Action: Welcome to another chapter!
Ignis: Stop being excited about this. *Sigh*
L’Ark: We all knew it was coming, only a matter of when.
Kaiser: Come on stay positive. This arc has two chapters left.
Ignis: At least you aren’t- *mouth covered*
Action: Anyway let’s move forward.
Gale: Action doesn’t own Pokemon, music links, or art if used.
----------------------------------------
~Ignis’s~
(Blinded By The Light - FFXIII)
“Our first contestant, Ignis Wintersea of Mistralton City!” The curtains rose and I sprung to action.
I kicked things off by aiming a Fire Blast up in the sky. As it flew it grew into the Symbol of fire. With Scorching Sands I created a cyclone of sand around me that collided with the Fire Blast. Causing the sand veil to shimmer in sparkles.
“Would you look at that! With the heat of the sand and the heat from the fire, it creates a nice veil of warmth, and look at the sparkle!” Vivian commented on my combination. I needed that as I’m kind of throwing things together. Silver said to do my best to make everything pretty. I’ll keep up the Scorching Sands and launch a Shadow Ball to make the veil cloaking me turn black. I then slowly stopped using Scorching Sands and it had a black sparkle shower effect—time to go for another combination. I need my big finish to be explosive. Waving my tails, I started to absorb the sunlight as a green hue started to glow around me.
“Ignis is really showing off how beautiful Ninetales are, look at the golden fur and the green hue covering it!” Vivian kept complimenting me and I wanted more. I unleashed my Solar Beam in the sky and it was coming back down. I created another veil of sand to trap solar power and it now looked like a meteor heading my way. Unleashing Fire Blast it collided with my super move causing an explosion. Similar to Draco Meteor. However, that meant small rocks started to land on the field and I was unsure what to do. I thought all the power would disappear, maybe there is more to move combinations in contests that I didn’t know. I will not admit that now, I need a solution. Fuck! I kept dodging until I knew what I had to do.
“I’m not sure if this is a part of the performance however this is entertaining,” Vivian tried to keep it lively but that wasn’t good for me. I stood center field and created a Scorching Sandstorm to collect all the meteors inside it. I launched another Fire Blast and with this combination, it turned the meteors to sparkles as well as my Scorching Sands. I struck a finishing pose with my tails covering one to give a mysterious, but confident look.
“Such a beautiful performance from a newcomer. Will it be enough to place him in the top four!” Vivian overall complimented my performance yet I knew it wouldn’t be as good as the others, let alone Silver. Who gives a shit anyway? Not like I care to do contests, but it was fun to try out. I made my way back to the waiting area. I met eyes with Silver. He said nothing, however, probably because we were in a very public space. He nodded towards a dressing room and I walked in. Not too shortly after Silver joined me.
“That was so amazing and it was your first time! Maybe you should try doing contests more often!” Silver looked excited and even hugged me. I awkwardly hugged back.
“Uh, maybe,” I scoffed. He let go of me and frowned a bit. “What is it?” I rolled my eyes.
“Nothing, I just wish you’d be honest with how you were feeling,” Silver returned to his normal regal attitude.
(Lightning's Theme - FFXIII)
“Sorry, but this is me and you got to deal with it,” I spat. I then walked out of the changing rooms and watched our TV and the other contestants performing. I saw Silver walk out and instantly go to standby as he had to perform soon. As I saw him exit I felt bad about how I responded. All he did was showered me with compliments and I responded with bitterness.
‘You need to let others in,’ stop saying the right thing, brother! How can I? If I know they will die on me at any moment? ‘Team: Ragnarok hasn’t,’ They proved to me that they are a second family, one I can trust. I then felt it, I started to feel cold. Not now, shit. I didn’t give you permission.
“Ignis!” I heard my name from the entrance. It was Kaiser and Ark. Beside them were Dexter and Gale. I no longer felt cold.
‘I’m only here to help you,’ the voice sighed.
“That was amazing,” Kaiser praised me. Kaiser and Ark group hugged me and I felt so loved.
“When Gale and Dexter invited us to watch a contest, we didn’t expect you to compete as well,” Ark gave me a light nuggie. I felt warm with the two of them here. We all shared a laugh.
“No offense I didn’t any of you were the contest type so to see you out there doing well was a shock,” Dexter added. His attempt at a compliment.
“I’m good at everything I do. Otherwise Team: Ragnarok would be shit without me,” I chuckled. Both Kaiser and Ark rolled their eyes. I then noticed on the screen Silver was already mid-performance and he was so elegant. Without even using a move sparkles were dancing along his tails. Him being shiny as well adds to the appeal.
