Chapter 21

The Tales of Lumiose City

The Tale of Misty and Clemont

*Clemont's POV*

Ever since I left the group temporarily to hone my skills, I had busy days as the Lumiose City Gym Leader. The biggest match since then was during our reunion, when I had a Double Battle with Ash and Brianna together. I was so thankful for Evelyn volunteering to assist me that day.

Fortunately, there was a Pokémon Center right outside. We decided to let Nurse Joy examine our Pokémon before heading out. But we were a little surprised to see a certain Champion already there. "Mom? What brings you here?"

"Oh! Hi, sweetie." Diantha replied. "I was checking in for the night. There was a water pipe that burst open back home, so I've been temporarily evicted until the plumber can fix it."

"Oh… that's too bad. I was hoping to show my friends where I lived tonight."

"They said it should be finished by tomorrow afternoon." She then held up a piece of paper. "But, hey, glass-half-full, they did pay for my stay, and they even gave me a voucher for a free visit to a nearby salon!"

She handed it to me, and I took a thorough look at it. "It says here that you're allowed to invite one guest."

"I know. I heard from the Professor that you were in town, so I was wondering if you wanted to come along with me."

Brianna looked surprised, but with little motivation from the rest of us, she accepted the invitation. I was particularly pleased. I knew Diantha had a big surprise for her. What that was, I did not know at the time, but I was sure Brianna would share it with us when she returned.

The next day, the Bellerose family left for the spa. The rest of us decided to take special time off to rest and recover. I decided to partake in a fishing tournament alongside Misty. While I was prepping, Misty had already cast her line.

"Ahh, nothing like a little time off to recharge and refresh…" she commented. "If you don't hurry, Clemont, you're gonna miss the whole thing."

Funny she should say that, as I was now ready. "The future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic Gear, ON!" I turned around to show her my latest invention. "Presenting the Fully-Automatic-Fishing-Rod-Mecha-Catch-O-Matic! From casting like a professional to picking the right lure, this groundbreaking machine has every move up to the landing programmed in and will perform them all automatically!"

Misty gently put her rod down on the rack and proceeded to clap with an uninterested look on her face.

"Spare me your halfhearted applause. When you see this beauty win the contest, your applause will be at least three-quarter-hearted!" I was just about to cast my line when…

"Oh, how deplorable…" a voice caught me off guard. It came from one of the other contestants, who just happened to be standing next to me. He was a little taller than me, with lime-green hair, and a black sweater vest. "That's not fishing; you're just playing with a toy."

I was rather offended by his comment. "What do you mean 'playing with a toy'?"

"Well then, being that I am a Fishing Connoisseur, let me give you an explanation that packs a punch and glides down the throat." As he spoke, he placed his own rod on the stand. "IT'S EVALUATION TIME!"

Both Misty and I were a little taken aback by his… eccentric personality.

"The pleasure of fishing is the strong and powerful throbbing you feel through the rod when you get a bite, and the thrilling power game until you finally land it! However! Who's this machine, you won't be able to feel the throbbing, and you leave the power game to it as well. Because it renounces all traces of the rich taste that fishing has, it's the most ill-suited excuse for fishing imaginable!"

His words hurt me, worse than my invention literally blowing up in my face. "Forgive me for contradicting you, but if it takes these points that can be approved on into account, it should be possible to invent a machine that does let you enjoy the throbbing and power game! In simpler terms, science will open up the future!"

Our fishing rival smiled with confidence. "That sounds like a challenge! There's an Eelektross that's allegedly the king of this canal. The one who catches Eelektross wins the tournament. Let's see who catches it first - the Connoisseur, or the Scientist!"

"You're on!"

The challenge continued for quite some time. The cameras I installed on the Catch-O-Matic's lure searched the depths of the canal for Eelektross. Meanwhile the Connoisseur held the stance of, in his own words, 'A Ratatta taking shelter from the rain at the edge of the eaves.'

