Chapter Twenty-One: Just Be Friends

"Sorry, Froa—um, Frogadier."

Mentally chiding herself for the elementary slip-up, Celeana offered an apologetic smile to the Water-type Pokemon in front of her. "I won't be using you for the contest today."

Disgruntled, the creature stepped forward, regarding his trainer with a sideways glance. He remained his cool demeanour, slipping his eyes close, but one could see the childish unhappiness coursing through his frame.

"I did use you for my first contest," she tried to explain. "I'd like to give the other members of my team a chance. Maybe next time, OK?"

When no response came from the miffed Pokemon, she just sighed—he would get over the issue in time to come. Clicking open the Pokeball in her hand, she returned the creature to his home—now, her room in the Pokemon Center was empty, and she now had time to think to herself.

A crumpled piece of paper was spread out before her, messy handwriting and diagrams scrawled all over the parchment in an attempt to concoct a plan for the contest. This contest varied from the last she had entered—now, she had to work on an appeal routine suitable for two Pokemon instead of one.

They had claimed that they wanted to mirror the Grand Festival's contest format, but due to copyright issues—the Festival had wanted to retain their unique speciality, after all—they had restricted using two Pokemon to only the appeal round.

Glancing at the three other Pokeballs on the bed, she uttered an exasperated sigh to herself—while this did allow for more freedom when coming up with routines, it was hard to even think of the first move—either that was a problem for everyone, or it was just her that was lacking creativity.

Kirlia... she picked up the first Pokeball, thinking of the creature waiting inside. I don't know about using her for the appeal round. Who would she be able to match with?

She was reluctant to place the sphere down—she knew the Psychic-type couldn't wait for her chance to shine, but that would have to wait for the battle round.

That left just her newly-caught duo to perform—the troublemaking Illumise and Volbeat that she'd obtained during the Bug Catching Festival. While their personalities were more than feisty—bordering on sadistic—she had to admit that they went well together. After all, they did seem to be near counterparts of each other—it was natural to use them in something that involved two Pokemon.

It was another gamble that she had and would take—after seeing how her previous bet had paid off, she had gained some form of confidence to take a few more risks.

With that in mind, a smile crossed her face, and she brought her pencil down once again.

• • •

"Here's the fourth contestant for today!" Lilycove's emcee raised an arm to the air, as if trying to compensate for her small stature and produce a more dramatic effect than necessary. "Please welcome Celeana Asthansia from Kalos—with her pair of Illumise and Volbeat!"

Ignoring the nervousness hitching in her throat, the blue-haired girl stepped out of the shadowy entrance. Draped over her regular outfit were several glitzy accessories—for one, an oversized witch hat drooped on her head, and a baggy cloak hung over her shoulders and weighed them down.

She assured herself that it wasn't her fault for this unnecessary spending—her Illumise had let herself out as she was shopping for supplies, chattering something rude in her ear before dragging the respective garments down, dumping it on the cashier and not taking no for an answer.

Her arms curved to the sides, gloved hands—another memento that the Bug-type had liked—fingering the Pokeballs with seeming expertise—she'd just practiced—and letting the Pokemon within out.

Before the effects of her capsule even took place, Volbeat and Illumise had already launched their first attacks, sending out a wave of Shadow Balls that shot upwards, not destroying the fragile lights placed around the hall but engulfing them in a hazy sphere of darkness.

Murmurs ran through the crowd as the building fell into the same uniform hue of black. It wasn't like she liked it—it was distinctively reminiscent of her replica's void, after all, and she hated that fact.

Then, a dim glow burst from the twin orbs in her hands—and the show began.

It was too early to reach the climax—and thus, she called her first command—a simple order of Flash that both Pokemon carried out in glee. Two bright circles of radiance illuminated the room—Celeana had asked the staff not to provide spotlights. She could take care of the lighting herself.

"Double Team, Illumise." At the hushed voice, the blue and black creature nodded, flitting in a circle before summoning the attack. A dozen copies of the small Pokemon appeared at once, lighted up by the same light that Flash had created and startling the audience.

Volbeat followed in his counterpart's footsteps, splitting his chubby body into multiple afterimages that shimmered in the aftereffects of their opening move.

When the perfect moment almost slipped through her fingers, she snapped her head up, awakening from the dreamlike trance she'd been holding herself in. "V—Volbeat, Protect," she muttered, scolding herself for the slip-up before continuing. "Illumise, Signal Beam!"

