Hilda trots down a concrete sidewalk with her Umbreon, each step having a bounce to it. These classical-like buildings look awesome to her, that's one reason why the agency's headquarters is in this district. The stores and restaurants she passes are seeing decent business. She's got to check out the deli here eventually, word is that they can make a mean sub. Kris and Serena would love to check out the store that sells reproduction eighteenth century clothing.
The district does see a lot of traffic, but it's lighter than usual. Delivery drivers and a pair of Machoke are unloading a delivery truck across the street, the aroma of desserts can make anyone's mouth water. A pair of cool sports cars pass her, a bus comes to a loud halt a bit further down the block. A wild Kadabra tries to Teleport away, but a Haunter uses Disable to prevent it. The Kadabra pouts while the Haunter's sent into hysterics.
Hilda titters, remembering Silver's reaction to Caravaggio's Boy Turning into Kadabra a few days ago. He's never going to be out the woods.
She's been handing out more business cards than usual—the return of Le Moissonneur Noir has caused a surge in potential clients. There are those who may be put off by her style, but putting herself out there is how she brings more and more clients to the BW Agency. She's long since relinquished day-to-day management—she's got four people for that. She still partakes in it because it's both fair and fun.
…However, something keeps eating at her mind. Not to the point where she can't be her cheery self, but it's not something she can ignore. Is she focusing too much on the agency that she's neglecting her trainer skills? All work and no play makes for a dull day…but is she following her own advice? Would she even be ready to step away from the agency? There's still that big project. She wants to give a go, but it might be too big to pull off.
She's also come to learn about Valen being nervous before the contest, plus he looked worried about Rosa's goals. They're worried about him, but they shouldn't dwell because that would cause more worry. Just take it slowly and figure it out.
Multiple people have noticed her, perhaps they've been struck by the powerful energy that emits from her like a beckoning of fun. She waves like she's using Agility and soaks in their words with pride, said words ranging from how she inspires people and how fine she is.
That's right, keep telling the truth about her. One hand on her hip and out comes her phone. She turns her back to the camera and winks. Snap snap snap, snap all of the photos! Sorry boys, she may be drop dead gorgeous but you can't top the prince who swept her off of her feet.
"Fancy seeing you here, Hilda."
She halts, her mouth dropping halfway open. Wes is here with an Blaziken, they've just walked out of the local deli. She's come to learn more...that poor thing was forced to fight against it's will. Val-Val said after this Blaziken was purified, it felt awful about injuring him.
"Why do you look so surprised?" Wes asks. "Everybody knows who you are." He crosses his arms and presses his back against the building's wall. "He told me a lot about you too."
"Of course he did, he can't stop talking about Rosa and I." Hilda closes her eyes and runs a hand through her dark brown hair. "We're spunky stunners."
"Quite the confident one, are we?" He scratches his short, scraggy hair. "Reminds me of you-know-who."
Hilda's Umbreon approaches Wes and his Blaziken, her eyes happily closed as she greets them. Blaziken pats her head, while Wes reaches into his trench coat for a Poké Ball. He presses the button, out comes his own Umbreon.
"Heeeey, our Umbreon can be besties!"
"Maybe, he's a bit serious at times."
Wes' Umbreon does seem a bit broody, but he wastes no time in greeting her Umbreon. The former raises her paw, guess she's hoping for a high five. Yes, her Umbreon got one!
"I never got to explore this side of the city." He eyes the structures across the street. "Nice area, Gaton Port has a bunch of buildings that look similar to these."
Hilda nods, delighted that she ran into Wes. She doesn't know him super well but she's got a story to tell. One that might help him out. If he's friends with Valen, he's friends with Expert Trainer Hilda.
"When I saw you at the hall, I could tell that you've got regrets that weigh you down."
Wes grits his teeth, a feeling of contrite pounding his mind. Valen was injured in Orre because of his blunder. Valen make a full recovery physically but he was the one who wanted to go into that lab. It's his fault Valen got hurt yet nobody's shown him any animosity.
Why?
"Hey, are you okay?"
"….Yeah…I'm sorry—"
"Nobody holds anything against you." She caresses Blaziken's face, her smile sweet and considerate. "We hold nothing against you either."
He slowly lifts his head up, Hilda's words ringing within his mind. Those words made Blaziken happy...he feels better too. Hilda and Rosa must've been patient with Valen, just like Rui was with him.
"You know, regret once weighed down upon on me too." She faces the same direction as him, her hands clasped behind her back. "I once lashed out at everybody around me...the pressure had gotten to me."
"Seriously?" Wes gives her a wide-eyed stare. "You?"
"Crazy, isn't it?" Regret's visible on her face, her posture slack for a brief moment. "I hurt Val-Val badly but I learned from it."
"I suppose this is why you don't judge a book by its cover."
Hilda straightens out her posture, and her mouth morphs into a tender smile. "He made mistakes too, but I forgave him before he even knew it." She places her hands over her heart. "Because I love him, and Rui loves you." Her tender gaze meets his wide-eyed expression. "There's a brighter future for you too, I promise."
He takes a hard deep breath. "Thank you, Hilda." His smile's wide and clear. "I needed that"
"Anytime!" Hilda spins on her tiptoes. "I've got to get to the agency, but I hope we can get to know each other personally!"
"Before you go, quick question." He cracks a smirk, his eyes narrowed. "Does Rui still terrorize everybody?"
"She's a beast at Mortal Battle PvP, just like yours truly!"
"I meant in real life." Wes faintly chuckles. "Walking nightmare since day one."
"Hehe, you'll have to ask Silver and his future girlfriend that!"
"...Future...girlfriend?" Wes blinks, his voice lowered while Hilda's tittering becomes louder. "How does...what...who-"
"Hehe!" Hilda tilts her head leftwards. "Silver, more than meets the eye!" Her right fingertips are aligned with her silly grin. "Silver, softie in disguiseeeee!"