While I was successful in catching a few bites, I was failing in collecting the aforementioned Eelektross. At the same time, I watched as several others caught aquatic Pokémon that made mine look like I was using an Old Rod. The exact same could be said for the Connoisseur.

"How are we doing so badly?" I asked. "I planned for every variable."

"Maybe it's the crowd," the Connoisseur told me. "Let's try further upstream. I'm sure we can do better down that way."

Taking his advice, we both hurried to an open area across the bridge nearby. As we cast our lines, we both hoped to reel in the big one. Shortly afterwards, I seem to catch a large one. I was almost tugged into the canal, but thankfully, I was able to hold my ground and pull it to shore. It turned out to be a Clawitzer, the Howitzer Pokémon. As it surfaced, it angrily charged at me with Aqua Jet, its gigantic claw at the ready.

Before I could do anything, the Connoisseur tossed a Poké Ball out and revealed a Stunfisk before me. "Mud Bomb!" It fired a few balls of mud from its beak and struck the Clawitzer, forcing it back underwater.

I wiped the sweat from my brow. "Thanks for the save," I told him.

"No worries," he replied. "We may be rivals, but that doesn't mean we can't help each other in a pinch."

Just then, we heard a voice from back across the bridge. "Time's up! Everyone, reel in your last catch!"

As we returned to the contest, the Connoisseur patted me on the back. "Too bad about the Clawitzer. If you had caught that, you definitely would've won."

"I wouldn't count on it…" I pointed ahead. What we saw left is gobsmacked.

Someone had indeed caught Eelektross… Misty! As we approached, we both asked how she caught it.

"Water-type Gym Specialist, remember?" She told us. "I've forgotten more about fishing than the two of you combined know."

The Connoisseur smiled with humility. "I guess there can only be one chef in the kitchen… and she's it." I nodded silently in agreement.

After a brisk, yet appetizing lunch, we invited him to see the Prism Tower. "So beautiful! So powerful!" Cilan cheered as he examined how tall the Prism Tower is. "I didn't expect to get to see it at such a nice time! Not just that, though, I get to see it with such great friends!"

"Yeah, I can totally agree with that!" Misty cheered too. "Your fishing skills were excellent. Without your ideas and technological skills, you two definitely would've won if not for my catch!"

"Alright then, I'm going to go see the Master Tower in Shalour City. Thanks for today, and best wishes!" The Connoisseur thanked us and then went on his way.

As we approached the Tower, I realized something. "Hey, Misty, did you by chance get his name?"

Her eyes widened. "I didn't…" she stated, a little embarrassed. "Oh, well…"

The Tale of Jessie and James

*James' POV*

It was our first real day off since the day we joined Team Rocket. With our resignation set in stone, Jessie, Meowth and I planned to take this day to the fullest. Everyone else had plans of their own for the day, so we tried to do the same. I had heard that there was a street fair not too far away, so we decided to check it out.

We found the fair at Magenta Avenue. It was a ton of fun - rides, games, prizes… despite our sudden change of budget, we were set to enjoy the day like it was our last.

At around noon, we decided to take a break for lunch. As we looked for a place to eat, Jessie was carrying a Chansey plush that was almost half the size of an actual Chansey. "Where am I going to put this big guy?" Jessie giggled. "It's not gonna fit in any of my bags."

"It's practically as big as you are," I joked.

That was when I found a place. Up ahead was a little restaurant called Café de Évaser. We had never heard of the place, but we were willing to try it out. Sadly, we discovered it was closed. We left the block to try and find someplace else, when suddenly, we heard a clicking noise. James checked to see someone unlocking the doors. He did not seem to notice us though…

"They're ust opening now?" Jessie asked.

"Maybe they broke for their own meal," Meowth commented. "Let's try it now."

We returned right away to see the clerk in the back of the restaurant by a china cabinet. He seemed to press against a certain part of the side. It slid aside to reveal a hidden passageway.

"What the…"

We had to scramble, but we managed to slip in before the passageway closed. Clearly, there was more to this place than met the eye. We hid behind a corridor that led into a certain room. Within were some people dressed in red, or orange…

"It's those Team Flare guys Brianna told us about…" Jessie murmured.

