The city that mingles with nature. A group of Marill frolicked in the nearby ponds, splashing a masquerade of Surskit. Two of the Marill giggled as a Masquerain chased them in anger. A horde of Murkrow flew above the town, their wings beating as fast as the setting sun.
Brown and green houses framed the streets, their architecture as Johtonian as okonomiyaki and fresh takoyaki. Few animals walked outside at this hour, most of them being nocturnal species like mice or foxes.
The boys headed into the Pokémon Center. Lights flickered on and off. Nurse Shizue was the only other animal inside. She scrubbed away at the counter, wiping away a sticky residue. Sweat dripped down the side of her forehead.
With a frown on her face, she looked up from the counter to her guests.
"Sorry boys" she called out. "I'm not healing Pokémon right now! Come back in an hour!"
An hour?! Benedict groaned in disappointment. "Now what?" he asked.
"We could get dinner," Kidd suggested. "Personally, I could go for some curry."
Tank shrugged, his stomach growling in protest. "Sounds good to me."
The boys went back outside. A cool breeze blew through the air. Chimes and Magikarp-shaped flags fluttered with the wing. Billowing dark clouds swirled around the navy skies. Peaceful blue streetlights glowed brightly, lighting up the Petalburg streets. A colony of Zubat flew above the buildings, using echolocation to find potential prey.
There was a small restaurant district near the Petalburg Gym, but most places were closed for the night. That left them with few options, primarily those that tended to be…seedier establishments. Loud music blasted from the two bars, heavy bass echoing through the ground. The song faded into another one, with even louder bass than earlier. The boys were lucky the songs were instrumental for now.
Kidd snarked as he rolled his eyes, "Yeah, those places serve good curry."
"Wait. Kidd, you've been there before?" Tank asked incredulously.
Kidd huffed, "I was being sarcastic!...I think I need to lay off it."
"What 'bout that place?" Benedict pointed at a building between the two bars. The black and yellow restaurant had flashy pictures of curry in the window. A sign above the building read "I'm Curry-zy On You!"
He wrapped an arm around Kidd's shoulders and winked, "Let's go in there!"
The boys went to the restaurant, and it would be an understatement to say the place was packed. The tables were packed with customers, while servers paced around the dining area, heaps of food on their trays. Music still pounded from the neighboring bars, their lyrics explicit and beats heavy. Their bodies vibrate violently from the music. The lobby had a few benches, but nobody was sitting in them.
"Should we bail?" Kidd asked everyone.
"No way!" Tank shook his head three times. "I don't mind waiting a little bit."
They headed to the counter.
An orange elephant in a red sari rushed between tables. She dashed up to the counter, panting in exhaustion. Thin strands of brown hair fell into her eyes.
"We're busy," she explained, her voice harsh like sandpaper. "Come back tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow?!" Kidd gasped as he placed a hoof on his scarf. An hour or two would be one thing, but this?!
Benedict whispered, "Guess that's a sign the place's great."
"I don't think that's the case here," Tank hushed back.
"Sorry, boys" the elephant shrugged. She turned around and yelled "I'll be right THERE, sir!" A pause as she heard something expletive directed toward her, making her explode back, "Oh you did NOT just call me a bitch!"
Kidd scoffed as he left the place, "This is ridiculous! Couldn't they have put a sign outside?"
Benedict sighed as he followed him out, "I mean, how were we supposed to know they'd be that busy?"
Tank walked up to them, "You know, guys? We could always swing by the Poké Mart!"
Kidd frowned and huffed "Yeah, we could get food, but where would we eat though?"
Tank nudged his arm. "Um, hello, the Pokémon Center?"
Kidd ignored them, slightly embarrassed to have forgotten that fact. Well at least it wasn't a park bench this time.
After walking around for twenty minutes, the boys finally found the Poké Mart and went inside. The golden lights were dimmed, and only the cashier was inside. Machines and lighting fixtures gently hummed, a nice welcome from the loud atmosphere of Curry-Zy on You.
Benedict rushed to the snack section. He grabbed an armful of snacks; Bound to Win chocolates in five different flavors, Star Fragment candy, Hello Pancham cookies, and a pack of pizza-flavored chips. It's almost like a child running and grabbing everything they could back to their parents.
Kidd walked into the snack aisle, holding several drinks close to his chest. He had himself a wide variety; teal and pink iced tea from the Orre region, blue ramune, and a large green bottle with a gold cap. He tried not to laugh.
"Please tell me you're gonna share those."
Benedict stuck his tongue out "No, I think I'm gonna eat 'em all once we leave" he snarked. "Hey, is that champagne?"
Kidd showed him the green and white bottle. "No, just sparkling cider. They really don't have much here."
"Hey!"
Tank hollered from another area in the store. "What bento do you guys want?"
"I thought we were getting curry!"
Kidd yelled back.
"They're out of curry bento!"
Tank explained. "Um, where are you guys at now?"
"We're in the snack section," Kidd yelled. "Also, just surprise me!"
"Got it!" Tank shouted. He grabbed an armful of bento; the boxes were filled with rice and katsu patties, pickled ginger, yakisoba drenched in sweet sauce, and some taro mochi for dessert. "Really, Kidd? Champagne?"
Kidd frowned as he looked at the bottle, "I already said it was cider."