Wes stares into the sky, a flock of Staravia obstructing his view. He's becoming more perplexed by the second, because Silver doesn't look like the type of guy to have a crush…or does he?
Hilda spins again and begins to trot off, waving at him and his two Pokémon. His cell phone's already in his hand. Texting is the least he can do, so let's say hi to Rui. Less than ten seconds pass before Rui bombards him with a storm of grin emojis.
"Typical Rui."
Now it's time to text Valen about what he requested several days ago. Gotta practice because Rui can put her money where her mouth is.
He may be rocking Team Skull drip from head to toe today, but Valen's a gentleman to the core. His affability radiates around him, the gazes of several curious onlookers are fixated on him as he carefully places a bandage on a young boy's elbow.
Alright, the kid's patched up. He breathes a sigh of relief, rubbing his right forearm against his forehead. Poor kid's gotten separated from his older sisters and he tripped right in front of Gardevoir. It wouldn't be right to leave a little kid like that, it wouldn't make him a good role model for others. He's gotta use his notability for the greater good.
That candy bar he bought helped to make this kid's day happier. He can't make the world a better place, but he can make somebody's world a happier place.
"Be careful next time, alright?"
"I will, Mister Reaper," the young boy answers. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, but you can call me Valen." He points towards the bandage. "Valen the Reaper's the name I signed it as."
"Woah, this is awesome!"
Valen exchanges a fist bump with the kid. A pair of teenage girls appears in his line of sight, and the kid rushes to hug them. This sweet sight makes Valen feel a little fuzzy inside as he turns his body to face Gardevoir. Her arms are folded as she leans against the railing of a pedestrian bridge.
"It's nice to see the fruits of kindness, isn't it?"
Gardevoir nods and lets out a mellifluous cry. She couldn't be any more proud of him than she already is. The human child's now showing his sisters the signatures on the bandage, he's boasting how cool he is because of it. One sister immediately takes her cell phone out, while the other pulls out a pen and a notebook from a bag. Good taste, that notebook has her species on the cover. That human's got an awestruck Kirlia, whom she greets with another cry.
Her trainer's giving his autograph to one sister, and he moves closer for photos with all three siblings and the Kirlia. He gestures for her to join them, and she does so via Teleport. The bright lights of the phone's camera flashes three times. Afterwards, they partake in a group fist bump.
Valen waves bye at the siblings and Kirlia as they walk in the opposite direction. Before he can resume his stroll, Gardevoir gives Valen a peck on the top of his head. He tries to pat her head in response, but she won't lean forward. Rather, she folds her arms and cackles. Mischief like this is among joys of being significantly taller among her kind.
Antics turn into a second dosage of adoration when she caresses his right cheek. Now he can resume his stroll and look at these buildings for the umpteenth time.
Chatter surrounds Valen and her as they make their way towards the BW Agency. They're still talking about that contest and how elegant she looked. Seems that more than a few are still surprised over his return to the pro circuit and the contest stage. Others like his Team Skull jacket, he got it customized along with a shirt.
"I won't deny it, I'm a straight rider," he recites the words within the Team Skull logo on the jacket. "Shirt had to have similar words cuz I'm down to ride with both people and Pokémon."
There's a bunch of battle pictures from Rosa from earlier this morning, but he might as well look at the again. Hydreigon defeated a Dragapult, Eelektross and Serperior won against a Seviper and Pangoro, Aerodactyl soared to victory over a Gyarados, the list goes on. He's also gotten a text from Wes—he'll be meeting up with him for that battle tomorrow.
Another person just texted him and a placid smile appears as he reads the message. Making amends with that Gloria person and others has been going smoothly for Arthur. He's glad he could inspire somebody like that.
Oh? Why wouldn't she believe Arthur when he said that he met Le Moissonneur Noir in person? Sounds like teasing, but he can send proof if need be.
Rui's at Barberini Stadium, Kris is at the museum, and he'll get to see Skyla soon. How does he know this? Pictures, Skyla's sent everybody lots and lots of pictures. As for Silver...where exactly is the professional brooder? Did he enter a spicy food eating contest? Is his absence related to studying giant and terrifying prehistoric versions of existing Pokémon? Could he still be salty that Hilda smoked him five matches in a row in Pokéjustice: Destiny Deoxys? Kris was present for that ass whooping and Hilda texted Gladion about it.
"Make way for Expert Trainer Hilda, who's the antidote to dull days!"
When did she get here and when did she evolve into a Pidgeot? Seriously, she's trotting so fast that she looks like she's about to take flight.
"Hilda used Fly!"
Fitting choice, he silently chuckles. She just leaped onto his back, her arms encircling his neck.
"Heeeeeeey, you've got a new shirt!" Hilda folds her palms, her attention fixated on the works within the Team Skull logo. "'Ambitions as a Rider!'"
"About time you noticed."
Hilda lets him go and they high five each other. He reaches down to pet Umbreon, who happily licks his hand.
The two of them, plus Gardevoir and Umbreon, resume walking toward their destination. They would've gone with Rosa earlier, but Hilda had a rather peculiar matter to attend to. Something about a theme park. As for the big bad trainer, he went to pick up his new drip. He also ran into several art historians and connoisseurs and had a talk with them. Does he even need to tell anyone why?
Instead of going inside right away, Hilda's letting Valen study the BW Agency's main headquarters first. No such thing as too many times if it makes him happy.
The wide, three-story structure has ten columns in front of the first floor's deck, plus another ten in front of the second floor's deck. Four sets of windows, plus an stilted arched entrance placed exactly in the middle. Each set is composed of a semi-circular, arched window and two smaller, rectangular windows. Both the columns and the window sets have equal distances between each other. The center of roof has two massive sculptures, one depicting Ancient Unova's King Myron and the other depicting Ancient Calvana's King Tiberius.