“Silver is really showing why he’s the heir to the Princeton family! Look at how the Ominous Wind and Psyshock pair so well for a spooky show!” Vivian complimented. Silver is so pretty and elegant. He had a smile on his face the whole time too which added to the fact he was enjoying himself. He stepped on the Psyshock pebble and used Fire Blast on the ground covering the field in flames and then sparkles. He flipped and landed striking a howling pose. He was so pretty, how had I not seen this before?
“Is Ignis blushing?” Ark snapped me out of my trance.
“No way in hell!” I spat.
“Don’t get mad,” Ark tried to defend himself. “You don’t show interest in other Pokemon is all,” Ark needs to stop being observant.
“Unlike you who openly flirts with Kaiser,” I retorted flat-faced. Kaiser blushed lightly and looked away. Dexter looked a bit agitated but didn’t say anything.
“Kaiser is cute but also not my type, sorry buddy,” Ark answered nonchalantly.
“Alright all Pokemon have gone for today and we have everyone’s points totaled!” Vivian announced on screen. “On screen will be the top four competing for today’s ribbon,” first place was Silver which wasn’t a surprise. Looking at the screen the second and third-place positions weren't me. Yeah with my mistake I won’t be in there.
“Look at that you got fourth!” Kaiser cheered for me.
“Nice job first timer,” Dexter complimented me this time.
“I knew I would make it,” I swelled with confidence. That was when we all saw Silver walk into the room.
“Now with a quick shuffle, we have our bracket!” On-screen, it showed Silver was facing me in the first match.
“Looks like we’ll be against each other. Don’t be butt hurt when I win,” Silver sent a glare my way.
“Alright princess game on,” I glared right back at him.
----------------------------------------
~Silver’s~
(A Funeral of Flowers (Thunder) - FE 3H)
He called me ‘princess’. I'll make him eat those words. I grumbled to myself in the dressing room. I need to calm down such anger is unbefitting of me and yet it feels good to feel this way. I only get like this around teammates but casually feeling like this, feels relieving. When I’m with my family I feel like a Husk most of the time. It reminds me of Ignis treating me as a normal Pokemon when we met in Virbank. It made me happy. He’s your opponent, focus.
“Seems like our prince is happy,” I could see Dexter in my mirror.
“I knew you would catch on quickly,” I turned to face and we both laughed.
“So what happened in Virbank is true,” of course he read about that. “When are you going to ask him on a date?” I almost fell out of my chair.
“Excuse me!” I shouted. I then recompose myself.
“You’re excused,” he then opened his ORB screen revealing team: Ragnarok. “You didn’t answer my question. I was being genuine,” he then whipped his hair around so some of it got in my face.
“I could say the same about you and Kaiser. Seems like you won’t have to fight over him with Ark,” I countered and a blush crept on his cheeks. He then bit his lip in an annoyed manner.
“I’m asking the questions and not like I invited my crush to compete in said side gig,” he was referring to my open ribbon case which had three ribbons in it.
“Fine I concede, but genuinely I thought it would be fun for the both of us,” I answered honestly. My tails fell to the floor as I knew Dex just won our verbal war. “I’ll ask when the time is right,” we both nodded.
“I’ll do the same,” we both laughed.
“Calling everyone!” The TV caught our attention as Vivian appeared again. “We’d like everyone back in their seats as it’s almost time for the second stage to start!” Vivian cheered.
“I guess it’s time for both of us to go to our places,” Dexter chuckled and I agreed. We both departed from the changing room where I was led backstage. My first opponent is Ignis, last we fought I won but who knows what will happen. Too bad he has to fight me. With me being a shiny Pokemon naturally, I don’t lose that many points from being pretty already, let’s see if he can keep up. The curtains rose and I took this as a signal our match was starting.
“Welcome back everyone! It’s all gas and no brakes as we are kicking off the first match right now!” Vivian cheered as both Ignis and I walked out to the battlefield. “We have Silver Princeton vs Ignis Wintersea! We have five minutes on the clock,” Vivian was setting up the excitement. I’ve been looking forward to this. “Battle begin!” Vivian shouted from the sidelines.
((Instrumental) Edge of Dawn (Seasons of Warfare) - FE 3H)A/N: Silver’s theme second version
Ignis opened up with Fire Blast and I decided to counter with my Fire Blast. The flames collided and bloomed into a pretty fireflower.
