Tom Nook jolted up in his seat, looking around at his desk. Documents were scattered across his desk, some of them crumpled into angry little balls. His computer was still on; the clock in the corner read '05:30 AM'. He grabbed his mug off a shelf and slowly sipped at it. The lukewarm coffee was like making love in a canoe. However, at least it would get him up and going for the day.
It was a usual morning for him; responding to several emails about the starter Pokémon breeding program, chasing a herd of Taillow out of his laboratory windows, and making sure his nephews were ready for their day.
Finished up with the last of his daily chores, Nook sighed in relief. Once he finished tidying up the lab, he locked the door shut and looked down at his phone. At least it was only nine thirty. Wait a second.
Nine thirty?! But Sable needed him in Mauville City at ten!
He scrambled to catch his phone before it fell to the ground. At least he had a way to get to Sable!
He tossed a Friend Ball in the air, releasing a green condor Pokémon with red and white wings.
"Kabosu?" Nook asked his Pokémon. "Could you fly me to Route 117?"
"Doot, doot!" Xatu chirped as he spread out his wings.
"Perfect," Tom whispered to himself. He buttoned up his lab coat, put on a pair of goggles, and climbed onto the back of his Pokémon. Wrapping his paws around Kabosu's feather crests, Professor Nook was ready to fly.
Kabosu hummed and took off for flight, torpedoing through the morning skies. The puffy cumulus clouds swirled through the sky, forming Pokémon silhouettes.
A flock of Swablu hovered next to the duo, whistling an upbeat tune as they headed their merry ways. Kabosu chirped 'hello' to the other Pokémon, who chirped back in joy.
Nook looked over his shoulder; what was that black and teal trapezoid doing in the sky? Just seeing it made his stomach sink in its spot.
Something jabbed twice at his upper arm. He looked over and yelped; a wild Murkrow! Out of all the Pokémon species out there, why this one?!
The crow Pokémon stopped pecking, then put a wing in its beak and whistled.
A flock of wild Murkrow followed the whistling, crowding around the duo. Their beaks glowed white as they jabbed and prodded both trainer and Pokémon, trying to knock off Professor Nook and send him falling to an early death.
"Hey, I said scram you freakin' trash birds!" Professor Nook shouted as he karate chopped two Murkrow away from Kabosu's head. If there was one good memory from being in cahoots with Redd, it was the amount of fighting he picked up along the way.
Kabosu tried to headbutt another Murkrow, but yelped as the other Pokemon jabbed him in the chest.
Nook snapped his fingers as he barked out, "Kabosu! Use Dazzling Gleam!"
"Doot-doooooooooot!"
The Xatu's body glowed a blinding shade of white, forcing Nook to cover his eyes with one paw. Brilliant pearl sparkles exploded through the air, blasting in each Murkrow's face. The gleaming lights pushed the entire horde away, forcing them to fly off and pick on someone else.
Nook wiped some sweat off his brow. Even after the fight, adrenaline still rushed through his veins.
"Doot doot?" Kabosu chirped, concerned for his trainer.
Nook took a deep breath in.
"I'm alright, Kabosu. It's a personal issue" he assured his Pokémon.
Nook thought to himself. His Pokémon had been with him even during the time spent with Redd. Sable was the only other one allowed to know his past, nobody else needed to. Especially not the boys! Professor Nook thought to himself, "I wonder what they're up to today…"
—-
Verdanturf Town: Windswept highlands with the sweet fragrance of grass. Nestled away from the bustling environments of Mauville and Rustboro, this sweet town is described as the perfect getaway for all trainers.
The boys wandered about a short path. The air was refreshingly clean. Everything about the street was well maintained; not a speck of dirt or piece of trash on the red brick roads. White and yellow camellia flowers lined the brick paths, their petals gently fluttering in the wind.
Some animals were busy tending to their gardens, snipping fresh produce or watering crops. Others were lounging around in their backyards, sipping drinks or playing with their Pokémon. Another animal played on a colorful street piano, the calming melody soothing everyone in radius.
Kidd looked on his phone, reading an article about the contest circuit. He scrolled down on a video, then stopped in his tracks.
He ran to a park bench and sat down, looking at the screen in surprise.
"What the–"
The other boys followed him and sat down next to him.
"Guys, look!" Kidd showed them the video. A Pikachu danced on stage, wearing a frilly pink dress and twirling atop the stage with an award-winning smile. Her glitzy ribbons sparkled under the yellow lights. The mouse Pokémon blew a kiss to the audience. The caption read "Another successful performance from Ultima the Pikachu!"
