Season 2 - Episode 12: Making an Exhibition_Pokemon Slate Gray

Slate spent the remainder of the week in a foul mood. His new Haughron showed no signs of improvement during their training sessions in the park. If he tried to speak to the bird Pokémon, it would turn up its beak and ignore him. While he trained with the others, hoping that Haughron might want to join in, the creature merely preened its feathers and scrutinized passers-by.

He was irrationally angry with April over the situation. After all, she had known what would happen after Uglay’s grooming treatment, while he just hoped the Pokémon would cheer up a bit. He didn’t express his feelings, though, or much else. He didn’t want to argue with April and knew on some level that she wasn’t to blame.

Uglay were known to be concerned with their looks, and according to the salon workers, its four evolutions shared that reputation. Even Haughron’s Pokédex entry classified it as ‘the conceited Pokémon.’

Still, Slate couldn’t help feeling frustrated as he lay in bed that evening, staring up at the dark ceiling. Uglay had been the first of his Pokémon to evolve, but the whole experience had been marred by Haughron’s attitude. Also, with his first proper Gym match slowly approaching, the Flying-type could have been a valuable ally against a Bug-type specialist like Mayor Douglas.

As it was, Eevee and Cryote were still the only battle-ready members of his team. He was confident they were up to the task, but it would have been nice to have options. He considered the incubator sitting atop his nightstand. The egg inside had moved a few times in the last couple of days.

He had been excited at the prospect of his Nuteran starter egg hatching. However, given what had occurred with Haughron, he had grown anxious about it. What if the creature dwelling inside didn’t like him? What if hedidn’t like it? After all, with how much he had obsessed over the idea of partnering with a Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle, could anything else measure up?

No, it wasn’t right to think that way, thought Slate, rebuking himself for the silly notion. All Pokémon were special in their own way. But…was he special enough for them? Haughron didn’t seem to think so. He was no Jet, after all.

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When the wake-up alarm on Slate’s phone sounded the following morning, he wanted nothing more than to roll over and go back to sleep. It had been a restless night, plagued with dreams featuring his capable older brother. However, it was Saturday, the day of the grooming convention, and after giving April the silent treatment for much of the week, he owed it to her to snap out of his funk.

He met April in the Center lobby an hour later. To her credit, the girl hadn’t made light of his situation with Haughron. Okay, she had laughed unrestrainedly back in the salon but not since then, at least not to his face. This was surely down to the fact that she had a Training issue of her own to contend with. Although, her problem was a little different.

While Haughron didn’t want anything to do with Slate, April’s Mossym couldn’t seem to get enough of her. Every time she released the fuzzy green mass from its capsule, it tried to affix itself to her leg, as it had on their first meeting. Thankfully, the Grass-type Pokémon wasn’t very agile, so April could easily keep her distance, but its adorable eyes would well up from the apparent rejection.

Slate had managed to conceal his amusement on these occasions, knowing that April would likely unleash on him otherwise. It was as if they had silently agreed to a diplomatic detente.

After a quick breakfast, Slate and April made their way to the northern side of the square city. Unlike the many skyscrapers in town, Pistachion’s exhibition center was wider than it was tall. It also had a large open area in front, occupied by numerous street vendors.

“What’s the hold-up?” asked Slate as they joined the bustling crowd in front of the building’s steps.

“Him, I expect,” sighed April, gesturing to a short, rotund old man with no hair on top of his head but a thick grey beard below. He was immaculately dressed in a black suit with a maroon tie and vest, and he carried a brass-topped cane.

Slate had watched enough Nuteran TV by now to recognize the man, who was walking toward a podium at the top of the steps, followed by a camera-laden press crew. This was his future opponent, Mayor Douglas.

“Good morning, Pistachion!” said the mayor cheerfully. The crowd’s reception was frosty, but he proceeded. “As you will all be aware, Nutera is currently experiencing some difficulties. However, when my advisors asked me to cancel this year’s convention, I said no! Absolutely not! Not a chance! Why? Because our situation is temporary.

“I believe that it’s in our darkest moments that we discover who we are and what we’re capable of. There’s a bright future ahead for Nutera, and it’s citizens like yourself that will light the way. With that in mind, I’m very happy to declare Nutera’s fifth annual Pokémon Grooming Convention, OPEN! Enjoy! Enjoy!”

A mild round of applause followed the politician’s platitude-heavy speech, but Slate heard some distinct boos and jeers.

