Chapter Text
Thankfully, the weather wasn’t terrible in Anistar City. In fact, it was actually rather nice. Urbain and Furina had arrived right in the yearly sweet spot.
“We should drop our bags at the hotel before anything else,” said the former. “I’m hoping we can find a decent place to grab a bite. Then again, nothing’s gonna be Nouveau Café.” Furina wasn’t listening. She was staring at her phone, the background music for the Pokémon Showcase app drowning out everything else. She didn’t even hear Eris and Manectric barking. “--RINA!!!” shouted Urbain, jerking her backwards. She yelped in surprise as a car sped past her. She was about to walk right in front of it. And judging from the model, the driver probably wouldn’t have even tried to stop. “S-Sorry,” she muttered. “I should’ve been paying more attention.” Urbain didn’t scold her, though. He simply placed a hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her to the inner side of the sidewalk. “You okay?” he asked. Well, her heart felt like an angry Fletchling trying to get out of her chest. So maybe not.
“Yeah,” she fibbed. “Totally fine.” She was not fine. This was one of the most terrifying experiences of her life. And she wasn’t even onstage yet. Eris headbutted her dangling hand, huffing at her. She sat down in front of Furina and barked. She then began spinning around and balancing on her hind legs, and her trainer couldn’t help but smile. Eris wanted Furina to succeed, too. That was one reason they’d found each other.
“Mimi, protect Furina! I gotta take it down!”
A wild Absol had undergone Rogue Mega Evolution just as Furina and Emma were chasing a mysterious Pokémon. AZ had offered Furina a Lucario to borrow in order to battle it, but Furina refused on principle. So it was up to Emma. But its attack pattern was strange. Its offensive moves were sloppy, but it guarded its defenses like a king guarding his treasure. Furina’s brow creased as she observed. “One more shot, Lopunny!” she shouted. “Use Fire--!” “Wait!” Furina grabbed Emma’s arm, desperate to stop her. “Emma, something’s wrong!” she said. “It’s only charging, but it knows Lopunny is fast enough to dodge it. And it’s acting like it’s scared another Pokémon’s gonna show up and backstrike it.”
Emma pulled her arm free, confused. “What are you saying?” she asked. Furina dug into her satchel and pulled out a small drawstring pouch. “I read about something similar that happened in Sinnoh centuries ago,” she explained. “They quelled the frenzied Pokémon with balms made from their favorite foods. I think if we tried that, we could make this faster and more humane!” Before Emma could argue, AZ appeared out of nowhere and placed a hand on the ravenette’s shoulder. “Your compassion is admirable, Furina,” he said. “But battling is the only way to cure Rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon.” No, it was just the fastest. “With all due respect, AZ,” she snapped. “just because you’re 3,000 years old - if that’s even true - doesn’t mean that you know everything! It might be the only way, but we’ll never know if we don’t try! Please just let me try my way!”
AZ was astounded by her persistence. He glanced at Floette, who simply trilled and shrugged. The man sighed and waved Furina off, allowing her to do as she saw fit. Relief filled her as AZ finally conceded and trusted her. So she took a deep breath, handed her beret to Emma, and began inching towards the wild Absol. Emma’s Lopunny stayed behind her to protect her. The Disaster Pokémon bristled and growled, barking at Furina. “It’s okay,” she said after briefly flinching. “I know you don’t want to hurt anyone. And I know you’re hurting, too.” She tentatively lowered herself to one knee, holding out one hand for the Absol. “Come on,” she called softly. She sniffed the air around the girl, creeping closer. “I can’t look!” wailed Emma. Soon enough, though, the Absol lowered its body to the ground, and Furina reached out to caress her fur. She smiled as she sat down next to the Absol, allowing her to lay across her lap.
“I know,” she soothed. “I know you’re scared. But don’t worry. I have something that can take all the pain away… do you trust me?” The Absol glanced at her, then whimpered softly. Furina took that as a yes. She untied the bag, scooping out some of the powdery substance and gently scrubbing it into the Pokémon’s fur. She began to relax, and her features slowly shrank. The glow surrounding her body dimmed exponentially, and she transformed back into a normal Absol. “I don’t believe my eyes,” breathed AZ. Furina ignored him. She knew she was right. She knew there was a better way. Whatever. She’d chew him out for it later.
