@NFKimmy's one-shot:

Sigh... Sadly, the hi guys master has disspointed us all; she hasn't been able to submit her work on time .-. The little @#%!

Sorry guys!

@Dragons_Rose's One-shot:

Malika's Tale

~"One day, we'll both see the ocean together. I promise."~

Words of the past rattled in my mind, distracting me from the road I steered my car down. I slid into the wrong lane for a brief moment as my eyes fogged with the memories,

~A pokemon unrecognizable choked and sputtered by the water-weeds that roped around it's entire body. The creature flailed around letting out horrific gargles.~

My memory replay was shattered by a mobiles horn screeching. Flickering back into reality I swerved my car just seconds before collision, in the back of my large van I could hear water sloshing out from the open-top aquariums spilling. I cringed as the sound of bodies pressing into the glass and fearful glubs. I turned over my shoulder, "Sorry guys!" I cried to them with a twinge of regret. I sucked on my lower lip, having second thoughts about driving across the Hoenn region for a show.

But it was the promise that pushed me further.

~"It's okay Flick. I'll always protect you." I hushed to the pokemon who tried to squirm away, back into its suffocating pool of lakeweed where the bullies had tossed it. Flick was slimy but covered in nothing but its scales. I only held tighter, setting my head right above the fish's powder blue dorsal fin. "Just don't leave me..." my nine year old voice crackling, one of my eyes rolling down with a tear. The other would have too if it hadn't been swollen shut, a violent violet circling a pitch black core of the eye.

The Feebas turned to look up at me, it's obsidian pupils trembling in the pokemon's deep sockets as it shook it's head to me.

"I know you don't want to see me get hurt anymore. I know you think it's because of you. But Flick, " My throbbing nose filled with snot as I inhaled deeply, "If you weren't here, then I really would be alone."

We both sat in the dark night with the night silence lacing though.

Hey Flick... Stay with me. And one day, we'll leave this town. We'll leave Lavaridge and go. We won't have to stay here anymore."~

The car screeched into the parking lot, thousands more moving in and now carelessly. From past my windshield I could make out a mirage-like ocean where the sun practically melted into the swelling water in a burning orange that blazed across the sky. Positioned in the golden sand was a wooden craft stage, and I knew it was for me.

I unlatched my seat belt and turned to leap into the back of my van where all my materials sat, five clear pails that were up to my waist. Lying within one were wicker tiki torches, their clean tops still not yet singed by the flame. Beside them was a large tank which took up a large amount of space of the back. The aquarium used to be filled to the brim with water, though now only three quarters full. A set of Feebas swam around with bubble eyes turning to focus onto me.

I clapped my hands together with a smile, "It's five-thirty now. Our show will begin at nine, sharp! So be ready everybody!" The rugged fish pulled back their pink lips into odd grins of excitement. And it came back,

~"My show starts at 6, Flick! This time I practiced a whole bunch!" I said with my child-like grin to the fish who swam around in the pool. It gave a bubbling response before circling about, the pokemon's shabby scales glistening in the light of the white sun. I let a giggle stumble past my lips before I leapt up, "You wanna come and see? I have to do a fan dance around three jugs of water this time!"

The little fish nodded and scooped it from the water, its small body beginning to flounder as I raced to a little bowl I had put onto a cart just for him. I had never thought about capturing Flick, he was my friend.

From there we wheeled off down the streets, gliding to the theatre while my Kimono fluttered behind.~

After that, my mind bounced between the past and present, not daunted by the near future. My heart somewhat racing, remembering the promise. I took my time maneuvering the barrels onto the stage, placing them on the floor in a house-pentagon. Gently, I dug the end of the torches around the stage- not yet ready to ignite them.

"have you heard about this performer?"

"Not too much, only that she preforms with pokemon."

"Why is she waiting until light to preform? If she's at a beach, wouldn't a sunny day be better?"

"I really don't know. What's even the name of the show?"

"Malika's Tail."

"It sounds stupid." The hushed buzz of beach passer-goers mumbled on around me, each comment rolling off my shoulders. The good and the bad. It was nothing new.

~"Malika is going to preform? Again?"