The boys made their way over to the counter. In between placing their food on the table, Kidd smuggled a few bath bombs into the pile of stuff. The cashier, a tired blue bear cub with wispy brown hair, was silent as he rang up their stuff and carefully put it into some bags.
After carefully balancing out their stuff, the boys headed back to the Pokémon Center. After clearing off their bento, they handed their Pokémon over to Nurse Shizue, who finally finished cleaning up.
While waiting on their Pokémon to get healed…
Benedict grabbed a flier from the bulletin board. The flier showed several animals performing with their Pokémon. He looked it over; a talent show calling for high school students in the area. First place, a Key Stone?! Second place, a set of evolution stones. Third place, a set of collector's edition Poké Balls imported from Azalea Town. Now this looks interesting.
Kidd walked up to him "What's that?" he asked.
"Just a flier for a talent show"
Benedict showed him the flier. "I'm thinkin' of doin' it for the Key Stone!"
"Are you sure it's a real one?" Kidd pointed out. "I mean, what if it's a fake one just for bragging rights?"
"Huh?" Benedict asked. "What makes y'all think that?"
"I mean," Kidd explained. "Think about it. A stone that rare being given out for something on a small scale like a high school talent show? It sounds ridiculous, right? Of course, back in Kalos, I only heard of two trainers with Key Stones."
"Hey, lemme see that"
Tank snatched up the flier, quickly reading it. "Kidd, you're wrong. The Key Stone's real. Hey, are those evolution stones?"
"What kind of stones?" Kidd asked.
Tank showed him the flier, "Well, it says it's a set, but I bet there's a Thunder Stone in there"
"Thunder Stone?" Kidd perked up. "So what are the requirements for the talent show?"
"Let's see…." Tank sat down on the couch, looking closer at the flier. One could tell this was made by an amateur, or one with little to no skill in graphic design. No small text, good. The graphics were made up of the ugliest clip art possible, but at least the font was readable. "Just being a high schooler. You don't even need an ID!"
"Huh? That's it?" Benedict asked. "I was thinkin' this. We could dress up as high school students, enter the show as new transfer students, win somehow, and then we get the Key Stone!"
"That sounds ridiculous..." Kidd crossed his arms and shook his head. "Ridiculous enough to work! How about we spend tonight coming up with a plan?"
"Hmm…."
Tank tapped his foot against the ground. "You guys could get away with it, sure, but I'd be in a pickle."
"In a pickle? How are we going to dill with it?" Kidd asked. He then facepalmed from the stupid pun he made. Great, Tank was really rubbing off on him.
"Okay, so here's the problem," Tank explained. "I'm from Fortree City, which means there might be a chance someone in Petalburg would know me, my mom, dad, OR my brother."
"Y'all could say you're a runaway?" Benedict suggested. "It's worked for me before"
"Benedict!" Tank yelled. "I'm not putting on a delinquent act!"
"Who said you have to be a delinquent?" Kidd pointed out. "Why not go with a smart transfer student persona? I'm sure it'll work!"
"You think so?" Tank felt unsure. "I mean, what if one of the honor roll students finds out?"
"That's easy," Benedict reassured him. "Just say y'all are still movin' in. They'd have to believe it!"
"I mean, I guess that could work," Tank chuckled a little. He felt giddy just thinking about putting on a disguise. He had cosplayed before for conventions, but those were back in Fortree City. This was more serious.
"Boys! Your Pokémon are ready!" Nurse Shizue chirped out.
Tank went to the counter, then picked up the group's Poké Balls.
"You guys ready to call it a night?" he asked as he headed back to the group.
Tank relaxed on the bed, working on another piece of artwork. This time, he was drawing a honey blonde rabbit dancing on stage with a yellow and red fox Pokémon by her side. The rabbit twirled, her orange dress flaring out in the spotlight.
Benedict dangled some ginger in the air, chuckling as Coffret flew up to eat it in one bite. The cotton bird Pokémon trilled in delight as he swallowed the pickled treat.
"Aren't y'all gonna wash your hands?" he asked as he looked at Tank's wrists.
Tank looked down; huh, he got a lot of graphite all over himself. Ew.
"Good idea" he said before setting the pencil down.
Meanwhile, inside the bathroom…
Kidd sighed as he sunk down into the bathtub. Hot water rose to his collarbones, with heavy iridescent bubbles floating on the surface. Light steam rised into the air. He grabbed a teal bath bomb from the edge, then dropped it in. The water faded from clear to aquatic blue, while the bath bomb released a refreshing blend of lavender and blueberry. Blue flower petals floated on the water's surface.
He grabbed a glass from the edge, then slowly sipped his drink. Bubbles and sliced strawberries floated to the top of his glass. This was a perfect evening, Kidd thought to himself. It was a pleasant welcome from the questionable places he slept in the past few days. Nothing could ruin this evening for him…
Except for a turning doorknob and the door swinging open.
Tank waltzed into the bathroom, making a beeline for the sink. He whistled as he scrubbed the graphite off his wrist.
Kidd cleared his throat, a small blush and glare thrown at Tank. He lowers himself further in the tub, water brushing up against his chin.
"Tank, do you mind?! I'm indecent!"
Tank looked over and laughed a little, "Well you should've locked the door!"
Kidd huffed as he set his drink down on the edge, "Well could you at least close the door?" he asked. "The last thing I need is the bathroom getting cold!"