A series of translucent barriers shot up around the arena, circular in nature and shimmering with the barest trace of multicoloured hues—she could make out pink, blue and yellow rippling over the shields' surfaces in pretty pastel shades.

Meanwhile, Illumise—it was clear that she was the more devious of the two—she agreed to her trainer's orders, a mischievous smile playing on her face as her hands glowed a pale lime—and the abstract jet of energy shot outwards, glimmering in all sorts of patterns and especially bright against the dark background she'd created.

A Signal Beam would travel in just one direction—if practiced enough, the move could be bent to chase after their opponent—but the Protects cast by Volbeat and his replicas had twisted the move to act in a whole different way.

The chunky stream performed an effortless bounce off the makeshift walls that Volbeat had been so generous as to provide, making wild jumps from barrier to barrier in a haphazard fashion.

As soon as the first masterpiece had been drawn—a simple shape of a Beautifly—Volbeat's clones shifted their Protects, and Illumise provided more fuel for the colourful beam of energy, the multicoloured attack still blazing just as bright as they moved to their next formation.

After a series of patterns, Celeana sliced her hand downwards, motioning for her Pokemon to stop—and both the light-filled barriers and beams died down at the same time, causing darkness to envelop the theatre once again.

Then, the real performance began.

Two golden lights blinked into existence, dwarfed by the flashy bling of their previous show—but the sudden contrast had somehow enhanced this ethereal simplicity.

She could have just used this move at the start for lighting, but Kirlia had told her to reserve the Pokemons' signature moves for the last moment. The coordinator could now see how right the dual-type creature had been—this was beautiful.

Volbeat took the lead this time, small wings carrying him across the stadium as a radiant glow shimmered around his tail. The Tail Glow was second nature to him—it didn't even need a command to be carried out. Illumise followed in rare silence, and together, they danced.

They were skilful at moving—their small bodies swayed to an invisible beat, and they twirled and flew around the other in all sorts of complex motions.

Celeana remembered her instructions to the both of them—"You two can choreograph this on your own," she'd said, "I know Tail Glow is special to you. Heck, you don't even need to plan a thing if you feel it isn't necessary, OK?"

That had paid off in the best possible way—now, both of them were the center of attention, the rest of the theatre and the world hidden away. The simple constellations left by their trails started to morph into more complex shapes.

Random pictures of Pokemon—though well crafted—peeled away soon, and it was now time for the finale.

Now veiled by a useful cloak of shadows, a swift Double Team was performed without the barest trace of noise; and they moved into position, wings straining and arms flailing to maximise their speed. It was adorable, in all honesty—but at the same time elegant, the light of information dawning on the audience as they realise just what type of painting they were trying to create.

Both of them flew in arcs, dashing back and forth to create a large crescent moon—while their copies took care of the smaller stars, altogether knitting together a dazzling image of Hoenn's night sky in the enclosed, tiny space of the stadium.

And, as everything slowed to a stop, the duo called back the Shadow Balls that had coated the lights in a sea of darkness—and luminescence flooded the stadium once more.

She bent over, taking a deep curtsy as her Pokemon flew into place beside her, following their trainer's lead and bowing.

Time stilled. The silence was extraordinarily long—but the roar of applause was then made all the more pleasant to her ears.

• • •

"I can't actually believe my score got me somewhere in the middle," the blue-haired teenager sighed, flopping onto the plush velvet seat next to her Kirlia. "That's a relief—and you'll be able to show off in the battling rounds."

The creature flashed her a gentle smile, inclining her head towards the coordinator. "You did well," she confirmed in approval. "And I am very happy that I will be able to dance in front of a crowd. Thank you for giving me this chance, Celeana."

"Hey, weren't you the one I battled back in Verdanturf?"

A deep voice interrupted them, and the girl startled—before she realised that she recognised the voice and twisted around. Ruby regarded her with interest, his hands jammed into his pockets as he stood over her. A sheepish grin formed on his face. "What was your name again?"

"C—Celeana," she clarified. "You're here, Ruby? I didn't see your picture in the list of contestants that placed..."

"Ah, yes." He clapped his hands together. "The one with the Froakie, right? And as to what I'm doing here...I was invited as a guest judge for the contest. Didn't you see?" At the embarrassed silence, he sighed. "Never mind. You did dump the entire place into darkness, so it's only natural."