Benedict tilted his head and crossed his arms, "Huh? It's just a Pikachu?"
Kidd paused the video. "You're missing the point. Look!"
He zoomed in on the Pikachu; her tail had a heart notch and the tip was colored black.
"Ohhh, it's Aries!" Tank gasped. "Hey, I didn't know she had a former trainer!"
Kidd frowned
"I don't think any of us did. It would make sense though, since I found her at that contest hall"
Unknown to the boys, a pink cat Pokémon watched them from the bushes. Its tail popped out, the pink fur matching the blooming azaleas, and the yellow tufts on its tail resembling dandelions
The cat Pokémon jumped from the bushes and ran to a small clearing. It hid underneath a large sign, which read " Verdanturf's Paisley Park; a perfect playground for Pokémon !"
"Nya?" The kitten Pokémon looked from under the sign. No signs of any trainers, so the coast is clear.
Just like the rest of the town, love and care was put into the small park. One corner had a cluster of wooden picnic tables, with rich green trees towering over them. A handful of leaves fell onto the center table. There was a large sand clearing in the middle of the park, with colorful playground equipment built in the middle.
Skitty ran under one of the slides as a Meditite and a Makuhita climbed on the jungle gym.
"Nya nya nya!" Skitty yelped as she fell into a hole under the slide.
She looked around at the hole. The ground was too steep to climb up on. Oh, hey, there was a tunnel nearby! The cat Pokemon spotted something behind her. A fellow Pokemon maybe? Her tail wagged hard as she ran up to the other Pokemon.
—-
The Verdanturf Pokémon Center was more minimal in design, compared to other Pokemon Centers. No cafes installed, no hot spring entrances, not even another floor for guests to spend a night. All the center featured was a small lobby with the bare minimum of furniture. The lobby's furniture belonged somewhere else, like a picture-perfect living room with a 'Live Laugh Love' sign on the walls.
Tank sat on one of the couches, working on a new drawing. Fern and Shiitake watched in awe at their trainer.
Benedict bounced a rubber ball on the floor, then tossed it to his Pokémon. Jojo jumped up and headbutted the ball back. Makoto positioned himself for the next round, holding out his arms like a volleyball player ready to score.
Kidd napped on the other couch, his phone laying on the matted beige rug. Aries and Scorpio played leapfrog in tandem, while Aquarius and Libra reenacted scenes from a spy movie.
Libra held her spoon like a pistol, pretending to blast bullets from across the room. Aquarius rolled across the floor, firing fake shots back.
"Soooo" Benedict asked as he caught the rubber ball. He tossed it back to his Pokemon, who scrambled back to catch it. "What do y'all wanna do today?"
"I'm not sure," Tank said as he kept working on his drawing. Currently, he was refining a sketch of a white dog surfing while playing guitar. "I did see something interesting though"
"What is it?" Benedict looked over his shoulder, but flinched when the rubber ball whacked him in the face.
"It's a Pokémon Park," Tank explained. He rotated his sketchbook in its spot, then focused on refining the waves. "We could take our Pokemon there"
Benedict picked up the rubber ball, then returned Jojo and Makoto to their balls. "That's actually a pretty good idea" he nodded. "I think these guys would like it"
Fern walked away from his trainer, nudging Kidd on the arm.
Kidd yawned loudly as he woke up. "Oh, are we going somewhere already?"
"Yeah, we're going to one of the parks in town!" Tank explained. He closed his sketchbook and put it away in his backpack.
"A park, huh?" Kidd stretched, then grabbed his messenger bag and phone. He looked at his phone for a minute. Contests can wait for tomorrow, today should be about fun!
"Sure!"
It was settled. The boys returned their Pokemon to their Poke Balls, then headed outside. They walked under a large pergola, blue flower petals falling on top of them. The group stopped at a fork in the road.
"Y'know what I'm thinkin?" Benedict asked as he looked at the fork.
"Split up, go find the best park, and call when we find it?" Tank said.
Benedict snorted in laughter "No I was thinkin' we'd get outta town, but I like your idea better!"
Kidd rolled his eyes, then tried not to laugh. It was charming how their personalities bounced off each other. "In that case" he pointed at the left road. "I'll go this way!"
"Sounds good to me" Tank nodded. "I'll take the right path. Benedict, you okay with the last one?"