Tank rolled his eyes. Even at his most prissy moments, Kidd was so endearing.
"Close it yourself" he said before heading to the door. He hollered, "Hey, Benedict! Can you put my sketchbook away for me?!"
Benedict looked up from the bed. He was in the middle of brushing some sticks out of Coffret's feathers.
"Yeah, sure!" he called out.
Kidd looked up at the ceiling. A few peculiar sounds caught his attention; clothes rustling, shower water running, the squeaking of pipes, then a small splash.
"This is…something else" he gulped, his blush fading away.
"Hey, at least I cleaned up before I got in," Tank chuckled. He sighed as he leaned back, the walls feeling cool against his skin. He was careful enough to not get his cast in the water. "Hey, we should get Benedict in here! What do you think, Kidd?"
Kidd shrugged, "That's fine with me" he said before taking a sip from his glass. The sparkling cider was cool and refreshing against his tongue.
"Hey, Benedict!" Tank called out.
"What?!" Benedict yelled back. "I put the sketchbook away like ya asked!"
"Oh, thanks dude!"
Tank said. "Um, Kidd and I want you in here!"
"Oh, alright"
Benedict shrugged. Well it wouldn't be the first time this happened!
Kidd looked up from the bubbles
"I still can't believe we're all fitting in here"
"Not much of a surprise to me," Tank shrugged.
"It does feel nice though" Benedict said as he sunk down deeper. Some of his hair floated against the water surface. Tank reached over and pulled Benedict's hair into a low bun.
"Yeah. Hey, I meant to ask," Kidd asked before taking a sip from his glass. "What's with the long hair?"
Benedict scooted backwards, pressing his back against the edge of the bathtub. He gulped; not many animals asked that question. Was it the right time to tell them how he really felt? No, wait, there's another reason!
"Flora said it looked good on me"
he said as he held a strand of hair in his wing, inadvertently twirling his feathery hair.
"Are you sure you weren't dating her at some point?" Kidd pointed out. "I mean, I know you two were close in Unova and all"
"No way" Benedict rolled his eyes. "We're just birds of the same feather; we both throw hands an' like writin fanfics!"
"What kind of fanfiction?" Tank asked.
Benedict gulped.
"Pretty Refresh ones. We'd write ourselves as magical girls an' it was in good fun. Our other friends liked 'em too but they were more 'bout makin' merch to sell than anythin' else."
Kidd remembered the photograph Benedict showed him a while back. Oh right, the literature club friends.
"Merchandise, huh? Did they make it themselves?" he was curious
"Heck yeah they did!" Benedict said as he flicked some of the bubbles away. "Pate made her own buttons, Sandy did stickers an' Gwen worked on 'zines with other artists. It was pretty fun."
He sighed as he remembered the downsides of the literature club; guys calling him unsavory names, girls taking fliers but tossing them into the trash when nobody was looking.
"What 'bout you, Kidd? What were your friends like in Lumiose?"
Kidd looked away for a second "I didn't have any," he confessed. "Raymond and his little clique constantly harassed me, while everyone else just ignored me. There was Aloe, but she moved away before I could even hang out with her. I also lived near a red district so there was nobody my age to hang out with."
"That….explains a lot" Tank gulped.
Kidd smiled a little
"Well I'm just glad you guys gave me a chance. If I stayed in Littleroot Town with my mom I'd go insane"
"I haven't met her" Tank admitted. "How bad is she?"
Kidd sighed as he sunk deeper into the water, listing off reasons. "Let's see….yelled at me when I cried, constant gaslighting, nitpicking my looks, wished I'd be more like Raymond. My dad realized she was a jerk, and he took off for Alola, but I wasn't allowed to go with him…..yeah, Kalos laws are a bitch, am I right?"
Despite the warm steam and water, Tank shuddered in horror.
Geez, no wonder Kidd was so snippy and aloof when they first met.
Benedict changed the topic
"So, Kidd, with your Pokémon" he asked. "Why the space names?"
"Space names? Do you mean astrology, Benedict?" Kidd pointed out. "Well, I just find astrology names elegant. I couldn't imagine myself taking it so seriously I'd ruin a relationship over someone else's birthday."
"Space is pretty cool though," Tank pointed out. "I've always wanted to go to Mossdeep City's space center."
After the bathwater ran cold, the boys got out and ready for bed. They slept like a group of Snorlax, knocked out from days of running around the region. In the middle of the night, the Pokémon Center rumbled, but couldn't wake up the trainers.
Tank woke up earlier than usual. He rolled out of bed and looked outside; geez, it was still dark out?! A pain ached in his heart, but he had no clue why. He shrugged it off and went downstairs to get breakfast for the group. Well, this was a pleasant surprise; a continental breakfast! The sent was intoxicatingly delicious; freshly baked pastries, brewing coffee, sizzling eggs.
While nobody was looking, he piled up several platefuls of food, then snuck back to his room.
Benedict was still fast asleep, but Kidd slowly woke up. He dragged himself out of bed, got dressed, then looked over at Tank.
"Huh" he said. "I didn't know the Petalburg Pokémon Center offered breakfast."
"I didn't either" Tank sat down at the sofa, carefully placing each plate on the table. Each plate was loaded with delicious food; buttery croissants, cherry yogurt, omurice, and of course, croquettes.
