Chapter 35

(I dedicate this chapter to my good friend xXFrozenMidnightXx . Frozen, I'm not sure where you are now, but I want you to know a few things. You have been a great friend and supporter to me. You were one of the few people who would still talk to me, and we had some great conversations. You'd also support me on SWS2, and leave great feedback and comments. I was actually planning on dedicating a better chapter than this to you, but I don't want to put this off anymore. In a way, I do see this chapter as special, and remaining readers will see why. Please, if you read this, please tell me where you are. I'm worried about you, and I know some of your other friends are too. Don't just leave us in the dark like this 😥 To be honest, Wattpad doesn't seem the same without you. You leaving is really hitting me hard, and I'm losing the will to write. But I really do hope you know that we care about you and are worried.)

"Curandero, start out with Flying Press!" Margaret called to her Hawlucha, who cawed and flew into the air.

Once he was high in the air, Margaret instructed next, "Now use Brick Break!"

Curandero gave a loud, "Haw, hawlucha!" before spreading his glowing wings.

"Amelia, Thundershock!" The rookie commanded her Flaaffy. Amelia bleated loudly as she released a surge of electricity toward Curandero. The Thundershock became absorbed into the Brick Break, causing Curandero's wings to crackle with electricity.

"Alright, Deborah, your turn now!" The performer called, throwing out her hand toward the Gardevoir. "Moonblast!"

The Gardevoir closed her eyes and began to dance in place while singing beautifully. Pink and pale blue aura shaded off her and formed a large sphere above her head. The sphere greatly resembled the moon.

"Electric Brick Break!"

Curandero swooped down and used the electrifying Brick Break to slice through the Moonblast. The Fairy Type move burst into pink and pale blue fragments that scattered around the field. Some fragments even morphed in tiny butterfly-like shapes, adding to the magical feel of the performance.

Margaret spun around and danced with Amelia, Curandero, and Deborah among the Moonblast fragments. Once the fragments vanished, Margaret straightened up and called, "Finished!"

There was a loud squeal as Fiona leapt off the bench at the field's sidelines and ran over to the performer and her team. Her male Dedenne who had been perched on top of her head, Kirk, squeaked fearfully from the sudden burst of speed and clung to the little girl's ponytail. Margaret could even hear him begin to curse furiously.

"Did you like the routine, Fiona?" Margaret asked her nervously, in need of a new perspective.

Fiona nodded eagerly, giving the performer the response she expected. The young girl was so easy to please.

"I thought you did well too."

Danny had also gotten up and strode over to his friend. Margaret had asked him and Fiona to watch what she had for her performance so far. The only bad thing was that he couldn't stay for long because he had to train his remaining Pokemon for his upcoming gym battle.

"Y-You really think so...?' Margaret stammered uncertainly, feeling her face turn slightly warm.

"Of course I do," Danny told her patiently. "You have been doing very well for a beginner. I think you'll do great. All you need is to be more confident of your abilities."

The reason for Margaret's low self esteem was evident as a roar of fury a second later. They turned just in time to see Deborah send a Fire Punch at Curandero, who gave a loud howl as he was thrown into the brick wall around the battle field.

"Oh Deborah, not again!" Amelia squealed with fright as Kirk began cheering for Deborah in high pitched squeaks.

"Curandero!" Margaret squeaked, quickly setting down Fiona and running over to her Hawlucha.

"Guau, what a woman!" Curandero gasped, sounding disoriented.

As Margaret tried helping her Hawlucha back on his feet, she heard Danny scold Deborah sternly, "Deborah, that was uncalled for! Why did you hit him?!"

"That little singe has no respect for a woman!" She howled furiously, thrusting her arm to point at him. "How dare he touch me*! I will make sure he never does that to me again!"

"What did he do to make you so mad?"

"Oh, Danny, please don't ask!" Margaret stammered squeakily, leaving Curandero in Amelia's care and running swiftly back over to her friend. "T-This isn't the first time this has happened between them! Deborah, I'm sorry that he keeps bothering you, p-please be patient with him! I-I swear, I keep telling him to stop, but he doesn't listen to me when it comes to this!"

"Margaret, Deborah shouldn't have hurt your Pokemon, it's-" Danny began, but Margaret interrupted, "N-No, it's still Curandero's fault, and I really am sorry..."

