In The Spotlight

The pair decided to stop by Cafe Soleil on their way to their apartment. It was nearby and they were hungry. They both froze when they saw who was in the cafe as well. Marcel froze because he ran into Lysandre again, and Wyatt froze because of the lady Lysandre was talking to, Diantha. Lysandre paused in his conversation when he noticed the two star struck boys.

“What a coincidence running into you two so soon. Marcel was it? And-”

“S-W-Wyatt. Wyatt.” He almost messed up big time, but if either of the big shots in the cafe noticed, they didn’t say anything.

It wasn’t long before they reached the Professor’s Lab. It wasn’t the grandest building in Lumiose City, but it stood out with its detailed architecture, and large pastures out back. Neither Wyatt nor Marcel could really take it in before they were ushered inside. They were brought up to the top floor and told to wait while Sina and Dexio went to talk to the Professor.

Wyatt looked at Marcel through the corner of his eye. “Are you…doing okay? I’m sorry, if I had known-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Marcel cut him off. He then seemed to realize that he was being harsh to his friend, and gave Wyatt a weak smile. “I’m used to this kind of thing. They’ll move on soon enough, and then we can too. Ok?”

“...Okay.”

Around that time the pair of assistants came back over to them.

“The Professor wants to thank you himself!” Sina exclaimed,”Isn’t that exciting?”

“He says he has something to give you,”Dexio added. 

The next day finds Wyatt and Marcel heading to Lumiose City with Dexio and Sina. Marcel’s mood from the night before hangs in the air, although, from everyone’s smiles, maybe only Wyatt still feels awkward about it. There isn’t really any way to check on his friend without making things worse, because it would mean interrupting Sina’s excited rambles about fairy types. It was probably interesting, but Wyatt couldn’t bring himself to focus on that. 

"This seems a bit fishy..."

The group ended up having to camp out the night before heading to Lumiose. As they sat around the fire, they exchanged stories. Dexio and Sina talked at length about being Professor Sycamore’s assistants. Wyatt talked about what he’s learned as a Pokemon Trainer so far, leaving out any mention of his adventures as Sawyer. The only one who didn’t contribute much was Marcel. Wyatt noticed, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to make the atmosphere awkward.

Wyatt found his chance to ask sooner rather than later. Sina and Dexio fell asleep first. Wyatt was about to as well, when he saw that Marcel was still wide awake, poking the remains of the fire.

“You seemed down today,”Wyatt pointed out, coming to sit next to him.

“You think so?” Marcel questioned.

“Is it about Sina’s comments earlier? She was a bit rude,” Wyatt asked.

Marcel was quiet for awhile, before responding,”Yeah…That’s probably it.”

“Don’t let her bother you that much,”Wyatt advised,”You know the kind of person you are. Someone who hasn’t seen you in over a year doesn’t have a clue, right?”

“Yeah…right…”Marcel agreed. When Wyatt opened his mouth to say something else, Marcel quickly said,”Well, I’m getting tired. Goodnight.”

It was starting to get late in the day, and there were still no signs of Flabebe. Wyatt was starting to think Marcel may be right, and it was still too early in the year for them to be here. Especially considering that there weren’t any flowers blooming yet. There were a couple starting to sprout up, but the gardens this route was known for were still pretty bare. Except-

“Look over there!” Wyatt said pointing to a patch of color a ways away.

“It’s probably our best bet,”Dexio agreed,” The Professor said to stay low and quiet when approaching wild pokemon, so we should be careful to do so when we get closer.”

“Alright,” Wyatt and Sina both said. Marcel just gave a short nod.

The group approached just like Dexio suggested. It was a small patch of yellow flowers that bloomed early. The yellow made it easy to spot the one white flower moving throughout the rest. There was their Flabebe. Sino and Dexio got to work writing observations down. Wyatt was getting bored by the time they packed up their stuff and signaled to leave.

“That’s it?” Wyatt whispered,” You aren’t going to bring it back.”

“No, we just needed to observe it in the wild,”Dexio stated quietly,”Let’s go.”

“Soooo…I can catch it?”Wyatt asked.

“If you want to, then go for it,”Sina whispered. “It can learn grass type moves, so be careful about using your Popplio.”

“Got it,” He popped up out of the flowers, a yellow one managing to stick to his hair,” Kirari, Quick Attack!”

