I'm so at chapter names im sorry

and i was playing pokemon let's go eevee which is why my writing is pretty slow now haha

block b appears here i have no idea what they're like so im sorry if their personalities dont match :(. and im super not satisfied with the chapter in general but i really can't be bothered to go back and rewrite it 

on another note, OMG I HAVE 10 SUBSCRIBERS THANK YALL SO MUCH >~<

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Quakemore is asleep when they get back. All houses are dark and not even the inn is lit. It feels just like walking through a ghost town as they make their way back to the inn. Yongguk leads them, with Ariados being able to see in the dark (it is nocturnal, after all). Monferno’s flame keeps the area lit just enough so they don’t trip over each other.

Yongguk pushes the door of the inn open to reveal the dimly-lit reception area, with a young man sitting at the counter, kicking his legs up on the table and playing some game on his phone. His Magby is asleep on the couch.

The boy seems to straighten himself up as they approach, placing his phone down on the table.

“Room for…?” he says, looking up at them with beady eyes.

“We already checked in,” Himchan says, scrunching his nose up at the third-hand smoke on the boy’s body. He makes his way up the stairs and towards their rooms. Yongguk gives the boy an apologetic smile as the group heads up to their rooms. Daehyun looks like he can barely keep his eyes open.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Himchan declares. He yawns as he trudges towards the tiny bathroom while Yongguk makes himself at home on the bed. It’s not the best of mattresses, and there is a questionable brown stain at the corner of the blanket, but it’ll do. He snuggles into the pillow. Damn, it’s relaxing. He can literally fall asleep right about now.

Houndoom curls up at the base of his bed. Himchan’s Mightyena does the same, snuggling into Houndoom, which the Pokemon sort of ignores.

Yongguk must have fallen asleep at some point in time, because the next thing he knows, it’s Himchan yelling at him to go bathe because “I don’t want you to stink the hell out of the room”. Yongguk blinks up at him, then proceeds to peel his exhausted body off the bed, ambling over to the bathroom with the grace of a Teddiursa.

When he comes out feeling slightly refreshed, he finds Himchan already snoring on the bed. The light overhead flickers for a few moments. Houndoom and Mightyena don’t even react when Yongguk accidentally brushes his foot against Houndoom’s fur. Great. Now, Yongguk can’t sleep. He fishes his book on trainer tips out of his bag, opens it, and reads.

*

“You’re not sleeping yet?”

Junhong watches as Jongup is sitting on the plush armchair, legs thrown carelessly over the armrest. Servine is sitting on the other armrest, peering over Jongup’s shoulder at the Pokedex screen, colouring Jongup’s face a light blue. Junhong wraps a towel around his neck and stands behind the chair, curious as to what Jongup is looking at.

On the screen is a black Pokemon with a white plume on its head. Its name, Darkrai, is displayed in black, bold lettering above its image.

Darkrai. Level 54. Type: Dark. Moves learned: Double Team, Nightmare, Faint Attack, Hypnosis. Ability: Bad Dreams (causes surrounding sleeping life forms to have nightmares). It chases people and Pokémon from its territory by causing them to experience deep, nightmarish slumbers.

“Whoa, where’d you get that?” Junhong sounds amazed. Jongup tilts his head to look up at him for a moment, then lowers his gaze again. When Jongup doesn’t respond, Junhong purses his lips. “Never seen that one before.”

“Howlbreak Forest,” Jongup says. “I saw it in Howlbreak Forest.” The Pokemon he’d seen before he passed out. It had emerged from a black, ominous void that had appeared out of nowhere. Jongup is sure that this Pokemon is a legendary, but what were its intentions when it had appeared to Jongup then?

Plus, it is capable of inducing nightmarish sleep on people and Pokemon alike. Perhaps it was the reason that Jongup had relived that night once more. Jongup flips the Pokedex shut and places it on the table. He stands up, finding Junhong already in bed. Croconaw is lying with its jaw tucked into the crook of its elbow, sound asleep.

Jongup returns Servine to its Pokeball and places it with his other Pokemon by his belt on the table. After all, Grass-types hardly like the cold, and it gets chilly at night.

He switches off the light and slips into bed. They’re headed for Heatstorm tomorrow.

*

The next morning, Daehyun and Youngjae are surprisingly the first ones down at the breakfast hall in the inn. Daehyun is, of course, hungry, not having eaten dinner last night. Junhong is next to join them, claiming that Jongup is still asleep. Yongguk comes alone as well, intending to pack some food up for Himchan who refuses to get out of bed.

The breakfast hall is tiny and there are only a few guests apart from themselves. They have porridge with a spread of berry side dishes and generally eat in silence, opting to listen to the idle chatter of the other guests.

“I heard they found the kids.”

Daehyun’s ears perk up at this. He glances over at the direction of the voice, a touristy-looking man dressed in a simple grey-and-white raglan shirt with a camera slung around his neck, straw hat perched comfortably on his head as he speaks with the lady that’s sitting across from him. She is slightly plumper and wears a baby blue sundress, sunglasses in her hand. They certainly look like the odd couple.

They look like people with absolutely zero fashion sense, but it’s not like Daehyun’s complaining. He himself is often berated by Youngjae for his lack of coordination between outfits.

“Mauled by some Pokemon,” the woman says. “But it’s been said that the Pokemon’s been dealt with already.”

They must be talking about the Hypno. Recalling that incident still sends a chill down Daehyun’s spine. Yongguk’s eyes meet his and he looks down quickly at his empty bowl of porridge. He reaches for another pinch of dried Bluk berry and shoves it down his throat. He swallows thickly, trying to erase the images of mutilated children from his mind’s eye. That Phantump that he had befriended was probably one of them.