This entire district, which came to be in the 1980s, reminds him of his upbringing. He was raised within a Neo-Classical style house that was originally built in the 1700s. From buildings hundreds of years apart to the The Pilgrimage being the quintessential Pokémon journey tale, the legacy of classical antiquity has stood the test of time.
Valen, Gardevoir, Hilda, and Umbreon stroll onto the pathway leading to the front door, but Hilda abruptly stops. Valen turns his body towards her, right when she takes a few steps forward.
Gardevoir folds her arms, her stern gaze focused on Hilda's worried expression. She's been suspecting something's going on, and Umbreon's looking rather concerned She'll fall back and allow their trainers to handle the matter. Umbreon's giving her a smile and a nod of agreement.
"Rosa told me that you were nervous about your performance, and that you looked worried for her." Hilda rubs his upper right arm. "We want to make sure you're okay."
"Oh...that." He sheepishly grins, his eyes closed as he rubs the top of his head. "Sorry about-"
"What you told her afterwards was really sweet," she interjects. "Never forget how precious you are to us, Val-Val."
Her warm, tender touch surges up his right arm, her fingers slowly interlocking with his. Her gentle gaze and loving countenance pierce his mind, evicting all tension from the premises.
"When the going gets tough, picture who you are and what you desire," she softly says. "Live each day to the fullest." Her lips lock onto his. "And never forget that Rosa and I are always with you in your heart."
Their lips are pressed together, they slowly take in each kiss. Time has stopped, the world around them is motionless when they kiss and are wrapped in each other's loving arms.
"I'm proud of you two."
"We're more proud of you!" She lets go of him and vice versa. "Make sure that smile stays on your face, because it's the best sight in the world!"
"How can it leave when I've got you two living under the same roof?"
Hilda's left hand hovers over her grin. "Good point." She grips his hand, tittering at his yelp. "All aboard the smile train!"
Apparently, he still has to blush whenever Hilda or Rosa grab his hand and yank him along. It's not even consistent, why can't he make sense?
His thought process is interrupted when Hilda nearly runs into the door. She backs up in an embarrassed panic, her back pressed against his chest.
He wraps his arms around her midsection, teasing, "I thought the days of being a klutz were over."
"Maybe I wanted you to catch me, hm?"
Valen releases her, earning himself a forehead bop. He looks towards his cackling Gardevoir and her snickering Umbreon and shrugs with an amused smile.
"Guess I wasn't supposed to do that."
The interior's painstakingly organized, she applied everything she learned about interior design from mom and him. The Kalosian armchairs are arraigned into twelve sets of four, a large rectangular table accompanying each set. The tables are made of ebony, a natural sheening wood with a rich black color and a smooth grain texture. Each table has BW Agency engraved within the center. The straight pathway in-between both sides leads to a circular desk. Within that circle are enclosed display cases with numerous ceramics.
Hilda's gone to greet the four people who handle day-to-day management, so he'll take another good look at the amazing buon fresco Rosa painted several weeks ago. Her work always makes his heart sing with pride awe, and it channels the aplomb of the Old Masters into the art history encyclopedia in the bookshelf inside of his head.
The bright blue's sky pierced by the orange glow of the setting sun, a shadowy effect tugging the landscape. Crobat, Aerodactyl, and Braviary soar above the mountain peaks, all three looking cocky. Salamence, Garchomp, and Hydreigon are slightly below, having claimed the tallest mountain peak for themselves.
Luxray and Umbreon are snuggling atop the lush grass, their eyes closed as they press their heads together. Venetian red was a good choice for the blushing. Gardevoir, Gengar, and Serperior are observing with euphoria, their figures slightly obstructed by berry trees.
The tranquil river lies in the center, the lines on each end seem to merge in the distance. The lines on the top and bottom of the mountain range has the same appearance. The long wall panel works well with the linear perspective.
The sunlight beams down on Milotic as it emerges of the water. Starmie flows with the water, Eelektross enjoys a Sitrus Berry near the riverbank. Golisopod's trying to look cool via spinning a large water sword, while Volcarona hangs out next to the Gothic-style building that's located near the base of the mountains. Emboar and Beartic take a nap around the corner from where Volcarona is, the protruding shadows of the building's extravagant spires bearing down upon them.
She's since named this Landscape with Pokémon Besties. Word spread about this marvelous, delineated work, and she's gotten three smaller commissions within the last two months. Hopefully, she gets an acting gig soon. As always, he'll be in the front row.
Hilda pops up behind him, startling him out of his analytical mode. She grabs both of his arms to prevent him from toppling over.
"Come on, the squad's waiting!" She makes him run with her into the outdoor lobby, tittering at his blushing. "The outdoor lounge area's bigger and the battlefields out back were turned into a miniature outdoor stadium!"
Gardevoir teleports herself, beating them to the punch. Gardevoir cackles while Hilda titters again, but he's too busy trying to figure out his inconsistent dorkiness for the millionth time. Umbreon's trying to egg him on by tapping her front paws on his right foot. It's adorable but it also doesn't really help.
The number of Kalosian armchairs and extended oval surface tables have significantly increased. Each armchair is plush, each table's got a support beam underneath in the center. Six legs are connected through the central support beam by smaller beams.
The walls that surround the outdoor lounge are lavishly decorated with buon frescoes, it's the end result of commissioning Rosa again, plus other frescoists, within the last couple of months. Rosa got to work with the modern iteration of the Calvanian Fresco School, including a descendant of the man who founded the original over four hundred years ago.
While Gardevoir and Umbreon greet the others, Valen notices that Rosa and Leaf have their eyes closed. They're pretending to be in a theatre play, much to the amusement of Melanie, Asgard, and Jacques. He's long since come to remember that Rosa's told him about her friendly rivalry with Leaf. Would they have a friendly rivalry as actresses too?