Kidd helped himself to a few croquettes.
"So" he asked in between bites of food. "What do you want to do today?"
"Well, I was thinking this" Tank explained as he helped himself to two croissants. "We'll ask Benedict what he's up to. If he's training for a gym battle, we'll find something else to do. If not, we'll go look for some uniforms for that talent show"
"Sounds good to me" Kidd said.
Several hours later…
The thrift store smelled of rosewood cologne and fine dust. Photos hung from the walls, most of them showing flowery houses or dog Pokemon. Boxes with labels lined the floors, forming a maze for customers to navigate. The floor was covered with a pale blue carpet with colorful triangle print. White and red windchimes dangled from the ceiling which would chime whenever the fans would blow in their direction, letting out a soothing noise.
"Hi there!" The cashier, a peach koala in a striped dress, greeted them cheerfully. She had pink hair clips in her sandy blonde hair, bright blue eyes and freckles spread across her cheeks. "Can I help you find something?"
"We're good, thank you," Kidd told her.
The boys split up to different areas in the thrift store. Upbeat pop music played on the radio, sung by an artist long dead.
"Tokidoki ha-do ni semete kuru dame yo- no no no"
Tank hummed along to the melody; it was a song he heard countless times, but man was it catchy.
Benedict rummaged through a box of cassette tapes. Mainstream bands, indie hits, rejected demos, even ones with no names. Most of the bands were unrecognizable, but he did notice a few; Rowlet and the Qwilfish, White Seviper, Def Liepard, Atomic Litten, even Rillaboomz.
His face lit up as he pulled a cassette out of the cardboard box.
"No way," he gasped.
"Huh?" Tank asked, flipping through a box of pin-up magazines. "What is it!"
"Kuchibiru Network!" Benedict explained as he held up the tape. "It's my mom's favorite song. She played it a lot when cleanin' the apartment while my dad went off to the bar."
"Hey, my mom likes that one too!" Tank chuckled. "She played Venus Tanjou so much that the neighbors would ask her to turn it down. Although personally I like October Mermaid better."
They rummaged through some of the other merchandise, such as posters, and some figurines. One was that of a group of beetles in suits, holding guitars, and one sitting on his drum set. They chose to ignore some of the ones that looked old-fashioned, in favor of some of the ones they've at least listened to. Although they saw one figurine with a dog with a pompadour, dressed up in a white flashy suit, posing next to a table and guitar. For a moment, that looked like it was worth an eye glance.
Benedict grabbed an album that caught his eye; the pastel artwork featured five rabbit women in sheet masks and spa towels. If only his backpack had room for vinyl…
"Bad news, guys!" Kidd hollered from the clothing section.
Tank stood on a nearby stepstool and yelled "What's up?"
"I couldn't find any male uniforms!" Kidd yelled back.
"I don't believe him," Benedict snarked. "If I could find Kuchibiru Network on tape, then we could find anythin' in here"
"I don't think that's how thrift stores work," Tank pointed out.
The two boys ran over to the clothing section. It was easy to spot, with its countless display racks and mannequins lining the wall. Plenty of frilly dresses hung on the wall, including a ruffly pink one with a cream yellow bracelet and a blue one with plenty of fluffy trim.
Kidd lifted up a cardboard box, "I found the school uniforms here. It's all girls' uniforms!"
The other two boys just stared in disbelief. They glanced at one another, deciding 'Why the hell not?' A disguise is a disguise after all!
"This wouldn't be my first rodeo," Benedict said. "What, it's a Unovan thing!"
They quickly purchased the girls' uniforms, with a look of something akin to embarrassment. What if the cashier thought they were creeps? The koala chuckled to herself as she rang up the purchase. At least they weren't stealing clothes from laundry lines like some of the neighbors did.
Their trek back to the Pokémon Center was rather tame in comparison to the small adventure they had. When they got back to their shared room, Benedict volunteered first to try out the clothes. He stepped into the bathroom to quickly change his attire.
"Okay, I'm ready!"
Benedict yelled from the bathroom.
He walked out, dramatically flipping his hair over his shoulders. He was the perfect sukeban girl; a cropped seifuku top with rolled up sleeves, long billowing skirt, and shiny vinyl boots.
"So"
he asked. "Do I look badass or what?" He twirled himself around with a hint of pride and vanity. If only he had grabbed a baseball bat or a plank of wood at the thrift store, THEN the sukeban image would be completed!
Kidd looked closer at the uniform. He chuckled a little, "And here I was thinking you'd wear a miniskirt."
"No way" Benedict said as he smoothed out the skirt. "Too much effort to deal with, an' I wasn't gonna do that again!"
Tank's ears pricked up.
"Again?" he asked. "Wait, Benedict, you've dressed as a girl before?"
"Yep. Couple times back in Unova," Benedict explained. "Sometimes when goin' out to Nimbasa with the girls, other times for the thrill of it!"
Kidd lifted up a strand of Benedict's hair, looking closer at the red locks.
"Hmm" he noted. "Needs more product." He critiqued.
"Aw come on," Benedict groaned. "Lemme guess, three-in-one shampoo ain't good enough?"
Kidd recoiled in disgust, "You use WHAT?!" he yelled.
"It ain't that big of a deal" Benedict scoffed. "If it works, it works. Also I thought of a name for the talent show."