The duo leaves soon after, and the jingling of the bell at the door signals the arrival of another guest, which appears to be Jongup already fully dressed in the black leather jacket and black pants, Helioptile hanging by his shoulder, tail swaying. 

He looks sort of…hot.

Daehyun shakes his head, slapping his cheeks. What the hell?

He looks at Jongup as the latter settles himself down beside him at their table, on the spare chair. A second glance has Daehyun recoiling as his stupid, stupid brain decides to remind him how Jongup saved him back in the haunted house. Remembers how Jongup had held him strongly when Daehyun nearly fell, remembers the small smile that Jongup had smiled because of him.

And oh Arceus, Daehyun has a big ing problem.

“Hello, earth to Daehyun!”

Daehyun is jolted out of his trance as he registers Youngjae’s open palm waving right in front of him. Everyone at the table has an amused expression. Including Jongup. Daehyun’s face flares. Suddenly, everything that Jongup is and does stands out like a Banette in the afternoon sun. The way he’s staring at Daehyun, the way his head rests on his hand, the way he’s feeding Helioptile a plump Mago berry...  

It’s just making Daehyun feel more and more self-conscious.

“Jonguppie asked if you’d like to train, you know, after this,” Youngjae says, grinning. “I think he’s fed up with your weak .”

“Daehyun can’t protect himself if I’m not there to,” Jongup says, shrugging, and Daehyun splutters. Even Cottonee appears to be laughing its off.

“Excuse me, I can protect myself just fine,” he huffs, trying to sound offended.

The table bursts into laughter.

*

Himchan wakes up sprawled all over…

“Holy , I’m so sorry,” Himchan yelps as he realizes he’s squashing Mightyena’s tail. Mightyena doesn’t seem at all bothered (the darn thing must have crawled into his bed overnight) instead chooses to at his face.

Himchan pushes himself up such that he’s propped up on two elbows. He rubs at his eye, staring at the sunny, blue sky through the window while running his fingers through Mightyena’s thick mane, the Pokemon purring contentedly.

Heatstorm is nearby.

And so was his house.

Himchan glances to the other bed and realizes Yongguk is gone, along with Houndoom and his other Pokemon. , had he gone to eat breakfast? Without his lord Himchan. He grabs his things and is about to exit the room when the door bursts open and Yongguk and company storm in, the aromatic scent of porridge and berries filling the room.

“Eat up, Himchan, we’re leaving,” Youngjae says. “Off to Heatstorm, city of stones!”

“Wasn’t that Souldrop?” Himchan begins to gulp down the porridge, coughing once or twice and having to have Yongguk pat his back a couple of times.

“Souldrop was the city of crystals. Heatstorm is the city of stones,” Youngjae says. “That’s what Hongbin’s guidebook says.”

“Where’s Uppie and Junhongie?” Himchan asks, slurping down the last bits of the porridge then dabbing at his mouth daintily with a tissue paper.

“Preparing back in their room,” Daehyun says. “You know, they like to be prepared.”

Himchan stuffs the food packet into the nearby trash bin and he stands up, heading over to their backpacks. “Come on, Yongguk-ah. Pack up. Let’s go.”

Yongguk nods obediently. Youngjae announces that they must pack as well, the Daejae duo making their way back to their room.

“So, Heatstorm. There are a couple of things to do there,” Yongguk says, smiling. “You know, visit their Stone Market, check out the Magma stream…oh, and there’s a Contest Hall opening up.”

Whatever Yongguk’s doing, Himchan appreciates it. He really does.

He Mightyena’s fur as the Pokemon rubs its muzzle against his leg.  “Yeah. The Market sounds nice.”

He doesn’t miss Yongguk’s beaming at him as they continue to stuff their things into their bags. He can’t control the smile creeping up his face.

*

“Slowpokes!”

“I’d like to think I’m a Slowbro or a Slowking,” Yongguk says intelligently.

“I’d like to think I’m the Champion of Oakre, but I’m obviously not,” Youngjae says, sticking out his tongue. Petilil agrees, nodding vigorously. Himchan looks mildly offended, but Yongguk laughs and ruffles Himchan’s hair.

They bid goodbye to the innkeeper. There is a large crowd gathered at the entrance to Quakemore. Himchan can see the blinding white uniforms worn by the officers taking direct orders from the League. They must be here to take care of the missing children case. Himchan kind of feels sorry for the parents. Many mothers and fathers are crying, embracing each other, as a woman in white break the news to them, her hands behind her back, her Cinccino right by her side, tail wrapped around itself as a cold wind sweeps through the area.

Himchan wraps his coat even more tightly around himself. He looks ahead to find Yongguk staring back, then making a “come-hither” motion. Himchan obliges and hurries towards the group already heading down to Route 7, making for Heatstorm City.

*

“Aw damn, you guys aren’t fun at all.”

Zico bends over one of the girls. Her hair is dyed a shocking pink colour, a puke-green beanie with a large cross over a purple eye stitched across the front. Her Pokemon, Beautifly and Salazzle, are lying defeated beside her. The other members of the gang, three boys and two girls, are also passed out along the dark, dank alleyway.

Furret scampers away from one of the boy’s Larvesta and climbs up Zico’s back, wrapping its furry body around his neck.

“Now, time to call the cops,” Zico says. He nods at his other Pokemon, Kecleon and Chatot, as they stand over the defeated teenagers. No doubt the other members of Death to the Dark, the Dark referring to Ghost-, Psychic- and possibly Dark-types as well, will come for them soon. But Zico believes in their city’s police.