Kirari dashed at the Flabebe, leaving a white trail behind her. The Flabebe dodged, and noticed Wyatt, flying straight towards him.

“Pika?”

“Kirari,” It was risky to use an attack on the pokemon when it was this close to him. The attack could hit him instead. It was small, so he should be able to take a hit,”Stay put.”

Thankfully, the Flabebe wasn’t interested in attacking, just floating around the flower still stuck to his hair. “Uhm, hi there?”

“I think its just interested in the flowers,” Marcel pointed out. “You’re fine.”

“Although, if it was one of its evolutions, they tend to be more aggressive,” Dexio pointed out.

“Wyatt, catch her, she’s distracted!” Sina ordered.

“Oh, right,” Wyatt said. He reached for an empty pokeball, while trying not to move his head, a feat that was harder than he had expected. Then he tapped it to the small pokemon. It wiggled in his hand, before dinging to signal the successful capture.

The walk up Parterre Way wasn’t bad. Nothing like Santalune Forest at least. Since it was a short, clear path there should be no problem getting back to their apartment by nightfall. They were just taking a short lunch break, with food they bought from a shop in Santalune City before they left that morning. Allegra and Kirari were playing with each other nearby the bench Wyatt and Marcel were sitting at.

“Ah I can’t believe it!” Wyatt said,” I still can’t believe I did that! Can you believe it? I went up there and I even won! Wow!”

“I can’t believe this is the fifth time you said that to me today,” Marcel chuckled. He was more amused than upset by the repetition.

Wyatt pouted into his sandwich,”Come on, be nice. I just…never thought I could, you know?”

“I get it. But you did it,” Marcel paused,” Now that you’ve done it, are you satisfied?”

“What? No way!” Wyatt exclaimed,” I want to keep doing more! That feeling, it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced!”

“Good. Good,” Marcel sighed. That was a relief,” Then we’ll keep going.”

Just then two people came walking by, seeminging to be looking for something. One was a tall guy with pale skin, short bright blonde hair and almond shaped dark blue eyes. The other was a girl was just a little shorter with dark skin and even darker hair cut into a cute bob, she had round light blue eyes. Both of them were wearing matching white outfits, as if they were in uniform. Actually, they looked familiar to both Wyatt and Marcel.

Sawyer was once again the last to perform. She and her Popplio stood on the center of a mostly dark stage, with the only light being the blinding spotlights on the pair. Her heart was pounding as she got into her starting pose. She could do this, she and Allegra both practiced so hard for this.

The upbeat music she had chosen for this performance started playing, and Sawyer started counting, loud enough only for her and Allegra to hear,” 5, 6, 7, 8…”

The two began their routine, with Sawyer counting and commanding moves as softly as she could. The opening move, Aqua Ring complimented their synchronized spin, and continued to circle around them as they danced. Allegra created a few of the Popplio line’s signature “balloons” to bounce around and ride the Aqua Ring, before breaking each of them with a Pound attack. The water from them sparkled in the spotlights. They ended in their finishing pose a beat after the music stopped, and Aqua Ring faded a moment after that.

Sawyer was too nervous to leave the waiting area during the intermission. Instead, she fidgeted with her outfit, a light blue dress with puffy white short sleeves and a layered scallop skirt. Allegra had a light blue bow on her head that matched her trainer. When she couldn’t find anything else to adjust on her outfit, she started texting Marcel, who should be in the audience. 

                                                      [txt] I made it past the themed round!! [txt]

[txt] i was watching lol good job [txt]

                                                  [txt] You're going to keep watching right?[txt]

[txt] actually i figured id buy a ticket just to watch the 1st round sorry :( [txt]

[txt] that was a joke btw[txt]

Sawyer watched as the two groups before her group went on. The questions seemed easy enough as long as you know the basics of pokemon training, which Sawyer didn’t. Not really. She studied since deciding to become a Performer, but there was just so much. She hoped the questions asked would be ones she could answer. As she watched one girl particularly distraught over losing, she amended that thought: That they were questions she knew, and that she wouldn’t choke when she got up there. She took a deep breath and got up from the bench she had been on. She straightened out her red graduation costume before calling out Allegra, the Popplio to accompany her. The rareness of her Pokemon would earn her some point in the Freestyle Performance…If she could just make it there.

