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Chapter 8: The Queen's Croquet Ground

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When we last left Lillie, she met the 'Mad Hatter' and the 'March Lopunny,' who looked like her friends Ash and Mallow. While they weren't who she thought they were, they treated her cordially and invited her to join in their little tea party, enjoying the refreshments and the story told by a sleepy Pikachu. When things wound down, she learned that one of the trees the Cheshire Meowth mentioned to her was behind the March Lopunny's house. Finding it, Lillie discovered it led back into the room of doors. One unlocked tiny door and a drop in size later, she arrived in the lovely garden.

And it was indeed still as lovely as when Lillie first laid eyes on it. Past the great fountain were rows upon rows of hedges and flowers of varying kinds and colors. The mix of scents was delightful to Lillie's nose, and she took the time to take it all in. She had expected to find some Grass-type Pokemon enjoying themselves here, but such was not the case. She did, however, see a large castle which was not in her limited view from earlier. She decided to make her way towards it. After all, who else would know more about this land than the queen who presumably ruled over it?

As she went on, the variety of flowers began to decrease, until eventually there was nothing but rose bushes lining her path. Most of them were the typical red color, but the further she went, she noticed that several bushes on her right had white roses instead. She found this unusual, thinking whoever was in charge of the gardening would want to keep things relatively uniform. As she questioned this in her head, the reason appeared in front of her.

Three individuals, who she figured were gardeners, were standing around one of the white rose bushes. At first she thought they were serving as walking billboard advertisements. As she got closer, however, she saw they actually resembled playing cards. The men themselves looked like the three owners of a well-known and highly-praised restaurant in Striaton City, which was part of the Unova Region. She recognized them from photos in a food magazine she had read previously. The green-haired man, Cilan, had the Ace of Clubs on his front-facing card. The red-haired man, Chili, was the Two of Clubs, while the blue-haired man, Cress, was the Three. Each was holding a paintbrush and paint can, and were hard at work painting the white roses red.

"Watch where you're waving that thing!" 'Chili' exclaimed. "You're going to get paint all over me!"

"Maybe you could use some more red to go with your hair," 'Cress' replied.

"Stop fooling around," 'Cilan' said, "If you're not careful, his face is going to be as red as the Queen's."

"You won't have to worry about that if she finds out about this," 'Chili' stated. "You won't have a head, let alone a face."

"None of us will," 'Cress' replied. "This was all your fault to begin with."

"Why is it MY fault?" 'Chili' asked crossly.

Before an answer could be given, the three noticed Lillie coming towards them, and they grew anxious.

"D-did the Queen send you?" 'Cilan' asked her, his knees quaking.

Lillie was confused. "Uh...no, she didn't. I don't even know who she is."

"Could she be a guest?" Cress thought out loud to his fellow gardeners.

"The Queen wouldn't invite someone she's never met," 'Chili' said.

"Then she shouldn't be here," 'Cilan' declared. "Or she may meet the same fate as us!"

"Same fate?" Lillie asked. "What's going on? Why are you painting those roses, anyway?"

'Cilan' and 'Cress' did not reply at first, instead turning their heads towards 'Chili,' who sighed.

"You see," he began, "all of these bushes are supposed to have red roses...but we ordered the wrong ones by mistake..."

"More like YOU ordered the wrong ones," 'Cilan' corrected.

"It doesn't matter now!" 'Chili' growled. "Anyway, we're trying to cover all of this up, for if the Queen discovers what we've done..."

"...she'll have our heads," 'Cress' finished.

"How terrible!" Lillie exclaimed. "It's a simple mistake! I'm sure she'd understand..."

"She never understands," 'Cilan' replied. "Everything around here is either her way, or the way to the chopping block..."

"We have to hurry," 'Cress' said. "She could be here any minute."

"Do you need help?" Lillie asked.

"We appreciate the offer," 'Cilan' replied, "but we'd rather not have a little miss like yourself get caught up in our mess."

Just then, they heard trumpeting in the distance.

"Oh no, she's coming!" 'Chili' cried. "The Queen is coming!"

The three panicked, dropping their brushes and paint cans and hastily throwing themselves face-down on the ground, covering their heads.

