SkullGreymonX - Thank you so much. Benny and Cleo (as well as Echo) are probably the most mature Pokemon on the team, so they should get along well. Thank you for pointing out the mistakes. I completely forgot Ash's pidgey had evolved by then.
Kunoichi69 -I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. It was certainly better than the last one. Everybody seemed to like the interactions between the Pokemon which makes me very happy and I'll be expanding Apollo's puppyhood in later chapters. There will definitely be more changes in the future. Not big ones, just things that were a bit weird. Thanks for reading.
djinn - Thanks so much and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.
pokemonking0924 - Thank you so much for your review and your support. Cleo will definitely help Oak with the lab. I might have some chapters devoted to her and solving problems among the Pokemon. Apollo's history at the academy will be explored more in later chapters. I can have the team visit the academy or something like that.
I really like your idea for a chapter and I like how Alette would have an important roll in it. Thank you so much for the suggestion.
TurboDrive07 - I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I thought the attractions at Pokemonland were a little subpar, considering that Pokemon are everywhere. That's why I went with the abandoned park route. And yes, it is exactly something the trio would do.
I thought I would incorporate more of Blissey's abilities considering I only just recently learned what their fur could do. Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.
danielsnow - I'm not quite sure about cross breeding, but Pokemon certainly can form relationships with other Pokemon (like in the anime) so they may be a chance of Pokemon couples. I will definitely do more POV changes throughout the story since they are so fun to write about.
All the Pokemon and their names can be found on my profile under the 'The Greatest Pokemon Trainer Info' but I have put a copy on it just before the beginning for convenience. Thank you so much and I hope you like the next chapter.
The Female Jiraiya - Hello, thanks so much. I'm so glad you are enjoying it. I read on your profile that you usually don't review other stories, so I'm very honoured. Please don't be afraid to ask me questions or leave criticism in the future. I'm also socially awkward, but I love talking to others about the stories and having conversations.
I can see what you mean about Meowth considering he has a lot of potential that is overshadowed.
I'm glad you enjoyed the different perspectives, it is fun to write like that. I hope you enjoy the next chapter.
MBS41 - Thank you, I'm so glad you're enjoying so far. Everybody seems to enjoy the conversations between the Pokemon, so I'll make sure to include more in the future. Enjoy the next chapter.
Lovely - Thank you so much. I'll try my best and write better and more interesting chapters. I like your Romeo and Juliet idea, but I was thinking of doing something similar with serviper and zangoose. Thanks for reading.
Thank you all for reviewing :)
("Pokespeech")
Charles' Pokemon:
Pikachu (Shiny) (M) - Benny, Charmander (M) - Pyro, Gyrados (Shiny) (F) - Mystic, Ekans (F) - Boa, Butterfree (M) - Hurricane, Meowth (F) - Cleo, Zubat (M) - Echo
Sandslash (M) - Sneak, Oddish (F) - Fleur, Oddish (Shiny) (F) - Lilly, Eevee (F) - Titania, Krabby (M) - Kani, A Pokemon egg (?) - N/A
Flo's Pokemon:
Clefairy (F) - Alette
Alice's Pokemon:
Growlithe (M) - Apollo, Tentacool (F) - Ruby
Chapter 20: The Talented Fleur des Lis Sisters
It had been a day since the team returned to the mainland.
The Officer Jenny overlooking the rescue operation was understandably upset that they went on their own without consulting her first. Alice's mother was hit with the full brunt of the telling off as she should of stopped them. However, in the end, the Officer Jenny knew that they were worried for their children and admitted that she would have done the same. She eventually let them go with a warning.
As soon as they saw her, Misty's sisters pulled her into a big hug, happy that she was alright. While Flint was more hesitant to greet his son, considering their past. But soon the two men eventually made up. They all stayed the night at the Vermillion City Pokemon Centre before the Waterflower sisters and Flint had to go back to their gyms.
However, the team were very surprised by what Ash, Misty and Brock told them the following morning.
"You're leaving already," Alice uttered in shock as they all stood in the foyer.
Ash gave them a determined nod, "That's right. I want to go the next gym."
"If Ash is going then I have to go as well," Misty added before sending a glare towards Ash, "he still needs to pay me back for my bike."
"Will you forget about it already!" Ash shouted crossly at her.
Before they could get into another argument, Brock got in between them, "And I need to make sure they don't kill each other," he told them.
The team shared a concerned look, "Well, if you guys are sure," Flo said, "But Ash have you told your mother that your leaving?"
"Yeah I did," Ash said before running to the door with Pikachu on his shoulder, "bye!" he cried as he ran out the door.
"Ash, don't run off like that!" Misty yelled after him before she turned back to them, "We best go after him, goodbye guys" she said before she and Brock took off. However, Misty stopped at the door and turned back to them with rosy cheeks, "Charles...you were really cool back on the island...thanks," she shyly said before running after Ash again.
Charles blushed at what she said, happy to receive a compliment from a girl. The blush soon left as he noticed the cold looks Alice and Flo were giving him.
"So," Charles started, clearing his throat, "have you talked to your mums about leaving?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
Flo and Alice sighed, "Not yet," Flo said, "no doubt that's going to be to difficult. Although something tells me you and Benny are going to have hard time convincing Blissey."
"We have a plan. Don't we Benny?" Charles said, turning to his brother on his shoulder.
("That's right. Let's just hope it works,") Benny confirmed as he looked down at the laptop they burrowed from Nurse Joy in Charles' hands.
They soon found their mothers in the dining area talking and eating breakfast. They cautiously approached them, worried about their response. Flo and Alice asked their mothers if they can talk in private and they soon left. Now it was just Charles, Benny and their mother who was still sat at the table.
("What would you like to talk to me about?") Blissey asked with a bright smile.
Charles sat down in the chair across from her and placed the laptop down in front of him. Benny jumped onto the table as well, "Well...we..." Charles stuttered.
("We want to...") Benny fried to help, but he couldn't find the rights words either.
They glanced at each other and nodded in agreement.
"We would like to continue our journey," they said at the same time, shutting their eyes tight as they waited for their mother to freak out.
