Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
BGM: West Province - Riding (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)
"Aaah… good to be out of that desert." Alessandra said. "That poor Magikarp though."
"Well, he did get better." Marnie responded.
"True." Alessandra nodded as they walked down the hill as they saw Girafarig pulling leaves off of trees to eat them while nearby, three different Paldean Tauros were butting heads against each other.
"Oh look at that, Paldean Tauros." Hop said. "...Huh, wait a sec, do they all look different?"
"They do, actually." Victor nodded. "In Paldea, there are three different Paldean Tauros. One is the Combat Breed, another is the Blaze Breed and the other is the Aqua Breed."
"Oh yeah, I've heard about that!" Cian nodded.
"Cooooool! That sounds awesome!" Nora said as she pulled out her scroll to scan the Paldean while Gloria scanned the Blaze Breed while Alessandra did the same for the Aqua Breed.
"Paldean Tauros, the Wild Bull Pokemon. This Pokémon has a muscular body and excels at close-quarters combat. It uses its short horns to strike the opponent's weak spots. This kind of Tauros, known as the Combat Breed, is distinguished by its thick, powerful muscles and its fierce disposition."
"Paldean Tauros, the Wild Bull Pokemon. Blaze Breed. When heated by fire energy, its horns can get hotter than eighteen hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Those gored by them will suffer both wounds and burns. People call this kind of Tauros the Blaze Breed due to the hot air it snorts from its nostrils. Its three tails are intertwined."
"Paldean Tauros, the Wild Bull Pokemon. Aqua Breed. This Pokémon blasts water from holes on the tips of its horns-the high-pressure jets pierce right through Tauros's enemies. It swims by jetting water from its horns. The most notable characteristic of the Aqua Breed is its high body fat, which allows it to float easily."
"Well, that's pretty neat." Ren said.
"...Eighteen hundred degrees… toasty." Nora said.
"I can just imagine the accidental wildfires with that thing…" Carmine grimaced.
"I think we can all agree to stay far away from them." Perrin said as they all nodded. "...Unless Gloria wants to fight 'em."
"H-hey! I may love ta fight, but I ain't stupid!" Gloria said.
"Oho, she actually has limits? That's a first." Bede snarked.
"First time for everything." Marnie teased.
"Ooooh, intimidated, are we~?" Alessandra teased as well, causing Gloria to sigh in amusement with a shake of the head.
"Last thing we all need is an angry pack of Tauros." Victor said.
They continued down the hill, with some Dunsparce hopping around the fields with Flaffy running around and Rotom zipping by.
"Ah, don't you just love nature?" Mabel smiled. "You got the Flaaffy, you got the Deerling, you got Makuhita fighting against other Makuhita, you got a pink blob wrapping around an Azumarill at a picnic table, you got some Murkrow hiding in sha-..."
Pause BGM
Everyone stopped as they turned to see the sight at a picnic table alongside a dismayed trainer.
"Really guys? You gotta "get it on" in front of my sandwich?" He groaned.
"Interesting…" Victor pulled out his notepad and started writing down notes. "So Ditto breeds with another Pokemon while a trainer is picnicking…"
Sonia also scribbled down a note.
"Picnics. Are. Daycares. In this region…" Sonia wrote. "Good to know~!"
"Uuuuuuhhhhh…" Mabel blinked.
"I… just lost my appetite for sandwiches right now…" Jaune said.
"...I wannae look away but I just… can't for some reason." Gloria said.
"And suddenly, I'm afraid of bringing the picnic table out." Alessandra grimaced.
"Alright, nothing to see here!" Erza pushed Gloria and Alessandra away as everyone else tried to walk away.
"Just when I thought I saw everything from that Weirdmaggeddon…" Mabel whimpered.
"Okay, moving on!" Flandre pushed her away with the help of Kokoro and Kotoko pulling her away.
"Well… at least we got an egg out of it…" The picnicker mumbled.
Resume BGM
"I cannot believe I got a few pictures out of that…" Perrin said.
"Check this out." Mahiru showed her a photo.
"Ooooh, nice angle! …Ugh, this just feels gross."
"Yeeeeah…"
Both photographers deleted said photos.
"Hoo… get that out of my head." Velvet said.
"What I want to know is how a pink blob is supposed to… "do it" with an aquamarine rabbit." Coco said. "...Then again, I probably don't want to screw up my mind thinking about the possibilities."
"You think?" Velvet groaned.
Suddenly, Velvet's Pokeball opened up as her Ditto came out, looking at Velvet in concern. "Ditto Dit…?"
Velvet softly smiled, picking up her gelatinous blob. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna let that happen to you." She said as her Ditto smiled and nuzzled against her.
I'm glad your Ditto isn't a casanova… Coco thought, playfully poking the blob that made it giggle.
"Well, here we are. The Marinada." Alessandra said.
BGM: Medali/Porto Marinada (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)
"Alright, we just need to find Kofu… wherever he may be." Zinnia said.
"Do we even know what he looks like?" Hop asked.
Alessandra rubbed her chin. "He ran by me so fast, I couldn't get a good read on him… though, he did look bald."
"That narrows it down!" Hop smiled. "Let's go find a bald man!"
Everyone split up as Alessandra wandered into the auction house in hopes to find the man.
"Seventy five, seventy five, do I hear any other bids?"
"One hundred!"
"Two hundred!"
"Two hundred! Do I hear anymore? Anymore? Going once, going twice… sold to the beautiful boxing lady!"
"Sweet, I got me a Love Ball~!"
"Auctions? That's cool." Alessandra smiled.
Just outside, Gloria and Marnie wandered around to see if Kofu was by the pier, only to run into Ruby and Pit. "Whoa, what are ye two doin' here?"
"Well, we don't know where our next target is." Ruby explained. "So we just wandered down here."
"Yeah, and look at what Yang and Claude are doing." Pit pointed off toward the distance as they turned to see both of them surfing in the water with Mantine-like surfboads.
Marnie's eyes sparkled. "They do Mantine surfing here?"
"Well, not exactly. Apparently Mantine don't hang around in these waters so they had to make do with electric powered Mantine boards." Ruby explained.
