[PKMN FULL] Z: A Kalos Journey [M] [IC]

"Excellent!" Laurent clapped his hands together once in excitement. "You absolutely have to show me the baby! In fact, we could battle! I have a baby pokémon of my own, a gift from an old gardener a friend and I assisted. I also recently captured a Beldum who could use some practice in a lower stakes battle. You see, Beldum don't learn any move aside from Takedown until they evolve." He froze momentarily, then took a deep breath and relaxed a bit. "I'm getting ahead of myself, too elated to meet the first friend of my journey again in such a lovely place, it seems. We should relax and enjoy each other's company for a bit before we worry about anything like that. I heard the contest itself will take place in the palace ballroom in lieu of a contest hall, would you like to go take a look with me, maybe have a chat with one of our hosts? Maybe if we're lucky Platinum will be there right now."

"That sounds like fun! I could sure use a distraction before the contest." Dylan smiled. "We've been preparing this act for a while. I just hope I don't trip and mess it up." He laughed, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I am concerned about the dress code though. The outfit I picked out wasn't the fanciest, so I had to do a little last minute shopping. Hopefully it's up to par."

"I'm sure that you'll pull off whatever look you're aiming for excellently!" Laurent assured him, beginning to lead the way to the garden entrance of the palace. "You certainly have more options than me, I could never pull off a dress like you do. you were absolutely stunning back in Santalune. As for myself, I'll be wearing an outfit quite similar to the first one, sans the hat, and with a few changes in coloration. The aesthetic will be formal, but with a minor twist tailored to our venue." Laurent went silent when they walked into the halls of the palace proper. The modernization the palace had gone through several times did not include signs for the tourists, but thanks to the contest that had temporarily changed and there were a few austere signs guiding them to the ballroom.

Laurent almost gasped out loud at the splendor of the ballroom, even with the stands covering much of a floor normally reserved for dancing, it was still a breathtaking model of luxury noble decore. The stage that had been brought in to take up the center of the room matched its surroundings much better than the stands thanks to its marble floring and gilded trim. "My goodness, what a sight!"

Dylan just gaped at the elegant scene, trying to take it all in at once and remember every last detail so he could tweak his performance in subtle ways to accentuate the beauty of the room even more. He nearly tripped a few times, not watching where he was going as he walked, focused instead on the intricate patterns in the marble floor of the stage, or the bright trim surrounding it. "It's wonderful!" Dylan exclaimed.

"Indeed so!" Laurent agreed. Immediately grabbing one of Dylan's hands hands and twirling him for a few seconds before seeming to let go. Dylan was too startled to keep his balance without Laurent's support but before he could fall an arm slipped around his back just above his waist and caught him, Laurent looking dead into his eyes from only inches away, that everpresent relaxed, confident smile still plastered on his face. "I'd be tempted to do some dancing if we were alone or dressed properly. Buuuuut," Just like that Laurent pivoted, bringing Dylan with him by hand and leaving him upright again. "It appears we aren't the only ones examining the scene."

Sure enough a short distance away there was another person who - thankfully for Dylan's potential embarassment - was too wrapped up in a task of her own to have seen Laurent's playful display. She was a rather short girl in an equally short pinkish dress which only went down to her knees, though the immense count of frills beneath it both let it flare out away from her legs as well as cover them well enough. She wore aggressively showy matching boots with a ribbon on each one's toes and her hair was a shade of red that could only remind one of cold tomato soup, Both trainers recognized her immediately as Princess Allie, the resident royalty of Parfum Palace, though she looked more like a young beauty pageant hopeful with poor taste than a princess. She was examining the stage, then one of the stands, and even then up on a ladder to take a look at some of the lights positioned for the performance, muttering all the while, she was all over the place! It was just when she was at the top of this particular latter, grumbling about how it was 'all wrong' that something slipped from the bodice of her dress and clattered to the floor.

On the ground before Laurent and Dylan was a flute, a lovely and well maintained flute but otherwise plain...aside from an ornament between the body and foot of the flute in near-perfect likeness to a pokéball. Laurent's eyes widened but before he could so much as twitch or speak a single word Princess Allie was hurrying down the ladder making a ruckus. "Oh shoo, shoo! Stay away from my property you grimey commoners! That pokéflute is mine and I'll thank you not to eyeball it so hungrily!"

"Why would we want some old child's toy?" Dylan asked before thinking. The thing didn't look gaudy or extravagant like all the other things miss-bad-taste had on display all over the castle. So why did she seem so protective of it? Dylan eyed the girl's, unique, dress and decided that she definitely didn't posses the object for its appearance, so perhaps it has sentimental, or monetary value. The latter seeming more likely.

The princess took one look at Dylan and scrunched up her face. "Yes, well, I wouldn't expect a freak like yourself to understand the significance of such a treasure." she waved a gloved hand as if she was waving away a servant. "Shoo shoo. I have decorations to rearrange."

Laurent, however was nowhere near as dismissive as Dylan. "A pokéflute, I knew it! Dear Dylan, that flute can awaken any pokémon from any slumber! Why, it can even rouse a Snorlax from one of their semi-comatose sleeps!" His eyes went deadly cold for a moment when the word 'freak' left Allie's mouth, but something else struck him at the same time and he quickly recovered. "Princess Allie, my dear, my liege, there's no reason such a lovely lady should utter such horrid words." He practically glided up to her, she opened her mouth to protest but was hushed when Laurent gently but firmly grabbed both of her hands and clasped them between his own. "The pokéflute is both a rare and very useful commodity, honorable, storied and this one in particular is an important part of your lineage. I can understand why you would be so protective of it, especially against strangers like ourselves at such a busy time as this but as a gentleman I cannot stand to see a girl as graceful and noble as yourself worrying about the likes of us. We're merely competitors in the contest, here to get a feel for our surroundings in preparation of what looks to be a truly wonderful event, thanks in no small part to your efforts to make sure everything is just right."

Allie's face reddened and at first she looked about ready to bite Laurent's head off for daring to touch her hands, but he sailed on too smoothly to leave any openings for her to interrupt, and the more he spoke the more she found herself bouncing between furious, captivated, and confused. Now it wasn't clear whether her flushed cheeks were due to anger or something entirely different but what was clear was that the first step of Laurent's gambit was successful. "W-w-w-well I - that is of course I would do my best to - the palace is the pride of my family and any event here must be - but you can't just - I-I-I..." Finally, her eyes cleared and she wrenched her hands free from the young man's grasp, but found herself unable to work up enough indignation to do anything more. "D-don't think you can just butter me up with some pretty words! You won't get extra points in the contest by flattering the princess!"

The trainer's eyes sank to that inscrutable half-lidded expression, and he leaned closer in, his face far too close to Allie's now to be called appropriate. "Oh but my dear that couldn't be further from my intention. Even if I hadn't been so enraptured by the very sight of you, finding out about that flute would have been the clincher. I've been learning to play a touch lately myself, for my contest performances you see - perhaps you saw my victory in Santalune? - And there can be no instrument more tantalizing and prestigious to a trainer such as myself than the legendary pokéflute of Parfum Palace. I'd love nothing more than a chance to learn more about it, perhaps even that lilting melody, so much like a lullaby and yet never failing to awaken sleeping pokémon? Surely someone who's been around it as much as you must know a thing or two, I'd love you to instruct me...perhaps we could learn more about each other while you teach this unworthy soul?"

The Princess' face flushed much brighter this time and at first she seemed totally at a loss for words. She stared into Laurent's eyes for a stint, then down at the flute on the floor. "I mean, I haven't exactly mastered - but maybe we could find time to -" Allie stopped midsentence to shake her head furiously, she failed to fight off the blush on her cheeks but regained her senses enough for her posessiveness to return. "Absolutely not! That pokéflute is mine, nobody else's! There's no reason anybody else should learn how to play it! Maybe if you were to win the contest we might spend a bit more time together..." She seemed to falter at the end but quickly turned away from Laurent in a huff. "Nevermind! Just go make your preparations or whatever! After being brazen enough to act so familiar with royalty you had better hope you both dazzle me if you don't want the guards dragging you out of here when you lose! I don't care what that bossy Platinum says! Now then, if you'll excuse me..."

Allie stepped forward from her standing position, moving to pick up the pokéflute at last. Holding it firmly in her hands she examined the artefact with a satisfied glee. "You see this? This is the instrument of true regality peasant." She rose it skyward, holding it above her head in a spectacularly triumphant, narcissistic and downright corny pose. "You may bathe in this image for a few moments longer, but I assure you that is as close as you will be getting to my pokéflu- eh?" The rustling of feathers could be heard briefly from the ceiling above, hiding in the rafters something had been watching the scene play out, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Two soulless blue eyes peered down at the three from above... and eventually a third, larger eye shot open as well, above the others it began to glow with a purple energy and suddenly the pokéflute was surrounded with a psychic force and easily plucked from the Princess' hand. "EEEHHH?!"