He finds a nearby payphone and dials for the cops. Within seconds, his call is answered and he tells the police the exact location where the teenagers are located. He is assured that they’d reach in a couple of minutes. Zico, satisfied, hangs up, adjusting the Whismur-shaped fur hat on his head.

Zico’s Pokephone rings. He picks up the call just as he hears sirens and voices from around the corner. Well, he’s got to skedaddle before the police decides he’s worth questioning. He returns Kecleon and Furret to their Pokeballs. He grabs one of Chatot’s legs as the bird powerfully lifts them both into the sky and onto the rooftop of a nearby building.

“Yes, I heard you the first time,” Zico says, leaning against the wall of the building, staring at the scene as the police round up the unconscious teenagers. He grins to himself. It’s the Vigilante Artist’s masterpiece. “What? The Leader? You think he’s suspicious? Well, I think he’s a big softie.”

He has to hold the phone away from his ear as Taeil yells at him. “Yeah, yeah. I get it. Maybe I’ll get Pyo to look into it.”

He hangs up the call before Taeil can get another word in. Hell, Zico himself is the freaking leader of their division.

Oh well.

Zico dials another number and listens to the soothing dial tone as he places it to his ear.

*

Route 7 had been short. The dirt path gradually gives way to hardened, rocks tinted with a shade of red. It’s as if heat is generated from the ground. Himchan’s feet are burning with every step he takes. Floette is floating by his side, and Houndoom strolls by Yongguk’s. Monferno and Braixen are out, enjoying the heat from the ground, the heat supplied by the nearby volcano. Jongup is riding on Araquanid, the Pokemon seeming fine thanks to the water bubble around its head. Junhong’s Yamask seems fine with the heat as well, appearing extremely curious at everything it sees.

Heatstorm City is a city filled with many shiny buildings, or rather, buildings with walls that glimmer under the strong sunlight. There is a sizeable population here as compared to Quakemore. There are several tour groups that have just arrived, the buses stopped along the road as cars race past them.

“Well, first things first, accommodations,” Himchan says.

“Heatstorm isn’t like Quakemore,” Yongguk points out. “We may have to wait till the afternoon before we can check into any hotel.”

“Why don’t we go grab some lunch first? I’m getting kinda hungry,” Daehyun says, patting his stomach. He is quickly joined by Junhong in his plea for food, to which Himchan relents. It isn’t hard to see him holding back the drool in his mouth as well.

They end up eating a a hole-in-the-wall diner which serves good barbeque and chargrilled meat. Himchan stuffs his face with their specialty, fried Razz on a stick. It’s been so long since he’s eaten it. When they’re done, Junhong suggests checking out the newly-opened Contest Hall.

“What’re contests?”

Himchan personally takes offence to that question that just came out of Jung Daehyun’s mouth. Therefore, he takes it upon himself to educate the peasant on the beauty of contests.

“Contests, my dear Jung Daehyunnie, is the place where you showcase your Pokemon’s charms!” Himchan waves his hands around with a flourish. They’re walking on the pavement, headed towards the striking blue building standing out among the other grey ones. “Well, it’s easier to show you.”

The first Contest Hall opened in Oakre is in Sparkridge City, the hub of almost all commercial and entertainment business. The other big city with all these being Stratuseon. There has been smaller Contest Halls erected in the west side of Oakre, with one being in Snowberry City and the other being in Marshhusk.

The Contest Hall, having only been opened a few days prior, is already garnering a lot of attention. Many people of different ages and sizes are walking in and out of the Hall with their Pokemon. It’s truly a grand sight to behold.

Himchan finds himself gravitating towards the Hall (they were already walking towards it to begin with). Floette looks like it’s going to burst from excitement.

While there may appear to be many people entering the Contest Hall, most of them have already headed in to the audience seats. The reception hall looks rather empty, apart from a few stragglers. Himchan’s eyes fall on a familiar device sitting in the corner. It’s box-shaped, with a blue sphere in the middle.

“Holy , I didn’t think I’ve seen one of these in forever,” Himchan sits himself down on the couch in front of the machine. The others gather around.

“What’s this for?” Daehyun asks, gesturing at the machine. Himchan removes the sphere, revealing a circular hole.

“You put berries in here,” Himchan says, demonstrating with a Pecha berry, stuffing the pink fruit into the box. “Then, you have to press start.” He points at a blue button at the side of the machine. “Then, you the thing will spin and mash your berries up.”

“And?”

“And then you basically need to press the button when your side lights up,” Himchan says. He taps the red orbs at each side of the machine. “The Blender will beep when it’s done, and then each one of us will get this thing called a Pokeblock.”

“A Pokeblock? What’s that for?”

“A Pokeblock, you uneducated peasant,” Himchan says, “is delicious candy for your Pokemon.”

At this, their Pokemon all brighten up.

“And plus, when they eat it, they get more beautiful,” Himchan says. “Then, you’ll have no trouble winning the contests.”

“Then I think Daehyun needs to have a few,” Youngjae wiggles his brows, which earns him a slap on the shoulder.

“The thing is that only four of us can participate at any one point in time,” Himchan tells them. “So, two of you are gonna have to watch.”

“Two of you? Why not two of us?” Youngjae asks.

“Because I’m the maestro here,” Himchan says, “and I’ve got to watch over all of you knaves. Or else I’m going to end up with bad Pokeblocks.”

“I’ll pass,” Jongup says, holding up a hand.

“You kids have fun,” Yongguk nods, smiling.

Himchan pouts. “You guys are such party poopers.”

