Yvon took a deep breath and I raised my eyebrow. Honestly I just said that to piss her off but she didn't respond.
… What a mature boring person.
Instead she unlatched another Pokéball from her belt and threw it forward. The Pokéball soared through the air and then opened up in a flash of light revealing her second Pokémon.
It was small and round and pink, almost a perfect ball of fluff with a swirl of cream in the middle of its face with big black eyes, a tiny pink tongue sticking out, two little flap-like ears on the side that looked more like ribbons than anything else.
The whole Pokémon looked like a piece of cotton candy that had been given a face and there was a faint sweet smell coming off it from where I was standing… it was different from the Spritzee, more like sugar than perfume.
"Swir swir~"
"Swirlix Sweetheart, start with Fairy Wind!" She ordered, and the fluffy Pokémon released a burst of pinkish white wind with sparkles in it at Charmander.
No matter how fast Charmander was, there was no way she was going to dodge a wind based attack so…
"Run through it and hit Metal Claw!" I ordered, and Charmander nodded letting out a cry while running straight into the attack.
The Fairy Wind impacted with a lot more force than I was expecting and it thinned down Charmander's running speed making her stagger a bit.
Each gust pushed against her like an invisible hand and the sparkles whipped past her face as she lowered her head and just kept pushing through it… Fairy Wind looked as if it was a weak move but it packed quite the punch.
What a deceptive technique… however. Charmander charged through regardless as her right claw glowed in a metallic light taking on the color of steel, and then Charmander slashed making Swirlix fly backward in a few rolls.
The metal claw cut through the trailing pink wind on contact, scattering the sparkles like glass shards as it landed clean.
Swirlix bounced once on the ground, twice, and then the Pokémon was trying to get up.
"End it with Flamethrower!" I ordered, and Charmander opened her mouth, gathering flames and releasing it in that direction.
Swirlix looked up to see the flames coming for it and that followed with a small explosion that rattled the ground a bit. When the smoke cleared, Swirlix was down on the ground with swirly eyes.
Charmander immediately made a bee-line for me, extending her hand for a fist bump and I gave her another one.
She was really cute.
"Alright come back." I said while lifting her Pokéball. "You can't have all the fun after all."
If I didn't let Fletchling have a go at this, she'd peck my head.
Besides she was on the verge of evolving and after seeing Soli evolve this afternoon, one could say that I was very interested in how it would feel like to have one of my own Pokémon evolve.
"Char Char!" Charmander tapped her Pokéball and got sucked in by the red light and I looked at it.
…Having a Charmander was amazing.
"Send out your final Pokémon!" The Rotomphones announced, and Yvon returned Swirlix while gritting her teeth even more.
It almost looked like the older woman wanted to cry, however she sucked in a deep breath and brought out her last Pokéball as I raised Fletchling's Pokéball.
"I… I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME A LOSER! I WANT TO GO HOME A WINNER!"
…Why the hell was she telling me that?
She said while throwing her next Pokéball in, and the Pokéball opened revealing a Pokémon that was a bit famous amongst Pokémon Coordinators.
It was a Vivillon, and it was a Bug/Flying type and I almost felt sorry for who I was about to match her with.
"Fletchling, go!" I let out as I threw her Pokéball into the air. It opened and a flash of light beamed down to the ground revealing Fletchling who had spread out both of her wings.
At this point I wasn't even asking how she was doing this… She just was…
"Vivillon, Gust Spore!" Yvon ordered.
She was actually using a combination move? I almost lost hope that the trainers weren't being smart… Vivillon let out a cry and golden spores left its body, and with a flap of her wings, Gust blew them toward Fletchling.
"Fletchling, Ember into Quick Peck!" I countered, and Fletchling released a ball of flames directly at the spores blowing a hole through them and one big enough for her to pass through.
The flames spread onto the other spores and burned them as well, the gold flecks catching fire in chains as the burn jumped from one spore cluster to the next.
The fireball shot through the air at Vivillon while the burning cloud trailed behind it like a comet's tail.
"Dodge it!"
Vivillon moved itself out of the way of Ember letting the fireball shoot past it and detonate in the air above lighting up the place.
However it could not dodge the next one with Fletchling shooting forward covered in a white light.
The white light around her body compressed into a sharp streak as she flew toward Vivillon cutting through the space between them.
She collided into Vivillon with force and then curved into the air in a perfect arc ready to come down for the second attack.
The sound of the impact came after she had already cleared past Vivillon, lagging behind her by half a second.
"Supersonic!" Yvon gave a shout, and Vivillon released a high pitched sound that made me wince from here.
I looked at Fletchling worriedly as her speed increased even more.
Was she going to hit the ground? The Supersonic was supposed to confuse… and it had but a confused Fletchling at that speed was a missile that didn't know which way it was supposed to be pointed anymore.
Fletchling had turned into a blur streaking toward Vivillon, and Vivillon moved out of the way with a flap of her wings making Fletchling head straight toward the ground.