The pokémon revealed itself as a tribal sort, consisting of geometric shapes and ancient designs, it resembled no other pokémon ever witnessed by those present. With a low guttural cry it swooped down towards the flute and snatched it from the air using the appendages on its lower body. "LYPH." It's tone was almost robotic, no emotion, only confirmation, as it dashed swiftly out into the halls of the palace beyond, quickly flying away.

"THIEF!!!" Allie screeched, jumping in place and pointing wildly town the passageway the Sigilyph now raced beyond. "You two! Stop it! Go! Don't let it get away! You'll be rewarded with whatever you like just go! Catch it! STOP IT NOW!"

Before Allie even gave the order Laurent was already off, feet pounding down the corridor as fast as he could manage, barely keeping. He knew he'd seen one of those pokémon in a book before but couldn't place it, regardless he had no time to worry about it. He ripped a pokéball off of his belt and pressed the button on it, quickly releasing a beam of light that coalesced into a Beldum. "Metéoré, fly after that strange bird with the flute! Keep it in sight and hit it with a take down if you can, whatever you can do to slow it down!" The Beldum buzzed an incomprehensible noise at its trainer before shooting off after the thief. Beldum are far from the fastest pokémon, but even if Metéoré only knew one actual attack, it still had the mastery over magnetism that allowed it to fly. As soon as Metéoré rounded a corner after the thief the single eye at the front of its arm-like body glowed and the thief began to slow down in it's flight as the flute it carried in its feet began to pull against it as if trying to move towards the Beldum.

The enemy was slowed down just enough that Laurent was still able to clearly see the pursuit when he also rounded the corner, now wearing a pair of thick rubber gloves from his backpack and holding a small ball of fluff up in the air. "Maria, Shockwave!" The yellow puffball shouted out an adorable "Marr-ee!" and a bolt of pure electricity shot from its wool and towards the bird pokémon with the pokéflute. Shockwave was a move that never missed, illustrated thoroughly by the way the bolt ruthlessly pursued its target, matching it's every weave, turn, dip and dive as it drew closer and closer to the thief.

Dylan hesitated just long enough for Laurent to speed past him as he thought through the situation. The creature dropped feathers, which meant it was probably a flying type, and also used some kind of psychic ability, which meant it was probably also a psychic type. He slapped the buttons on two pokeballs on his belt, and his happiny Joy and his fletchinder Bec sprang to life. "Bec, carry Joy. Fly that way," he said pointing, "and see if you can knock the bird-like thing out of the sky with Joy's hidden power. The ice type should be extremely effective. Bec clasped Joy's tiny stub arms with his talons and took off, using agility to speed himself up, Joy glowing a blue-white color as she charged up the hidden power.

Dylan pressed another button, causing Doux, his furfrou, to materialize and slide himself under Dylan. "That way!" Dylan pointed, gripping his neck fur with his other hand, causing the furfrou to take off running, wind whipping through Dylan's hair. "Bec, match its speed and then use razor wind!" Dylan ordered, Joy already letting loose a shot of ice cold energy which the pokemon dodged easily. "Joy, just hold the hidden power and channel it into Bec's attack!" Joy glared back at Dylan, not happy that she wasn't getting to attack the opponent directly.

Sigilyph darted as fast as it could, but it wasn't quick enough to outrun so many attacks with the effects of the magentism holding it back, the shock wave was rapidly approaching and it understood that the moment it hit it was done for. It couldn't afford to lose, there was too much at stake now. Dashing forward it noticed a familiar shiver run down its spine, its eyes sharpened into confident slits and it darted down a side hallway suddenly, just barely gaining a bit of distance on the pursuing electricity and trainers. As the heroes of the hour followed Sigilyph so dillignetly, they would notice as the air got colder and the floor started to lose traction. Yet the target was so close, they just had to chase a little longer!

With a spark the electric attack hit, but it didn't strike the Sigilyph.

Throwing itself down from the roof above, a terrifying pokémon floated eerily between the pursuers and their prey. A massive... face? Made entirely of ice it let out a deep, infeeling roar, much like the odd bird this pokémon seemed more machine than living creature. It formed a shield using its body, the lightning based attack smashing into it and seemingly being absorbed into its vast specially defensive bulk. "CRY... OGONAL!"

With a roar it shot a beam of frosty energy forward, creating a zig zag across the floor as it began to float backwards at a surprising speed, acting as a moving obstacle and shield for the Sigilyph in front of it. The Ice beam caused the floor to flash freeze, making it even more difficult to keep solid footing. It seemed... oddly uncontrolled however, as it didn't hit any of the targets in front of it, instead skating up the walls and tearing vast cracks in the palace decor.

Laurent began to slide along the ice, fighting desperately to keep his balance and growling in a frustrated manner that reminded him all too much of Jackson. He placed Maria on top of his head and barely managed to pull another pokéball off of his belt and release his Growlithe Apollo into the air before catching him. "Apollo, Flame Wheel straight towards that Cryogonal!" He tossed Apollo out in front of him, the Growlithe began to spin in the air while spitting out flames, forming a perfect circle of fire around his body before curling up like a Donphan and rolling towards the Crogonal. The flames around Apollo allowed him to keep moving unabated while also clearing a path behind him that allowed Joshua to keep up the chase. Next Laurent lifted Maria back up in his gloved hands. "More Shockwaves, keep it up!" Maria called out again and continued to shoot out homing bolts of electricity while Apollo drew closer to the Cryogonal.

Doux's paws slid on the ice, sending Dylan sprawling across the floor. His back slid across the ice until he managed to hook a lamp with his foot and stop himself. His fletchinder Bec tossed Joy down onto Dylan's chest which caused him to cry out in pain. She weighed a lot heavier than should be possible for a creature her size.

Bec sped around the cryogonal in a blur, having maxed out his speed with agility during the chase. He pelted the thing with embers, his body steadily growing warmer while producing the flames he used to attack. Joy watched him carefully, then her body flashed suddenly like a camera, and she began to shoot embers of flame from her mouth onto the icy floor, clearing an area that Dylan could stand on without slipping.

As the barrage of attacks struck the cryogonal, pelting it with fire and electricity, it mad eno effort to dodge, weathering each and every one as its stalwart position slowly started to erode away. It was insane the amount of punishment it seemed able to take, before finally it clattered motionless to the floor... the pale points of light it had for eyes fading away to leave the appearance of nothing more than a large frozen mask... but the Sigilyph that had been behind it was gone, vanished away as it had never been there at all.

However with a beam of red light, so too was the unconscious Cryogonal, and from behidn the two trainers, from the source of the beam, a man could be heard... slowly clapping.

"And just like that... the only two threats left in the building before contest hours are cut away and placed in some abandoned sub-section of the palace. Honestly, what do they teach you kids these days?"

As they turned, the man looking back at them had the Sigilyph sitting on his shoulder and the pokéflute balanced playfully in his hands. His expression was chilling, his eyes tired and whimsical. To Dylan, he was just an unfamiliar villain dressed in black suit with red tie... but to Laurent, this was someone he knew all too well.

This was Gabriel Artece.


"Gabriel. I might have known." Laurent said matter-of-factly. Three pokémon was a bit much and he didn't want one as young and inexperienced as Maria fighting against someone like Gabriel. He returned Maria to her pokéball quickly and methodically removed the rubber gloves from his hands while Apolloe and Metéoré arrived at either side of him. "Such a pleasure to see you again~ Did you miss me too much to stay away?"

"Gabriel? You know this guy?" Dylan questioned, turning towards Laurent. He didn't seem the type to have criminal connections, perhaps the guy had given Laurent trouble in the past. "And," he continued, turning towards Gabriel, "You're outnumbered in both people and pokemon, just give us the flute back and we won't have to resort to violence."

"He's part of a dastardly group that call themselves 'Team Cinder.'" Laurent explained. "I and two of the other trainers from Aquacorde battled him once before, it took all three of us just to beat his Houndoom at the time, he's not out to beat us, Dylan. If he's given the chance he will murder us, don't take him lightly in the slightest."

Team Cinder. Those words seemed to change Dylan's attitude suddenly as his face went pale with fear. "Did he… was he at the… the fire?" he touched a hand to the his burned and scarred flesh on the right side of his face, feeling the twisted and melted bits of skin that healed in ways that would never look natural again.