“We’ll just watch. It’s okay,” Yongguk grins, patting Himchan’s back. Youngjae, Daehyun and Junhong take their stations at the four sides of the box. Himchan takes out an Iapapa berry, a Qualot berry and a Rindo berry.  He replaces the blue sphere and presses the start button. The machine begins whirring to life.

Himchan sits down, legs spread apart, hands on his thighs, looking like a dojo master.

“Alright, es, let’s get this show on the road.”

*

Sehun adjusts his tie once more, breathing out a heavy sigh as he notes the sheer number of reporters waiting for him to make the speech. Sehun puts on his best smile when he’s signalled by the secretary to step up onto the podium.

Sehun puts on his best smile for the cameras as he heads up onto the podium. In an instant, all the reporters’ eyes and cameras are on him, journalists waiting with their pens poised, notepad in hand, ready to jot everything he says down. Citizens are gathered in the city square, interested in what he has to say.

Sehun clears his throat and takes the microphone.

“Citizens of Stratuseon, do hear me out.”

Silence.

“As you may know, I am your city’s Gym Leader, Oh Sehun,” Sehun continues, “Recently, there has been uproar about the Lake Instinct incident.” He pauses, waiting for response. No outburst, no nothing. “It was my mistake that the Dragonite was not dealt with until it was too late. Too late to bring back the lives of those that you have lost.”

There is murmuring amongst the crowd now. People cup their hands over their mouths, whispering to their friends. A father is looking especially enraged, his Cutiefly desperately trying to calm him down, flitting in front of him. The clearing-of-the-throat by his secretary has Sehun remembering where he’s at, what he’s doing, or supposed to do.

“We, representatives of the League, will up our security, our defences, to ensure that no incident like this ever happens again,” Sehun says. He rattles off a list of things that he has in mind, like increasing patrols along the routes, strengthening their police force, etcetera, etcetera. He ends off his speech with: “And all of us is responsible for our own safety. Do not travel the routes at night. Do not venture too far out of the city without your own Pokemon to keep you safe. Thank you.”

Without further ado, he strides off the podium, retreating to his Gym, Swanna waddling in behind him.

Sehun removes his coat and slings it over the coat hanger. Swanna squawks.

“Got to draft up the plan for the new training regime, and the new patrol arrangements,” Sehun complains to his Pokemon. Swanna just blinks at him. Sighing again, Sehun settles down at his desk, makes himself a cup of coffee and gets to work.

*

“There! Perfect!”

Four Pokeblocks tumble out from the openings in the machine. Two pink, one green and one yellow Pokeblocks. Beside him, Himchan can already feel Floette’s mouth watering. While Floette kind of eats anything, like Himchan, it prefers dry food over sour food, so as long as it doesn’t eat the yellow Pokeblock, it’ll be fine.

If there’s one gift that Himchan has been blessed with, it’s the ability to tell a Pokemon’s Nature by observing their behaviour, and from there, he can deduce what flavour of Pokeblock a Pokemon likes and dislikes.

For example, Daehyun’s Cottonee, which has a Jolly nature, looks pretty happy at seeing the pink Pokeblocks since it likes sweet food. And Youngjae’s Petilil has a Rash nature, so it, like Floette prefers dry food.

Himchan feeds Cottonee the pink Pokeblock, and gives Floette the green one, which the Pokemon gobbles up hungrily.

“That was kinda fun, actually,” Youngjae says.

“And you’re pretty good at it,” Junhong says. “Did you use to do this?”

“Uh…huh,” Himchan says absently. “Yeah…I used to. A lot.”

There’s a sudden tension between them, but disappears as quickly as it has settled when Himchan shakes his head, plastering on a grin, “Alright, time to continue berry blending!”

Just like that, they manage to make a giant sack of Pokeblocks, which the Pokemon find absolutely delicious. Jongup had gotten bored and decided to get them some lunch, while Yongguk ends up reading his book.

“So, can we just enter a Contest like this or something?” Daehyun looks dubiously down at Bagon, who is munching on a red Pokeblock. It doesn’t seem to have any specific favourite flavour.

“Whatever are you talking about,” Himchan huffs. He’s been taking a lot of offense from Daehyun recently. “A Contest consists of three segments—the Visual, the Dance and the Act.”

Everyone prepares themselves for a long, long talk. Or lecture. Coming from Himchan, they’re the same thing.

“So, visual refers to the segment where the Pokemon shows off their charms and try to appeal to the judges,” Himchan explains. “So, this is the part where your Pokeblocks come in handy.”

“Let me guess, the Dance segment is about your Pokemon…dancing.”

“There’s a lead dancer and three backup dancers,” Himchan says. “You have to show off your dancing skills as the lead dancer and follow the lead dancer’s steps as a backup dancer. Each Pokemon gets their own turn to be the lead dancer, so it’s not unfair.”

“The Act segment then? You mean our Pokemon have to put up some show or tell some story or something?” Youngjae looks confused.

“What the hell, no,” Himchan says, mildly surprised. “I mean, like, no. The Act segment is when you show off your moves. You know, each move has a different kind of appeal and stuff, so you need to know when to use the right moves.”

“Huh,” Youngjae hums. “You sure you weren’t some contest prodigy or something?”

Himchan snorts. “I wish.”

“But you’re really knowledgeable, though,” Youngjae says. “I mean, about Contests. Can’t say the same for battling, though.”

Himchan whacks him over the head.

“Himchan?”

Himchan looks up to see a woman all dressed up in what looks to be a feather hat, red sunglasses that cover half her face, brown hair and a boa around her neck. Her Furfrou stops by her feet, the Pokemon itself sporting a haircut and getup that can rival models.

“A-Auntie?” Himchan stands in shock, staring at the woman before him. She flicks her hand indignantly.

