Geraniums don't always live up to their name
Normally known for its vibrancy, Rustboro City had been wallowing in a gray torpor for several days. Clouds rolled in over the city, and a sweltering heat weighed on the atmosphere.
Leaning out of the window of her hotel room, Courtney enjoyed the late night, the ground cleansed of its heat and the droplets that lingered on the cobblestones. This welcome respite, however, did nothing to cheer up the busy merchants unloading their wares. Not a single joke or smile, just furrowed brows and tense mouths, their unease palpable as they looked up in the direction of the Devon Corporation.
Courtney stepped back, her hand pressed to her forehead to ease the pain. A lot of work lately, and not the most restful, so it was hardly surprising that her headache had worsened. She blew, once, twice, three times, then shuffled her feet to the mirror, watching the dark circles digging into the layers of makeup.
It wasn't that she wasn't sleeping well.
It wasn't that she was having nightmares.
But there were the absences.
The term her colleagues used, the one that actually came closest to what she was feeling, without being able to fully encompass it, and for lack of a better...
Answering machine.
She cracked her knuckles, surprised at the word that had presented itself so aptly. It wasn't absence, since she was there, but... she was listening to an answering machine. A recorded tape, its steady roll punctuated by a few twitches, and it was the latter she strained her ear for the most.
Maxie would ask her to pick it up.
He did so in that quivering voice of concern he used whenever one of his subordinates was in danger and his stoicism cracked. Courtney's slight smile twisted.
Her boss's calls became rarer and rarer, replaced by harsh laughter, unintelligible words, clattering, and then... the light. It was as if the machine exploded and the breath spread along the nerves to nibble at his brain, twisting inside the hemispheres.
This had happened the last time she'd talked to her boss. On the answering machine, he'd asked her to find the girl she'd met at headquarters. Courtney twirled the contest pass between her fingers, the uncomfortable feeling that something was missing from their conversation, as if someone had recorded over the message they had left. She tossed the pass back on the dressing table, a new migraine spreading through her skull.
"One last dance before the great leap?" she questioned the mirror and what was reflected in it.
She returned to the window, reluctant to follow the few trainers she saw in the alley - coordinators to be exact, and they were especially early. Maybe she should join their little event, but... The weekend.
Serena checked the poster in her hand one last time to make sure she was in the right place. It had to be said that she hadn't expected to see so many people gathered in front of the school gate; one would think that the students and pupils of Rustboro City were paragons of diligence. However, Serena tended to think that all these people were coordinators, especially at seven in the morning (six forty-five, she'd arrived a good fifteen minutes early, naively thinking she'd get there first) and on weekends.
She rubbed her arms and began to waddle from one foot to the other. The chill of the night would be swept away by the first rays of sunshine, but for the moment it reigned supreme, forcing the trainers to close ranks, unless it was the fear of not having their place inside that caused them to close ranks.
The latter thought made Serena's pulse quicken slightly. Joy had warned her that if the course was indeed going to be held, they could expect to set a limit on the number of participants. How many, exactly? Unfortunately, the organizers hadn't seen fit to inform them.
Serena craned her neck and stood on tiptoe to better estimate the number of trainers: a good hundred in her humble opinion, and she'd better believe it if she didn't want to turn away immediately.
A light suddenly went on in the school, causing a murmur and narrowing the space between the coordinators a little more. Serena had mimicked them without realizing it, and was surprised to find that there were now almost as many people behind her - stragglers, one might say - as in front of her. Maybe she really couldn't get in at the rate things were going. A prediction that, if true, would please a certain pokemon.
"Char..."
His tail had just been stepped on, and all the dragon could manage was this half-hearted grunt. Serena clutched the edge of his coat, wondering if this was really a good idea, considering the level of despondency and apathy he'd been in since this morning, or rather since the moment she'd told him they'd be attending this course. And even the news that May would be there hadn't motivated him, who always brightened up when the Hoenn coordinator was mentioned.