"I'll be right back. I need to show those two how it's done~!" Marnie walked off.
"Ye have fun, lass!" Gloria giggled.
"Hey, excuse me!" A voice said as Ruby turned to see Cian approaching. "We stumbled upon some Paradox Pokemon-"
"Oh, you mean the Donphan that Gloria sent me? Yeah, they look pretty cool."
Cian nodded. "Mewtwo mentioned something about… you having a Flutter Mane?"
"Oh, you mean this cutie?" Ruby called her out.
"Misdreaaa!"
Cian scanned the Pokemon.
"Flutter Mane, the Paradox Pokemon. This Ancient Pokemon takes great resemblance to Misdreavus. However, unlike Misdreavus, Flutter Mane will not evolve. It has similar features to a ghostly pterosaur that was covered in a paranormal magazine, but the two have little else in common."
"So it doesn't evolve…" Mewtwo said as he overheard it and landed near them. "Tell me, how did you become like this?"
"Misdrea Drea Vus Vus Mis."
"So, the scientists used Terastal Energy from Terapagos and put it into a time machine, which in turn, caused you to get hit with the energy."
"Mis Mis Mis."
"And then you were caught in a space time rift and was taken to Hisui, which led you to meet Ruby."
"Mis Mis~!" Flutter Mane smiled, nuzzling against Ruby, causing her to giggle.
"Do you feel more powerful?"
Flutter Mane nodded.
"So just like the Donphan. I have a feeling there's a similar story to Iron Bundle…" Mewtwo said as he closed his eyes.
"You think there's something sinister going on here?" Ruby asked.
"Either that or someone is trying to play god. Either way, I don't like it…"
With Sonia…
"Hmm, I wonder if…" Sonia walked toward the beach.
"Incooomiiiiing!"
Sonia turned her head to see a certain rollerblading girl headed her way. She immediately stepped out of the way… only to grab her wrist and pulled her away before she rolled away. "Gotcha!"
"Phew…"
"That could've been bad." Sonia said. "You okay, Korrina?"
"Yeah, I've been better." She nodded. "By the way, have you seen my wife around? I lost track of her."
"We found her in Cortondo and she was looking for you, her bro and his best friend."
Korrina sighed. "Yeah, that checks out. I decided to roller skate around Cortondo while she got pastries for us when a random Drowzee came up and used Hypnosis on me. Next thing I know, I woke up here with my legs exhausted, so I'm preeeetty sure I sleep roller skated all the way here."
Sonia blinked. "You… sleep rollerskated… across the entire region?"
"I think I roller skated up the hill past Cortondo, which would explain why my legs felt like jelly. Ugh, and every time I try to get out of here, I'm met with those damn Tauros. One is fine, but a whole pack of 'em? Especially with the fire and water breeds? Not to mention Bea-kins has my phone charger, so my phone's dead and I can't get anywhere."
"Why not just have your Pokemon fight them off? Mega Evolve your Lucario?"
"That's the thing… I did. He can only do so much before he and the others get ganged up on, especially those fire breeds."
Sonia rubbed her chin in thought and pulled out her Rotom Phone. "Here, call her on this."
"Oh thank you!" Korrina took her phone and started to call her.
"Hello?"
"Bea-kiiiiiiins, it's me!"
"Honey?! Where are you? I've been looking all over for you!"
"I'm in Porto Marinada. Some damn Drowzee hypnotized me and I sleep skated all the way over here! Every time I try to get away from here, a pack of angry Paldean Tauros tries to run all over me. I tried to fight them off with Lucario and his mega form, but they all surround him alongside my other Pokemon!"
"And your phone is dead, I imagine…"
"Yes! And I can't call a taxi here because apparently the Squawkabilly are harrassed by a Honchkrow and its goons! I try to go around it by going to Casseroya Lake, but there's a massive Gyarados that seems like it's calling the shots."
"And you're at Porto Marinada, you say?"
"Yes."
"I'll be right there. Hang tight."
"Hurry… I can only eat so much Veluza without getting sick of it."
Bea laughed. "I'll be there soon."
"Okay. Je t'aime." (Love you.)
"Je t'aime aussi."
Korrina hung up and gave Sonia her phone back. "Merci!" She hugged her tightly.
Sonia giggled. "You're welcome."
With Carmine…
"Heeeey, there you guys are~!" Kotoko waved to her fellow Ultimates and ran up to them.
"Hmm…" Carmine rubbed her chin, seeing Kotoko, Kokoro and Mabel chatting it up with the guys as Carmine approached them, where she listened in on them catching up.
"Really? You guys faced a Heartless?" Nagisa asked.
"Yeah, it was wild! Turned out it was a Magikarp the whole time." Kotoko said. "We had to put it out of its misery, but it came back! Now Umber's… off doing something with Dedede while we're here."
"Interesting." Silver mused. "So not even Pokemon are immune to becoming Heartless."
"That's horrifying if you think about it." Dipper shuddered.
"Yeah, but we pulled through~!" Mabel smiled. "Didn't we, Waddles~?"
"Oink!"
"Hehe, it was nothin'." Flandre waved it off.
"Hmm?" Masaru noticed Carmine listening in. "Oh hey… uh… Carmy, right?"
"Carmine. You were close though."
"Ah, you were just listening in, eh?"
"Well… I couldn't help but admire the camaraderie you guys have. I feel like Kiki would get along with you guys."
"Kiki? Who's that?" Jataro asked.
"Kieran, my younger brother, though I call him Kiki. He's about your age." She glanced at Flandre. "Most of you."
Nagisa nodded. "That's good to know."
"I bet he's fun to hang around!" Jataro said.
Carmine smiled. "Yeah. He is…" She nodded before her smile disappeared. "I sure hope he still is…"
"You okay?" Kotoko asked.
"H-huh? Yeah, I'm fine… just uh… lost in thought." Carmine said as she walked off. She let out a soft sigh to compose herself. Stay strong… it's just a rough patch. We'll patch things up when we reunite.
Back with Alessandra…
"Hmmm… how hard is it to find a bald man…?" Alessandra wondered.
"Ack! I left my wallet!"
Alessandra turned her head to see Kofu looking all over for his wallet.