Rosa rests the top of her right fingers on her neck. "Once upon a midnight dreary, Rosa made a whole town cheery."
Leaf mimics Rosa's gesture. "How can Rosa make me cheery when I am weary?"
"Because it is frowning that I abhor."
"What happens if a party casts a bore?"
"Quoth the Rosa, nevermore."
She twirls in her seat, waving at Hilda and winking at Valen. Hilda gestures towards Valen, so she winks again with a finger on her lower lip. Tee-hee, she made him blush!
"Hehe, it's time to surprise him!" Hilda jumps, clasping her hands over her right shoulder. "He's going to love this!"
Valen greets everybody with a fist bump, but he's perplexed. What's going on here? What surprise do they have in store for him?
"Woo-hoo, surprise reunion!" Rosa tilts backwards and places her palms under her chin! "It's a bestie party, there's nothing like a bestie party! She should paint another bestie party in the style of Jasper Vermeer!
"Is anyone gonna tell me what's going on here?"
"You're the only person I haven't greeted yet, airhead."
Valen's eyes slightly widen, that sass-filled voice's ringing through his mind. She's right behind him, he just caught a glimpse of her short red hair! She's leaning against the door, her smile welcoming with a hint of pride. donning a long-sleeved crop top, straps with white buckles at the end, and boots. Dark blue clothes contrast her light blue shorts.
It's Skyla.
He can't contain his ear-to-ear grin, and Gardevoir tilts her head in Skyla's direction. He extends his arms out, inviting Skyla into a hug. Within seconds, her arms are around his neck. His hands caress her back, his right shoulder a pillow for her chin. The warmth of her embrace flows through him, his day has just been made.
"You didn't join the Unovan Elite Four just to vacation, did you?"
"Shut up, airhead." Skyla laughs, poking him on his nose. "I'm not that crazy." She places the tips of her left fingers on her forehead, her other hand on her hip. "But it's not crazy to say that I'm Unova's hottest pilot."
Classic Skyla, he thinks as he keeps an arm around her. All kidding aside, she earned her position in the Unovan Elite Four. It was harder for her to travel as a Gym Leader, but the Elite Four only needs to be present during the annual league conference season.
Commotion breaks out amongst those in the lobby, causing Hilda and her Umbreon to trot back inside. The name "Lisia" is making its way within the chatter, and sure enough, the performing arts star is running towards them.
Hold up, Hilda's already back? How's Umbreon still behind? Does having infinite amounts of energy cause people to learn Agility? In any case, he'll save his greeting for last to keep it a little bit "mysterious."
Melanie's sparkling eyes shows how much she adores Lisia's signature attire consists of blue clothing and white cotton puffs. In an interview with The Arts' Hub for their performing arts section, Lisia said that she wanted her outfit to match the appearance of an Altaria.
Lisia places a hand on her hip, holding her other hand sideways with two fingers sticking out. "Rosa and Hilda love this pose too!" she announces. "Work it, girls!"
Rosa and Hilda press their backs together and do the same pose. "Rain rain go away, the free smiles are here to say!"
Lisia's about to greet the others when she sees him. Eeeek, is this actually happening?! She rubs her eyes, she's not dreaming. Her favorite actor's actually here! This guy is so so so COOL in his movies, plus he's a great coordinator!
"Can I hang out with you?!" Lisia clasps her hands, her eyes dancing. "Pleaseeeeeee, Jacques?!"
"Of course, but don't think I'm easy to read."
"This is awesome!" Lisia holds a fist near her midsection, her other fist raised above her head. "And I prefer it that way!" She spins to face Melanie, Asgard and Leaf. "Contest Idol Lisia's in the hoooouse!~"
She high fives all three of them twice. Now then, it's time to approach the winner of the last contest she hosted. Not to mention that super cool and elegant Gardevoir. But this outfit is new to her. He looks classy in contests, but now he's bad to the bone. Let's see if he carries that mysterious vibe when casually out and about.
"Your real name's Valen, right?"
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't." Valen shrugs, his grin lopsided and his tone finished with allure. "A gentlemen doesn't reveal his secrets so easily."
"Oooh, I'll have to work to befriend you too." Lisia's voice carries an amused tone. "You've got an aura of mystery outside of the spotlight too. Good thing mysteries are fun to solve."
Valen's back is pressed against the chair. "Maybe the mystery is that I'm not a mystery at all."
Lisia howls and squeezes her eyes shut. "Got me there!"
Valen and Jacques offers her a fist bump, which she accepts twice. This squad's so awesome, she hopes she can be a part of it! ...Or maybe she's already a part of it? Who knows!
"Kaaay, now it's time for serious business!" Rosa leaps out of her seat and twirls. "I've been in a battle mood, buuut my opponent wasn't here until now!" She announces, pointing at Hilda. "Let's see if she can defeat me!"
Looks like Melanie and Leaf want in, so be it. She'll team up with Melanie and give Hilda and Leaf a wham, a bam, and a pow!
"Girl please, I'll smoke you." Hilda scoffs, waving her right hand dismissively. "Better check yourself before you wreck yourself." Hehe, Umbreon's nodding because she knows it's true.
"Tsk tsk tsk." Rosa wags a finger, her other hand resting on her hip. "Had a spark when you started but now you're just garbage."
"Hehe, I'll prove you lost already!" Hilda jumps with her palms folded. "But battling is so awesome whether you win or lose!"
The bubbly, sass-filled conversation conceals Valen's incoherent grumbling. His arms are crossed, and his lower lip is slightly puffed out. Rosa and Hilda are going to be on opposite teams, who's he supposed to fanboy over now?
A nudge from Gardevoir makes him yelp. Oh come on, why are Rosa and Hilda gesturing that they'll pull his cheeks?! All he wants to know how he can fanboy over both-he's done it before. They always throw his mind into chaos, but in a wholesome way.