Lillie looked around, unsure of what she should be doing. She then heard footsteps approaching, getting louder and louder. Within moments, thirty individuals wearing giant playing cards came her way in a single-file marching fashion. She didn't recognize any of them, as they all wore black or red helmets that concealed their faces, and they all held long spears. Ten of them wore 'cards' that were of clubs, another ten had diamonds on theirs, while the remaining ten had spades.

"CARDS...HALT!" A voice rang out, and the battalion responded smartly, stopping in place.

"ATTEN-SHUN!" The soldiers broke off and made two parallel lines facing each other.

"PRESENT...ARMS!" On command, they held out their spears before them.

Lillie watched as three individuals made their way through the procession. One was the Scorbunny, who was now wearing the garb of a royal bugler, and had a little trumpet in his grasp. Then there was who she presumed were the King and Queen. WHO they were, however, provided a horrible surprise.

"It can't be..." She whispered.

They looked like Jessie and James of Team Rocket. They each wore royal garb and golden crowns, with Jessie in a dark red and black ballgown with a hearts motif. Each had a gold scepter in their grasp, 'Jessie's' with a gold heart on top.

Lillie didn't want to be believe what she was seeing, but then she remembered what 'Ash' the Hatter had told her earlier. These 'royals' might appear to resemble individuals she knew, but it was possible they were other people entirely.

The royals walked in-between their soldiers until they came to where the 'chef trio' and Lillie were. The Scorbunny gave a little nod, as if to acknowledge he knew who she was. Queen 'Jessie,' on the other hand, looked her over with a stern look on her face.

"Who are you, child?" She asked.

"I...my name is Lillie...your majesty," Lillie replied as politely as she could, giving a curtsy.

"And...who are these?" 'Jessie asked her, pointing towards the 'chef trio.' Since the backs of their 'cards' looked identical to the soldiers present, it was difficult for her to determine what their exact places were in her court.

"I...don't know," Lillie replied. "I've only just met them..."

'Jessie's' face started to turn crimson, her free hand balling into a fist.

"OFF WITH HER HEAD!" She bellowed, which frightened Lillie greatly.

"Now now," 'James' timidly interjected, taking the Queen's arm. 'She's only a child, after all..."

'Jessie' pulled her arm away in her fit. "You!" She yelled to one of her soldiers. "Turn them face-up!"

The soldier complied, using the butt of their spear to flip the chef trio over so 'Jessie' could see them.

"On your feet!" She decreed, and the trio quickly got up and bowed frantically.

She eyed the rose bush that had been 'worked' on, paint still dripping from the flowers. "Just what is the meaning of this? What have you been doing here?"

'Cilan' got down on a knee. "Well," he began, "if you'll let us explain..."

"NO!" 'Jessie' declared. "The answer is as plain as the paint on your faces and uniforms! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"

She, the King, and the rest of the procession moved on, with three of the soldiers remaining behind to carry out the latest 'order.'

"No, no no!" 'Chili' exclaimed, as he and the others hid behind Lillie for protection. "I don't want to lose my head!"

The 'chef trio' fled deeper into the garden, Lillie following close behind. The soldiers pursued them, determined to make sure they themselves wouldn't be next on the Queen's 'list.'

The group of four found themselves by several large pots, which looked like they were meant for trees rather than flowers.

"I won't let them hurt you," Lillie declared, coaxing the trio to climb into one of the pots. Right after they did, the soldiers arrived on the scene, wandering about in search for their targets. They soon came up to Lillie, as if asking where to look.

"They...went that way," Lillie lied, pointing towards a nearby hedge maze. The soldiers nodded, heading off in that direction.

A minute or so later, 'Cilan' slowly poked his head out. "Are they gone?"

"I think you're safe for now," Lillie replied. The trio climbed out and back to the ground.

"We can't thank you enough," 'Cress' said.

"What will you do?" Lillie asked. "Won't they still be looking for you?"

"There are so many individuals here that share our cards," 'Chili' replied, "I'm sure the Queen will forget who it was she wanted beheaded. Besides, she holds so many grudges that she can't keep track of them all."