There he is! She thought and walked over to him. "Excuse me, mister Kofu!"
"What do you want, kid?" Kofu's apprentice walked up to confront her. "Can't you see that Master Kofu is busy?"
"This will only take a few second-"
"If you wish to speak with him, you'll have to go through me!" He said defensively. "There's no way I'll let you speak to Master Kofu!"
Alessandra sweatdropped. "Okaaaaay…? I was just gonna hand him his wallet that he dropped."
"And how do you know that he dropped it? You could've stolen-"
"Easy there, Hugo." Kofu said as he gently pushed him aside. "You have to forgive him, he tends to be quite defensive."
"Not my fault people swarm you all the time! It's harassment at this rate…"
Kofu laughed. "Nonsense! I don't mind being swarmed by folks!" He said as he took a closer look at Alessandra. "...Vaultin' Veluza! You're that fashionista who's taken Paldea by storm!"
"That's me~!" Alessandra flashed the peace sign with a grin.
"Yeah, you're the one who made a few makeup products and do all those neat fashion shows and modeling all over the world!"
"Mhm."
"And you found my wallet?"
"Yes. …Well, more like one of the folks at the gym gave it to me."
Kofu laughed. "That sounds about right. I'm always forgettin' something when I'm not cooking!"
"Cooking? You're a chef?"
"Yup!"
"Oh, that's sweet! I… kinda stink at cooking." Alessandra sheepishly admitted.
"Ah, well, we all gotta start somewhere." Kofu smiled. "Now that I have my wallet, I can grab what I came for. But I wonder if I'm too late…"
"Final item of the hour! We got some fresh seaweed straight from the Hoenn region! I repeat, some fresh seaweed straight from the Hoenn region!"
"Aha! Just in time!" Kofu smiled. "Hey, how about an impromptu gym challenge? You help me out with the auction and we can consider the gym test passed!"
"That's it?"
"Indeed!" Kofu nodded. "Normally, my gym test is basically doing a taste test of the food I've made for the day and asking which one the person likes better. Once that's done, the meal they liked is on the house!"
"Sooo, taste testing?"
"I just want to see what would be the best special of the day. Heh, that Kimono girl from Johto was a real help… that's for sure!"
Alessandra smiled. "Alright then. Just one question. Why are you letting me participate in the auction for you?"
"Ah… I tend to stink at auctions."
"Fair enough!" Alessandra turned around. "I'll get that seaweed for ya." She said as she walked off with a hum, texting her friends to let them know what she was up to.
With Weiss…
"Hmhmhm~"
"Step right up! We got a set of Reins of Unity right here, fresh from the Galar Region!"
"Huh?" Weiss turned toward the auctioneer in question.
"If that's not your thing, we have plenty of rare objects like this bonafide Adamant Crystal from Sinnoh! If that doesn't tickle your fancy, we have a genuine Rusted Sword and a Rusted Shield!"
At that moment, Calyrex came out of his ball.
"Did he just say "Reins of Unity"?" Calyrex wondered. "There is no possible way that could even be a thing."
"Well, let's take a look, shall we?"
"Indeed."
"Okay, I'm coming with you." Blake said as they walked over to see for themselves.
"Ah, hello there!' The auctioneer said. "Do these items interest you?"
"Yes, they do." Weiss said.
"Well, for the Reins of Unity, they're set at four hundred Pokedollars."
"Six hundred!" An auctionee exclaimed.
"Six hundred! Do I hear a seven hundred?"
"Fifty thousand." Weiss said.
"HUH?!" The auctionee yelled in shock.
"Fifty thousand! Do I hear a fifty five thousand? Sixty? Going once, going twice, sold to the white haired individual!"
Weiss handed over the cash and took the Reins of Unity.
"Perks of being rich." Blake giggled.
"Here you go." Weiss handed the Reins of Unity to Calyrex.
"Hmmm…"
"Now, can I fancy you with this Rusted Sword and Shield? I'm wagering… ten thousand!"
"Ha, that's easy! Fifteen thousand!" The auctionee said.
"Thirty." Weiss spoke up.
"Th-thirty… f-five…"
"Thirty six."
"Grk…"
"Going once, going twice, sold!" He called out as Weiss took it.
"Hardly a dent in my bank account anyway." Weiss said as she handed them to Blake.
"Now for this Adamant Crystal… twenty five thousand is the starting bid!"
"Twenty six!" The auctionee said, but looked at Weiss who let out a groan. "Oh, who am I kidding… I'm going somewhere else." She walked off.
"Anyone else? No one? Sold to the white haired individual!" He said as he handed Weiss the Adamant Crystal.
"Just as I thought!" Calyrex said, slapping the Reins of Unity on the counter. "These flowers are plastic! It's not a genuine Reins of Unity at all!"
"Not to mention the Rusted Sword is just several items glued together to make it look like a sword." Blake said. "Aaaand the Rusted Shield is made out of cardboard."
The auctioneer started to sweat nervously. "Um… uh…" He started to back away and tried to make a run for it, only to get tripped up by Sun who witnessed the whole thing.
"Ooops~" Sun smiled before he put on a fake mustache together with Neptune. "Alright, you! You have some explaining to do!"
"Wh-who are you?!"
"Junior detectives. You're gonna have to come with us, pal." Neptune said as they dragged him away.
"I… think Paldea's out of their jurisdiction…" Blake sweatdropped.
Weiss shrugged. "No big deal." She said. "...No one's looking, right?"
"Nope, you're good."
Weiss immediately scooped up her cash and put it away, then looked at the Adamant Crystal. "However, this… feels actually genuine. What do you think, Calyrex?"
"Let's see…" Calyrex examined it. "The crystals are genuine, there's no paint coming off of it, no scratch marks… this is a genuine Adamant Crystal. I'm also sensing the power of time circulating through this, so I'm willing to bet that this is for Dialga."
"Soooo, do we give it to him…?" Blake wondered.
"Maybe when he's in a good mood." Weiss shrugged.
"I wonder if he has any other items back there…" Calyrex mused.
Weiss rubbed her chin. "One way to find out." She said, immediately making handsigns and transforming into her Sheikah form as she slipped in and dug through the items.