"Yep" Benedict said. "I'll let y'all know if the one I find is any good"
—-
Kidd clutched the strap of his messenger bag as he walked on the path. He looked around at the buildings; outdoor cafes, several speciality stores, lots of banners hanging from the streetlights. This had to be the historic neighborhood; it reminded him of the Autumnal neighborhood back in Lumiose City.
After walking through several back allies, Kidd finally saw a nearby park. It was incredibly elegant; a white gazebo in the middle, chairs set up, ribbons everywhere. He hid behind the sign and watched a scene play out.
A blue alpaca stood under the gazebo, wearing his best tuxedo. He wiped a tear from his right eye, then looked up and smiled. A pink alpaca sauntered through the park, her long white dress dragging against the ground. She carried a bouquet filled with pretty pink carnations.
The two alpacas looked at each other in awe, like seeing the sunset.
Kidd stayed silent as he watched the events play out. He snapped a picture and sent it to Benedict and Tank, captioning it "Found a park BUT it's busy right now".
His ears pricked up as he heard the speech end with "I now pronounce you Cyrus and Reese Dilegno! You may kiss the bride"
The two alpacas pulled each other into a kiss, the attendees cheering as they spun each other around. The pink alpaca flung her bouquet into the air.
The bridesmaids scrambled around the park, each trying to get the bouquet. Unfortunately for them, the bouquet landed onto Kidd's head.
Kidd jolted up. He grabbed the bouquet, gently holding it so the flowers wouldn't fall out.
A trio of furious bridesmaids clamored around the sign, trapping Kidd in his spot so he couldn't just run off.
"Um, ex-CUSE ME!" the first bridesmaid, a pink bear cub with purple eyeshadow, shouted. "That's MY bouquet"
Another bridesmaid, a pink dog with short raspberry hair, scoffed and sneered. "It's not YOUR bouquet, Cupcake! It belongs to me!"
"Shut UP, Megumi!" a magenta alligator yelled. She pointed at Kidd, "You weren't even invited to this wedding, so give me the bouquet!"
"Um….." Kidd sunk down in his spot. "I'm sorry, I was–"
"No, he's giving it to me, Liz!" Megumi roared. She slapped Liz in the face, who retaliated by yanking on her ears.
Cupcake joined in the brawl, climbing up to yank on Megumi's hair. In return, Megumi punted her in the stomach and punched Liz in the nose. A small trail of blood smeared across Liz's snout.
The newlywed alpacas ran up to the bridesmaids, pulling them apart so they'd stop fighting. "Eyyyy, what's going on?!" the blue alpaca hollered.
Cupcake sneered as she pointed at Kidd "This creep crashed the wedding AND took my bouquet!"
"It was mine, actually" Megumi corrected her.
The pink alpaca facepalmed, "I knew we should've had the wedding indoors, Cyrus"
"Reese, hun, it's gonna be alright!" the other alpaca assured her. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, showing his muscular forearms. "I'll give this guy a good talking to"
Kidd gulped as Cyrus stomped over to him, arms crossed in disapproval. "Were you here makin' goo goo eyes at my girl?!" Cyrus hollered, spittle flying from his mouth.
Kidd shook his head. "N-no sir" he gulped, dropping the bouquet at his feet. He held his hooves up like he was getting arrested. "I have a boyfriend! Um, two of them actually"
The group went silent. Cyrus blinked twice, then sighed in relief. "Oh thank Arceus" he unrolled his sleeves, "Tell you what."
He picked the bouquet up from the ground. "Since you're pretty good at catching this ol thing, I'll let you and your little boyfriends have a flower each."
The bridesmaids gasped in disbelief. "You can't give one to him, he's a–"
"Don't you even say it! It's just THREE flowers" Cyrus hollered. He looked back at Kidd. "On one condition"
Kidd had a feeling on what he was going to say "I beat you in a Pokémon battle?"
"Close" Cyrus corrected him. He walked over to Reese and placed an arm around her shoulders. "Beat me AND my wife!"
Reese blushed hard and giggled as she swatted the air, "Cy-guy!"
"I said what I said" Cyrus snorted before kissing her on the cheek. "Now come on, um, what was your name?"
"Kidd Chavignol" Kidd introduced himself and bowed "It'd be an honor to battle you two"
The animals headed back to the gazebo and stood in front of it. Kidd walked to one side, while Reese and Cyrus went to the other side.
Reese squealed as she clapped her hooves. "This'll be so fun!"
"It'll be more fun when we win," Cyrus winked at her.
The two alpacas grabbed their Poké Balls from their belts.
"Danny, let's rock and roll!"