"What're those low-lifes doing here?" I asked no one in particular.

We soon got our answer… we watched as a little girl who vaguely reminded me of my ex-fiance appeared. The ones from before saluted the girl, by positioning their arms so they formed the letter F. "Princess Allie!" they declared with pride. "It is an honor and a privilege!"

"The privilege is all yours," she replied haughtily. "I trust you have what I came here for?"

"Yes, Ma'am. The Prison Bottle Lord Lydos entrusted you with is here." One of them left to retrieve it.

Jessie, Meowth and I looked at one another with wonder. The Prison Bottle? What was that? Going off what little we knew about Team Flare, we were certain it could not be anything good.

The Grunt returned with the artifact in question. It had a rather odd shape to it - dark pink top, gray bottom, and it looked like it was held together by a series of rings. The topper seemed to look like a head… with horns.

"Excellent," Allie grinned evilly. "With this Pokémon under my control, I will destroy the fake princess, and everything will be all ours!"

Not on our watch… Fortunately, we kept a few gadgets from Team Rocket. I used the Robotic Grabber to snatch the bottle before it could be bequeathed.

Allie looked surprised… and furious. "WHO DARES?!"

"Did someone ask something? We're here to find out?"
"Noble answers are what we're all about!"
"A beauty so innocent, the flowers and moon hide in shame! A reformed flower of purity in this fleeting world: Jessie!"
"The humbly rehabilitated man of our times! The master of goodness fighting back against a tragic world! It's James!"
"It's all for one and one for all! A former dark star that now shines bright! Dig it, while Meowth takes flight!"
"Team Bellerose, let's fight!"
"That's right!"
"Wobbuffet!"

"'Takes flight'?" Allie asked with childish wonder. "A Meowth who can fly?"

"It was a figure of speech, you Twerp!" Meowth replied, then paused. "Wow… it feels weird when it's not Ash…"

"You see, Team Bellerose is the new counter-organization for the likes of you!" I added. "I'm surprised you didn't know that!"

Allie sniffed haughtily. "The first of Team Bellerose… and also the last! Get them!"

"Houndour, use Flamethrower!" One of the Grunts tossed a PokéBall and released one, who fired the attack at us.

"The spotlight's on you, Wobbuffet!" Jessie's partner jumped in front of us. It glowed a bright pink aura allowing it to reflect special attacks back at the opponent at twice the initial power. It smashed into the Houndour, who were blasted into their Trainers.

I then took out one of our old Gas Bombs and let them have it. As it blew up in their faces, we made our escape.

Outside, we found a good place to hide, and change our outfits. At the same time, Meowth found a way to hide the Prison Bottle. He popped open a seam from Jessie's Chansey Plush and hid it in the cotton.

The Grunts passed right by us, not knowing it was us. "Find them, and when you find them, destroy them!" Allie demanded.

"Yes, Ma'am!" The Grunts replied and fanned out. They fanned out in all directions, passing us completely.

Once we were sure we were safe, Jessie opened the plush once again. "Thankfully, I can fix this…"

"I wonder what sort of Pokémon lives in a bottle?" Meowth asked.

"There's only one way to find out…" I pulled out my Poké Ball and released my Malamar. "Stand by, buddy. We don't know what'll happen…"

Malamar, Meowth and I stood ready to defend ourselves from whatever we would unleash Jessie grabbed the bottle top and slowly removed it. She held the bottle up for us to take aim…

…but nothing happened.

We tried everything else we could think of - holding the bottle upside down, shaking it, rubbing it, patting the bottom like a ketchup bottle.

Still nothing.

Jessie huffed angrily. "All that trouble for a stupid vase."