"The heck…?" Meryl walked over. "Sis, there are better ways to become an auctioneer, ya know." She teased.
"We exposed a guy who was selling fake artifacts." Blake said.
"Oh? Huh… still, I don't think you can just take over just like that… I think." Meryl rubbed her head.
"We got cutting boards acting as Arceus' plates!" Weiss said in dismay, tossing them behind her. "A Rotom Catalog, a painted rock that's acting like the Soul Dew… a bowling ball acting like a meteorite… a fake mirror-"
"A fake mirror for a Reveal Glass? Oh, Tornadus and his friends aren't going to like that…" Calyrex said.
"DNA Splicers?! Is this legit?" Weiss tossed it to Calyrex.
"Let's see… nope, it's fake."
"How about these two?" Weiss pulled up two items.
"Let's see… Lustrous Globe… I can sense the power of space from this. This is genuine. The other is a Griseous Core… I can sense the power of darkness. This is also genuine."
"Solarizers… nope, this is just black taffy acting like them." Weiss said, tossing them to the side. "Scrolls of Darkness and Water… it's just parchment paper!"
"So, mostly fake." Blake said.
"Hold on, there's two more back here." Weiss said, pulling up a bottle and a flower. "Not sure what these two are."
"That bottle is the Prison Bottle. It is meant for Hoopa… and as I recall, he's hanging around Luigi." Calyrex said. "The other is Gracidea. I believe Shaymin would want that."
"I'll hold on to the bottle." Blake said as Weiss handed it to her, then vaulted over the counter and turned back to normal.
"I'll go find Velvet." Weiss said.
"I believe our work here is done." Calyrex nodded as he went back inside of his ball.
Back with Alessandra…
"Forty thousand!" An auctionee said.
"Fifty thousand!" Alessandra called.
"Sixty!"
"A hundred thousand!" Alessandra called up.
"Wha?! I can't afford that…"
"Going once! Going twice! SOLD to the fashionista!"
Alessandra smiled, taking the seaweed and went back to Kofu. "Here ya go!"
"My my, you were fierce over there!"
"I might have dabbled in an auction or two in-between modeling sessions~" Alessandra smiled.
"Hahaha! So this was nothin' for ya!" Kofu smiled. "Now that I got my seaweed, I'll mosey on back to the gym. Hurry on over there if you fancy a battle!" He said as he took off running.
"Just to warn you, there's a lot of Tauros over the-... aaaand he's gone." Alessandra chuckled. "I'm sure he'll figure it out."
"Hey sis!" Cian walked over to her. "I just got a phone call from Raifort, she just found some stakes around the first area of the Western Province."
"Oh? Okay then… just be careful."
"I will." Cian nodded as he called out Koraidon and took off.
"Hey, wait up!" Zinnia called after him as she rode on Salamence to catch up to him.
"Step right up! We got some Mega Stones that will tickle your fancy!"
"Hmm?" Alessandra turned around.
"For a generous offer of two hundred thousand Pokedollars, this bundle of Mega Stones include: Blazikenite, Lucarionite, Lopunnite and Diancite! The Mega Bracelets are included!"
"Hmm… my bro's got a Riolu." Alessandra said as she walked over to him. "I'll take your offer and raise it up two hundred and ten!"
"Two hundred and twenty!" A man spoke up.
"Two hundred and thirty."
The man smirked. "Three hundred thousand."
"Oh, those are rookie numbers~" Alessandra smiled. "Six hundred thousand."
The man blinked. "Seven hundred."
"Nine hundred~"
"Nine hundred and fifty…?"
"One million!"
"...Shoot, that's my limit."
"Going once! Going twice! Sold to the fashionista!"
"You… bought that for a million Pokedollars?" Coco asked in surprise.
"Hehe~ Yup!" Alessandra pulled up her phone and pulled up her bank account. "Best part is, that didn't even put a dent into my accouint."
"What? Let me look at that." Coco said as Alessandra gave her it. "Let's see-..." She stared at the phone in disbelief, pulling down her shades to make sure she was looking at it correctly. "...Aless."
"Yes?"
"You… didn't rob a bank, did you?"
"Pffft, nah."
"That's… a lot, and I mean, a LOT of zeroes."
"Mhm~"
"You make this much money off of modeling?"
"The amount of people who came to my fashion shows or bought my brand of makeup, jewelry, clothing or even bought my fashion magazines is… quite staggering, to say the least."
"But-hah… wha… ho…" Coco gave her phone back, leaning on to a support beam for support. "I shouldn't be surprised but… what the hell! Do you even duh… donate?"
"Oh yeah, I donate to a few charities. Alas, my money comes back quicker than I can get rid of it." Alessandra shrugged.
"Shit, and I thought Jade and the Schnees were rich…" Coco said before shaking it off. "By the way, you mind giving me that Diancite and Lopunnite? I have a Diancie and Vel's got a Lopunny."
"Here ya go!" Alessandra tossed the two Mega Stones and bracelets to her.
"Thanks!"
"Hey!" A voice called out as Alessandra turned to see Masaru.
"Mind if you hand over that Blazikenite? Takibi evolved into Combusken."
"Knock yourself out, dude." Alessandra tossed him the Blazikenite.
"Score~!" Masaru fist pumped.
With Gloria…
"Wot the bloody hell?" Gloria blinked.
"Yeah, you like it?"
"How the fock did ye get two Dynamax Bands with a Wishin' Star in it? And why the hell are ye puttin' it up for auction?"
"Because I'm sure someone here in Paldea would like to try out Dynamax battles if they feel so inclined to move to Galar. Unfortunately, no one seems to be interested."
"How much are ye offerin'?"
"Two grand."
"...I'll make it three grand."
"Sold."
Gloria took the Dynamax Bands. "Aless'll like this." She said as she walked off. "Hey Aless~! Got somethin' for ye~!"
"Hmm?" Alessandra turned around as Gloria tossed her the Dynamax Band. "Oh!" She caught it.
"Ye know, in case if ye wannae Dynamax if ye feel like it."
Alessandra smiled. "Okay!"
"The second one… I dunnae who wants it."
"I'll take it off your hands." Ren spoke up as Gloria turned to him.
