2-5: Beached

The sea breeze felt cool and refreshing after their workout session, and Bijou looked like she appreciated it as well. Marcella's blue Rotom Phone was glued to her left ear as they sat by the shore, watching the waves roll in and admiring the orangey-pink sky behind the lowering sun.

"And then tomorrow, we can go swing by some of the little shops down by the pier," Marcella prattled on, clearly undeterred by her recently revoked credit card. "I know they provide costumes and stuff at the contest hall, but we would not be caught dead in those sticky hand-me-downs."

"What about Brawly?" Her brother could be heard on the other end. They don't normally talk so much, but this new journey of hers seemed to have him a lot more interested in her life all of a sudden.

"What about him? Oh, right. I mean, we did walk past that hut a few times today and it doesn't seem like he's ever there— Oh, come on, don't look so upset you had to move a little today," She added to her Purrloin. Bijou sulked off as she was reminded of all the walking and exercise they'd done recently. She sauntered to the edge of the creeping waters.

"Hey, Bijou—gross, don't drink that. Saltwater is not... hm? What'd you find?"

As the tides pulled away again, Marcella joined her Pokémon to investigate what looked like a deep blue shell lodged in the wet sand. Closed shut, it wasn't particularly large; roughly the size of her black Fendi purse. Despite a few nicks and scratches on it, there was a beautiful lustre to the shell that was especially mesmerizing in the dimming sunlight.

"Oh—!" She exclaimed as the shell opened, and a small, pink face peeked back at her from within. "One sec," she told her brother as she put him on speakerphone and switched apps to scan the new creature. "A Clamperl. Hey, little guy, do you need some help getting back home?"

Marcella approached it with arms outreached, ready to haul it back into the waters. "My, you're surprisingly heavy, dear—"

CLACK. The Bivalve Pokémon's shell came down suddenly and without warning, nearly taking off Marcella's fingers and causing Bijou to jump back, hissing.

"Wh—! I'm just trying to help, you little—"

The shell creaked open again. Just wide enough for a stream of water to shoot out and hit Bijou in the face, before slamming shut again. Sputtering, the enraged Purrloin dashed forward - a rare sight for Marcella - claws bared. "Oh, forget it, Bijou—just leave the stupid thing alone. Anyway, what was I saying?"

"I—you—" Avery choked out, a look of disbelief on his face. Marcella studied his expression quizzically.

"What, are you having a stroke?"

"Are you a Pokémon trainer or not?! A stationary, singular, stationary Pokémon washes up in front of you, attacks you and your Pokémon and you're not going to battle it?"

"Oh."

Indeed, it seemed the perfect opportunity presented itself for a bit of practice.

"Oh! Right. Alright, Bijou, let's do this! Bye-Avery-I'll-let-you-know-how-it-goes-" Beep.

Bijou, still soaked, was already crouched down low, a few paces from the side of the closed clamshell, ready to pounce. For a few moments, everything was still except for the swishing of her tail.

"...What are you waiting for—" Marcella finally whispered, and she couldn't believe the audacity of the Purrloin as she held a paw up to her face in annoyance, as if to say, "shh."

But she looked extremely determined to get her revenge, so her trainer trusted her senses and silently obliged, watching - when the clamshell opened again for the Pokémon to check its surroundings, Bijou lunged forward with a Fake Out from the side, stunning the creature enough that it momentarily forgot its defenses. The shell remained open, and Marcella took this opportunity to order a Scratch right for its delicate interior, but the Clamperl regained its senses mid-attack, Clamping down hard on Bijou.

She yowled, hind legs pressed against the shell as she wriggled to free her upper body from its grasp. "Bijou! Scratch again!"

With her forelegs still stuck inside, Marcella could hear commotion from within the shell as Bijou clawed away at her opponent. The attack made it loosen its grip enough for the Purrloin to free herself. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you oka- oh."

Her query was drowned out as the Bivalve Pokémon suddenly created a large, swirling vortex of water aimed right at them. Before Bijou could compose herself, she was whipped up into the Whirlpool. "Ah—!" A strangled cry escaped Marcella's lips, as she tried to think on her feet. Sand and debris whipped around them as the movement of the vortex generated a decent amount of wind.

It was... Windy.

Not that it was the time or place, but she clearly still had the contest on her mind, and the theme prompts were stuck in her head. She had been having some trouble coming up with solid ways to accentuate the "windy" portion of their routine... until now.

A cry from her Pokémon pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Oh! Right, sorry. Sorry! Change of plans, we're catching this thing," Marcella informed a distressed Bijou, who was moving up and down within the vortex, sticking her face out for air whenever possible. She had more pressing issues on her mind than the contest at the moment. "Okay, try to get a Sand Attack in there to stop 'em."

Pawing wildly as she descended within the Whirlpool, she was able to reach the sandy beach floor enough to swing some into the open shell of the Clamperl. It sputtered and coughed, finally freeing the Purrloin from its vortex.

"Alright, now Play Rough," Bijou looked affronted. "Please—it's gonna be your new teammate! We need to wear it out while building somewhat good rapport."

Begrudgingly, Bijou made her way back over. In a much more playful stance, she darted around the Clamperl, bopping its head with her claws every time she bounced close. It looked confused by her attempts to play at first, but seemed amused and lowered its guards eventually. The roughhousing grew increasingly more intense, to the point where it no longer resembled play, and then—

"Okay, good! I think we have this," Marcella rooted around her purse for her Slateport purchases. Pulling out a shiny, new Luxury Ball, she readied herself for her first catch.


"You're back," The nurse observed with a smile. "Busy day, huh?"

"Yes," She beamed back. "And we brought a friend."

2-6: Pearly

"Excuse me, are you still open?''

The pale, pimply shopkeeper's expression shifted from annoyance to interest when he turned and saw Marcella. It was very close to their posted closing hours and he was clearly cleaning up, but she poked her head into the small, art supplies store anyway, with an expectant smile.

"Uh—yeah! Come on in. We are closing up here shortly, but I can definitely make an exception, just this once—"

"Great, thank you." Marcella pushed her way in and made a beeline for the glitters. The new addition to their little group also meant a slight change in schedule. With the Clamperl on their team, they could now make tomorrow morning's contest in the doubles category, but that also significantly cut their planned preparation and shopping time. She had to have everything more or less ready tonight.

Unfortunately, there weren't any clothing stores she was interested in open at this hour, but there was no shortage of dresses and accessories in her possession already, even on the road. She did recall packing a green number that would be fitting for this occasion. It was a little too fancy for the contest, even, but it'll be better to have dressed up than down.

20 minutes and a bag full of art supplies later, she sat down on a wrought iron bench at a playground underneath one of the small town's structural platforms, as the streetlights started to flicker on.