Impacting against the ground at that kind of speed would seriously hurt her.
"Fletchling!" I called out from where I was, but apparently it seemed that my worries were all useless as Fletchling curved once she was along the ground and shot back up at Vivillon, hitting it in the back with all of that momentum.
The angle was perfect, the same speed that would have made her faint on the concrete now redirected upward at Vivillon, all of it carried into one point of contact.
The force sent Vivillon flying and hitting the ground.
Even though it was a fast Pokémon, it was not nearly as bulky when hit with something like that, so it was down for the count and then Fletchling landed on Vivillon and raised her wings.
"Fle… Fle… Fletchling!" She cried out and shot an Ember into the air, then immediately a blue light erupted around her.
"Rara~" Ralts called out from my head in intrigue as our Poképhones returned to our hands, however I kept walking.
The blue light wrapped around Fletchling's body completely, washing out her shape so I couldn't tell where her wings ended and the air began.
Then her form started to shift inside the light… She was getting bigger. Her body stretched out with the small round chest pushing forward and lengthening, her wings expanding outward almost to twice their previous span and her tail extended too with the feathers there splitting and growing into a fan shape that hadn't existed two seconds ago.
Her head reshaped itself, the beak sharpening to a finer point and the small crest on top of her head growing taller and more defined.
The light faded and Fletchling had become a Fletchinder.
She looked at her new body and then immediately soared into the air. I looked up only to see the bird had spread her wings obstructing the light of the moon as she made sure to show off really quickly.
"We can still see you…" I said, and Fletchinder soared down as I patted her head making her chirp.
Regardless of if she was bigger, she was still my Fletchling. I just hoped none of my Pokémon developed attitude issues after they evolved.
It would be a pain in the ass if one of your Pokémon suddenly stopped listening to your orders because they didn't respect you.
Fletchinder circled around my head looking at Ralts.
"Fletch fletch fletch…" She said with her voice sounding a whole lot bolder. That didn't mean I couldn't understand her though.
"Rara~" Ralts pulled on my hair and I winced.
"Calm down Ralts. You'll evolve really soon, we just have to enter more battles." I assured her with a pat on the head and then looked at Fletchling. "Come on, stop bullying her will you?"
"Fletch~" She spread her wings and landed on my shoulder, and I have to admit, she was much heavier than she was before.
It made my whole shoulder dip under the weight before I adjusted my stance, I'd really have to get used to that.
Yvon walked toward us while returning her Vivillon to its Pokéball, looking at me and then extending her hand out for a handshake.
"That was a great Pokémon battle, I understand that me and my Pokémon have ways to go." She said like an adult that she was, and I returned the handshake.
"Thank you for the battle as well, I hope you manage to achieve your goals." I told her, and she nodded wishing me the same.
We separated hands and she went off on her way while I did mine.
That was the adult thing to do right? I pulled out my Poképhone and there were several notifications like Fletchling's new evolution data and all of that, but I entered the Z-A Royale app.
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[Welcome to Rank X, Contestant Paxton]
[You will be notified of the next Battle Zone for Rank X tomorrow]
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Huh, no special note or something? I blinked. Well it was just Rank X where there were a lot of other competitors involved going from Rank Z to Rank B.
Well anyway, I hoped that I got some kind of special message or bonus rewards the next time I ranked up.
"For now… tomorrow we have to get Feebas out of the dome and see the outside while making her more beautiful and I also need to go back to the dojo." I muttered under my breath while walking forward to the sidewalk while the small crowd dispersed around us. "But tonight, let's see if Cindy mov—"
HONK!
I looked forward and there was a taxi already there. Who the hell honked someone at night? The window rolled down to reveal Zach with his classic brown hair and the young man gave me a smile.
"You going anywhere tonight, Paxton? How about I drop you off?" Zach asked with a suspicious grin on his face.
"Free ride?" I asked, and he smiled while his eyes twitched.
"No…"
"Then forget it..." I said, but I was already walking toward the back door because at the end of the day, finding a Lumi Cab on this side of the plaza after midnight was going to take forever and Lida's feast was waiting.
"How much?" I asked while opening the back door.
"₽710 flat… just like always." Zach said while suddenly sounding very professional. "Hotel Z right? I remember the way."
"Of course you do." I muttered, and got in.
The taxi pulled off and Zach was humming along to some Kalos pop song on the radio.
…
"I'm home!" I called out while opening the door. It's not like I could say I'm at the hotel. After all, this was my home, for now.
Immediately Floette welcomed me.
"Flo~" She offered a blue Oran berry and I smiled at her.
"Thank you Floette." I said while taking the Oran berry and eating it. Then she floated back to AZ's desk, took one and handed it to Ralts.
"Rara~" Ralts lifted the Oran berry and started eating it. I closed the door behind me and got to Hotel Z's desk.
"Evening AZ." I greeted the man, and he smiled.