Before anything else could be said, Deborah let out a hiss of fury at Curandero and suddenly retreated into her pokeball, which was currently clipped onto Margaret's own belt. Margaret felt very depressed all of sudden at the disappearance now of Deborah. She had been hoping that Deborah would tolerate Curandero and his wild ways, and she had also hoped even more that Curandero would learn that Deborah didn't always like how he treated her. She knew he didn't mean to be rude, but he didn't seem to be able to control himself.

"Margaret, I'm sure everything will be sorted out soon," Danny assured her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I understand that Deborah isn't easy to deal with, and I bet Curandero isn't that simple either, but if anyone can train them, it's you."

The performer didn't want to object so all she managed to say was, "If you say so..."

"I know so. Look, maybe you should take a break. It will help clear your head a bit. Go explore the town, that's what most of the others are doing. You have barely left the Pokemon Center since we got here."

This was true. Margaret had been so engrossed in preparing for the upcoming showcase that she had barely left the Pokemon Center or battle grounds. Her Pokemon didn't really care for sightseeing, but Margaret had been itching to see some of the town's hot spots.

"Maybe you're right," she sighed sadly as she looked down at the ground. "I'll go and explore the city... clear my thoughts a little..."

"Would you like me and Fiona to come with you?" Danny asked, gesturing to the little girl and himself.

"Oh, no, you two can go on ahead. I would hold you back. Really, I'll be fine."

Danny didn't look entirely reassured, but agreed nevertheless and told her, "Alright, but if you change your mind, just call me."

Margaret nodded but didn't reply. She watched as Danny took Fiona by the hand and guided her back toward the Pokemon Center. She couldn't help but smile at the scene. One of the things she always admired about him was how nice he was to children.

She then sighed and returned to her Pokemon. Amelia was tending to Curandero, who seemed to have recovered quickly from his slight confusion.

"Are you ok, Curandero?" Margaret asked her Pokemon quietly as she knelt beside them. "Should we take you inside to see Nurse Joy?"

Curandero shook his head swiftly to clear it, leapt to his feet and replied, "I feel perfectly alright, mi querida dama!"

"That's good... Curandero, you need to be more polite to Deborah. In your tribe, your way of, um... flirting, may have been acceptable, but here it's very rude. You need to be gentle."

"See, Curandero, even Miss Margaret agrees with me!" Amelia scolded Curandero while shaking her head.

Margaret sighed with defeat as Curandero muttered some inaudible. She then took the Flaaffy and Hawlucha's pokeballs off her belt and said as she clicked the buttons to return them, "Here, you two rest for awhile. We'll take a break before practicing again."

Once she clipped the two pokeballs back onto her belt, she straightened up and began to exit the battlefield. Margaret barely acknowledged the town's beauty as she began to wander through the streets. Her mind was filled with thoughts that all concerned the upcoming showcase.

She had never been is determined about anything before. She had been disappointed when she lost the last showcase, and she had been practice for it before Cyllage City, but her motivation to actually came from watching the Cyllage City Showcase.

Margaret had felt inspired by Stella Knight's performance, even though Shauna had told her that she usually does much more magnificent performances than that. She wanted to be just like her, no matter what it took. But then she saw Maya's performance and how she had won by a landslide. The reality of the showcase seemed to sink in on her after that. Nobody would notice her performances unless she stood out more. She had to be the best.

As she passed a store with a TV on display, she stopped to after seeing the show that was on. It was one of Stella Knight's most recent performances, but it didn't look like she was performing for a showcase. Margaret looked more closely to see the words moving across the bottom of the screen.

Guest Star of the Night: Kalos Queen Stella Knight and her Pokemon

This must be a replay, Margaret thought to herself, but she was still interested in watching.

Stella Knight was standing in the center of a more modern stage than the wooden stages in the showcase theaters. She was standing between a Torterra and Medicham. They must be the last two members of her team.

Margaret admired how the young woman seemed to radiate with happiness. A smile was still on her face as she adjusted the small wired microphone tapped to her outfit. Her Pokemon, though rather strange for a performer to have, seemed to all shine with the same glow as their trainer. She watched as Stella took a deep breathe before letting out a beautiful voice that echoed through the display glass.

Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things that we could be
But, baby I've been, I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars

Flute music suddenly began to wave through the silence as the show began. The Torterra glanced at its trainer before vines shot around it and began to rise like snakes before a charmer. The Medicham, on the other hand, began to twirl and dance in a unusual way.