"Oh, you caught it," Avery commented, after a few moments of squinting to try and make out what the dark blue blob by the swing set was. She had released her new Pokémon, showing off her catch on camera. It seemed a little shy, though.

"Yeah, look what it can do! Clamperl, Whirlpool!" Marcella commanded.

Maybe it didn't hear her through the shell, but it did not budge at all. She cleared her throat and tried again, a little louder. "Whirlpool!"

The clamshell stayed shut.

"...WHIRLPOOL."

"Stop—you gotta bond with it a little first. Bijou listens to you, however... misguided your leadership may be sometimes, because you have that close connection." Her brother explained, not without the need to throw in a dig at her training skills.

"How, though?" If she weren't in a rush to be contest-ready, she would have reacted to the jab. "It's a clam, it barely knows it's alive."

She perked up as the shell finally opened, but once again, it opened only enough to let out a small stream of water. This time aimed at Marcella. She let out a squeal as her shorts were hit.

Avery snickered. "I think it has a little more personality and cognizance than you're giving it credit for. You just have to—"

"Bond, yeah, yeah." She approached and sat down on the swing set next to it, absentmindedly running her fingers along the edge of the shell. It opened and closed quickly, eliciting a gasp as she quickly withdrew her hand. It clearly wants her fingers detached from her body. Marcella checked the time. "They all know Whirlpool, right? Do you think I have time to toss this one back in and find another?"

"No. And what makes you think a different clam will be any happier with you? You'll need to bond with anything you catch. This is a good learning experience. Why don't you start with giving her a name or something?"

She exhaled sharply, thinking of the best way to do this. A few moments later, she knocked on the shell gently.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I scared you earlier. We don't mean any harm, you know? I just... saw what you can do with your Whirlpool and thought it was really cool. We'd love it if you could help us with tomorrow's contest."

The shell opened slowly, but wider than she had ever seen it up close. It was the first time Marcella really got a good look at the Pokémon inside.

"Oh, there you are! How cute, you're like a little pink pearl. I love pearls," She cooed. "I can show you a cool black-pearl pendant I have later, if you want."

As if in response, the little... hands, Marcella supposed, reached around its pale, pink head to pull out a little blue pearl to show her new trainer.

"Oh! Is this what you've been working on? May I...?" The Clamperl gestured for her to take it. She held it up to the moonlight, examining the lustre. "It's very beautiful, so round and smooth. You've worked hard on this, hm? I'm sure it will be the most lovely pearl in time."

The Clamperl looked pleased, and a lot more relaxed now. Marcella returned the pearl to her. "Hey, why don't we call you Pearly? That's a cute name for you."

A little on the nose, but you know what? It's fitting. She smiled.

The contest hall had closed by now, but that was fine—there was enough room on the empty playground for them to rehearse and fill Pearly in on what they need to do. Her addition to the routine was quite small so it was easy to throw in without altering too much, but it really took the act to a new height.

"Alright! That's a wrap, guys." A tired but satisfied Marcella exclaimed, an hour and a half later. "I think we're ready!"

2-7: Showtime

Heads turned as she strode through Dewford Town early Monday morning in her floor-length, green chiffon dress. But just like working the catwalk, she knew better than to be distracted, and ignored the stares and gawking, staying laser-focused on the task at hand; she had work to do today. Marcella arrived at the contest hall an hour early. Flashing her contest pass to the attendant manning the front desk, she made her way down the halls.

In the contestants' preparation room, she opened her bag and quickly lined up the supplies she brought with her. "It's just the stuff we bought yesterday, quit being so nosy and behave, please," she explained to a curious Bijou with a light swat, who let out a loud sneeze after she had gotten her nose in the glitter jar. In a huff, Marcella sat down at the table with what remained of the glitter and Pearly in front of her, as she got the tub of water-soluble glue and a fine paintbrush ready.

"Close your shell, dear. Shut." She instructed. The Clamperl obliged, but not before deliberately trying to close it on her trainer's fingers once again. Marcella pressed her lips together. If she weren't on a tight schedule here, she would have made a bigger fuss about that, but she ignored Pearly's insolence and started painting an intricate, swirly design on both sides of her shell with glue. Before the adhesive agent dried, she liberally sprinkled the shimmery, green glitter all over Pearly. A tiny cough could be heard from inside the shell. "Sorry, I told you to shut it." She apologized half-heartedly as she brushed off the excess glitter to reveal her work. "There! All done."

Bijou was going to be submerged in water for most of round one, so she didn't prepare too much of a costume for her, despite the short dance number - just a simple, silk scarf. She had other things to go through with her, though.

"Okay, Bijou. Give me your 'scared' face. Good. Now the 'drowning'. Now the 'clawing for my life'. Good, good." She nodded at the Purrloin with approval after each performance.

The room slowly filled in as other contestants arrived to prep and get in costume. She continued to rehearse with her Pokemon, until an attendant came in to let them all know there were 15 minutes to the start of the show.

Marcella checked her reflection one last time, tucking away any loose strands of hair that had strayed from her chignon. The green chiffon dress flowed down in progressively sheerer tiers. A split ran down the left side of the skirt, exposing her leg on one side. Adorning her neckline was a deep green jade pendant; it was probably not going to be visible to the judges from this distance, but she wanted to wear it anyway. The rest of her outfit should scream 'jade' enough, regardless. As she moved closer to the mirror to inspect her makeup, she quickly used her finger to wipe away any of the fallout from the rich, green eyeshadow framing her dramatic, winged eyeliner. Stage makeup had to be very prominent, after all. "Okay, perfect. I think we got this. You guys ready?"


All the contestants were lined up backstage and given a number before they were ushered to their lounge. "Number twelve?" She scoffed to the attendant, as if he had a say in the numbering. He gave her an apologetic smile anyway, and Marcella had no choice but to take the seat furthest away from the stage entrance. It was going to be a long wait, might as well get comfortable. A small TV sat in the corner, with a live feed of what was happening on stage.

A man in a sharp, grey suit, who was clearly in his mid-30s to 40s already but still had his hair styled like a 20-year old stepped up first. "Alright! Good morning, everyone. We are about to get underway with this D-Rank Pokemon Contest, and thank you all for joining us today! My name is Jonah Moore, and I'll be serving as the MC."

He briefly explained the rules and rounds of the contests for the benefit of anyone in the audience who was unfamiliar, and Marcella took this time to look around at her competition. A few nervous faces stared back - many of the other contestants looked anxious, which was baffling, since the audience was pretty small. Nobody was particularly well dressed, save for maybe one androgynous figure in a pretty, blue suit.

Mr. Moore finally wrapped up his speech, signaling the start of the first round. The first two contestants that were ushered out were… embarrassing, in a word. Marcella yawned, glancing at the clock periodically. Yup, it was going to be a long wait. It wasn't until the third contestant that things picked up a bit more.