Hilda wasn't kidding, these battlefields and their surroundings kinda look like a pocket-sized version of Barberini Stadium. Fields can vary in size and shape, but this trio of wide, rectangular fields are large enough for just about any Pokémon to duke it out in. There's enough space for bleachers, but only this battlefield has bleachers fully set up. There's enough seating for the curious onlookers on the sidewalk and in the nearby plaza.
Rosa and Hilda look like they're about to do a recital. Melanie reaches inside of her blue jean jacket for a Poké Ball. Leaf's taking out a Poké Ball from her yellow bag, she's giggling over those two pretending to be serious.
Lisia's so eager to watch that she's jumpy. The cotton puffs above her hands are pressed against the bottom of her chin, slightly hiding her grin. He's read that she's not a battler outside of contests, but she still enjoys watching them.
Rosa positions her right hand sideways. She points with her ring finger and sticks her thumb out. "How'd it come to this, after all we've been through?" She narrows her eyes at Hilda, her mouth hanging open. "Two of a pair now on opposites sides."
Hilda's eyes glitter, her smile now a silly grin. "From the very start, it was zero or two!" She jumps, clasping her hands over her right shoulder. "Watched each other shine as we battled with prideeee!"
"We're always glued together, but now we have to fight each other!" They point and wink at Valen. "We'll both win in this cutie's heart!"
"I. Am. Not. Cute." Valen grumbles, crossing his arms. "False hypothesis based on circumstantial evidence."
Rosa and Hilda laugh at his reddening face and the playful nudges he's getting from Skyla and his Gardevoir. If that wasn't cute enough, Umbreon's patting him with her paws.
Rosa takes out a Poké Ball from her pink purse, while Hilda grabs a Poké Ball from her red bag.
Rosa and Hilda twirl, tossing their respective balls upwards. Rosa's Hydreigon and Hilda's Garchomp leap out, a thud echoing as the latter lands on his feet. The ground quakes from the shockwaves caused by their roars.
Melanie and Leaf hurl their respective Poké Balls into the air. Melanie's chosen her Dragonite, while Leaf's going with her Tyranitar. The former lets out a battle cry while flexing, the latter unleashing his own roar.
Upon seeing this sight, Gardevoir glances down towards her trainer's belt. She folds her arms, a lopsided grin appearing. Wait for it...wait for it...bingo. Salamence just let himself out of his ball. His head's already on their trainer's lap for pets.
She spots a crowd gathering, some stand while others take a seat. Start the show already.
"We'll kick things off!" Melanie announces. "Use Dragon Dance!"
Light blue covers Dragonite's figure, and he rapidly rotates like a top. The evanescent glow protrudes and swirls like a whirlpool.
"Hehe, we're going with Hone Claws." Hilda playfully winking and wags a finger, her other hand on her hip. "Gotta move fast with a Swift attack!"
Garchomp launches a storm of stars from his mouth, which pelt Dragonite and Hydreigon. They shrug it off, teasing Garchomp that he's making it too easy for them. Despite being on opposite teams, the three dragons share a faint laugh with Salamence and Gardevoir. Tyranitar's perplexed as to why Hilda's pose made that Valen human blush, but he's got a battle to win.
Rosa bends her elbows, tightening her fists to make punching motions. "Wham bam pow, this one's gonna shake your world!" She smirks over the dork's increasingly reddening face. "Here comes Hydreigon's Earthquake!"
Hydreigon brutally roars with all three of his mouths. White shockwaves awaken the ground, making it tremble while careening towards Garchomp and Tyranitar. The attack's intense, but they managed to endure it.
"Two can play at that game, Rosa!" Leaf bends her elbows and leans forward. "Use Stone Edge!"
Tyranitar slams his hands and tail into the ground, giant pillars of rock sprouting upwards. The rugged pillars converge onto Dragonite and Hydreigon at once, both yelping as they feel the brunt of numerous jabs.
"We'll join the fun with Brick Break!"
Garchomp's fins point backwards as he leaps into the air. He places his fins in front of him, and they become veiled by a red glow.
Rosa and Melanie press their backs together, their faces beaming with confidence.
"Dragonite, use Reflect and Earthquake!"
"Hydreigon's Ice Fang will cool you down!"
Despite the damage he just took, Dragonite's narrowly able to protect Hydreigon from Garchomp via a circular, yellow barrier. Garchomp's rapid barrage of strikes fails to shatter the fortified defenses.
Before Garchomp can fall back, Hydreigon chomps down on his right fin with his main head, his protruding fangs encased in an icy blue glow.
Hydreigon falls back and Dragonite slams his tail into the ground. A series of white shockwaves making it tremble in fear. Garchomp and Tyranitar wobble due to the tremors, but they remain upright.
"Tee-hee, hope this doesn't make you rusty!" Rosa twirls on her tiptoes. "Flash Cannon!"
Orbs of silver energy form inside of Hydreigon's mouths. He fires off three beams, which unite into one massive beam. Tyranitar's struck in the lower jaw, the armored bipedal staggering backwards. Digging his feet into the ground prevents him from toppling onto his back.
"It's time to duel!" Melanie and Hilda's tones carry fervor. "Use Dragon Claw!"
Dragonite soars in from above, his claws glowing white. Both Dragonite and Garchomp slam their glowing claws into each other, trying to push the other off-balance. Dragonite's movements resemble that of a karate master, each claw being blocked or weaved around by Garchomp. Garchomp rotates in a full circle, managing to land a blow to Dragonite's cream-colored underbelly. However, Dragonite manages to land his own blow to Garchomp's head, right where the star is.
Rosa bends her elbows over her shoulders and clenches her fists. "Use Hydro Pump!"
While Dragonite and Garchomp continue to engage in their claw duel, Hydreigon fires a torrent after torrent of swirling water towards the smugly grinning bipedal.
