HMW REFERENCES
Places: Fortree Castle [Fortree City/Carrot Castle (5th Kirby and the Amazing Mirror level)], Pacifidlog Rainforest (jungle version of Pacifidlog Town), Lilycove Island [Lilycove City/Ice Cream Island (2nd Kirby Adventure level)]
Objects: Carrot Feather [Carrot Castle/Feather Badge] - Winona's symbol
Characters: Lyoko (Winona's daughter), Mirror Lights (the team Lyoko's on along with Mariah, Connie, Cascadia, and Minamo), Mirror Elders (Mirror Hoenn counterparts of Gym Leaders), Mirror Masters (Mirror Hoenn counterparts of the Elite Four), Hedga (one of the Black Mirror Witches from HMW2)
Facts: Pokemon can talk in Mirror Hoenn, and hover limos (built for crossing seas, sands, etc) are popular among the wealthy.
Other: Tornado Twirl (an attack where Lyoko spins at a high speed)
CHAPTER 1: The Soon-to-Be Birthday Girl
?Is this where we?re spending the weekend, mommy??
The curious seven-year-old girl looked at her surroundings. She didn?t imagine a beach resort to be at the end of the jungle maze known as Pacifidlog Rainforest.
As they headed toward the large, white hotel, the little girl glanced to see the ocean that sparkled under the bright sun. She began to think about all the fun things she could do as soon as her mother got done with whatever business she had. The girl looked forward to playing in the beautiful ocean or in the warm sand.
?Winona!?
Upon hearing her name, the girl?s pilot-attired mother saw a middle-aged woman waiting for her at the hotel entrance. She quickly took her daughter?s hand and hurried towards the other woman.
?Sorry? I?m late? Florinda,? Winona said, slightly out of breath.
?No worries.? Florinda smiled as she turned her attention to Winona?s daughter. ?Hello, there. You must be Lyoko, right?? The seven-year-old nodded.
Florinda bent down and stroked Lyoko?s blond hair. ?You?re the splitting image of your mother. You even have her hairstyle.?
Lyoko giggled at the comment.
Winona and Florinda appeared to be old friends, and Florinda has invited her and Lyoko to spend lunch with her in her suite as well as to talk about special plans.
***
?So, Florinda, what was the special occasion that you told me about in your letter?? Winona asked.
?Well, tomorrow is my niece?s birthday,? Florinda replied, ?Her parents and I have been arranging this party for a long time. I think she will be very happy, especially since all the other surprise parties were complete failures. I want to show you what we have in store and see if there are any changes to be made.?
Winona laughed as she fidgeted with the soupspoon and tried to avoid eye contact with Florinda. She pretended to cough, drank some of her water, and faced her friend again. ?Your parties are? a little too?? She started to blush. ??out of the ordinary for me.?
?Winona, don?t be silly,? Florinda said, trying to assure her friend, ?This will be the best thing I?ve ever done for her. In case you?ve forgotten, I was in charge of planning every party for any occasion when we were younger.?
The lilac-haired woman drank a bit more of her water and then began to eat her soup. Florinda shook her head as she took a roll from the basket in front of her.
Lyoko began to wonder why her mother appeared so tense, but she decided to not to ask anything and continued eating her salad.
***
?Did you make the ribbons??
?Yes.?
?Are they the right sizes??
?Yes.?
?Are they the right colors??
?Heather, the ribbons are just they way that you want them.?
The girl folded her arms and frowned. ?Last year, you?ve mixed up Irma?s ribbon with Hay Lin?s. Plus, you made Cornelia?s too big, and Taranee?s had a slit in it.?
The woman in the limousine?s front seat turned to face her daughter and shrugged. ?Well, I?m sorry. Some of the ribbons ended up being almost the same color, and I thought that Cornelia would have evolved by now.? She paused for a moment, looked ahead of her, and turned back to her daughter. ?I will admit that I rushed through Taranee?s... that is, until I forgot which one of your Pokemon she was.?