("That's wonderful to hear,") Blissey cheerily said, ("Where will you be going next?")
...
...
...
...
Charles and Benny's eyes snapped open in disbelief. They looked at each other and then stared back at their mother in shock.
("W- what!?") Benny cried.
("Inside voices, please,") Blissey lightly scolded, ("and I said that's wonderful. I'm glad you two haven't been dissuaded to continue.")
Charles and Benny shared another look.
"Aren't you going to stop us from going?" Charles asked.
Blissey giggled, ("Why would I do that?")
"...because you're you," Charles and Benny said at the same time.
Blissey smiled kindly at the two, ("I am aware that I can be overprotective at times and at first didn't want you to leave. But do you know why I didn't want you to leave?") she questioned, earning confused looks from her sons.
"Because...you didn't want us to grow old and leave you," Charles answered.
("No. Well yes, but that's not the only reason,") Blissey admitted, ("I wasn't convinced that you could protect yourselves out in the world. You can see my concern after the ryhorn incident a few years ago,") Charles and Benny frowned sadly when she mentioned that memory, ("however, after hearing how you two took charge and acted appropriately and maturely, I am more then convinced that you can handle yourselves. It's a duty as a mother to help prepare their children for dangers of the world and, seeing how well you sorted the incident and led others to safety, I can proudly say that I succeeded in raising you two. It's tough for me, but I am happy to let you continue knowing that you can get yourselves out of any trouble. I'm so proud of you two.")
The brothers were lost for words. They were completely not expecting their mother to agree to let them continue.
"Mum...I..." Charles stammered.
("However, if you two start acting immaturely, I will drag you both back to Pallet Town. Do you understand?") she firmly threatened, making them nod their heads rapidly, ("Good,") she happily said.
The boys hugged their mother and thanked her multiple times. They decided to check on Flo and Alice and excused themselves from the table taking the laptop with them. As they walked away, their faces fell from content to miserable expressions,
("We spent all night working on that presentation,") Benny muttered.
"I know, I know," Charles sighed.
They deleted the presentation and returned the laptop to the Centre.
Outside the Pokemon Centre
After saying their teary goodbyes, the team soon left the Pokemon Centre and their mothers.
"I can't believe you got off lightly," Flo sighed depressively, "I have to inform every Nurse Joy in every Centre we go in that I'm alright, so they report back to my mum."
"Yeah, I'm the same but with every Officer Jenny," Alice added in equally unenthusiastic tone.
Charles smiled sympathetically at them, "Sorry. We weren't expecting our mum to agree either."
("It's kind of weird,") Benny piped, looking around to see if Blissey wasn't following them.
"Tell you what," Charles suddenly said, getting an idea, "I heard that Porta Vista is nearby. Why don't we spend the day at the beach or-"
Alice gasped suddenly, "Porta Vista!" she happily cried, "I heard there are great seafood restaurants. We have to go," she said as she excitedly jumped up and down.
Charles and Flo shared an amused look. They had only recently learned that Alice was a massive foodie when they saw that on her private map, she had marked every town and city in Kanto with restaurants they had to go to. Not only that, but she loved sweets and other confectionary. It was a wonder she hadn't rotted her teeth yet.
"Sure we ca-"
But before Charles could finish Alice squealed in happiness and hugged him, "Thank you Charles," she pulled away and began to run down the road, "Come on! Let's see if we can make it the by lunch!" she cried out to them.
Charles, Flo, and Benny rolled their eyes at her enthusiasm and took after her.
At the doors of the Centre, Flo's and Alice's mothers stood and watched what happened with smiles on their faces.
"They're so cute together," Officer Jenny commented.
"I know, she looks so happy when she's around Charles, doesn't she?" Nurse Joy added.
Officer Jenny giggled, "You think they'll get married in the future?"
"I hope so," Nurse Joy happily replied, "I mean they'll be perfect together. He's kind to her.
"Very mature for his age," Officer Jenny added.
"Encourages her ambitions."
"And it's clear how he treats the Pokemon egg that he will be a good father."
The two mothers turned to each other with closed eyes and happy smiles, "Charles is perfect for Flo/Alice," they said at the same time.
They froze instantly when they heard that they weren't talking about the same person.
….
….
….
….
Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny smiles became strained, but still kept their eyes closed.
"Oh, you were talking about Flo," Officer Jenny said in false polite tone.
Nurse Joy hummed, "Yes, I was," she replied, "I mean they have been friends since they were young. So it's obvious that they'll get together."
Officer Jenny glared at her challengingly but kept the strained smile, "Not obviously. They're still young and things might change between them."
Nurse Joy glared back, "That's unlikely. What Flo and Charles have is a special bond that could only be shared between childhood friends."
"You can argue Alice and Charles have a special bond as well. After all, he did help her reconnect with her sister."
"Well Charles supports Flo's medical career and depends on her to keep everyone healthy."
"Charles trusts Alice on her navigation skills and they train their Pokemon together."
The argument continued between the two women, a deadly aura surrounding them as they debated who's daughter would be better suited for Charles. Blissey, who had been watching the argument from afar, sighed and rolled her eyes as the Centre's chansey came up to her. The chansey gave a weary look at the two women before turning to Blissey.
("Should we interrupt them? The might disturb the patients,") the chansey asked.
("In a minute,") Blissey told her, ("I want to see how long it takes for them to realise that I am the mother who decides who my son dates.")
The chansey gave her superior an odd look before turning back to the arguing Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy.
Road to Porta Vista
Flo and Alice shivered suddenly. They couldn't but help but feel that their mothers were doing something embarrassing at the moment. Charles was too preoccupied with the Pokemon egg to notice their shiver. He was making sure it was comfy enough in its new incubator.
Benny noticed somebody up ahead and patted Charles' shoulder, ("Hey, isn't that Ms Ketchum?") he asked, making Charles look up.
Benny was right. Delia was sat at a bus stop on the side of the road with her suitcase. She hadn't noticed them yet as she looked down the road, presumably waiting for a bus to arrive.