A new murmur, a single breath that swept through the crowd, seemed to give the order for everyone to move forward and get closer, even if it meant crushing the first arrivals against the gates. The guard was about to open the gates, but he took his time deciding which wing to unlock first. He moved to the right, and everyone, even those who could not see the man, followed his movement breathlessly. He took the key out of his pocket, but suddenly seemed to be in a state of intense reflection before, in the ultimate sadism, going back the other way, provoking cries of amazement and supplication. He waited, increasing the pressure on the poor people in front of him, until he decided he'd had enough fun.
The gate was barely ajar when the trainers slipped through and hurried toward the large building. Serena had grabbed the dragon's hand to make sure she didn't lose him, but he had tensed strangely at her touch, no doubt hesitating to break it right then and there (she could tell by the grimace he made), before finally coming to his senses. And with good reason: from his vantage point, he had seen a number of trainers get their hands caught between the bars and their panicked gestures to free themselves as the human tide continued to advance. Fortunately, they had all escaped, but he feared that sooner or later one of them would not escape and break his wrist, his screams barely enough to slow the relentless advance, and if that famous "one of them" turned out to be Serena... The screams wouldn't stop them, the flames would make them think.
"We might not be able to get in," Serena muttered worriedly.
Ash didn't think he was lucky enough for that. As for the guard... he wasn't stupid enough to try to close the gates, knowing full well that the current would sweep him away before he could get his hands on the gates.
In the end, they made it through unhindered, the ranks dissipating as soon as they passed the bottleneck before quickly reforming as they approached the building. Ash and Serena had no idea which way to go - in truth, no one here was supposed to know - but they kept walking, following the collective direction without a second thought.
Their hands were still tied when they reached the gymnasium. The place seemed big enough to accommodate them without piling on top of each other, and yet that's exactly what happened. Blame it on the large podium at the back of the room and the Top Coordinator perched on it, attracting her followers.
"Welcome! I didn't expect to see so many of you, but... We'll let the last ones arrive before we start!"
Chaz also stood on the podium, a bit back and with his hands in his pockets, uninterested in what was going on around him. However, as if he sensed them with some kind of sixth sense, he raised his head and scanned the crowd in front of him until he found them. He lifted his chin slightly, a gesture the shapeshifter took as contempt before realizing he was mistaken. What was it then? It was disgust, that's what it was, the rich man's disgust at the reptile that had no business being here, that... Ash suddenly remembered that his claws were still clinging to the trainer's hand. He quickly removed them, and almost at the same time, the boy stopped staring at them.
"Good! Looks like everyone's here, so... It's time for Lisia's Miraculous Dance workshop! Sounds nice, don't you think?"
No. And what was so miraculous about imitating the effects of Confusion and falling face down on the floor! Ash huffed, he had to calm down, it was only two short days and why did he take things so much to heart? As Serena had once said, he had his own rhythm. Too bad if he wasn't good at pirouetting, waltzing or anything like that, it just wasn't for him and he was perfectly capable of accepting it - in fact, he had accepted it since he was human.
"You'll be assigned to different classes to work on your performance, and I'll be checking in periodically to help you and see how you're doing. Oh, I won't be alone, of course, Chaz will also be giving you valuable advice. And if he's ever showing off, don't hesitate to tell me, I'll make sure he gets a good earful," she added confidentially, although she kept the microphone close to her mouth.
Chaz didn't seem to mind and just shrugged, pretending not to understand what she was talking about.
"And that's not all!" Lisia added after catching her breath. "May has also joined us for this very first session of Miraculous Dance. She volunteered especially for tomorrow's rhythmic combat period, but you can count on her today as well.
There was cheering and applause, and Serena joined in wholeheartedly, nudging her reptile, whose mind still seemed to be at a loss. Fortunately, he woke up when May appeared. She waved shyly at the crowd, unaccustomed to being the center of attention despite her popularity with the coordinators.
"And finally, even though she refuses to appear on stage," Lisia added with a tone of amused reproach, "a special mention must go to Roxanne, who was kind enough to let us use the premises of her school, and to the teachers who helped us set up everything, including the breakfast you see on the tables."
"The key to success," May added, eyeing the pains au chocolat.
