Cover Art: Amasw.

Teams:

Pierce Lawson:

- Narcissa, Beedrill

- Orion, Onix

- Cygnus, Abra

- Bellatrix, Gyarados (Shiny)

- Andromeda, Vaporeon

Lillian Dale:

- Root, Bulbasaur

- Talon, Spearow

- Gem, Geodude

- Star, Cleffa

Cerulean City XXXI

Pierce found himself sitting on a bench to the side of a field in the battlegrounds of Cerulean. In front of him, Lily was fighting someone with Root, but he wasn't really paying attention to that. Instead, he was checking on things on a tablet, reading through the comments on his channel.

It still felt odd to have so much new stuff of high quality. Back in his world, he'd have felt like getting one of the many devices he'd bought was a big deal. The kind of thing that needed months or even years of savings. Then and there, he'd bought a bunch of them and, while they had taken a bit of a hit to his wallet, it wasn't all that.

It was coming in handy for all the channel stuff though, so he supposed it was necessary spending. The whole thing had been set up so that he could get more interest and such on the gyarados show he was going to put up at the Cerulean Gym, after all, so he couldn't afford to be cheap about it. From there, the money they managed to gather would be directed straight into getting shelters ready for the sea serpents and the magikarp.

That was the general idea.

The Sensational Sisters had offered to do that for him, but a decent chunk of their earnings from their own shows went to their Gym. As a Water type Gym, they required a lot more funding to keep themselves in good condition. The pools and such required a lot more money than what pokemon of other types did. So, he hadn't wanted to get in the way of that while trying to help the pokemon.

Thus, he set up a show of his own with the gyarados. With all the "practice" they had in their sort of dance, they could do something very impressive. So Lily and the Sisters told him, at least. He decided that their word was good enough for him to go ahead with the idea. What was the worst that could happen?

Well, a lot of things, but the Sisters had an entire system to keep things from getting out of hand just in case. On top of that, he'd been working on the gyarados since forever ago. Even if something unexpected happened, he should be able to smooth things over. If worse came to worse, Pierce was confident that he could keep things under control, if not in a pretty way.

Hopefully, it won't come to that. If it did, then it'd certainly be bad for everyone involved. Not only would the show be a disaster, but the Sister's and his own reputation would take a hit. Worse even, the gyarados would be in an even worse situation.

Even with all that Pierce was still confident that he could keep them in line. He'd been feeding their competitive spirits for a while, comparing and showing them some of the spectacles the Sisters and their pokemon put up. He'd also slowly wormed his way into their minds through the power of food and positive reinforcements. They would listen to him, even if it was just to stick it to each other and the other pokemon that did shows.

Glancing up, he saw that Lily had switched Root with Gem.

The battle could take a while, so he might as well keep doing what he was doing. Which was more than just keeping his mood up checking the hype for the event. He was also looking through the comments and trying to answer the questions he knew about. From there, he also noted down those he didn't know so that he could ask someone else more in the know later.

It was mostly for the hype though.

It was great to see people so excited for something he was going to do.

Pierce had done a number of things through his life and none of them had gotten quite that reception, he would freely admit. He'd been a normal dude that blended in pretty well with the background and he'd been fine with that. The pokemon world evidently brought more surprises than what he would have expected.

It was a little surreal to see the comments, Pierce mused as he went through them. It almost didn't seem possible, even though he knew it was. They just didn't… sink in, in a way. He saw them and they made him happy, but he couldn't wrap his head around it, really.

Which made it all the more odd when someone out of the screen commented on his show and such. He tried to play it off every time, but it was always awkward for him on the inside, at the very least, like at that very moment. Occasionally, he'd catch people whispering, pointing in his direction and downright staring. He wanted to believe that he was overthinking it, for sure, but that had kind of flown out the window when a few of those people approached him to greet him and such.

'Gotta get used to it, I guess,' he mused. Still though, awkward as it was, if he could use that kind of… fame – weird as it was to think he had any fame at all – to get help for pokemon like the gyarados and magikarp, then he welcomed that. Considering his journey so far, it wouldn't surprise him at all if he had to do something like that at some other point in the future.

So, he'd keep at it for their sake if nothing else.

Not that it was a chore. Even if it was odd, it was still very nice to have the approval of so many people, nevermind their admiration. If he did ever get used to it, all that would be great for his self-esteem, if nothing else. He would bet on that.

"All done here," Lily said, making him look up from the screen once more.

"Ok then, so, lunch and Gym?"

"Sure thing."