When the doors opened, he still wasn’t sure how he felt about attending the convention. He didn’t much like the idea of Pokémon beauty pageants. Something about it just seemed…off. In any case, he would rather have visited the colossal sports stadium next door, where among other things, high-profile Pokémon matches were held.

His concerns were compounded once they entered the cavernous hall. Everywhere he looked as they made their way around to visit the many booths and exhibits, there were Pokémon on podiums and catwalks, striking poses or demonstrating products. Some even wore clothes or makeup.

“What’s the matter?” asked April upon noticing his face contorting with disgust.

“You really into this?” he replied.

“Not really,” she shrugged in reply. “There are breeders and groomers who like this flashy stuff, but the most successful ones highlight the natural beauty of Pokémon.”

Slate appreciated this point—it sounded like something he had heard Brock say in an interview once—but he couldn’t help wondering how many of the exhibitors agreed. As much as he was interested in catching glimpses of hitherto unfamiliar Pokémon, he didn’t enjoy seeing them used to flog merchandise and other wares to shallow shoppers.

“Here, this way,” said April after consulting a map half an hour later. She led him to the far side of the exhibition center, where the atmosphere was starkly different. These exhibitors were demonstrating massage techniques and training equipment, offering advice and services, and selling nutritional supplements and special food. Pistachion Spa were set up there. “Not so bad over here, right?”

“I guess,” said Slate, watching several small Grass-type Pokémon with leaves for arms and bouffants of flora sashay down a runway, followed by a larger one that was surely their evolved form. It flipped its Ivy-like hair as it paused for pictures. It wasn’t wearing any silly clothes or makeup. It looked healthy and appeared to adore being in the spotlight.

“Oh, Naturelle… And an Everglam!” April sighed admiringly. “It’s so beautiful. Maybe Mossym will evolve into something like it?”

Slate very much doubted that and had to control his expression to conceal his skepticism. Mossym was undoubtedly cute for a lump of moss, but April was kidding herself if she expected it to win any beauty contests.

“Oh, look, Slate, it’s a Gorgeoose! And a Wonderfowl!” April exclaimed, making her way over to a large booth that was selling brushes designed for use on bird Pokémon.

The two birds on display were about the same height and build as his Haughron but with noticeably happier dispositions. The first batted long eyelashes at him as it flourished its abundant white plumage, while the other extended its five multi-colored eye-patterned tail feathers.

*Ping*.

SPECIES

#026 Gorgeoose

DERIVATION

Gorgeous + Goose

CATEGORY

Conceited

COLORING

Green

Blue

Purple

TYPE

Flying

Psychic

ABILITIES

Big Pecks

Narcissist

Dazzling

DETAILS

One of the evolved forms of male Uglay. It attracts admirers and mates by proudly displaying its magnificent tail feathers. The colorful patterns on them have a hypnotic quality.

Slate pouted indignantly. Had he and April arrived at the salon an hour earlier, he might have a Wonderfowl now, instead of Haughron.

“Do you have any bird Pokémon?” the jolly woman running the booth enquired.

“Yeah,” Slate confessed bitterly. “It doesn’t like me, though.”

“Try grooming it with one of our brushes,” the woman suggested. “I’ll show you how.”

“Go on, Slate,” April encouraged.

Resigned to give it a go, he released Haughron from its Silph Ball.

After materializing, it immediately turned away from Slate. When it spotted the Gorgeoose and Wonderfowl, it turned once more, holding its beak high in the air, and when the groomer attempted to brush its feathers, it swatted her hand away.

“Oh dear,” said April, stifling a laugh.

Slate rubbed his temples as if trying to purge one of the headaches his noisy Uglay used to bring on.

“That’s a proud Haughron you have there, young man!” boomed a voice behind him.

“That’s one word for it,” Slate responded dryly as he turned around to find a middle-aged man towering over him.

The man roared with laughter at this, his mouth stretched in a genuine smile. He was easily six-foot-four or taller, had thick brown hair and brows, and casually dangled a navy blue suit jacket over his broad shoulders.

Haughron stepped toward the man at this point, stretched to its fullest height, and eyed him discerningly.

The hulking man returned the Pokémon’s gaze without adjusting his posture or expression.

Much to Slate’s amazement, his Haughron then folded a wing in front of itself and bent over. It was bowing to the stranger, who roared with laughter once more, then patted Haughron’s head.

“He knows who’s boss!” remarked the man.