"Oh sorry... did the flames go ahead and burn you up?" He ran a finger down the side of his face where Dylan had burns and laughed maniacally. "Sorry kid... should've killed you outright, now you're just a freak of nature!" He chuckled lowly before looking up with a sharp gaze at the two trainers in front of him. "Don't worry though, I'll make certain the job isn't half assed this time." He removed a black device from his pocket and ran it over the pokéflute in his other hand. A red aura blazed to life, running along every inch of the pokéflute in its entirety, a lazer of some sort... he was scanning it. "There we go, now I've just got to remove the witnesses. Can't rely on that witch actually winning after all, and I'm done taking risks." He gave the black device to Sigilyph, whom began to fly away behind Gabriel, whom stayed blocking the path.

"As for you pretty boy, I don't think you have any right to put such a high price on your own head considering how easy it was to dispose of you last time... Crane and that Detective Bitch aren't here to protect you this time. So I'll be glad to introduce you to some of my friends in private, new and old!" Taking two inferno balls from his belt, Artece tossed them skyward and in a flash of dark red light, two pokémon bounded forth. One a fiendish hound, it's black fur and flaming maw familiar to Laurent, the pokémon that had caused the forest fire in its majority, Houndoom. The other was a new sight to them both, it was a pokémon prominently featured in their history books at school, one of the very first pokémon ever revived through de-fossilization. With it's brown, rock hard carapace and sharp blade like appendages, Gabriel's Kabutops stared viciously at them both.

"No time wasted now... Incinerate and Slash! Burn and shred, Burn and shred!" In an instant, the two imposing pokémon dashed forward, glowing white blades poised to cut Laurent in two and in a rather purposeful irony, a massive wave of roaring hot flames sent to char Dylan to ashes.

​

Laurent smirked and even dared to laugh at Gabriel's insults, showing no signs of the shivers of danger running down his spine. "Oh my. You sound extra bitter today, dear Gabriel, by any chance did you have another pathetic run-in with Emma and Jackson and not even invite me? I must say you're one to talk about freaks with a face and fashion sense like that. I'd agree with you about things being different on this occasion, but I'm sure you'll run crying back to your master with your tail between your legs just like last time." Laurent's smile was confident and composed as ever but his mind was frantically racing through every scenario and angle he could for the situation, determined to get out of this alive. However, within that near panic was also what he would be ashamed to realize was a certain rush to being in another battle that was guaranteed to require absolutely everything he had, even if it was because his life was in danger.

The instant Laurent figured out which attack was going where he had time only to point at Dylan and shout "Apollo!" The Growlithe wasted no time sprinting straight into the Inferno headed for Dylan. The vicious wave of flames distorted, then changed shape until it was circular and changed direction back towards Gabriel's Houndoom as Apollo absorbed the flames and used them to magnify his own for an extra powerful Flame Wheel. Laurent couldn't possibly move fast enough to avoid Kabutops even with his fast - for a human - reflexes but just as the merciless sickle that was Kabutops' arm descended on the trainer Metéoré crashed into it headfirst, clearly feeling the strike but powering through thanks to its naturally high defense and type advantage to ram its opponent with a Takedown.

Dylan was paralyzed with fear. Even with the fire changing course leaving him completely safe for the moment, he still couldn't force himself to move. This man tried to kill him just now, and more importantly started the fire that has scarred him for life. He had to pay. And if he wasn't going to play by the rules, neither was Dylan. "Joy, hidden power, make me the strongest icicle you can." Dylan shakily turned to look at her, steeling himself and trying not to think how stupid the thing he was about to do was.

At his command the little happiny formed her icy hidden power into a sharp opaque icicle which was almost white in appearance. She looked at Dylan quizzically before handing over the weapon. Dylan took it in one hand and summoned forth Gracidea, his floette, with the other. "Fairy wind!" he yelled, throwing the sharp icy spike at Gabriel, the sparkling pink wind thrusting it with even greater power directly at the man's midsection.

A massive, shuddering crack and bang resounded around the royal hallway as a bullet was fired into the oncoming ice spear, instantly piercing and breaking the weapon into diamond like dust. "That's about as much as I expected from you two..." Gabriel sighed, as the powered fire type attack rocketed back into Houndoom... Triggering it's own flash fire ability, the flames were absorbed into its maw and the collective heat from both fire type Pokemon was used as an injection of raw power boosting the Houndoom to levels beyond what they were initially. Kabutops meanwhile, sneered with an aggressive stare as it pinned the Beldum down with it's attacks, even if it was at a type disadvantage.... It knew this Beldum was far far weaker than it was.

So it slashed and it slashed and it slashed, beating the steel type into the polished floor.

"Do you want to know what your problem is Hessel?" Gabriel said plainly with a sigh, as he softly rubbed a gemstone embedded upon a ring on his right hand. "Arrogance."

Suddenly rising up from the shadows a third enemy Pokemon appeared. It beamed a sickening white fanged grin as the gemstones embedded upon it's purple body shone brightly against the light of the roaring flame once more building in the Houndoom's maw. With a quick slash of dark ghostly claws, the Sableye moved to tear into the opposing Growlithe's side.

"You seem to think your words even register on my radar... You act like you're a big deal to us because you were present in the forest and I don't know... You won a contest I guess?" The gemstone on the ring began to glow brightly with prismatic light. "Maybe I need to remind you that all you did was crash into a tree while your little friends actually put up a fight?" He laughed under his breath, genuine laughter. "You actually think my voice is spiteful? You actually assume you're in any way on our radar... I don't hate you Hessel, I pity you."

He turned his gaze to Dylan. "You're about as troublesome as this worthless two face freak, who did nothing but dive face first into our fire!" Houndoom fired another incinerate at the word towards Dylan, the flames streaking through the air to burn him away.

Dylan was ready for the barrage of fire, anticipating that the man would assume he was afraid of it. But he wasn't afraid of it, he was afraid of psychopathic killers with guns, but like you do when you're scared of spiders you crush them until they're no longer a threat. He waited until the fire covered the area between him and Gabriel, then set to work. He motioned to Bec, who flew at record speed into the flames, carrying some of the fire with himself as it absorbed into his flame body. Then he motioned to Joy, who launched a hidden power into the flames, exploding into chunks of ice, which melted into water that smothered the fire.

Bec raced past Gabriel, using razor wind which combined with the flames from the fire to create a burning hot razor sharp wind that assaulted him. He continued past him, not stopping or showing any signs of slowing, as he chased after the sigilyph.

Apollo was laucnhed a short distance to crash but stood back up quickly, blood welling up on his flank. "Tough talk from a grown man who lost to a trio of teenagers fresh out of school as soon as he couldn't hide behind his gun." Laurent retorted shortly, feeling there was no more time for taunting. It seemed his decision earlier to put Maria away had been a hasty one, and his upcoming contest was centered around using multiple pokémon, after all. A cross toss released Maria, who landed next to Laurent and Bernard, who landed in front of his trainer to smile at Houndoom. "I'll reintroduce you to an old friend as well, and as you can see he's changed much more than your mutt. Gentlemen, Melody of Malady, verse one!"

At Laurent's order Bernard took a few steps back and began to fill the air with the sounds of his Grass Whistle, focusing the hypnotic song on the Kabutops and Sableye while Metéoré and Apollo respectively dived back into the fray against their opponents. "Maria, Shockwave, dealer's choice!" The Mareep bleated an affirmative and launched a relentless bolt of electricity that flew straight at Gabriel then instantly changed directions at the last second to shoot for the Sableye.

As the wind rushed towards Gabriel he quickly dodged to the side, a maniacal grin on his face as he watched the bird race after his Sigilyph. Unfortunately for it, Sigilyph was already long gone... using the move tailwind its speed in the air was unmatched and the head start it had gotten meant he had no doubt already reached the receiver and made his way back into the the palace to loop around, in a few moments both pokémon would arrive back at the battle but by then it would already be too late. As he spoke his voice was completely calm, no feeling, no indication of worry or threat. "Are you still not listening Laurent? I'm doing this to help you, if only you'd listen maybe you be able to develop to a point where you could defeat me alone." He stood up straight, completely unflinching as the lightning threatened to strike into him. The ring on his finger was blaring with light... and Gabriel's eyes began to glow with a similar light, the colours dancing around his scilera as he seemingly filled with power.

"I was defeated by a duo in that forest... you're ever a liability. Sableye. Now." In a blaring burst of light, Sableye's crystals began to blare with the prismatic light and he cackled loudly as one disconnected and grew to a massive size, the pokémon itself enlarging slightly and nearly overwhelming itself with an unreal level of power. In the instant the grass whistles hypnotic melody reached the crystal, it reverberated and shot right back towards Bernard, slowly reversing and redirecting the effects right back at its target. The shock wave hit Sableye but barely seemed to leave a scratch, the crystal absorbing the majority of the current as Sableye his behind it. "You both don't understand..." Gabriel said, what almost seemed like a hint of sadness in his voice. "For every step you take we move a mile, with every breath you take we've taken ten. It's not a war you're fighting... it's an inevitibility. Even if I were to fall here... He would destroy you, HE will destroy everything. Every last part of this worthless world brought back to zero, so that everything can start again. I suppose in a way I can understand, but I'm tired of rising up against things that never change, right now I think you'd do well to just lay down and die... stop being a nuisance and I swear I'd make it quick... Still, I already know your answer... so I know I have no choice."