"Ms Ketchum," Charles called out, making the brown haired woman jump slightly and turn in their direction.
She smiled when she saw them and gave them a friendly wave, "Hello children," she greeted as they approached her, "It's such a loverly day isn't it."
"Err…yes, it is," Flo replied unsurely, "are you waiting for a bus back to Pallet Town?"
"I am," she cheerily answered before frowning sadly, "although I missed the last one and the next bus wouldn't come for a few hours."
"A few hours!" Alice exclaimed in disbelief, "surely you're not going to wait here the whole time."
"Well, I was actually hoping to have some lunch with Ash and catch up with all the things he's done. However, he was determined to continue his journey and already left," Delia explained with a sigh, breaking their hearts in sadness. Suddenly Delia perked up and her bright smile returned, "Ah well, I suppose there's always next time. Besides, I need to clean the house and do a bunch of other chores."
'Damn it, Ash,' the tree children and Benny collectively thought.
They all shared a look and nodded in agreement.
"Ms Ketchum, we were on our way to Porta Vista to visit the beach-"
"And go to the restaurants," Alice interrupted happily.
"Yes, and go to the restaurants," Charles corrected himself, "Would you like to join us until your bus arrives?"
Delia was surprised by their offer, "Oh I don't want to impose," she politely said,
"You're not," Flo insisted, "you can't stay here all day so why don't you come and have some fun."
The others nodded in agreement. Delia seemed unsure about their offer for a few moments but soon her bright smile appeared on her face.
"I would love to," she agreed, clapping her hands in joy, "I suppose those chores would have to wait."
Picking up her suitcase, Delia joined the team for a day in the seaside town of Porta Vista.
("Do you also get the feeling that inviting your friend's mum somewhere when said friend is not present is really weird?") Benny questioned awkwardly.
"Incredibly," Charles agreed.
Porta Vista
It wasn't long till they reached the popular tourist destination. The city's most notable attractions were the blue waters, the golden sand, skyscrapers, and an eclectic number of restaurants and cafes along the shore.
At first they were a little uncomfortable to have Delia along. It wasn't as if they don't want her there, it was just hard for them to consider as a temporary traveling partner and not an adult parent. However, they soon got over it as they saw Delia enjoying herself.
They sat and talked on the sand, played in the water and now Alice was eagerly leading them to the restaurant district.
"Alice, can you just choose one?" Flo complained tiredly as she walked a few steps behind her.
The blue haired girl shook her head, not stopping her careful inspection of every eatery they passed, "It has to be perfect," she replied.
"What about that one," Delia suggested, pointing to fancy looking restaurant, "there's a lot of people in there, it must be good."
Alice looked over the restaurant with a scrutinising eye before shaking her head, "A restaurant that looks that fancy is obviously overcompensating for their food."
She looked at the establishment next door and her eyes widened in joy, "There perfect," she proclaimed.
The others followed her finger and cringed slightly as they saw the run-down restaurant. It was an old fashioned wood and plaster building with a green and white stripped awning had no door. The most notable part was the lack of customers inside it which didn't reassure them in the slightest.
They all turned to Alice with uneasy frowns.
Alice only smirked confidently, "Trust me. This will be great," she told them before walking into the restaurant.
She took a moment to admire the rustic decor before turning to the first person she saw, "Hi, can we have a table fo-", she stopped in surprise once she realised that the person she was talking to, "Ash? What are you doing here?" she asked the cap wearing boy, who was now wearing a pair of swimming trunks and his blue jacket.
Ash's eyes widened in shock of seeing Alice so soon after leaving. He was about to reply when he noticed the rest of the team walking into the restaurant.
"Mum!?" Ash cried as he saw Delia.
"Ash!" Delia happily cried as he ran over to hug her son, "I didn't know you were here."
"It's a long story," another voice chimed in sheepishly.
They looked up to see Misty, Brock, and elderly man walk out of the kitchen. Misty and Brock were also in beach clothing. Misty wore a white shirt and red bikini bottoms while Brock wore a pair of blue swimming trunks. The old man with them had slightly tanned skin, a white beard and wore a red and green Hawaiian shirt.
Charles raised an inquisitive, "What happened?"
"Those whippersnappers crashed my boat," the old man answered, making Charles, Benny, Flo, and Alice glare at their friends.
"It hasn't even been a day," Flo sighed.
They couldn't quite recall how it happened, but all of them had somehow taken the old man's (who they introduced as Moe) for a joyride and crashed into a wooden dock. As punishment, Moe ordered them to work at his restaurant for the day. Things had been going well and business was booming until accidents started to happen. The fliers Pikachu and Bulbasaur were handing out were suddenly blown away by a strong gust of wind. The open fire stove used to cook the food suddenly blew up and burnt the food. And as Misty was carrying the customers food over, she had slipped on a banana peel and the food went everywhere. Soon the customers filtered out leaving
the place empty.
Now they were all sat down on the tables listening to them. As they were explained what happened, Moe had cooked them up a few bowls of noodles for them and they eagerly dug in.
"Oh dear, that sounds terrible," Delia said as she ate her noodles.
("No wonder this place looks barren,") Benny mused as he ate from a small bowl.
"These are amazing!" Alice cried as she happily ate her meal. She gulped when she noticed
Charles and Flo glaring at her, "I-I mean that's awful," she sheepishly corrected herself.
"Moe, we're really sorry that we messed up," Ash apologised to the elderly man.
Moe gave a depressed sigh before turning to Ash with a reassuring smile, "You all did the best you
could. At least things were going alright until those accidents started happening."
"I guess so," Ash mumbled.
Misty frowned crossly, "Something's weird," she snapped, "there's no way all those things were accidents," she stated.
"Well, well," cackled a scratchy voice from behind them.
They all turned to see the world's ugliest woman standing at the door. She was short and had red bushy hair which she wore in two large ponytails. Her evil smile was crooked, and she had a deep frown that was etched with winkles. She wore a pink dress that seemed to pretty to be on somebody so foul. The woman was flanked by Jessie, James and, Meowth who, for some reason, were wearing waiter uniforms.