"Next, give it up for contestant number 3, Miss Shuna Kamado!"

A mousy, pale girl walked on stage, followed by a Marshstomp and Aron at her heels, stopping once she was at the center. She wore a blue, strapless pouf dress with heels, a white and light blue shrug covering her shoulders and tied by a bow right above her chest. Her hair was let loose except for some front strands pulled back and tied to a white and blue bow behind her head. On one wrist, she had a golden bangle bracelet, and on the other was a bracelet with a mystical-looking stone that Marcella did not recognize. That was the first thing that caught her attention. She sat up straighter in her seat.

"Hello! My name is Shuna Kamado and i'm here with my Pokemon, Finn and Argo!" The two Pokemon cried and squeaked at their respective nicknames. "We'll be performing the third act and I hope you enjoy the small show!" Shuna bowed deeply before righting herself up, waiting for the confirmation from the host and judges.

The moment the judges gave the go, the girl began to dance to the beat. She tapped her toes to the floor two times before jumping, letting her body move instinctively. Another dance, shoot. Marcella fidgeted in her seat as she watched, hoping it wouldn't be too similar to their act. Ours is more theatrical, anyway.

As the girl danced, the Aron - or Argo, as she called it - chirped and ran around her, jumping when the girl did, as if trying to copy her movement. It was a strange choice for a dancing partner, Marcella thought privately. Shuna chuckled as Argo softly squeaked, following her and trying not to use too much weight.

The larger Pokemon jumped in next, turning so he landed on the floor in front of Shuna on his back, twirling around while letting a stream of water from his mouth. As he twirled, the stream of water created a small, swirling cage around the three with water forming under the Marshtomp, Finn like a blanket. The water would go up a few feet before raining down as droplets, Shuna and Argo would jump when a slip of water would come close to their feet, jumping from time to time as they moved behind Finn. Shuna would jump to the right and Argo would follow, then she jumped to the middle and then left, her follower at her heels and around her feet.

After a minute, Shuna stopped and twirled as much as possible, closing her eyes as she put her trust in her Pokemon.

Finn charged a Water Pulse with his mouth as he placed one hand down, Argo jumping on his open palm with the rhythm of the music. Finn launched the ball of water up and then threw Argo right after with all his strength. He quickly stood in front of Shuna and puffed up his cheeks. Once Argo was underneath the Water Pulse, he quickly used Metal Claw to hit the Water Pulse, causing it to burst as he flew past the explosion of water. The explosion caused a shower of water to fall and sparkle from the stage lights.

As Argo fell, Finn opened his mouth and let out another Water Pulse, but stronger and larger due to the Mystic Water, straight at Argo. Argo used Metal Claw again, repeating the pattern, causing a bigger shower of water. Argo dropped and Finn quickly caught him with both hands, holding him up above him as Shuna stopped twirling, moving her arms at a 120 degree angle and palms facing the ceiling, watching as the small shower fell.

It was actually fairly impressive. A big improvement from the previous two, at the very least. Shuna exited the stage as the applause faded, and the next contestant was called up - a trembly, blonde girl introduced as Avril. She walked closer to the stage entrance, hesitating a bit as she rattled a pendant around her neck, but soon enough she was out there where everyone could see her… one single Pokéball in her hand. Like the previous contestant, her clothes fit well enough for them to not have been borrowed, if a bit plain. Just a pair of black sandals and a simple, pink swing dress. All that coupled with a few too many bracelets, earrings, round glasses, and a little flower crown.

Some more moments of hesitation, and a Shellos appeared in front of her. It didn't take long for it to disrupt the whole stage with a combination of Mud Sport and Rain Dance, taking delight in the droplets falling on it as it slipped back and forth on the muddy surface… all without a second Pokémon appearing. Marcella frowned. Did she not get the memo? she thought with a raised eyebrow, wondering how this girl had passed registration.

It was then that, amidst all the fake flowers on Avril's head, a true one showed up. "Now, Poppy!" The girl cheered, as her Pokémon shot a barrage of glowing leaves upwards, and still anchored to the flower crown, kept them up in the air with Fairy Wind. The shiny particles floated all around the girl as, finally, the Flabébé sprung up from Avril's head and showed herself for real.

At that point, Avril issued another command. "Grassy Terrain and Water Pulse!" Shellos shot a large orb of water right at the floating leaves, which dissolved into a myriad of smaller droplets and small fragments. The raincloud from before dissolves as well, as they all fell onto the arena as Poppy was bouncing all around it, turning the mud into what looked like a pristine meadow - much safer to walk in.

All that was left to do for Avril now was finish, as she approached the center of the Grassy terrain, where Angie was waiting for her, and let Poppy land back on her head. "I-I'm done with my e-e-exhibition, thanks." She stuttered through her exit awkwardly, a disappointing end to an otherwise decent routine.

Contestant five was, sadly, a no-show - rather, they had showed up, but ultimately could not be coaxed out by the MC or the other encouraging contestants to get on stage due to their nerves. The young boy left the lounge in tears as Marcella rolled her eyes. She would have tried to help, but one less contestant was less competition, so she remained seated through the ordeal. As they were on a schedule, the showrunners had no choice but to simply skate right through to the next act.

"And now, we have contestant number six, Miss Junko Enomoto!"

Marcella could tell which one was Junko before she even stood up - the child's face turned beet-red as her name was called. She was tall, but not as tall as Marcella - not in her stilettos, at least - and otherwise quite unremarkable.

The young girl nervously walked on-stage wearing a forest green, backless satin gown that at its highest point wrapped around her neck, and reached down to cover her feet. She blankly stared into the small audience, trembling.

Marcella almost thought the screen backstage had frozen for a moment, but after a minute or so of standing completely still, the girl finally sent out her two Pokemon, a stoic Dottler and a nervous Wimpod. "O-okay, do as we practiced!"

Hesitantly, the Wimpod somehow meekly kicked dirt off of the hardwood floor, then rotating one-eighty degrees to kick up more dirt behind him. He repeated this process while facing a different direction each time.

"Einstein, now use Confusion!" Einstein, the name of the girl's other Pokemon, complied. His eyes and blue polka-dots glew bright pink, and the individual dirt particles that Wimpod had kicked up into the air were surrounded by a middling psychic aura that was the same color as Einstein's dots were glowing. The dirt particles began spinning around, forming a micro tornado.

"Now Chip, use Aqua Jet!" Chip the Wimpod's body covered itself in water, skidding across the floor, and then jetted his way to the dirt tornado, spinning around the base of it.

Einstein's eyes glowed an even brighter shade of pink, and Chip was engulfed within the psychic energy. With the help of the Dottler, Chip began levitating off the ground, being floated up and down while circling the dust tornado, still Aqua Jetting.