"Sandy, let's go go go!"
They held hooves as they released their Pokémon. A pair of firefly Pokémon hovered in the air, both of them adorned in adorable bow ties.
"Vol-BEAT!" the firefly with the red bow tie yelled.
"Illu-mise!" the other firefly sang, adjusting her yellow bow tie.
"You two really are meant for each other" Kidd chuckled as he held up two Poké Balls. "But can they handle my girls?! Aries, Scorpio!"
He twirled as he released his Pokémon for battle.
Aries and Scorpio cheered as they landed on the park ground.
"I had no idea we'd be battling Pokemon so cute!" Reese gasped in surprise. She adjusted her tiara so her veil wouldn't fall into her face. "Sandy, use Bug Buzz!"
Cyrus popped his suit jacket before pointing and yelling, "Danny, use Protect!"
"Vol, vol!"
Danny yipped as he held out his stubby little arms. A crystalline ball of blue energy swallowed his entire body, gleaming under the sun like a holiday ornament.
Sandy closed her eyes, took a deep breath in and screamed, "Illuuuuu-MIIIIIIIISSSEEEEEEEEE!" Her body vibrated as she blasted hoops of green energy through the air.
"Pika!" "Bag-on!" Aries and Scorpio yelped as the harsh waves exploded against their bodies, faint ringing echoing through their ears.
Kidd stepped backwards and commanded, "Aries, use Electro Ball on Sandy! Scorpio, find an opening in Protect and use Ember!"
"Pika-CHU!"
Aries saluted her trainer. She held her arms up and formed a large ball of electricity. She hopped up on Scorpio's head, then used her tail to fling the electric ball through the air. The bundle of sparks exploded as it threw Sandy backwards.
"Mi-se!" Sandy yelped as she flew back from the attack. She fanned some of the sparks away with her wings.
Scorpio ran across the battlefield, then slid underneath the glowing teal orb. Her eyes widened as she spotted a small opening underneath, then turned her head up to blast small embers into the force field.
The bundle of sparks floated upwards, setting the force field ablaze. Danny yelped as he flew through the barrier, flickering flames catching onto his antennae.
"This guy knows what he's doing," Cyrus whispered. "But I have a plan, so follow my lead"
Reese nodded. She yelled, "Sandy, use Helping Hand!"
"Lu-mise!" Sandy chirped. Her hands glowed blue as she held one of Danny's hands, transferring some energy to him.
Cyrus stomped a foot on the ground and shouted, "Danny, use Swift!"
"Vol-BEAT!" Danny yelled as he blasted a ray of glowing yellow stars at his opponents. The flurry of stars exploded as they knocked both Pokemon backwards, dust flying into the air.
Kidd leaned forward and whispered, "Scorpio, you know Dragon Breath, right?"
Scorpio turned around and chirped "Ba-gon!"
"Perfect!" Kidd perked up. "Okay, Scorpio, use Dragon Breath on Danny! Aries, jump onto the Dragon Breath and use Iron Tail!"
"Ba-GONNNNNNN!" Scorpio yelled as she blasted a ray of burning blue fire from her mouth.
"Pika pika pika!" Aries hopped onto the flames, running like her life depended on it. Her tail glowed silver as she reached the end of the ray.
Danny and Sandy let go, then used their wings to fan away the dragon flames.
"Pika-CHU!" Aries yelled as she front flipped through the air and struck Danny in the chest, ricocheting him backwards.
"Volbeaaaaaat!" Danny yelled as he flung through the air, crashing into a nearby tree. The firefly Pokemon groaned as he fell onto his front, unable to battle.
"Cy-guy, no!" Reese gasped in surprise. She held a hoof to her chest, clutching the fabric of her dress.
"It's alright" Cyrus assured her. He returned Danny to his Poke Ball. "You and Sandy can do this!"
Reese shook her head clear
"You're right, Cy! I have the perfect move. Sandy, use Dazzling Gleam!"
"Mise-mise!" Sandy chirped. Even though her partner was knocked out, she was still in good spirits. She held her hands up, her wings batting fast enough to form a large white light above her. The firefly Pokémon flew up into the orb, letting the light consume her body.
"Illu-MIIIIIISSSSEEEEE!" Sandy sang as she blasted a rainbow-colored sphere from her hands, throwing it on her opponents like a slam dunk.
The iridescent orb exploded into sparkles, revealing that Aries was barely standing up, while Scorpio was almost knocked out.
"Great job, Reese!" Cyrus cheered as he high-fived his wife. "One down, one to go!"