The Absol rose to her feet, almost… smiling at Furina. And it made Furina smile as well. “All better?” she asked. The Absol yipped, spinning in circles. She then jumped onto Furina and began licking her, eliciting squeals of laughter from the girl. “Okay, okay!” she giggled. “Get off! You’re crushing me!” Once the Absol released her, she stood and brushed herself off. Emma and AZ approached her, with the latter returning Furina’s hat. “Furina, I owe you an apology,” said the man. “As well as my gratitude. Had you never fought me, I never would’ve realized that there was, in fact, a better way.” She didn’t blame him. When there’s a crisis, sometimes the only solution is the fastest solution. “I’m not saying battling is wrong,” she said. “It’s just what works best for me.”
The Absol headbutted Furina’s leg, running in circles around her and wagging her tail. “I think she likes you!” said Emma. Furina could tell. And she liked that Absol. She was adorable, really. How could anyone fear such a noble species, really? “Well then, Absol,” she said, kneeling once more. “How would you like to become my first Pokémon?” The Absol yipped and barked happily, running around in circles until Furina had to stop her. “I’ll take that as a yes!” she beamed. “I knew I was saving this Moon Ball for something.” Her sister had given her a Moon Ball as a keepsake years ago, and now it would do more than just sit in her bag. She plucked it from her satchel, tapped the Absol on the forehead, and watched her zap inside. The ball didn’t even shake before the button turned green.
“ALLO, POKÉMON LOVERS!!!”
Furina could hear the announcer from backstage. Man, he was loud. He made it a little hard to focus, but she pulled through. She ran a bristle brush over Typhon’s snout, making sure there was no encrusted dirt left. She had to stand on a bench to do so. “Alright, I think you’re good,” she told him. “Thanks for the heads-up, Typhon. Now you’re positively sparkling!” One might think Typhon was a clean freak with how often he asked Furina to groom him. But in truth, he just liked being doted on by his trainer. “Wow, your partner is a Garchomp?” said a voice behind her. “You must be competing just for fun.” Furina turned to see a girl with long, ruby red hair smirking at her, a red Skuntank following behind. “You might already know this,” she continued. “But I’m Dominique. Five time Master Class finalist for the Pokémon Showcase.”
Furina looked around, seemingly genuinely trying to find something. “Sorry if this is invasive,” she said. “But would you happen to be hard of hearing?” Dominique sneered, scoffing. “No,” she bit. “Why would you ask me something like that?” Furina shrugged as if it were obvious. “Well,” she replied. “I just couldn’t think of any other possible explanation for you hearing me ask… when I clearly didn’t.” She paid no mind to the way the girl bristled, instead directing her attention at her Pokémon. “Is your Skuntank sick?” she asked. That only seemed to ruffle Dominique’s feathers some more. “No!” she shouted. “It’s a shiny variant! Obviously!” The ravenette shrugged, going back to brushing Typhon’s skin. “It’s just a simple question. No need to get so bent out of shape.” Dominique growled and stomped away, her Skuntank following behind.
“Don’t take it personally,” said another voice. This time, it was from a woman with short blue hair who looked about middle aged. “Wasn’t planning to,” said Furina, hopping down from the bench. She suddenly felt a wave of protectiveness as she took one of Typhon’s claws. “You plotting to antagonize my Garchomp as well?” she asked. The woman held up her hands in innocence. “No, no!” she insisted. “No, my days as a spoilsport are long behind me. Now I train Pokémon Performers, hoping that they’ll one day surpass my own caliber.” Just then, a Slurpuff appeared, holding a tray of steaming rolled towels. Furina politely refused, sitting down and patting her lap for Eris. “I take it you used to compete back in the day?” she asked. The woman sat down next to her, offering a towel to Typhon. He gladly accepted it. “You got me,” she replied. “My name is Miette. I was a Master Class finalist myself when I was younger.”
Interesting. “I’m Furina,” replied Furina. “Furina Dubois.” She adjusted the ring around Eris’s horn, the Absolite glinting under the light of the dressing room. “Weird,” muttered Miette. “We’ve never met, but your name sounds so familiar.” Oh, no. Could she…? An entire necklace of sweat formed on the back of Furina’s neck. “W-Well, I did compete in the Z-A Royale,” she stuttered. “I reached Rank A of all things. Can you believe that?” She then began clipping Eris’s claws. “No, it’s something else,” said Miette. “Maybe… have you ever been to Dahara City?” Okay, she was getting colder. That was good. “No, I can’t say that I have,” replied Furina. And with the weather there, she didn’t plan on going anytime soon. That was a close one. If anyone figured it out, her career would be over. Well, not really. But she’d have to run away and hide in the woods forever.