"Brutella," Moe gasped, standing up angrily.
The now named Brutella looked around the restaurant with a satisfied grin, "Looks like we don't need a reservation for this place," she cruelly stated, "if this keeps up you might actually have to go out of business," she said, making Moe growl angrily.
"And who would you be?" Flo asked in a hostile tone.
Brutella smiled, presenting her crooked teeth, "The name's Brutella, girl, and that old coot over there owes me money," she answered pointing a bony finger at Moe.
"You'll get your money," Moe told her determinedly, earning an ugly chuckle from Brutella.
"You better because I want it tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll be taking that boat of yours instead," Brutella said as she headed to the door.
Moe's eyes widened in shock, "No please. Anything but that," he begged, but Brutella was not listening.
"See you tomorrow," she cackled as she walked out the door.
Team Rocket remained at the door, smirking triumphantly at them, "The clock's ticking," James mockingly said.
"You best get that money or else we be taking that boat," Meowth added.
"What are you guys doing?" Charles questioned looking over their uniforms.
"Did you finally get a real job?" Alice asked, making Team Rocket snarl in annoyance.
"Being a member of Team Rocket is a real job," Jessie argued, "we are only working for Brutella temporarily so we can take you twerps down."
Meowth nodded confidently, "Yeah, we have that lady under our thu-"
"GET BACK TO WORK, YOU IDIOTS!" Brutella shouted from out of view.
Team Rocket yelped, jumped, and scrambled out of Moe's restaurant, not wanting to face Brutella's wrath.
Moe sighed in despair and bowed his head, "There's no way I can get that money by tomorrow. I'm sorry kids. There is a reason why I ordered you to work at my restaurant."
"Revenge for stealing and crashing your boat?" Charles guessed.
"No," Moe firmly denied.
"Free labour?" Flo suggested.
"No!"
"Oh, I know, it's so if something goes wrong, they can't sue the staff because they're underaged," Alice suggested.
"What sort of a person do you take me for!" Moe angrily shouted at them, making them shrug casually.
"I mean you have to admit, what you are doing is sketchy," Charles said, making everyone but Moe nod in agreement.
"Vey sketchy," Delia agreed, giving Moe a small glare.
"Well, it's none of those things," Moe firmly denied before sighing again, "I have always dreamed of traveling the world on my boat. Seeing new places, meeting new people, and experiencing all I can on the open water. But now that Brutella wants my boat, I won't be able to live out my dream. I thought if you kids help me with my restaurant, I can pay back all I owe and set sail."
"We understand Moe," Brock said sadly as Ash and Misty nodded.
Charles hummed to himself, trying to think of a solution. Suddenly an idea struck him.
"I've got it," he cried, surprising everyone as he reached into his bag. He soon found what he was looking for and pulled out a page ripped out of a newspaper, "if we can't work for the money," he said as she showed the advert printed on the page, "we just have to win it," he declared.
Everybody looked at the advert in Charles' hand and frowned. They all looked at him in confusion, expect for Brock who seemed delighted to see it.
"A beauty contest?" Misty asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.
"What?" Charles asked in confusion as he turned the page over to look at what he presented.
His eyes widened in embarrassment as he saw the advert and gave the others a sheepish grin, "Sorry, wrong side," he said as he flipped the page onto the correct side.
They all looked again and smiled when they saw an advert that said:
'Pokemon Talent Show! Demonstrate you Pokemon's unique talents and win a grand prize!'
("Thank goodness, I thought you were suggesting something inappropriate,") Benny said.
"Yeah, I probably should have checked before presenting," Charles admitted with a nervous sweat drop.
"That's a wonderful idea, Charles," Delia happily commented.
"Right, Goldeen will totally impress the judges," Misty added.
Brock nodded, "And Geodude can show off his strength."
Ash grinned and turned to Moe, "We'll win that talent show for you and you can live out your dream," he declared.
Moe was stunned by everyone's commitment, tears starting to form in his eyes, "Thank you everyone!" he cried happily as everyone celebrated.
As Flo watched the small celebration, she noticed that Delia was smiling proudly at Ash. She noticed a few tears in her eyes as well which concerned her.
"Mrs Ketchum are you alright," she asked worriedly.
Delia wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled down at Flo, "I'm fine, Flo," she glanced back up at her son who was already planning what his Pokemon will be doing, "It's just my baby is growing up," she answered.
Flo nodded in understanding. It must be hard for her to see her child not need her anymore.
Meanwhile, Alice turned to Charles with a curious look, "Are you going to enter?"
"I am," Charles replied, "I was actually going to enter before we know about Moe."
("Really?") Benny piped up, ("Which Pokemon are you going to use?")
Charles chuckled, "Only the most talented duo on our team," he replied proudly.
Porta Vista Pokemon Centre
("ARE YOU KIDDING ME, CHARLES!") Fleur shouted angrily, ("YOU NEED TO GIVE US MORE NOTICE!")
Charles, who was kneeled in from of the oddish, politely waited for Fleur to stop her rant while Benny shook his head in dismay. Charles had heard that the Fleur Des Lis sisters were working really hard on their routine and so he thought he bring them over for the talent show, returning Cleo and Kani in their place. Lilly was overjoyed when Charles told them about the competition.
Fleur however...
("ALSO WE'RE NOT YOUR PERSONAL PERFORMERS! YOU CAN'T JUST ORDER US TO-")
("Fleur,") Lilly warned, giving her sister a scathing glare.
The oddish gulped and instantly backed down as Lilly turned to Charle with a kind look, ("I am terribly sorry. She is just anxious about our performance.")
Fleur grumbled something, but didn't argue.
Charles gave a reassuring smile and stroked Fleur's leaves, "There's no need to be nervous. I wouldn't want you to do something if I didn't think you were ready. However, if you really don't want to do the performance then you don't have to."
Fleur looked up at him before turning away with a pout, ("I didn't say I didn't want to,") she mumbled.
Charles chuckled while Benny rolled his eyes, ("You really need to sort out that temper of yours,") Benny said.