Heather softly slapped her forehead, shook her head, and glared at her mother. ?For the eleventh time, Taranee?s my Breloom, Mom.?
?Oh, right,? the mother said with an embarrassed laugh.
?Seriously, Mom. You said that you?re an expert at sewing,? Heather complained, ?yet you always mess up my Pokemon?s ribbons! How hard can it be to make ribbons with my Pokemon?s names on them?!?
?If it makes you feel any better,? said Heather?s mother as she dug through her purse, ?I managed to work on Will?s ribbon ahead of time.? She took out a long, fuchsia ribbon with the name ?Will? on it in fancy white lettering and gave it to Heather.
Heather sighed as she went through her pocket. She got out a small red and white sphere with a heart-shaped sticker on it. ?I?m gonna try it on her to make sure you didn?t mess it up, though.?
Heather?s mother sighed at her daughter?s comment.
The nine-year-old girl pressed the button on the sphere, and it increased in size and opened. A bright light poured out of it and formed into a small green Pokemon with red flowers on her head and a skirt made of petals.
Heather?s Pokemon sighed upon seeing the ribbon. ?The ribbon thing again??
Heather put on Will?s ribbon on the right flower on her Bellossom?s head. She looked at her and became disgusted. ?Mom!? she yelled as she faced her mother, ?you made one of the ends uneven!?
The mother leaned back in her seat and mumbled something under her breath.
Will looked at her reflection in the window. ?Uh? Heather? There?s nothing wrong with the ribbon. It looks fine.?
Heather hastily untied the ribbon and handed it back to her mother. ?I hate it! I hope that the other ribbons aren?t as bad as you made Will?s!?
The mother sighed as she put the ribbon back in her purse.
?Miss Lechuga,? the driver next to the mother said, ?it will take us another two or so hours to arrive at Pacifidlog Rainforest.?
?Good,? Lechuga said in relief, ?aside from the sound of the hover engines, Heather is getting on my nerves.?
Heather turned to her mother ahead of her and then back to Will before lying on the seat.
?This had better be worth it,? she mumbled angrily.
***
Lyoko quickly shielded her arms from the splashes of water that headed toward her. A black-haired boy snuck up from behind and suddenly threw some more cold water on her back. The seven-year-old girl shivered at the ambush but retaliated by spinning around at a high speed and managed to drench the boy. Lyoko stopped spinning and realized that the other child wasn?t there until she felt a playful shove on her back, causing her to fall into the water. Lyoko got up, caught her breath, and noticed a pink-haired girl about her age behind her.
?Not fair!? Lyoko said with a giggle. She jumped toward the girl and knocked her back a little while falling in the water again in the process.
?I?ll get you for that!? the girl said as Lyoko got up from the water again.
The boy with the brown swimming trunks turned behind to see a blue Pokemon with yellow eyes and long antennae sleeping at the drier upper area of the beach. He shook himself dry after he got out of the water. Lyoko and the girl in the yellow bathing suit noticed this and stopped their playing.
?Hey, where you?re going, Mark?? the girl asked.
?I?m just going to check on Chinchou, sis,? the boy with replied before he left.
Mark?s sister moaned. ?We were gonna have another splash fight, too??
Mark arrived at the area of the sleeping Chinchou and got a small blue bag next to him. He reached around inside when he spotted a black limousine hovering over the ocean and then the sand.
?What is that?? he wondered.
The limousine stopped in front of the hotel and slowly landed on the ground. The driver got out of the car and headed over to the passenger side. A cinnamon-haired woman in a lavender shirt and matching shorts stepped out after the door was opened. As the woman put on a sun visor, the driver let out a little yellow-haired girl in a bright green dress. A Bellossom quickly got out of the car before the door was closed.
?I?ll take the car to the parking lot while you make the reservations, Miss Lechuga,? the driver told the woman. With that, he headed back to the limousine.