"Alright, go for it." She tossed it to him as he took it and wrapped it around his wrist.
"Lookin' good on ya!" Nora smiled.
Marnie walked over, holding a bag in her hand with a plastic bowl in it. "Can you believe it? This auction house has a small sampling of Max Soup. I don't know how they managed to get it off of Mustard and Honey's hands."
"Odd… but maybe we could use it for later." Gloria said as Marnie handed it over to her. "By the way, how was Mantine Surfin'?"
"Well, like the Ninja Turtles say…" She made the surfing gesture. "Cowabunga."
"Alright, I'm ready to head out off to Cascaraffa. How about y'all?" Alessandra asked as they nodded. "Sweet, let's go!"
End BGM
One trip back to Cascaraffa later…
"Do you normally wait this long?" Mewtwo asked as he was chilling on a rooftop.
"She likes to take her time." Hop said.
"That sounds about right."
"Sorry I took so long!" Alessandra said. "I had to figure out what shade of blue I wanted to put on."
Alessandra was now sporting blue eyeshadow with blue lipstick, wearing Chinchou earrings. She was also sporting a blue bikini top with a cross-shaped straps over her chest while also wearing a cerulean necklace with Clampearl pearls. She was also wearing dark blue shorts with a red and white trim and Kyogre was on the right pant leg. She also sported blue flip flops and wore pink Jellicent sunglasses with a Frillish hairpiece on the side while her hair was fixed into a ponytail.
"Lookin' hot!" Coco gave her thumbs up in approval with everyone else agreeing, though Mewtwo was more indifferent.
"Whoa…" Carmine looked over Alessandra. "Damn… talk about a major makeover."
"Ooooh baby, we're seeing her in action~!" Perrin said, taking a few pictures as Alessandra wasted no time doing cute poses. "Yeah, work it!"
"Alright, let's get me a gym badge." She said as she walked off.
BGM: Gym Theme (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)
"Hahaha! Sorry folks, I know you want to hang with me, but I got a gym battle to do!" Kofu said as he walked up to the battlefield where Alessandra was waiting. "Vaultin' Veluza! So the rumors are true! You dress up for any occasion!"
"Hehe~ I wanted to match the theme here."
Kofu smiled. "Yer darn tootin, ya did!"
He pulled out a Pokeball. "Now then, let's serve up a five star meal!"
Alessandra grinned, pulling out a Pokeball as well. "I couldn't agree more~!"
End BGM
BGM: Battle! Gym Leader (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)
The Surging Chef - Kofu
"Show 'er a five star meal, Veluza!"
"Sherry, let's rock!"
"Veluuuu/Tsareeee!"
"Hmm…" Gloria scanned the Veluza.
"Veluza, the Jettison Pokemon. When Veluza discards unnecessary flesh, its mind becomes honed and its psychic power increases. The spare flesh has a mild but delicious flavor. Veluza has excellent regenerative capabilities. It sheds spare flesh from its body to boost its agility, then charges at its prey."
"Feisty…" Gloria said.
"You got this, Aless!" Nora cheered her on.
Water wrapped around Veluza as Sherry got into a stance. He immediately went for an Aqua Jet and surged toward the Tsareena, but she rolled out of the way, only for Veluza to turn quickly and slammed into her.
"Tsar…!" Sherry grunted before hitting him with Trop Kick.
"Luza…!" Veluza grunted before shaking it off as Sherry unleashed Magical Leaf on him but he used Aqua Jet to get out of the way before charging up psychic power and unleashing Psycho Cut. Sherry immediately got out of the way and used Trop Kick once more, but Veluza got out of the way and countered with Night Slash.
Sherry slid back a few feet as Veluza swam toward her with Aqua Jet, but Sherry proceeded to use Triple Axel to weaken the Pokemon.
"Velu…" Veluza grunted after three successful roundhouse kicks to the gills. With a growl, he immediately responded with an Aqua Cutter, but Sherry used Magical Leaf to cut through the Aqua Cutter and struck Veluza to finish it off.
Kofu smiled. "Not bad!" He said, recalling Veluza.
"You feelin' alright, hon?" Alessandra asked.
"Tsar!" Sherry nodded.
"Perfect!"
"How about the main course!" Kofu tossed out his next Pokemon.
"Trio Trio Trio!"
Gloria immediately paled at the sight of it. "Ah… shite… of course the Khezu Pokemon turns red…"
"Ya know, I thought it looked familiar…" Pyrrha said while Nora scanned the Pokemon.
"Wugtrio, the Garden Eel Pokemon and the evolved form of Wiglett. It has a vicious temperament, contrary to what its appearance may suggest. It wraps its long bodies around prey, then drags the prey into its den. A variety of fish Pokémon, Wugtrio was once considered to be a regional form of Dugtrio."
"That… paints a pretty picture." Nora grimaced as a shiver ran up Gloria's spine.
At least these guys have eyes… Gloria thought.
"Trio Triooooo!" Wugtrio created a pool of water that wrapped around the entire battlefield and dove right into the water, where they breached and struck Sherry before they went back in the water, and then came up from behind to smack her again.
"Tsar…" Sherry let out a growl, and when the Wugtrio came up for a third time to finish Triple Dive, she turned toward them and used Trop Kick to kick them back.
"Triooooo!"
"Tsar!" Sherry nodded, only to realize that her foot had mucus on it. "Reena…" She groaned, trying to shake it off as Wugtrio went for a Throat Chop, but Sherry blocked with her arms and Stomped on the three heads, where more mucus piled up on her feet.
"What's with all the mucus?" Alessandra wondered.
"Oh, that's interesting…" Sonia said as she looked through a book. "It says here that the Wiglett line has Gooey as an ability, which makes Pokemon slower upon physical contact."
"That explains the mucus." Hop said.
"Trio TRIOOOO!" Wugtrio unleashed Stomping Tantrum on Sherry, but she got out of the way despite being slowed down by mucus and proceeded to use Trop Kick to finish off the Wugtrio.
"Tsar!" Sherry nodded, then proceeded to sit down and tried to wipe the mucus off of her. "...Reena Ree?" She asked Alessandra as the fashionista handed her a wipe.