"I know! When will that girl ever give up," The voices in the audience escalated as I waited eagerly behind the curtains. I nervously tugged at my muddy-shaded traditional garb which tied in the back with a blue moon ribbon which matched the bow tucked in my dusty blonde hair.

A gentle bubbling snapped from behind me. Spinning on my heel, I saw Flick nodding from it's bowl in encouragement. I gave a bright smile, "Thanks buddy!" Uttering those words, the announcer began to introduce me. Once they had finished, I sprung onto the stage and stumbled with the landing. With a speedy recovering, I gracefully let pale blue fans unfurl from my sleeves. Then I moved softly, spinning around the stage and barrels a clumsy way.

The crowd riled up once more. All of them having no fear or guilt to scream slander at me, "You suck!"

"What a klutz!"

"You don't belong on stage!"

"Get off that dance floor!"

"Just stop!"~

Before I could comprehend it, I had already transferred all of the nameless Feebas to their personal tanks which I had set onto stage earlier.

Well, they were nameless to the crowd. To me, they were Bassy, Ginna, Mim, Aru, and Quail.

Now, I found myself in the back of my van. A stage vanity which I squeezed into the back glowing against my face. I tied my long creamy hair into loose pigtails with cardinal ribbons that were almost the same length as my locks. As I painted my eye-shadow cross my left lid, my right eye kept in a straight stare with my reflection. Rosy eyes to match the eye-shadow which I designed to be like Beautifly wings.

I let a shaking breath fill my lungs, the sky blue sash of my tan Kimono which had red speckled patches condensing my air fill. The sash pattern matching the one which crawled up the dress' hem.

Shooting a glance at the car clock, it read eight-fifty. The roaring array of audience turned antsy from what I could hear. So I snapped up my fans, tucking them into my sagging sleeves, before pacing from the back doors. I skipped across the pavement and felt my bare feet sink into the cold grains of sand, the trillions of stars that hung in the dark sky looming over. Each burning star defiant to Hoenn's bright cities.

~The cold words of the audience eating at my heart as I pushed myself to continue stumbling across the stage. I fought back the tears when I heard it.

A Splash.

The crowd falling to hushed murmurs.

To keep with the dance, I pirouetted in turn to find Flick had plunged from his bowl and into a barrel of water which was set for my recital. I tripped my way to the barrel, whispering to my friend, "What are you doing?"

In response, the Feebas used it's only move(Splash) to propel itself into another barrel. The pokemon turned the scene into it's own dance though each jump. And I realized.

Skillfully I started to move with Flick and around. Either harmonizing or synchronizing our motions across the stage. My breathing becoming light and easy with each saw and wrist motion to give the fans effect.

The music rumbled to its end with heavy drum beats and I twirled into center stage, Flick sputtering into the air in the back barrel.

And they clapped.~

The fire now danced in the light on each torch as my lights, the red colors refracting off the glass pails where my Feebas swam in constant circles. My feet slid against the paneling with my head pointed down, ears perked for the first note. Speakers built onstage tuning to begin my pre-recorded song.

Once the key began, the people who stood at the foot of the stage fell into an abyss of silence.

I rose my head, eyes flickering open. I rose an arm elegantly to let the fan it gripped slip open. The leaves of the object entered the dance with feather like style, each a turquoise blue and dotted with a crimson center. Then with a roll of my hand, I exposed the other twin fan.

Slowly, the dance progressed. My movements subtle as Mim arched above my head into Ginna's bowl. They too danced with one another before Ginna fled into another's bowl. The music growing louder, the dance raising pace, each action more intense than the last.

~After that performance with Flick, the pokemon and I practiced day in, day out for the next act. I turned harsher each time, my gentle voice to Flick fading away into harsh yells.

The dance we preformed before had gotten so much positive feedback for the ending, I wanted to do it again. And again. And again. I no longer talked to my friend about the day or played with the fish in our back pond or took Flick to school for show-and-tell. It was simply drilled rehearsal.

It went on for years. The same thing. Later I would wonder how Flick endured it for as long as he did.

"Get up Flick!" I shouted, no longer nine but 13. "We have to practice!"

The pokemon wheezed, no longer able to even twitch its tail to respond the fish was so exhausted.