Lyoko and the pink-haired girl met up with Mark just in time to see the limousine rise into the air and pull off.
?Who was that?? Lyoko asked. Mark shrugged.
Lyoko turned her attention to the girl with the Bellossom. Wondering if she was Florinda?s niece, she hurried to her, unaware of the surprised expressions on her playmates? faces.
The girl in the light green dress and her mother were about to enter the hotel when they heard footsteps approaching. The two turned and saw Lyoko trying to catch her breath.
?Sorry for getting in your way,? Lyoko apologized as she turned to the girl, ?but I?m wondering if you?re the niece that Miss Florinda is throwing a party for.?
?The one and only Heather Candracar,? was the girl?s response.
Lyoko held out her hand to the nine-year-old girl. ?My name?s Lyoko. Nice to meet you!?
Heather folded her arms and walked off when she felt a tug on her dress collar.
?I believe that this girl would like a handshake from you, young lady,? Lechuga told her daughter sternly, ?I don?t like it when you act like this in public. Being nice to someone wouldn?t kill you.?
The lemon-haired girl took Lyoko?s hand and gave her an unenthusiastic handshake. ?Whatever. Nice to meet you and stuff.?
Despite Heather?s lack of cooperation, Lyoko remained cheerful. ?Wanna play at the beach with me and my friends??
?No, thanks,? Heather said, ?I?d wanna check out the suite my aunt got me, and then I?ll head to the pool. At least that doesn?t have me smelling like salt for a while.?
?Ahem.?
Heather looked up at her mother and noticed the cold glare in her blue eyes. Feeling that she had no choice, she moaned and faced Lyoko.
?If you want, you and your friends can come with me. Just make sure you wash that saltwater off of you.?
Heather and her mother went inside the hotel, and Lyoko headed to her friends to tell them the good news.
***
Heather took off her heart-shaped sunglasses just in time to see a duck-like Pokemon with a lily pad on her head splashing some water on Will. The Bellossom shook herself dry and retaliated by shooting seed-like pellets from her flowers, causing the Pokemon fell over into the hotel pool.
?Those two are so easily amused.? Heather put her glasses back on. ?When I get my Contest Pass tomorrow, that?s when the real work begins.? She reached into her bag that was next to her lounge chair and got out a picture of a girl holding a red prize ribbon. Next to her was a yellow, spiky Pokemon.
?I?ll do anything to be like my favorite Pokemon Coordinator,? Heather said with a huge smile, ?her Pokemon are the definition of contest material! Coolness, Beauty, Toughness, Cuteness, and Smartness??
[daydream]
Heather and Will were on a stage where millions of people are cheering and chanting her name. The nine-year old girl held out a ribbon similar to the one in the photograph high for everyone to see.
?Thank you so very much! I?m glad to have fans like you! I?m going to be the best Coordinator in the Hoenn Mirror World!?
Heather put the ribbon away and began to walk off the stage.
?Hey, you.?
She and her Bellossom stopped and turned around to see the girl and the Pokemon in the photograph.
?N? no way?? Heather said.
The girl and her Pokemon jumped off the balcony. Her strawberry blond hair and the short skirt of her blue dress trailed behind her as she fell. She landed on her feet with the greatest of ease, as did her Pokemon. The two approached Heather and Will, who both appear excited and nervous.
?H? Hedga???
The strawberry blond-haired girl nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder. ?You put on one heck of a show there.?
Heather didn?t take her eyes off of Hedga for a second.
?You keep up the good work. Who knows?? Hedga continued, ?you may end up as good as me.? She noticed the expression on Heather?s face. ?Hello? Heather??
Heather gasped. ?H-how?? How did you know my name??
Hedga looked at her as if she was losing her mind. ?Uh? we met at the hotel, remember??
Heather became confused at this. She began to ask what was happening until everything faded into the hotel pool area.
?What?!?
[end daydream]
?Heather! Hello! Earth to Heather!? Lyoko?s voice called.