“Got it!” cried Miette. “You’re from Vaniville Town! I just know it!” Furina nearly screamed. And while she didn’t, the look on her face told Miette all she needed to know. “Ah, that narrows it down!” she sang. “Do you know someone named--” A buzzer soon ran from the speakers overhead.
“ALL POKÉMON PERFORMERS, PLEASE REPORT TO YOUR MARKERS! YOU ARE ABOUT TO GO ONSTAGE!”
Whew! Literally saved by the bell! “I have to go now!” shouted Furina. “And I want to go now! Typhon, wait down here for us!” Typhon grunted in agreement as Furina and Eris scurried off to the elevator. Miette was left in shock and the dust. “Good luck, Furina!” she called out. “It’ll come to me, I’m sure!”
“In order to be a proper princess, it is not enough to simply be pretty; you must also be smart! And that is why Anistar Pokémon Showcase’s Themed Performance is the Pokémon Quiz! The performers’ Pokémon will be given tasks to complete. Whichever Pokémon completes it first, their trainer will be granted the chance to answer a trivia question! If she answers correctly, she receives a point! Whichever performer gets three correct answers first advances to the Freestyle Performance!”
Seemed easy enough. Furina’s father was a Pokémon professor, so maybe she had an unfair advantage. The first task for the Pokémon was a relay race. Sadly, another girl’s Simisear managed to get a ball into the bucket the quickest, so its trainer got to answer first. “Performer Ophelia!” said Monsieur Pierre. “For your first question, can you identify the Pokémon silhouette above you?” A screen behind them showed a bipedal silhouette with several spikes adorning its body. Ophielia thought long and hard, but she was clearly having trouble. “Rhyperior?” she replied, not sounding very sure. A buzzer sounded as her podium turned red, and audience let out a collective groan of disappointment. “That is incorrect,” said the announcer, turning to Furina. “Performer Furina, since your Absol was the second to complete the race, you have the chance to answer this question!”
Oh, Arceus. It looked so familiar. Furina remembered when her father used to quiz her with a similar game, using flashcards with Pokémon’s silhouettes on them. She’d always get so frustrated when that silhouette or one similar came up. But on the bright side, she now knew it by heart. So she was very confidently able to shout out:
“NIDOQUEEN!”
A bell sounded as her podium turned green, revealing the Pokémon to indeed be Nidoqueen. “Correct!” shouted Monsieur Pierre. “One point for Performer Furina!” And it went on like that for ages.
“Pomeg berries!”
“The Sinnoh region!”
“Professor Aurea Juniper!”
“Exeggutor!”
“Ghost types!”
Soon enough, all three performers were all tied up. There was one point left, and the pressure was really on. Eris managed to complete her task first, so Furina got the question. “Performer Furina, there are several Pokémon with a split evolution line,” began Monsieur Pierre. “But there are only two with three possible different evolutions. Can you name them in their basic forms?” Oh, that was easy. She was from bloody Galar. Well, her dad was. “Applin and…” she began. “And…” Oh, no. Was there another? What was it? What was it??? She could feel everyone’s eyes on her. She felt like an idiot. She was supposed to know this! “Performer Furina,” said Monsieur Pierre, a little more sternly this time. “If you cannot answer in the next fifteen seconds, the point will have to go to one of your competitors.” Okay, breathe, Furina. Your friends were watching you. And they probably all made their underlings watch, too. Not that Ivor would have to try; his pupils would probably jump at the chance to watch the Pokémon Showcase. Especially Josée, bless her heart. She meant well, but her Pokémon were a pain in Furina’s ass sometimes. Especially her new Hitmontop.
Wait… Hitmontop! Hitmontop evolved from Tyrogue, which could also evolve into Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan! That’s three evolutions!
“APPLIN AND TYROGUE!!!”
Everyone stared at her, startled by her volume. Even Eris looked a bit rattled. “Is that your final answer?” asked the announcer. Furina nodded sharply, purely positive. Monsieur Pierre dipped his hat, leaning on his cane. “That… is…” he muttered. “...ONE HUNDRED PERCENT CORRECT! Performer Furina shall advance to the Freestyle Round!” Furina immediately felt a huge weight leave her shoulders as the crowd roared in applause. Eris barked and ran to her trainer, tackling her off her podium. But Furina really couldn’t care less. This was just as much Eris’s victory as it was her own.