"We'll lay low in the meantime," 'Cilan' replied. "Give it a couple days and all of this will blow over."

"What about you?" Cress asked. "Aren't you afraid she'll have it out for you, as well?"

Lillie sighed. "Unfortunately, she might be my only way of getting out of here, so I'll have to take my chances with talking to her."

The trio looked to each other, than back to her. "Be careful," they said in unison, before running towards the castle. Lillie, meanwhile, went off to where she saw the procession go off to.

A few minutes of exploring later, she heard something coming from behind her. She turned to see the Scorbunny giving a little wave.

"H-hello," he said in an anxious tone.

"Hello again," Lillie replied. "So you serve the Queen, huh?"

The Scorbunny nodded. "I am a loyal subject, after all, miss...Lillie, was it?"

Lillie smiled. "Yes, that's right. It's nice to meet you...formally."

"Lillie...what a lovely name," the Scorbunny stated. "Forgive me, I have such a terrible memory sometimes when it comes to names and times, and I thought you were Mary-Anne before..."

"It's alright," Lillie said. "It's not often I'm confused for someone else."

"And besides that," the Scorbunny continued, wringing his paws, "I'm truly sorry for how I treated you back at my home. I have no idea what came over me."

"You were focused on what mattered to you," Lillie replied. "It has happened to me plenty of times, where I can't think of anything else. Were you able to find those gloves and fan you lost before?"

"Eventually, yes," the Scorbunny said. "I really had to wrack my brain, and I was just too stressed out before to remember what I did with them. Once I remembered, though, it was just a matter of getting back there. Of course, I had to figure out what I did with all of my keys..."

Lillie sighed, her assumption from earlier proving correct. "And I...hear you were going to burn your house down. I really hope you came to your senses before that happened."

The Scorbunny rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I did send Heliolisk in one more time to see where that monster went, but he claimed it had up and vanished, as if it shrank out of sight."

Lillie laughed at this, albeit nervously. "Uh...yeah, good to know."

"So, why are you here, Lillie?" The Scorbunny asked. "Did you receive an invitation?"

"Well...no, I didn't. I just happened to wander here. You think the Queen or anyone else will know?"

"Just pretend you got one," the Scorbunny replied, "and hopefully no one will notice. I wouldn't want to see anything bad happen to you."

"What about the Duchess?" Lillie asked. "I know she got one. Is she around somewhere?"

"Hush!" The Scorbunny said worriedly, looking over his shoulder. He coaxed Lillie into crouching so he could whisper into her ear. "She's under sentence for execution..."

"Why?" Lillie asked, horrified. "What did she do?"

"She boxed the Queen's ears, that's what," the Scorbunny whispered.

Lillie couldn't help but laugh at this, but the Scorbunny was quick to shush her again. "Not so loud! Or she'll hear us!"

Lillie put her hands over her mouth. "Sorry," she said softly.

"Anyway," the Scorbunny continued, being as quiet as he could, "the Duchess arrived late, and the Queen said-"

"GET TO YOUR PLACES!" They heard 'Jessie' yell, her voice being carried across the area.

"Oh dear," the Scorbunny said. "We need to hurry, Lillie. Come on!"

Lillie followed him through the garden until they came to a wide open area of grass. It seemed like this was where the games of croquet would be held. She saw that all of the soldiers here were scrambling about to follow the order they were given, eventually assembling into a rectangular pattern to act as the out of bounds line. The King and Queen's scepters were stuck in the grass on opposite ends of the field, serving as the pegs. A half-dozen or so of the soldiers were bent over at different points of the field, acting as the hoops.

As Lillie and the Scorbunny came forward, she saw Queen 'Jessie' was now holding a large mallet, looking eager to start playing the game. King 'James' stood behind a red pillow, where two Togedemaru were sitting. One was normal-colored, while the others was a 'shiny,' having brown patches of fur instead of silver. A pair of identical Flamigos were standing at the ready next to them. Lillie looked around to see if anyone else was present, but found no one.

Queen 'Jessie' seemed to notice Lillie's presence, however. "YOU THERE! Child!"

