With the first round of battles complete, of course there was a party. Ostensibly, the event was to act as a celebration of the opening of the tournament, as well as a venue for trainers to destress after the weeklong tensions of build up and, in some cases, defeat. In reality, however, it was another opportunity for the guests of the cruise to rub elbows with the new and upcoming trainers.
Cashe, therefore, did not have the opportunity to destress. While the event was considered optional for all participants in the tournament, it was obvious that there was an expectation of attendance by the Pokemon League. Thankfully, everyone on the vessel was invited, including the crew not currently on duty, meaning that there would be more than enough people to allow any less sociable trainers to linger in anonymity.
The event was hosted on the top deck of the cruise, the only area large enough to hold the incredible number of people expected to show up to the party. Most of the event was centralized on the main battle stage of the pokemon stadium, but the party spilled out onto the deck, running all the way to the hidden pool area where Cashe had relaxed previously.
He was not there now, instead mingling with Emilia in the main stage area of the party. Emilia garnered by far the most attention of the three in their little group, and so she asked Cashe to help her mitigate some of that attention by accompanying her throughout the night. He was happy to help, especially since he planned to attend anyway, and had at least some experience doing similar things at industry parties back home. The finance world was full of people happy to test the integrity of committed relationships, to put it lightly.
As a child, Lindon was technically not allowed at the party at all without supervision, and had elected to go to the ship’s casino. The juxtaposition of the ideas had made Cashe laugh. A party without supervision was too much for a twelve year old, but wandering around a casino was just fine? Attitudes must have changed with the removal of most currency from the culture.
Cashe and Emilia muddled their way through the crowds as they approached the main stage. They were dressed casually - any event on a cruise was far from formal - and they wore a simple button up shirt with rolled up sleeves and shorts and a short, v-neck sundress, respectively. Most attendees were not dressed up even that much, sporting swim trunks and open Alolan shirts or tee-shirts and shorts over bikinis.
Not much effort was put into the decorations for the event. The stadium was lit with low lighting - colored lenses giving the party a dark but festive atmosphere - but little change had been made besides that. At the far end of the stage a bar was set up, offering both snacks and, much more commonly, drinks. It ran the entire width of the stage, treating one of the tunnel entrances as a staff area to ferry in new food and replacement liquor for when the bar ran low.
Like many pokemon stadiums, the main stage was adjoined by two smaller battle arenas. Tonight, both were elevated and bridged by wide ramps connecting them to the main stage. Railings were set up around the perimeter of both adjoining stages, and Cashe could see people leaning on them as they overlooked the swirling mass of people below. While it did not appear that these areas were policed by anyone, Cashe couldn’t help but notice that the people on the elevated platforms all dressed with more formality and displayed the unmistakable air of confidence that came with fame.
“It feels like we’re in a zoo,” Cashe grumbled, gazing up at the adjoining stages with resentment, “Now I get why people don’t like them.”
“Who doesn’t like zoos?” Emilia said, waving to a random stranger that recognized her.
“Animal rights activists.” Cashe said.
Emilia turned and gave him a confused look, “What’s an animal?”
Cashe grinned and shook his head, “Never mind.”
He peered around the party. So far it was a less intense affair than the party from the first night of the cruise - the only other party he had attended. The music was still present, but it was background noise rather than the overwhelming cacophony that punctuated the previous party. People were actually conversing with each other, and while a large dance area had been laid out in the middle of the stage, few people were using it to dance, with most simply standing in the space in small groups.
“So what first?” Emilia said, hooking an arm through Cashe’s as they moved through the party, “Drinks? Dancing? Standing in the corner to brood with intensity?”
“Is the last one really an option?”
“No.”
“Drinks then,” Cashe said, heading in the direction of the bar.
As they approached the bar, Emilia proved her wisdom at asking Cashe to accompany her, as they were approached by several young trainers with varying levels of inebriation. Emilia gave Cashe a squeeze on the arm when she noticed their approach, and he did his duty and glared menacingly, which was enough to temper their enthusiasm.
A few minutes and several stares later, Cashe had a colorful drink in his hand. It started blue and faded to green, then orange, yellow, and red, and came with a pink umbrella and a slice of something that tasted like pineapple but was turquoise blue. Emilia, on the other hand, had a few fingers of something dark that stung Cashe’s eyes when he looked at it.
“Someone got your drinks mixed up.”