I see this life, like a swinging vine
Swing my heart across the line
And in my face is flashing signs
Seek it out and ye' shall find
Old, but I'm not that old
Young, but I'm not that bold
And I don't think the world is sold
I'm just doing what we're told

Stella's Medicham danced alongside her trainer before leaping onto one of the rising vines. It moved so gracefully for a Fighting Type.

I-I-I-I feel something so right
Doing the wrong thing
I-I-I-I feel something so wrong
Doing the right thing
I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive

Margaret watched in awe as the Kalos Queen continued to sing and perform with her Pokemon. It was a performance that she would expect from the top Performer of the region. The rookie felt inspired by watching her. She wanted her own team to be just as coordinated and cooperative. She could switch them out for Sowny, Petunia, and Fletcher. They knew each other well enough and got along perfectly...most of the time.

But Margaret couldn't do that to Amelia, Curandero, and Deborah. Amelia got along with the other two and tried so hard to make the performance work. She couldn't take her off for trying. Curandero and Deborah worked well individually and made great moves, but they just couldn't lay off each other.

"Whatcha watching?"

"Pip, piplup!"

"Gren, greninja."

Margaret jumped and swiveled around to see who had spoken. A girl holding a Piplup was standing next to her with a tall frog-like Pokemon. What startled the rookie was that the girl looked exactly like Mira, but yet it wasn't her. She had the same blonde hair that was put in the similar fancy style, but she wore summer clothes instead of Mira's studded red jacket and short dragon tamer's cape. She even had the same blue eyes. The thing that gave it away that this wasn't her friend was that Mira didn't have a Greninja, nor did she have a Piplup.

"Oh, um," the rookie began nervously, quickly remembering what she was doing before the stranger came. "I-I was just watching this performance..."

The girl looked through the glass before smiling and saying, "Oh, you're watching Stella Knight's performance! Isn't she just the best?"

"Yeah, she's something special..."

"I bet you're a performer yourself, aren't you?" The girl continued slyly.

Margaret felt taken aback as she replied nervously, "Yes, how'd you know?"

"'Cause I'm a performer too! I'm Raven, and these are my partners, Prince and Pearly! I'm going to be participating in the showcase in town! I came back all the way from Shalour City to participate!"

"Is it far away from here?"

"It's not too far, you just pass through Route 11 and go through Reflection Cave. But what's your name? I don't think I've seen your performances!"

"I'm Margaret, I've only participated in one showcase, the Ambrette Town Showcase. The Geosenge Town Showcase will be my second showcase."

Raven looked disappointed as she said, "Oh darn, the Ambrette Town Showcase was the showcase I couldn't make it too! I'm always one town ahead from the showcases. But didn't that Maya girl win the Ambrette Town Showcase?"

Margaret nodded stiffly, unable to say that she had indeed lost the showcase. Raven seemed to notice this because she added immediately, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was a sore subject."

"No, it's ok, you didn't know," Margaret assured her. "I...I guess I'm still disappointed. I didn't show it at first, but now it's settling in. I just don't think I can win the next one after the first..."

"Well of course you can! Not everybody wins their first time! I certainly didn't, my sister and cousin usually lost before winning anything. I lost my first showcase too, but I keep trying!"

"How long have you been doing showcases?"

"Every since I started my Pokemon journey, which was somewhere around eight years ago!"

Margaret's heart sank. This performer had more years of experience of showcases and she had yet to be Kalos Queen. She was sure Raven was quite accomplished at showcases, and Margaret knew it was hard becoming Kalos Queen, but she didn't want to work at it for eight years.

"You're still nervous, aren't you?" Raven asked sadly. "I didn't mean to discourage you, showcases are difficult but you'll get the hang of them."

The older performer thought for a moment before continuing, "I assume you haven't planned out your performance yet, right?"

"No, why?"

"Well if you aren't doing anything, why don't you come with me for the afternoon? I was on my way to pickup my Pokemon for the showcase, and I was going to meet a family friend, who might be able to help you somehow. I think the two of us can help you out! Ain't that right, boys!"

"Piplup, pip pip!" Pearly the Piplup squeaked while the Greninja croaked, "Gren, ninja!"

"I-I guess that's ok, but I don't want to interrupt anything," Margaret stammered as Raven grabbed her arm and began to guide her away from the store window.