Lillie was startled by this. "Uh...yes, your majesty?"

"Come here!" The Queen commanded.

Lillie gulped, but after receiving some encouragement from the Scorbunny, she made her way over to the royals, giving another curtsy out of respect – at least, as much as she could give people like this.

"Tell me, child," Queen 'Jessie' continued, "do you play croquet?"

"I've...never actually done so myself," Lillie replied, "but I've watched it being played many times, so I at least know the rules."

"Wonderful!" The Queen said. "I'm still waiting for my guests to arrive, so I could use a practice round or two. Shall we partake?"

Lillie was nervous, as she did not want to offend the royal more than she already had. She looked to King 'James,' who gave a nod and a pair of 'thumbs up.'

"If...that is your majesty's wish..."

"THEN LET THE GAME BEGIN!" 'Jessie' bellowed, while 'James' escorted the two over to the pair of Togedemaru.

"Hm..." Jessie said aloud, debating which one to pick. She then grabbed the odd-colored one by the tail, the hedgehog Pokemon squeaking all the while.

"That leaves you with this one option, dearie," James said.

Lillie looked down at the other Togedemaru. It gave her a smile, which she found adorable, as it reminded her of her friend Sophocles's partner Pokemon back in Alola.

"Are these...supposed to be the croquet balls?" She asked.

"Indeed," 'James' replied. "Now you must choose your implement to hit them with." He gestured to the two Flamigos.

"Why these?" Lillie asked. "The Queen has a mallet, which doesn't seem right. If I'm to use one of these Pokemon, shouldn't she be doing the same?"

'James' pulled her aside. "Please," he said in a nervous whisper, "let her have this, and don't make her lose her temper again. She's already called for a dozen of her servants to be offed today..."

Lillie sighed as she nodded, beckoning the Flamigo on her right to join her, which it did. It stretched out one of its legs, as if asking her to take hold of it. When she did so, the Pokemon straightened itself out, with its long beak now serving as the hitting end of its 'mallet' form.

"Come on, little one," she said to the Togedemaru. "Let's do our best."

"Toge!" The hedgehog Pokemon squeaked, following her to the field of play.

She watched as the Queen took her position, unceremoniously dropping her Togedemaru on the ground in front of her. As she pulled her mallet back, the Pokemon curled up into a ball, as if anticipating what was about to come its way.

There was a loud 'thwack' as the Togedemaru was sent hurtling towards the 'hoop' soldiers. Each one in the immediate area scrambled to get in the Pokemon's path so it could roll underneath them. It even unfurled itself several times to make sure it was 'staying on course.' It didn't stop until it had hit the peg on the opposite end of the field, and the other soldiers present cheered at their Queen's successful 'shot.'

While 'Jessie' headed over to continue play, Lillie stared in disbelief at all of this blatant cheating.

"How am I supposed to beat that?" She asked.

"You're not," 'James' replied. "She expects to win every time, no matter what."

"Then what's the point of playing?" Lillie asked him, confused at all of this.

"Because that's how it is around here," 'James' said with a sigh. "It's either her way-"

"Or the way to the chopping block..." Lillie mumbled. "I know..."

Deciding to just go with the flow, she waited for the Queen to take her next shot. Another 'thwack,' and the shiny Togedemaru went off again. One of the soldiers attempted to get to his place, but he tripped and fell, fowling the play.

"OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" 'Jessie' bellowed, and the unfortunate soldier was dragged off the field, another rushing out to take his place.

The Queen was fuming at this blunder, but after a minute or so she calmed down. "You're next, child," she called out.

Lillie took her place on the field, and waited for her Togedemaru to curl up at the ready. At first she was afraid the little one would be hurt by this, but then she remembered it was part Steel-type, so there would be little to no damage caused. Making sure her Flamigo was nice and straight, she positioned its beak so it was level with the hedgehog Pokemon. She pulled back and swung as hard as she could.

* THWACK *

The Togedemaru was off. She watched it roll towards the first hoop soldier, but before it got there, the soldier simply stood up and walked away.

"Hey!" Lillie called out. "That's not fair!"