Awkwardly grinning, June turned directly towards the audience. "I suppose this is my exhibit- A somewhat windy crisis." She followed with a few stilted giggles.

That was a crisis, alright, Marcella thought, as she politely clapped along with the others.

"Thank you, Miss Enomoto!"

Marcella ducked out quickly to use the bathroom after the tall girl's act, but she had a feeling she wouldn't be missing out on too much in between. She took the time to change into her ballet slippers as well, and returned just in time for the eighth contestant, who had a mouthful for a name that Mr. Moore stumbled over twice before getting out correctly.

"Natsuko Soyokaze, did I get that right?" He looked at the girl off-stage, finally getting her approval as the audience chuckled at him. "I am so sorry about that."

The girl paused before stepping onto the stage, taking a breath to steady herself. She walked into view of the audience, her soft sandals making no noise on the stage, dressed in a black yukata tied with a simple blue sash. Her square glasses looked almost plain next to the jade butterfly hair clip she wore. Marcella studied it intently through the screen, trying to determine if it was real jade or not, but it was too hard to tell from the small TV.

"Hello, everyone. For today's theme, I present a haiku." She glanced off stage, nodding to someone before starting. "Spirit of fire…"

Her Ponyta ran onstage, white streamers trailing behind her and leaving hoofprints of fire in her wake. While the audience was distracted, a bucket of water was pushed onstage.

"The jade empress is summoned!" She tossed a Poké Ball, and a Magikarp appeared, wearing a regal green kimono and a gold crown. Marcella gasped to hide her laughter, as it splashed into the bucket, putting out the flaming hoofprints. The kimono fit well, too - she couldn't believe someone went through the trouble of creating an outfit for the hapless-looking creature.

Ponyta trotted over to the bucket, her mane and tail ablaze, but Magikarp splashed again, throwing water on Ponyta. The flames subsided, and Ponyta knelt before Magikarp. Natsuko bowed to the audience, smiling slightly. "Crisis averted."

She plucked Magikarp from the bucket as Ponyta followed her off stage. That was certainly something.

Marcella zoned out through the next two acts, checking her phone frequently for text messages. She was getting fairly antsy, and most of these acts were not very impressive.

"Looks like we're nearing the end of the first exhibits! Leading up to our final contestant, give it up for Miss Robynn White!" Almost there, she thought to herself, as contestant number eleven very calmly walked on-stage, sticking her hands in the pockets of her artic blue tuxedo jacket that was matched with a bow-tie of the same color. Her neatly kept, platinum blonde pixie crop gave the impression she could be a teenage boy, if her lightly colored outfit hadn't vaguely conformed to her feminine figure. Her silver stud piercings on her ear lobes also added to the feminine aspect of the fair skinned girl.

As with the other contestants, Robynn was greeted by applause, especially from the women in the audience. Modestly, the androgynous contestant waved back at the crowd.

"Ladies, gents, and everyone beyond, how are we all doing this morning?" Robynn asked, looking into the audience with a smooth charisma to her voice. She might have been the only contestant so far with any sort of stage presence, a stark contrast to the mostly-anxious kids before her. "You all know my name, so I suggest you all sit back, relax, and enjoy the show."

She then tossed two Pokeballs, sending out a Snom and a Shuppet who levitated in the air. "These are my good friends, Rhondo the Snom, and Moldavite the Shuppet. Why don't you say hi to the crowd?" Moldavite cheered while facing the audience, whereas Rhondo's response was much meeker.

"Aw, poor girl. She must be under the weather- Snom live in much colder environments than Hoenn. Hey Moldavite, let's say we cool it down a bit?"

Shuppet nodded, floating over to stage right, and used her… skirt… to kick up a cool, purple wind.

"That's much better!" Robynn commented. "But it's a little gloomy in here. Rhondo, let's brighten it up, shall we?"

The Ominous Wind effortlessly blew Rhondo to stage left where she landed. Once she was able to hold onto the floor again, the Snom somehow kicked up a wind of her own, this one being quick, warm, and pink instead. The Fairy Wind blew over the ghost-type move, while the later arched below Snom's attack.

"Now Rhondo, Powder Snow!" Snom gently spat out an icey powder into the pink wind, with the warmth of it causing the Powder Snow to melt before falling through the Ominous Wind, creating a mini rain.

"Would you look at that- Powder Snow became rain. At least this'll prevent you from going through a drought anytime soon, and what a way to wrap up an exhibition!"

Robynn bowed to the applause, with her Pokemon nodding, as that was the closest they could get to actually bowing. Marcella clapped as well, scrutinizing the girl's presence. She was definitely one to watch out for.

She didn't have much time to muse on this, however, as her name was called at last.

Finally, she thought as she glided up the stage with Bijou in tow. Truthfully, the third act had her a little worried, since it was pretty similar to hers, but that was quite a few performances ago, and she had the edge of making the last impression of the first round. Aside from that in the back of her mind, she was feeling pretty confident, despite the limited prep time they'd had.

She looked out into the small audience and bowed to the judges. In an elegant sweeping motion, she tossed out Pearly's Luxury Ball, and the ornately decorated Clamperl emerged, materializing in the center of the stage. Balancing on her shell's hinge, she initiated the routine with her simple but crucial part of the act, and a Whirlpool ascended from the Bivalve Pokémon. The green, shimmery pattern was dazzling under the spotlight - they did not get a chance to practice any of this on the actual stage yesterday with Pearly, but it looked even better than Marcella had imagined.

She had no time to admire her work, though, as the music she had given to the MC started playing. On cue, she smiled at the audience, and she and Bijou began their ballet routine. The skirt of her dress fluttered gently from both the motion and the wind generated by Pearly's vortex.

She was leading the dance, but their dance number was short, both to hide the clunkier moves of Bijou, and taking the instructor's advice, she wanted the focus on her Pokémon. Half a minute into their routine, the light violin music pitched downward into an ominous cello piece, and she hoisted Bijou up, Arabesque-style, before gently submerging her into the Whirlpool and quietly spinning out of view. All eyes were on Bijou and Pearly now.

Inside the vortex, Bijou held her pose as she spun - not only did the Whirlpool aid with the "windy" aspect of the prompt, but it allowed Bijou to pirouette without actually having to spin herself, something they'd found out she was woefully incapable of doing the day before. As rehearsed, at each intense beat of music, Bijou would stick her face out of the Whirlpool and re-enact her practiced emotions of fear, drowning, and finally, clawing for her life.

She could hear delighted laughter from the audience at the dramatic Purrloin's theatrically pained expressions, and as the final notes of the orchestral piece played, Marcella rejoined her Pokemon to clapping, pulling Bijou back out of the Whirlpool and back to "life", as they both fell into curtsies on either side of Pearly. She looked back up, and saw the judges smiling back as they clapped along with the audience.