"So eat well, and we'll see you soon for the start of training!"
He'd meet up with his friend May, breakfast was on the house, and Serena probably wouldn't force him to dance. So really, absolutely no reason for Ash to feel bad about the fact that he'd be standing back, watching her, because that was all he could do... He swallowed a croissant and choked in a second.
"Croissants, one of the most dangerous species on our planet, capable of taking down a Charizard in less than ten seconds... Ah no, five apparently," Minun commented as Pancham used the 'I've got arms too short' version of the Heimlich maneuver, i.e. an Arm Thrust with all his might right under the monster's sternum.
"Good thing you were there," Braixen ironically told the blue rabbit.
"Ash can wait. The sugary puff, on the other hand..." he defended himself.
"Choked on a croissant... He almost choked on a croissant," Serena repeated in utter bewilderment.
All her energy was focused on the dragon, but Braixen knew it was hard to do otherwise. She wiggled her paw a little as she felt the tingling go through it, she didn't want to bother Serena with it, especially since it was only a momentary doubt, an intrusive state of mind that would eventually pass.
Serena continued to rub the reptile's back to calm the coughing fit, praying that it wouldn't set the tablecloth on fire.
"Chaaar," he breathed in as much air as he could. "Zaaaaard."
A little calmer, she preferred to take him out of the gym to a less crowded place where he could regain his composure. She didn't have to go far, as the gym was deserted except for two trainers playing foosball. The clacking of the ball between the mini-players' feet was a minor disturbance compared to the hubbub earlier.
"Here," she handed him a glass of water. "And please, take it easy."
She sat down beside him, making sure he followed her advice. The dragon dipped the tip of his lip, but not without a grumpy growl that made her smile.
Clack.
He turned to her, and Serena pretended he'd never been the center of her attention, her eyes drifting to the television on the wall, her pupils adjusting to the images with a slight delay.
Chtalc!
And it was a goal! The trainer let out an exclamation of joy, but failed to break the young girl's concentration.
Mute on the screen, the presenters nodded, stroking their precious cards, their faces detailed with the Devon Corporation miniature displayed to their left. At the bottom, a blue banner read the news that everyone in Rustboro City had known for several days.
Clac, tchac.
Serena gripped his shoulder mechanically, unable to look away despite the growing nausea.
Clac, clac, tchac, clac.
"Teams Aqua and Magma, prime suspects in the attack on Devon Corporation." "Search still underway." "No members have been apprehended."
Claclaclaclaclaclac...
A wing intervened, cutting off the images swarming in the girl's eyes.
"It's all right," she articulated weakly.
The membrane curved, embracing the trainer, a gentle warmth pushing away bad memories. She leaned down, letting her head rest absentmindedly on the reptile's shoulder, her hand tangled in the monster's claws. There was nothing wrong with letting her pokemon comfort her.
"Is this really the little Charmander I knew?" May joked.
With a pastry in each hand, she had to step away from the reception area to enjoy them in peace. Imagine that! She hadn't been able to take a single bite, so much so that she was interrupted by all the trainers asking her for advice on how she had done this or that in the competition, to which she wanted to reply, "I have no idea!"
In any case, their questions and her desire to stuff herself had at least had the benefit of helping her find the one who was still young Charmander in her eyes. She liked the Pokémon, since she'd felt close to him from the moment she'd met him. And if it had been her the pokémon had wanted to follow instead of the pokémon artist, May would have immediately... By the way, where was Serena? She took a step to the side, thinking that the girl couldn't be far from the pokemon, and in fact, she wasn't far at all, in fact, she was very close, almost as if... Serena pulled away rapidly, quickly brushing back her hair with the flat of her hand, the blush still visible on her cheeks.
"Still snuggling up to her favorite trainer, I see," May joked, soothing the slight discomfort she felt at having interrupted something. "You haven't changed that much."
What does that mean, still snuggling? Her friend must have gotten the wrong pokemon or was imagining things, because the dragon had only recently allowed himself this kind of contact... Not counting all the times he'd clung to her in her sleep.