Kidd gulped as he kneeled down and scooped up Scorpio in his arms, holding her like a child. "No hard feelings, right?" he asked her.
Scorpio nodded, then yawned as she fell asleep in his arms.
Kidd stayed quiet as he returned Scorpio to her ball. He stood back up and held out one of his hooves, "Aries, you wanna keep going, non?"
"Pika-CHU!" Aries hollered back, grinning as she flashed a victory sign with her stubby little fingers.
Reese smiled as she spun in her spot, the fluffy layers of her dress fanning out like a large cloud. She stopped on one foot, winking as she pushed back her lacy veil. "Sandy, use Bug Buzz!"
"Mise, mise!" Sandy's body vibrated again as she blasted more green hoops of energy.
Kidd pointed ahead, "Aries, use Quick Attack to get through Bug Buzz, then Iron Tail again!"
"Pika!" Aries's body glowed white as she catapulted through the air, her ears lowering as she dodged each hoop. "CHU CHU!"
She leaped above the final hoop and used Iron Tail to smack Sandy on the head, throwing her onto the ground.
Dust hovered up in the air, revealing Sandy was knocked out from the impact.
Reese picked up the hem of her dress and ran to her Pokemon. "Sandy!" she gasped.
"Oh, this wasn't supposed to happen…." Reese frowned as she returned Sandy to her Poké Ball.
Cyrus placed a hand on her shoulder and assured her, "Hey, we did our best, that's what matters!"
Kidd picked Aries up so she could sit on his shoulder, then walked up to the newlyweds. "I hope we weren't too harsh on your Pokémon." he looked away for a second.
"Nah, it's fine Kidd" Cyrus assured him. "Battling's in my blood after all!"
Reese immediately perked up from the loss. "My Cy's such a hothead, he battled both my parents before proposing!"
Kidd resisted the urge to burst out laughing, "No way!"
"Yes way!" Cyrus bragged as he pointed at himself. "It took me three tries before I won, but it was worth it! Oh, I almost forgot"
He pulled three flowers from the bouquet, and handed them to Kidd. "Hopefully your boyfriends will like them"
Kidd smiled as he tenderly took the flowers into his hooves "Oh, they will."
His phone buzzed in his pocket. "Oh, excuse me a minute," Kidd said before heading to behind the tree. He pulled his phone out and swiped right. "Hello?"
"Oh so NOW you pick up!" Tank hollered over the phone. "Benedict and I have been trying to call you for forty minutes! How come you didn't pick up?!"
"What happened?" Kidd asked. He mentally scolded himself for not picking up their calls.
"We found the perfect park AND grabbed some lunch" Tank explained. "Just where were you the whole time?!"
"It's a long story," Kidd sighed. "I'm in the historical district, which park are you guys at?"
"We're near the Rusturf district, it's near the Contest Hall!" Tank continued yelling. "Seriously, don't scare us like that and at least text us!"
"Okay, okay!" Kidd snapped back. "I'm sorry for yelling, but trust me, I'm going to be there in ten minutes!"
"That's all I wanted to hear, dude" Tank calmed down. "See you soon!"
"See you in a bit!" Kidd said before hanging up. He walked up to Reese and Cyrus, who were busy taking cute photos together. "Hey, I'd love to stay for a while but I have to head to the Rusturf district."
"Hey, that's no problem," Cyrus smiled as he posed for another photo. "Just stay safe out there!"
"Oh I will, thank you" Kidd nodded, holding onto the flowers. He waved goodbye as he headed out of the park. "Congratulations on getting married!"
"Thank you!" Reese cheered as she waved goodbye.
Kidd tucked the flowers into his coat pocket, then used his phone to find the Rusturf district.
Meanwhile…
Benedict and Tank relaxed at a wooden table, both of them scarfing down several helpings of onigiri.
"Seriously what's takin' Kidd so long?!" Benedict yelled in-between bites of rice. "If it's a contest thing I'd understand, but this ain't like 'im"
Tank tried not to laugh, "I don't think he'd just run off for a contest without telling us"
Kidd ran up to the picnic table, panting heavily from how much running he had to do.
"Oh, there you are," Tank smiled as he showed Kidd a small package of food. "I got some onigiri from a nearby store. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine" Kidd sat down on Tank's side of the table. He took a deep breath in and spoke a mile a minute
"Okay, I was looking for a park, I was in that historic district, the one with all the Kalos stores. I saw a park, went to check it out BUT there was a wedding today. I was waiting to see when they'd clear out, but the wedding bouquet landed right on my head, the bridesmaids were all pissed off, fighting over the bouquet, then the bride and groom challenged me to a Pokemon battle, I won, got some flowers, and that's how I ended up here! It was–"
"Kidd, y'all are talkin' WAY too fast!"