"Usually it's for wiping make-up off but you need it more than I do this time."
"Reena!" Sherry smiled and proceeded to wipe the mucus off of her, then threw it into a trash can once she was finished.
"How about a side order!" Kofu called out a Clawitzer next.
"Clawitz!"
Sherry got back into her battle stance. "Tsareee!"
"Claaaw…" Clawitzer charged up its cannon. "ZEEEER!" He cried, unleashing an Aura Sphere directly toward Sherry.
"REEEENAAAA!" Sherry cried as she caught the Aura Sphere but was pushed back several feet. With a growl, Sherry regained her footing and then kicked the Aura Sphere up in the air, then jumped up and Trop Kicked the Aura Sphere toward the Clawitzer, slamming it back on the Pokemon.
"Clawitz…!" Clawitzer cried as Sherry landed on the ground, though she stumbled a little.
"Reena…" Sherry grunted before she stabilized herself and ran toward the dazed Clawitzer.
"Claw… CLAW!" Clawitzer shot off a Dragon Pulse, but Sherry slid underneath the Dragon Pulse and got up, unleashing a Triple Axel to weaken the Pokemon and then finished it off with a Trop Kick.
"Tsaree!" Sherry nodded as Alessandra used a Super Potion to heal her back up.
Kofu chuckled, recalling his Clawitzer. "Now for the dessert…" He said as he called out Crabominable.
"Craboma!"
Kofu smirked. "Prepare the rigging for a big transformation! My Pokemon's gon' rock the boat!"
End BGM
BGM: Victory Lies Before You! (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)
Kofu brought out his Tera Orb as Alessandra had the same idea, both of them charging up their Tera Orbs before throwing them at their respective Pokemon, with Sherry having her Grass Tera Jewel while Crabominable had the Water Tera Jewel.
"TSAREEE/CRABOMAAAA!"
Suddenly, the wind started to pick up as sand started to fly into town.
"Bloody hell, another sandstorm already?!" An onlooker yelled in dismay.
"Augh! That's gonna ruin the fight!"
Alessandra immediately whipped out two pairs of sunglasses and put some on herself while tossing one for Sherry who put them on, while Kofu put on a helmet, while Mewtwo put force fields around everyone, including himself.
"Let's win this, Sherry!"
"Tsaree!"
"Bon appetit!" Kofu declared as water sprayed into the air as Crabominable let out a cry and used Crabhammer while crystalized leaves sprayed out of Sherry's Tera jewel as she ran forward, quickly dodging Crabominable's heavy arm as Sherry used Trop Kick, hitting it directly in the face.
"Craboma…!" Crabominable grunted before use Ice Hammer on her, but Sherry backflipped to avoid the Ice Hammer, then unleashed Magical Leaf on him to severely weaken him. Crabominable responded with another Crabhammer, but Sherry caught the large claw with her hands and pushed it away, then used Trop Kick to finish it off.
"Booomaaaa!" Crabominable cried as the Tera Jewel fell off and collapsed in defeat.
End BGM
"Wooo! That's what I'm talki- hack!" Alessandra coughed, her face filled with disgust.
"Best to speak with the sandstorm and not against it." Kofu said. "Come on, let's head into my restaurant!"
Once at Kofu's restaurant…
"Here ya go." Kofu said, handing Alessandra a bottled water as she drank it up to get the dry sandy taste out of her mouth.
"Ugh, I wasn't planning on eating sand today…"
"It happens to the best of us! Hahahaha!" Kofu laughed.
"Why do you even have a gym right next to the desert that's prone for sandstorms anyway?" Marnie wondered.
"It makes things more interesting!" Kofu smiled, causing everyone to sweatdrop.
"That's one way of looking at it…" Carmine said.
"Now then, here's the gym badge!" Kofu smiled, handing it to Alessandra before he shifted his eyes toward Kokoro and Kotoko. "Vaultin' Veluza! You're that ocelot girl from that Sea5ons band! And you're the one who did that collab with Iono!"
Kotoko grinned. "That's us~!" She smiled, wrapping an arm around Kokoro who shyly smiled.
"Ya know, I thought I recognized you." Carmine said. "You guys are pretty good in that band of yours."
Kokoro turned to Carmine. "Oh, you a fan of Sea5ons?"
"More like casual listeners. Kiki and I listened to your songs on the radio every time it popped up. We liked it every time."
Kokoro smiled. "That's good!" She giggled.
"Hmm… I've been meaning to ask." Kotoko said. "I… don't mean to pry, but considering you get sad every time Kiki is mentioned, what exactly happened between the two of you before you came to Paldea?"
Carmine glanced to the side in discomfort and sadness. "I… don't want to talk about it…"
"Ah, okay… sorry."
"No no, it's okay." Carmine responded, to which Pyrrha, Nora and Jinx hugged her to comfort her.
Clap! Clap!
"Way to go, fashionista."
"Hmm?" Alessandra turned around to see Rika leaning on a wall as Hassel was with her. "Oh, I know you! You were one of the judges at that fashion show!"
"Yup. Name's Rika, nice to meet ya." Rika smiled. "Hassel wanted to bring me along to see how you were doin'. He was worried about ya."
"What? I wasn't worried in the slightest." Hassel said, his arms folded.
"Considering most trainers give up around this point, you were blubbering the whole way here because you hoped the Fashion star wouldn't fizzle out." Rika deadpanned.
"I… I have no idea what you were talking about…" Hassel mumbled.
Rika rolled her eyes. "Anywho, I'm one of the Elite Four."
"Oh cool!" Alessandra smiled. "Glad to know what I'm going up against soon."
"Hehe, looks like the fire in your spirit is going stronger than ever. I like it." Rika smiled. "Now then, there's something very important I would like to discuss with you." She said seriously.
"Hmm? What is it?"
Rika leaned forward, narrowing her eyes at Alessandra before she pulled out a notepad. "You got any recommendations for me clothing wise? I've been trying to wear something cool for the past while yet everything I come up with is… jack diddly."
"Oh, what you're wearing is pretty cool. It's casual, it's chic, it's pretty cute on ya!"