"Oh don't worry, it's been so long since I've made friends with anyone besides my sister and cousin!" Raven assured her happily.

The two girls walked through the streets for fifteen minutes, and Margaret was surprised how outgoing and cheerful Raven was. Most performers she met were snarky and rude, so she came as a surprised. Margaret didn't speak much, but she listened politely to Raven's stories. Apparently she use to have three traveling companions, her sister, her cousin, and a boy whom Raven wished would soon become her brother-in-law. They stopped traveling together after their friend was injured, and they went their separate ways. Raven had been traveling between Kalos and another region with her Pokemon ever since.

"Alola?" Margaret repeated curiously as Raven just used the word. "I'm not too familiar with that region."

"You've never heard of Alola?" Raven demanded, shocked. "It's the best region in the world! It's paradise! It's not like any region in existence! There aren't any gyms there, they have a tradition called Island Trials! I don't know too much about them, but the main idea is that you have to go on a quest and defeat a Totem Pokemon, or a boss Pokemon, to pass! Caramia and Astro live there, so I visit there often whenever Caramia has to go out and try to get a job in another region."

"They have a house but none of them have a job?"

"Astro comes from a wealthy family in Sinnoh, but he has been experiencing some family issues. He used the money he had left to buy a house. My cousin stays so she can watch him. But their money is running out, and hey can't get jobs. Astro was actually rejected as a Trial Captain because he was considered 'disable', and everyone else he submits an application to seems to agree. So Caramia is the bread winner, meaning she has to be the one to provide the money."

"But that doesn't seem fair, I mean some gym leaders are elderly or handicapped, but they become gym leaders because of their skills as a trainer."

"Well I'm glad that someone else sees it the same way I do! I just wish there was something I could do to help..." Raven added, a frown forming on her face, but then it disappeared as she said excitedly, "Speaking of help, I think he's somewhere nearby!"

"He?" Margaret repeated blankly.

"Sure, can't you hear the music?"

Margaret listened and suddenly heard the singing. It seemed to be coming from the giant rock landmark at the center of town. Once they came closer, Margaret saw a boy who looked slightly older than herself to be sitting at the foot of one of the great rocks, surrounded by two Pokemon while another two Pokemon danced around.

It might seem crazy what I am about to say
Sunshine she's here, you can take a break
I'm a hot air balloon that could go to space

With the air, like I don't care baby by the way

Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

Here come bad news talking this and that
Yeah, give me all you got, don't hold back
Yeah, well I should probably warn you I'll be just fine
Yeah, no offense to you don't waste your time
Here's why:

Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

Bring me down, can't nothing
Bring me down, my level's too high
Bring me down, can't nothing
Bring me down, I said, "let me tell you now"
Bring me down, can't nothing
Bring me down, my level's too high

Bring me down, can't nothing
Bring me down, I said...

Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

Bring me down, can't nothing
Bring me down, my level's too high
Bring me down, can't nothing...
Bring me down, I said, "let me tell you now"

Because I'm happy
Come along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

"That is who we're meeting!" Raven told Margaret happily after the singing stopped.

"I-I didn't realize he would be a boy," Margaret stammered. "A-Are you sure he can help me?"

"Oh he's the best! He actually knows quite a bit about Pokemon Showcases! He's quite talented as a coordinator! Come on!"

Margaret still had her doubts on if this boy could help her, but she hid her under confidence. She lingered behind as Raven and her two Pokemon ran over to meet the boy. As they got closer, she saw that three of the Pokemon were a Makuhita, Volbeat, and Roserade. The fourth, a tan and green owl Pokemon, was unfamiliar to her.

"Beat, you should really be more patient with Rosie, she will move over this stage eventually," the boy scolded his Volbeat, who had its arms crossed and was edging away from the Roserade. Judging by the Roserade's behavior, it seemed to have a little crush on the Volbeat.

"Hellooo, Jeremy!" Raven called enthusiastically to the boy, causing him to look up.

The boy, Jeremy, smiled as he looked up and saw the girl. He stood up and called back, "I didn't think you were going to come!"

"I'm sorry, I got a tiny bit sidetracked!" The elite performer apologized as she and her two Pokemon skidded to a stop in front of him. "I hope you don't mind that I brought my new friend along! This is Margaret, a fellow performer! Margaret, this is Jeremy, a family friend!"

