?"

"I could be a Fire type," Eevee told her. "I've not closed off that avenue yet, so…"

She tossed her head, blowing out a stream of flame.

"The tricky thing is picking who to use," Serena confided. "But some of what we've been working on recently is everyone getting practice at the same sort of thing, rather than only three of us at a time… I can only manage fire through magic and borrowing some of Braixen's skill with it, but it's a lot of fun."

"Would it be all right if I joined in, then?" Litleo asked. "Playing with fire sounds like fun."

Eventually they realized, somewhat belatedly, that they'd missed registering for Serena's planned Showcase that day.

Litleo was full of apologies, but Serena told her that it was fine – they'd had a good time, and that was what actually mattered about all this.

Plus Litleo had prompted a whole phase of experimenting on flame colours and making them work together, so that was a plus by itself.

"You think so?" the lioness asked. "I wasn't sure if having the yellow and red right next to one another without mixing would work, but it is how Pyroar manes work so it seemed… appropriate?"

"I liked it," Serena told her. "If you can keep the pattern like that while doing exotic things with it, it's a real attention-getter!"

"Hmm," Bonnie said, thinking about the latest problem they'd come across. "So you weren't trying to scare Tyrunt off?"

"Well…" the Breloom began, then shook his head. "No? I wasn't trying to… um… I know it looks bad."

"Honestly, it also looks impressive?" Tyrunt said. "I know I'm quite big."

"You're a Dragon type," Breloom pointed out. "And Dragon types and Fairy types being friends… it just sounds… weird?"

"Really?" Dedenne said. "That's strange. Because you'd think that a Fairy type would be a great friend for a Dragon type, because the Dragon-type can use some moves in a really exultant, full-of-energy way without worrying about accidentally catching their friend in it!"

Breloom did a double-take.

"So why did you want to keep Tyrunt away from that Floette?" Ash asked. "Specifically, I mean."

"Well, I – um – that is…" Breloom said, stammering, then sighed. "I'm… I want to talk to her, and to impress her. And I thought I couldn't do that if there was a Dragon type around scaring her."

"Scaring her?" Tyrunt repeated. "Dedenne, am I scary?"

"Not because of being a Dragon type," Dedenne replied. "Maybe if you go raar a lot or try biting something, but the main thing I've seen you bite is breakfast."

"Then we should help you out, right?" Bonnie suggested. "If you know how to talk to a girl Pokémon in the right way, then you'd be much better off and you wouldn't have to try and scare Dragon types off! You could even do better at it than my brother!"

She looked back at Clemont. "Though I don't think that would be hard."

"Bonnie…" Clemont groaned.

"I know that it's rude to try and get you a wife, but you should try yourself some time, right?" Bonnie asked. "When are you actually going to do it?"

"Maybe when he's older," Lokoko suggested, trying not to laugh. "All right, so, based on my own experience…"

She tapped a paw against the ground. "You want to show that you're supportive. That you can work with her, and around her, and against her if that's what she needs. You want to show that you're independent, but willing to be what she wants. That you're the kind of person who respects her passions, and can join in with some of them… someone who's a friend as well, and…"

Lokoko trailed off.

"You don't seem to be encouraged?" she prodded lightly.

"I had not realized how much was involved," Breloom admitted. "In my head I was romantic and then that was sort of where it ended."

"Well, you've got a lot to learn about why it's called being romantically involved," Lokoko shrugged. "Of course, I'm just talking about my own experience… but a good step is probably to actually know what she wants and is interested in. You can't have a romance that's one sided, that's… something else."

"But perhaps Hawlucha can help?" Hawlucha suggested, soaring into the conversation. "For you see, it is I, Hawlucha, the Luchador of love!"

Breloom stared.

"What's a luchador?" he asked.

"It's like a wrestler with flair," Pikachu provided.

"For, you see, what may help you is confidence!" Hawlucha explained. "To know what you want, and to be sure that you are suave! That is what I, Hawluchadorable, suggest!"

"Hawluchadorable?" Lokoko repeated, amused.

"I considered Halwuchamour as well, I might go with that instead," Hawlucha replied. "Now, let us get to work!"

As it turned out, Floette just wasn't interested in Breloom.

