A/N: I felt like this chapter took far too much time and effort.
My apologies for the very long hiatus between chapters. I had an idea for this chapter that just didn't pan out like I hoped, which put me in a bit of a writers' block.
Also playing Pokémon Legends Arceus. That didn't help either.
Anyway, today's chapter will be focused on Sinnoh's own Soulful, Alluring Dancer, Fantina! An odd choice? Maybe. But then again, she's kinda loopy too, so whatever.
Enjoy!
Chapter 6: Fantina et Nudiste?
After the opening ceremonies, all of the gym leaders and trial captains, both nude and fully-clothed, were escorted to the hotel or resort of their choice.
For Fantina, the Ghost-type gym leader of Sinnoh's Hearthome City, there was one place she wanted to spend her nights in. And that was the tall, menacing Nuda Castle that overlooked almost the entirety of Nuda Island.
The castle stood as a formidable silhouette against the horizon, its towering spires reaching towards the sky, casting its shadow over the land below it.
Even though the castle was only just recently built, with its weathered stone walls and rustic steel gates made it look as if it had been here for centuries.
The path leading to the castle was lined with lush greenery, with vibrant wildflowers peeking out from between the cracks in the cobblestones. A sense of mystery hung in the air, as if the castle held untold secrets waiting to be discovered.
Fantina was led to her room by Drasna, a member of Kalos' Elite Four.
"Here we are, Miss Fantina!" she said, turning the key to Fantina's room on the fourth floor of the castle.
Inside, Fantina's room resembled the chamber of a medieval castle, adorned with carved wooden furniture, a bed draped in red velvet curtains, and an old-fashioned candlelight chandelier.
Fantina walked in and saw that her large suitcases of different clothes and outfits had been delivered to her room.
"I am glad to see my luggage has arrived safely," she said, "even if all ze outfits will be of no use to me here," she said.
"Guess not!" Drasna replied with a chuckle. "Oh well! That's just less laundry you have to do!"
Drasna stood beside Fantina stark naked. Normally dressed in a brown, flowing dress, Drasna decided to embrace the nudist lifestyle on Nuda Island, wearing only her dragon tusk bracelets and earrings.
"So, are you gonna join in on the fun too?" Drasna asked Fantina, noting that she still had on her shimmering purple dress.
Fantina eyed Drasna's nude figure. She was surprised to see Drasna so cheerful and confident. Despite her age, Drasna was still a fine-looking woman, with hardly any wrinkles or blemishes on her skin.
"Now don't tell me you're too embarrassed," laughed Drasna. "You're one of the most beautiful gym leaders in Sinnoh! And if an old bat like me can do it…!"
"Non, non!" replied Fantina. "It is not that at all. This…nudism is not new to me. I know some things about it. But my feelings are, how you say, mixed."
"I understand," sympathized Drasna. "I thought it was kooky too, but then that red-headed girl did it, and then got everyone else to join in. So I thought, ah, what the heck!"
Drasna let out a sigh of relief as she casually squeezed her breasts and spread her feet out. "I'm glad I did," she continued, "because it feels amazing! Maybe I oughta give this a try back home."
Fantina turned away from Drasna, clearly conflicted about how to feel about nudism.
"If I am to join in," she explained, "it shall be on my own time! And in my own way!"
"Of course!" agreed Drasna. "I'm sure that's what Cynthia and the others would want. I'll leave you to get settled in and get your thoughts sorted out."
Drasna then headed out the door, but not before giving Fantina one last comment. "By the way, if by tomorrow morning, you still don't feel comfortable about it, there'll be a ferry boat to take you and anyone else home."
Fantina gave Drasna her good-bye and thank you, then Drasna left to assist some other gym leaders.
Fantina looked all around the room. Despite what had transpired a few moments ago, she found the room to be absolutely perfect. In many ways, the castle chamber reminded her a lot of her gym back in Hearthome City.
Fantina walked over to the open window next to her bed. The view was incredible, allowing Fantina to see practically the entire island, from Nuda Forest to Haveno Harbor from where most everyone arrived.
She couldn't help but smile as the cool ocean breeze passed through her window. The smell of sea salt and coconut help to somewhat ease her mind. A Wingull and a Starly flew by, riding the wind currents and soaring through the air.
Fantina looked down and could see many of her fellow gym leaders roaming nude around the island.
In a meadow close-by, she could see Erika and Gardenia. Erika was sleeping peacefully in the sun while Gardenia rolled around naked on the grass, giggling.