For the first time since he'd started his journey...no, the first time his entire life Laurent's eyes filled with genuine horror, the fake smile wiped away to leave only despairing confusion. "No...Someone like him could never achieve..."

"Some things, some people, will never change, not until the slate is wiped clean. Mega Sableye, use Dark Pulse." Quickly charging dark energy into its hand that pulsed with untold power, Sableye slammed it into the crystal, magnifying the effect to a level far beyond that of a regular pokémon. The darkness rushed outwards, almost knocking Gabriel off of his feet as the sheer force rushed into all nearby, every window in the corridor shattered into splinetered glass, even Houndoom and Kabutops were thrown roughly across the room in pain as the wave of pure shadow tore through area around them.

"No!" Laurent shouted reflexively. He grabbed two of the pokéballs from his belt but before he could do anything his entire team had already leapt into action. Bernard, Apollo and Maria all gathered into a knot and fired Razor Leaf, Shockwave and Ember in a contentration on the same point of the Dark Pulse, desperately trying to hold it back. Laurent's Beldum, however was nowhere to be found. He whipped his head around frantically, then barely noticed a white light issuing from behind him. "No, just go back!" He pleaded, pointing the first two balls at the trio. The familiar red beam issued from the buttons of the spheres, but dissipated as both devices flew from Laurent's hands unbidden, as if under their own power. "Please... Tears began to run down Laurent's eyes at the sight of a large new automaton joining the rest of his pokémon, buzzing mechanically as it threw its newfound psychic power into the combined defense with Confusion.

Dylan ducked down, his floette using fairy wind to surround them, pinkish sparkles shielding them from most of the onslaught of dark energy. "Mega…?" Dylan muttered to himself, grimicing from the coldness of the darkness that seeped through the shield of wind. He made a mental note to research this new discovery as soon as he wasn't actively trying to be murdered by a psychopath.

As the attack collided a massive explosion of light erupted outwards, blinding all present. Everyone was knocked back a solid few feet and even Gabriel grunted as he struggled to maintain his footing, wind rushing past him at the sheer force of the collision.

As those present recovered from their shell shock the light began to clear... and following that a rather large amount of smoke began that had gathered finally began to fade. What lay beneath was a massacre, almost every single pokémon, Houndoom and Kabutops included, lay unconscious on the floor. There were none left untouched by the overwhelming power of the colliding attacks. But like a dark spirit, the reaper itself looming over them all... Sableye peeked out, panting from behind its crystal, which had sustained naught but a single crack.

Laurent knelt weakly a solid ten feet back from where he had been, panting and struggling to stand up, moisture still streaming down his cheeks, glaring at Gabriel with a mixture of sadness, determination and genuine hatred.

Gabriel returned both of his unconscious pokémon and took a few steps forward to stand beside Sableye. With a grim expression he pet the pokémons head, before laughing softly. It was as dark as it usually was, in fact it was almost melancholic in nature and his eyes, still glowing with prismatic light, were filled with despair. "I'm... honestly sorry... it was at least a little bit impressive that you both tried so damn hard..." He rose the barrel of the gun to aim it at the kneeling Laurent's forehead, glancing at Dylan to follow, as if affirming that he was next. "I said I'd make it quick... so I will." He placed a single finger upon the trigger.

"Sorry... but you just weren't strong enough."

Dylan screamed, lunging toward Gabriel, but far too slow to make any difference.

A gunshot blasted across the hallway and the bullet, almost as if in slow motion pierced on a direct path towards Laurent. It was a life flashing moment, a certain end. It was over.

And yet... it wasn't.

A deep violet energy surrounded the bullet, halting its rotation and holding it firmly in place. The bullet hovered their, all momentum lost and stopped by this sudden psychic force. Gabriel looked in confusion and anger at the projectile now held in place. "How... what?!" But a voice was his only answer, it echoed around the room, cutting through the tension like a knife. "That's quite enough Mr. Artece."

The roof suddenly caved in, forcing Gabriel to throw himself backwards to avoid the falling rubble. He didn't recognize that voice, he had no idea who this was. "W-who...?!"


A massive metal pokémon crashed down, its four clawed talons digging into the floor as the X on its face glowed that same color violet, in an instant the bullet turned and fired back piercing into Gabriel's shoulder and causing him to howl out in pain. He stared in fear, genuine fear at the man who stood atop the mighty pokémon, his steel blue hair reflecting the light, his confident expression had no inkling of failure. This was an opponent beyond the league of anyone else present. "How... you're-"

"Steven Stone, yes." The Champion of the Hoenn region stepped off of his Metagross and landed flat foot upon the ground. "I'm here to take you into custody... a certain blonde friend of mine of similar station took the liberty of informing me that a certain organisation was trying to end the world. This has happened one too many times you understand?" He smirked, his gaze narrowing at Gabriel whom was now slowly backing away. "We tend to try and nip it in the bud these days."

"That... bitch..." Gabriel muttered, any previous sympathy now replaced with blinding rage. "Sableye! Another Dark Pulse now!" The small pokémon, its overconfidence showing, blasted its fist into the crystal once more, releasing a similar sized wave of shadowy energy, cracking the very walls with the force it inspired. "Metagross! Defend these boys! Iron Defense!"

This Metagross, to any of those familiar with the Champion, was rather different to the pokémon he was usually seen with. It's reflective blue sheen was replaced by that of a piercing silver, while its accents and signature X was a glowing gold. Steven dashed behind the pokémon as its legs extended and dug into the sides of the corridor, forming a wall that caught the Dark pulse so that only a shimmering of darkness could be seen flowing overhead. "I see you're in no mood for games, excellent, I'm also looking to get this done rather quickly. Metagross, it's time." With a smile, Steven pulled the pin from his jacket and twirled it in his fingers. The gem atop it began to glow with a prismatic light that was mimicked in both the Champion and Metagrosses eyes.

The X shifted color to a deep regal blue as the various pieces of Metagross began to sink into its body and reposition as it was surrounded by that same prismatic light. It rose from the ground with magentic strength and psychic energy and released a powerful roar. Gabriel was no fool, he knew when he was beaten and this was a fight he could not win. Quickly returning his pokémon he turned and sprinted in the other direction, dropping the pokéflute as he went... but there was no time to turn back and reclaim it. "Mega Metagross! No mercy to this fool!" He thrust his hand forward. "Unleash now... Meteor Mash!" Metagross charged its fist with steel and psychic energy before ramming its fist into the floor. The earth itself formed a pursuing tremor which followed Artece faster than he could run... as it reached him he was launched upwards with a cry of pain, slamming into the roof with a thud, he proceeded to fall limp to the floor, unconscious and finally defeated.

Laurent watched the entire scene still frozen in the same position as when Gabriel was about to execute him, utterly enraptured, completely unable to move between physical fatigue, his life having just flashed before his eyes, and awe at the spectacle before him.

With a sigh, Steven released the Mega forms energy and re-applied his Mega pin to the side of his jacket... and Metagross returned to his true form. "Are you boys... GRAH!" Steven was spun sideways as a barage of powerful fireballs shot through the open windows and slammed into Metagross, the energy seemed powerful enough to harm even the mighty steel pokémon as it winced... just long enough to disrupt its focus, so that it could do nothing as a Mega Charizard dashed through the open window, snatching up Artece's body and taking to the sky.

"No! Blast!" Steven cried in frustration as he rushed to the window, trying to catch site of the enemies' direction. However, as any mega, this Charizard was powerful... but the time Steven checked it was already making its way towards the horizon.

He sighed, aware that this adversary would have to wait another day, before he finally turned to Laurent and Dylan, a certain worry, pity and perhaps even a little bit of an impressed acknowledgment in his eyes. "Are you boys alright...? Have you been seriously injured?"

"No I-I..." Laurent stammered for a few seconds before his eyes widened and he shot upright, stumbling over to the pile of his unconscious pokémon as quickly as he could manage, his legs finally giving way beneath him when he made it to them, clinging to them all as much as he could. "Forget about me! Please...help me get them to a pokémon center, it's all my fault they're hurt...I-I can't..." Tears welled up in Laurent's eyes again, yet he said nothing more, unable to even manage a word of proper gratitude for his hero over concern for his partners.

