Chapter 35

A Festival Trade

My friends and I have been on the road to Anistar City. It is there that Ash and I hope to challenge the local Gym Leader. At the same time, I hope to find another Pure Heart in her possession.

It was early one morning… I groggily left the girl's tent to find everyone else up and about. Clemont, and Jessie were preparing breakfast. I saw James and Malamar collecting berries from a nearby tree, and I saw most everyone else playing a game of Mankey in the Middle - with Diancie in the middle at the time.

I called out to them. "Good morning…" Everyone froze for a second, including me. Did I just…?

"Dig it! Hairbow can yap like us again!" said Meowth with a smile.

I decided to test it a little further by saying something a little more random. "Rubber baby... buggy bumpers… Rubber baby buggy bumpers. Rubber baby buggy bumpers!" I laughed a little as everyone else came in. "It's good to have that back!"

As I looked at my friends, I noticed there was a certain couple missing. I had to ask where Ash and Serena went. Magearna answered by pointing away. "They went that way. I think they're getting water from the lake."

So I decided to head over and help, and Cocoa and Jessie followed. It was a brisk walk, but the lake was close enough to camp. I pulled some shrub away to find the two by the lake, but rather than collecting water, they were just sitting by the lake's edge, holding each other close.

The three of us looked at each other and smiled. "Let's not disturb them…" said Jessie quietly, and we made our way back to camp. "I'm a little jealous of those two… they've got such great chemistry, and I'm still single."

"Really…" I replied. "I always thought you and James were a thing."

"Uh, no. We were a strict professional relationship… Union rules, you know?"

I then thought of something as we approached camp… "You know, you're not part of Team Rocket anymore. Why not ask James about it?"

"Ask me what?" asked the one in question.

Despite her usual behavior, she panics. "Oh! Uh, what would you like for your side dish? Fruit salad, or hash browns?"

"Pssh! Hash browns, on course!" Then he turned to another direction. "Listen, I gotta go relieve myself for a moment. I'll be right back."

Jessie sighed in relief and then started to explain. "Listen…James had what was essentially a psychopath for a fiancée. She was the ultimate reason for James joining Team Rocket. Anytime someone mentions the idea of James in a relationship, he gets so frightened he can barely think straight. It's best not to bring it up."

"But… What about you?" I asked.

She smiled and looked where James disappeared. "I may not be his golden girl… but as long as he's happy… that's good enough for me." She then went back to work preparing breakfast.

I did not say it, but I felt a little sorry for Jessie. I wished there was something I could do for her…

A few days later, we arrived at Vetiver Town to rest at the Pokemon Center. Bonnie and Magearna were racing to see who would pass through the town gate first. It was a close call but Bonnie came in first. "I'm first!"

Magearna stopped next to her. "Yeah? Well, I am second!" she giggled.

"That's not even-!" she stammered. "But I beat you!"

The rest of us caught up to them. "Slow it down, you two…" Ash told them.

"You could hurt yourselves," Clemont added.

Then we looked around. Above us were multiple strings of light. Banners hung from the light posts, and pumpkins seem to gather around the building. Something was going on around here, but what…?

Fortunately, the Pokemon Center was close by. The local Nurse Joy could tell us what was going on. As we entered through the front door, we were greeted by her assistant Wigglytuff. "Hello, and welcome to the Pokemon Center!" it seemed to say. "What can I do for you?"

We were a little surprised. Even after seeing how many different Pokemon speak, it could still astonish us to encounter another one.

But it was merely a friendly ruse. Nurse Joy, the actual source of the voice, was hiding behind her assistant. "Gotcha!" she giggled. "You must be new around here! You've arrived right in the middle of our Gourgeist Festival!"

"Gourgeist Festival?" Jessie asked. "What's a Gourgeist?"

Dexter hovered over. "Allow me!" And the image of what at first looked like her Pumpkaboo appeared on his screen.

Gourgeist
The Pumpkin Pokémon
A Grass and Ghost-type
Gourgeist wander through town at the new moon, capturing its prey with its hair-like arms. It evolves from Pumpkaboo when traded.

"An exchange evolution, huh?" Jessie muttered. "Well, that explains it…"

Then Nurse Joy continued to explain. "Gourgeist are kind of a big deal around this part of Kalos. Every year around this time, they return from their annual migration, so we hold a celebration for their arrival. Everyone likes to dress up in costumes for the festival."