Benedict interrupted him. "But let me get this straight. You got held up for crashin' a wedding?"
Kidd face planted onto the table, the box of onigiri rattling in its spot. "Yeah. I know, ridiculous huh?" He looked back up and showed them the flowers. "I won these at least"
Tank took one of the flowers, admiring the soft pastel petals. "Aw, how sweet" he tucked the flower into his shirt collar. "Honestly, I couldn't imagine you as the wedding crasher type, Kidd"
"I mean, I didn't mean to!" Kidd tried to defend himself. He blushed hard "But I'm glad you like the flowers"
Benedict held his flower in his wings, tucking it in his hair. "Seriously, it was sweet. Battlin' for 'em makes it even better"
Kidd looked back up from the table, gently smiling in glee. "Aw, guys!" he looked at the rice balls. "So, which rice ball should I try first?"
Tank grabbed one and handed it to him "This one"
"Alright," Kidd shrugged. He took a bite from the onigiri; the rice was nice and fluffy, while the tender Goldeen filet went well with the salty seasonings. "Whoa, this is great!"
"Told you he'd like it" Benedict winked at Tank. He grabbed another onigiri, this one with Octillery filling instead.
Kidd finished his onigiri, then wiped his mouth clean. "So what's all at this park?"
"It's mostly a Pokémon playground," Tank said. He pointed at the playground equipment nearby. There was something for every Pokemon to enjoy; jungle gyms, slides, a swing set, seesaws, a merry-go-round, spring riders, even a splash zone for Water types.
Kidd looked over "That looks fun for my girls, but" he frowned. "Scorpio got wrecked in battle, and Aries isn't much better."
"Don't worry," Tank assured him. "They actually got free healing machines set up around the park"
Half an hour later, the boys finished their lunch, got their Pokémon healed, then sent them out for the afternoon.
Aquarius made a beeline for the swingset, dust flying behind her as she dashed through the playground. She hopped onto one of the empty swings, grabbing onto the chains with her flippers. The mudfish Pokemon kicked her legs against the dirt, trying to push herself into the air. No matter how hard she kicked, she just couldn't push herself.
But there was someone who could!
"Marsh-tomp!" She waved so Fern could catch her attention.
"Grov?" Fern tilted his head, then realized what was going on. "Vyle!"
He sprinted to the swings, placed his hands on Aquarius' back, then pushed her forward.
Aquarius chirped happily as she kicked forward, finally getting momentum for the swing. Fern ducked and rolled away, just in time before the swing could whack him in the face.
Fern looked around as he walked through the grass. There was so much to do at the playground, but what looked the most fun right now?
Jojo raced against a Sableye on the Mankey bars, while Asuka played volleyball in the splash zone. She used her tail fin to toss a ball to her playmate, an energetic Empoleon wearing a red and silver bell around its neck. The penguin Pokémon roared as he tossed the ball back, his bell jingling loudly with each motion.
Grevillea and Kenshiro jumped onto a merry-go-round with three other Pokemon; a Sandshrew, a Spinda and Jigglypuff. Okay, now that looks fun!
Fern ran to where his friends went. He grabbed one of the bars and ran in a circle, slowly spinning the merry-go-round. All five Pokemon grabbed onto a bar.
Kenshiro and Jigglypuff shouted; they wanted him to go faster already!
"Grov-yle!" Fern hollered as he used Quick Attack to run faster, dust flying up behind him. The playground blurred as he sprinted in a circle, Pokemon cheering and shouting with glee.
He hopped onto the merry-go-round, holding on tight as the carousel spun with lightning speed.
On another end of the playground, Makoto and Libra used their psychic abilities to swing a jump rope for two Whismur and a Graveler. The pair of Whismur held hands as they jumped together, careful so Graveler wouldn't knock them over in one step.
Freiza and Cacturne raced each other on an obstacle course made of tires, suddenly joined by a trainer's Machop.
Lotad, Scorpio and Shiitake played a round of tetherball, laughing as they headbutted the ball to each other.
But where was Aries?
"Pika pika pika!" Aries yelped as she ran across the sand, trying to avoid another Pokémon.
"Nya nya!" the wild Pokemon, a Skitty by the looks of it, chased after her. She leaped forward and bit Aries on her tail. A small pink mark formed on the blade.