"By the way, May," Serena coughed, trying to pretend that nothing had happened. "I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier, but... Congratulations on your fifth ribbon!"
"Char! Charichar!" echoed the fire type.
"Were you watching?" exclaimed May.
"We're trying to keep up," the young girl laughed. "Charizard jumps for joy every time you win."
The coordinator smiled, pleased to learn that the reptile had not forgotten her despite the changes. It was even surprising, considering the short time they'd spent together.
"And all in all, I don't think any coordinator would have wanted to miss this fight."
The young coordinator's eyes sparkled, and May felt a little guilty that she wasn't as proud as she should be.
"You shouldn't take this fight too seriously," she had to say.
"Are you kidding? You still won..."
"She already had her five ribbons," May quickly clarified. "We had never faced each other before, and she just happened to be passing through the town where I was competing, so... She must have wanted to have some fun."
"But you won. You beat Lisia," Serena stammered.
May gave a nervous little laugh before finally confessing:
"She didn't use that thing during our confrontation."
"That thing?" Serena repeated without understanding.
"Yes, that thing that goes zziiiii and piouf and then the pokemon changes shape."
"Mega-Evolution?" smiled Serena, who at that moment had no doubt that May had once accompanied Ash on his travels.
"Exactly!" she snapped. "If she had used it on Ali, the end of the match would have been very different."
"She must have wanted to fight you on equal terms."
May crossed her arms. She understood the principle, but that didn't mean Lisia hadn't used all her trump cards against her. Besides, it wasn't up to the Top Coordinator to catch up with her, it was up to May.
"If only I could..."
"It should be possible."
"Chari," Ash confirmed, once again causing surprise in his trainer.
"Hum..." Serena continued after her pokemon had silenced himself. "There are only a limited number of pokemons that can Mega-Evolve, but I know that Blaziken is one of them. If you can find the right gems, well... it'll be zziii and piouf, as you so aptly put it."
May scratched her cheek in embarrassment, but she couldn't hide how grateful she was to the Kalosian for this valuable information. Besides, she could show this new technique to Drew, and she had no doubt that the boy would be very jealous. Too bad he didn't have a blaziken or an altaria, though, and he'd cry if he found himself kicked out of the highly selective Mega-Evolution Club!
"You're not so smart anymore," she gloated.
"May?" Serena swallowed, feeling an unhealthy aura around her friend.
May nibbled at the pastries, the best she'd ever eaten.
"You did well to come, very well indeed."
"We were lucky to have the contest in Rustboro City," the young girl sighed. "Even if it was almost canceled."
The Hoenn coordinator tensed, not wanting to hear about the Devon Corporation affair again. She'd already had enough trouble with Roxanne (who, in return, had supported her so that the course could continue).
"They say it was Team Aqua who did it, do you think it's true?" the young girl swallowed, struggling to hide her trembling.
"Magma, but you weren't far off," May sighed.
Serena stared at her, surprised that she was so well informed while the media channels were still in the dark. It was a mistake May hadn't realized until it was too late, and one the Kalosian wasn't about to let go of.
"It's just that I've faced them before, and I know Roxanne well, so... We've investigated together."
Not to mention that she'd already talked a lot about the two teams when her father had taken her to Fortree City. The champions wanted her opinion, and perhaps they hoped she could help them guess what the leaders, Aqua and Magma, were up to. Something she was incapable of, especially since she knew so little about them.
Serena twisted her fingers before finally making a suggestion:
"I could help you too..."
The leader of Team Aqua knew me. He was certain he knew me. That was something she couldn't tell her friend, and it was only fair: May would never have revealed anything to her if she hadn't been so tongue-tied. Serena, on the other hand, would know how to handle it.
"Trust me, it's better for you to stay out of this," May advised, unaware that Serena was already involved. "Besides, the main reason we're here is to train, dance, and have fun, not to mention that our meals will be catered, and I've personally taken care of the menu. In short, you'd better make the most of this weekend, and that goes for you too, Charizard."
"Char..." denied the fake Pokémon. "Chari, Zar," he added.