"That sounds like fun!" said Serena. "Do you think maybe we could join in too?"

"Of course! It's open to everyone, local or otherwise!"

"Awesome!" Ash commented. "All we need are some costumes…"

Jessie, James and Meowth smiled. Being former masters of disguises, it was like this event was made for them. "Just leave everything to us!"

The trio were rather thorough with their techniques - measuring every inch of each of us to ensure our costumes were comfortable. Each of us were dressed as a different Pokémon - myself as a Pikachu, Cocoa as a Diggersby, Magearna as an Eevee, Squishy as an Ekans, Diancie as a Whimsicott, and so forth. At last, we were all set for our little adventure.

Per Nurse Joy's direction, we were able to find the town square, where most of the festivities could be. Like she said, the festival was already in full swing. People and Pokemon were everywhere, playing games, purchasing treats, or partaking in scavenger hunts.

At one point, two kids came over and handed some candy over to Bonnie, who was dressed as a Ludicolo. "What's this?" she asked.

"Oh! You must be new here," one of them said.

"During the Gourgeist Festival, everyone trades sweets with each other," said the other.

"Wow! Well, in that case…" Serena, dressed as a Florges, reached into her backpack and pulled out some of her handmade Poke Puffs. "Here! For you!" As they thanked her for the treats, she pulled out some more and handed them out to the rest of the group. "I've made plenty for everyone!"

"Thanks, Serena!" said her boyfriend, who wore a costume made to resemble a Snorlax. "Let's see how much we can trade!" His Pikachu, all made up to impersonate a Psyduck, chirped in agreement.

Personally, one of my favorite interactions of the night came when we found a stand with a jar full of jellybeans. The man tapped the lid of the jar. "If you can guess how many jellybeans are in here, they're all yours!"

Clemont, who wore a costume to resemble a Watchog, was a little excited. "Ooh! I'm really good at solving these kinds of problems."

And apparently, so was James. He pulled out a calculator from his Gourgeist costume and began tapping the buttons. "So the base of the jar is Pi times the radius squared…"

"You're measuring the radius in centimeters, right?" Clemont asked.

"No, inches. That way, I can cross-multiply the inch-fractions with Pi as twenty-two-over-seven."

"You don't use three-point-one-four for Pi?"

"OH FOR PETE'S SAKE!" Meowth shouted from within his Banette costume. He then pried the jar open and dumped the whole thing into his mouth. "There! Zero!"

The rest of us were surprised, and a little angry. "We have a winner… I guess?"

"Okay, that's technically correct," Clemont told him, "but you didn't show your work."

"I will in about half an hour."

*Ba-Dum TSSSS*

Later that night, we ran into a little bit of trouble. Three large Gourgeist emerged from an alleyway. They looked rather menacing as they hovered over and surrounded us. They then grabbed each other's arms so we could not get out.

'What do they want?' asked Diancie.

"If this is about the jellybeans," Meowth replied. "I'd be willing to pay it back!"

"That's enough, you three…" said a voice. A butler showed up and bowed apologetically as his Pokemon backed off. "Please forgive me if we frightened you, Your Highness. I am the steward of Count Pumpka. My master would like you to pay him a visit."

"Really?" asked Ash.

"Really really. We have a fine dinner waiting as well."

We all looked at each other for a moment, and then back at him. The steward did not seem to be a well-behaved gentleman, and if his master had already prepared a meal just for us… we smiled at each other before answering. "Okay then, we accept!"

*Jessie's POV*

We arrived at the Count's estate, where just as the stewart promised, a feast was waiting for us. There was so much food at the table, it seemed too much for just us.

As we waited for our host to arrive, I noticed a machine positioned in the back of the room - one which I was quick to recognize. It was one of those fancy-shmancy machines people use to trade their Pokemon with. When two Poké Balls were inserted into opposite ends of the machine, their occupants are swapped between them. I had to wonder why this count fellow had one of these present in the room.

At last, the count arrived. As he was partaking in the festival, he was styled like a Pumpkaboo. Another Pumpkaboo hovered along with him, though this one was much smaller than mine. "I apologize for the short notice. I trust the sudden invitation was fine?"