Dylan was shaking on the floor, kneeling in front of his pokemon which sat unmoving. He sobbed, returning them one by one to make it easier to carry them all, and then suddenly lept to his feet. "BEC! Where is he?" he screamed, sprinting in the direction of where his fletchinder had disappeared. Or, he would have, if his legs didn't give way beneath him in a fit of hysterical sobbing. He crawled along the rubble-covered floor, scratching his arms as his eyes dripped with tears.

Moments later Bec stumbled into the room, wings wobbling as he half-landed half-crashed into Dylan, who pulled the injured bird into a hug. "You're never leaving my side again." The bird cooed and made a sound of pain as Dylan squeezed him tight.

Steven nodded solemnly. "Be calm, it's alright... you know I'm a Champion don't you?" He gave a confident smile and quickly pulled a pokéball from his belt, tossing it to release the pokémon inside. "Togedemaru, your assistance please." A tiny ball of fluff and steel appeared, it appeared to some sort of rodent like pokémon. Steven proceeded to toss a bag of small yellow crystals into the air, the lot of which were caught by Metagross' psychic power. "Metagross, administer the revives to all pokémon present, as for you Togedemaru, please use wish as you need to, I do not wish a single pokémon left injured." As if by magic, Metagross used his psychic power to open the mouths of each unconscious pokémon, crush the crystaline medicine and administer it directly. Before too long, every pokémon present was awake, if a little groggy. However the mysterious power of Togedemaru's wishes returned life and vigor to each and every one, causing them to perk up as best they could until the little electric ball was as tuckered out as it could be.

Laurent's pokémon looked around in confusion after standing back up, making various noises of relief and surprise when they realized what had happened. The trainer himself was elated. "Thank goodness you're all safe! I don't know wha-" Before another word could leave his mouth Laurent was cut off by his entire team dogpiling on him, chattering happily, rubbing against him and knocking the wind right out of him.

"Thank you, Togedemaru, you've earned a rest." Steven stated with a thankful sigh as he returned the pokémon to its pokéball. "Now then, I told you it would be alright... but I still need ask after you both, are you alright? Did that madman harm you directly?"

After finally breaking free from being smothered to death almost immediately after nearly being shot in the face Laurent smiled up at Steven from the ground with Maria on his chest, Bernard nosing his shoulder, Apollo licking his face and Metéoré floating beside him. "Not anymore so than the agressive affection of my team." He said, finally calmed down. "Thanks to you, master Steven, and my dearest friends." Laurent stood up and returned each of his pokémon one by one except for his new Metang, putting the impromptu celebration to an end. "Especially Metéo, he went above and beyond today, he evolved and even went so far as to defy my orders to protect me..." The Metang in question buzzed proudly for a moment, but his attention was shortly rested away from praise to their saviors. He began to float around Steven's Metagross, looking at it from all possible angles and humming curiously before stopping in front of its face and buzzing happily, pumping an arm in thanks.

"Not this time." Dylan stated, extreme hatred filling his words. "Why didn't you go after him! He got away!" He stomped his foot repeatedly, crunching some piece of the building that had fallen loose in the fight to a powder beneath his shoe. "Like you said, you're a champion! You must have something[/s] that could chase after him!"

"I suppose I should have left your pokémon to suffer then?" Steven responded sternly, crossing his arms. "Young man I understand that you have just gone through quite an ordeal, your emotions are high strung and you almost suffered dearly." He paused and closed his eyes, before opening them with a softer expression. "A Champion's role is to protect the people of every region across this World, if I simply left you here to potentially die without knowledge of your situation then I would have been failing in that task and unfit for my position. Those of steel are a shield, not a sword, I would ask you not to question that and understand that what has happened here today will not be left unpunished, I do not work alone in this. Now I ask you to lower your tone and do not address me with such animosity. I only sought to guarantee your safety. My associates shall chase after Mr. Artece."

Meanwhile, Metagross looked Metéo up and down as he extended a hand, before scoffing slightly. "Me-TA." Steven smiled a little awkwardly as he stepped to Metéo in turn and patted the steel types head as its evolved form turn away, tucking in its legs and beginning to float. "A fine Metang you are and a finer Metagross I am sure... do not mind my friend, he is a grumpy old man who requires far too much for his approval." Metagross glared at Steven who smirked back. "Metagross... I am sure our common associate is en route to follow Artece, however Cynthia should still be informed of what has happened here. I ask you go to our base of operations and inform let her know by your presence that the situation has at the very least been resolved without severe injury or death." The Metagross nodded gently, pivoting in the air, before turning and rocketing off through the hole in the roof with a slow burning acceleration growing into a rocketing speed, like a meteor cutting through the sky.

"Look at this mess... The Hoenn Region's coffers will no doubt feel the burn of these repairs, but such pales in comparison to what else may have been lost." Steven turned to the two trainers before him with a warm and comforting smile. "You have both done well, I am rather impressed I must say, to hold your own against a Mega Evolution for as long as you did at your stage in your journey." It was then that a glimmering caught the corner of his eye and he nodded in understanding. "Ahh yes, they were after this I believe... as were you mere moments ago if that bothersome princess was to be correct." He picked up the still intact pokéflute from the rubble and examined it momentarily. "Is it true that you two were seeking to use this device, to some small capacity?"

Laurent's eyes glimmered for a single second when they lay sight upon the pokéflute once again. "W-well, Steven, sir...There's currently a Snorlax blocking the way out of Camphrier town. A whole group of other trainers much like Dylan and myself set off from Aquacorde at around the same time and as far as I can gleam most of us are keeping apace on our journey. I was hoping the flute could be used to remove it as an obstacle to make the journey easier on everyone, and make sure it wouldn't hinder Camphrier's residents...I must also admit some selfishness in the matter, I was hoping to learn to play it." He gestured to the pokéball with a leaf sticker on his belt. "My first partner, Bernard the Ivysaur already knew the move Leaf Whistle when Professor Sycamore gave him to me, and I wanted tp learn an instrument to match it. Ever since I arrived here I couldn't stop thinking about what a wonderful combination Grass Whistle and the pokéflute would make."

"I didn't really know what the thing was until Laurent told me. It seems pretty useful I guess, but I wouldn't have any use for it." Dylan explained, "Although I wouldn't believe everything that princess says. She's a bit…" Dylan trailed off, unsure of any word that could describe that girl in her entirety. "Well, a bit of a princess." he laughed. "Although moving that snorlax does seem to be a worthy cause." he added.

"Then you should take this, borrow it a while if you would." He said with a grin, tossing the instrument in Laurent's direction. "You needn't worry about Allie, when I remind her that I stopped a murderer in her precious halls I'm sure she'll be more than willing to let you keep it a while as a favor to me. After all, this palace is rather lush... publicity is its livelihood. Actually, speaking of which..." He took a pocket watch from his jacket and flicked it open, noting the time as the sun outside began to sink in the sky. "The contest should be starting in... fifteen minutes! I don't suppose either of you have any interest in that? A sort of desire that might make it very handy that a certain Champion got your pokémon back to their top condition?"

"Oh my!" Laurent exlaimed after catching the flute. "This all took much longer than I had realized! I've got to get back and change!" Laurent took a few steps towards the exit then stopped, did a one-eighty and ran back to Steven and grabbed both of his hands, shaking them vigorously. "Steven, I just want you to know you've been one of my heroes and goals for a long time - quite literally, now - and thank you so much for helping us! I'd never forgive myself if Gabriel hurt Dylan...he's already suffered so much because of that man. It's truly an honor to meet you!...If it's not too much trouble, could I perhaps register you on my Holocaster? Surely the Devon corporation has one, or at least a compatible expansion for your pokénav? I'd really like to meet again in better circumstances, I feel I could learn so much from you." However Steven only gave a knowing smile in response, patting the young man on the head and turning him in place. "It's not with me right now Mr. Laurent, can't have it being taken by an enemy if worst comes to worst now can we?" He pushed the boy along with a small nod in his direction. "I'll be in touch. Just keep that in mind."

"Fifteen minutes?" Dylan practically screamed. "There's so much I have to do. The costume, and the shiny stone needs to polished and-" he continued to ramble under his breath as he checked to make sure he had everything in his backpack and to make sure all his pokeballs were on his belt. "Thank you for saving us!" he yelled as he ran down the hall combing his hair, which had rubble stuck all throughout.

---​

Once the boys were out of sight, Steven pulled the holocaster from his bag, steel blue in colour, as it had been vibrating for a few moments already. As he answered the call, a woman clad in black with sweeping blonde hair stood before him in a holographic state. "Steven... did you confirm our suspicions?"

"Yes." He said, his confident smile fading to a more grim and dark expression. "In fact... I think things are far worse than we could have ever imagined."