“I guess Haughron approves of him,” April surmised. “Jealous?”

Slate wasn’t jealous, though. He was relieved. Haughron wasn’t irredeemably rude. It simply didn’t like him! This revelation made what he was about to ask easier. “Would you be interested in training Haughron?”

The man raised his free hand to his chin. “Hmm. A loyal Haughron could make a fine partner,” he considered. “Are you sure you want to part with it?”

“Maybe with a little more time…?” April voiced unconvincingly.

“If it’s what Haughron wants, It’s okay with me. What do you think, Haughron. Would you like to go with—”

The creature flapped its wing in Slate’s face as it continued to appraise the stranger.

“I guess that answers that question.”

The burly man expelled another laugh, then extended his hand in greeting, “The name’s Reg.”

“Slate, nice to meet you,” the boy responded, his hand lost in Reg’s meaty grip.

“Well, I’d be happy to take your Haughron,” started Reg, “but as a businessman, I believe in deals that make both parties walk away happy. I happen to have a Pokémon I brought here to trade, so how about we do that?”

“What, trade Pokémon?” asked Slate.

“That’s right. Your Haughron for my Beakon,” Reg clarified.

“Err, Slate,” April murmured, but Slate didn’t hear her.

“Sure,” he said eagerly, happy at the prospect of gaining a new Pokémon after thinking he would be giving one away outright.

Reg beamed. “Great! Well, the convention has an area for trading. I’ve got a quick errand to take care of, but I’ll meet you over there in fifteen minutes!”

“Slate,” April hesitated as Reg departed. “Are you sure about the trade?”

“Yeah, Haughron will be happy. Finally! It’s win-win!”

“That’s not what I mean,” she explained. “Beakon… It’s a strange Pokémon too.”

“I’m okay with strange. It beats Haughron giving me the wing,” he joked. “Besides, it’s better than nothing.”

April shook her head and adopted an expression that read something along the lines of, don’t say I didn’t warn you, but she never actually said the words. Her attention had been diverted by the approaching boy in white. “Gabriel!” she expelled, waving enthusiastically.

The blonde boy waved back as he made his way through the crowd. However, he wasn’t alone. A pretty girl of around their age accompanied him, wearing a very girly pink and black dress with bows and her long raven hair up in pigtails.

Slate watched April’s happy expression stiffen and flicker with veiled annoyance.

“How’s it going, April?” Gabriel said in greeting. “I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find you with how busy it is! Good to see you again, Slate.”

“I know, it’s crazy,” said April in a strange manner.

Slate nodded to Gabriel, then introduced himself to the girl.

“Hi, I’m Mia,” she replied sweetly.

“You know Mia from class, right, April?” Gabriel added.

“Sure. How are you, Mia?” asked April in a forced manner.

Mia put her hand on Gabriel’s arm, and answered, “We’re having the best time! Gabriel helped me pick out the cutest bow for my Budazzle. I’m surprised to see you here, though.”

“Gabriel asked if I was going, so I thought I’d check it out,” said April pointedly.

“Oh, that explains it!” said Mia with a giggle, eyeing April head-to-toe. “I never got the impression you were interested in grooming.”

As Slate imagined Mia’s not-so-subtle jab hitting April in the stomach, he saw her eye twitch in response, then her mouth spread wider than he had ever witnessed. This was no mere smile, though. April was baring her teeth, like he had seen wild Pokémon do to ward off rivals or enemies in nature documentaries.

“I’ve always been interested in grooming,” April assured Mia. “I just have my own style.”

“Clearly,” Mia replied with a smirk. “What sort exactly?”

“Well, I’m not really into kid stuff; ribbons and bows and such.”

Changing tack, Mia asked, “Will you be entering the beauty contest? Entering your Pokémon that is! Obviously!”

“Not this year,” said April coolly. “The competition isn’t up to scratch, and you know what they say about facing an inferior opponent…”

Gabriel seemed oblivious to the veiled animosity behind the girls’ interaction, but Slate felt like he was watching Pokémon exchange blows. Worried that things might escalate, he intervened, “April, we said we would meet Reg.”

“Oh, right, we’ll have to catch up with you guys later,” she said casually.

“You two are kinda cute together!” Mia commented. “Is Slate your boyfriend, April?”

“NO!” April snapped much louder than necessary, causing the nearby crowd to stop and turn in their direction. She blushed scarlet, then laughed it off.