I had my doubts. 'There must be something…' I thought to myself. I had the bottle stuffed into my bag, telling Jessie I would sell it online. Later, that day, I purchased a book on rare and powerful Pokémon. I was going to get to the bottom of this… eventually…

The Tale of Bonnie and Brock

*Bonnie's POV*

Brianna and her Mommy had just left for their special family day out. The rest of us were left to do whatever we wanted for the day. My big brother knew something about Brianna's Mommy… that she had a surprise for her. I tried to get him to tell me, but he told me, "I told you all I know." That really annoyed me.

I was trying to think of what to do while we waited for Brianna to come back. Then, I saw Ash handing Pikachu over to Brock. He lightly stroked his head. "It's only for a day, buddy," he told him. "We'll be together again sooner than you know, and it will be like nothing happened."

"Pika Pika…" Pikachu seemed a little sad, but he trusted him.

He then looked up to his Kanto friend and handed the rest of his Poké Balls to him. "I'm counting on you, Brock."

"You have my word, Ash," he promised. "I'll care for them like they were my own."

I walked over to them. "Hey, Brock? Can I help you take care of Ash's Pokémon?"

He smiled. "Absolutely! More hands make for less work, I always say."

"Yay! Leave it to me!"

"Come on out, everybody!" I watched as Brock released all the Pokémon in front of me. Frogadier, Fletchinder, Hawlucha, Goomy… Braixen? Pancham? Solsol? But Serena did not give Ash all of her Pokémon, did she? "You all be on your best behavior for these two, okay?" They all responded as though in agreement.

The two of us made our way down a street close to the edge of the city, and all of the Pokémon I mentioned earlier followed. Brock checked a piece of paper he had in his pocket. "If Diantha's directions were accurate, the park should be just around the corner."

I then looked up to Brock. "Hey, why did Ash give all his Pokémon to us? And why Serena's as well?"

"Hm?" was his initial response. "Oh! Right. You didn't-!" he laughed. "Basically, Ash is gonna try to take Serena out on a date today. Just the two of them. He asked us to take her Pokémon so that they could be alone and enjoy themselves."

I did not think Ash was the romantic type before. I was rather impressed. If only Clemont had the same ambition…

True to Mrs. Bellerose's direction, the park was there after all. That was the good news. The bad news was something was going on. There was a large group standing at the gate. Whether they wanted to get in, or they wanted to know what was going on, I did not know right away.

As we got closer, I could hear the groundskeeper addressing everyone. "Please settle down!" he told them. "We got a situation in there. I'd rather not discuss it until Officer Jenny gets here."

"Look! Here she comes!" somebody shouted. There came Officer Jenny on her motorcycle. She threw up her kickstand and approached the groundskeeper. "What's going on here?" she asked.

"Thank goodness you arrived," he said. "It started like any other day - opening the park and letting the Trainers and Pokémon enjoy the facility. About fifteen minutes into the business day, a wild Kangaskhan charged in and scared everyone away! She's over by the lake inside."

"That's all I need to know. Let's go, Manectric," her partner growled in assertiveness.

As she approached the gate, Brock came up behind him. "Ma'am, perhaps I can assist you? I may not look it, but I'm a former Gym Leader from another region."

"That would be helpful. I'm counting on you."

He then looked at me. "Bonnie, I need you to wait out here. This could get ugly." I was a little disappointed not to help, but Clemont told me to trust his judgment, so I had to comply.

They entered the park to deal with the wild Kangaskhan, and I stayed on the outskirts of the park. I then opened my pouch and woke Squishy. I placed him onto my head and pointed to Brock and Officer Jenny. "Can you see what's going on in there?"

'Let me try,' Squishy then closed his one eye and tried to concentrate. His buddy then glowed a little as he began to hone his ability.

What happened then, I could not explain. Maybe it was Squishy's place on my head, or maybe it was because he really wanted me to see. But the groundskeeper later told me my eyes were glowing a bright green. At the same time, it felt like I could see inside the park like I was actually standing there.

"Wow! I didn't know you could do this!" I told Squishy.

He laughed a little. 'Neither did I. I've never done this before, as far as I know.'

So we watched as Brock and Officer Jenny approached the lake. She had a few other Trainers and Pokémon pinned against the nearby trees. She tried to move away from her, but every time they even shifted a foot to the right, the wild Kangaskhan roared at them, scaring them stiff.