"We were a little startled with the presentation," said James, "but for a short notice, it was okay."

"Wonderful!" He sat down at the end of the table. "I've asked you here tonight for a single, simple reason. I have something to discuss regarding your Pumpkaboo."

"You mean mine?" I asked in surprise.

"Indeed. Yours is a rather rare specimen, you see. Why, I've never seen one as large as this one before."

Dexter interrupted. "Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist are known for their variety in sizes. They are separated into four categories - Small, Average, Large, and in Jessie's case, Super Size!"

"That's news to me," I commented. "...is that why you're interested in her?"

"Actually, my Pumpkaboo saw her first. When he saw your Pumpkaboo, it was love at first sight." As he explained, the little one approached my Pumpkaboo and cuddled against her. Comparing their sizes, it was comparable to the smaller head of a Weezing. I could tell he was making my Pumpkaboo uncomfortable, so I decided to store her away into her PokeBall. "...so I would like to make a deal with you. If you would be so willing, I would like to exchange this Mawile I recently caught for your Pumpkaboo."

I could understand the whole love thing, but I knew my Pumpkaboo did not seem to enjoy that idea. "Now look," I began. "My Pumpkaboo and I have shared countless memories together since we arrived in Kalos. Such a bond cannot be traded away."

"I think I should inform you," the count added to sweeten the deal, "that Mawile is one of the few Pokemon species who can Mega Evolve."

Once he said that, I could see Brianna caught some interest. "Dexter," she said, "can you tell me about Mawile please?"

"With pleasure," he began.

Mawile
The Deceiver Pokemon
A Steel and Fairy-type
Mawile's horns form a huge set of jaws strong enough to chew up an iron beam. When it Mega Evolves, it gains an additional jaw-like horn. Both jaws thrash about violently as if they each had a will of their own.

"Steel and Fairy? Bummer…" By this point, I knew she already had those two Pure Hearts.

I will admit, the idea of having a Pokemon who could Mega Evolve was tempting, but I still stood my ground. "I don't care if it becomes a triple-type Pokemon. The answer is still no."

The count looked disappointed, but he still smiled. "Well… I suppose it is better to try and fail…" He then raised a hand toward me. "No hard feelings?"

Before I could answer… KA-BOOM! The balcony door seem to fly across the room from the explosion. Many of us were thrown to random locations nearby, and some of us lost some of their PokeBalls. As we recuperated, I saw the source of the bursting. It was that little brat girl from Team Flare. She was accompanied by the last of the Flare Admins, and what was worse - they had James!

"Allie?! Xerosic?!" said everyone else in the team.

"That's Princess Allie to you!" she laughed haughtily. "And I see you made a new friend with these thieves!"

Brianna stood up to her. "Call them what you want, but they're not thieves anymore!"

"Wrong!" she rebutted. "That one with the purple hair has stolen a very important treasure from me! She's gonna give it back to me, and she's gonna lose her partner in crime!"

The one they call Mable then tossed a device over to me. "When you've made up your mind, come and find us at these coordinates! Come alone, or we'll crush him!" She then pulled a lever and hovered away, carrying James off with them.

Everyone else turned to me. "Jessie," Serena asked, "What's she talking about?"

"I… could've sworn we told you about this." I began. Then I told them about what James and I did the last time we were in Lumiose City. I explained to them that Team Flare had some sort of relic that was supposed to control a powerful Pokemon, and we snatched it from them before they could use it.

As I finished our story, the others looked at each other, and then back to me. "So what're we gonna do?" asked Bonnie. "We already lost the Megalith to Team Flare, we can't give them this Prison Bottle too."

I had to correct him about that. "Even if I wanted to, I don't have the Bottle. James does!"

Ash smiled. "Then that means… they don't know they have it already. They'll be waiting there indefinitely until we show up!"

"Either way, I have to save him!" I then looked around. I found that my PokeBall had landed in the Trade Machine, so I picked it back up and released my Pokemon. "Let's go Pumpkaboo!" I opened it up… only to reveal it was not Pumpkaboo. It was the Count's Mawile.

"My Mawile? Then that means…" The Count rushed over to the other end of the machine and picked up the PokeBall that landed therein. "Pumpkaboo must be in my PokeBall."