​

Parfum Palace's gardens were decorated as extravagantly as one would expect. Few expenses were spared in assurance that every table, every door, every candle on a pillar were at the pinnacle of prestige. Strung above the dance floor, were luminous bulbs that shone with an regal purple sheen that would make anyone feel like royalty. Many of the partygoers had already began clamoring over the exquisitely lined horderves set across the snack bar. Those that hadn't were looming over cocktail bar, the barkeepers already showing off their bottle flips. As Allie watched over her creation, a proud smirk grew across her face as she watched what she had put together take place. After she attended to her own adoring fans, she would see to it that she had won the admiration of those that had competed in her soon to be prestigious contest. With a spring in her step, she hopped off her pedestal and took to the crowd, expecting to see at least a few worthwhile faces.

Emma was nearby a white-clothed table, putting her hair to a wild pony-tail. She was wearing a pink kimono decorated with cherry-red floral patterns. While her first contest debut didn't go so well for her in terms of placements, she still oddly felt... happy. Happy that she could express herself in different ways, and to not to worry about anything else for the time being. For the first time in a while, she felt... free. Once her hair was done to her liking, she ventured around the gall. There were many people to meet, with all kinds of personalities. She wondered, perhaps gatherings of all to celebrate a common thing was one of many answers of how people could get along... but there would still be those who would disagree on how they would spend time with someone. A difference of opinion, but that still felt refreshing.

She waved, and shook hands with a couple of people who greeted her; saying that she recognized her from new segments about her detective work. Apparently, she had quite a name for herself, and she didn't even recognize to what extent. "Der's my lil'contest star!" called out one voice to her, with Emma giving them a friendly face. It washer grandfather, in one of his business suits.

"Grandpapa!" Emma replied, racing towards him, greeting him with a gentle hug. She then acknowledged him with a disappointed, yet a still smiling look. "Hehe... I'm not much of a contest star, I'm afraid. I didn't even get a place in the rankings."

"Bah," her grandfather huffed. "Contests are fer' sissies. And yer' no sissy, aren't ya? Yer'gonna be the next champion. None of these pansies holds a candle to ya' when it comes to battlin', y'hear?"

Emma giggled. "I'll definitely do my best," Emma agreed. "I think I'm getting better, actually! My Riolu evolved into a Lucario, and defeated a really strong NIdoqueen. It was strange, but... it kind of felt amazing, defeating a strong opponent such as that."

Chris found himself surrounded by vaguely familiar people as he stood on the outskirts of the party along with Violet, whom had used her psychic powers to illusion themselves up some fancy dress once more upon hearing that Chris was planning on attending in his regular clothes.

"Aren't these a bunch of your former school friends? Why aren't you socializing and doing the normal party thing." She asked, swirling the wine in her glass before taking a big drink.

"You just want me to embarrass myself for your book." Chris pointed out, dodging the question.

"Well I certainly wouldn't be opposed." The purple haired girl giggled.

"I wonder if they've got anything stronger than wine." Chris mused as he began sipping on the glass before him. The flavor was quite good, not that he was any form of connoisseur. He looked around the party and tried to recall anybody around that he had actually spent more than five minutes with at the academy. "I guess I didn't really make friends." He replied after he felt the buzz start to kick in.

"Depressing... Me neither." Violet laughed with a smile and after a moment she raised her glass. "To the loners."

The clinking of glasses echoed as the two of them finished their glasses. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he smiled and offered a hand forward to his female companion. "?Quieres bailar?" He asked as the woman placed her gloved hand into his and they began to move towards the more open part of the courtyard.

For Drew, the transition from the ballroom to the garden had been rather easy. Alongside Professor Sycamore along with Malorie and Victor, they'd been given priority and got outside pretty quickly. When all was said and done, it was a pretty nice event, but Drew hadnt intended to be part of any of this. The whole thing had been completely exhausting. One thing kept him going though. It was hopeless denying it at this point. He was completely enamored with Paige, especially in that dress, to the point he found himself spacily staring on several occasions.

Now though, with her off mingling again, he was hovering over the snack bar, simply occupying his time. He scanned the selection of finger foods, quickly eliminating anything that contained a fruit or vegetable. "No pizza or anything, huh? Sushi it is." He mused aloud with a defeated sigh. His he shoved the seafood treat in his mouth, he reminded of the new pokemon he'd practically neglected since he'd got it. Viola's words rang through his mind once more. He unhooked the pokeball from inside his bag and walked up to the large fountain. Surely it was big enough for his Feebas. He tossed the ball into the water, trying not to make too much of a scene, and out emerged the dull fish.

?Can I get you something to drink?? One of the servers asks Sebastian, who had finally found an unoccupied chair.

?Do you have anything non-alcoholic??

The server looks perplexed. What teen comes to a party like this and doesn?t try to get smashed? ?How about a Roserade petal tea??

?Perfect.? Sebastian takes the cup and resumes observing the party-goers. There?s no sign of Jackson, and he lost Peri over an hour ago. As his eyes scan towards the fountain he finally sees Drew, and his heart sinks a bit. It?s...time to give Nebula back. He rises from his seat and slowly makes his way towards the fountain, pivoting around two drunkenly dancing trainers before reaching the fountain, and smiling down at the Feebas. ?When did you catch this one?? He asks Drew.

The boy glanced up, not really expecting anyone he cared about, but what he got was a pleasant shock. "Still yet to make my first catch." He sighed, an embarrassed flush taking his face.

"Ah, excuse me!" A voice called out from halfway across the garden. Shoving her way through the crowd, Princess Allie emerged, glaring down at Drew and his Feebas. "What is this monstrosity doing in my fountain? Please remove it, before you yourself are removed." She huffed, waving her fan angrily in the air.

Svana, who had been hiding in the crook of Sebastian?s arm since the party began, raised her head as the woman spoke her hateful words. The duckling begins blinking quickly to hold back tears, certain the woman is speaking of her. Sebastian?s expression eases from warm and welcoming to calm and somewhat cold. ?Excuse me.? His voice stammers slightly. ?You know that ?monstrosity? evolves into Milotic, yes?? As he speaks, his distraught Ducklett wriggles out of his arm and flutters into the pond to float beside Feebas.

"...He's right, Princess," Emma followed up, seemingly overhearing the conversation. His grandfather followed behind, his arms cross, and with a grumpy look on his face. She gave them a calm, yet gentle smile. "Feebas evolves into Milotic, and Milotic are said to be breathtakingly beautiful. In fact, whoever sees a Milotic are said to have their own heart be calm and gentle... so they can grow kinder. Actually because of that, Feebas are growing quite rare... endangered even."

Emma clasped her two hands together. "...Might you give it a chance, Princess? Please?"

The princess' eyes widened in bewilderment at the two trainers who had come in quick defense of the hideous fish. "Is this true?" She shot a demanding glare at the boy who had summoned the pokemon, but was severely disappointed with the mediocre response. She glared at him for a moment, her eyes full of skepticism. "How much for the fish?" She demanded, pointing her fan towards the oblivious Feebas.

"I...uh...it's not really for sale, but..." Drew stammered. "How much would you guys say it's worth?" Drew shrugged, looking up at Sebastian and Emma.

"Er..." Emma questioned, disappointingly. "I really don't think you should--"

"Bah! You shouldn't put no pokemon up fer' sale," Emma's grandfather snapped, glaring ar Drew. "Kid, only a good fer' nothin' dog considers dat."

"Grandfather!" Emma barked at him. "This is a highly established gathering, please behave yourself! Especially around kids!"

?I read an article that Fisherman are selling Feebas for no less than 10,000.? Sebastian nods. That being said, he wouldn?t hand their new friend over to this woman for all the money in Alola. Honestly, he?s a bit surprised Drew?s newest companion wasn?t causing every performer in the room to come clambering to him. Is Feebas? evolution truly such a secret in Kalos? ?That being said, the gentleman is correct. Selling Pokemon is...frowned upon.?

??Bout time someone put Princess in her place.? Victoria smirks under her shawl, watching the two trainers plus one old man gang up on miss Hoity-Toity. She turns to Avril and, noting her expression, looks back to the group. ?Which one is it??

Avril blinked in surprise, looking away from the scene playing out before her. "Which one is what...?" she questioned, fumbling for her fork so she could grab another bite of cake.

"Which one are you making puppy dog eyes at?" Victoria questions. Please don't let it be the old man, or the ten year old, or the Shemale.

"P-Puppy dog eyes...?!" Avril coughed, almost choking on the bite of cake she had placed in her mouth. Instantly, her face began to blush a bright shade of red as she shot Victoria a rather annoyed glare. "I don't know what you're talking about. I wasn't looking at anyone like that!"

?Me thinks the lady doth protest too much.? Victoria winks, her curious, cat like eyes scanning the situation once more. ?Then I?ll guess. It?s the girl, right??