He spun in a circle. "Cheryl Bakudan! I got it from a song."
"The song's Cherry Bomb, right?" Tank asked.
"That's the one," Benedict explained before twirling again. "I mean, I got the red hair, so it just fits!"
"Why am I not surprised,"
Kidd pulled another uniform out of the cardboard box. He went into the dressing room, getting changed without a problem.
A few minutes later, he strutted out of the room, ready for action. His uniform looked more western; a white button-up shirt, baggy maroon sweater, red and purple plaid miniskirt, a matching ribbon on the collar and striped purple leg warmers over his boots. He smoothed down his skirt.
"This is going to take a while to get used to…" Kidd muttered to himself.
"Kidd? Are y'all sure ya don't want a longer skirt?" Benedict asked.
"No, I'm fine," Kidd brushed him off. Well, at least the floors didn't have any fans underneath. He sat down and pulled out a compact mirror. Hm, maybe a little makeup would help with the disguise, preferably the Moon Prism brand.
While Kidd was messing with his appearance, Tank snuck into the bathroom to change. This was much more comfortable than expected! He spent a few minutes fluffing up his hair into a stylish pompadour, then opened the door.
Benedict looked up in awe; who knew a uniform could make someone look fine! Tank's uniform was classic; a black seifuku top, a matching skirt, grey knee-high socks, and of course, a red ribbon from the collar.
"It looks good, right?" Tank asked the two of them. He ran a hoof through his hair, trying to fluff it up.
"Yeah, you look fine," Kidd said. "So any idea on what your disguise name is?"
"Yeah, I got one" Tank curtsied. "Eleanor Rigby! A studious transfer student who got a scholarship to Rustboro University!...Would that work?"
"I think that'd work for sure" Benedict nodded in agreement. "Kidd, what 'bout you?"
Kidd blushed and gulped. How were these two so good at coming up at names?!
"I'm not sure myself...I need a few minutes."
Benedict looked up from the bush. Countless high school students crowded around the empty lot, most of them with Pokemon by their side. Huh, who knew Petalburg High was a hotspot for battling. Maybe he could learn some techniques for his match against Butch. He climbed out of the bush, making his way over to the large crowd.
"Hey, what's goin' on here?" he asked the group, putting on a falsetto.
One of the animals, a green duck in a school uniform, smiled and waved.
"We're about to have a battle tournament!" he explained. "Hey, I haven't seen you before. Are you new here?"
Benedict gulped. How was he going to explain himself? Think, come up with a convincing story!
"Heh, yeah" he explained, flicking some of his hair. "I'm Cheryl Bakudan, I just moved in from, uh, Slateport City.."
"Nice to meet you Cheryl!" The green duck grabbed both his wrists. "I'm Scoot Franzetti" he let go and pointed to himself. "And not to blast my own horn, but I'm one of the best battlers in Petalburg High!"
One of the other students, a lemon yellow lion with shaggy maroon hair, adjusted his glasses
"So what made you come to Petalburg High, Cheryl?"
Benedict pushed some hair behind his shoulders
"I got kicked out of Slateport over a fight, an' none of the Mauville schools would take me," he explained, hoping the students would buy it. That sounded pretty believable, right?
"A fight, huh?" Scoot asked with an impressed look, a small whistle giving it away. He whispered to the lion. "Mott, I think I have a chance with her!"
Mott snorted, "Just because a girl likes to fight doesn't mean she'll be into you."
"We'll see about that" Scoot stuck his tongue out. He looked back at Cheryl. "So, you wanna be my battle partner?"
"Battle partner?" Benedict asked.
Scoot nodded, "Yep! Our battle tournament's two-on-two, and I've been meaning to mix up my battle routine. So, you in?"
Benedict thought to himself. What if there was a chance someone here knew him from the gym battle videos. Any Pokémon sent out and he'd be exposed. Wait, Coffret wasn't in any of those videos!
"Heck yeah," he said. "Who are we battlin' first?"
"Me, of course," Mott pointed to himself.
Scoot facepalmed "I meant your battle partner!"
Mott looked at the other animals. Who'd be fun to battle with today…. There were a few students who were great battlers. A light green turtle was busy writing something on his phone.
"Hey, Terry!" he yelled.
The turtle looked up, adjusting his sunglasses. His writing could wait another day. "Yeah, what's up?"
"Wanna join me for a battle?" Mott asked.
"Sure!" Terry scrambled to put his phone away. He grabbed a Great Ball from his pocket, ready to go.
The four trainers took to the field; Scoot and Benedict on one side, Mott and Terry on the other. They each tossed a Poké Ball into the air and shouted,
"Coffret, take to the skies!"
"Vinetown, go!"
"Twigs, I choose you!"
"Mothman, let's battle!"
The Pokémon cried out,
"Swa-swa-blu!"
"Psyyyy-duck!"
"Gro-TLE!"
"Dus-dustox!"
"Ladies first" Scoot smiled at his battle partner.
"Of course!" Benedict curtsied before pointing at the other two Pokémon,
"Coffret, use Peck on Mothman!"
"Swa-BLU!" Coffret piurotted through the air. His beak glowed white as he pecked Mothman in the chest. The moth Pokémon lowered his antennae, darting backwards to his trainer.
Mott bowed like a prince, "Very impressive. Mothman, Electroweb!"
"Dus-TOX!"