Cashe and Emilia turned to see the familiar faces of Marcus Daye and Lisa Summers. They were dressed much more formally than Cashe and Emilia. Marcus was wearing a dark red dress shirt and summer jacket that complimented his dark skin wonderfully, and Lisa had on a light pink evening gown that was striking with her strawberry-blonde hair.
“Somebody got your clothes mixed up,” Cashe responded to Marcus’s grin, “I think you’re confused about what kind of event this would be. Besides, if you ever tasted this,” Cashe pointed to his drink, “you’d never want that again.” Cashe pointed to Emilia’s.
“Just because we don’t wish to dress like lost farmers does not mean we are confused,” Lisa said with a flat expression. She pointed at Cashe’s open necked shirt, “Are you trying to show off or something?”
“Hey,” Cashe made a good natured complaint in protest. He wasn’t the most muscular guy, but weeks of walking everywhere, training and battling had removed the excess fat he had from his previously sedentary lifestyle.
“Lisa-”
“Don’t worry, we’ve met, remember?” Cashe reminded Marcus, waving off his complaints, “We know she’s joking.”
“Besides, he should show off. He looks good.” Emilia said, giving him a comforting pat.
“I know you know,” grumbled Marcus, “But all these people don’t.” He gestured around the mingling crowd.
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“Who cares what they think?” Lisa said, “They’re not important.”
“Damnit, Lisa.”
Emilia grinned, “It’s so much funnier this way.”
“So, how did you do today?” Cashe said, “You both win your first match?”
Lisa and Marcus exchanged a quick glance. “We didn’t fight today,” Marcus said, slightly awkwardly, “We both had a bye into the second round.”
“You two had battles?” Lisa said, her tone incredulous, “Isn’t that for the rabble?”
“Cashe had a battle,” Emilia clarified. She smiled, “And yes it’s for the rabble.”
“Gee, thanks,” Cashe said, giving Emilia a mock scowl.
Marcus grinned at the joke and turned to Emilia, “Have you picked your opponent for tomorrow?”
“Felicia Harrow is on my side of the bracket and won her match today,” Emilia commented, “I think I will challenge her.”
Marcus raised his eyebrows, “I’ve heard of Felicia. She’s supposed to have a pretty rare and powerful pokemon.”
“A Larvesta.” Lisa nodded.
“No way,” Cashe said, “Where did she find it?”
Marcus grinned, “You won’t be the first to ask her, and I doubt she’ll tell you for free.”
“She’s from Alola,” Lisa said with a shrug, “Maybe on one of the islands.”
Cashe nodded. Islands did have a lot of biological diversity. Especially jungle islands.
“Do you think if you let her beat you, she’ll tell me?” Cashe asked Emilia, nudging her playfully in the ribs.
“Stop that,” Emilia laughed, “I have a very simple plan for Larvesta, and it doesn’t involve losing on purpose.”
“Care to share?” Lisa said. Her voice was as uninterested as usual, but her eyes revealed the truth, glinting with curiosity.
“Sure,” Emilia leaned forward conspiratorially, “Watch my match tomorrow and you’ll find out,” she whispered.
“Ass.” Lisa smirked and rolled her eyes.
“We actually came down for more than insulting your drink choices and stealing your battle secrets,” Marcus said, “We wanted to invite you up.” He pointed to the elevated stage.
“I don’t know; seems kind of stuffy,” Cashe said, looking up at the well dressed guests, “I prefer a more relaxed atmosphere.”
“Do we even need an invitation?” Emilia said, “It doesn’t look like they are barring anyone from going up.”
“You don’t,” Lisa said, ”But if you go up without someone to introduce you, people can get kind of standoffish.”
“It’s a lot of celebrities up there,” Marcus explained, “I don’t want to put words in anyone’s mouth, but dealing with fans all the time can get tiring, especially when you just want to relax.”
“I think I get what you mean,” Emilia said. Cashe could almost see her remembering the ambush from earlier in the day, “But just to be clear, you’re saying we won’t get the celebrity treatment up there? Because half of those people were acting a lot like fans just a few weeks ago.”
Marcus shrugged, “It’s pretty laid back up there for me.”
Emilia looked up at Cashe, “What do you think?”
“I’m just here to help stop you from getting swarmed.”
“Which is why I’m asking your opinion.”
Cashe shrugged, “It’s probably easier to relax when everyone has a vested interest in it,” he glanced around the main stage of the party, which was growing more and more crowded by the minute, “I don’t think the same can be said of here.”