May pouted apologetically. She had seen the performance in Refville and understood why the reptile didn't want to try again. In fact, she had said the same thing when Serena had decided to capture him: He was more of a gym fighter than a contestant. For that reason, it was good that Serena had gotten this far with him.
However, her friend didn't seem to be satisfied with that, and May wondered if she shouldn't ask her dragon to waltz with her right here and now.
"You don't want to at least..."
The bell had just rung.
The improvised dance floor had nothing going for it: the tables pushed up against the walls served as benches, the spotlights were nothing more than the disgusting neon lights of a classroom, and the speakers were limited to the sound of the computer turned up to maximum.
And yet, the atmosphere in the classroom had nothing to envy the biggest dance floors. Ash gulped, sitting in his corner, unable to look away despite the mantra he repeated over and over: it's just the pokeball, just the pokeball, just the pokeball. Serena hopped, spun, and threw her hands in the air, encouraged by the trainers around her, who clapped their hands in a chaotic but terribly catchy rhythm. And those smiles, the ones that invited the shyest of trainers and pokemons to join in, the ones that made him want to... Ash shook his head.
"Would you like to try?"
The shapeshifter gasped. When had she approached him? Unless she had just teleported in front of him...
"Serena calling Charizard, do you read me?" she teased gently.
"Char."
"What's up?"
Everyone was having a good time, and he, the energetic dragon who couldn't stand still for more than ten minutes, stayed in his corner. So she shouldn't think the situation suited him.
"Come on, just once," she encouraged him.
He hesitated, and that made his refusal even more unbearable for Serena. Okay, he had every right not to like dancing, it was something she respected, had always respected since the days when he was a Charmander and breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of avoiding the first part of the contests. It wasn't quite the same today, though, and the difference boiled down to one simple but fundamental thing: Charizard wanted to dance, and she had every intention of making him understand.
She grabbed his wrists and pulled him toward her, but in the panic, the fake pokemon narrowly missed stepping on her feet. Already? And they hadn't even begun to dance. He felt a wave of disappointment wash over him, unable to follow the girl in what she loved most. No, it's not me who's disappointed, it's the pokeball that makes me feel that way.
He took advantage of the fact that Serena had relaxed her hands slightly to step back, growl in displeasure, and make it clear that he wouldn't be accompanying her and that she'd better find another partner for today.
Serena grumbled; if she'd waited a little longer for him to come on his own, she could have avoided putting him off for the rest of the day. She shook her head, but that would be underestimating the stubborn side of her pokemon. Besides, there was nothing to stop her from trying again later.
She went to get some water while she checked on the rest of her pokemons. Minun and Plusle were causing a stir with their breakdance-like moves, Pancham's paw was clearly visible, and another trainer had joined them, much to the amusement of the two little pokemons. Serena clapped along with the others as they finished their choreography, arms crossed in defiance.
By the way, why wasn't Pancham with them? She soon found the answer when she saw him chasing after Braixen, the latter doing everything to keep him at least three steps away, including grunting when she found herself pinned against a wall. What else could Pancham have done to irritate the vixen?
"Pan?" he turned to the young girl, as if he had guessed her reproach.
Braixen came up from behind and grabbed him by the neck, pulling him away with her. Finally, the safe distance was gone, and she hoped the little pokemon wouldn't have too much trouble. She wouldn't be able to find out, though, as the electric brothers were already monopolizing her time to meet their new friend.
Breakdancing and Serena... not exactly the combination one would have imagined, and Ash was already expecting her to refuse. But she surprised him when she placed one hand on the floor and began to clumsily imitate the moves the boy was showing her. One leg outstretched, then the other, changing hands... outch! Ash started to get up, but the girl had already gone back for another try, and he finally felt like he didn't need to check if everything was okay.
Serena was having fun, a lot of fun, even more so when, after a good hour of rehearsal, they started the music, alternating from one style to another, blending together before abruptly breaking up. It was uncertain, sometimes messy, but it had that little he-knows-what magic. Ash was now pounding out the rhythm, holding his breath when Serena tried a move, stifling an exclamation of joy when she succeeded, or suppressing a small laugh when it ended in a slight imbalance. Dance with Serena... the tapping of his tail stopped.