Leaf places her fists on her hips "Hee hee, catch us if you caaan!~"
Tyranitar attempts to weave around each one like it's an obstacle course. At first, he's successful. Left, right, up, down, they all missed. But Hydreigon's luck gets a boost when one of the attacks slams into the diamond on Tyranitar's chest.
Neither Dragonite nor Garchomp wish to throw in the towel, not when they can envision themselves clashing the big screen. The dragons repeatedly strike each other in the other's upper body, the skirmish resembling a boxing match with claws instead of fists. They slowly begin to back off when they began panting. They can't waste all of the fight they've got on this.
"You got lucky, but it'll run out soon enough!" Leaf jumps from side to side while makes punching motions. "Rock em and sock em with a barrage of Ice Punches!"
While Garchomp forces the other two dragons to block his attacks, Tyranitar's fists glows icy blue. He roars, stomping towards Hydreigon and Dragonite. He's seen humans partake in this ritual called boxing on the glowing box, so he's envisioning himself in a boxing ring. Weird name for something that's not a circle, but whatever.
Tyranitar attempts to strike both dragons at once, both narrowly evading each time. Just when it looks like he's going to land a blow, they veer in opposite directions at the last moment.
Tyranitar can't hold back in time, but Garchomp jumps out of the way. However, both are now within close range of Dragonite and Hydreigon.
Rosa wags a finger. "Tsk tsk tsk, use Hydro Pump."
Melanie rests her hands on her hips. "Cool em down with Ice Beam."
This time, the torrential stream of swirling water is joined by two smaller streams from Hydreigon's pair of smaller mouths. The main and right streams blast into the diamond-shaped section located in the middle of Tyranitar's chest. The left stream strikes Garchomp at the same time as Dragonite's frost white beam does.
Leaf jerks her body straight up. "Oh noooo, this wasn't supposed to happen!" Her right arm's positioned sideways in front of her.
"Aieeeeeee, they got the jump on us!" Hilda jumps backwards, her right hand over her gaping mouth.
"They won't get lucky again!" Leaf shouts, making punching motions "Here comes another Stone Edge!"
Another slam from Tyranitar's head and tail, the giant pillars of rock appearing in a circular formation.
"Brick Break!"
"Dark Pulse!"
Dragonite chops several pillars like a kung fu fighter, but other pillars land their mark and he's forced to land. However, the stream of pitch black circles that Hydreigon's repeatedly firing from his mouths shatter many of the remaining pillars.
"Grrrr, try this on for size!" Leaf fakes an angry expression, but cheerfully closes her eyes seconds later. "Hee hee, use Focus Blast!"
A light blue orb of energy between Tyranitar's hands. He throws it like he's a pitcher throwing a baseball.
Melanie crosses her arms and slightly tilts her head rightwards. "Light Screen."
Dragonite flies in front of Hydreigon, blocking the attack with a dense rectangular barrier that emits a bright yellow aura. Both dragons get pushed back from the attack's force, but the orb vanishes soon after.
"Seriously?!" Leaf yelps, a hand over her gaping mouth. "Talk about a twist!"
"Throw in a twist with Dragon Claw!"
Both of Dragonite's hands glow white again. He rockets towards both of his opponents, who attempt to evade. However, he's able to slash them several times.
"Tyranitar, Outrage!"
Tyranitar's eyes glow metallic black, an aura of the same color enveloping his figure. He roars, then runs towards Hydreigon at a breakneck pace.
"It's your turn to catch us, Leaf!" Rosa giggles and does a twirl. "Hydreigon, strut your stuff!"
Hydreigon narrowly avoids slash after slash, but Tyranitar does manage to get in several strikes. Hydreigon grunts, but he keeps narrowly avoiding. blows.
The torrent of slashes isn't letting up, Hydreigon's movements resembling that of a stunt driver trying to avoid obstacles in a performance. Eventually, Hydreigon falls back while Tyranitar begins to wobble around, leaving the armored bipedal wide open.
"Use Water Pulse!"
Dragonite's body glows a deep blue, a swirling vortex of waves appearing around him. A hard flap of his wings to send the water spiraling in all directions. The waves grow larger, the bellow as they bear down upon Garchomp and Tyranitar.
"Ice Fang!"
Once more, the fangs in Hydreigon's main mouth extend and glow icy blue. Hydreigon lunges for Garchomp, sinking his fangs into the bipedal dragon's left arm.
"Throat Chop!"
The fans within the smaller mouths glow purple. Hydreigon's smaller mouths clamp down on both of Garchomp's arms.
With Tyranitar out of commission for now, Hilda will make sure they can't land a blow. "Use Poison Jab!"
Garchomp's fins glow purple. His eyes are shut and his teeth are clenched, but his other arm's still free/ He knocks Hydreigon away by slamming his right fun into the six-winged dragon's smaller heads, following it up with his left fin. Garchomp leaps into the air and dives down, performing a midair spin in the process. He pummels Hydreigon with strike after strike, purple bubbles seeping out of an evanescent aura encasing Hydreigon's body.
"Let's go, Garchomp!" Hilda screams, her eyes carrying an inner glow. "Swift!"
Before Dragonite's got a chance, both dragons are pelted with a storm of dark blue stars. The damage is minimal, but it inconveniences them enough for another super effective attack.
"Dragon Breath on both!"
"Dragonite, use Ice Beam!" Melanie's tone is a tad panicky. "Hurry!"
As Hydreigon pulls himself together, he's blasted by a foggy, dark blue beam that Garchomp's fired from his mouth. A frost white beam is heading towards him, but Garchomp evades it like a race car on the track. He leaps over Dragonite's second Ice Beam, launching another foggy beam. It strikes the yellow-orange dragon on the right side of his head.
Melanie's surprised at first, but a smile appears moments later. "It wouldn't be any fun if it was easy."