Ophelia and Colette looked heartbroken, as anybody would. So as they made it back to the dressing room, Furina approached them. “Hey, she said. “That was really fun. And you guys did great out there. I admit, some of the questions you answered threw me for a real loop. And you trained your Pokémon very well. I hope I can compete against you in the future.” The two performers exchanged surprised looks, then smiled at Furina. “Thanks for that,” said Ophelia. “But personally, losing to you isn’t even that disappointing.” Colette nodded, scooping up her own Pokémon. “Yeah,” she added. “And in retrospect, maybe I didn’t plan too accordingly. No offense, Minccino, but you’re not exactly fast.” Her Minccino huffed and stormed away. However, Eris stopped it and offered it a Topo Berry with a happy yap. The smaller Pokémon begrudgingly took it, climbing back onto its trainer’s shoulder.
“Oh, you and your attitude,” scolded Colette. “We’ll be rooting for you, Furina.” With that, the two girls walked away, and Miette quickly took their spot. “I’m surprised,” she said to Furina. “I didn’t expect you to be such a good sport.” Typhon thundered over to Furina, and she pet him. She then peeked into her locker and found the costumes she’d prepared for him and Eris. “Well, why wouldn’t I be?” she asked. “Those girls really did do good. And I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them beat me in the future. They’ll never know if they don’t try.”
“And you’ll never know either!”
Ugh, it was her.
Dominique appeared, her expression just as foul as her partner’s aroma. “I won in the previous round,” she said. “so that Princess Key is as good as mine! I already have two, so it’s only a matter of time before I’m going neck and neck with Aria herself! Don’t worry, though: I’ll make sure to reserve you a seat at the Master Class performance… right in the front row so I can be splashed by your tears of defeat!” Furina simply rolled her eyes as she began dressing Eris up. “What makes you so sure you’re going to beat me? After all, my Pokémon actually like me, so they’re more likely to want to help me succeed.” Dominique bristled at that. “W-Well, my Skuntank is cuter than your Garchomp!” she retorted. “Look at those teeth! I wouldn’t be surprised if some children in the crowd started crying at the sight of him!”
Typhon’s form wilted at that, his head lowering in shame. Okay, that was it. You could insult Furina’s prowess all you want. But when you insult her babies? That’s when she gets mad. “Oh, leave Typhon alone!” she snapped. “At least he smells better than your sickly Skuntank! That thing smells like a compost pile, whereas my Typhon smells like flowers!” Miette and her Slurpuff inserted themselves between the two performers. “Okay, girls, that’s enough,” she said. “Let’s have a good, clean competition out there. Don’t do or say anything you’ll regret.” Dominique huffed, turning on her heel and heading for the other side of the dressing area. “What is wrong with her?” said Furina to herself. “She makes Jacinthe look like a cherub!”
The Garchomp still looked downtrodden. He sat down on the floor, absolutely miserable. “Hey,” said Furina softly. “Don’t listen to her, Typhon. Some people may be scared of you, yes. But that’s exactly why I chose you to join me and Eris for this competition: so those people can see just how wonderful you are.” Typhon was very dear to Furina. He was the second Pokémon she’d ever caught, and she’d raised him since he was a little Gible. She took his claws in her hands, holding them firmly. “Don’t you think on it, Typhon,” she ordered. “Don’t you think on it one bit. Okay?” He finally looked her in the eyes, that lovable grin returning to his features. “Good boy,” she chimed. “Now what would you like better: a top hat or a bowler? I’m thinking bowler.”
For what it’s worth, Furina actually thought she did okay in the Freestyle Performance. Typhon bumped Eris in the head one time, but the crowd probably didn’t notice. Now she and her fellow performers were gathered onstage. “Ladies and gentlemen, the time has finally come,” said Monsieur Pierre. “We’ve had many wonderful competitors join us tonight, but we can only have one winner. And that winner is for you to crown! Now light your Glow Casters and cast your votes!” The stands filled with glowing light, which flowed over the stage and to the performers. And that was when doubt began to creep in.