Officer Jenny addressed the scared Trainers. "Remain calm, everyone! Manectric and I will handle this!" She then looked at her partner. "Let's do this, Manectric!"

But Brock threw an arm in front of her. "Wait!" he began. "Something's not right. Kangaskhan's pouch is empty."

He was right. Squishy and I could see the baby Kangaskhan behind her mommy. It seemed intimidated, like everyone around them. But there was something more…

"Inflammation… its leg…"

"The baby is hurt?" Jenny asked.

"I can't know for sure unless I examine it. Situations like this are why I'm studying to be a Pokémon Doctor." He then pulled out another Poké Ball and released a Chansey.

Funny… I did not know he had one…

Anyway, Brock and Chansey slowly approached the wild Kangaskhan, and Jenny followed from a respectful distance. Kangaskhan snarled at them, trying to scare them off. But Brock spoke softly to her. "It's okay… I'm here to help… Nobody's going to harm you or your little one… I promise."

Kangaskhan was still defensive, but less so than before. When they got close enough, Chansey held her claw to comfort her.

After it calmed down a little more, Brock did the same thing like it was talking to a concerned parent. "I know you're protecting your little one, but I'm here to help. Just let me take a look, and I can help it to heal." A few seconds after that, the Mommy Kangaskhan stepped aside to present her baby to him. "Thank you… Now, little one, lemme see the boo-boo…"

The baby Kangaskhan waddled over. It was limping so I guess it has been hurting for a while now.

Then Brock carefully kneeled down and gently felt the baby's leg. "It's pretty inflamed… but I can tell nothing's broken underneath. Now, this might hurt for just a second…" He produced his first aid kit and sprayed some medicine on it. Then he wrapped his leg with some medical tape. Finally, he carefully picked the baby up and gently placed her back in the mommy's pouch. "Stay in here for a little while, and that'll help you feel better right away."

It then seemed to thank Brock for helping and quietly left the park. Many of us cleared the way so she could easily return to the forest.

Brock and Officer Jenny came shortly afterwards. "I saw everything through Squishy! You were amazing!"

"He certainly was." Jenny then patted Brock on the shoulder. "Thank you for your service… Brock, was it? I'm sure you'll become a superb doctor."

"Thank you… Though, I'm still an inexperienced man and need to study more… HOWEVER!" I jumped back a little as Brock took Officer Jenny's hand into his own. "I'll make sure to become a full-fledged doctor one day. And then, to protect People and Pokémon alike, I'll join hands with you and-!"

Right then came the real surprise. As Brock was flirting with Officer Jenny, one of Brock's Pokémon appeared from its Poké Ball on its own… specifically, a Croagunk. Before he could finish his sentence, Croagunk's fingers glowed purple as it jabbed its Trainer with them.

Brock fell to the ground like he lost every bone in his body right then. "…or… maybe not…" Then the Croagunk dragged him away.

I winced as I watched the Croagunk chaperone its Trainer away. "Maybe I shouldn't find someone to take care of Clemont… for now…"

The Tale of Brianna and Diantha

*Brianna's POV*

Clemont gave us quite the Gym Battle the day before. I for one was not expecting a Double Battle, much less with a Battle Chatelaine. But together, Ash and I pulled off a victory, earning out Gym Badges and another Pure Heart. Per Serena's suggestions, we would be heading for the Laverre Gym next.

But before we could leave Lumiose, something… unorthodox stopped us. Apparently, my mother received a special invitation to a new salon and spa that opened in Lumiose City. She was permitted one guest, and since I just happened to be in town at the time, she chose me to accompany her. I was a little reluctant at first, but the rest of my friends were supportive on my mother's behalf… especially Clemont. I knew not why…

The Lumi Cab was able to get us there swiftly. As we stepped out, I looked at the sign over the door.

Baby Face Beauty Parlor
Come As You Are & Feel Reborn

"Clever," Cocoa commented. "Is this the surprise you were talking about?"