[}-o-{]

With a gesture of both his arms, forward and slightly down, Pierce urged the gyarados that was acting as his platform for the moment towards the edge of the pool. It still baffled even him that he'd gotten them to like being the one to have him standing on top of them. He knew, after all, that it could have very easily gone very badly for them.

However, he understood why they were more than fine with it.

For one, it had all started with Bellatrix, who was more than happy to just have Pierce around in the first place and being generally useful. For another, in their heads, the gyarados thought of that position as the one in command over the whole "show". After all, Pierce directed them with his motions. So, if they were the one that carried Pierce, that made them almost the one that called the shots by association.

That's what he imagined it sort of went like in their heads.

Odd, but it worked, so he wasn't one to complain.

"Thanks, buddy," he said once he'd stepped off the gyarados and onto the floor by the pool. Idly, he patted the sea serpent on the side, making it let out a pleased growl. "Rest for a bit, yeah? And let everyone know. We'll be back at it later."

When he left, he stayed there for a bit as two more gyarados peeked out of the pool and stared at him. He stared right back, looking then up and down as if analyzing them. Those two were the most temperamental two of the whole lot, which was saying something. However, ironically enough, they were the easiest to "control" as it were. After all, they were the most competitive and had struck a rivalry with each other and everyone else.

Pierce was fairly sure that getting the whole thing going would have been a lot harder without those two. He'd never let them know that, of course. He did sometimes wonder how they would react to that information, if in the privacy of his own mind.

"You were a little slower," he said to the one on the left, who promptly shot him a scandalized look while the other looked at his rival smugly. 'Honestly, they are like children,' Pierce thought to himself, amused. "I'm sure you'll do better next time though," he added with a comforting pat on the gyarados' side. Not that he appreciated it, but it drove the point home better. It'd make the pokemon do his very best in the performance, just to prove that he was the better one. It was how all the gyarados went about it. It was one giant competition, not a dance or a show. In their heads, it might as well be a battlefield, just without attacking each other.

The sea serpent growled before huffing and moving away.

Turning to share a half-smile with the other gyarados, Pierce took a moment to consider how to deal with that one. After all, victory could be just as bad as defeat. So, he needed to be careful what he said, else he made the sand castle he'd been building crumble to pieces.

"He'll come back with a vengeance, you know that, right?" he asked and the proud expression on the gyarados was wiped off. He didn't look angry, but he did look thoughtful and annoyed. "Wouldn't be much of a rival if he took the loss lying down, would he?" he added, getting a huff from the sea serpent. The pokemon wasn't arguing that though. "So, I guess you'll have to keep working on it so you can stay on top of things, huh?"

With a grumble, the gyarados dove back into the pool and Pierce was left standing there with a smile on his face. 'I wonder if this can be considered manipulative of me,' he thought to himself idly, glancing around the pool to take in the gyarados around. He guessed it could be considered like that, but then again, a lot of things could be considered manipulating. Any interaction could, if one really pushed for that narrative, he supposed.

Ultimately, he was helping the Water types stay calm and controlled while also working on getting them the help they needed. Surely that meant it was good, right? He could hope, at least. If not, well, it was likely that he'd stop once the show was over. Then again, the gyarados seemed to enjoy themselves a surprising amount with the whole thing, so there was that…

Oh well.

"Was he slower? I couldn't tell," a voice asked from his side and Pierce turned to see Daisy having come to stand next to him at some point. "Also, can I just say? I almost want to pay you just because of the show that we get to see every day with your practices."

"I wouldn't say no to that, but I'd rather it all went to their situation," he replied, waving his hand towards the gyarados. "They need that money more than me. And regarding them… I think he was slower, but I could be wrong. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter. I mostly say that just so they keep seeing the competition instead of the show. Otherwise, things would get complicated," he continued with a shrug.

"Hm, I guess it makes sense," she hummed, before turning her eyes towards him. "How are you feeling about the show?"

"About its chances, about directing the thing or about the show in general?"

"Yes?" she answered, an amused smile on her face that only widened when he rolled his eyes. "I know I was nervous the first time I performed with my sisters," she added, glancing fondly towards the pool. If he had to hazard a guess, then she was probably reminiscing about those times.

"I feel good about its chances. At least from what I've seen online. Then again, it's a different thing to see people say they'll come to it and it's another entirely for them to actually come," he answered, deciding to go in order. He was nervous, there was no denying that, and it was for lots of reasons.

"I guess that's true. If it helps, we think it'll go well, by the looks of the sales. There's more than just your video to announce the show. We are doing our part and the league has even gotten involved too. Everyone wants this to go well so we can finally be done with this whole mess the Rockets started," Daisy told him, sounding excited and tired all at the same time.