"Oh, Gardenia, espèce de folle," she laughed, shaking her head.
Fantina then turned her attention towards a nearby waterfall. She could see Lana jumping off the cliff and diving towards the lake below. She then began swimming around in the lake, happy as she can be.
Fantina remembered that Lana was one of the first gym leaders to join in on the nudist fun.
Finally, Fantina saw Kahili at the resort's driving range, practicing her golf swings. Clad in her birthday suit, she took a mighty swing, sending her golf ball flying in the air. Her Toucannon besides her hopped in place in celebration.
"Surely, being nude doesn't make that much of a difference," she murmured.
But before she could think about that moment, Winona and Skyla suddenly zoomed right past her, flying through the sky while wearing specialized flight suits. The only thing the two wore were their special wings allowing them to soar through the air!
"Sacre bleu!" she exclaimed, startled by their sudden appearance.
Seeing everyone so happy and carefree made Fantina smile.
Fantina was hesitant to undress with everyone else, but not for the reasons people would normally be against it.
As a performer and a coordinator, Fantina was a fan of many different arts and shows, including some that featured nudity. She had no problem with nudity itself, especially when it was used as a method of creative expression or show.
When it came to the nudist lifestyle, she did know a little about it. She had even read a few books about it. As it turned out nudism was rather prominent back in Sinnoh's Hisui days.
She knew of the reasons why people are attracted to such a lifestyle, such as improved health, self-confidence, and a deeper connection to nature and oneself.
But that wasn't enough for her.
Fantina knew that if she were to fully embrace the nudist lifestyle like everyone else, it would have to be in a spectacular fashion.
"Everyone just tossed their clothes away so casually, like children almost, but not moi!" she said defiantly. "If I am to get nude, it must be un grand spectacle!"
Fantina then began to formulate different show ideas in her head. "But how am I to do that?" she murmured. "I am so used to wowing a crowd with vibrant outfits. Doing it without them will be a challenge."
…
…
…
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Fantina hastily covered her ears as a sudden loud screeching noise echoed throughout the castle and rattled everything in her room.
"Que diable! What is this noise?!" she asked, confused.
Fantina stuck her head out into the hallway, trying to localize the source of the noise.
Across from her was Marnie, who had also stuck her head out the door, wondering where the noise was coming from. "What the bloody hell is this racket?!" she asked, angrily.
Fantina then hurriedly left her room and went downstairs to the main foyer, searching for the source of the noise.
Fantina searched all around the castle, running down every corridor, until at last, she found what looked to be a theater of sorts. It was here that she found the source of the noise.
On the stage was Virbank gym leader, Roxie, rapidly shredding her electric guitar and screaming as loud as she could into the microphone.
"ALRIGHT! TIME TO ROCK OUT WITH MY SHELLDER OUT!"
Fantina gasped as Roxie was on-stage performing in her birthday suit! And she looked to be enjoying herself to the fullest!
Being that Roxie was younger than most of the other gym leaders, she wasn't as developed as them, with a flat chest and bare groin area.
Fantina had never witnessed such a frenzied display of madness. With the way Roxie was headbanging fiercely, it was clear that she was in her own world and completely ignorant of her surroundings.
"Excusez-moi!" Fantina shouted, angrily.
But her voice couldn't cut through the deafening roar of Roxie's electric guitar. Roxie continued strumming her guitar at an alarming rate and stomping the stage.
"EXCUSEZ-MOI!" Fantina shouted again.
Again, Roxie couldn't hear her.
Fantina looked all around for something to grab Roxie's attention or at least shut the music off.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a control panel in the last row overlooking the stage. She wasted no time walking over to the controls and pulling on all the levers.
At last, one of the levers turned all the speakers off. Roxie's deranged rehearsal had been reduced to the soft sounds of her plucking her guitar strings.
It took a few moments for Roxie to realize her music had been shut off.
"Hey! What gives?!" Roxie shouted, angrily. "Who shut the music off?!"
Roxie looked up and saw Fantina storming down the stairs. "Can I help you?" Roxie asked, confused.
"I don't know," snapped Fantina. "Is there any reason why you disturb the peace with the screeching sound of a Misdreavus' dying wail?!"
"Hey! You got a problem with my wicked music?!" argued Roxie.
"Hey, relax," said a mellow voice, "we're just trying to express ourselves, y'know?"