"See? Told you we got this, guys." She breathed out.

2-9: The Three C's

The smile left her face as soon as she got off-stage. Marcella headed straight for the changing rooms, and exited the Contest Hall without watching the rest of the competition. That was humiliating. She didn't even make it to the final round.

They took a quick trip to the Pokémon Center—unlike her ego, Bijou and Pearly weren't all that bruised up, so they didn't have to stay very long. She soon found herself wandering back onto the playground by the Contest Hall, glumly rocking herself on a swing as she watched Bijou stretching out in the morning sun.

Marcella always hated losing more than anything. It's why she refuses to play chess, it's why she doesn't participate in those rigged carnival games, and why she didn't want to come on this journey. You can't fail at something you don't do, but if you have to do it and you're not good at it...

"Tough break, huh?" A somewhat-familiar, lazy voice disturbed her contemplation. She turned around to see the man who'd saved her from the Dwebble yesterday. He hadn't been following her, had he? It was a pretty small town. "Oh, sorry, dude—didn't mean to scare ya." He added, sensing her apprehension. "Thought you might need a pep talk after what happened in there."

How embarrassing. She hoped no one else saw her leave in a huff. Nobody likes a sore loser. She played it cool. "Oh. Hello, again. You were watching that, huh?"

"Hey, not too far, dudes! If you can't see me, I can't see you." He called out to a pair of kids darting past the monkey bars, before sitting down on the swing next to hers. "Yeah, figured you must be pretty upset to leave without watching the rest of the Contest—hope you don't mind me bein' nosy here, just wanted to check on ya."

She minded a little, honestly, but she could also use someone—anyone—to vent to about this, without hearing any smug I-told-you-so's from Avery. She couldn't call a friend to lament her loss, that's for sure; Marcella doesn't lose, after all. This man had already seen her fail on stage, though, so she couldn't possibly embarrass herself any more talking to him about it. So she did.

He watched his children play, while patiently listening to her rant. "Well, it's a good learning experience. Everyone loses sometimes." He contributed simply, when she was done.

"I don't." She winced at how childish she sounded, before adding, "Pokémon training... just isn't my thing. This is Avery's thing. I never wanted this, and I'm not cut out for it. I mean, she beat me even with a Magikarp—"

"Or, she won despite having a Magikarp, and used every move of her Pokémon to her team's advantage." She did a double-take to make sure she was still talking to the same person, since he had dropped the old surfer-dude demeanor at some point and went all dad-lecturer on her. "It's true that the other young lady didn't have a lot to work with, but she was fairly creative with what she had, and what her Pokémon are good at. That helps in a contest, but that's also a good skill to have in battles outside of them." He turned to look at the stretched-out Bijou. "So, what would you say your Pokémon are good at?"

Eating. Sleeping. Lounging around. "I- I mean, I love her, but... she doesn't do much. That's on me, I raised her as a pet. Been trying to push her into being a bit more fit, but it's going to take a while. And Pearly, well..." She had not even properly battled with Pearly once before getting on stage, so she really wasn't sure what her capabilities are. She just thought the Whirlpool looked cool.

"You didn't prepare at all, did you?" He asked with a knowing smile, as if he had read her mind.

"No... Not for the battle round, no." Marcella sighed. "I know I should have practiced more, my brother did tell me to."

"Ah. Sounds like a smart, young dude."

"Yeah, yeah." What's the deal with dads and Avery? They all love him.

"Anyway, at the end of the day, the choice is yours," He continued. "I just want you to know that failing is necessary sometimes to get further ahead. I'm sure if you asked your brother, he's lost a fair amount before, too. You can take this loss in stride and learn from it, let it fuel your path ahead. Or if it really doesn't feel right, and you want to throw your hat in the ring, well... only you know what's best for you, hm?"

Marcella wasn't expecting this little lecture when a 40-something year old surfer sat down next to her, but she supposed all dads have that in them to some degree. And it actually wasn't unhelpful. She pursed her lips together, thinking over his words.

No, she doesn't want to give up—not yet. Not without giving it a proper try, at least.

"...Do you think you could help me find out? What my Pokémon are good at, that is. Like, in a little practice match, if you have time?"

"'Course." He said simply, jumping off the swing. "Oh, wait—are you challenging me?"

She did know the gist of challenging others—the prize money, both Trainers must accept and agree to the terms and all that. Even if she lost, which was likely considering how tough this guy's Raichu was yesterday, ₱1,500 sounded like a low, low price to pay for a little lesson, and he seemed more than willing to share his knowledge with her.

"Yes. Sure."

"Alrighty, I accept. One sec. Watch my kids. They're the ones that look like each other." Before Marcella could object to the responsibility, he disappeared back inside the Contest Hall, and returned after a few minutes with a young man in uniform. "Borrowed one of their referees," He explained to Marcella, before turning back to the guy. "Thanks again, dude."

He gave a thumbs up back. "No sweat, not the first one of your impromptu battles I've witnessed."

She looked at him curiously. "Do you do this often?" She also didn't recall the need for a referee, but whatever.

"In a manner of speaking." Mr. Surfer smiled. "Alright. I'm going to teach you about the three C's today—Control, Composure, and Creativity."

"Okay." Fancy. This seemed well worth the ₱1,500 already. She eagerly awaited a quick run-down before getting out her Pokémon.

"In battle, Miss." He laughed, pulling out two Poke Balls of his own. "What, you think I'm just going to tell you? Gotta see them in action to learn. Now, I will say that I watched your first round showcase, so I know the creativity is there, somewhere. Just gotta learn how to channel that into your battles. Anyway, I'm sure you remember my friend from yesterday." He continued, as his first Poke Ball released a familiar-looking Raichu. "And his partner today will be... Poliwrath."

It looked mean, was Marcella's first thought when the muscly, blue creature emerged from its capsule. They couldn't all be as friendly-looking as the Raichu, she supposed. "Okay, Bijou. Ready?" Marcella prompted the sunbathing Purrloin to get up and join her, and her relaxed expression communicated she was anything but ready for another battle. Still, she begrudgingly complied. As Bijou stepped out in front of her Trainer, her new teammate also emerged from her own Luxury Ball.

"Alrighty, dudes. So it's a doubles match, as you gathered—first one to have all their Pokémon knocked out, or forfeits, loses." He nodded at the referee from the Contest Hall. "On your go-ahead, friend."

The match opened with Raichu's Electric Terrain. Raichu drifted up the playground, and electricity permeated the entire scope of their battlefield. It didn't seem to be hurting anyone, though. Bijou shook her front paw curiously at the crackling sensation under her.