"Come on! This dance isn't going to move itself!"

The pokemon wave a wave of its pale fin, signalling no more.

But I didn't listen, "Come on! Our next show is in three days!"

Again, my friend just flopped away, hissing out a hard breath from the shallow waters it floated in.

I shot up to the pokemon who rested on the lake shore where I had chosen for us to practice with a sharp glare. "Come on! We have to be beautiful! So get up and practice you shabby fish!"

Flick turned up to me with despair in its tired eyes, heart shattering before slashing off into the lake.

"Get back here! We need to keep practicing!"~

The music of tonight's performance in Lilycove beat with my heart as water trailed off as if suspended in air from the leaping Feebas. The light shined though each bead like they were diamonds, my swift movements drawing across the stage, my dress still trying to keep up with me was dragged along for the ride.

It all gave the illusion as if I were a dancing serpent, a long tail spinning off and around.

My heart crushing in on itself as the memories still played.

~Everyday I went back to that lake.

For the first few times, I wanted to practice. The next, I was somewhat worried. And then I would check the mass of water every time I could with a guilt weighing on me. I truly feared for Flick's well-being. Then, the last day I came, all I could do was hope.

Hope my friend would come back to me. From the corner of my eye I saw it, a washed up lump clotted in lakeweed. In fear, I raced to it and felt my heart shatter into thousands of shards. A pokemon unrecognizable choked and sputtered by the water-weeds that roped around it's entire body. The creature flailed around letting out horrific gargles. But I knew. I knew it was Flick.

Its body began to grow slower, I knew it had been flailing like this for probably hours before I came. I was too late.

"I'm sorry, Flick. I'm sorry." I cried, tearing away the plants that strangled it. "I should have come earlier. No! This wouldn't have happened if I didn't push you away in the first place. Please don't die on me Flick!"

Once I had untangled the Feebas, I could already feel from holding it in my trembling hands that it no longer took breath. I hiccuped another wail just before I let the body drift in shallow lake water, still keeping it close.

"Hey Flick...One day we will see the ocean together. I promise." I spoke in a low tone, a broken smile drawn onto my face. "J-just get up... Move... Anything"

Nothing.

All air fled my body as I let my forehead sink onto the motionless pokemon. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for pushing you to be more beautiful. I was wrong." I let my hand skim over my friend's dorsal fin with a heavy regret, "You were always beautiful."~

The music stopped, my team of Feebas floated in a continuous paralysis.

~A delicate heat warmed my cheek from the Feebas body.~

In the back, a low drum could be picked up by a strained ear. In the slowest possible motion, I reached into the back of my sash to slip out a pokeball.

~A light blinded my eyes in the high day.~

With the silver moon strung high in the sky, I tossed up the sphere which broke open in perfect line with the celestial body. The white light of a capsule snapping open filled the night, putting the fires to shame as the pokemon within plunging into the tossing ocean backdrop. Waves it kicked up perfectly dousing the torches. All that was left to give off any source of visible light was the moon which was mirrored back by the ocean.

~"Flick!"~

"Fick!" I introduced my partner, the serpent snaking out from the sea and casting a long shadow across the beach. The pokemon let out a lonely song and the music entered back in with full swing, drums pounding, flutes whistling and violins carrying on. The Feebas went back into their leaping, water droplets displaying tiny moons in each while Flick moved flawlessly around each of us with its long body.

My friend and I were simple silhouettes twirling around one another, my fans brushing its long body. My knees bending down in near fall just for Flick's tail to push me back to position. The beat sped up and our movements became erratic across the stage, giving off the thought to many audience members that a collision was soon to occur.

But one never did. The music cut off with a loud banging finale of precautions. My team of Feebas all back in the rightful tanks.

Flick's tail dipped into the water as its body wrapped around mine protectively. Our heads just inches apart, my fans outstretched to brush the serpent's red antennae. The Milotic giving off it's infamous soothing tender aura, illuminating the Lilycove beach in a cherry-blossom pink glow. My face was cast in shadows and light, a smile coming to my expression as the crowd applauded and whistled excessively.

"I told you we'd see the ocean one day, Flick."