It was then that Fantina noticed a nude young woman sitting in the front row of the theater. She recognized her as Mina, the droopy-eyed Trial Captain from the Alola region.
She got up from her seat and addressed Fantina. Fantina then looked down at Mina's naked body. Fantina wasn't surprised at all to see Mina in the buff, knowing her nature as a free spirit who thrived in creative expression. She was a tall, skinny girl, with lanky arms and legs. She was also flat-chested, though Fantina knew that never bothered her.
But something else about her body caught Fantina's eye.
Mina was covered all over in bright yellow and pink spiraling circles, obviously done with body paint. She also had random colorful splotches everywhere. Even her pubic hair, which is normally blonde, had been painted with bright pink highlights.
"Uh, is there a reason why your body is covered in such shapes and colors?" Fantina asked, confused.
Mina's eyes lit up with a mischievous gleam as she responded, her voice tinged with a hint of playful defiance. "Oh, these?" she replied, tracing a finger along one of the spiraling patterns. "It's body paint. When I got nude, I didn't like that my skin was so pale and…bare."
She let out a soft chuckle as she realized her pun. "So I whipped out my paints," she continued, "and came up with this. I was going for the spirals that you see on the wings of a Ribombee, but…I don't know, it kinda got away from me."
"She did my body too!" Roxie chimed in.
Roxie then raised her arms up and showed off the dragon flames and poison skulls painted on her body. "Pretty sick, right?"
Fantina blinked, trying to process the sudden turn of events. She had seen body painting done before, but they were usually more professionally done than Mina's attempts at it.
"Uh, yeah, definitely unique," Fantina replied, her tone a mix of bemusement and curiosity.
"If you want, I could do yours too," offered Mina. "I can do some cool Ghost designs."
"Uh, non, non. That will not be necessary," declined Fantina.
Fantina then inspected the stage. It was an old-fashioned stage made of wood and draped in red curtains, which fit right in with the rest of the old-fashioned styled castle. She tapped her chin as she eyed it intently.
Immediately, Fantina could see the stage transfer before her from a cacophony of insanity and anarchy to a symphony of elegance and beauty. She imagined herself dancing in the center of it, wowing the crowd with her graceful dancing.
But then, her imagination began to run rampant.
"Oh man, I know that look," joked Mina. "She's found a muse and it's giving her all sorts of wild ideas!"
A smile gradually found itself onto Fantina's face. "Haha! Inspiration, she strikes!" Fantina said, excitedly.
"Told you," said Mina.
Fantina turned to Roxie. "I am sorry, Roxie, my wild child friend," she said, "but I yearn for the stage now. All these ideas I come up with, they must be brought to life at once!"
"Huh?" Roxie replied, confused.
Fantina then hopped onto the stage and began clearing the stage of Roxie's instruments. "Hey, watch it!" she scolded.
"Let her," replied Mina, "she's on all cylinders now."
"Yeah, but some of those guitars are priceless!"
But Fantina was too excited to listen.
Roxie and Mina took their seats in the front row, awaiting Fantina's performance. They didn't know what to expect, but they knew Fantina was a high-level Pokémon Coordinator. So they knew it was bound to be a spectacle.
"I think she chipped my guitar," Roxie said, inspecting her Arbok-inspired guitar.
"Shh, it's starting," whispered Mina.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed and smoke began to flood the stage. Having used smoke and fog in past shows before, Roxie was growing more and more excited.
Then…spotlight.
Fantina appeared on-stage, her body illuminated on an otherwise dimly-lit stage. Her arms stretched outwards and her fingers pointed towards the ceiling.
Soft, orchestral music began to play and Fantina started to dance and swirl, the dark fog twirling around her feet.
Roxie and Mina watched as Fantina moved gracefully, her body flowing seamlessly with the rhythm. Although it took a little bit of time for Roxie to get into Fantina's show.
"Oh man, this is one of those ballet-type dances, isn't it?" she groaned.
Mina quietly shushed her. "You gotta let her get into her groove," she whispered.
Fantina continued with her ballet, each step precise and elegant, her limbs stretching and bending with practiced ease.
As she danced, Fantina was secretly nervous. While dancing and performing on-stage was nothing new for her, she was anxious as to how the rest of the show would play out.
After a while, Fantina stopped in her tracks and turned to her audience of two. With a sly look in her eyes, she pinched one of her gloves by the finger and slowly pulled it off her hand.
"There we go!" cheered Roxie. "Now we're getting somewhere!"