"Nice, nice. Alright, Poliwrath, my dude—why don't you help your partner out here with a bit of Coaching?" Their Trainer instructed, before turning to Marcella. "It's always good to try and tip the scales in your favour by setting the stage for your Pokémon's later attacks. Like the Ponyta's Sunny Day earlier, for example."

"I—we don't know anything like that yet." She was pretty sure, at least. She turned to her Pokémon. "...Right, guys?"

Two blank stares were returned, confirming her suspicions.

"Right, right—that's fine, too. Everything in due time, but just keep that in your noggin for now. Now give me your best attacks!"

Marcella glanced at the Poliwrath intently giving a pep talk to the Raichu hovering close to it. It seemed like a good time to have Bijou use Fake Out, and while it's startled... maybe a Water Gun from Pearly, yes. She called out the moves as planned to her Pokémon.

Bijou's attack landed, interrupting the Poliwrath's Coaching as she had hoped, but the Water Gun splashed off its blue skin with little effect. It looked a little refreshed by the attack, even. Marcella frowned.

"Alright, that was a solid plan! You just didn't account for Poliwrath's Water Absorb, but I see what you did there. Now, Raichu, Electroweb! And Poliwrath, Water Pulse on the little dude!" In his fervor, he forgot to specify which 'little dude', earning a confused stare from Poliwrath. "The Clamperl, dude!"

Raichu immediately chased Bijou down to trap her in the same net that was used to delay the Dwebble yesterday. Powered up by the Electric Terrain, the Purrloin's entire body crackled as she shook under the web. It draped over Pearly as well, causing her to also shudder in shock. Not good. On its Trainer's clarification, a pulsing blast of water was ejected by the Poliwrath. Pearly was hit square in the face, but seemed fine otherwise. The man snapped his fingers. "Damn. Sometimes that Confuses the opponent. But it's all good. We'll get 'em next round."

Alright, alright... Marcella was starting to pick up what he was putting down. By slowing down her Pokémon and trying to inflict status conditions, he was gaining advantages in the field in other ways. That's something they are capable of, even with what they know—they can try to level the playing field their own way, too.

"Bijou, use Sand Attack to escape! Pearly, catch... the Raichu in a Whirlpool!" She was careful not to pit Pearly against the Poliwrath anymore, not with her water attacks, at least.

Wriggling a paw free, Bijou covered as much of the crackling web with sand to nullify its effect. In her haste, she also tossed some directly up at the Raichu still floating nearby. A happy coincidence, but Marcella played it off as an intentional move. As the Raichu wobbled on its tail, trying to clear its eyes of the sand, it got swept up in the watery vortex Pearly was generating in its direction.

"You learn fast," Mr. Surfer remarked proudly. "It's not just about terrain advantages, but there are a lotta different ways to gain control. Now, are you ready for the next 'C'?"

The kind of thinking he was having her do was actually making this entertaining. It made sense to her. She was having fun. "Thank you, and yes! Which is...?"

"Well, you know it's one of 'Composure' or 'Creativity', and I'm sure you're bright enough to figure it out." He laughed. "Raichu, Teleport out of there, and Electroball on our purple friend. Poliwrath, we'll keep working on the Clamperl—Hypnosis!"

Marcella watched incredulously as the Raichu quickly disappeared from the Whirlpool and darted around the field—it was so fast. How is that possible? Meanwhile, Poliwrath's attempt to incapacitate Pearly one way or another finally paid off, and she was fast asleep one Hypnosis later. Poliwrath patted the closed clamshell, leaning on it with one elbow.

"Pearly? Pearly! Oh—" Damnit.

She didn't like how smug the Tadpole Pokémon looked, but at least she could focus all her attention on figuring out how on earth Bijou was going to catch up to the Raichu. Marcella had instructed her to bring it down with a Scratch, and the Purrloin was definitely pushing herself, but every time Bijou worked up the energy to power ahead, Raichu would Teleport a few feet further to put some distance between them. She looked exhausted.

She was never going to catch it like this.

She was lacking... Composure.

"Bijou, stop! You're tiring yourself out!" She didn't need to be told twice. Panting, the Purrloin stopped in her tracks immediately. "Just wait."

And so, they waited.

Standing still, Bijou was able to catch her breath. Eventually, Raichu hovered close enough to try and deliver its Electro Ball attack, and—

"Now!"

Bijou swiped at Raichu's tail, causing it to lose balance.

"Right on, right on! Little Pearly's lost her composure this round, but I think you picked up on it. Composure looks different to every Pokémon. It's gaining lots of speed for Raichu, but clearly not for Bijou." The older man nodded approvingly. "Okay, I think we're nearing the end here, and I'm sure you'll do fine with the last 'C'. Now, Raichu, Surf's up!"

Marcella remembered what that meant, and as expected, a wave of water swept over the playground. The sleeping Pearly was carried off a few feet before jolting awake, but her shell seemed to have helped her absorb most of the blow. Bijou had managed to clamber up on the jungle gym as the water washed under her.

Nice. The attack didn't seem to have hurt her Pokémon much.

It wasn't until it was too late that she noticed—or rather, didn't notice—the Poliwrath surging towards them in the water.

Its Trainer shouted a well-timed, "Drain Punch!", and Poliwrath popped up as it swept by Bijou, delivering a blow that sent her flying.

Oh. Marcella understood.

The Surf wasn't used to hit her Pokémon, it was to sweep the slower Poliwrath towards Bijou and hit her where it hurt.

Well, shoot. Poliwrath was coming for Pearly, now, too—the water pushing it right towards her. But that gave her an idea.

"Clamp!" Before the blue creature could scramble out of reach, the Clamperl's shell snapped down around the opposing Pokémon. With the water rushing around them, all Marcella could see was her hard shell moving up and down as it continued to ensnare Poliwrath. Its partner hovered nearby, unsure of how to help.

That gave Marcella another idea. She was really on a roll.

"Bijou, jump up on her shell," The Purrloin still clinging to the jungle gym looked at her like she was crazy. "Trust me!"

Reluctantly, she leapt towards Pearly as the clamshell came down on the trapped Poliwrath once again. When the shell flew open, Bijou was propelled through the air. "Scratch!"

Before the Raichu could react, a wet Purrloin was flung in its direction, claws protracted. She landed hard on its tail, bringing both of them towards the sand below, before raking her sharp nails down.

"...Aaand, school's out! Well done, dude!" Her mentor returned his Pokémon with a huge smile on his face.

"That was... That was actually enjoyable." Marcella beamed at him. "I had fun, and I learned a lot. Thank you."

"Glad to hear it! That's the most important part of Pokémon training—having fun. Now, I really believe you didn't prepare at all before walking in there," He jerked a thumb towards the Contest Hall. "Picked up all the basics I wanted to teach in the blink of an eye. See, you just have to give it an honest effort. And have a great teacher. Anyway, here you go."