Heather shook her head and noticed that Lyoko was standing in front of her.
?Huh??? a confused Heather said as she looked around, ?where?d she go??
The pink-haired girl cocked her head a little to the side. ?Who??
Heather sighed. ?Never mind.? She noticed that she was still holding the picture of Hedga and put it away. She sat back down in the lounge chair, and Lyoko sat next to her.
?So, Heather? uh?? Lyoko began. She glanced down on the tiled ground and at the two children playing in the pool with Heather?s Pokemon. She mumbled a few things to herself and fidgeted with the small ribbons on her green bathing suit. Finally, she looked up at Heather again. ?Where are you from??
?Lilycove Island,? Heather responded. She took a brief moment to straighten the orange ribbon on her lavender bathing suit. ?How about you??
?Fortree Castle.?
?Fortree Castle? How can anyone besides Winona live there? I mean, I?ve been hearing that you can?t breathe much there?? Heather glanced at Lyoko before she got a magazine from her bag and started reading. ?But then again, how can anyone at all live in a castle in the sky??
?It?s easy. When a Mirror Elder passes away and you?re chosen to take over, all you have to do is just move in and follow up to your responsibilities? or at least, that?s what Mommy said when she told me how she became the Fortree Castle Mirror Elder??
Heather, having an expression where she was almost struck by lightning, quickly turned to Lyoko. ?Are you telling me that Winona?s your mom?!?
?Y? yeah?? Lyoko said, feeling that she had said something wrong.
Heather jumped at Lyoko. ?THE Winona?! The Sky Tamer Winona?! The Keeper-of-the-Carrot-Feather Winona?!?
Lyoko nervously nodded, and Heather stared at her blankly for a while. Then, unwilling to believe it, she shook it off and attempted to change the subject. ?Have you seen rhythmic gymnastics??
Lyoko shook her head.
?Aww? it?s such a shame,? Heather said, feeling superior over Lyoko, ?especially since you never saw me in action. I?m currently at the top of this new rhythmic gymnastics class at my school.? Heather noticed Lyoko was about to speak, but she cut her off. ?You don?t have to say anything. Roxanne would?ve told you that I?m the best in my class. Probably the whole universe. Roxanne occasionally visits our class, and she can?t stop talking about our graceful movements and style, but I?m sure she can?t stop talking about me. Then again, who can? I was just born with talent. So, tell me, Lyoko? anything special you can do??
?Well, uh? I managed to help save the Hoenn Mirror World a few times as well as this place called the Hoenn region. Of course, I don?t deserve all the credit. It actually all goes to Mariah--?
Heather started to laugh at this. ?The Hoenn Mirror Girl? Oh, please. I?m NOT falling for that.?
?But I
am friends with Mariah,? Lyoko said, feeling hurt, ?and I know the other Mirror Lights too. I?m a Mirror Light myself, as a matter of fact.?
Heather laughed. ?Saying that you?re Winona?s kid is one thing, but there?s no way that I?d believe that you?re part of the same team that makes even the Mirror Masters look like dirt.?
Lyoko looked down on the ground and sighed. ?Just forget it. I don?t want to start an argument or anything.?
Heather got up from her lounge chair. ?Good. No need to embarrass yourself.? She folded her arms. ?I think it?ll be better if I do a quick performance instead. I?ll change and meet you at the beach, Lyoko.? She turned to her Pokemon playing in the pool with Lyoko?s friends. ?Will! Irma! Let?s go!?
The Bellossom and the duck-like Lombre stopped their playing and sorrowfully left the pool. Mark and his sister moaned.
***
Heather, now dressed in a pink and purple leotard, started her performance by waving a ribbon around in a figure eight for a short while before leaping gracefully as she waved the ribbon around in a circle. She finished by twirling around a few times with the ribbon swirling over her head.
?Wow?? Lyoko said in awe, ?that?s so cool!?