Jeremy smiled at Margaret and said kindly as he held out his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Margaret."

Margaret nodded shyly before shaking the boy's hand. She had this odd feeling about him. She felt like she knew him from somewhere, but she couldn't remember meeting anyone of his appearance. Jeremy had light, brownish, straw colored hair and blue eyes. He had black and blue glasses, a black winter coat, and a knitted scarf. He actually looked quite spiffy.

"Um, thank you," Margaret replied quietly as she withdrew her hand. "I hope I'm not inconveniencing you..."

"Not at all, I'm honored to meet any friend of Raven's."

"So Jeremy, do you have Mittens with you?" Raven asked as she looked over at Jeremy's Pokemon, who were interacting with Prince and Pearly.

"Yes, she's right here," Jeremy answered, removing a pokeball from his belt. "She is doing just fine. She doesn't like being around humans, but does well with other Pokemon. I'm sure she's excited to see you though."

Raven squealed happily and took the pokeball from Jeremy. A small, chubby pink and white panda-like Pokemon came out of the pokeball when Raven pressed the button. The pokemon yawned and looked up at Raven. The odd Pokemon did not show the slightest sign of recognition to Raven.

"Little Mittens, I missed you so much!" Raven squeaked as she scooped up the Pokemon and squeezed it in a hug. The Pokemon immediately let out a loud, high pitched meow-like noise and began flailing its chubby paws.

"S-She doesn't look very happy..." Margaret stuttered, concerned for the new Pokemon.

"Mittens is fine," Jeremy assured her with a slight smile on his face. "Stuffuls are known for their flailing, they dislike being held or hugged."

"Stuffuls?"

"It's an Alolan Pokemon. I assume you haven't been to Alola before, right?"

"No, but I kinda want to visit it now."

"Don't worry, I haven't been there either. I've only seen some of the Pokemon from there."

"But what about Dax?" Raven asked as she finally let go of her Stufful, who hissed and stalked back over to Prince and Pearly. "I thought you got him from Alola?"

Jeremy shook his head and replied, "My sister and her family went to Alola and got Dax, I didn't go with them."

"Who's Dax?" Margaret inquired.

But her question was answered as the little owl-like Pokemon waddled over to Jeremy. It had tan feathers and two leaves that made up a bow tie. To her horror, she saw that the owl did not have a full beak. Part of the top of its beak was broken off, so Margaret could see its tongue.

"This is Dax," Jeremy told her, kneeling down to pet the Pokemon. "He's a Rowlet, one of the starters of Alola."

"Oh my, what happened to his beak?" The rookie performer gasped quietly as she knelt down to look at the poor Pokemon.

"My family takes care of abandoned and disabled Pokemon, and trainer's can adopt them. I'm actually here in Kalos to help train some of the Pokemon. Dax was found in the streets with part of his beak ripped off. We're not sure what happened to him, but we're saving money to help get him a new upper beak. The others have similar stories. Rosie the Roserade is missing one of her arms from another Pokemon. May-ling the Makuhita was born without her arm, but we saved enough money to get her a fake arm, and we put a boxing glove on it. Beat the Volbeat is my own Pokemon, I caught him back in Hoenn."

Margaret reached out and began stroking the Rowlet's chin. Dax closed his eyes lazily and began to make a loud cooing noise.

"Aren't you a sweet little boy," she told the little Pokemon kindly, smiling at Dax's silly behavior.

"Aw, he seems to really like you!" Raven giggled as Dax continued to coo happily. "I've heard he usually doesn't interact with many trainers!"

"Well, I've been told that I'm a Pokemon magnet..."

"I can believe that," Jeremy agreed as he patted the Rowlet's head. "I've had friends that Pokemon liked more than others. Your own Pokemon must trust you just as much."

Margaret was taken aback slightly, but replied with slight under confidence, "I think so, I mean, they don't listen to me often..."

"Margaret is a performer too, she's going to be in the showcase this week," Raven explained to Jeremy. "But she needs some help with her performance, and naturally I thought of you and your experience as a coordinator!"

"Well I'm flattered by your confidence in my abilities, but I'm afraid Pokemon Contests and Showcases are two different things."

"But you help me and my sister! Surely you can help Margaret!"

"Um, you don't need to," Margaret interrupted uncertainly. "But I'd appreciate any help you can give me..."