"PIKA!" Aries yelped, then ran up to her trainer. "Pika pika-chu chu!" She trembled as she hid behind his legs, her hands pressing into the back of his boots.
"Aries, what's wrong?" Kidd asked her. He looked ahead; a pink cat Pokémon was running up to him. "Is that the problem?"
"Pika…" Aries sighed, lowering her ears and tail.
"Well then" Kidd picked up his Pokémon. "I'm going to find that Pokemon's trainer!"
He walked to another area of the park. A blue elephant relaxed on a park bench, writing in a notebook. He wore a green tie-dye shirt, grey shorts and black sandals.
"Excuse me?" Kidd asked the other animal. "There's a Pokémon that bit my Pikachu, do you know anything about it?"
The blue elephant looked up "Oh yeah, that Skitty? I heard it's– wait a minute." he gasped. "Kidd, is that you?!"
"Hm? You know me?" Kidd tilted his head.
"Yeah!" the elephant jumped up, his eyes sparkling in delight as he blushed hard. "It's me! Axel Gogo, from the Lavaridge Contest. Or, um, Pringle's trainer"
"Ohhh, I remember!" Kidd chuckled. "Your Swalot was great out there!"
"Aw come on" Axel laughed back, blushing hard. "Not as good as your Kadabra! Oh, sorry about that. But uh, no, the Skitty's not mine. I heard from another trainer that it's a wild one"
"Oh!" Kidd gasped. "Well, what Pokémon did you bring here?"
"Just Hogan, that's all" Axel jumped up. "He's my Machop. Pringle's really shy around other Pokemon, so he doesn't like being at parks. But yeah, I asked some other trainers here and none of them said they had a Skitty"
"I see" Kidd looked down and frowned at Aries. "Well I don't get why that Skitty was attacking poor Aries"
"I'm not sure either" Axel shrugged. He looked over at the playground and hollered "Hogan, are you having fun?"
"Chop, chop!" Machop waved to his trainer. He was swinging on a tire swing with Jojo.
"Well, I think I'm gonna find that Skitty," Kidd told him. "Thanks for telling me it's a wild one"
"Hey, it's no problem!" Axel hollered. "Good luck on finding it!"
"Thank you!" Kidd waved before he went to go find Skitty and teach it a lesson. Time passed as trainer and Pokémon wandered about the park. More Pokémon joined the park, taking over all the playground equipment. Several water types frolicked in the splash pad, some of them attacking each other with moves like Water Gun. More fighting types joined the obstacle course, several of them pushing each other out of the way.
An hour later, Kidd finally found Skitty, rolling around atop of an Octillery-shaped slide.
Aries hopped out of her trainer's arms and ran up the slide's side, panting once she reached the top.
"PIKA!" she barked out.
"Nya?" Skitty looked up, then squealed like a fangirl meeting their favorite celebrity. She ran around in a circle, then stopped when she saw Aries look disappointed.
"Pika pika, chu chu PIKA!" Aries yelled, furiously waving her arms around.
"Nya nya nya!" Skitty mewed, then stuck her tongue out. She jumped onto the slide, slid down then ran to the playground.
"Pika….." Aries growled, small sparks flying off her body. She flipped forward, landed on the slide, then charged towards Skitty.
Skitty whipped her tail in the air, climbing up the jungle gym first. Aries trailed behind her, shouting in fury as she got closer.
The cat Pokémon jumped off, then ran onto a colorful climbing wall. She continued whipping her tail around as she climbed up each climbing hold. But her fun would end soon.
Aries leaped up and yanked on Skitty's tail, pulling her off the climbing wall. The two Pokemon fell onto the sand.
"Nya nya!"
"Pika pika!"
The two Pokemon shouted before brawling. Skitty bit down on Aries' neck, thrashing her like a rag doll. Aries slapped her in the face. Yellow sparks and pink stars flew off both Pokemon.
At that point, every other Pokemon stopped playing to watch the fight. Some Pokemon cheered on the fight, while others looked away in disapproval. Libra facepalmed in both hands; great, what was Aries doing?!
She hovered over to the two Pokemon, then used Confusion to separate them. The two Pokemon thrashed in the air.
—
Libra screamed at the top of her lungs "Just what are you two DOING?!"
"Libra! Oh, thank Arceus you're here!" Aries hollered. "This crazy Skitty wouldn't leave me alone!"
"Hey, you don't understand!" Skitty whined. "I wanted to meet you for a long time, Ultima!"