He drew his hands out of his pockets, casually dropping a small, metallic badge shaped like a boxing glove from his left hand into hers. It's... somewhat shiny. That was the only notable quality about it. She was a little disappointed if this is in lieu of payment. ₱1,500 isn't much, but she would rather have that and buy a coffee or something, than this ugly little pin she's never going to wear.

"Oh... thank you." She said uncertainly.

"Ah, yes—" Picking up on her confusion, he nodded at the referee, who made a startling announcement.

"Gym Leader Brawly has forfeited this match! The young challenger has won!"

Gym Leader who, now?

Mr. Surfer cleared his throat before continuing in a goofy, dramatic voice. "Congratulations, young challenger—I present you with the official Dewford Gym's Knuckle Badge."

Apparently, it was now Marcella's turn to 'lose her composure'. She couldn't believe she ran into the guy she'd been running all over looking for twice already, without knowing this weird surfer-dad was him. "I— oh my gosh, you're Brawly!? I've been looking for you since yesterday! What—"

He let out his hearty laugh as she tried to compose herself again. "Well, you found me! Anyway, well done, again. You earned it."

She looked down at the strange little pin again, in a new light. It was still ugly, but she was seeing it in a new light, nonetheless. "But I didn't earn it."

"Says who? No one gets to decide who gets my badge except for me. And I say you earned it, dude."

2-10: In/Dependent

The Knuckle Badge was a little blurry on camera. Marcella tried to focus it a few times, but between the shaky movement as she walked back to the Fan Club, and all the colorful umbrellas and beach towels in the background, it just wouldn't cooperate. Oh, well. He has one of these himself, he gets the point. She flipped the camera back over and focused it on herself.

"Who just got her first badge within a week of her trip?" She gloated merrily. "It's me. And you were worried about—what? What is that look supposed to mean?"

A slightly amused, patronizing smile was returned. How annoying. "Yes, yes, I know. Everyone gets Brawly's badge. That's why I said to go there first."

Classic Avery—couldn't let her be proud for two minutes. "Well, then why did you tell me I had to practice for him?"

He shrugged. "I wanted you to embarrass yourself a little less. I know how easily discouraged you are by stuff like that. He's fun, though, right? Did you learn anything from him?"

"...Yeah," She responded flatly, putting the badge away. "I sure did."

"Anyway, you should probably think about heading back to Slateport, now that you actually have two Pokémon, huh?"

"Psh-yeah, like I'm listening to you again. You were the one who told me to go there in the first place without letting me know the Gym's requirements."

"...No, I'm sure I'd told you about the licensing stuff there first, and also the Gym requirement's, but it all went in one ear and out the other because you were too distracted by the market. Anyway, it's your journey, so go wherever you want, I'm just saying Slateport is a good idea."

She frowned. Was that how it happened? She couldn't really remember. It's possible, she did have fun at the market. But she was considerably less excited to go back to Slateport now. Marcella didn't like backtracking, and it would also probably be a lot less fun without a credit card.

"I'll think about it."

He was getting on her nerve a little. Eager to prove herself, Marcella had made her decision before she hung up. She would be going... well, she didn't know exactly where she was going, but it was anywhere other than where Avery wanted her to go.

"Okay, Bijou, we are going our own way!"

"Mrow?"

"We don't need his help. He's right, this is my journey. I go where I want." She opened a new browser on her phone to start scouting. On the Breezy Seas schedule, it seemed the next ferry leaving Dewford was at 4 pm. Perfect. "Alright! Let's go eat lunch and then start packing for... Petalburg."

Next time I make that call, I'll be showing you something you're not expecting.

2-11: Connections

Sunlight was streaming in through the open window next to her, bouncing off her Knuckle Badge as she spun it on the mahogany table. It was a good enough consolation prize, but Marcella would have felt better if Avery hadn't told her how freely Brawly gave these away. Still, she supposed she did learn a lot from him. And as silly as it was to admit that this League Badge-equivalent of a participation ribbon brightened up her day, it actually did make her feel a bit more eager to forge ahead on her journey.

"Well, Bijou, we got what we came here for," She gave the badge one more spin, before returning to her lunch. The Purrloin had a small dish in front of her as well, in which Marcella had placed all the croutons she picked out of her salad. She was more than happy to eat the carbs. "Wonder what's waiting for us in Petalburg?"

A slightly unsteady voice coming from behind her interrupted her musings. "Oh hi, M-Marcella! I should've expected to find you h-here… Is everything alright now? I saw you leave the contest in a rush. I hope it's okay if I can sit here for lunch?"

Turning around in her chair, her eyes met a pair of bright green ones. It took a second, but she did recognize her—this was one of the girls from the Contest Hall earlier. While it was not out of the ordinary for Marcella to attract attention, it was a little surprising this girl had approached her; they hadn't really talked backstage, and she looked super nervous the whole time. Still, she seemed quite harmless, and it couldn't hurt to mingle with her fellow Trainers, so Marcella greeted her warmly. "Oh! Hello. You are... Avril Reese, right?" Thankfully, she still remembered the host's introduction, and she'd always prided herself on being good with names—it's an effortless and quick way to endear yourself to others. "Yes, of course. Please, sit."

"T-thanks! And yes, it's me!" The girl nodded as she took the only empty seat at the table, the other two being occupied by Bijou and Marcella's purse. The Flabébé waved as well, looking like it wanted to introduce herself to Marcella. Unfortunately, she couldn't actually talk, and Marcella was not as good with non-people names. What was it, again? Daisy? Posey? Poppy? It's one of those. Whatever, I'm sure it'll come up again. Her Purrloin stood up curiously, peeking over the table at the other Pokémon as well. "Uhm, t-that is…" Avril smiled, as she noticed the small pin next to her fork. "A Knuckle Badge! Congrats, Marcella!"

"Hm? Oh, yes. Bet you have one too, huh?" Marcella absently twirled it between her fingers. "Heard it wasn't the most prestigious of badges, but it's a good start, I suppose."

"Y-yeah, I actually do. And if I have it, then I guess anyone can get one…" Avril shrugged. Daisy-or-Posey-or-Poppy smiled once again as she rested on her Trainer's head. Marcella appraised the unassuming and meek girl. Well, probably, but at least you didn't lose to a Magikarp. She sulked privately, still not fully over that loss, but was careful not to let her indignance show.

"Oh, I'm sure you battled well, regardless," She responded reassuringly, as if she knew anything about this Trainer's skills. She leaned back in her chair and took a sip of sparkling water. "Speaking of which, I… had other things to attend to just now, so I'm afraid I didn't watch your Contest battle. How did it go?"