Jeremy had an expression on his face that clearly meant that he was uncertain of assisting someone of the opposite profession. She couldn't really blame him since Showcases were for girls and he didn't understand it as much as she and Raven did.

He finally sighed and answered reluctantly, "I'll try, but I can't promise anything..."

*~*~*

"So you need help with ideas for showcases, and also advice on training your Pokemon?" Jeremy asked as he and Raven sat on the opposite side of one of the rock landmarks' nearby picnic tables.

Margaret nodded and explained while sitting down as well, "Yeah, I just started showcases, so I don't know how to get ideas. I guess I need advice on getting ideas..."

"Well I always thought inspiration comes in different forms for different people," Raven admitted. "I find that I get tons of ideas when visiting Alola, that's sorta why I go there more than I should."

"That is very true," Jeremy agreed. "Inspiration comes to people through different things, like people, places, and other works of art or literature. I guess the question right now, Margaret, is what inspires you. So tell me, what motivates you to express yourself or to do something more?"

The rookie performer tilted her head to the side as she thought over the question. She didn't know what inspired or motivated her. She wasn't very creative when expressing herself.

But then Margaret remembered her friends and her Pokemon. Each one of them helped her learn something new. Whether it was learning a new battle strategy or move combination to a small piece of life advice, they all helped her grow as a person.

"I guess my friends and Pokemon inspire me," Margaret answered after a moment.

"Well that's a good start," Jeremy told her, giving her an encouraging smile. "One of my main motivations is my family and my three best friends. I always work hard at what I'm doing and learn new things to use in my works because of what they taught me."

Margaret saw that Raven glanced over at Jeremy as he said this. She noticed that the smile she gave her friend was more of a sad frown or a very small grimace.

"They sound like really good friends," The marooned hair girl told him in order to distract herself from what she saw.

"I couldn't have asked for better friends," the older boy agreed quietly. "I just wish I knew where two of them were. I haven't seen them in a year. I lost contact with them. But, that doesn't mean they still don't inspire me, even from a distance. Actually, one of them encouraged me to express myself through contests. She was quite talented as a coordinator and a performer."

"Oh my, I'm sorry..."

But he shook his head and assured her, "It's nothing to be sorry over. Life happens. Besides, it's not like I'll never see them again, and I still have other friends."

Margaret, however, did not see it this way. She couldn't help but remember when she, Danny, and Red use to hang out together as children. How much fun they had until Red became a trainer and grew to be the Pokemon Prodigy. She remembered how miserable she was when becoming an outcast by someone she had thought was her friend. But at least she had Danny.

"Is there something about your friends that inspires you, Margaret?" Raven asked her, interrupting her flow of thoughts.

"Oh, well," Margaret started, slightly flustered. "I guess my best friend inspires me, Danny. He's been my friend for years, and I look up to him. He works hard and stands back up whenever life pushes him down. He doesn't give up easily, so I guess I have always strived to be like him. I at least try to be just as brave and creative as he is.

"But...I can't think on my own two feet like he can, or like any of my friends. Danny can think of a comeback in battle easily. My other friend, White, she can make up a move combination as she battles. She would be a great coordinator, but she prefers just regular battling. Everyone else is the same, but I can't think under pressure."

"Well, I'm guessing your friends are all regular Pokemon trainers that collect badges, right?" Jeremy started before continuing more seriously, "Thinking on one's feet is a skill most trainers are gifted with. Us coordinators, and performers, do use that skill, but not quite as often. Coordinators actually use it more often than performers since they battle in contests, unless in a Contest Spectacular. You and Raven don't have to worry about thinking up a new strategy unless one of your combinations has an unexpected effect. So improving on your strategy skills is a thing to work on, but it isn't something that you should worry about as much."

"Oh, I see, but it would at least help with ideas, battles or not..."

Margaret looked up to see that Raven looked a little sad. The way she was looking at her made her feel like she was reminding her of someone. Or else remembering.

After a moment, Raven moved to sit next to Margaret and said with slight enthusiasm, "Hey, can I tell you a secret?"

"Um... sure, I guess," Margaret replied uncertainly.

"You can't tell anyone, ok?"

"O-Ok..."

"Raven, I don't think you should-" Jeremy began but Raven interrupted quite sternly, "It will be ok, I know what I'm doing."

She then turned back to look at Margaret dead in the eyes and began to tell her story.