"Chic?" Rika blinked before fist pumping. "Ha! I knew I looked cute in this! Tulip said I needed something else, but I'm glad I got a second opinion!"
"Though… maybe lose the suspenders? It makes you look dorky."
"DORKY?!" Rika yelled as she sulked. "Maaaan, you didn't have to go for the throat like that…" She groaned as anime tears ran down her cheeks.
"There there." Hassel patted her on the back.
Rika slapped her cheeks together. "Anyway, I do appreciate the honest opinion…"
"Personally, I think you look fine as is." Coco said. "Buuuut, the suspenders do scream "I am a dork"... but, I think you rock the look."
"Come to think of it… yeah, you actually do. Maybe you don't need to change much." Alessandra said.
"Oh sweet Arceus, there's two fashionistas that's heavy on the "dork" opinion…" Rika sighed before snapping out of her funk. "Thanks for the confidence boost, though!"
"Hmm?" Kofu looked outside. "Oh hey, the sandstorm cleared up!" He said. "Look at the pretty sky~!"
Suddenly, the ground started to shake.
"Wh-whoa! Another earthquake?!" Kofu wondered.
"CUT! CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!"
BGM: Danger! There's Trouble! - Version 4 (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX)
At that moment, the sky grew dark once more.
"Vaultin' Veluza, the sky is growing angry!" Kofu exclaimed.
"Ro-to-to-to-to!"
Alessandra immediately answered. "I assume you woke up another Ruinous Pokemon."
"I did! Remember where we fought that Titan Bombirdier? Go around it!"
"I'll meet you over there!"
Alessandra immediately ran out the door, calling out Miraidon and took off with Gloria calling out Eternatus as she hopped on, then Ren followed suit with Ogerpon.
With Ruby and Co…
"Calyrex!" Weiss called out as Calyrex came out with Glastrier.
"Hop on!" Calyrex said as Weiss hopped on and took off while Meryl called her Phoenix over and hopped on, flying together with her sister toward the yellow beam shooting up into the sky.
At the epicenter…
"At long last, we've freed another one from it's sealed slumber!" Raifort said as Cian saw the Pokemon emerge as the ground turned into frost, in fact, the whole mountain was turning to snow.
"Cut! Cuuuuut!"
"We got a lively one here!" Zinnia said as Cian scanned the Pokemon.
"Chien-Pao, the Ruinous Pokemon. This Pokémon can control a hundred tons of fallen snow. It plays around innocently by leaping in and out of avalanches it has caused. The hatred of those who perished by the sword long ago has clad itself in snow and become a Pokémon.
"Dark/Ice… alright then." Cian called out his Riolu.
"Rio…" Riolu had his arms folded, then saw his opponent and got into a fighting stance as he was joined by Zinnia's Tyrantrum.
"All of your Pokemon are Dragon types. They're not gonna do well with this one."
"Yeah, well, aside from Ray Ray, Tyrantrum's one of the better option here." Zinnia said while Raifort called out her Grumpig.
End BGM
BGM: Treasures of Ruin Battle Theme (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)
The Sword of Hatred - Chien-Pao
"Alright, Aaron. Let's show this thing what you got!" Cian said.
"Rio!" Aaron nodded as he ran forward as Chien-Pao used Swords Dance before leaping forward, forming an ice sword in his mouth and unleashing Sacred Sword. Aaron jumped over the Sacred Sword and used Bullet Punch, knocking the Pokemon back as Tyrantrum used Stone Edge and Grumpig used Flash Cannon.
Chien-Pao jumped out of the way to avoid them and unleashed Ruination, unleashing a powerful ice storm as he jumped into the snow and snowboarded his way over, pouncing on Grumpig.
"Grump…!" Grumpig grunted as he used a point blank Power Gem. Chien-Pao let out a cry and jumped back, unleashing Icicle Crash on the trio as Tyrantrum took a heavy hit from it but with a growl and Zinnia using a Full Restore on him, he let out a roar and used Dragon Claw, to which Chien-Pao responded with Sacred Sword, both of them clashing as the latter jumped back and used Ruination again.
Aaron immediately rolled his neck before swooping in, quickly using Bullet Punch, pushing Chien-Pao back. Chien-Pao glared at him and used Dark Pulse, but Riolu got out of the way and ran ahead and used Force Palm, but Chien-Pao jumped out of the way and struck him with Ruination.
"Lu…!" Aaron growled as Chien-Pao used Sacred Sword, but Aaron backflipped to avoid it as Grumpig jumped in with Flash Cannon, striking Chien-Pao as he was pushed back but the Ruinous Pokemon jumped out of the way.
"You hanging in there?" Cian asked as Aaron nodded. "Alright, keep doing what you're doing!"
With a nod, Aaron ran toward Chien-Pao… and suddenly formed bones made out of aura in his palms as Chien-Pao turned around and used Sacred Sword on him, but he blocked with Bone Rush, both of them glaring at each other.
"Bone Rush?" Cian wondered as the two used their attacks to parry one another until Aaron ducked and struck Chien-Pao on the side, knocking him back a bit as Aaron jumped back, then jumped into the air as he put his hands back.
"RI… OOOOOO…!"
An Aura Sphere started to form in his paws as he started to glow.
"Ooooh, this just got interesting!" Zinnia exclaimed as Aaron evolved, proceeding to use Aura Sphere directly at Chien-Pao, who swiftly used Sacred Sword to try and bat the Aura Sphere away, as Aaron used Bone Rush to send it back, pushing Chien-Pao toward the rock wall while holding on to the Aura Sphere.
Once Aaron landed, Chien-Pao deflected it back toward Aaron who swiftly used Bone Rush to deflect it high into the air. Chien-Pao jumped in and used Ruination on him, but the Lucario rolled out of the way and struck it with Bullet Punch, with Grumpig jumping in and using Flash Cannon and Tyrantrum using Stone Edge.
"Cu-Cut…" Chien-Pao groaned, staggering on its feet.
Raifort tossed Cian an Ultra Ball. "You know what to do!"
"Right!" Cian nodded as he threw the Ultra Ball into Chien-Pao, pulling it into the ball.
One shake.
Two shakes.
Three shakes.
Chien-Pao burst back out. "Cut Cuuuuut!"