("Shut it, rodent!") Fleur snapped.
Charles returned the two sisters to their Pokeballs and he and Benny left through the Centre's doors. What they didn't notice was Team Rocket spying on the both of them around a corner, having overheard the entire conversation. They turned to each other with malice grins.
"A Pokemon talent show, huh," James mused.
"If they win then Brutella won't get her money," Jessie added thoughtfully.
"Let's warn the boss," Meowth suggested, earning confused looks from Jessie and James, "the temporary one. Not Giovanni," Meowth clarified.
Jessie and James nodded in agreement before they ran out of the Centre.
The Beach
The talent show was in full swing. A stage and seats were set up on the beach near Brutella's and an audience had gathered to see the talented Pokemon performing. The show was run and judged by a panel of three people and each act was introduced by an announcer. Several trainers had signed up for the event with an assortment of Pokemon doing a variety of acts.
Misty had Goldeen perform acrobatic flips and stunts from one tank to the other, Brock had Geodude do a juggling act, and Ash's Pikachu did Pokemon impressions. Alice tried to enter with her Pokemon, but Apollo firmly denied any participation in showboating (his own words) and the thought of being in front of people terrified Ruby.
Charles and the Fleur Des Lis sisters in the stage wings waiting for their turn. Fleur and Lilly were shuffling their feet nervously, ever so often peeking around the curtain to look at the grand audience.
In the audience, Delia, Alice, and Flo, who had the Pokemon egg, watched the show in awe from the front row seats. Alice, haven't gotten over her disappointment in not being able to join, decided to sample the food stalls adopted around the area.
"That was amazing," Flo uttered as a trainer and her bellesprout walked off the stage.
"I know," Delia cheerfully said, "Thank you for inviting me today. I've had so much fun."
"It's no problem, Mrs Ketchum. We just glad you've enjoyed yourself," Flo happily replied.
"Even if you did ask me out of pity," Delia continued, making Flo cringe at being caught out.
"Oh well..."
Delia giggled, "It's quite alright. You three didn't mean any harm," she reassured before she looked down sadly, "it has been quiet without Ash. The house has never been cleaner, but it's just me. All alone," she looked up and smiled at Flo, "But I know it won't last for long. Ash will always come back and I know that he's enjoying his travels. If he's happy then I'm happy."
Flo looked stunned by her words as Delia turned back to the stage. She gave a brief smile before also turning back to the stage. However, she spotted something in the corner of her eye and turned to see Team Rocket talking to Brutella.
Flo frowned crossly, "What are they doing?" she grumbled.
Team Rocket had already told the restaurant owner what they were doing, much to Brutella's anger. Brutella gritted her teeth and stomped her foot on the sand.
"Those pesky kids," she muttered, "they had to ruin everything. Alright Moe, if you're going to let children fight your battles then I just have to crush them as well. But how?" she grumbled questioningly before her evil eyes fell on Meowth, "you!" she cried, pointing at the Pokemon.
"M-me," Meowth stammered.
"Get on stage and perform," Brutella demanded, surprising Team Rocket.
"W-what!" Meowth cried, "why should I do it?"
"You're a Pokemon, aren't yer," she angrily told him, "get on stage and win that prize before they do."
Jessie stepped in front of Meowth to come to his defence, "Sorry Ms. Brutella, but we haven't really planned anything for Meowth to do."
"That's right," James piped up, "maybe we can-"
"GO!" Brutella shrieked at them.
Instantly, Team Rocket ran to the stage in fear.
Meanwhile, it was almost time for the Fleur Des Lis sisters to perform. Charles kneeled down beside them and gave them a quick hug.
"Alright, you two, are you ready," Charles quietly asked.
Fleur and Lilly took a deep breath and nodded, ("Ready,") they confirmed.
"Okay let's g-"
But before Charles could finish his sentence a group of people walked passed them and onto the stage. Charles and Benny looked up and sighed once they recognised who it was.
("You have got to be kidding me,") Benny muttered.
Gary Oak stood confidently on the stage along with his team of cheerleaders. He smirked proudly as he presented himself, much to the audience's confusion.
"Hey everyone, the name's Gary Oak, the grandson of the famous Professor Oak," he boasted into the microphone he somehow acquired, "I heard there was a talent show in town so I thought you would like to see what true talent looks like," he declared proudly.
"He didn't read the advert properly, did he?" Charles asked his Pokemon in a deadpanned tone.
Benny, Fleur and Lilly nodded just as unenthusiastically.
"What an absolute moron," Flo muttered as she held her head in her hands.
"Hey Ashy boy, I heard you were here," Gary continued, "Are you jealous of my fan club, huh. Bet you don't have adoring fans like I do," he taunted.
Suddenly Ash came out of nowhere and jumped onto the stage next to Gary, "I so do have adoring fans," he argued angrily.
"Hook, line, and sinker," Flo sighed as Delia and Alice sweat dropped beside her.
"Oh yeah, where are they?" Gary retorted.
"I don't have to tell you."
"Hah, that's because you don't have any. Face it Ashy boy, you'll never be as good as me. You're nothing but a loser."
"I'm not a loser, you are."
"No you are."
"No y- Ow! Ow! Ow!" Ash cried as Charles suddenly held him and Gary firmly by the ear.
They didn't even see him walk up to him. He just appeared.
"You're both losers," Charles sighed before glaring at Ash, "I've told you this a thousand times. Stop challenging Gary every time he aggravates you," he glared at Gary, "and this is a Pokemon talent show. Unless you have been classified as an obnoxious type Pokemon, you have no business being on this stage."
"A Pokemon talent show," Gary uttered in realisation before he proudly smirked, "I knew that," he lied.
Charles sighed and pulled them by the ears off stage, the two boys groaning in pain and begging Charles to let them go. The cheerleaders, seeing that Gary had been dragged away, followed him, leaving an empty stage.
"That was pretty entertaining," Alice commented, earning a giggle from Flo.
Now that the stage was empty, Team Rocket used this chance to show of Meowth's talent. Jessie and James leapt onto the stage and posed dramatically.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Jessie hollered.