"There is actually a story about Stella Knight, but it's just a rumor that floats around. Before she became Kalos Queen, they say she had three great traveling companions. Two of which were her sister and cousin, the other was a young man who encouraged her when she was down. The four of them did everything together, they had so much fun together... But then tragedy happened, and their group separated. Stella and her sister continued to travel around Kalos to do showcases, but her cousin and friend went another way, searching for a lost member of their friend's team. People actually say that's how she got her female Meowstic and Braixen, they think the young man gave them to her because he couldn't afford to lose them either.

"Well, a few weeks later, Stella made it all the way to the Master Class of the Pokemon Showcase. She rose through each rank like it was nothing! But she had one problem, and that was that she had no idea what to do for her final performance if she ever reached the Kalos Queen of the time. She was completely out of ideas. She had used up all her ideas on the other rounds.

"But then she was surprised a few hours before her final round. Not only did her sister come to cheer her on, but her cousin and friend as well! Rumors say that the boy fell into a depression and had locked himself up in his new house after failing to find his Pokemon. He left the house for the first time so he could give Stella support.

"His presence gave her exactly what she needed. She left two hours before her performance and totally changed the routine. She came back just in time to perform on he final round. The Kalos Queen gave a splendid performance, a lot of people thought that she would stomp Stella flat. Nobody had yet been able to beat her in performing. But when Stella got on stage, you know what she did?"

When Margaret shook her head no, Raven began to grin and answered happily, "She sang! She and her Pokemon put on a performance like none other, and Stella sang for the audience! But the thing is, rumors say that she didn't sing to become Kalos Queen, she didn't sing for the audience, but she sang for her friend. She wanted to encourage him just as he inspired her. She wanted to make him happy again, even if it were for just a short time."

The younger performer looked up at Raven before asking shrewdly, "Did that really happen?"

"I think it did," Raven replied cheerfully. "But who can say? I guess the only one that really knows is Stella Knight herself. The point is, she was inspired by one person. Sometimes it's just all right there in front of you. Inspiration comes in different forms, but the best inspiration comes from people. You just need to look for it. She redid her entire performance for one man, and she became Kalos Queen because she didn't just make her friend happy, but she changed a lot of people in that theater. I can't promise you'll get the same results, but it's a start."

Margaret didn't really know what to say. Part of her got more out of the story than she was probably meant to. But it seemed that Raven understood the risk in telling her.

"I think I understand now," Margaret answered, a small smile growing in her face. "Thank you very much. But...what about my Pokemon?"

"Well I can tell you that," Jeremy told her, a sly grin appearing on his face. "Look over at Rosie and Beat. Watch them interact."

The two girls turned to look at the Pokemon, who were all playing together among the rock formation monument. Raven's Stufful and Piplup were playing with Jeremy's Rowlet and Makuhita around the rocks. It seemed to be a game of tag and hide'n seek.  Prince and Beat the Volbeat seemed to be too old to join in.

Rosie, however, was hiding behind the monument sign, eyeing the Volbeat gleefully. The Roserade then skipped out from behind the sign and approached the Bug Type and tapping his shoulder. When Beat turned to look at Rosie, the Roserade moved her one bouquet-arm out and blew him a kiss. A little heart blew out of her mouth and it hit Beat in the nose.

The moment it touched his nose, the Volbeat's expression became dazed and a grin spread across his face. Beat buzzed happily as he began to fawn over the Roserade. He had become in love by her Attract.

"Why did she do that?" Margaret asked, surprised that the other two took this lightly.

"Rosie has a crush on Beat," Jeremy explained as Beat snapped out of his infatuation and began to buzz angrily at the Roserade while the other Pokemon watched. "She's been like that ever since I started caring for her. She will occasionally use Attract on Beat if her attempts to charm him fail. Beat may not like it, but Rosie doesn't understand that she isn't doing much to impress him. Even when I explain to her that he doesn't like it, she will continue to do it.

"Your Pokemon belong to two different worlds, not to mention two different trainers. You can try and get them to behave, but they may just always not get along. I would just work on their teamwork. Rosie and Beat may not always get along, but they do very well together in battle, especially in contest battles. Your Pokemon may not get along, but if you work hard with them, you could be able to turn them into great partners."

"Are you sure?"