“Both opening with a powerful attack, so pretty!” Vivian admired our attack. I saw our point totals both go down but of course, Ignis lost more points than I did.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
“Why did I lose more points?” he was shocked.
“Sorry Ignis, typically in a mirror match like this it would be even however in the world of contest beauty and grace are everything. Shiny Pokemon embody that,” I smirked. He was mad at my comment. It was the truth. Time to have some fun. A thick haze started to flood the area as small fires started to ignite along my tails. My purple haze covers the whole battlefield making it hard to see. Ominous Wind eventually consumed Ignis and he lost some points as well. That’s when I heard a howl and the sound of sand scraping against the ground. I noticed a cyclone of sand and my previous attack got sucked in too.
“Woah would you look at that, Ignis completely nullified Silver’s previous attack!” Vivian cheered and I could see myself losing points. The downside of this attack is it’s super effective against me. I need to think. I quickly made floating rocks appear and walked on them so I could get above Ignis’s cyclone. I then felt flames enveloping me as it was released in every direction. The flames clashed with the cyclone causing sparks to fly everywhere. The two powerful attacks broke fading into sparkles. I was up in the sky staring down at Ignis.
“For a princess, you’re pretty strong. Let me show you power,” I then noticed a black aura flare around him as he smirked. That had to be a Nasty Plot. He must’ve swapped it with Solar Beam when he realized he’d be fighting me. I saw my points go down slightly.
“I’m not backing down!” I shouted while jumping off the rocks. I unleashed a massive ball of flames at Ignis and he countered with his Fire Blast. It broke through my Fire Blast and I had to use Psyshock to guard myself from the flames.
“I’m not done!” When I landed Ignis shot three Shadow Balls my way. I gathered energy quickly and unleashed all my energy. My flames broke through his attack and even hit Ignis.
“Look at that wonderfully executed Burning Jealousy! Silver even burned his opponent!” Vivian was in my corner and I’m loving it. Burn status is really good not only does it do damage over time but halves my opponent’s attacking power.
“You were able to burn me, that’s rare,” Ignis looked fired up.
“This match needs to come to an end. You’ve been a thorn in my side more than another opponent,” my tails ignited again as a purple haze flooded the area. Lucky me this time all my stats rose. Ignis was going to use Scorching Sands again and I won’t let him as flying rocks appeared around him and started to attack mercilessly.
“Looks like Ignis is backed into a corner! Will he be able to overcome this?” Vivian knows I have this in the bag. That’s when I noticed my Psyshock rocks froze and then shattered. I thought normal ninetales can’t learn ice-type attacks. I tried again but this time Ignis was able to dodge my attacks. How can he see them coming in the purple haze?
“It’s getting close folks who will win as time is almost up!” Vivian let us know we were hanging by a thread. As a last ditch, I unleashed Fire Blast and Ignis did the same. As our two flames clashed with each other they absorbed my Ominous Wind and exploded leaving sparkles in its wake.
“Times up!” Both Ignis and I looked at the board and Vivian wasn’t lying. “The winner is Silver!” Vivian cheered. I let out a sigh of relief and then looked towards Ignis who seemed a bit disappointed. I then walked over to him and he had a cheeky smile.
“I didn’t expect to enjoy a contest battle as much as I did. Maybe I will join another one in the future,” he laughed.
“I didn’t expect you to do so well,” I smiled. As I thought, he was full of surprises, but what was with that ice-type attack?
----------------------------------------
~Kaiser’s~
(Tokoha's Fight - Vanguard G)
It was nice to see Ignis have fun. Never thought I’d seen him compete in a contest but from what I could tell he was enjoying himself. What I didn't understand was his ice-type attack at the end but no one commented on it so I left it alone. In the end, Silver ended up winning the whole contest and we all wished him congratulations. To celebrate we decided to go out for dinner. It was a hole in the wall near the gym in Mauville. We all decided to get a booth and it was nice to see our two teams interacting with each other, only if Team: Basic were here. We even had our drink orders taken care of and I just enjoyed the atmosphere as I watched everyone enjoy themselves. Even Ignis seemed chipper even though he lost against Silver.
“Kaiser,” I turned my attention to Ark, who wore a smile. “You haven’t said anything since we left the contest hall,” he always looks out for us.