"Oh, no…" I groaned. It was Lickitung all over again! And while that proved to be rather advantageous in the long run, I'd rather not repeat this mistake again. Fortunately, the Count was rather understanding about the situation. We both reinserted our PokeBalls into the machine, and the tradeback was complete.

I released my Pumpkaboo from her PokeBall for confirmation, but immediately after I did so, her body began to glow… and grow… her neck grew to double her own size, and her head seemed to grow a large amount of hair… like hands? Her pumpkin grew dark, and her hair turned orange.

'The exchange evolution thing completely slipped my mind,' Squishy commented.

The Count's Pumpkaboo saw my newly evolved Gourgeist and started to freak out. He hid behind his master, who was quick to understand. "Well, I suppose this was for the best… it seems my Pumpkaboo liked your Pokemon better before she evolved."

Jessie smiled. "All the same, this could work to our advantage."

*James' POV*

We had been waiting a while for Jessie to come to the coordinates. The two had kept their Medicham and Swampert to watch over me. Little did they realize that the Prison Bottle they were after was in my bag. As the two girls waited for her, I was trying to weasel my way out. "You're wasting time, you know…" I told them, "We already lost the Megalith to you. We're not gonna just let you have anything else."

"Shut up in there!" the runt told me.

"Okay, fine. I was just trying to help you out. Jessie doesn't care about me any more than she cares about you. You'll be waiting around for nothing."

"You really think," said the Mable, "you can just talk us into walking away from this assignment?"

"That's just what Manfredi and Johnson asked me," I answered, "six hours before they were sent home inside the PokeBall intended for their mission."

But soon, I was proven wrong. Shortly after I said that, Jessie arrived. But without the Prison Bottle, how could she free me?

"I'm here for James," she told them. "Let him go… now."

"Give us the Prison Bottle," Mable demanded. "Then, we'll talk."

I did not know what Jessie's plan was, but I could not blow her cover. "Jessie, don't! I'm not worth it!"

"Yes, you are…" she rebutted. "...to me…"

"Oh, now this is precious!" the little one laughed. "You said she doesn't care about you, but she's fallen in love with you!" As they continued to laugh, Jessie drooped her head.

For some reason, I had to believe Allie was right. For the very first time, I could see something in my comerade - embarrassment, disgrace, almost as if… "Jessie… is this true?"

"Who cares?" Mable interrupted. "We didn't come here for a love story! Hand over the Prison Bottle, or else!"

"Okay… fine…" she then reached into her purse and pulled out what looked like the Prison Bottle by the base. I was surprised, because I thought I had it. She placed it down and backed away.

Mable then looked at her Medicham. "Take it," she demanded, and the Psychic-type then approached the Bottle. It reached out, but its hand went right through it. Then from underneath, a series of roots emerged and entangled the Medicham.

Jessie smiled and looked to one side. "Excellent work, Gourgeist!" The Pokemon in question emerged from the forest, smiling as it drained the opposing Pokemon.

"A trick! Mable, do something!" Allie shouted.

"With pleasure," She then raised her wrist to reveal that Dark Keystone, and waved her hand over it. "Nega Wave!" Before us, the Medicham and Swampert Nega Evolved, and the former broke free of the Leech Seed.

Jessie still smiled with confidence. "Listen and learn, Little Miss Petticoat," she began, "if you depend on Nega Evolution, your Pokemon will never ever get stronger. It's most important to deepen the bond you share with your beloved partner." I fully realized what she said was true, but I do not think it helps in this particular instance.

"What a bore… Swampert, use Water Gun!" Swampert fired the projectile at the opponent, who was quick to dodge.

"Gourgeist, let's deepen our bond with Seed Bomb!" She fired the rapid attack on the opposing Swampert, who was unable to evade. That was a good choice on Swampert, because being both Water and Ground-type, the attack was quadruply hurtful. "Okay, time for Leech Seed!"

"Medicham! Intercept and use Counter!" The other Pokemon did just that. It took on the attack and then proceeded to change at them. It tried to strike its Fighting-type move with double the power, but the attack went right through her, as Fighting-type moves had zero effect on Ghost-types.

"Let's wrap this up with Leech Seed." Gourgeist then proceeded to entangle the two once again, rendering them immobile. "You're on, Brianna!" she called out in the distance.