"Here's hoping then. As for being at the center of it all…" he trailed off then, a wry half-smile on his face as he considered that. "I'm not calm about it, I can tell you that. Ultimately, I think I can pull through just by thinking that it's for them. The channel is helping me with whatever stage fright I might have and… Well, I just have to do things like we usually do. We are even working on some improvisation and such so that we can fix any slip ups," he explained, running his fingers through his hair.

He'd have wished to have more time to prepare, but then again, even if he had all the time in the world, he was likely to be nervous anyway. Just like how his attitude went with Gym challenges, he supposed. He just was a nervous person when it came to important days, important moments like those. If his challenges were any indication, it wasn't all that terrible a thing. If anything, it helped him be better prepared and such.

So he hoped anyway.

"The show though, it's awesome, if I do say so myself," he replied, happy to have a definitive positive answer for one of her questions. "Then again, it's difficult for it not to be when these guys are involved," he added, gesturing towards the Water types. "They are awesome by themselves, let alone making a performance like we have planned. If I have it my way, everyone will see them as the impressive creatures that they are instead of being frightened to death."

"Now, that's an answer I can get behind," the blonde told him with a grin. "As for the nerves, you shouldn't be. My sisters and I have watched most of your practices and they are amazing. All of them could be shows in their own right. There's nothing to be nervous about," she reassured, giving him a pat on the arm. "So, just focus on doing your best."

"I intend to," Pierce replied, taking a deep breath in and moving to pick up one of the water bottles set by the pool. Opening it and taking a gulp from it, he took a second to relax. He'd be going right back to practicing in a bit, after all. "How are things going for you and your sisters?" he asked idly.

He could use a distraction from the show thing, if he were honest. The actual event was a few days away and it was basically all that he could think about as of late. Even when he was training, his mind would drift towards that. It was that important for him. Hell, the whole thing with his video channel was for the event, so when he worked on that, one could say he was indirectly working on the show.

"Well, we are doing our best to push forward this show too, but there's only so much we can do. I know people think the League can do anything, but it has lots of things to check on all over the region, two regions, if you consider how connected it all is with Johto," she explained before sighing and moving to sit at the edge of the pool. "Other than that, things are good as usual, finally looking like they are back to normal, sort of. Even better, considering Misty has been doing really well as of late. Thanks for that."

"Just doing what I can," he replied with a shrug.

"My little sis is great, nobody will say otherwise… not in our presence, at least," Daisy said with a smile that turned rather dangerous at the end there before going back to normal. He almost wondered if he'd imagined that, but he knew better. "However… The gyarados thing had always weighed her down, no matter how much she tried to play it off. She's getting that weight off of her shoulders and it's thanks to you, so… Yeah, thank you."

"Don't mention it," he waved off, moving to sit beside her. "Happy to help."

"Yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I can't thank you anyway," she said with a grin and a shake of her head. "If you ever need help with anything, give us a call, we'll help as best we can. With anything, alright? I know we aren't the best Gym Leaders around, but we are still Gym Leaders anyway. We can do a lot and we have plenty of contacts and connections."

"I'll keep it in mind," he replied, getting a satisfied hum from the woman.

"You said you weren't interested in a relationship right now, didn't you?" she asked then, and it came really out of left field for him. So much so, that he could only pause and blink at her for a long second. "Does that mean you'd say no to a date after the whole thing with the show is over? You know, to celebrate."

"Kind of assuming it'll go well there, aren't you?" he asked, purposely avoiding the question. It wasn't subtle and Daisy let him know with a very specific smile.

"I'm that sure it'll go well. I'm less sure about your answer though," she replied and he took a deep breath in and looked to the side. Before he could try to formulate something to say, however, she beat him to it. "Do think it over, yeah?"

And before he could formulate any kind of answer, she stood up and left, not before giving him a playful wave of her hand and a wink. All the while, Pierce just sat there, with his mind a little all over the place. 'Well, I wanted something else to think about than the show. It really is true that you should be careful what you wish for,' he thought wryly, running his fingers through his hair.

[}-o-{]

"Nervous?" Lily asked, the night previous to the show.

"Yeah," he answered honestly, taking a sip from the cup of tea he'd gotten after they were done with dinner. He'd crossed paths with many people that had told him they were going to be there the next day and those encounters were both encouraging and frightening at the same time. Because the more people that went to see the performance, the more successful it would be… But also the worse it'd be if he messed up. "Yeah, I am."

"Don't be," his traveling companion told him, reaching over the table to pat his hand reassuringly. "I've seen you practice. You are gonna kill it."

"I know, the gyarados are amazing," he mumbled, drawing into himself. "It's just… this is really important."