“You can’t recognize your own auntie?” she harrumphs. “The one who taught you all about Pokemon Contests?” She removes her sunglasses and places them delicately into her handbag. “Shame on you!”

“W-Whoa, wait. This is your aunt, Himchan?” Youngjae stares at the lady.

As if only just noticing that he exists, Himchan’s aunt turns to face Youngjae, what looks to be a sweet smile on her face, “And who might this be?”

“Youngjae,” Youngjae says. “I’m Himchan’s friend.”

“Friend, hmm?” Himchan’s aunt nods. “Do you want to learn the art of Pokemon Contests, my boy?”

“I’ll teach him,” Himchan says quickly. “Go enjoy yourself, auntie.”

“Seems to me that you’ve grown up,” Himchan’s aunt says. She waves goodbye to the Himchan and Youngjae, and, as Himchan notices, pointedly ignoring the others, and pads over to the reception counter.

“That was a little…” Daehyun starts when Himchan’s aunt is out of earshot.

“Awkward, I know,” Himchan sighs. “It’s just, I don’t know. She has her own way of doing things that I don’t completely agree with.”

“Huh.”

There is an uncomfortable silence for a moment.

“You were talking about accessories, Himchan? For the Visual segment?” Yongguk says, giving him a small smile. “Where can we get some of those?”

Himchan doesn’t remember talking about any accessories or anything, but he nods and beams, momentarily forgetting about the encounter.

“Glad you asked.”

*

Turns out, Heatstorm Market is the best place to find Contest accessories. Jongup joins them for this, having packed Cheri and Figy berry sandwiches from a café somewhere around town.

“Arceus, this looks great on you,” Himchan grins, tapping the little tiara that Floette is wearing, the Pokemon twirling around, the pink dress it’s wearing so fitting on the little Pokemon. Floette blushes a deep red and giggles to itself. Himchan looks down at Mightyena, a fedora with a red ribbon on its head, a choker around its neck as well as a black suit made just for the Pokemon. “So smartly dressed! Himchannie is proud of you all!”

“Is it just me or does he sound like a proud dad?” Youngjae whispers to Junhong, who shrugs.

“Is it just me or did he just forget about all of us?” Junhong whispers back.

As Himchan continues to coo over his Pokemon, Youngjae and Junhong have both come to the conclsion that, indeed, Himchan has forgotten all about them. Meanwhile, Daehyun appears to be trying to get Yongguk’s opinion on certain pieces of outfits.

Jongup, on the other hand, is clearly far, far away from the accessories section of the market. Instead, he’s browsing some wares on Pokemon goods such as Protein, Iron and Calcium, accompanied by his Servine and Minun.

Himchan ends up buying two bags worth of accessories for his Pokemon as well as Youngjae and Junhong’s. The Pokemon appear to be satisfied with the purchase, though for some accessories…Youngjae and Junhong have no idea what people see in them.

“So, what else do we have to do?” Youngjae asks as Himchan leads the two of them to sit down at a nearby bench.

“What else we have to do? Learn some dance moves, of course,” Himchan says, as he packs the accessories meticulously into his Fashion Case. A black bow, a few green and yellow barrettes, a few tufts of fluff…you name it, Himchan has it. “Nowhere better than the practice rooms at the Contest Hall. Come on, let’s go.”

“Wait, hold up,” Youngjae says, holding a hand up. “Are you actually going to participate in the contests?”

“Well…yes,” Himchan says, putting on a new pair of sunglasses that he’s just bought. “Why else do you think I’m going through all this trouble?”

“I mean, unless you’re too chicken,” Himchan continues, waggling a brow at Youngjae. He can literally see fire burning in Youngjae’s eyes now.

“Too chicken?” Youngjae growls. “You may have been a Contest star, but I’m going to take home that ribbon today, Himchan. Just you watch.”

Himchan wants to laugh, because that puffy-cheeked Yoo Youngjae isnt’t going to win the title of Contest star from him. He grins and holds out a hand to Youngjae, “It’s on, kiddo.”

“You’re only four years older than me,” Youngjae huffs, staring at Himchan’s hand. “I’m not a kid. I’m going to win.”

Junhong can only stare at the two of them, a literal bolt of electricity crackling between the two of them, and sigh.

*

“What do you think?”

Cottonee looks at itself in the mirror and does a little dance of joy as it surveys itself from all the angles it can.

“Looking pretty dandy,” the man at the counter says. His own Pokemon is decked out in accessories as well, the Gloom wearing a necklace and mittens. It even sports a couple of piercings and strings chains through its leaves. That has got to be the punkiest-looking Gloom Daehyun has ever seen and actually admires it.

“Great, I’ll take it, then,” Daehyun says, then gestures to the rest of his Pokemon. “And all those too.”

“That’ll be fifty-eight thousand Pokedollars.”

Daehyun forks the money over. If it makes his Pokemon happy, he guesses that it won’t hurt. Plus, Himchan is a walking wallet bursting with cash, and even if he didn’t want to depend on Himchan’s, uh, fortune, he’d defeat Trainers along the routes and get prize money anyways.

Daehyun spots Jongup not too far from them, apparently having bought his own share of things, though Daehyun doubts that any part of those are accessories or clothing.

“What are those?” Daehyun asks, gesturing towards the bags.

“Evolutionary stones and battle items,” Jongup says. “Mainly evolutionary stones. Most of our team need evolutionary stones to evolve.”

“Like what?” Daehyun asks, brows furrowing.

“This is for Cottonee,” Jongup says, holding up a bright red rock shaped like a sun. “Don’t let Cottonee touch it until it’s ready.”

