Work Text:
Whitney hurriedly shoved the blond man through the door.
"This way, this way!" she said hastily and almost out of breath.
A brown-haired girl with several bags in her hands greeted him in the small room into which he had just been hurriedly pushed. Her eyes wandered sheepishly to the floor as their gazes crossed for a brief moment. Jasmine was as delicate and reserved as ever. Whitney had probably talked her into it. Talked her into what, actually? Before Morty could finish his thoughts, he was pushed into the nearest chair.
"And now the best part!". Whitney's grin did not bode well. He couldn't help but sigh. The pink-haired girl's grin grew bigger and bigger as she stepped in front of him with a blindfold on.
"Hehe."
Someone was having a great time. The blond gym leader had to sigh again. By now he had understood what was going on. A large mirror loomed on the wall in front of him. On the table where he was sitting were many small boxes, tins and perfumes. He hoped that they wouldn't find a use for him and that he would have to serve as an experimental victim for Whitney. And then there was Jasmine with all the bags. He recognized the lettering on them immediately. Goldenrod City Department Store. The largest department store in all of Johto and in Whitney's hometown. What's more, the normal gym leader had been complaining for some time that his so-called "hippie outfit" was so outdated.
He couldn't help but scratch his head. With his wide blue sweater and matching trousers, he really didn't look too out of place, he thought. Besides, the clothes were very practical. His hair was a different story, of course. Admittedly, he had neglected it a little and so it grew excessively and was now down to his shoulders. The black choker he always wore around his neck rounded off his outfit well, but admittedly... in contrast to his gym leader colleagues, his style really did look like it was from the last century. Closing his eyes, he resigned himself.
A make over.
He couldn't have expected anything else. The clink of scissors sounded behind him.
"Nice that you've already closed your eyes. Close them well, then we won't need the blindfold!".
It sounded more like an order than a statement and Morty didn't miss the mischievous undertone. Jasmine giggled in the corner. She seemed to relax a little and the rustling of bags could be heard. What came first? His hair. The blond felt Whitney tampering with it. First she ran a comb through his hair after removing his bandana. Then she cut his hair. Snip. Snip. Should he really let her do that...? And why did he let her do it at all? He wasn't sure himself. But Morty also thought it was time for a change of image.
How long had he neglected his hair? And his clothes were already somewhat marked by age. Taking a deep breath, he endured the procedure. Hadn't a little too much hair come off after all? He had to trust Whitney. He had no choice. Something cold tugged at his cheek. With a skillful hand movement, he stroked the air. Gengar, his constant companion, mocked him. Only a small, cold breeze revealed that the ghost pokemon was in the room at all. To everyone in the room, his hand gesture probably looked as natural as if he was stroking his hair. Because Whitney behind him made a sound that indicated that touching his hair was taboo. Whitney's fingers slid skillfully through the blond hair and the clinking of the scissors never stopped. Morty would never have thought that Whitney could cut hair. Or maybe she really couldn't and he would look worse afterwards than before... He hoped for the best. After what felt like an eternity, he heard Whitney place the scissors on the table and then tousle his hair.
"Perfect." She praised herself smugly. After his bandana was put back on, he heard her voice in his ear.
"You can open your eyes again now." Whitney looked just as proud as she had sounded. Before he turned to himself, his eyes rested on her. Then they went over to Jasmine, who was still in the back.
Whitney looked just as proud as she had sounded. Before he turned to himself, his eyes rested on her. Then they went over to Jasmine, who was still standing at the back of the room, gazing in wonder and admiration at the mirror.
Now the moment of truth had arrived. Morty's eyes focused on his own reflection. Or at least on the person in front of him, who he assumed was him. His hair was now anything but shoulder-length and at best only reached his ears. To spice it up a little, his hair was layered. The new hairstyle looked modern, but not too flashy. Quite pleasant. Quite good, in fact. Whitney beamed at him expectantly.
"It looks very good. I like it." He turned his head back and forth to examine his sides.
"Isn't it!" Whitney beamed even more.
"Now..." Jasmine came walking up to the two of them in a low voice. Right, there were still the bags. "So..." she cleared her throat a little embarrassed and Morty noticed how she gave herself a jerk and then looked at him with self-confident eyes. That was the fascinating thing about Jasmine. She often seemed intimidated and reserved, but when it came down to it, she was strong and confident. No wonder she preferred steel pokemon.
"We picked out some new clothes for you, too."
The blonde nodded in agreement. With nimble fingers, Jasmine rummaged in a bag and pulled out a jet-black sweater.
The sweater was simple but fashionable. It would definitely make him look like he had finally arrived in this century. She carefully spread the sweater out on the table in front of him.
"We also thought this would look very good on you." She looked a little embarrassed as she presented the item of clothing in her hands.
It was a long purple scarf.
Morty's eyes immediately lit up. At the hem of the scarf was a kind of pattern embroidered in red.
"Um, we know that working with ghost pokemon isn't always easy.".
By that she meant that Morty had to deal with the cold more than anyone else at any time of year. And it was true. Even if he was used to it by now, this scarf would simply do a wonderful job and make many things easier. Whitney grinned knowingly. Eusine, that blabbermouth must have told them both. Normally he didn't care and didn't talk about it. He inevitably sighed and grinned a little resignedly. Next up was a pair of pants for him. They were snow white and made a perfect contrast to the sweater. Someone had done a great job. Whitney was simply unbeatable when it came to fashion. But Jasmine also had a good eye for clothes. He was grateful to both of them, he had to give them that. Last but not least, Jasmine picked a small box out of one of the bags. It contained a pair of shoes. The two of them had thought of everything.