Mothman beat his wings at a lightning pace, yellow sparks forming around his antennae. He widened his wings, blasting a yellow web of electricity at Coffret.
Coffret screamed as he flew above the electric web.
Scoot jumped up in his spot
"Vinetown! Water Pulse the web!"
"Psy-duck!"
Vinetown's body glowed blue. He formed a swirling ball of water in his hands, then blasted a pulsating stream of water. The force of the water dissolved the web into glittering sparks.
Terry pushed his sunglasses up before commanding, "Twigs, Razor Leaf!"
"Grooo–" Twigs turned his head up, the bushes on his back glowing in the sun. "Gro-TLE!"
He blasted a flurry of razor-sharp leaves across the battlefield. Vinetown curled into a ball as the leaves pelted his body.
"Coffret, Disarming Voice on Twigs!"
"Swa-blu-blu!~" Coffret flew above the leaves, nestling himself on Twigs' back. He took a deep breath in and screamed, pink circles echoing around both Pokemon. Twigs growled as the scream pierced his ear holes, closing his eyes as he shook the bird Pokemon off himself.
Coffret flew back to his battle partner, perching himself on Vinetown's head.
"Vinetown,"
Scoot shouted. "Use Psybeam on Mothman!"
"Psyyyyy-" Vinetown's eyes glowed pink, forming a magenta ball of psychic energy before him.
"Coffret, get in there an' use Peck!"
"Swa-blu!" Coffret flew into the beam, ready to follow its lead.
"Duuuuuuuck!"
Vinetown blasted the psychic beam across the battlefield, with Coffret barreling through the core like nothing.
Mothman darted in his spot, trying to trick both attacks. Unfortunately for him, Coffret tackled him with several pecks to the head.
Coffret backflipped before Mothman could land a battle, flashing a mischievous smile.
"Dus?"
Mothman chirped.
Before he could fly off, Vinetown's Psybeam blasted him in the face, knocking him down on the ground. Pink and beige dust blasted into the air.
"Dus…."
Mothman groaned, unable to battle.
Scoot and Benedict high-fived in victory, while Mott facepalmed in disappointment. Usually he would sweep the competition, but a speedy Swablu wasn't in his plan.
"Hey, at least you tried,"
Terry assured him. "And besides. I know Twigs can beat them both. Right?"
"Gro, gro!"
Twigs stomped on the ground, still eager for battle.
"I can handle this"
Terry said as he stepped forward. "Twigs, use Stealth Rock!"
"Gro-TLE!"
Twigs roared. He stomped several times on the ground, his back glowing blue. A wave of thin rocks shot through the earth, forming a stony barrier between the three Pokemon.
"Since when did Twigs learn Stealth Rock of all moves?!" Scoot gasped in surprise.
"When he evolved, that's when!" Terry declared. "And besides, I have to work with low speed somehow. Now, Twigs, Razor Leaf!"
"Grotle!"
Twigs blasted another wave of razor-sharp leaves. With nimble precision, he darted the leaves through the rocks. While Coffret could easily fly away, Vinetown was in no shape to climb up the rocks. He wobbled backwards, but not before being pelted again by the attack.
"Duck…."
Vinetown groaned as he fell onto his stomach. He stuck his tongue out before passing out from the attack.
Scoot gasped in surprise; nobody had dared to defeat him before!
"Whoa dude!" he said before returning Vinetown to his Poké Ball.
Terry smirked, "Let's just say I got inspired from another battler"
"Was it the Red Gyarados trainer by any chance?" Scoot asked.
"Yep"
Terry explained. "I watched his Mauville and Lavaridge matches, and his Aron gave me some ideas"
Benedict gulped. Great, his whole ruse might be a bust.
"Is that so?" he said. "In that case, let's keep battling. Coffret, Astonish!"
"Swa-blu!"
Coffret zigzagged between the rocks, his body glowing purple before tackling Twigs in the face.
"Twigs, use Bite!"
Twigs' mouth glowed black as he bit down on Coffret's right wing. The bird Pokemon yelped as he tried to wriggle out, but Twigs clamped down harder.
"Coffret, use Peck on his face!"
"Swab!" Coffret turned around, throwing his body back before pecking repeatedly on Twigs' forehead, loosening the other Pokemon's grip.
"Twigs, use Return!"
"Tle!"
Twigs bobbed in his spot, a pale blue energy glowing around his body. He stampeded across the ground, light blue balls of energy flying off his body. The stealth rocks shattered into tiny pebbles. He headbutted Coffret, launching the bird Pokemon across the air.
"Coffret!" Benedict shouted as he ran up to catch his Pokemon. "Coffret! You okay?"
"Blu blu blu!" Coffret chirped as he relaxed in his trainers' arms. Despite the full-body tackle, he was still raring to go.
"Then let's go!" Benedict held his arm out, watching as Coffret flew back to the battlefield. "Don't hold back, do a barrel roll and use Aerial Ace!"
"Swabluuuuu!"
Coffret screamed as he torpedoed through the sky, a white streak of energy trailing behind him. He flew underneath Twigs, distracting him for a few seconds. Coffret flew up behind him, landing a full-body tackle to his face.
"Gro-TLE!" Twigs yelped as he stumbled backwards, losing his footing and falling onto his side. He groaned from the fall, unable to battle.