Avril felt her cheeks darken further, the girl quickly looking away in a huff. "I really don't know what you're talking about... There's no one over there that I remotely think about... like that..."\

Victoria snickers to herself. ?Each time you look at her you reach for a shot. At this rate I?m going to have to carry you out of here in a barrel.? Her eyes glisten with interest. ?Clearly there?s a story here.?

Avril frowned, looking at the glasses in front of her. There weren't really that many there, three or four tops. She really wasn't even sure that she should have been able to get them in the first place, much less Victoria. Yet sure enough, no sooner had Avril settled down with a slice of cake did her fellow accomplish in party-crashing arrive with several glasses of... something. Avril really wasn't sure just what it was. It kind of burned a bit whenever she did take a drink of it, but the girl decided it was probably best not to ask Victoria exactly what it was.

"Look..." Avril began, slowly pointing her fork in the direction of Emma. "It's her... but we're just friends. Or we were...? I guess...? I don't really even know anymore. Some... stuff kind of happened back in Lumiose and..." she paused, her eyes lingering on Emma for just a moment before returning her attention back towards Victoria. "Look, what's it matter right now anyways? I came to hang out with you."

?Guess I just don?t like seeing you unhappy.? Victoria shrugged as she took a sip of her own drink. If she wasn?t already getting a bit of a buzz off her tray of shots, she would probably be shocked by her own words. Usually she likes being rude, but she just can?t get a kick out of being rude to Avril, and she can?t seem to snicker at her expense the way she can snicker at how uncomfortable the Princess just made everyone involved. Well, everyone except Avril?s friend, she looks like a real trooper.

"Oh... Sorry..." Avril replied, her gaze casting downward back at the cake in front of her.

"I..." Drew stopped to consider his next words carefully. He wasn't so keen on being called a dog again.

"10,000 poke is very doable." Allie stated, without a moment of hesitation. "And I'll have you know, the trade of pokemon for money is common practice. Don't go calling good people dogs for engaging in mutually beneficial transactions." She scowled at Emma's grandfather, before returning a much more pleasant expression toward Drew.

"Sorry princess, but I'm gonna have to turn your offer down. I need strong pokemon on my team, and if this thing really valued as Seb says, I wouldn't mind having one on my team." Drew smiled cheesily.

"Then make it evolve this instant. I want to see this beautiful Milotic you speak of." Allie responded defiantly.

"Er! Princess, And um... Drew, was it? I'm very sorry about my grandfather..." Emma apologized, taking a polite bow. She then glared at her grandfather. "Here, you too!" she demanded.

Her grandfather scratched behind his head with his left hand. "Yeah... sorry bout' that. Me n' my damn mouth woulda landed me into a hella trouble in this fancy place if not for Emm'," he said. "Sorry, kids."

Emma nodded, turning back to the Princess and to Drew. "Now, making it evolve isn't that simple, I'm afraid..." Emma explained. "A Feebas evolves with something called a Prism Scale, and that is... even more elusive than finding a Feebas itself."

Sebastian feels a gentle push against his leg and turns, seeing Svana pressing her beak against his pant leg. There?s a determination in her eyes; she wants to help defend Feebas. ?If I may, princess.? Sebastian takes his Pokedex from his pocket and calls for the page on Milotic to open, before holding it up to the proclaimed princess.

Milotic, the tender Pokemon, and the evolved form of Feebas. Milotic is said to be the most beautiful of all the Pok?mon. It has the power to becalm such emotions as anger and hostility to quell bitter feuding.

While a little insulted that she didn't remember his name, Drew awkwardly accepted her and her grandfather's apology.

The princess on the other hand, stared at the fish with a pensive expression, practically ignoring Seb's intervention. "Siegfried! I want you to send someone out to go and find a...prism scale was it? Yes! Find somewhere that sells them and buy a prism scale." She folded her arms as the butler strode carefully into the palace to send someone out for the job. "You." She pointed at Drew again with her fan. "You're to remain in the palace until I get to witness a Milotic first hand."

?...That?s kidnapping.? Sebastian states calmly.

?DUCK. LETT.? Svana cries from behind Sebastian, a hotheaded contrast to her calm, collected trainer. She quickly flies from the fountain and lands on Drew?s shoulder, where she sticks her tongue out at the princess? fan.

"C'mon, leave the kid alone," Emma's grandfather pleaded. "You shouldn't go around forcin' pokemon to change if they dun' wanna, y'know. Would you like it if some mook tells ya' what to wear, or what to eat? Let em' train it by his own terms. Then maybe it'll be even more pretty n'... yeah. Dunno why kids like all that pretty crap, but Emm' likes it, so..."

"Maybe we can come to some sort of compromise." Drew finally spoke up after his extended silence. After so much time of having people speak for him, it was about time he considered what it was he wanted to do about it. By now, the scene had attracted the attention of a good portion of the party goers in their immediate proximity. "I want the thing to evolve too. I've got three pokemon now, none of which I was even able to catch. If I'm able to get this thing to evolve, I promise I'll come back and show you." He finally said, a warm smile on his face. Despite said smile, his was completely against the notion of backtracking on his journey.

Thankfully, the princess didnt seem too impressed. "I want to see it as it happens. The process of something this...lackluster becoming as revered as they so would be a tremendous sight, so I refuse to back down on this."

"Princess? Oh my god, it's so nice to see you again! We didn't get the opportunity to catch up before the contest." Paige gasped, stepping in the middle of the ensuing discussion with a spring in her step.

"Oh...the fossil girl." Princess Allie muttered, turning her head in order to, rather blatantly, roll her eyes in disgust.

"I couldn't help but notice that you were trying to buy my Feebas." She glared back at Drew, much to the boy's confusion. "Unfortunately it's for my father's research, so it's not for sale. See, we're try-"

"Stop!" The princess cut Paige off, clasping her hand in front of her face. "I don't care about your father's research, so I'll be going. Go tell it to them." She waved her hand dismissively and took off.

Paige planted her hand on her hip, as she tried to hide the satisfied smirk growing across her face. "Figured that would work. I've known that airhead for a while now, and if there's one thing she hates, it's science."

"Your Feebas?" Drew questioned with a judgmental raise of his brow.

"I can call her back if you'd like." Paige countered, shutting Drew up.

"Hey kid," Emma's grandfather interrupted, heading over to Drew. He sized him up. "Emm' called ya' Drew. Yer' Drew, right? Name's Ketsuya Kuzunoha, Emm's grandpapa."

"Interesting name." Drew responded, though he was hesitant to make jokes. "Thanks for backing me up back there. Same to you guys." He smiled meekly, looking through Emma, Seb, Svanna and Paige.

"Yeah, yeah..." Ketsuya replied with a grumble, continuing to gaze on Drew. "Yer' a trainer, right? Dat means yer' Emm's competition. But right now, you ain't worth her spit."

"Grandfather!" Emma snapped. "How many times must I tell you to be respectful--"

Paige wanted to step in and defend Drew, but quickly realized that she would only be proving the man's point if she did so. She glanced over to Drew, hoping he'd show some bottle.

"Bah, I know dat," Ketsuya grumbled, turning his attention back to Drew. "You ain't worth her spit right now, but I know a man when I see one. Grow strong, capiche? Then Emm' will at least have a challenge to look forward to before she becomes champion, eh? Hahaha!" Emma calmly shook her head in embarrassment.

Drew hung his head, the old man's harsh words stinging more than the uplifting ones that followed could mend. He was right though, that much couldn't be denied. He stared down at the Feebas that he'd almost sold. Maybe selling it wasn't the best option, but after all that had happened over the last few days, maybe being worth spit was exactly what he needed. He'd start again. He stepped over to Emma, his eyes narrowed with determination. "Your grandpa's right. After seeing what you, Jackson and Avril did in Lumiose I realized just how far behind I was. Not just in battling, but..." He broke his gaze to look down at the Feebas again. "In the way I treat my pokemon too. That's the difference. I suppose that's why Avril suggested I take the Eevee, huh?" He ended with a sigh.

"Drew..." Emma addressed, clasping both her hands together downward.

The towering old man reminds Sebastian that his inhaler was left in his dressing room, and if the elder turns his attention in Sebastian?s direction...he?s going to need it. He draws back uncertainly, only pausing long enough to face Emma. ?Thank you for the backup. The...princess is...truly wicked.? He rubs the back of his neck nervously as he scans the area around them.

"And Seb...thanks for letting Bry take on those Scraggy on Versant Road. If not for that, I probably would've kept blaming him." He added, forcing a smile. "Maybe it's time I start giving Neb a chance too, huh? Is she with you? I'm not quite as willing to give her away yet, I'm kind of attached." He joked, pushing away his shirt sleeve to reveal the torn cast that was still clinging to his arm.