"I-I lost that one. I was caught off guard…" Avril sighed. She didn't say it, but that actually made Marcella feel a bit better to know. "Shuna, my opponent, was quite kind afterwards, though." The girl smiled at her before looking around the room, trying to get the attention of a nearby waiter so that she could order her lunch as well. Marcella watched her struggle with this for about half a minute with a raised eyebrow, before waving someone over for her. "Ah, I'm sure we'll both do better next time. Go ahead, hun," she nodded towards the menu in front of Avril as the waiter finally approached.

"S-sure, thanks!" Avril nodded nervously before telling the waiter her order. Just as the blonde girl was preoccupied, someone else approached their table. "Excuse me, may I order as well after… oh it's you! Hi Avril!" Another trainer chimed in. "May I have lunch with you, please?" They grinned.

...Well, I wasn't expecting a whole entourage here, but sure, why don't we all sit at MY table? Marcella thought, quickly shuffling an annoyed Bijou and her croutons over to the chair that her purse was in to make room for their new guest. "Friend of yours, Avril?" She nodded to the androgynous figure politely, as she settled back into her seat.

"Oh, y-yeah. And room neighbor! They're Hikaru." Avril chuckled. "I found out only last evening." She explained to Marcella as Hikaru ordered their own lunch. My, they'll let anyone into the Fan Club these days.

"Thank you, girls! I have quite the news, but I'll explain later." Hikaru announced, as they sat in front of them. "So, I see you also got the Gym badge! You must be a good trainer, uhm…" Hikaru hesitated, looking slightly embarrassed. "W-what's your name?"

Marcella leaned in slightly to extend a hand across the table as she introduced herself. Her amethyst ring glinted in the sunlight as she reached out. Good. "Marcella MacMillan, pleasure to meet you. And apparently he's never not given this badge out to challengers, so the latter remains to be seen."

Hikaru looked back at Marcella as they shook her hand, their expression half way between a smile and a smirk. "Well! He definitely went hard on me. I wonder what strategies he used against you, instead?"

"Oh, interesting—it wasn't too bad for us. Funny story, though, I actually didn't even know I was challenging the Gym Leader himself at the time, so perhaps that's why I wasn't really feeling the pressure," She laughed lightly. "I did learn a lot from him, so I appreciate that."

Avril seemed to have noticed the ring on Marcella's hand and was trying to get a better look. "That's a nice piece of jewelry! L-looks expensive also…"

"Oh, thank you. It was a gift from my dad, meant to match Bijou's coat. To celebrate me becoming a Trainer and all." It was more of a bribe, really—one of the many things he had offered her to make her less reluctant about the journey. "Wasn't too bad, maybe ₱500,000? I can't remember. But anyway! What are your guys' plans for today?"

Avril shook her head, surprised. "That's so cool, I really like jewelry!" She smiled nervously. "All my accessories are nowhere near that expensive… I-I…"

Marcella smiled back, always keen to hear others' admiration for her, but Avril's gushing was quickly drowned out by the more journey-oriented Hikaru. "Oh, plans for today? Training some more, of course, and… well, visiting Granite Cave! If there's a cool event or sight to see, you know I'd better be there too. And it apparently hides many treasures as well. Might as well ask, do you want to come along?"

She recalled the pamphlet she'd taken yesterday about Granite Cave, but had promptly stricken it from her agenda—caving did not seem like her idea of a good time. It was also doubtful that this person's idea of a 'treasure' would be the same as hers, anyway, and she already had other plans for today. "That sounds fascinating, but I do want to make the 4 pm ferry to Petalburg today, and there's no telling how long this little spelunking adventure might last. So I'm afraid I'll have to pass this time, dear, but do let me know what treasures you end up finding."

"I'm not coming either, I j-just don't like caves, sorry!" Avril added, shaking her head. "I'd rather just take some time to… uh, relax probably. Or look for an odd job."

Hikaru also shook their head. "Well, you know what, I have a similar issue with… money. We can team up if you want! As for you…" They looked at Marcella with a grin. "You're not coming, I know, I know. So, is it okay if I introduce you to my blog? I can keep you updated on the treasures I find that way, instead."

A blog—how cute. It had been a minute since Marcella had heard of anyone writing blogs, but to be polite, she pulled out her phone and opened a new browser page for Hikaru to put down their link. "Sure. I do have a long ferry ride ahead of me, so some reading material will be nice."

"You know, we… w-we could also just exchange numbers right?" Avril chimed in, as the waiter finally brought over everyone's lunch.

She thought about that. These two couldn't have picked a better time to approach her, really. None of her close friends were all that helpful with Pokémon, which had been forcing her to rely on Avery a lot more. And he'd been quite insufferable about it. If she could spread out her questions and advice-seeking between these kids instead... "That's a great idea!" She flipped on over to her phone's Contacts app when Hikaru was done, before handing it back over to them.

"T-thank you Marcella." Avril smiled and nodded. "So now you have both of us registered, correct?"

She hummed affirmatively, tapping her phone a few times. Avril, done. H-I-K-A-R-U. That's probably right. She flipped back to their blog quickly to check her spelling, before setting down the device.

"You'll get some exciting updates soon, I'm sure of it!" Hikaru added. "Don't check the last one though…" They continued, smiling nervously as they touched the bandage on their elbow. Marcella glanced curiously, but decided not to ask about it. Her eyes landed back on her lockscreen as a text message lit it up. More importantly, though, it was almost 2 pm.

"Well, look at the time!" It would probably take her an hour or so to pack everything back into that rigid, leather suitcase; she did pull almost everything out to find her green dress last night. That would leave just enough time for a bit of a rest afterwards, and then getting back to the terminal to catch the right ferry. "It was a pleasure to make your guys' acquaintance, and—oh! Lunch is on me." She quickly waved the waiter back over for the bill, pulling out ₱6,000. Old habits die hard.

"T-thank you Marcella!" Avril just smiled, waving the taller girl goodbye. Hikaru shrugged instead. "See you in Petalburg, I guess… Enjoy the trip!" They cheered.

"Don't mention it, dear. And thanks, I will!" Swiftly gathering her belongings, including the now-sleepy Bijou, Marcella took her leave and made her way back to their room. Hopefully, her new acquaintances will render Avery's services obsolete.

3-1: Fiancé

Under the note was a small, black box. She delicately removed the lid to reveal a beautiful pair of seashell-shaped, golden earrings, with pearls hanging under them. "Oh—Bijou, look!" She bent down to show the Purrloin, who sniffed it curiously. Her interest in it faded quickly, probably since it was not edible. "Well, Pearly's gonna love these—I'll show her later."

...Although, maybe I should have named her "4-Carat Diamond" if I knew my first catch would be rewarded with complementary jewelry.