"Oh, it's fair to me!" 'Jessie' declared, swinging her mallet once more and sending her Togedemaru down the field. Right on cue, all of the soldiers in play ran over and made a straight line of hoops for the Pokemon to roll through. It collided with the scepter on the other end, effectively ending the game.

"OH-hohohohoho! I won! I won!" The Queen laughed in her celebration, while her subjects cheered loudly in their admiration.

Lillie, on the other hand, felt dejected at how this all went. Her Flamigo squawked in disapproval at the scene, while her Togedemaru came up to her, looking just as disappointed. She picked it up and gave it a hug.

"It's alright," she said. "You two didn't do anything wrong. I just wish we were given more of a chance to actually play."

The two Pokemon gave as encouraging of sounds as they could, and this made Lillie feel a little better.

She set the Togedemaru down, and it and the Flamigo went off to rejoin their counterparts. As they left, the Scorbunny came back over to join her.

"I'm sorry this game had to go the way it did." He said, looking as disgusted as she was.

"There's nothing you or I could do," Lillie replied. "That's just the way things go around here, right?"

The Scorbunny nodded, and then he saw something strange appearing above him. "Hey, what in blazes is that?" He asked, pointing at it.

She looked up to where he was pointing. At first she thought it was an apparition, but it slowly but surely took shape...

...into a grin...

"Meowth?" She called to it.

"How's it goin', kid?" The grin asked quietly, his voice confirming Lillie's suspicions. "I see you're getting' ta play with tha Queen, after all..."

"More like watching her cheat her way to victory," Lillie replied.

To the Scorbunny's surprise, some of the Meowth's other features began to appear until his whole head was visible. "Yeah, she does that. What do ya think of her, anyways?"

"She looks just like someone I know back home," Lillie replied, "and she's acting just like her, too. She's just so-"

"Just so what?" An angry voice said behind her. Lillie and the Scorbunny turned around, and Queen 'Jessie' was standing there, her face getting redder and redder.

Lillie gulped again. "Just so...talented at this game, that it would be pointless for me to try it again!"

'Jessie's' face lost some of its angry color as she smiled, passing by. Lillie and the Scorbunny sighed in their relief.

"Just who are you talking to, child?" King 'James' asked as he approached Lillie, and he looked at the floating head with great curiosity.

"He's...a friend of mine," Lillie replied. "He's a Cheshire variety of Meowth. Shall I introduce you?"

'James's' expression turned from curiosity to disdain. "I don't like the look of this thing at all, but it is welcome to kiss my hand if it wants."

The Meowth grinned, although it didn't look as 'happy' as normal. "I'd rather not," he said bluntly.

"Don't look at me like that!" 'James' said, getting behind Lillie, as if he was afraid of him. "My Queen, you must do something about this Pokemon!"

Queen 'Jessie' looked back, and naturally she had only one answer for all problems great and small...

"Off with his head!" She yelled.

By now, most of the present court had gathered around to look at the 'phantom' before them, and none of them appeared comfortable at all with the situation.

One of them, ironically, was the executioner, brandishing one of the largest axes Lillie had ever seen. "How can I cut off this thing's head," he began, "if there's no body to take it off from?"

"Every body needs some body!" The Meowth said with a laugh.

"What nonsense!" 'James' proclaimed. "If that thing has a head, it can be taken off!"

"If this isn't resolved soon," 'Jessie' growled, "I'll have EVERYONE here put to death!"

"Wait a minute," 'James' stated, looking more carefully at the Meowth. "NOW I recognize that grin. The Duchess has brought it to court a couple times before. It must belong to her!"

Queen 'Jessie' came up behind Lillie again, looking determined. "She's in the dungeon," she said before pointing to one of the soldiers. "Go and fetch her at once!"

Lillie watched the soldier scamper off in the direction of the castle. She wanted to try and make her way out of there, but she feared the Queen would take it amiss and order her execution. With nothing else she could do, she stood in place with the Scorbunny and waited...

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An abrupt place to end this chapter, but it's close to how it went in the original book.

Next time, Lillie will meet another familiar face, as well as listen to 'The Mock Squirtle's Story.'

Until then...