“What do you mean?” Daehyun is confused but pockets the stone anyway.

“A Pokemon that evolves by stone may not learn new moves anymore naturally. It’s best to wait and see if there are other moves worth learning,” Jongup says. “And that is what your Pokedex is for.”

“What?”

“There are sites like Serebii that documents what Pokemon learn moves at what levels,” Jongup says. “You can go check it out. It’s up to you whether you want to evolve your Pokemon or not.”

“Huh,” Daehyun says intelligently, looking up at Cottonee, who stares back.

“Of course, if you don’t ever want to evolve Cottonee, that’s fine too,” Jongup says, shrugging. “Where did the others go?”

“Don’t know,” Yongguk shakes his head. “I can call Chan, if you’d like.” He gets to it, while Daehyun peers into the bag in Jongup’s hands.

“What are all these? Wait, I’ve seen these before…” Daehyun scrunches up his face.

“Honey, to attract wild Pokemon,” Jongup says, “Power and Mental Herbs, Macho Brace, Power Brace, Power Weight, Power—”

“Okay, I have no idea what the hell are all those.”

“Essential items when you train your Pokemon,” Jongup says. “I can teach you later.”

“No thanks,” Daehyun says, shaking his head. “I mean, I’ll just stick to my noob ways.”

“Suit yourself,” Jongup says, shrugging.

“They’re at the Contest Hall, practicing their dance moves,” Yongguk says, looking down at the Pokedex, before stuffing it into his pocket. “And apparently, Junhong is a gifted dancer.”

Daehyun doesn’t miss Jongup’s eyes lighting up ever so slightly when they talked about dance. “Do you wanna join them?”

Jongup shakes his head. “I need to go train. And Contests aren’t my thing.”

“Come on,” Daehyun says, spreading his arms wide and nearly hitting a lady walking by. “What’s the harm?”

Jongup hesitates but agrees in the end when Daehyun promises that he’d join Jongup for training later.

Yongguk stares at them funny when they walk on ahead towards the Contest Hall.

*

“And a one, and a two, and a one, two, three—!”

Himchan shrieks as the door opens and promptly falls flat on his face. Youngjae yelps and trips over his own feet.

“Lunch!” Daehyun calls, sandwich in hand and ing the bag of sandwiches onto the dance room floor. Youngjae and Junhong’s mouths water and immediately reaches for the bag, both yelling, “Mine!”

“Never seen you this into dance, Himchan,” Yongguk grins, saying, settling down beside Himchan, who’s all sweaty and his hair clings to his forehead.

“I’m not usually this enthusiastic about it either,” Himchan says, panting heavily. His thighs are burning, his feet feel like they have needles stuck on their soles. He’s grateful for the food and this moment of rest. “But Youngjae has issued a challenge and I’m not going to back down from this one.”

“Just saying but”—Yongguk grins as he leans over to Himchan’s ear, breath tickling Himchan’s skin—“I think you’re going to win.”

“I heard that!” Youngjae yells. “And I’m not going to lose, I’ll have you know!”

Yongguk chuckles, and Himchan laughs as well.

“Hey, you haven’t told us about that aunt of yours yet,” Junhong says, mouth full of food.

“That aunt of…oh, her,” Himchan’s face falls as he nibbles on his sandwich. “That witch.” The room falls silent.

“She’s an award-winning Contest star, that’s for sure,” Himchan says, swallowing down that sandwich. “I mean, she wins almost every time. How she does it? Underhanded means, that’s how.”

“Underhanded? How so?” Youngjae asks.

“She’d mess up the other candidates. Send a Pokemon to steal people’s accessories, her own Pokemon would trip the others during the dance segment, and she would purposely hinder others during the Act segment,” Himchan says, shaking his head. “She taught me all about her tricks. How to mess everyone else up.”

“That’s…wicked. I mean, literally wicked,” Youngjae says seriously. “It’s not even funny.”

“Yeah. She used to do everything discreetly,” Himchan says. “That is, until she became a Contest star.”

“I’ve never heard of her, though,” Junhong raises his hand, as if asking for permission to speak.

“Yeah, because she left for a while. Went and took part in contests overseas,” Himchan says. “But now she’s back and…” He gulps.

“And you gotta beat her,” Junhong finishes.

The room falls silent once more.

“Damn, this is…this is pretty messed up,” Daehyun says. “Alright, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to help you win this thing if it’s the last thing I’ll do.”

“Same here,” Youngjae says, cheeks blown up from the sandwich he stuffed into his mouth. “If you’re not going to wreck her, I will.”

“Really?” Himchan looks over at the group of them, their eyes on him. He can see in those orbs their determination. Even if this shouldn’t matter to them. It’s Pokemon Contests after all. It’s not battling. No one’s life is at stake.

“So, let’s get started,” Youngjae says. “There’s the Visual, Dance and Acting segment, right? Why don’t we split the work?”

“Split the work? How so?” Yongguk asks.

“The Visual segment depends a lot on the Pokeblocks that Pokemon eat and the accessories, right?” Junhong says. “We’ll help you bake some and get the accessories you need.”

“The Dance segment needs to have some sick moves,” Daehyun says. “I think Junhong and Jonguppie can help you with that.”

“And the Acting segment means you need to execute moves perfectly,” Youngjae says. “Like, you know, with a certain flair.”

They all watch as Himchan takes the information in. He takes a breath, then says, “Alright. I got this.”