Aries stopped squirming, going limp as a rag doll. "My name's Aries now," she deadpanned. "Ultima's a thing of the past!"
"Wait, what?" Skitty was confused. "But aren't you the Pikachu who won a bunch of contests?"
"Yeah, that was me!" Aries crossed her arms. "But my old trainer kicked me out after I lost three in a row! And I don't get why you're obsessed with ME!"
"Because I wanted to be a contest star too," Skitty confessed, her ears lowering in embarrassment. "When I saw you on stage, I thought 'Hey I should do that too'. But I couldn't! Nobody wanted to catch me in this town…"
Libra shook her head
"So, you chased my friend down because you wanted to do contests? But why the biting?"
"Because I don't know anything about how to be a contest Pokémon" Skitty explained, wagging her tail around. "Every Skitty I know bites to say hello"
Aries jumped down from Libra's telekinetic force, crossing her arms as she pouted. "Wow, you have a lot to learn. Look, I'm sorry I had to get violent, but I hate being bitten! After my last trainer released me, so many wild Pokémon bit me that I ended up electrocuting EVERYONE I saw!"
Skitty gulped as her ears folded down. "Wow…I had no idea"
Libra folded her paws together, "I'm glad you two are finally being mature about this. Tell you what, Skitty? I have a proposal"
"Yeah?" Skitty perked up. "What is it? Oh, are you gonna find me a trainer?"
"Actually" Libra looked at Aries. The two Pokemon smiled at each other.
"You can come join us if you want!"
Skitty gasped in surprise. "You mean it?"
"Well" Aries looked over and waved to her trainer. "If he wants to!"
—
The three Pokemon walked up to Kidd. Aries waved her paws around, showing everything was okay. Libra hovered in her spot, then used her telekinetic powers to pull an empty Poké Ball out of Kidd's messenger bag.
Skitty turned her head up and meowed. She walked up and nuzzled her head against Kidd's wrist, enjoying the way his coat sleeve rubbed up against her short fur.
"Ohhhhh, she just wants to be caught, right girls?" Kidd chuckled.
Aries and Libra nodded in confirmation.
He patted Skitty on the forehead, then tapped her on the nose with a Poke Ball. The ball absorbed her in bright red light, not even shaking in its spot before dinging.
Kidd smiled to himself; a new Pokémon was always nice to have! He released her so she could look up at her new teammates.
"Nya?" Skitty mewed.
"I was thinking" Kidd looked back at his other Pokemon, before picking Skitty up in his arms. "Which name do you like best? Gemini, Leo, Cancer, or Capricorn? I kind of have a theme going here."
Skitty pawed at the dirt. Her tail wagged in a circle as she thought about which name sounded right. Leo felt too masculine for her taste, so that was out. Capricorn was a mouthful, and Cancer just didn't sound right. But Gemini?
It sounded….. Perfect! Sparkling like a rock, calling on the spotlight…the world would belong to Gemini!
"Nya!"
Skitty– now Gemini– squeaked. She nuzzled her forehead against Kidd's chin. Kidd smiled as he scratched the back of her neck.
Kidd looked over his shoulder; the other two boys walked up behind him. "Yes" he explained. "It's exactly what it looks like!"
"Y'know this is kinda funny" Benedict snorted.
Kidd looked up and glared "Oh let me guess," he snarked "because Raymond's a cat means that I have a problem with cat Pokémon too?"
"What? No!" Benedict shook his head in disbelief. "Just that I've never seen y'all so soft around a Pokémon!"
Kidd looked away and blushed hard, "I mean, I've seen Skitty before in Kalos, but I've never seen one up close. And my other Pokémon said she wanted to join us."
"They are pretty cute" Tank said as he held a hoof out to the cat Pokémon. Gemini sniffed twice, then nuzzled the other trainer's wrist.
But what the boys didn't realize was that someone was watching them from behind.
"Tch"
Raymond sneered as he glared from behind a tree. Steam rised from his body as he fumed in anger. Kidd was catching Pokémon left and right, while what remained of HIS team kept disappointing him?!
He looked down at his two Poké Balls with contempt. Eevee was at least competent and doing her job well with performing, even if she only won him one ribbon. But his Marill kept screwing up at basic contest practice!
Raymond swore in his heart, even if he had very few Pokémon, he refused to stop until he would beat Kidd. Even if it took some party adjustments, even if Hoenn wasn't as civilized as Kalos, nothing could stop Raymond Halpert.