“Then it’s decided,” Marcus said, “Let’s go.”
He looped his arm around Lisa’s, mimicking Emilia, and looking for all the world like a man escorting his date at a ball and not pushing his way through an increasingly noisy crowd of partiers. He led them to the side of the stage and up the wide ramp, bringing them onto the adjoining platform.
It was quieter on the elevated stage, and not just because it lacked rowdy people. The music was being channeled through the air by a pair of speakers right beside the dance floor, but it seemed to muffle as they ascended, becoming much quieter than what was natural. If Emilia noticed the strange effect, she didn’t say anything, pulling Cashe along as he slowed to stare at the speakers in confusion.
At Emilia’s gentle tug, he turned to face the new platform and immediately felt like they might be underdressed. The vast majority of people here were treating the party as something formal. Cashe saw magnificent suits and flattering cocktail dresses among the guests, all high heels and makeup, bow ties and dress shoes.
He caught Emilia looking down at his shorts and flip flops and her own, comfortable flats with a small frown on her face.
“Don’t worry about it,” he whispered to her, “All the dresses and fancy clothes are for other people’s approval. We’re dressed like we are because we don’t need others' approval. We don’t care for it, in fact, we disdain it.”
“Is that why you were dressing like my dad before we got you new clothes?” Her words were teasing but her expression eased, “You should have told me, I thought you just had no style.”
“Both can be true,” Cashe grinned, “Maybe your dad is just cooler than you think.”
“I doubt it,” Emilia laughed, relaxing on Cashe’s arm.
They let Marcus lead them around the stage. It was smaller than the main stage and there were much less people on the platform, but it still wasn’t long before Cashe had lost track of everyone they met, especially after Marcus and Lisa split from them, leaving them to mingle on their own. Cashe soon found himself drawn into conversation after conversation with people with names Emilia seemed to know but did not introduce to him to, implying that he should probably know their names as well.
“I loved Violet Dreams, it was wonderful,” Emilia said to a gorgeous, redheaded woman in an equally gorgeous dark blue dress. Emilia had whispered her name was Sasha Firelight or something like that before they greeted her, “You did an amazing job.”
“Thank you so much,” Sasha said, placing a hand on her chest, obviously flattered, “It’s my favorite, but no one ever mentions it. All anyone wants to talk about is the later stuff.”
“What’s your favorite Cashe?” Emilia said, bringing him into the conversation with a small, teasing smile.
Cashe blinked and shot Emilia a tiny look of annoyance that made her grin outright, “I like Violet Dreams, too.” Cashe said, “Definitely the best you were in.” Cashe tried not to make it sound too much like a question.
Sasha laughed, “Oh my, you have no idea who I am, do you?”
“Sorry,” Cashe said with a shrug, “I don’t have much in the way of cultural touchstones.”
“Violet Dreams is Sasha’s third album,” Emilia emphasized, “And it’s my favorite. You’ve probably heard me playing it on our trip. In fact, I know you have.”
“It’s entirely possible,” Cashe acknowledged.
Emilia rolled her eyes but Sasha laughed again, “He’s a novel one isn’t he? I can’t remember the last time I met someone who didn’t already know all about me.”
“I know, it's great.” Emilia agreed with a happy smile, “He still doesn’t know about my sisters.”
“You don’t?” Sasha said, incredulous.
“I’ve met Selena.”
“Please don’t tell him,” Emilia said, “It’s become like a game.”
“That’s so cute,” Sasha beamed, “Where did you find him? Is he from an isolated village or does he just live under a rock?”
“He just showed up one day, out of thin air.” Emilia grinned.
“You’re not going to tell me?” Sasha said, disappointed.
“She wasn’t joking,” Cashe said to clear up the misunderstanding, “It was a pokemon incident. Plopped me in Pallet Town.”
“That’s my hometown,” Emilia informed her.
“Oh my goodness, I had no idea,” Sasha’s face changed from disappointment to embarrassment in a flash, “You hear about things like that, but I never thought I would meet someone who it actually happened to.”
“It’s fine,” Cashe said, “It’s been several months. I’m over it.”
“Is that true, Mr Cashe?” Mr Maple’s familiar voice said as he sauntered into their conversation. He was wearing a dark green suit and had an attendant at his shoulder. It was the same young woman Cashe initially saw with him. She had light green hair and was wearing a periwinkle blue dress that clashed rather magnificently with it. “You are a man without a home?”
*****