Both dragons cope with the damage, while Tyranitar shakes his head. He's finally snapped out of his confusion. He fiercely glares at Dragonite and Hydreigon, roaring to announce that he's gotten it together.
Leaf breathes a sigh of relief. "Focus Blast!"
"Dragonite, counter with Brick Break!"
Dragonite attempts to stop Tyranitar, but Tyranitar's able to launch another light blue orb.
"Let's join in with a Dragon Pulse!"
Rosa wags a finger. "Knock Focus Blast into Garchomp."
The poison infliction's taking its toll on Hydreigon, but he's able to swing his tail to intercept the orb. It goes flying into Garchomp's mouth, preventing him from launching a dark blue sphere.
"Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Hilda cries out, her fist pressed against the bottom of her chin. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"
Tyranitar's sent stumbling by a blow from Dragonite's right hand. Dragonite doesn't let up, he keeps on walloping Tyranitar like a kung fu champion.
"Oh noooooo!" Leaf panics with a wide-eyed expression. "This isn't good!"
Determination beams from Hilda's face. "Don't worry, I've got this!" She raises a fist above her head. "Garchomp, use Dragon Rush!"
Energy surrounds Garchomp, the dragon smack dab in the middle. Garchomp kneels, then he leaps up. The energy transforms into a massive dragon with spikes on each knee, a pair of extra fangs protruding sideways from both ends of the mouth.
The air trembles at the feet of the bellowing wind. Like a meteor hurling down in the atmosphere, Garchomp dives down and blasts Dragonite and Hydreigon into the ground, causing smoke to surround the dragons for a few moments.
The smoke quickly evaporates, but it feels like an eternity for everyone. Much to Garchomp's surprise, Dragonite slowly manages to stand upright. Hydreigon struggles more, but he's able to regain flight.
All four Pokémon are heavily panting, but they've got no regrets about their performance. They try to muster up enough energy to deal the finishing blows.
"We've got this in the bag!" Rosa and Melanie press their backs together. "Use Dragon Pulse!"
Black spheres of energy form in front of all three of Hydreigon's mouths, while a white sphere appears in front of Dragonite's mouth. After Hydreigon launches the spheres, they immediately merge and morph. The end result is a gigantic black dragon with ominous red eyes, spiky wings, and a line of spikes running down its back and tail.
Dragonite fires off his sphere, which morphs into a dragon-shaped beam. It further into a gargantuan, armored white dragon with quadruple wings and spikes on its shoulders. The air's shaken by the mighty gale encircling the two dragon formations. Both formations bear down upon Garchomp and Tyranitar at the same time. Upon impact, an explosion goes off and the two Pokémon are flung backwards. In the midst of the evaporating smoke, they land on their backs.
Dragonite raises his hands and happily closes his eyes, whereas Hydreigon dances and wildly shakes all three of his heads. They commend their friends for fighting well, they're always worthy opponents.
"We won!" Rosa and Melanie exchange a fist bump. "We rock!"
Rosa kiss all three Hydreigon's heads and Melanie high fives Dragonite. As Umbreon dashes over to congratulate their dragons, they overhear Hilda and Leaf commending their respective Pokémon as they recall them. Rosa and Melanie follow suit, their dragons need a good rest after that clash.
"Good battle!" Hilda and Leaf run towards them and partake in a quadruple high five. "That was fun!"
Skyla, Lisia, Asgard, and Jacques approach the four, but Rosa notices that Valen's taking his sweet time. His hands are in his pockets, his expression one of indifference, and his Pokémon are teasing him with mischievous smiles.
Tee-hee, that's not going to work, Valey sweetie! Noooooow, It's time for Rosa Holmes to get to the bottom of Lisia's presence!
"Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, whatcha planning?" Rosa clasps her hands behind her back and bends her body towards Hilda. "Hmmmmmmm?"
"Lisia and I have teamed to see if we can pull off a project!" Hilda's hands are clasped over her right shoulder. "It's called Pokétopia Park!"
"I came here to discuss that, but I get to hang out with awesome people!" Lisia shuts her eyes, her grin widening. "This is amazing!"
Upon Hilda's smile fading for a brief moment, Valen shoots a concerned gaze in her direction. His gut's telling him something's not right here—there's a reason why she's never tried this before. He believes in her ability to pull it off but he also wonders if she's thinking way too big.
"Don't worry," Hilda whispers into his right ear. "No matter what, I'll still be the antidote to dull days."
Satisfied with this answer, Valen exchanges a few kisses with her. Hilda's pulled back into the chat by Melanie, who is apparently challenging all the ladies to best her in style. Jacques and Ragnar have no idea what to do, but neither does he.
While the others converse, Valen realizes that the siblings from earlier are among the onlookers. Turns out that the kid has an Axew. He's boasting to the other kids that he met Valen the Reaper in person. All of these kids are over the moon over the battle they just witnessed, and they've noticed his Salamence and Gardevoir. They sneak away to greet the onlookers and their Pokémon.
Valen's mysterious ways are seemingly no match for the peripheral vision of the crazy wholesome minds, but they're playing along. However, it doesn't long for Melanie to spot him gesturing towards kids, who gleefully approach his Salamence and Gardevoir.
Salamence closes his eyes and cocks his head back, whereas Gardevoir folds her arms and leans against her teammate. As for Valen, he's taken a detour to tend to a young Eevee who tripped. After making sure that the Eevee isn't injured, it wags its tail and he pets it several times.
He gestures towards a young girl with a timid Gothita and a jumpy Axew. The girl and her Axew skips towards them, but her Gothita is slower in their approach. Salamence shows off his roar and the Axew's eyes gleam in awe. Gardevoir greets both Pokémon with an angelic cry and a bow. A few seconds pass before the Gothita attempts to mimic Gardevoir's gesture.
"My Gardevoir used to be shy too, back when she was a Ralts."