"I'll tell you a secret."
Ash gasped. How long had Lisia been sitting beside him? She didn't seem to realize the shock she'd just given the shapeshifter, pointing at him with the neck of her bottle.
"I think what struck me most when we first met was that despite your young age, your style was already well defined, as if you'd belonged to another trainer before Serena."
More than belonging, he had been the trainer. So, inevitably, he continued to use what he'd learned back then, even in his new form.
"And the other amazing thing... Can you imagine Macherie dancing with Chaz? I have to admit I didn't believe it, but I soon had to change my mind," she joked. "These two have learned to adapt to each other, and if their separate movements seem mismatched, when they're together, everything fits perfectly."
Good for them, but he wasn't particularly interested in Chaz's life.
"Closer to you," she continued, "you also have a good example in Pancham. But all pokémons end up being more or less influenced by their trainers... Almost all of them."
Lisia pressed her finger to the dragon's cheek as he tried to turn away. Ash hiccupped and quickly pulled away, making round eyes at the Top Coordinator.
"Whoever you belonged to before, Serena is your partner now."
The shapeshifter snorted in boredom and turned his head away, refusing to listen any further. Amused, the Top Coordinator stood up and stretched a little as she explained:
"To think that with this Devon Corporation business, I was on the verge of canceling everything. Fortunately, a certain pokemon motivated me to keep it going."
"Char?"
"You... And your performance in Refville," she laughed, making Ash blanch.
He was better at fighting with her than dancing, and somehow we all had our strengths and weaknesses, so...
"No, no, no, not with me," Lisia stopped him. It wasn't for nothing that I encouraged the inclusion of performance in contests.
So it was her he had to thank for all his problems, because the Top Coordinator hadn't thought that there could be people who were just bad at dancing. He much preferred the original format, where the main goal was to show off your pokemon through their attacks or by demonstrating their natural abilities, as Brock had done with Bonsly. No need for elaborate choreography, just three balls and a little juggling.
"You don't seem convinced that this discipline is essential."
"Rizard?" he ironized. "Zaaaard rizar."
Could we stop looking for metaphysical explanations for his chronic inability to string together two dance steps without falling over? He was bad and that was it, no need to look further and... and...
"Ah, Charizard, Charizard. You helped her improve in the beginning, and I'm very grateful. But now, if you don't get your act together, you're going to be more of a nuisance than anything else."
Ash grunted. He hadn't forgotten the way the Top Coordinator had addressed Serena during their first and only fight. And while the Kalosian had quickly forgiven her, the false pokemon was not yet ready to consider her a friend.
Lisia had risen, drumming her fingers and focusing on the Kalosian. She wanted Serena to be magnificent, incredible, extraordinary and...
"Why don't I show you what it looks like when you let her express herself?" she quipped.
Ash's nervousness soared. But what was this girl going to show him, besides the fact that she was a better dancer than he was and... He let out an astonished gasp. The way Lisia moved, as if she'd anticipated Serena's next moves, timing her steps to bring out the girl's full potential. She sublimated her, and at the same time, Ash felt a pang of despair at something he could never achieve.
The pokeball isn't strong enough.
What should have been Ash's favorite class turned into a real ordeal. Sitting around a good meal, the trainers in their class complimented Serena and her excellent performance with Lisia, to the point where some jokingly, but not entirely, asked if she wouldn't like to set up a duet with the Top Coordinator.
It wasn't as if Ash wasn't pleased that his trainer was getting so much praise, no, not at all. Especially since he couldn't remember her getting much since he'd been with her. He wrung his hands. Mockery, she'd received so much mockery since she'd teamed up with him, because it was so strange to use a Charizard in contests, a Charizard one might wonder if he was only doing these contests because he was her pokemon. What if he'd stayed wild? What if he'd stayed human? What if he was still him? The "him" whose letter she had received the other day.
Ash sniffed loudly. He thought that if she'd read his little note, she'd have a little more... A comment, a reaction, something! So, yes, the letter was limited to babbling about the joys of being in Alola, taking great care not to leave any clues that he was (very) closely following her journey, but he was expecting a little more than a raised eyebrow.