Laughing at the girl's stunned silence, he rubbed his head—rather, the spiky hat on his head before talking again. "Well, I'll have to leave now—it's almost time for the first match of the battling rounds. Bye, then—and good luck in the contest!"

As the male left, she turned to the silent Pokemon beside her, smiling. "You haven't been talking all this time," she noted. "Are you nervous about the contest? Because if you are, that's fine—I'm a l—literal bundle of nerves—"

"Arceus. Let me speak," Kirlia replied with an uncharacteristic snap, causing her trainer to reel back. "It's not that. You know how confident I usually am, right? It's just that...I felt something strange, like I was being watched. And it felt familiar."

Celeana just stared at the dual-type with wide, uncomprehending eyes as she searched for something to say. "I—What do you think it could be?"

Her Pokemon's tone softened as she spoke. "I don't know," she admitted. "I'm not sure about this feeling, but it's definitely nostalgic. Besides, we don't have time for this—the first battle's starting soon."

With that, the conversation was closed.

• • •

The coordinator sucked in a huge breath. The emcee was speaking outside, and the worst thing was that she couldn't even make out any of it—her brain was overflowing with anxiety and she felt that taking even a single step would make her nauseous.

She wasn't kidding about being nervous—the first two battles had been alright; she'd handled them pretty well and Kirlia had somehow managed to pull through.

However, this was different—she was a finalist and all her hopes of winning this ribbon was riding on this last battle. She had to pull herself together if she wanted to not just win—she had to be confident and give Kirlia the fun she deserved.

Upon hearing her name, she stepped out—averting her nervous gaze from the waiting audience didn't help; she could feel their expectant gazes boring into her from the closed-off seats several metres away. She hoped the shaking wasn't too obvious—but she managed to take her place at one end of the arena.

Opposite her was someone called Audrey—a petite girl with cropped, spiky lavender hair that was tucked under a beret. She hadn't managed to watch her battles, and it put her on edge—she was going against someone whom she had no idea about.

She almost didn't catch the enthusiastic shout of "Start!", but she did—and she released the capsule in her hand at once. Rings of stars veiled the creature within for a few moments, but Kirlia then appeared, slim figure illuminated by the now fading lights.

The coordinator on the other side clicked open her Pokeball, and a Houndoom appeared in front of her, wreathed by a blazing cloak of ghostly flames that flickered out to eventual nothingness.

Both froze—it was an obvious reaction for Celeana, having known about the Pokemon's past with a Houndoom and how one had taken away a chance at happiness, but Kirlia's fear was different—it was a fear far more raw and petrified.

"Are you going to start?" The purple-haired girl narrowed her eyes. "It looked like I chose a good Pokemon. Houndoom, use Shadow Ball and reflect it off that pillar."

However, the canine-like Pokemon seemed to be in a trance as well—his ruby eyes were dull, and he remained still, seeming to ignore his trainer's command and stared at Kirlia like she was something he didn't dare touch.

"Is something wrong?" The blue-haired girl shuffled forward and glanced at the creature with a worried expression on her face. "Is it the Houndoom? Are you having a flashback or something—"

"That's not it!" Kirlia snarled, stepping back as visible trembles ran down her back. "This isn't about the Houndoom—I'm pretty sure I got over that once my leg was healed. It's just...this Houndoom used to be a Houndour—that childhood friend who left me when I was a cripple..."

"No wonder I felt something familiar," she muttered. "It was you, wasn't it...?"

As the dual-typed Pokemon trailed off, the Houndoom finally found its voice, letting out a series of barks to confirm what his opponent had said. Audrey, not understanding a word of this exchange, spoke up once again, annoyed by what was going on.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked. "Thirty seconds have passed—Houndoom, attack now. I'm asking you this as your trainer."

Shooting his friend an apologetic glance, the large creature leapt back, launching a huge orb of darkness that ricocheted off a nearby pillar, further increasing the speed of the attack and closing in on Kirlia all too soon.

If it was a normal battle, this wouldn't have fazed her one bit—out of all her Pokemon, Kirlia was by far the smartest, having the gift of staying calm in the most terrifying of situations and having a deadly-quick reaction time. If this didn't happen to be the Houndoom, the elegant Pokemon would have countered with a graceful dodge or Teleport.

This, however, wasn't something that her wit could save.