A sorrow quickly takes over Seb's expression at Drew?s words, a sorrow that reflects in his eyes even as he forces a smile. ?She?s asleep in my dressing room. I?ll take you to her.? He too had gotten attached to the little Eevee. He felt as if she had come a long way in their little journey together, even going as far as to walk beside him on their way here, and letting him hold her...albeit if she hadn?t allowed him to pick her up, she would have been hit with a powerful flamethrower...still.

"Thanks." The younger trainer smiled, before returning his attention to the still completely oblivious fish. He stared at it for a moment, but received no reaction. "You'd be better off with a different trainer I think. At least now. Definitely not Princess Allie." He chuckled, making sure she was far enough away to not hear. "Hey Emma, you think you can take care of this one?"

"W-What?!" Emma replied in shock. "M-Me? But Drew! You're already a just trainer for it and--"

"Just take it, Emm'," Ketsuya chimed in with a huff, while crossing his arms. "Dat Drew kid is smart. No one is better than ya' when it comes to taking care of pokemon, y'know? Do the kid a solid."

"But I..." Emma hesitated. She glanced to the splashing Feebas, turning back to Drew. "If... if that's what you really want...?"

"I'm gonna be champion." Drew sighed, almost disappointed by his own statement. "So what that time comes, you can at least say you have a pokemon that used to belong to the champ. Even if I never battled with him." He grinned. Without another moment of hesitation, he returned the fish, and held the ball out for Emma.

Emma turned to her grandfather, then back to Drew, holding out the pokeball. She then gave him a gentle smile and nodded, accepting it at last. "Hehe, I just hope the pokemon you gave me doesn't become too strong for ya," she jested. "Really, I promise to take care of it. Thank you."

"Hah! Kid's got some cojones after all!" Ketsuya teased. "You're gonna be champ, eh? Try another million years when you get to Emm's level, by den! But, I'll root for ya too, kid."

After beaming a satisfied smile, Drew turned to Sebastian. "Well, time to go see if Neb is gonna be happy to see me without biting off my arm. If I don't see you again at the party, then the next time we see each other, we're gonna see whose closest to being champion." Content and almost certain that he'd gotten the last word, he nodded to Seb to lead the way, with Paige following promptly behind.

Emma looked on, still having that warm smile. Her grandfather gently put a hand on her right shoulder. "It's kids like him that give me hope for the future," she remarked, turning towards her grandfather. "Grandpapa? I know I said some things while we were having that moment, but I really..."

"You really wanna keep on kickin' some evil ass, rite?" Ketsuya finished, not showing a hint of surprise. "Ya, I know. Yer' a goodie two shoes, Emm', but we dun' have enough goodie two shoes in this world. Whatever you do, you can call on me anytime, capiche?"

"Yes sir," Emma agreed with a nod. "Alright, let's go and... oh?" as she then turned around, she could immediately notice a familiar face. She took a few steps forward, allowing her grandfather to release her. Her few steps turned into a small jog, as she approached her, but then suddenly stopped mid-way. She seemed to be with someone, but still... "Avi--Avril...?" she gasped.

Avril jumped a bit in surprise, her eyes coming to rest on the sight of the girl in front of her. Despite the fact that she found herself attending the same party as Emma, the younger of the two blondes had honestly been slightly hoping that she wouldn't have been noticed. Avril really wasn't all that sure she was properly prepared to face her... best friend...? Friend...? Ex-friend...? Avril honestly wasn't sure what term qualified between herself and the detective at this current junction. Managing to finally snap back to reality, Avril placed her fork down beside her plate and offered a rather weak smile in the direction of Emma.

"O-Oh... Hey, Emma... I wasn't expecting to see you here," Avril began, trying her best to pretend as if she hadn't noticed the girl for the entirety of the time she had been at the party. "I didn't expect to see you here. I never figured you for the party type, much less one for those contest things..."

"Y-Yeah..." Emma replied weakly, glancing away at times. "I got... roped into something with Princess Allie, and she pretty much wanted me to compete in the contest." She then looked up at Avril, with a quirky smile. "But I totally muked it up. I didn't even rank..."

"Well... I guess you can't win 'em all," Avril replied, glancing away from Emma and back down at what remained of her slice of cake. "So... the princess roped you into it, huh...? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Oh! uh..." Emma started. She cleared her throat. "Well, it's... sorta a long story. Basically, she horded all of these Relicanth, but the Relicanth didn't really belong there or else they would die, so I tried to convince her to allow them to return back to their habitat! So we went together to the basement of this old... castle, where they were popping out from. But then, this lady we were with wanted them for herself, and she tried to kill us. I.. barely managed to defeat her thanks to my Riolu evolving. Afterwards, the Princess apparently took a liking to me, so she wanted to see how I would dazzle the crowd in a contest. And so... here I am."

She then let out a big sigh. "But, I screwed up in the contest. I guess the Princess won't be too happy with me, haha..."

Avril paused, her eyes narrowing a bit as she took in Emma's story piece by piece. "Oh, I get it... So basically you off and went and played the grand hero... again, living up the good life while I'm still lagging around back here getting kicked in the ass over and over... Another glorious day for the wonderful Emma!"

"W-What?!" Emma replied in modest dread. "N-No! That's... that's not what I... It wasn't as though I could ignore it! it just... happened!"

"How did it just happen...? People don't just go looking into crap like that, Emma!" Avril retorted in a huff. "You know what I think? I think this whole party was thrown for you and you just openly took it all in because you just can't get enough attention can you?"

"H-How dare you...!" Emma replied in a beginning disgust. "That's not what this party is about at all! How can you say such terrible things?!"

"How could I not when I just straight up catch you living it up and getting that already inflated ego of yours getting stroked even more... And you sure as hell didn't seem to be having an issue with it at all," Avril shot back before grabbing another one of the glasses in front of her and downing another shot of... whatever it was that Victoria brought to the table.

"You don't... you..." Emma sparked. She clenched the pokeball she received from Drew in her left hand. "...You don't know the first thing about me! Just what exactly did you want me to do, have a murderous woman kill two innocent lives, while endangering pokemon?! What if after she was done, she set her sights upon you as well?"

"Then I think I could handle it... I don't need you to keep playing hero, nor does anyone else for that matter!" Avril snapped back. She glared at Emma, her grip tightening around the now empty glass. "Besides, you keep throwing yourself into these situations. It's not like it's a common occurrence to worry about some dumb fish pok?mon. You could've just called the cops or something to look into it, but nooooo... You need to get yourself some of that glory, just like always!"

"It's my duty! Even as a private detective, I can't allow acts of injustice go unpunished," Emma retorted. She then got one hand on her hip, glaring at Avril. "...What's wrong with you? 'Dumb fish pok?mon?' Avril, you're the one who told me that every life matters, back when we rescued all those Eevee together. What's so difficult to understand that I don't CARE about glory? I just want to help Kalos and all of you be safe! What's so wrong about that?"

Avril snorted, rolling her eyes at Emma's response. "Maybe because every life doesn't matter? Maybe I finally got a wake-up call, did you ever think of that?!"

"Wh-What?" Emma could only blurt out, trying to comprehend. "What...What are you talking about?"

"Do you honestly think every life matters when people like him are out there walking around after the kind of crap that he's done, Emma?" Avril questioned. "What about the rest of those Team Cinder freaks?"

"Him? You mean... Gabriel Artece?" Emma asked. She then glanced to the floor with a guilty look. "Avril, it's... it's my fault he's still around. If I only I was strong enough to stop him back then, then that incident wouldn't of..." she then shook her head, glaring right back at Avril. "Listen! You mustn't get involved with them anymore! I'll get stronger, and I will--"

"You're not doing shit!" Avril shouted back, quickly cutting off Emma before she could even try to finish that thought. "None of that that happened that night had the slightest bit to do with you! It wasn't your pok?mon, it was mine! What happens to that bastard has nothing to do with you anymore. If anyone's going to take him down, it's going to be me! One way or another, got it? I don't care if I have to rip that gun out of his hand and put a bullet in him myself!"

"Avril..." Emma addressed in a quieter tone. The shock of her friend's statement shook her to her very marrow. She slowly shook her head at her as her tears started to well up. "...You've changed, Avril."

"I grew up," Avril replied simply. The girl rose from her chair and brushed past Emma, shooting her one last glare. "I don't need you playing hero for me anymore, alright? Just go... play hero somewhere else..."

Emma closed her eyes. "You're the one who's playing a dangerous game," Emma retorted forcefully, not looking back at her. "...You know what? Fine. Call me whatever names you want, and keep thinking you've 'grown up'. If you die, see if I care. The Avril that I know and looked up to is already dead!"

She reached for her kimono robe, then threw something from it at the ground near her feet, It seemed like... a plushie. It looked like a Gardevoir, having a peculiar magical creature outfit. Emma then stormed her way out towards the castle hall, not looking back.

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