She stepped onto the stage with the two other Performers of group 3. All three of them were wearing the same red graduation costume that the Performance Hall handed out to them for the Themed Performance. One end of the stage had three lecterns with small posts in front of them. Sawyer wound up standing behind the one closest to the center of the stage. Which was lucky for her, because Popplio isn’t fast on land, and this will give her a fighting chance. On the other side of the stage was three low platforms, each with a stack of rings on them. At the back of the stage, behind both the rings and the lecterns were oversized books and school supplies. 

Sawyer was waiting in the backstage waiting area. She had come early and was already dressed up. Meanwhile, girls rushed all around her to get ready. She bounced her leg as she fidgeted with Allegra’s pokeball. She wished she had something to do. Sitting and waiting for the Showcase to start was nerve wracking!

“First time?”

“What?” Sawyer looked over to see a woman in her twenties with asymmetrical purple hair sitting next to her. When did that happen?

“This is your first Showcase, isn’t it?” She clarified.

“Am I that obvious?” Sawyer asked.

“Oh, yes,”The woman laughed,”But don’t worry. Everyone’s nervous their first time. I showed up so early for mine, that the doors were still locked!”

“Really?”

“Yup! I sat around waiting for like a half an hour outside,” She said,” Good thing it was warm then! Anyway, try to relax. Enjoy the experience. I promise you that you’ll do better that way.”

“That’s easier said than done, miss-?”

“Lynda,” Lynda introduced,” And I know, but it’s truly the best advice I’ve got.”

“Ah, well…Thank you. I’m Sawyer, by the way.”

“Listen up!” A stage hand called out from one of the doors,” The Showcase begins in 5 minutes. When you got here, you should’ve received a Key and a Number. The Key must be worn on your waist at all times during the Showcase. The Number is the group that you’ll be appearing in the Theme Performance with. As you should already know the theme this time is a quiz show. The first person in each group to get three questions right will move on to the Freestyle Performance. You may only have one Pokemon with you during this Theme Performance. Group One, get ready.”

“Oh, that’s me. Good luck, Sawyer.”

Marcel decided to explore the city while his friend practiced. As much as he was happy to have a friend on his own journey now, he was still stuck. He loved tinkering, and he loved his new look, but he had no goal to strive for himself, and that was beyond frustrating. Through his wandering he eventually found himself face to face with an overly happy promoter of some kind.

“Do you love to skate? Of course you do! Even if you haven’t tried it yet, roller skating is the hottest thing in Kalos since Pyroar’s Mane! Aaaaand if you join this contest, you can win yourself a brand new pair of top-of-the-line roller skates! No pokemon needed for entry! Only a limited number of slots are available, so sign up now!”

This was all said before he could get a sound out. When she finally paused for his reaction, he sighed, shrugged, and asked,”What kind of contest?”

“I’m so glad you asked! Its a contest of speed, skill, and determination! It’s a berry throwing contest!”

“A berry throwing contest?”

“That’s right! Each contestant will be partnered with one of our well trained Munchlax, and the goal is to feed it as many berries as you can from your side of the field! What do you say? Feed a hungry Munchlax and have a chance to get yourself a pair of the trendiest roller skates around!”

“Yeah, sure.” It wasn’t like Marcel had anything better to do. He let himself be led to the sign up station and then next to three other contestants. Limited was right. Though he supposed that since they were using live pokemon, that was to keep the number of pokemon they needed to have on hand down to a manageable number.

A few minutes of tossing later, and Marcel came out the winner! His borrowed Muchlax burped, probably full from the basket of berries he had just been fed. The skates were a sleek black design that clipped to his normal shoes. He smiled and barely paid attention to the spiel about how the skates were so amazing and could be used on short grass, and how everyone is scrambling for a pair and how lucky he was.

Eventually, he made it back. The prize wasn’t something he cared much about, but he felt a little lighter after doing something for himself. And winning at it even! Wyatt was drying his hair with a towel over by the bed he had claimed.

“Look at what I won~” He sang, waving the skates around.

“Cool! I didn’t know you skated,” Wyatt replied.

“I don’t. But I won them anyway.” They both shared a laugh and then Marcel continued,”If you got yourself a pair then we could learn together?”