Mom smiled at Cocoa and me. "Part of it. You've worked so hard since the day you began your journey… even more so since your encounter with your father and Xerneas… You deserve a special day off!"

As we walked to the main counter, I got a good look around. The entire area looked calming and serene. I could not help but feel relaxed already.

"Bonjour," said the clerk as we reached the counter. "You must be the Bellerose party we've been expecting. We have a special treatment for you and your. First, we'd like you to give your Pokémon to Miss Janice here."

"Wait, where are we going?" Diancie asked. "Shouldn't we be going that way, with Brianna?"

"We have a custom Pokémon division, where our many specialists will ensure you receive the best treatment possible."

"It'll only be for a short time, Cocoa," I assured her as we handed our Poké Balls to the clerk. "We'll be back together before you know it."

"If you say so…" she replied a little hesitantly before disappearing. "I don't suppose you do those Galarian rock massages, do you?"

The next hour went by, and we were given an experience I blissfully enjoyed. Facial treatments, mud baths, the steam room, manicures and pedicures (or as I like to call it, the 'Twenty-Digit Treatment'). About halfway through, they served us some cinnamon buns, hot from their own over. They also took exceptional care of our Pokémon as though they were their own. 100-stroke brushing for Seraphina, meditation sessions for Lacey, sunbathing for Flora… They even polished Diancie's gems.

As we returned to the front counter I sighed in relief. "I'm glad you invited me, Mom. I feel like I'm half my age now."

"Right?" she replied. "That masseur, Midas, really has the golden touch."

Our partners returned shortly after. They all looked like they had never even seen a Pokémon battle before, let alone partook in one. "Enjoy yourselves, everyone." They all replied in the affirmative. As I reclaimed our Poké Balls, I noticed something was different - there was one extra! "Um, sir?" I said to the clerk. "I think you gave me someone else's Pokémon."

"Actually, that's another part of the surprise," Mom started to explain as she picked it up. "I found this one the other day and thought of you." She opened the Poké Ball and released the creature from within. It was an elegant avian Pokémon with white and blue feathers. As we marveled in its beauty, Dexter analyzed it for me.

Swanna
The White Bird Pokémon
A Water and Flying-type
Despite their elegant appearance, Swanna can flap their wings strongly and fly for thousands of miles. A popular fable depicts Swanna as the ones who deliver newborns to their families.

"It's beautiful!" I stated as I stroked the back of its wings. "Does it have a nickname?"

"Her name is Marina, and she's yours to keep," she told me.

I looked back at my new Pokémon. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Marina. I'm sure we'll be great friends." Marina honked in pleasure. Then I turned back to Mom. "Thanks, Mom. This was a wonderful surprise."

Mom giggled. "Well, actually, she's not the surprise…"

"Huh? I don't understand."

"Think about it. There were several throughout the day."

There was a brief silence. I tried to think back on the experience in the spa. The buns they served… Marina… the name of this place…

My eyes were like saucers as it came to me. "Can it be? Are you...?!"

"Took you long enough! Come here, and give this expecting Mommy a big hug!"

That was exactly what I did! I could hardly believe it. Mom was having another baby. "That-that's incredible! Since when? Wait, how is this even possible?"

"That was one of my first questions. All I know is I had this dream about the night your father proposed to me, and I woke up one morning feeling nauseous. When I realized I was late, I ran down to the store, literally ran, and bought seven different tests. They all came back positive! There's no doubt about it! You're gonna be a big sister!"

This made very little sense to me, but I was too happy to care. This was the best news I heard in… ever! "We have to celebrate!" I began. "We gotta tell everyone! Oh! We should also remake my room into a nursery, and hire a pediatrician, and maybe we should-!"

Mom's laughing interrupted me. "Look at you… you've only been a big sister for twenty-five seconds, and you're already amazing at your job."

Of all the blessings I had been given since my journey began, this was perhaps my favorite of them all. I could not wait to meet my eventual brother, or sister, as our journey as a family continues…