"May we present to you an act like no other," James added.
"The spectacular."
"The remarkable."
"The amazing."
"Talking meowth," they both announced at the same time as a spotlight snapped on to reveal Meowth centre stage.
Meowth opened his arms wide and gave a toothy grin, "Hello Porta Vista!" he announced boldly.
…
…
…
Meowth's smile dropped when he noticed the dead silence from the audience. The people blinked owlishly at him as if they were expecting him to something else. Meowth decided to try again.
"Hello everyone!" he announced although less confidently.
…
…
…
Silence again.
Someone in the audience coughed uncomfortably, making Team Rocket sweat nervously. Near the front of the stage a young boy tugged on his mother's shirt.
"Mum is the puppet going to anything else?" he asked innocently.
Team Rocket overheard what he said.
'They think he's/I'm a puppet!' Team Rocket internally cried in astonishment.
Jessie turned to Meowth frantically, "Do something else," she said in a hushed voice.
"But I haven't prepared anything," Meowth whispered back.
James turned to Meowth as well, "Tell the joke Dave from accounting told us the other day," he suggested, making Meowth nod.
"Alright," he said before turning back to the audience confidently, "so a ponyta walks into a bar…
Five Painful Minutes Later
"…and then I said 'that's not a tauros that's my mother'," Meowth finished with a small laugh.
He stopped laughing as he saw the horrified faces of the audience staring back at him. Some people looked sickly pale while others covered the children's ears. One person had even fainted. This silence was much worse than the ones before.
In the wings, Charles, Benny and the Fleur Des Lis twins were just as horrified with Meowth's joke.
("I know that was extremely offensive,") Benny muttered, ("But I have no idea who to or how.")
"At least, if Fleur's and Lilly's performance goes wrong it won't be nearly as bad as what just happened," Charles muttered back.
James eventually got over his shock and leaned over to Meowth, "I meant the other joke Dave from accounting told us," he whispered, causing Meowth to gulp.
"Oh…that makes sense," Meowth uttered in realisation.
Flo and Alice heard giggling near them and turned to Delia with confused looks. The brown haired woman had her hand daintily over her mouth as softly laughed.
"It was his mother all along, how funny," she said through giggles, making Flo and Alice share a look.
Team Rocket eventually dragged themselves off the stage in shame, signifying Fleur and Lilly's time to shine.
"Well…that was quite…something," the presenter unsurely announced, "and now for our final performance today, give it up for the Fleur Des Lis sisters!" he proclaimed as Fleur and Lilly stepped out onto the stage.
They both took a deep breath while Charles started the music they requested. They soon began to perform to the amazement of the audience.
They swung their leaves around elegantly before standing on foot and twirling around in a circle. Whilst the twirled around, they circled each other in a beautiful display that wowed the audience and made the judges smile. That's when the moved on to the tricky part. The two sisters performed a series of backflips from the centre to the sides, showing off their acrobatic skills. They soon stopped and Fleur readied herself. Lilly took a deep breath and ran to her sister before leaping gracefully on top of her. Fleur caught her with her leaves and threw her into the air, making her backflip and twirl before landing on her two feet.
The audience cheered at the display and Charles smiled proudly at them.
They began to twirl once more, opening their leaves and releasing a sweet odour that the audience enjoyed. It smelled of roses and other flowers that bloom in the meadows. The audience started to relax, starting to like the performance more and more.
Soon came the grand finale. Lilly prepared herself before at front centre stage while Fleur stood a few feet behind her. Lilly then performed a series of backflips towards her sister before doing one large flip and landed on Fleur. Fleur caught her and they both posed, finishing their performance.
The audience roared in delight, surprising the Fleur Des Lis sisters. Lilly jumped down from her sister's head and the hugged each other in enthusiastically.
("We did it! We did it!") Lilly happily cheered as Fleur smiled contently.
From the wings of the stage, Charles and Benny watched on with proud expressions.
("You think that would be enough to win?") Benny asked hopefully.
"I hope so," Charles replied, "They worked really hard for this."
All the Pokemon and their trainers were on the stage, ready for the judges to announce who was the winner. Nearby, Team Rocket was being shouted at by a very angry Brutella.
"What was that!" Brutella snapped at them, "you call that a talent!"
"In Meowth's defence, you didn't really give him time to prepare," Jessie piped up, only to yelp as Brutella sneered at her.
"I don't know what else you wanted us to do," Meowth nervously commented.
"You could have sabotaged that last performance," Brutella snarled.
James raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Didn't you see it? It was too beautiful to sabotage," he said, earning nods from the other members.
Brutella continued to scream at them.
Back to the stage, Charles held Fleur and Lilly in his arms as they waited for the presenter to announce the victor. They saw the judges pass an envelope to the presenter and prepared for the results.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the presenter announced, "the winner of the Pokemon talent show is..."
Everyone held their breathes. Moe, Fleur and Lilly were the most nervous of all. If Moe didn't get the prize money, he wouldn't be able to pay off Brutella in time and would sacrifice his boat and his dream. Fleur and Lilly were nervous because they wanted to know how well they danced. If they win then it would be a boost to their confidence.
Finally after a few tense moments, the presenter finally proclaimed...
"...the Fleur Des Lis sisters!"
The audience cried in joy while Fleur and Lilly squealed happily. The presenter was about to present the Charles with the trophy when a loud shout silenced everyone.
"Hold it!" Brutella shrieked, jumping on the stage and turning to Moe, "It isn't over Moe! You may have had children and Pokemon fight your battle for you, but that doesn't mean your out of the clear."
"What are you talking about, Brutella!" Moe cried, standing up from his seat and shaking his fist at her.
("Hey Charles,") Benny whispered, sniffing the air, ("do you smell gas?")
"Gas?" Charles repeated questioningly.
Brutella ignored the whispering and smirked confidently down at him, "That prize money just covers what you owe me. However, it doesn't cover the damage to that boat of yours."
"Now that you mention it, I can smell it," Charles confirmed sniffing the air, "Where is it coming from?"