The true princess appeared, having already taken on her Mega Evolved form, and aimed at the two Nega Evolved Pokemon. "Light of Hope!" She fired the attack on them both, purifying them and restoring them to their original forms.

"I told you to come alone!" Mable told them. "Now, say goodnight to your sweet prince." She pressed a button on her wrist.

But nothing happened. And for good reason. While Jessie was distracting them, Clemont was busy trying to hack his way into the cage that subdued me.

"Pikachu, now!" I heard Ash's voice call out. His partner then hopped down from the trees landing right in front of the Team Flare Admin. In one swift move, he smashed the visor off her face with Iron Tail, freeing her from the mind control.

As Mable collapsed, Allie the phony princess then pressed into her ear. "I need an escape, now!" As she said that, a golden ring seemed to appear out of nowhere, and she ran right through. Before we could stop her, the ring disappeared just as quickly.

With their master influence broken, the Medicham and Swampert groggily got up and left for the wilderness. Meanwhile the last of the Team Flare Admins was being helped up by the other girls. "That's it… no more snacks before bed…" She then looked at her outfit. "Wh-What happened? Must be a costume party…?"

"I wish that were the case…" Serena told her. As the others came up to help her, Jessie stayed back. I could tell that despite her victory, she was upset. Now I was convinced that Allie was right about her…

*Jessie's POV*

We finally returned to town, Mable, or rather, Morgan, was being brought up to speed. Meanwhile, Clemont had attempted to call the Battle Maison to inform them that their final sister had been rescued.

Everyone could finally relax, except for me. I was humiliated that James found out my feelings for him in such a way.

I snuck away for a little alone time, out on the Count's balcony. As I looked out over the horizon, I could hear footsteps after a while. I did not need to look to know it was James. "Is this ledge taken?" he asked. I gestured in affirmative, and he then leaned over next to me. "Jessie… are you upset that I found out that way?"

I sighed as I replied to him. "No… I never wanted you to find out at all. I know how scared you are of being in a relationship, and I value our friendship too much to take that chance. I didn't want to lose you..."

What he said next surprised me. "I'm not afraid of that."

"But… Jessabelle-!"

"-is the straw that broke the Lapras' shell," interrupted James. "You know how I was born into a rich family, and they had such high standards for everything. I just wanted to enjoy my childhood, but I had absolutely no control over anything - how I ate, how I dressed, how I walked and talked. And when I found out I was engaged to someone just as demanding, that was where I drew the line.

"If I'm going to be in a relationship with anyone, I don't want to be their slave. I want to be their equal. I'll still be willing to do as asked, but I still want to be who I am."

It finally made sense to me. "I guess I can understand that," I told him. "I hope that someday you do find that perfect partner. Is there anything else you're looking for in a relationship?"

He then turned and picked up my hands. "I'd like a girl I respect and trust more than anyone… someone I get along with as a close friend… someone who knows me as well as I know myself… and if she happened to be drop dead gorgeous, that'd certainly be a plus."

I blushed a little as he said that. "Hmmm… that all sounds awfully familiar. Anyone I know?"

"Here's a hint…" Before I could react, he then pulled me closer and gently pressed his lips against mine. I slowly closed my eyes and carefully wrapped my arms around his neck, deepening my very first kiss.

And for the first time in my life, everything was perfect… "Hey, guys- YAAAAGH!" or it would have been had Meowth not interrupted.

We broke away, and I acted a little flustered. "Nothing! We weren't doing anything out here!" I giggled nervously.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?!" snapped James.

"First of all," replied Meowth, "You're supposed to knock before you go inside, not outside. Secondly, as a member of the team, you really shouldn't be doing anything romantic in front of me."

"Puh-leeeaze! This coming from a frisky feline who falls for any cat Pokemon who crosses his path! I can name four times right off the bat!"

"Guys, enough," I told them. "Meowth, was there something you wanted to tell us?"

"Oh, yeah! The Count says there's another course to the meal we missed out on before."

You know, I was pretty hungry, and apparently so was James. We went to join the feast, hand in hand.

*Brianna's POV*

Another day, another adventure… another evolution… another romance… Wow, today was actually rather eventful. After nearly losing James to Team Flare, Team Ballerose is back together once again, and even better than ever, especially in Jessie's favor. And as soon as the Gourgeist Festival and all of its fun is over, the journey continues…