“I’m fine just enjoying the happy moments,” I sipped on my Pinenap juice. After making sure I was fine he resumed his conversation with Gale. That’s when all of our ORB’s opened their menus showing we got our first clue in the Master scavenger hunt. We all looked at each other shocked. Reading it, our team scavenger hunt is about growth. We’ve grown together as a team but we could go farther, what’s holding us back is ourselves. This is where each of our clues differentiates. Mine talks about how I need to head to a region with a high mountain peak, fog so thick Braviary struggles to clear it, mountain sides a sneasaleer struggles to climb, and so whimsical you can see Bascalegion fly in a veil of water. From my studies, it seems like it wants me to go to Hisui but that region is lost to time and became Sinnoh. Though it doesn’t tell me what I should do there, only that I should get there with urgency.
“So Snowball what was your clue?” Dex came close to me and swapped his arm over my shoulder. I’m not used to this form of contact but it felt nice so I leaned into it.
“Um, I need to go to Sinnoh,” I said looking up at him.
“I’ll join you,” he said without hesitation. It shocked me and everyone else at the table.
“Go figure the two Zoroarks are going to be together. Maybe they’ll tie the knot,” Ignis teased us using a lewd gesture. Silver started to giggle at Ignis’s remark. Ark shook his head unamused but said nothing. I noticed Dex looking at me and he was blushing just as much as me. That’s when Ark cleared his throat and he had all of our attention.
“I have to head to Galar,” he sounded normal but his ears fell flat on his head as if he didn’t want to go.
“I have to go to Galar myself,” Gale chuckled slightly but also sounded unhappy he had to go as well. The two looked at each other and smiled.
“I don’t get the riddle but I think I need to go to Alola,” Ignis looked confused.
“I guess you and I get to take a vacation together because I have work in Alola as well,” Silver sighed but chuckled to himself as if this was bittersweet.
“This will be the first time we officially split up to do teamwork. Will you guys be okay?” Ark asked.
“I needed a break from you guys anyway,” Ignis’s snarky attitude was showing.
“We’ll be fine,” I assured Ark. That’s when the food we ordered arrived. We all decided to eat. As we all became consumed in our food Dexter looked like he had something to say.
“I know our clues said we needed to go to our destinations, but there was something I was looking forward to while you guys were in town,” Dex pulled up his ORB screen again and brought it to the center of the table. “In two days there will be the Junior Cup for all master rank teams, it’s a good way to know how you rank amongst other teams,” Dex was excited to announce this.
“When were you going to tell your teammates about this,” Silver sounded annoyed but Gale had a happy good boy expression. Dex kind of sweat dropped in response.
“I see no reason not to compete,” I shrugged.
“Sweet, I’ve been itching for an actual fight,” Ignis was excited.
“If you guys agree, let’s do this,” Ark seemed excited as well. With the group deciding to compete in the junior cup before completing our scavenger hunts we all continued our meals. As we exited the restaurant and were heading back to the gym, we noticed Ark and Gale walking in a different direction.
----------------------------------------
~Gale’s~
(Tender Feeling - P3P)
It feels so good to be outside of the city. I miss being in Sootopolis City. It was a city mixed with water and nature, unlike Mauville. I feel even better knowing L’Ark is with me. At times I get nervous when walking around by myself. Now is not a time to be sentimental, spreading smiles and joys is what I dreamed of and that’s what I’ll do. Though with the two of us walking together our conversation from last night rings in my head. After I was trying to confirm who he was I got a message and it was from someone who made the mood sour. Thinking about him makes my fur bristle.
“Where are we going?” L’Ark brushed my fur. Was this his attempt to calm me down? I should be doing that for others with my happy aura.
“It’s a surprise!” I ran with a pep in step, getting L’Ark to follow with a smile. We both ran past the gate to route 118. Eventually, we were playing a game of chase on the sand. We were having so much fun I got lost in it where I started to spark electricity and it was sent towards L’Ark. “Oh no!” Though he looked unfazed as if he absorbed it. I was stunned as he took me, discharging my energy head-on. “Are you okay?” Even though he looked fine I still was worried. He started to chase me again and I was still stunned as he tackled me into the sand. I could hear laughter from the one who had me pinned in the sand and looking up at him I blushed as I didn’t mean for this to happen.
“Negative emotions aren’t your thing. You look so much better with a smile” I could see the obvious blush peeking through his fur. I thought he had a crush on Kaiser. When we were kids the two seemed to fight over him, but now like this, I don’t know.