"That means," Brutella continued, "you need to earn more money from that lousy restaurant of yours. Which is no match for my superior restaurant."
("I think it's coming from Brutella's restaurant,") Benny said, pointing to said restaurant nearby.
"That means that you will have to come crawling back to me for another loan and you're back to where you started," Brutella sneered, making Moe growl angrily.
They were so wrapped up in their argument that didn't notice the smell of gas wafting through the air. Everyone else, however, have caught on to the odour and were looking around curiously to where it's coming from.
Charles walked over to Team Rocket who were waiting for Brutella by the stage, "Hey Team Rocket, did you by chance leave an oven on?"
Jessie scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Of course, we didn't. James made sure to turn off all the ovens when we locked up."
James frowned in confusion, "I thought Meowth did that," he said.
"I can't reach the dials," Meowth informed, "I told Jessie to do it."
"Me," Jessie uttered, "I thought you told James to it."
"So none of you turned of the gas supply to the ovens," Charles confirmed, making TemanRocket nod their heads.
Back to the argument between Moe and Brutella. Moe gritted his teeth as Brutella cackled darkly from above him.
"You can't do that!" Moe cried angrily.
Brutella sneered confidently, "Of course I can. As long as my restaurant is still standing, you will never be free of m-"
KA-BOOM!
A explosion boomed through the mid-afternoon sky, making everyone scream and turn behind them. Everyone gasped as they saw Brutella's restaurant completely demolished and engulfed in flames. Pieces of fiery debris fluttered down onto the sand, narrowly missing the audience.
Brutella gaped as she saw her restaurant completely destroyed, strangled sounds escaping from her mouth.
...
...
...
("That's one way to solve all our problems,") Benny commented.
Things quickly cleared up after the incident.
Brutella, seeing that her restaurant is beyond repair, chased Team Rocket out of town with a plank of wood that she took from the wreckage. Now that the competition was out of the way, Moe's restaurant became to go-to eatery. Not only can he pay off his debts, but now he can repair his boat. He thanked them for all their help to reach his dream.
Charles had returned Fleur and Lilly to the lab so they could practise another routine. He was hoping to bring back Cleo, but the Persian insisted she stay behind at the lab. Apparently, there were some disputes among the other Pokemon that she need to sort out, so instead Charles brung back Echo and Hurricane.
Now the children, Pokemon and Delia were at a bus stop, waiting for bus to take Delia back to Pallet Town. They saw the bus approach and Delia picked up her suitcase and turned to them with a bright smile.
"Thank you so much for inviting. I have had a lot of fun," she brightly said.
'She did?' they collectively thought in bemusement.
The bus pulled up to the stop and the doors opened.
"Goodbye everyone, goodbye Ash," Delia happily chirped.
"Bye mum," Ash simply said, only giving her a simple wave.
Delia's content smile faltered slightly as she expected him to give a grander goodbye. However, she turned around and walked towards the bus doors. Flo rolled her eyes and pushed Ash sharply towards Delia.
"Say goodbye to her properly," Flo demanded, making Ash nod frantically.
Ash ran to his mother and hugged her. Delia was surprised for a moment, but her smile grew wider as she embraced her son.
The others watched the mother and son say goodbye to each other with happy expressions on their faces.
Charles turned to Flo with a curious look, "Anything we need to know about." he asked.
Flo shrugged, "Nothing important," she answered, earning a soft chuckle from Charles.
"So, where are you guys heading?" Brock asked Charles, Flo and Alice.
"Saffron City," Alice replied, taking out her map, "we need to cross the bay and head north. It should take us a couple of weeks."
"We're going that way as well," Misty said, "I heard that the Saffron City has a psychic type gym."
Brock nodded in agreement, "Yeah and the gym leader is a girl named Sabrina," he said in a lovesick manner, "I heard she's as powerful as she's beautiful," he said with a sigh.
The others rolled their eyes.
"Psychic type, huh," Charles mused, "could be tough. We might have to recruit more Pokemon to the team," he came out of his thoughts and turned to Brock and Misty with a smile, "we'll be leaving in the morning so, if we don't see you before then, have a safe journey."
"You too. Goodbye," Brock and Misty chorused as the team turned to make their way back to the Pokemon Centre.
They didn't get far before Charles heard Misty call out his name.
"Charles!" Misty cried, making the boy turn back to her with a curious look.
"What's wrong?"
Misty's expression became bashful. Her cheeks turned red and she looked down at the ground nervously, "I wanted to know...if you liked...my swimming costume," she shyly asked.
Charles blushed instantly and looked away, "I l-like it," he stammered, "it looks g-good on you."
Misty smiled brightly, her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, "Really? Thanks Charles," she cheerfully said.
Charles smiled back before he felt a dark aura behind him. Charles slowly turned around and gulped as he saw Flo's and Alice's unamused face.
"Err...Benny a little help," he pleaded to his brother, only to find that his shoulder was void of any Pikachu.
He turned and saw him scampering away, leaving him to his fate.
'Et tu Benny,' Charles mentally cried as he felt Flo's and Alice's glares bore into him.
Charles' Room, Pallet Town
It was nighttime and Professor Oak was doing his final round around the corral before closing up for the night. Howeve, Lilly couldn't find her sister anywhere. She checked the corral, the forest and now she found herself wondering down the hallways of the Pokemon lab.
Eventually, she found a door that was ajar and poked her head in. She guessed by all the photos and the posters that this was Charles' and Benny's room and after a look around she found Fleur standing on the writing desk. Intrigued, Lilly walked into the room, leaped onto the wooden chair and onto the desk. She saw Fleur peering over a large book and ever so often flicking over the next page with her leaves.
("Hey Lilly,") Fleur lazily greeted, not looking up from the book.
("What ever are you doing, dear sister,") Lilly asked as she looked at the book and saw the pages printed with pictures of different Pokemon and information about them.
("Looking for the section on Oddish,") she answered, ("I wanted to know more about our next evolution stages to see if they'll be any good for our performances.")
Lilly blinked in surprise, ("I did not know you could read,") she observed.