He did get a promise of a date in a few months from Floette, though, who was a different one of the migrating Floette who were passing through. So that was something.

"Oh, this is interesting," Serena said, from one of the computers in their latest Pokémon Centre. "Look – I got an invitation to an event for Pokémon Performers!"

Ash, Bonnie, Clemont and several Pokémon crowed around to watch, and Serena played the video.

In it, Monsieur Pierre explained how there was a dance party that he was hosting, to which all Performers were invited – along with their Pokémon.

"And bring your friends, as well," Pierre invited. "Though, of course, there is only one little catch – anyone attending must have a date, human and Pokémon alike! That's the rule, so don't forget!"

"Everyone attending has to have a date," Serena repeated. "That's… actually kind of unusual, isn't it?"

"It's probably because it's a dance party," Ash guessed. "They wouldn't want anyone to not have a dance partner… that's the thing that makes sense to me, anyway."

"That does seem reasonable," Clemont decided. "But that's exactly why I'd need to make a Gear that handles dance partnering!"

"And how would it do that?" Pikachu asked.

"Well, I had several ideas of how, but honestly building a dancing robot might be the easiest option," Clemont said.

"You know… I think there's a pretty simple solution here," Serena said. "I'd like to attend, after all, and you're all invited if you want, but…"

"Ah, Serena I think?" asked the man at the door. "I hope you've brought a date – ah, I see him right there."

He leaned closer. "Um-"

"Hi," Zoroark said, waving, and adjusted his hat. "I am a human person. Can't you tell?"

"Well… to be honest, no," the man admitted. "You look a lot like a Zoroark."

"Really?" Zoroark asked, looking down at himself. "Huh. Never noticed that before."

He adjusted his T-shirt that said, clearly enough, Ceci n'est pas une Zoroark, and followed Serena into the party.

Behind them came Eevee and Aten, the latter of whom was visibly torn between irritation at being involved in a dance party and determination to prove that events like this had only gone downhill since his time, and Braixen who had (somewhat to everyone's surprise, including her own) ended up attending with Croconaw.

He was exactly the sort of Pokémon who liked dancing, after all.

"...well, that's progress," Clemont said, eventually. "The Dancing Clemontic Gear: Ballroom Edition is now able to do a twirl!"

He picked himself up. "The problem is, it isn't able to stop. At least until the hand falls off… thank you for catching me, Bunnelby."

"My pleasure, sir, but don't you think that if you are going to attend this dance party you should hurry up?" Bunnelby asked. "I'm sure they must have already started dancing by now."

"I'd rather make sure that if I do dance it's not by being used as a blunt instrument to knock over half the dance hall," Clemont defended himself. "Besides, not everyone is going. Ash isn't going."

"Ash got sidetracked trying to teach Gible how to use Dragon Pulse sixty times a second," Bunnelby noted. "It's up to you, of course, sir. Just saying."

"Hey, are we too late?"

The man at the door looked up. "Well, it's already started, but… huh?"

His voice trailed off as he looked at the group coming up to the chateau gates.

One of them was wearing a white wedding dress, complete with a pair of white gloves, and a hairnet that stretched all the way down her long, long, red hair. The other was wearing a slinky spangly red cocktail dress and twirling a rose in his gloved hand.

And the third, because apparently there were three of them, was a Meowth wearing a suit and jacket with tails.

"What's this I see at the gate?" the blue-haired one asked.

"With the key!" the redhead agreed.

"To our fates!" contributed the Meowth, and that was just… what?

"If you ask us why we're here," the redhead said, striking a pose.

"It's just to dance – never fear!" the blue-haired one agreed, joining in so that together they formed the outline of an R-shape.

"While normally you'd pitch a fit-"

"-we'll shock you all," her partner agreed. "And go legit!"

They introduced themselves.

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

This did not, strictly speaking, clarify what was going on.

"The invite said to be a pair," Jessie said, by means of explanation.

"But that just struck us as unfair!" James confirmed, reaching down and hoisting up the Meowth among them.

"Meowth!" Meowth agreed. "That's a-"

Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by a Wobbuffet coming out of a Pokéball, flattening the lot of them.

"Fine, whatever," the door-man said, having had more than enough of all this.

AN:

Drrrrrrrr-agon pulse.