Terry stayed quiet as he returned Twigs to his Poke Ball.
The crowd burst into a warm applause, impressed by the battle.
A few of the girls looked disappointed, refusing to clap.
"That was some battle,"
Mott said.
Scoot chuckled,
"Yeah, it was pretty fun." he winked.
Benedict blushed a little. Was Scoot hitting on him?!
"Yoohoo, Cheryl!"
someone called out.
Benedict looked over near the fence. 'Rio' and 'Eleanor' were outside, holding large frozen coffee drinks.
"I'll be right there!" he yelled.
"Sorry Scoot"
Benedict frowned, placing a wing in his pocket "But the girlfriends got back from studying so I gotta go see them"
"Aw, I understand" Scoot nodded. "Hey, if you wanna battle just gimme a holler!"
"I sure will" Benedict said, before climbing over the fence to see his group. "Phew, I had a lotta fun. Almost got caught though!"
"What happened?" Kidd asked before sipping from his drink.
Benedict ruffled his own hair
"Turns out one of my fans got inspired from some of my gym battle videos, an' the guy had a Grotle of all things! He's gotta be Sinnohian, 'cause I haven't seen one of 'em until today"
"Well at least we're not the only ones from another region" Kidd laughed a little. "...Would it be tacky if I did the noblewoman's laugh?"
"Yes" Tank bluntly told him.
"Fair's fair, I guess" Kidd shrugged. "Okay so we got booked for the talent show, so let's get over there before anything happens"
The Petalburg auditorium was as silent as a horde of Whismur. Three judges sat together at one of the tables; a blue deer with yellow horns, a cobalt blue bird with short teal hair and a yellow lizard with spots on his skin. A yellow badge was pinned to the deer's shirt.
The buck looked on a list
"Let's see who signed up this week…Cheryl Bakudan, Eleanor Rigby, Rio Grande. Huh, those are some new names."
"Must be transfer students, Bruce" the lizard noted.
The bird scoffed,
"Really, Frillard? Three transfer students in one week? This isn't Slateport City after all"
Frillard rolled his eyes and deadpanned, "Okay, Daria."
"It's Robin, actually" the bird corrected him.
Twenty students gathered for the talent show, hanging around the lobby. A few of them talked amongst each other, while a few students played with their Pokémon.
"So what act are you doing for the show, Marty?" a brown bear asked another animal.
"Oh, that's easy!"
a yellow bear cub said as he adjusted his hat. "Pompom and I are gonna perform fireworks"
"Plus, plus!" The bear cub's Pokémon, a Plusle wearing a brown beret on its head, cheered.
"What about you, Teddy?" Marty asked.
Teddy kneeled down to pick up his Linoone
"We're gonna sing a Diamond Dog song!"
One of the students, a pink and purple gorilla in a rainbow crop top, glared as she reapplied her lipstick. Unlike most of the students, she didn't have a Pokémon out with her.
"Twenty minutes to stage!" an auditorium staff member called out.
Tank whispered, "What number are you guys? I got eight."
Benedict held up a yellow card, "I got ten."
"I'm number four," Kidd nodded.
"Five minutes!"
the staff member hollered again.
Like a pack of animals, the students and Pokémon headed to a row of seats behind the stage. The audience was smaller; limited to friends of Petalburg High students.
A white dog in a billowing white dress walked to the stage. She tapped on the microphone "Welcome to the Petalburg High Talent Show!" She introduced the audience. "I'm your host, Serena Reid. We have twenty promising students, but only one will win THIS!"
She held a beautiful round stone underneath the spotlight. The stone glowed in the light, a strange black light shining from its core. The crowd members gasped in surprise; this was no fake Key Stone. It was the real deal!
Serena bowed to the audience, making sure not to drop the Key Stone to the ground. "Our first contestant is Marty Jayfox and Pompom the Plusle!"
Marty waved hello to the crowd, a cheery smile across his face. He jumped up in the air and landed on one foot.
"Pompom! Charming Discharge!"
"Plu-SLE!"
Pompom winked to the crowd. The Plusle formed pink hearts in its hands, tossing them into the crowd like confetti.
Marty cartwheeled across the stage, looking on as Pompom blasted a flurry of yellow and teal electricity across the stage. The thin waves of sparks dissolved the hearts, turning into colorful fireworks in the air.
The crowd burst into applause, impressed by the sync of both performers. Marty blushed as he waved to the judges, expecting good results.
"How inquisitive" Bruce noted. "While Pompom took over the spotlight, I see a great duo ahead. Young man, I think Contests would be your calling."
Robin scoffed, "If I wanted to see cheap and unimpressive effects instead of actual substance, I'd watch The Rosemary Chronicle!"
"Fantastic work!"
Frillard clapped at a lighting pace.
"You and your Pokémon understand each others' talent! Such beauty!"
Marty chuckled and bowed, "Thank you all" he said before heading back to the stage.
Several performances later….
"Up next, Rio Grande and Gemini the Skitty!"
Kidd gulped as he walked upstage, taking a deep breath in. Gemini purred as she wagged her tail in a circle, ready to have fun.
Trainer and Pokemon stood in the middle, the crowd silent in anticipation.
Kidd curtsied like a princess, then held his hooves out.
"Gemini! Play Rough in the air and Wake Up Slap!"
"Nya nya nya!"