It wasn't like Celeana could muster the strength to give any commands either—she was still in shock over the revelation. She hadn't thought much about the childhood friend that her Pokemon had just touched upon for a short few moments, and having to face against her past in such an event...it was, in a word, cruel.

A choked cry escaped her mouth as she was thrown backwards from the force, body crashing into a wall and shivering from the pain of the contact. Houndoom went still again, one eye watching in concern for the Pokemon and another waiting for his trainer's instructions.

Audrey smiled—it wasn't sadistic by any means, but it was still unfitting for the situation. "Good job," she complimented. "Now, Flamethrower and Crunch—you know the drill."

The doglike creature conjured a mouthful of flames that churned in his mouth, a dark indigo causing his sharp fangs to elongate and black lightning to tear through the fire. The devilish Pokemon then ran towards his opponent—who was still immobilised in pain on the ground.

"Teleport," Celeana mumbled. "Teleport, please! I know he's your friend and you don't want to fight him, but—"

"I...I got it," the reluctant voice answered, and Kirlia shimmered with a pale sapphire, disappearing into the air and reappearing almost in an instant—choosing the blind spot above the dual-typed creature right behind his neck. "Don't worry. I'll be...fine. I understand; a battle is a battle."

With that, she lunged, first striking with a distorted  wave of sound that stopped Houndoom in his tracks—and he cowered and flinched at her newly-learnt Disarming Voice. Taking advantage of the situation, she jumped down, lighting up the arena with the signature peach flare of a Dazzling Gleam.

Two minutes and thirty seconds left, the timer read—and Audrey's points dropped from the combination move that Kirlia had landed—now, Celeana was in the lead by a little, and she still had a chance.

"Hyper Voice and Giga Impact." As if trying to get a mental image of the battle in her head, the purple-haired teenager closed her eyes, speaking in a dull tone. "If you're successful, wait to recover and finish with a Fire Fang."

Growling, Houndoom let out an ear-piercing clap of pure noise—the move had snaked its way to the audience before, judging by their immediate reactions of slapping their hands over their ears. Kirlia almost couldn't hold back a wail, the pure power of Houndoom's Hyper Voice leaving her doubling over and helpless against the waves of sound.

That wasn't all, however—the pale beige of his Giga Impact shimmered and rippled from the added energy from the Hyper Voice, air twisting and warping around the creature's slim form.

The smaller Pokemon couldn't resist the scream this time—the ground cracked as she was thrown downwards, and an explosion of psychopathic energy send wayward pulses that swept through the entire field.

Panting, Houndoom stood over Kirlia, trying to recover his energy from the Giga Impact while the telltale signs of a Fire Fang started to build in his mouth.

Her Pokemon quivered, and that was when Celeana realised it—crap. This wasn't just about her friend. Despite the claim that she'd gotten over it, it was clear that she was afraid—this must have sparked something about that night—the position, the helplessness, the tangible feelings—

But her friend didn't deliver. No, the creature paused despite his fatigue vanishing—and his small eyes studied his opponent. A small bark left his mouth, and he shook his head as he spoke to the dual-typed Pokemon.

Strangely enough, a laugh escaped Kirlia's chapped mouth, and she chatted back—and the strangest thing happened in the last minute of the battle.

They were talking like normal friends right in the middle of a fight, and no one cared. The judges had realised what was going on, the audience was smiling, and even Audrey didn't seem to mind—she'd seemed to have caught on.

With a final sentence, Houndoom detached himself from above his friend, a smile adorning his face, and Kirlia just climbed out of the jagged hole.

"That's enough," Ruby interrupted, a wide smile splitting upon his face. "I've decided the results already. Both of you win."

• • •

cAn you fEEL the cheesiness radiating from this omg it's like so fricking happy I'm crying >^< (yes I just contradicted myself. deal with it.)

But wheeeeee Celeana won her contest, Kirlia made up with her friend (like it's just one chapter and I ship Kirlia x Houndoom already wtf it's more shippable than Ryou x Celeana xDD)

But of course the most important thing is that Illumise is a troll. Yes.

Besides that, thank you SO MUCH for 4.9K reads and 601 votes! That's about a 300+ increase in reads :o My next goal is 616! :)

Critiques are most certainly welcome, and don't forget to read, vote and give your thoughts in the comments! Please be 100% honest!

~ nyxia ☆