Gosh, Serena could hardly wait to get her hands on the envelope, and once the contents were revealed, poof, nothing more, done, the card was tucked away in her bag without knowing what she thought of it. And it wasn't for lack of asking her with the most innocent, detached "Chari?" and "Charichar? To think that what he had written, what the Ash who had never experienced his misadventure with the mask might have written, was terribly... disappointing? Selfish? Hardly a polite way to wish her a safe journey (which had cost him so much that the memories of the volcano burned his pen - too bad for Edivo's supplies that it wasn't a figure of speech).
Ash turned his head vaguely as a young trainer sneezed right in front of Serena. One could still make out the cloud of floating droplets that would soon disappear as if it had never existed. None of the people present suspected that Serena, her defenses weakened by the events at the volcano, was already doomed to catch a good (very bad) cold in a few weeks. But not now.
Now all she could think about was not seeing Amelia after her thorough inspection of all the faces in the refectory. No matter how much the former artist had said that Hoenn's coordinators weren't up to par, Serena was sure that she would have come anyway, at least to show them what a "real performance" was all about. But no, her Kalos colleague had vanished into thin air, as if that was the fashion at the moment (follow her thoughts to a certain trainer from Palet Town). Although she should consider herself lucky, since the boy had finally shown some signs of life. Well, she couldn't say that she was relieved either - quite the opposite.
She pushed her plate away, her appetite suppressed. Her visit to Atellanes hadn't helped either: The Derkomaï, which wasn't on display and wouldn't be for a while, according to the archaeologists; Brendan, whose Pokénav she'd vaguely heard ringing in the wee hours of the morning, not expecting him to leave the site without even saying goodbye (they'd said their meeting would be brief, not that he'd run away); and finally Edivo, the researcher she still distrusted, despite Charizard's assurances that he was trustworthy. He's far too naive sometimes, she grinned, forgetting all the times she'd been fooled by Team Rocket's disguises - and in this case, a not-so-pokemon.
A sigh beside her. Charizard had been having a bad time since the beginning of this workshop, stubbornly refusing to participate even though there was absolutely nothing at stake. All he had to do was try, and it was too bad if it didn't work out, just like sewing, cooking... although he had been less diligent lately.
"Hu-hum," she cleared her throat.
A first signal the reptile didn't notice, too busy rolling the croquettes around on his plate.
"Hu-hum!" she started again, louder, and accompanied it with a kick under the table.
He lowered his head this time, his attention finally caught, and with a quick jerk she showed him the way out. Ash tensed, twisting his claws and glancing uncertainly at the table where Lisia sat. Serena gave him a gentle nudge on the shoulder, smiling softly to encourage him.
"Char, he gave up."
"I knew you'd change your mind," she joked.
The way she handled him, too. Or maybe it's the pokeball... He slapped his cheeks and shook his head to clear his mind. He was sincere when he said he wanted to help Serena, he really was, and he was going to prove it!
They slipped out of the canteen, giving up their dessert, a sacrifice a certain Hoenn Coordinator wasn't quite ready to make, though she was dying to follow them, and she wasn't the only one.
With a big, satisfied smile on her lips, Lisia looked at the Kalosian, eager to see how far she would progress in this little course. That was the way the Top Coordinator worked: to be the star everyone dreamed of reaching, and at the same time the one most eager to be surpassed. May had understood this when Lisia, not in the least affected by the outcome of the fight, had gratefully accepted her rival's victory.
"I thought we were supposed to avoid special treatment," May teased.
It was also a way of complaining that she hadn't been able to invite her friend to their table because of that stupid rule.
"I can be discreet, unlike some people."
And a direct attack, one! But it was hard to hold a grudge against the woman who had invited you so warmly. And although Lisia had achieved the title of Top Coordinator before May, the fact remained that the latter was her senior in the contests and one of her sources of inspiration, which she had not hesitated to explain, somewhat flattering the Blaziken trainer's ego.
"Anyway, I had no idea you two were so close."