Gabriel joined in with the laughter. Excessively so in Slate’s opinion, which he found irksome, but he found the boy irksome in general for some reason.

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” said Mia in a mock whisper. “Come on, G, we shouldn’t keep them.”

“Err, right, see you around, April,” said Gabriel, looking dumbfounded as Mia hooked her arm around his and led him away.

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“G… G?” April muttered with disdain several minutes later, as she had been ever since Gabriel and Mia had passed out of earshot.

Slate shook his head, wondering why the two girls were in such a tizzy over the boy. He clearly wasn’t very bright. “What’s the deal with you and her?”

“Mia pretends to be nice as pie, but she’s a typical mean girl!” April explained. “She’s always gossiping but somehow still gets good grades. You should see the way she cozies up to Gabriel in class, and the way she talks about their ‘fateful encounter’ at Hazell Laboratory when they got their starters.”

“She’s a Trainer?”

“Yes! Keep up, Slate!” April snapped. “She mentioned her Budazzle, and she goes to the Pokémon School with me!”

“Oh, right. Budazzle?”

“It’s a cute Grass-type. Its evolution is almost as popular with groomers as Everglam,” April explained enviously.

Slate thought back to the Pokémon he had seen on the runway. He then recalled his own ‘fateful encounter’ of sorts and made a mental note to call Professor Larch later. They had spoken over the last few weeks, but she still hadn’t given him an answer about his mystery Pokémon sighting.

When they reached a red-curtained area with multiple metallic trading machines, Slate spotted Reg instantly, standing tall over the throng.

“Ah, there you are! All set?” asked Reg energetically.

“Yep,” said Slate, and they found a free trading machine. He then whispered to the ball, “Good luck, Haughron.”

They each confirmed their Trainer ID and placed their Silph Ball into the large device, which sucked them up through long tubular apparatus on each end. A screen displayed the scanned contents of each ball—images of Haughron and Beakon, another bird Pokémon, this one small and purple—and asked for confirmation.

Slate and Reg nodded to one another, then pressed the button as prompted. A message indicated that the transfer of ownership was taking place. Thirty seconds later, the balls dropped from the tubes onto the opposite loading pads.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Slate! If you’re ever in Macadam City, feel free to visit Haughron. I own the shipping yard, so you can find me there most days.”

“I will. Thanks, Reg,” said Slate with some relief as the man shook his hand again. He felt sure that Reg would take good care of Haughron but appreciated the chance to be sure. He was eager to meet his newest Pokémon, so asked April if she was done with the exhibition.

“Yeah, let’s go,” she agreed. “If I see Mia hanging all over Gabriel again, I’m liable to vomit!”

Slate chuckled at this, disgusting though the visual had been, and the pair left for the Pokémon Center, deciding to eat a late lunch there before heading to the park.

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While Slate wolfed down a burger and fries from one of the Center lobby vendors, eager to get to the park, the friendly concierge spotted him and handed him a letter. “This came for you while you were out. It’s marked ‘Urgent,’” she informed him.

“A letter?” said April with curiosity. “I suppose with the blackout… But you don’t know anybody here, so who’s it from?”

Slate shrugged, hastily tore open the envelope, and read its contents. Naturally, April read over his shoulder.

Dear Slate,

We hope this letter finds you well.

Due to a scheduling conflict, we regret to inform you that Mayor Douglas will be unable to proceed with your official Gym match on Saturday 13 October at 10 AM.

However, an opening has become available for today (Saturday 6 October at 7 PM).

If you would like to take the opening, please stop by the Gym as soon as possible to confirm your interest. Otherwise, please stop by the Gym at your earliest convenience to reschedule your match.

Kind regards,

Pistachion Gym

[https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/0fd97e43-196a-4657-8d16-c18592169506/dgmq57a-6f54a252-3094-4428-8ecf-68480a83f1d0.png/v1/fill/w_894,h_894,q_70,strp/pokemon_slate_gray_s2e12_art__despupa_by_tezofalltrades_dgmq57a-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTA4MCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzBmZDk3ZTQzLTE5NmEtNDY1Ny04ZDE2LWMxODU5MjE2OTUwNlwvZGdtcTU3YS02ZjU0YTI1Mi0zMDk0LTQ0MjgtOGVjZi02ODQ4MGE4M2YxZDAucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEwODAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.FEBqyNZKfcUxepoLzChGx9CMGt4K6FLHsGHmEpF396Q]

Season 2 - Episode 12: Making an Exhibition

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