Like a leader, he delegates the roles to them. Daehyun and Youngjae would go and collect this one gem out in these ruins near Heatstorm. This gem would be able to make the best accessory that Himchan can think of that would swoon the judges. Junhong and Jongup would stay behind to choreograph a dance routine for Himchan’s Pokemon. Finally, Yongguk would work with Himchan to decide on their action plan for the Acting segment.

“We’ll participate in the contest tomorrow,” Himchan announces. “We’ll spend the rest of the day preparing.” He claps his hands together, “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

*

“It looks like the Contest star Kim Minhee has returned to the Contest scene!” the announcer’s voice blares through the loudspeakers. In annoyance, Zico switches the television off. He has never liked Contests. That sounds like something up Kyung’s alley.

The door slams open. Speak of the Gengar…Zico glances at the door of their dingy apartment, first smelling the wafting aroma of pizza before seeing Kyung struggling with the multiple boxes. Zico makes no move to help, though. Kyung can manage it himself. The man dumps the boxes on the table.

“Hey, gentle with the pizza, would you?” Zico grins, and opens one of the boxes. Nanab and sugar. Ew. Who eats that kind of thing? Oh, right. Jaehyo. He reaches for another. Miltank cheese pizza. Kyung’s favourite, because it isn’t spicy. He opens another one. Ah, the delicious smell of kimchi fills his nostrils.

“You’re like, the only one who eats kimchi with bread,” Kyung says, snatching his Miltank cheese pizza from Zico.

“It’s nice. There’s a reason they’re still selling kimchi pizza,” Zico sniffs. “And who the hell can’t eat spicy food.”

Kyung shoots Zico a look and bites into his pizza, making obnoxious eating noises while he’s at it. Zico takes his pizza and returns to his spot on the couch, feeding a piece to Kecleon, who gobbles it up quickly.

“Hey, Kim Minhee’s back. You know, that Contest star that disappeared for quite a while? Heard she went overseas to study more about Contests,” Zico says.

“Kim Minhee,” Kyung says thoughtfully. “I mean, I only got into Contests after she left the scene so…”

“Aw man, you ,” Zico mumbles. “Hey, she’s gonna be participating in the Master Rank tomorrow, you know. You wanna go up against her?”

Kyung snorts, “I’m only at the Great Rank. Can’t challenge Master Rank until after I win the Ultra Rank.”

“Right, forgot how much of a noob you are.”

Kyung punches him on the shoulder.

The door opens and a sleepy Jaehyo walks in, followed by Taeil, Jihoon, Yukwon and Minhyuk.

“What are we going to watch today?” Zico asks, hand on the controller and already digging into his final slice of the pizza. He splits it with his Pokemon. Furret curls into his chest. The other members of the Block B division plant themselves around the coffee table, pizza boxes with delicious pizza in hand.

“Horror,” Taeil says without missing a beat, stuffing a slice of pizza into his mouth. His Wishiwashi follows suit, the little fish gulping down another piece.

“Hell no,” Jihoon hisses. “No way, man. I need my sleep tonight.”

“Pfft, always the scaredey-Meowth,” Zico grins.

“I’d like to see you watch the Haunting of the Marowak without screaming,” Jihoon shoots back.

Before the seven of them can decide on anything, a flash of light outside their window draws all their attention.

“Aw man, seriously?” Yukwon is about to open a pack of chips after having finished his pizza. “I just had my dinner.” His Dedenne looks annoyed.

Screams fill the air. Zico sighs as he glances at his Pokemon. They’re already tense, as if waiting for the order.

“I’ll deal with this one. You all enjoy the show,” Zico says, standing up. Furret curls itself around his neck again and Chatot lands on his shoulder. He picks up his belt with his Pokeballs inside, and heads out into the heat of the afternoon.

As he expected, it’s Death to the Dark. A group of girls with brightly-dyed hair are vandalizing streets as well as destroying property with their Pokemon’s moves. Zico yawns as civilians run by him, one man even stopping to warn him about the group.

With most of the people gone and the coast clear, Zico approaches the group of four girls. Their leader, a girl with a head of electric blue hair and a scar on her face approaches him.

“What’cha want, old geezer?” she says. Her Malamar and Fletchinder appear to be on guard.

“Old geezer? I’m not that old, you know,” Zico huffs, placing a hand on his hips. “I’m probably younger than you. I’m, like, nineteen.”

She throws her hair over her shoulders, “What does it matter? You mess with us, you’ll die.”

She sounds serious, but Zico throws his head back and laughs, “Seriously, that the best you got?”

“What?” she looks offended. “You wanna die that bad? Then die! Fletchinder, Razor Wind! Malamar, Psybeam!” The other girls follow suit and shout their commands to their Pokemon.

Zico’s smile fades and in one swift move, he releases all five of his Pokemon. Kecleon combats a Vivillon with its Flamethrower, loosing a ball of fire at the Bug-type. Furret’s Hyper Voice hits everything in range, including the girls themselves. Magnezone releases a Discharge attack, waves of electricity taking out a Pidgeotto and a Minior. Chatot’s Sing puts a Dratini and a Vibrava to sleep. Exploud’s Boomburst takes out a Magby and a Chingling.

Zico stands over the girls, who are hacking and coughing away.

“Weak,” Zico says, squatting down to look at the blue-headed girl in the eye. She cringes and backs away. “Don’t cause anymore trouble, you hear, or I won’t be so kind next time.”

The girl looks downright terrified as she nods a couple of times, and that’s enough for Zico. He recalls all his Pokemon except Furret and Exploud. Well, the collateral damage is quite bad, but Zico’s sure the Leader can fix it.

There, all taken care of.

Then, a bloodcurling scream from behind him.

Zico quickly turns on his heels to find someone running past him. Then another, and another. The girls from earlier.