Gemini torpedoed into the air, frolicking over a pink wave of energy. Her tail glowed yellow as she whipped her tail in the air. She twirled in her spot, slapping the pink wave into a pastel colored cloud.
The judges were too stunned to say a word, so they wrote down their thoughts instead. After two more performances…
"Give it up for Eleanor Rigby and Victoria the Lotad!"
Calm violins played over the speakers. The stage was covered in white paper. Tank and his Lotad walked into the middle, carefully holding three jars of paint.
"Victoria, Water Gun!"
Tank commanded as he opened the jars of paint. He tossed one of the jars in the air, nimbly dodging the can itself.
"Lo-TAD!"
Victoria screamed as she blasted a stream of water into the air, mixing with the paint to create a lovely watercolor rain. The watercolor dripped onto the paper, forming pink splatters.
With the yellow and blue jars, Tank and Victoria repeated the process to form pastel rainbow patterns on the paper. He grinned as he showed the finished painting to the judges.
"The creativity of painting together as trainer and Pokemon?" Frillard gushed. "Why, it's perfect! Magnifique! A stupendous bond!"
"A little sloppy in the execution," Bruce pointed out. "But I think it fits the carefree personality of a Lotad. Color me impressed, literally"
"That was the most juvenile performance I have ever seen" Robin sneered. "An unevolved Pokemon and an untalented trainer? I shouldn't be surprised that the performance was kindergarten levels of laziness."
Tank held a hoof up to his mouth. By Arceus, was that judge needlessly rude! Someone should chew her out after the show.
Performances flew by, each accompanied by their share of criticism.
"Up next! Cheryl Bakudan and Coffret the Swablu!"
Benedict posed in the middle of the stage. Two towers of wooden planks swayed next to him and Coffret. With a fiery look in his eyes, he turned to face the tower of planks.
"Coffret! Peck through the planks!" he yelled before pulling his arm back and karate chopping through the tower. Splinters and hunks of wood flew into the air, flying onto the stage.
"Swa-BLU!"
Coffret chirped before he used Peck to drill through the tower like a Pikipek.
On sync, both trainer and Pokémon destroyed the last plank. Fine dust floated into the air, dissolving into nothing. The audience clapped in approval; Swablu's pecking was just like Pecky the Pikipek, a popular Unovan cartoon character.
Frillard's eyes lit up in delight
"A Swablu whose more about strength than speed? It challenges my own viewpoint on such a cute and fluffy Pokémon!"
"I can tell you're more of a battler than a performer" Bruce pointed out. "While you two were unrefined in technique, I think you and Swablu were great when it comes to pure strength."
Robin facepalmed before lashing out, "Such an unladylike performance. A girl like you shouldn't be smashing things like some sort of brutish Machoke. And you call yourself a trainer? Talk about disgusting!"
Benedict grimaced from the one judge. He had the best words for her….
"See you next Tuesday!" he said before picking up Coffret and heading backstage.
Robin looked confused, while Bruce laughed in amusement.
After the last performance concluded...
All twenty students stood by each other, awaiting results. Some trainers fidgeted with their clothing while others stood like statues.
"The judges have tallied their results!" Serena announced to the crowd. She opened up a letter. "Third place? Jane Fever and her Goldeen!"
The pink and purple gorilla crossed her arms and huffed. All that effort that she put into singing and for NOTHING?!
"Thanks" she deadpanned as she received the set of Poké Balls. She made a mental note to release Goldeen and sell the Poké Balls to a pawn shop.
"Second place goes to….Eleanor Rigby and Victoria the Lotad!"
Tank blushed hard as he walked up to the stage. Victoria whistled a happy melody and bounced in her spot. He smiled and waved as he received a cardboard box filled with evolution stones; Fire, Water, Leaf, Thunder and Moon.
"And first prize goes to…."
Some of the contestants held their breath, awaiting for Serena to finally announce the results.
"...Marty Jayfox and Pompom the Plusle! Congratulations, you two!"
Marty placed a paw on his chest, gasping in delight. He held his paws out to receive the Key Stone; it was small enough he could pin it to a ring if he wanted to.
"Thank you so much" he said.
"You and your Plusle are a very talented duo" Serena told him. She curtsied to the audience, "This concludes the talent show, everyone!"
Back in the Pokémon Center room…
The boys had changed back to their street clothes, relaxing on the bed. Tank's set of evolution stones were placed on the nightstand table. Currently, they were eating a pizza big enough to feed twelve animals.
"Huh"
Tank noted. "I had no idea bell peppers were good on pizza!"
"You never had bell peppers on pizza?" Kidd asked, looking over at the couch. Makoto, Libra, Shiitake and Jojo were playing a round of poker, and it looked like Libra was winning.
"Well" Tank shrugged. "When I was younger I hated bell peppers. The green ones were way too bitter."
"Kind of ironic comin' from a grass type trainer," Benedict deadpanned. A long strand of cheese was dangling from his beak. While the other boys weren't looking, he snuck himself a slice with extra toppings. He took a sip from his bottle of cherry cola, finding it went well with the savory pizza.
"Not as ironic as the chicken who won't eat eggs," Tank stuck his tongue out, then grabbed the cheese for himself.
Kidd rolled his eyes and snickered. He grabbed another slice; it was cute seeing those two bicker playfully. With the talent show behind the trio, what else awaits in Petalburg City?