The Top Coordinator had a brief moment of absence, perhaps even a touch of sadness, as she admitted:
"I don't know if you can really say that. But it's true that I can't wait to see what Serena will become, and then maybe..."
Chaz coughed hard, spilling his glass. His chest still aching, he clenched his hand on his napkin and refused to shut up.
"I remind you that she's still with the other monster, so don't expect too much."
"Monster?" repeated May.
"Charizard," Lisia explained. "But don't worry, I've made sure to explain a few things to him to help him get up to speed."
"Still..." Chaz continued.
"Still, you didn't have to stare at them the whole meal," she said, wiping her lips. "It was you who insisted on coming, but I told you that if it got too difficult..."
"It's okay," he frowned.
It seemed that May wouldn't have to put the boy in his place for slandering the fire type, but...
"I don't think it's a good idea to force Charizard to perform."
"Really?" says Lisia, her spoon stuck in a chocolate fondant.
"It's not for nothing that Serena only makes him do second parts. It's better for him to work on what he loves than to undermine his morale by..."
"Yet she came to this little workshop with him."
"Because Charizard isn't the type to wait quietly in the Pokemon Center for her return," May sighed. "Or in his pokeball, for that matter."
Lisia didn't answer right away, preferring to taste the pastry first. Tasty, almost exactly as she'd hoped, but almost wasn't enough.
"You know as well as I do that he'll stagnate in battle, too."
May tensed, unable to deny that while he had made clear progress, he was still using a lot of his strength to make up for his shortcomings. Something that wasn't always visible in low-level contests, but would become more obvious as the competition intensified.
"Okay, maybe there are some things we need to work on..." she finally admitted.
Lisia smiled broadly, her good mood restored, until Chaz began to waddle back into the chair, smoothing out the creases in his pants.
"Is something bothering you?" Lisia guessed.
"That you can't see the obvious," he grumbled.
"He's a monster, I know that, you've told me often enough," she rolled her eyes, not the least bit convinced.
"Lisia..." he said, clenching his jaw. "They eat at the same table."
Ali's trainer straightened slightly in her chair, arching her back as if the blonde's words had jumped out at her.
"Is it serious that they're eating together?" exclaimed May.
Chaz slowly turned to her, as if shocked that she hadn't noticed the obvious:
"Not together, but at the same table."
This time May couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. If he meant they were close... Serena had raised him since he was a young Charmander, so their relationship was inevitably different from that between a pokemon and its trainer. Something more childlike or...
"Is there a difference?" she finally dared to ask.
The boy did not look at the questioner, but at Lisia. He guessed that she also wanted him to speak more clearly, to express his thoughts, but...
"You can't take that."
Author's notes: I guess it must be a surprise not to read directly what happens at the excavation site... But I already had all the elements I wanted in the previous chapters, and the part about them leaving the ancient city didn't seem absolutely necessary.
I'm quite happy to bring May back, and if you read the previous version, you'll notice that instead of making her "weaker" than Lisia, I preferred to make her equal to her. After all, she has a lot of experience and regularly takes on powerful coordinators, while Lisia, for all her talent, doesn't seem to have had the opportunity to travel outside her region. Anyway, the last time we saw her in the anime, May told us that she felt like she was stagnating, but I'd like to think that she's managed to unblock things since then ^^.
The part about the dance workshop wasn't in the original version either. A waste of time? Maybe, especially since I think those kinds of parts look much better in animation than in writing, but the performances (and actually the dancing) are still something very much tied to Serena and require different qualities than fighting. And I think, as you can see from what I've been trying to develop for several chapters now, Ash needs to step out of his comfort zone and venture into Serena's territory (something I loved in the last few episodes of XY&Z: how he runs to the dress windows because he knows it will please Serena, and which I wanted to push further in this fic).
Finally, I was a little weirded out by having to write Pain au Chocolat. It's nice to be able to use your native language in your fic x) And I don't want to hear from the advocates of Chocolatine, you're in the minority! (*bows down to avoid bullets* - Pain au chocolat versus Chocolatine, it's a big war in our house ^^')