“You’re right.” I flip us over so L’Ark is now below me. Looking down in his eyes I saw something dark flash across them, reminding me of the time I saw the brute in Nimbasa. Yet L’Ark isn’t like him at all. After our power struggle, I got off him and just sat in the sand looking at the water. Seeing the moonlight dance on the waters shows how pretty water can be at night. L’Ark took a seat beside me and we didn’t say anything, just enjoying each other's company and watching the water. This is what I do by myself when I go out alone. Believe it or not, I’m an introvert, and seeing the scene before me fills me with the energy to be the sparky dog everyone sees me as. For some reason, I naturally just showed my rejuvenation spot to L’Ark without thinking.
“Gale,” the Lucario beside me caught my attention and I looked him in his eyes. It seemed like he had a lot to say.
“You’re cool and thanks for showing me this spot of yours” he blushed. It seemed like more was going to be said but he looked back at the water. “Someone will know the truth eventually, why not you,” what he said was confusing. He then got up to walk back to the city.
“Where are you going?” I got up unsure what to do.
“To bed, we need to rest for the junior cup,” he gestured for me to follow back.
“I think I’ll stay here a bit longer,” I turned back towards the water. I could hear the sand crunch as he was leaving the area. After I made sure he was gone I sighed. I’m tired of concealing my identity but I know it’s for my safety, however, I’m not happy that I have to go to Galar. Hopefully, we won’t have an incident like last time, how did Dad know I was going to be in town? Looking over the water I watched the waves dance a bit more and decided it was about time I went back.
----------------------------------------
~Kaiser’s~
(Towards the Goal of Hope! - Inazuma Eleven Go Galaxy)
The next day we spent exploring the neighboring areas with Team: Fusion and had what you would call a mini vacation. It did feel good to relax and not have to train all the time. We went to the beach and even toured a volcano. While we toured it Ignis and Gale decided to play a little prank on us all and scare us while exploring. Didn’t expect Gale to be a prankster but I guess it messes well with his happy nature. I can still feel some tension between Silver and Ark. It makes me wonder why they dislike each other so much. Guess it fuels them in their rivalry. The day flew by and it was the day of the Junior Cup. We went back to Verdanturf Town where the contest hall was morphed into a large arena. From what I could tell they made it so the battlefields switch after a match to change things up and not only that each match will have a different fight. From Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, Team Match, and one on one. When we registered I noticed there were several teams in the lobby. I didn’t expect it to be flowing with Pokemon.
“Surprised by the crowd,” Dex side hugged me and I blushed at the sudden contact. I put myself together quickly.
“A little bit,” I was quickly cut off by a Firefox.
“It’s exciting, fighting those on the same level as us!” Ignis was excited. “All these bozos are going down!” he shouted. In response Ark pulled one of his tails and he whimpered.
“Calm down, we’re in public,” Ark sighed. Team: Fusion laughed at our antics.
“You guys are something else,” Gale looked as if he wanted to join in the fun.
“Don’t think about it,” Silver’s words were like a knife and it was aimed at Gale. The six of us enjoyed this little moment where we were free to be friends. As we all know our purpose is tied to the battlefield. After our moment we went to the waiting rooms and it was almost time for the Junior Cup to start.
“Hello, Hello!” The TV screen in the waiting room came to life. On the screen was a peppy Typhlosion and a saddened purple Typhlosion. “My name is Mai and with my twin sister Ai we’ll be you’re Emcee’s!” The peppy Typhlosion introduced herself and her sister. From the broadcast, you could hear a cheer from the audience. I then heard murmurs from contestants.
“They are supposed to be the Emce’s for the Crystal League what are they doing at the junior cup?” Now I understand.
“Let’s get this underway we have places to be,” the Hisuan Typhlosion chimed in, not happy to be here.
“The first-round matchups are King of the Hill!” They both announced.
“Our first match is Team: Fusion vs Team: Ragnarok!” Mai cheered.
----------------------------------------
Action: Please don’t kill me for being gone so long. I’ll be honest I lost all motivation to write for a little bit there.
Kaiser: It’s no worries.
Ignis: Don’t cut him slack!
Silver: I agree.
Action: I’m sorry. When I write I lose the chance to play the video games I enjoy.
L’Ark: There is only so much time in one day.
Gale: We’re glad to have you back.
Action: I’m glad to be back and ready to continue updating this book. Though I may do two chapters a month to help me balance everything.
Dexter: Makes sense.
Action: This may mean future plans may be pushed back but we’ll cross that bridge when we reach it.
Kaiser: Don’t forget to fav, follow, and review.
Dexter: We’ll see you next time, Bye!