"Welcome back Paxton, from the look on your face, I trust you had a good time today?" He asked while looking up from his book.
I really wanted to know what was contained in that book honestly. Every single time I came back, that book was open at a different page and I had never once seen him close it or carry it anywhere outside the desk…
Maybe it never left?
"Yes I really did, aren't you joining us for dinner?" I made small talk. I hadn't actually seen AZ leave his desk and I was feeling quite worried.
"I already ate, you don't need to worry much. Your friends are waiting for you in the dining." He said, and I nodded before walking over to the dining table.
Immediately I could see Naveen whose Rotomphone was positioned in front of him with an earbud in his ear as usual, so I could guess that he was watching Canari's stream.
He didn't even look up when I walked in, fully focused on whatever Canari was doing tonight.
Félix was on the table scrolling through his phone as well, and once he saw me, he waved at me.
He looked different from this morning… His hair was tidier, looking like he had actually combed it for once. Tomorrow I would take him out to get him good with my barber and get some new clothes too.
Taunie was also at the table and the moment she saw my face, she averted her eyes to avoid looking at me.
Taunie was shy? I wasn't sure I would ever see the look on her face. Regardless I went and took a seat next to Naveen.
"Yo." He told me, finally looking up and pulling the earbud out. "You sure took your sweet time getting here…"
"What? You were waiting for me… want to give me some kisses?" I asked, and Naveen's face twitched in disgust before putting back his earbud while I laughed.
Across the table Félix snorted into his phone and just then Lida came out of the kitchen with a smile on her face.
"Welcome back Pax. I'm glad you came back or we would have eaten without you." Lida said, and I chuckled.
Lida cook? And I wouldn't eat? What a preposterous sentence. Immediately Lida began serving dishes, and she wasn't lying when she said that she would cook a big feast.
The first thing she set down was a big bowl of creamy mushroom risotto with little flecks of green herbs through it with the steam rising off it carrying a smell strong enough to hit me from where I was sitting.
Next to it she set down a platter of roasted Combee honey-glazed chicken legs piled up on a bed of caramelized onions, the skin browned and shining under the hanging light.
There were thick slices of garlic bread arranged in a basket lined with a cloth, and a big wooden bowl of mixed leaf salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, shredded cheese and a pale dressing already drizzled across the top.
A side dish of pan-seared green vegetables that looked like asparagus and broccolini went between them and in the center of the table she placed a casserole dish of what smelled like a beef stew, with potatoes and carrots floating in a thick brown gravy.
There was also a tray of small skewers… grilled prawns, mushrooms, peppers and a bowl of rice on the side. Plus I could see what looked like a chocolate dessert tart sitting at the far end of the table waiting for after the main meal.
After that she even brought out some drinks and I raised my eyebrow. Drinks too?
"What's the occasion?" I asked, I wanted Lida to cook but wasn't this a bit too much?
"We're celebrating three different things…" Lida said as she poured a soft drink into my cup. "We're celebrating you and Taunie making it to Rank X…"
I looked at Taunie and the young woman managed a grin even though her face looked a bit flustered.
"You made it to Rank X too?" I asked, and she nodded.
"Who do you think I am? Of course I made it to Rank X." She grinned. "And I followed your profile so I know exactly when you made it to Rank X too…"
"Oh?" I hadn't checked my profile. I needed to update the picture there too to make it look more casual. "Congratulations to both of us then, what's the third celebration?"
"Wel—" She was interrupted as someone came down the stairs and skidded into the dining room while folding her hands.
"That would be me joining your Team MZ." Cindy said while folding her arms over her chest.
Her brown hair had come down completely now from the buns she had earlier, and she was also wearing a black singlet as well as shorts that reached her thighs.
She was significantly more casual than the full Charizard cosplay from earlier and honestly I was thrown for a second because I had only known her in the costume.
Without it she looked like a completely different person.
"I trust that's what you were about to say, right Lida?"
Lida let out a sigh.
"Yes that's exactly what I wanted to say." She said with a small smile on her face. I couldn't help but wonder why she was smiling.
Considering Cindy was probably in Room 203, sharing a wall with my Room 202, Lida really should not have been smiling about that but that didn't matter though… now Team MZ had equal men and women.
Cindy walked over to Naveen's side of the table and folded her hands.
"Uh… excuse me." She said, and Naveen removed his earbud looking up at her while she smiled. "I want to sit down next to my rival thank you."
"Rival?" Naveen turned over to me and I couldn't help but shake my head while sighing under my breath.
This was definitely going to be a really long night…
[Author's Note]
So yeah, I didn't drop the book, I just couldn't write since… my Grandma died the day after I posted that chapter but you guys don't need to worry, I'm okay and we'll continue as usual from next week.
I want to thank you all for the Power Stones that the book got even when the book wasn't being updated and let's try to get to 150 I guess, Upon reaching our goal, I'll be posting the next chapter as well as a chapter for Fel's backstory.