Her sister lost her first Pokémon Showcase, so maybe she would too. But what if it just kept going? What if she just kept losing… and losing… and losing… and losing? What if… Furina didn’t have what it took? What if this was a fool’s errand? She sighed, closing her eyes and bowing her head in advance of defeat. But then, she felt Eris headbutting her leg yet again. “What is it, darling?” she asked, opening her eyes. She then looked at her key charm, which was overflowing with purple light. So many people were voting for her! But Dominique had performed before. She was probably a crowd favorite. So it wouldn’t surprise her if Dominique did indeed come out on top.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” shouted Monsieur Pierre. “The winner of the Anistar Pokémon Showcase has been decided! And she is… Performer Furina!” What? There had to be a mistake! A miscount in votes! Or… maybe she did have what it took. Maybe she could become Kalos Queen. Eris and Typhon certainly believed it, because Typhon scooped her up like a princess and tossed her in the air with pure joy. Eris ran around in circles at his feet. Furina simply shrieked and laughed as she felt the wind at her back. She could see Urbain in the crowd, and nobody looked more thrilled than him.
“So what do you think?”
“Honestly? It looks a little… goofy.”
Furina was showing off her new Princess Key. She’d been beaming with pride until Urbain rattled off that little comment. She gasped in mock offense, holding the key to her chest like he’d physically wounded it. “How dare you!” she exclaimed. “This is a symbol of my hard work and endurance!” Urbain cackled at that, wiping a tear as Eris headbutted his leg (although it wasn’t as affectionate as she did with her trainer). “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” he cried, not sounding very sorry at all. “But you can’t tell me that it doesn’t remind you of one of those crotchety old teachers from Unovan cartoons!” He… wasn’t wrong. But she still crossed her arms and pouted, turning away from him. Just because she loved him didn’t mean she wouldn’t make him squirm.
“I’m sorry~” he chirped again. He then swooped her into a big hug, keeping her from holding back her giggles. “If it means anything, I’m stupid proud of you, Rina!” he said as he spun her around. “This is huge! Your first Showcase win! And I can see why you prefer this over the Z-A Royale. This competition was made for you! That guy with the gaudy cosplay announced that the challenge was a Pokémon quiz, and I was just like, ‘oh, she’s got this in the bag’!” Furina simply chuckled as she jumped back down on the ground. “Well, not every challenge is gonna be like that,” she explained. “It varies based on the town. I think one of them has a Rhyhorn herding contest.” Weird, but whatever.
Just then, Furina’s Rotom Phone buzzed, flying out of her pocket with an incoming call. It was Naveen. Oh, boy. Furina and Urbain took a deep, synchronized breath of mental preparation, then answered the call. Naveen stared at them with his usual nonchalant Naveen-ity. “You guys have five seconds,” he said. That was ominous. The two exchanged confused glances. “Five seconds for what?” asked Urbain. He was answered by the thundering footsteps on the other line and the forced entry of Lida. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” she screamed, breaking the sound barrier of the phone. “FURINAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!!! I mean, I can believe it! But it’s so fricking cool! You won the Pokémon Showcase! YOU WON, YOU WON, YOU WON!!!” That was about what Furina had expected from Lida. “It’s one win, Lida,” she said. “It doesn’t mean much.” The dancer scoffed, crossing her arms. “Malarkey!” she exclaimed before her eyes sparkled. “Can we see your Princess Key???” Furina held up the key proudly, and both Lida and Naveen gaped at it in wonder. “The design is a little on-the-nose,” said Naveen. “But it’s still really cool.” The ravenette cracked an all-too-wide smile. “Thank you, Naveen!” she said, glaring harmlessly at Urbain. “At least someone thinks so!”
Lida gasped, immediately knowing what that meant. “Urbain!” she scolded. “Did you insult Furina’s key?! How dare you! That’s a symbol of her hard work and endurance!” Furina threw her arms into the air. “That’s what I said!” she exclaimed. “And he called it goofy!” Lida looked at Urbain like he’d slapped her mother. “Oh, you are so lucky you’re on the other side of Kalos right now, boy!” she snapped. “You don’t even know!” Furina shook her head and rolled her eyes. She then held up the key ring that she’d been given after entering, clipping the key into the little link. She felt a wave of pride wash over her as she held the key ring up to the setting sun, its rays bathing her in the twilit glow.
One down, two to go.
“One last thing…” said Furina, tying a scarf around her new Absol’s neck. She adjusted the ring that was secured to her horn, which held the Absolite that materialized after she calmed down. She really had to thank Emma for hooking her up with that jeweler. “Oh, you look gorgeous!” she exclaimed. The Absol beamed with pride, jumping halfway into her lap and snuggling her face into Furina’s stomach. How could anyone possibly be so afraid of such a sweet Pokémon?
“Welcome home… my dearest Eris.”