"I know, but there's no reason to be worried. Just do it as you did in the practices and it'll be fine. Be yourself, that's who the gyarados are following and who the people want to see," Lily told him and that, more than anything, got his nerves to calm down the smallest bit. The former part, that is. Because if there was one thing Pierce was good at, it was being there for pokemon when they needed him.

And the gyarados needed him to do well in the show. Not only would it do wonders to accelerate them getting the care they needed at proper shelters with attention all day round, but it would also make sure that their hard work through their time at Cerulean wasn't wasted. Pierce couldn't let it all be for nothing, so he needed to step up to the plate and do what he had to.

He took a deep breath in and then another sip from his drink.

"I know," he said, now more calm. He just needed to do what he always did ever since he woke up in Viridian Forest, help pokemon. Nothing else mattered. The spectators weren't important, the gyarados were and he knew how to work with those. "Yeah, we got this."

"That's more like it!" Lily praised, clearly happy to see him with his head back on straight. "Honestly, next step was smacking you, so you could have been nervous for a bit longer, you know?" she added with a fake whine, drawing an unimpressed look from him.

Beside him, he heard Andromeda huff and he turned to see her rolling his eyes. If Pierce had to bet, he was sure that she was "annoyed" at both of their stupidity. With a smile, he just extended his hand and patted her head, drawing a "glare" that only made him grin wider. He wondered if she'd keep that up forever or if she'd be more honest eventually.

Pierce wasn't holding his breath for that to happen anytime soon, however.

"Very funny, Lils," he said, getting a growl from the girl, which was kind of his aim. If she seriously thought he'd let go of such an easy way to rile her up, then she was delusional.

"Can you please not?"

"No, I can't."

Lily proceeded to sigh, deflating as if accepting her inescapable suffering.

Good. She should.

"You know what's even more hilarious?" Lily asked then, as if trying to change the subject. For a moment, he wondered if he should keep things on track… before deciding that it wasn't really worth it. He could milk it, sure, but he preferred to use his teasing material sparingly whenever possible. He didn't want any of it to grow boring too quickly.

"No, but I'm guessing you'll tell me," he commented and she rolled her eyes at him.

"You already have and are gonna have a whole lot of fans," she said, as if that were somehow news. Raising an eyebrow, he didn't even bother asking. Surely that wasn't it, right? "Which means you'll be breaking even more hearts!" she exclaimed, as if that were positively hilarious, before breaking into a fit of giggles.

Pierce, meanwhile, just sighed before dragging his hand over his face. That really wasn't a picture he needed in his mind then and there. Or ever, really, but that was a lot harder to pull off, he supposed. Especially with what Daisy had said.

'I don't think I can run away from that much longer,' he thought despondently.

He was just… a mess, really. He could hold it together fairly well, he thought. He kept himself busy and he dealt with his emotions as best he could when he could. However, he was far from healed. He was getting better, or so he liked to think, but he was still nowhere close to fine.

'Then again… Will I ever be?' Pierce wondered, not for the first time. 'Or will I just learn to live with this?' He didn't know if he would like an answer to that, because he had a feeling he did know what it would be. Although, in fairness, he did feel like he was "learning to live with it" more than actually recovering. Each day, the pain grew duller, the sadness withered and the grief subsided and he felt… freer. But it was like a leash that just got looser, always there.

Maybe though, maybe that wasn't so bad.

Certainly not as bad as never getting any better.

"Pierce?" Lily asked, looking concerned, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Sorry, I got lost in thought," he replied, taking a deep breath in. "Yeah, the fans will be annoying," he commented absently, looking down at Andromeda. The vaporeon was staring at him rather intently, but he just gave her a smile and a pat on the head.

He was fine.

Maybe, just maybe, he was actually fine.

[} Chapter End {]

Hey guys! How's it going?

Eh… not much to say. This chapter is a prelude, as I'm sure you know, so it's all building up (like many of the previous chapters) to the show in the next chapter. We also get more of Pierce just… recovering from his ordeal still (as he has since basically the beginning of this story and as he'll continue to do in the future), because I believe it's not something that should be brushed aside. Sure, I believe one can go on with life after such a thing, but doing that and being completely fine while knowing you've lost everything forever is… harsh.

I'm sure there'll be people that don't agree with that, but they sound to me the same way that people that say "if I were there I'd train every day and be OP" unironically.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

As always, if you can't wait until next week for next chapter, or if you just feel like supporting my writing, there's up to three new chapters in my Pa tre on:

P a treon . com (slash) AdrianKing

Discord Link: discord .gg/UTDransjJZ

Random Questions: How do you think the show will go? And will Pierce take Daisy up on that date?

See you.