"Agh, so close…!" Cian groaned as Aaron shifted his eyes. He started up Bone Rush and then jumped up into the air as the Aura Sphere that was launched up in the air had started to come back down as Aaron used Bone Rush on the Aura Sphere and sent it flying toward Chien-Pao, making direct contact.
"CUUUUUUUUT!"
Cian picked up the Ultra Ball again. "Second time's the charm!" He said as he threw the Ultra Ball at the KO'd Chien-Pao, pulling it in once more.
One shake.
Two shakes.
Three shakes.
Click!
End BGM
"Atta boy!" Raifort smiled as Cian decided to call out Chien-Pao, then called out Wo-Chien.
"Cut…?"
"Scribe Scri!"
Cian immediately walked over and used a Super Potion on Chien-Pao as the two Ruinous Pokemon headbutted each other in a happy greeting, then he turned to his Lucario and scanned him.
"Lucario, the Aura Pokemon and the evolved form of Riolu. It's said that no foe can remain invisible to Lucario, since it can detect auras-even those of foes it could not otherwise see. A well-trained one can use its aura to identify and take in the feelings of creatures over half a mile away."
"Phew… sorry we're late!" A voice said as they turned to see a near frazzled Alessandra. "A damn avalanche had to block our paths."
"Not to mention that it got too cold for Eternatus, even if Ogerpon tried to warm him up." Gloria said.
"Pona Pon." Ogerpon shrugged.
"We didn't have much trouble." A voice said as they turned to see Weiss, Meryl and Calyrex. "We just didn't want to interrupt the battle." Calyrex explained.
"I was wondering why I felt a different presence…" Raifort said.
"Pona Pon Pon~!" Ogerpon approached Chien-Pao, as the latter pounced on her and gently purred while nuzzling against her. Ogerpon giggled and patted his head.
"Aww, it's so cute~!" Alessandra gushed before glancing over at Cian and Aaron. "I see you two are getting along after that Tera Raid."
"Yeah, I had him walk alongside me while we were searching for stakes. I figured he was still sour after that so I thought we could bond over it. I think he's warming up to me." He smiled, as Aaron rolled his eyes and folded his arms, letting out a small growl. "...Okay, maybe not all the way."
"I see that this Pokemon has been freed as well." A voice said as Mewtwo had also arrived.
"Seems like the whole gang is here." Weiss chuckled as she approached Chien-Pao as it turned to look at her. "Hey buddy… you're a cute one." She smiled as the Chien-Pao smiled and pounced on her, nuzzling against her. "Hehe~ So playful…"
"Now… only two remain." Raifort said with a hint of excitement in her voice.
Meanwhile, back at Porto Marinada…
"Hmm…" Korrina paced around the port. "I hope she didn't get sidetracked with anything…"
"Hey! There's a trainer out in the region taking on a pack of angry Tauros all by herself!" A young teenager said.
"Really?" A man wondered.
"Goodness, she must have a death wish!" A mother said with worry.
"Hmm?" Korrina wondered as she curiously walked off to go check it out.
At the site…
A pack of Tauros surrounded Bea, all of them kicking back their feet as Bea was in a stance, her eyes closed as a few Tauros were KO'd near her.
A Blaze Breed let out a roar and charged her.
BGM: Light 'Em Up (Fall Out Boy)
Bea opened her eyes as she turned toward the Tauros as it used Raging Bull with its horns glowing orange. Bea immediately thrust her arms forward and slammed her hands on the Tauros' forehead, sliding a few feet as the Tauros tried to push her into another Tauros where it lowered its head.
Bea was undeterred as she bent her knees and sprung upward, getting on top of the bull as the Tauros let out a surprised grunt and tried to buck her off, but Bea held on and then jumped off of him. He turned around and attempted to gore her with his horn, but Bea cartwheeled out of the way as Tauros slammed into another Tauros, knocking them both out.
An Aqua Breed lunged toward her with Aqua Jet, but Bea caught the bull by the horns, immediately swinging her arms and slamming it into the ground, then as another Tauros charged at her, she immediately used an arm thrust into the Tauros' face, making it flinch as her palm was close to his face. With a smirk, she sweep kicked the Tauros to knock it to the ground.
Another Tauros let out a cry as they all charged at her at once. Bea immediately clapped her hands, feeling a wave of energy go through her as she punched the ground, as several rock spires rose up and knocked several Tauros away and toppled on top of each other as Bea sweep kicked the rock spires to send several rocks into several Tauros to knock them out.
A Paldean Tauros kicked back its foot and charged at her, unleashing a Double Edge attack but Bea jumped up and landed on a rock spire as the Tauros slammed into it, causing it to fall over and fell on top of the Tauros as Bea landed, sliding a few extra feet before stopping.
She turned toward the few remaining Tauros as they both looked at each other with a sweatdrop, then they turned around and ran the other way in a panic while all the other Tauros had mini Squawkabilly circling around their heads.
End BGM
"That's what I thought."
"...Bea-kins?"
Bea turned her head to see Korrina, a soft smile forming on the former's face.
"Korr-y…" Bea smiled as Korrina immediately roller skated toward her, happily glomping her.
"Oooh, I missed you so much! I didn't mean to worry you…"
"I missed you too…" Bea whispered, both of them sharing a passionate kiss before pulling away as they embraced.
"Where's Alister and Acerola?" Both asked. "...What?! I thought they were with you!"
Korrina sighed. "Oh boy… I know Alister can handle himself, and so can Ace, but… where did they run off to?"
"We'll find them. They couldn't have gotten far." Bea said, both of them getting up as they walked off together, all the while Korrina glanced at the KO'd Tauros.
"Serves them right…"
As much as I like Tauros... it's absolutely insane that they will just NOT leave you alone when they lay their eyes on you when you're just wandering around Paldea. Seriously, ever heard of personal space?
Deadpool: Running with the bulls!
Ibuki: Hmm... wonder if Paldea even does something like that.
Also, shout out to Flash for the joke he wanted me to put in regarding the most absurd way to breed Pokemon in ScarVio. Did they HAVE to do it when you're having a picnic? Sheesh.
Also, rest in peace, James Earl Jones...