And how matching the shoes were! They were a combination of the black of the sweater and the purple-red color combination of the scarf. All in all, a perfectly coordinated outfit. Whitney grinned.
"We'll leave you alone now so you can try the clothes on." She was already on her way to the door with Jasmine.
Grinning, she slammed the door shut without Morty even having a chance to argue. If nothing else. As soon as both gym leader had left the room, two red eyes appeared in mid-air followed by a giggle.
"You can come out."
Without stopping, Morty changed his clothes. Something large and purple materialized next to him. A broad grin adorned his mouth. When the blonde man had finished changing, he heard an approving chuckle.
"It looks good on me, doesn't it?"
Small purple hands tugged at the hem of his scarf and then at the strands of his hair. With another broad smile, Gengar gave his trainer a thumbs-up. Morty couldn't help but grin. He brought the two waiting girls back into the room and Gengar disappeared into thin air again. When Whitney saw Morty in front of her, she clapped her hands in delight. It was obvious that she was pleased with the result. Jasmine looked quite embarrassed, but you could tell that she was very pleased too.
"You look good... I mean it suits you!"
The steel pokemon gym leader searched for the right words, her gaze hastily directed to the ground to avoid any eye contact. Morty had to smile. Whitney gave Morty a pat on the back and winked at him.
"That's how it should work with the girls now."
Jasmine blushed slightly next to her.
"Thank you both of you. You've done me a big favor."
~~~~
It had been a long time since he’d seen his friend. Eusine noticed that Morty had changed quite a bit. His hair was now a good deal shorter and slightly layered, and the bandana still adorned his forehead, but now it was purple. Instead of loose-fitting clothes, he was now wearing a scarf around his neck and a black knit sweater that reminded Eusine of a pitch-black night. His lower body was clad in white pants paired with matching sneakers. The pants, in particular, caught his eye—they were considerably tighter than the ones the blond had worn before. He scrutinized him closely. Or rather, he couldn’t take his eyes off him. He had to admit that he liked what he saw. He wasn’t sure why, since he’d known his friend for so long. A sigh inevitably escaped him.
"You look good," he commented.
Morty, who until just a moment ago had been standing with his back to him, now turned around.
"Thanks. I see you’ve changed your outfit a bit, too"
He was referring to the white checks on Eusine's suit, which represented Suicune’s fur pattern. Eusine then proudly tugged at his bow tie.
"Oh yes. This brings me one step closer to Suicune!"
Morty couldn’t help but smile. He just couldn’t hold Eusine's obsession against him. It didn’t always sit well with him, but there were plenty of moments when it brought a little smile to his face. His gaze drifted into the distance. He was definitely grateful to Whitney for his make over.
~
With their arms linked, Whitney and Jasmine strolled happily through the Goldenrod City department store. The two had spontaneously decided to go on a shopping trip together.
"And have you heard about this? Once, a young Trainer came by and actually tried to battle my Miltank with a Pidgey. A Pidgey! Of course, it didn’t stand a chance!"
Whitney boasted with a laugh. There was a hint of pride in her voice. Jasmine couldn’t help but chuckle quietly. She knew all too well that her friend hated losing, and such a weak opponent must have really amused her.
"And that’s not all! He was even wearing sandals with his shorts. That was just unacceptable!"
Whitney shook her head wildly. Jasmine could only too well imagine that the pink-haired Gym Leader would have loved to give the poor young Trainer a fashion lesson right then and there.
Maybe the young Trainer had just caught a new Pokémon on the Goldenrod Meadow and challenged Whitney? Jasmine wondered.
"Oooooh, I would have loved to give him some advice, but Cathy stopped me, and the Trainer was gone faster than I could say ‘Miltank’..." she continued cheerfully.
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks before running, wide-eyed, toward a piece of clothing nearby. As she did so, she pulled Jasmine along with her.
"Jasmine, Jasmine, look! How beautiful!"
Whitney pointed to the garment in front of her. It was a pastel-colored summer dress. There was a red bow in the middle, and the white, mid-length sleeves blended smoothly into the fabric a little way down the center of the dress.
"That would look so good on you!"
Her enthusiasm rubbed off on the young Steel-type Gym Leader as well.
Jasmine looked down at herself. After all, she’d been wearing a plain white dress for a long time now, one that had no distinctive features whatsoever... In comparison, it looked very outdated.
With a slight blush, she looked at the dress. It was beautiful and simple, not flashy. And yet, at the same time, it made a subtle statement. Just the way she liked it. She couldn’t help but admire her friend’s keen eye for fashion.
"You have to try this on right away!"
With sparkling eyes, she took the dress off the mannequin and placed it in Jasmine’s hands. But before she could nudge Jasmine toward the dressing room, it happened. A tickle spread through her nose, causing her to sneeze repeatedly. With her head tilted slightly, Jasmine looked at Whitney. Then she started giggling when Whitney had to sneeze again.
"I think your fashion sense has enriched more than just me," she joked.