Only three of them. Zico stares at something rising up from the sidewalk. It has the blue-headed girl in a death grip, the purple Pokemon waving her around like a rag doll. It looks like a giant purple blob with eyes giving off a horrible stench. Around it, from the cracks in the sidewalk, tinier purple blobs arise and take shape, eyes forming, mouth open in threatening grins.

A Feral Muk and its little Feral Grimer minions, Zico thinks to himself as his Furret and Exploud ready their attacks. Fantastic.

***********************************************************

Pokedex entries gathered:

Darkrai

Cameo appearances/mentioned:

Slowpoke (Youngjae teasing Banghim)

Slowbro (Yongguk's comeback)

Slowking (Yongguk's comeback)

Cinccino (woman's Pokemon)

Beautifly (punk girl's Pokemon)

Salazzle (punk girl's Pokemon)

Furret (Zico's Pokemon)

Larvesta (punk boy's Pokemon)

Whismur (Zico's hat)

Chatot (Zico's Pokemon)

Swanna (Sehun's Pokemon)

Furfrou (Minhee's Pokemon)

Gloom (shopkeeper's Pokemon)

Gengar (figure of speech Zico used)

Meowth (Zico teasing Jihoon)

Wishiwashi (Taeil's Pokemon)

Malamar (punk girl's Pokemon)

Fletchinder (punk girl's Pokemon)

Kecleon (Zico's Pokemon)

Vivillon (punk girl's Pokemon)

Magnezone (Zico's Pokemon)

Pidgeotto (punk girl's Pokemon)

Minior (punk girl's Pokemon)

Dratini (punk girl's Pokemon)

Vibrava (punk girl's Pokemon)

Exploud (Zico's Pokemon)

Muk (Feral Pokemon)

Grimer (Feral Pokemon)

*****************************************

Daehyun's Pokemon:

-Cottonee. Level 31. Type: Grass/Fairy. Moves learned: Giga Drain, Charm, Poison Powder, Leech Seed.
-Monferno. Level 29. Type: Fire/Fighting. Moves learned: Mach Punch, Flame Wheel, Torment, Feint.
-Bagon. Level 29. Type: Dragon. Moves learned: Crunch, Dragon Claw, Focus Energy, Headbutt
-Plusle. Level 28. Type: Electric. Moves learned: Swift, Electro Ball, Charm, Charge

Youngjae's Pokemon:

-Petilil. Level 33. Type: Grass. Moves learned: Helping Hand, Aromatherapy, Stun Spore, Giga Drain.
-Lopunny. Level 33. Type: Normal. Moves learned: Jump Kick, Agility, Return, Baton Pass.
-Braixen. Level 32. Type: Fire. Moves learned: Psybeam, Lucky Chant, Light Screen, Fire Spin.
-Cubone. Level 27. Type: Ground. Moves learned: Rage, Leer, Bone Club, False Swipe.
-Misdreavus. Level 28. Type: Ghost. Moves learned: Hex, Mean Look, Confuse Ray, Psybeam.

Jongup's Pokemon:

-Helioptile. Level 36. Type: Normal/Electric. Moves learned: Razor Wind, Parabolic Charge, Bulldoze, Thunder Wave.
-Lucario. Level 39. Type: Fighting/Steel. Moves learned: Me First, Aura Sphere, Swords Dance, Bone Rush.
-Araquanid. Level 38. Type: Water/Bug. Moves learned: Crunch, Leech Life, Bubblebeam, Aqua Ring.
-Servine. Level 34. Type: Grass. Moves learned: Leaf Blade, Growth, Leaf Tornado, Slam.
-Minun. Level 32. Type: Electric: Moves learned: Charge, Copycat, Discharge, Fake Tears.

Junhong's Pokemon:

-Clefairy. Level 32. Type: Fairy. Moves learned: Wake-Up Slap, Metronome, Minimize, Stored Power
-Weepinbell. Level 34. Type: Grass/Poison. Moves learned: Vine Whip, Sweet Scent, Knock Off, Acid.
-Meditite. Level 36. Type: Fighting/Psychic. Moves learned: Hi Jump Kick, Reversal, Psych Up, Acupressure
-Croconaw. Level 29. Type: Water. Moves learned: Ice Fang, Flail, Water Gun, Bite.
-Yamask. Level 28. Type: Ghost. Moves learned: Will-o-Wisp, Ominous Wind, Hex, Haze.

Yongguk's Pokemon:

-Rufflet. Level 32. Type: Normal/Flying. Moves learned: Hone Claws, Defog, Slash, Aerial Ace
-Houndour. Level 36. Type: Fire/Dark. Moves learned: Beat Up, Fire Fang, Howl, Faint Attack
-Ariados. Level 32. Type: Bug/Poison. Moves learned: Infestation, er Punch, Spider Web, Swords Dance
-Grovyle. Level 33. Type: Grass. Moves learned: Fury Cutter, Leaf Blade, Agility, Slam.

Himchan's Pokemon:

-Floette. Level 29. Type: Fairy. Moves learned: Fairy Wind, Razor Leaf, Grassy Terrain, Wish.
-Kirlia. Level 29. Type: Fairy/Psychic. Moves learned: Draining Kiss, Heal Pulse, Confusion, Calm Mind.
-Brionne. Level 27. Type: Water. Moves learned: Icy Wind, Sing, Disarming Voice, Bubblebeam.
-Mightyena. Level 28. Type: Dark. Moves learned: Assurance, Roar, Scary Face, Swagger.
-Fearow. Level 24. Type: Normal/Flying. Moves learned: Aerial Ace, Fury Attack, Assurance, Mirror Move.