Indeed she was, she still remembers when she wandered into a backyard. There was a human child playing with a Cyndaquil and a Shinx. They spotted her hiding behind a thick plant, the human offered her a berry. Cyndaquil and Shinx nudged it closer to her. Slowly, she approached and took a nibble. It was so yummy that she wanted a second one.
She comes back into the present and approaches that human. She kisses the top of her head and caresses his face. It's the least she can do to say thanks.
Oh? He's gotten a message from that Kris human. It's about the museum and she's elated about her role there. Is she also elated about being with Silver? She can sense the the intensity of their true affection towards each other.
One gorgeous building with over a million difference pieces from around the world, including all of her favoritr painters. For Kris, this is the high life. It's so much fun to share her passion with visitors! She even gets to partake in practice runs of various tasks. Yesterday, she see identifying an original Kasmenestian sculpture and the provenance of paintings!
She strolls out of the interior design displays, her eyes gleaming over the lovely Gothic Revival and Art Nouveau interiors she just witnessed. Imagine if she got to live in a Victorian era seaside cottage or country home with Gothic Revival and Art Nouveau furniture!
She enters the painting section, this specific isle containing the museum's Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. The professor said to take her time to explore, but she's come here to construct the first of three brief provenance documents. She only needed to select one, but she picked two paintings from two different eras. She went to the archives, but she wanted to type up the documents with the paintings in sight.
It might seem simple, all she has to do is establish ownership. However, she's practicing with works who's already documented. When a "lost" work turns up after being missing for decades, or even centuries, it's a different ballgame.
She keeps on moving, euphoria flowing with more intensity within her mind and body. All of these people come from different walks of life, but they all have the ability to appreciate art. It's a beautiful sight to behold, it's a big reason why she wants to be a curator.
She walks into the room containing her chosen work. "This is what got me into Impressionism," she whispers. "Caldre Monet's The Impression of Sunrise. Painted in 1872."
The warm colors are seamlessly blended, that's the norm for a Monet. Quick, thick strokes of the brush were the name of the game, the goal was to capture the overall essence of the scene instead of specific details.
The brisk morning mist conceals Coumarine City's harbor and the historical buildings around it. The Suicune's in the center of the pale blue water, its figure obstructed by a black accented note. To Suicune's northwest lies an occupied boat that's obstructed by the same note. The majestic legendary is looking into the sky, seemingly entranced by the beaming rays of the orange sun. Orange is also present in various spots in the sky, merging with the predominant blue to create brown. The top left contain the biggest usage of brown, and Articuno gracefully soars below that portion.
Before she continues, she takes a quick detour. Her second favorite Impressionist piece, The Camphirer Aqueduct by Antoine Guillaumin, is across from the room. The depicted bridge, located southwest of Lumiose City, is a favorite of her architect father.
Road and rail say hi to each other in this work, which was painted in 1874. The tan-colored arch bridge towers over the people and the Pokémon on the left end of the piece. There's plenty of foliage, from small plants to thick bushes, on both sides of the train tracks. The vibrant green used brings the essence of the natural world to life. It joins forces with the manmade objects to create a great scene, and that river hiding in the background isn't slick.
Camphirer Town's a lovely place to visit when someone want a break from the hustle and bustle of Lumiose City, Kiloude City, or Marselles City. She loves them too, she loves Kalos in general.
Back to the Monet. She takes a seat in the chair directly across from work. She pulls out her cell phone from her purse and begins typing in a document app. A few extra details will be added, that's how she rolls.
1873: Derided by a few art critics in Kalos, lauded by artists in Kalos, Unova, and Galar.
1874: Monet visits Unova, his work receives an immensely positive reception in Aspertia City. Renoir, Pissarro, and Manet join him in Castelia City a few months later.
1874: Sold to art collector Carlos Nimbasa, he was a great-grandson of Domingo Nimbasa. Most of his collection's been in the Nimbasa Art Museum since 1900.
1881: Sold to Keith Whitley of Aspertia City. He was the figurehead of the Unovan Impressionists.
1920: The painting ends up with Harold Kors, a wealthy art dealer based out of Wyndon. He moved to Lilycove City later that year. He was the grandfather of Samuel Kors, who was Wallace's grandfather and the founder of the fashion brand.
1920: Harold Kors conducts a trade with Richard Lauren of Undella Town. Kors exchanged the Monet, plus a Canaletto and a Lorrain, for a Botticelli. Richard Lauren was the father of Grimsley Lauren, the founder of the fashion brand. His grandson's Grimsley Lauren III of the Unovan Elite Four.
1940: Eight paintings, including the Monet, were sold by Richard to finance his son's new fashion brand. They were bought by Claude Beauchêne, the director of the Calvanian Museum of Art from 1931 to 1961.
Wait a minute, Claude Beauchêne was the professor's great-grandpa. He was succeeded by his son, Roberto Beauchêne, who was director for forty five years. He was succeeded by his granddaughter...that means he might become the director one day! That's so cool! The Beauchêne family have been an integral part of the museum since day one!
She'll look around for a bit, then the Renaissance paintings will be graced by her stylish presence. After that, it's onto the Far Eastern paintings. Specifically, it's a Botticelli and a Hiroshige that will be in awe of her, but she'll be in awe of them too.
She haven't seen Salvator Botticelli's work in a while. While giving a televised interview, Wallace said that Botticelli was his favorite painter. That was the reason behind those cool accessories decorated with Galatea's Grace. She'd love to get the necklace, but that's the hardest to come by.
Time to check out the Victor van Gogh paintings, the museum's got twenty five works! The room's down the corridor, to the Krismobile!
What did you think of this chapter? What's your favorite moment out of the first five chapters?
Did you enjoy seeing Hilda encouraging/reassuring Wes? How about the interactions Valen had in this chapter?
Did you like the pseudo-legendary tag match?
Arthur was a character who appeared in Identity, I dunno if he'll appear in this one.