Fantina then did the same thing with her other glove, leaving both her hands bare.
As the gentle melody started up again, Fantina continued to move with a fluid grace, her body swaying in time with the music. Each step was deliberate, each movement imbued with a sense of purpose.
But as the dance progressed, so did the music. Fantina's movements became more intense, more impassioned.
Roxie and Mina were captivated by Fantina's passionate, fiery moves. They could see why Fantina was such a revered figure in the Pokémon Contest community.
With one graceful spin, Fantina unhooked her dress, allowing it to gracefully slide down her body and flutter down to her ankles. Fantina quickly reached down and picked it up, hurling it off to the side. She was now left wearing only a black corset, which looked to barely contain Fantina's chest.
"So that's what she wears under her dresses," commented Mina. "Man, I'd hate to be wearing one of those."
Fantina continued on, but Mina and Roxie noticed that without her large purple dress, Fantina's movement felt more restricted and constrained.
Fantina kept it up until she stood center of stage, her mouth open as if she could barely breathe.
The anticipation grew as Fantina reached back and pulled on one of the many strings tightening the corset around her body.
With one mighty tug, the corset broke loose and fell to the floor. With that being her last piece of clothing, Fantina now stood naked and proud in front of everyone!
Or…at least in front of two people.
"Yeeah!" cheered Roxie. "There you go! Let those girls breathe!"
Fantina took a deep breath.
After getting over her initial embarrassment, she moved again with a newfound freedom. With a fierce determination, she threw herself into the dance with renewed vigor, her movements bold and uninhibited.
Mina and Roxie were spellbound, caught up in both the raw emotion of Fantina's performance and her beautiful nude figure.
As if the corset wasn't enough to keep her from breathing, the thought of being naked in front of people also made her feel short of breath.
But now that she was finally nude on-stage, she could breathe more easily and she felt more relieved.
Without her usual large dresses, Mina and Roxie could now see how curvy Fantina's body really was. Fantina had a thin stomach, which only accentuated her large rear and breasts. Without the corset holding them back, Fantina's bosom was able to breathe and sway freely.
Mina and Roxie could feel Fantina's confidence and self-acceptance radiating from her dance moves.
As the final notes of the music echoed through the air, Fantina stood on her toes and did one spin, removing one last thing from her person.
Her hair bands.
She reached up and flicked them off, sending them flying into the audience.
At last, the music reached its final crescendo. Fantina ceased her spinning and stood tall and proud with her legs spread apart. Her long purple hair, no longer tied in bulbous ponytails, cascaded down her shoulders, making her resemble her Pokémon Mismagius.
"Merci beaucoup!" she said, taking a bow.
She tried to do a curtsy out of habit, only to remember she had no dress on.
Roxie and Mina got out of their seats and gave Fantina a tremendous ovation.
"That was insane!" praised Roxie.
"That was, like, a movie, man," slurred Mina. "That took me places!"
Fantina smiled. "Thank you," she said, "I am not what you call an improv person. This was the best I could do in only a short amount of time."
"No, this was sick!" replied Roxie. "The only way it could be better is if it had fire and smoke and maybe some pyrotechnics!"
"No way, less is more," said Mina. "That'd just be too much."
Mina then had an idea. "Although, if you had your body painted, you could make this show go to, like, a higher plane."
As Mina and Roxie continued debating ways to improve the performance, Fantina just blushed. She had always been her harshest critic, but hearing praises from her fellow creatives made her feel an overwhelming sense of validation and pride. Their admiration and enthusiasm reassured her that accepting nudism was the right way to go to help her push the boundaries of her art.
Unbeknownst to Fantina, Viola had been in the back of the theater, quietly snapping photos of her during her exhibition. Like Roxie and Mina, Viola had been captivated by the raw passion and emotion of her dancing.
"Wow," she whispered, fanning herself with her free hand.
She listened on as Mina and Roxie happily shared their ideas to Fantina. Hearing them talk so passionately about Fantina's show made Viola think.
"I wonder," she murmured.
TO BE CONTINUED
A/N: Finally! I'm finished with this chapter! I had some trouble with how to properly write out Fantina's dance moves, so I hope I did a decent enough job.
Now that we've gone through four gym leaders, I think it's time we focused on one of the Poké Girls. This girl has been wanting to try out nudism, but her gym leader (girl?)friend isn't so keen on the idea.
Perhaps she could convince her otherwise?