Fleur flinched slightly, ("I'm just...looking at the pictures,") she mumbled as she flipped another page, ("here we are," ) she declared finding in the page on oddish.
The two sisters looked over the page full of information about the species. They couldn't read the text but looked at he pictures to see if they can get any clue of what their next forms will be.
("See anything?") Fleur asked.
("Unfortunately, not,") Lilly sadly replied as she shook her head.
("That's where you two have gone,") an annoyed voice behind them said, making them jump. They turned around and saw Cleo halfway into the room, ("It's getting late. All grass types need to head outside before the professor locks up,") she sternly informed.
Fleur grunted in anger, ("We'll be down in a minute. We're busy,") she snapped down at the Persian.
("Busy doing what?") Cleo curiously asked with a raised eyebrow.
("NONE OF YOUR BU-")
THWACK!
Lilly smacked Fleur on the top of her head and smiled down at the Persian politely, ("Terribly sorry about her. We wanted to see what our next evolved forms were. However, we are finding it difficult to read the text,") she explained in a disappointed tone.
("I know how to read,") Cleo said as she stepped onto the wooden chair and placed her front paws on the desk, ("I can tell you if you want.")
("Really?") Lilly gasped in delight, ("Thank you ever so much.")
("Yeah thanks,") Fleur murmured, rubbing the place where Lilly smacked her with her leaf.
Cleo smiled kindly at them, ("No problem, but after this you need to go to sleep,") she told them before peering over the book, ("It says here the final evolution stage of oddish is vileplume,") she told them.
("Vileplume?") Lilly questioned as Cleo used her paw to flip over to the next page.
("Here,") Cleo said, placing her paw on a picture of a pokemon with a round blue body, stubby arms and legs and has a large red and white spotted flower on top of its head, ("Vileplume. A grass and poison type. The larger its petals, the more toxic pollen it contains. Its big head is heavy and hard to hold up,") Cleo read out loud, making the Fleur des Lis sisters hum in interest.
("That is so interesting. What do you think Fle-") Lilly stopped when she saw the upset expression on her sister's face, ("Fleur?") she questioned.
The oddish sighed, ("Sorry Lilly, I'm just a little…disappointed,") she said, making the other two frown, ("I was hoping that out next stage would be more…elegant. I'm happy that we will have arms, but that flower is going to make performing difficult.")
Lilly understood why her sister would be upset, but before she could comfort her, Cleo interrupted her.
("One moment,") Cleo said, her eyes going over the oddish page again, ("it says here that you have an alternative final form,") she informed, surprising the both of them.
("Alternative?") Fleur asked.
("Yeah, some Pokemon can have more than one forms depending on the environment or using different evolution stones. Your alternate final form is apparently popular in the Johto region,") Cleo told them, looking up at the books on the shelf above the desk.
She spotted a book titled 'Pokemon of the Johto Region' and used her teeth to take off the shelf. Putting it gently on the desk and on top of the other book, Cleo used her paw to flick through the pages until she found the right one.
("There,") Cleo finally said, pointing to another picture of a Pokemon, ("a Leaf Stone will make you evolve into a vileplume, but a Sun Stone will make you evolve into this.")
The Fleur des Lis sisters looked at the picture and gasped in delight. This Pokemon had a green body with two arms that seemed to wave like a Hula dancer. The lower half the body was hidden by a collection of large green and yellow leaves that made it look like a skirt. On the top of its head were two red and yellow flowers that framed an adorable smiling face.
("That is amazing,") Lilly uttered.
("It's exactly what I was thinking of,") Fleur mumbled in awe of the Pokemon.
Cleo chuckled, ("It's called a bellossom. The flower Pokemon. They gather at times and appear to dance. They say that the dance is a ritual to summon the sun,") Cleo read out loud.
Lilly ran up to her still stunned sister and jumped up and down happily, ("Fleur, we need to evolve into belossom. Our performances will be spectacular.")
Fleur snapped out of her thoughts and gave her sister a determined grin, ("Let's do it,") she declared confidently.
("Hold it,") Cleo said, interrupting their celebration, ("that's only your final evolution stage. You need to evolve into glooms first,") she told them.
("Gloom?") the sisters chorused questioningly.
Cleo moved the Johto book off to reveal the first book. She then flicked a page over and pointed at yet another picture of a Pokemon. The sisters look at the picture and their faces dropped in horror. This Pokemon had a round blue body, stubby arms and legs and a large red flower on top of its head. What really caught the sister's attention was the dopey expression on its face and a line of, what they assumed to be, drool hanging out of its mouth.
It was not a graceful looking Pokemon.
("Gloom,") Cleo read out, ("The fluid that oozes from its mouth isn't drool. It is a nectar that is used to attract prey,") she turned to them with a sympathetic smile, ("that's sounds…interesting.")
The Fleur des Lis sisters stared at the picture for few more seconds in disbelief before Fleur gritted her teeth in anger.
("ARE YOU KIDDING ME!") she screamed.
Sorry that this took so long. The website was not working properly so I haven't been able to update.
Anyway, I can't believe I've reached twenty chapters. That's fantastic! Thank you all for your support.
I had Delia come with the team to the beach. I always felt bad for her as before Mr Mine came along, she was completely on her own. It must have been hard for her.
I also changed some parts of the original episode, so it made more sense. I also thought it would be funny that Team Rocket accidently blew up Brutella's restaurant. I think in the original they use a heat-seeking missile so that had to change.
I wish I could have written more dialogue for Misty and Brock. Even Pikachu didn't have any lines in this chapter. Maybe next time, I suppose.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you next time.
Thanks :)
Potential Pokemon list:
Charles
Abra
Vulpix
Nidoran (Female)
Gastley
Bellsprout
Ponyta
Drowzee
Goldeen
Dratini
Tauros
Hitmonlee/Hitmonchan
Flo
· Chansey
· Psyduck
· Nidoran (Male)
· Kangaskhan
· Paras
· Cubone
· Diglett
Alice
· Venonat
· Farfetch'd
· Machop
· Rattata
· Poliwag
· Tangela