Heather smirked. ?I know. My normal performances are a lot longer than this, but I didn?t want to spoil too much in case you visit my school to watch the action. I mean, who
doesn?t want to check out my moves? Of course, I let my Pokemon join, but usually only Will. Irma and the others normally don?t have the grace required for rhythmic gymnastics.?
The Lombre gave Heather an annoyed look. ?If the grace required is being a stuck-up show off, then don?t expect me to join your performances anytime soon,? she said to herself.
?I?m really looking forward to my birthday tomorrow,? Heather said, ?my parents said that when I turn ten, I can be in Pokemon Contests. Unfortunately, I need a Contest Pass to enter them, but I?m sure I?ll be getting one tomorrow. Next to rhythmic gymnastics, Pokemon Contests are the best things around. After tomorrow, you?ll be seeing me getting ribbons. I might even be as good as my favorite coordinator!?
Upon hearing the mention of Contests, Lyoko lowered her head.
?Anyway,? Heather continued, ?I?m sure that Will would be able to sweep up to the Super Rank. Irma and Taranee might do a decent job, although they?re not as good as Will. With a little training, I?m sure they?ll be close to the same level as Will?s. Cornelia? I?m going to keep her out of Contests until I can find a way to make her look decent. Hay Lin? well, I never really considered her much, but I think she might handle the Smart Contests at least.?
?Heather,? Lyoko said, ?don?t you think that your Pokemon???
?Well, I?m going back to my suite to watch some TV,? Heather interrupted, ?you can cover over and hang out with me if you want. If you?re lucky, I might even let you spend the night.?
Heather left with Will and Irma following her. As Lyoko started to head back to the hotel as well, she felt that Heather doesn?t seem to care much for her Pokemon. She suddenly got an idea and began to pick up her pacing.
***
Heather opened the door and sighed. ?Oh. It?s you.?
?I asked Mommy, and she said it was okay to spend the night with you,? Lyoko responded.
?Hey, I said you can spend the night with me if
I let you,? Heather retorted as she headed back to the book on her bed, ?you ended up catching me while I was trying to figure out which Pokemon is suitable for the Contest types. I?ve already put Hay Lin for the Smart Contests? should Taranee be in the Tough Contests? I personally don?t like that category, but I guess that even muscle-brained Pokemon should have their moments. Will should definitely be in Cute, and Irma--? Heather paused and noticed a worried Lyoko sitting beside her. ?What?s wrong with you??
Lyoko sighed. ?You seem not to care about your Pokemon much, especially this Cornelia from what I?ve been hearing.?
Heather looked at the school-uniformed seven-year-old as if she just asked a stupid question and was about to slap her in the face. However, she took a breath and got up. ?I?ll get us some ice cream. You wait here.? She got a small green purse and left the room.
Lyoko flopped on the bed. ?I?m really starting to worry about her??
However, Heather felt differently about what just happened. ?That stupid girl! Not caring about my Pokemon? Yeah, right! I care a lot about my Pokemon! I just have higher standards since I?m trying to be like Hedga! I mean, I?m sure Hedga was strict on her Pokemon so that she could win! If Winona really is that girl?s mother, then the Mirror Elders need a good slap in the face to get their act together!?
The lemon-haired girl suddenly stopped in her tracks when she felt a short but icy draft.
?H-huh?? Heather shivered. ?H-how?d it get so c-c-cold??
She looked around for what caused the draft but saw nothing.
?P-p-probably the air conditioner went haywire,? she finally said before continuing down the hall, ?I?m sure that it?ll get fixed? but if not, I?m leaving my complaint!?
Little did the nine-year-old know that there was something watching her?
END OF CHAPTER 1
NOTES
-In case you can?t tell by her Pokemon?s nicknames, Heather?s team is named after the girls from W.I.T.C.H. Heather?s name is also a W.I.T.C.H. reference: Heatherfield is the real world in the series, and Candracar is the magical world of the series.