"Well your problems won't automatically be fixed, it will take time. What I do know is that the trainers have to help them work together. They can't do it on their own."

"Hey, Margaret!"

Margaret turned to look around after hearing her name being called. Mira was running toward her while waving at her. Walking a short ways behind her was Danny.

"Oh, are they your friends?" Raven asked as Margaret got up to greet them.

"Yeah, do you guys want to meet-" Margaret began, but stopped after seeing that Jeremy had gotten up and interrupted sharply, "No, I have to go. I've been out long enough."

"Come on, you can stay to meet them!" Raven objected, but Jeremy just ignored her and  pulled out four pokeballs off his belt.

"I'd rather not," He told them while returning his Pokemon to their pokeballs and beginning to walk away. "I'll be at the Showcase, so we will meet again, Margaret. Good luck."

"Who was that, Margaret?" Mira piped up as she ran next to Margaret just as Jeremy vanished behind the monument.

"Just...just a friend I met..." Margaret answered, turning to look at her and Danny, who had just caught up.

"Who are you?" Danny questioned Raven.

Raven smiled and said happily, "I'm Raven, nice to meet you!"

"I'm Danny, this is Mira. We're two of Margaret's traveling companions."

"Oh Margaret talked about you, Danny! They were all good things!"

Margaret squeaked with embarrassment and she saw Danny blush lightly. To blow over this thought, Margaret stammered shyly, "S-So why are you here?"

"Well I came to tell you that I started on your new dress!" Mira squeaked happily to Margaret.

"But you made my dress for the first one, I still have it!"

"No no no! I made you a new, better, and more special outfit made specifically for you! Come on, don't dismiss it before you see it!"

But Danny suddenly cut across Mira's speech and told her sternly, "Mira, stand next to Raven for a second."

When both blonde looked surprised, he continued on, "You both have a striking resemblance to each other. The hair, the eyes, everything! The only major difference is that Raven is slightly taller! Aren't I right, Margaret?"

Margaret tilted her head as she scrutinized their apperences. Now that they stood right next to each other, Margaret could see that they really did look almost exactly alike. Both blond, both with blue eyes, and they even had their hair up in a similar fashion. It was mind blowing.

"The resemblance is quite strong," Margaret admitted. "I've heard of this happening before. I mean, scientists believe that there are at least five people in the world that look almost exactly like yourself. I guess you both found one of your twins."

Mira and Raven both looked at each other, as if unable to think of what to say about finding their twin. They then suddenly threw their arms around each other and yelled gleefully, "WE'RE TWINS!"

Margaret giggled a little as the two girls began to flip out at finding their non related twin. Prince, Pearly, and Mittens all looked utterly confused on why there was suddenly two of their trainer. Danny didn't seem to know what to think about the entire thing. But while the two of them watched the first twins gab away, they didn't release that someone was still watching them.

*~*~*

Jerry observed the three girls and the boy from a distance, not wanting them to know he was still around. His attention was set on the young girl that resembled a slightly younger Raven.

"After all this time," he whispered to himself quietly. "I never thought I would see her again. Maybe the other two aren't with her, maybe she is just alone..."

But no, that wasn't right. Margaret had definitely mentioned a friend named White. So the trainers Red, White, and Blue were now in Kalos. The trio of a boy and two girls that fought against Team Plasma, and were the rival trio of Team JET. Sky Blue, the eldest and the genius of the three. Mira, the youngest yet mouthiest of the three, but she had a strange knack of training Dragon Types or dragon-like Pokemon.

And then there was White. The cleverest, most serious, and the most daring of the trio. The Champion Gone Bad, the Queen of Thieves, and the trainer of White. The only one of the three that he gotten to know well...while in prison.

Jerry turned his back on the group and began to walk away. He didn't know whether it was good that the trio were here or not. It would be uncomfortable to meet them, to say the least. Esther and Terran, the other two members of Team JET, had not gotten along with them, so their behavior also reflected on him.

There is one advantage to this, Jerry thought hopefully as he walked back toward the hotel. At least now I have a way to find out where N is after all these years. Now I just need to find Esther, where ever she is...

***

Well this took longer than expected....and it also turned out stupider than I thought XD When I first wrote this I was just like, "YUS, FINALLY A CHAPTER I CAN WORK ON QUICKLY" and then after a few days I was like "I'm bored, I wish I could skip to the end of the story and just not do the work ;-;" At least I'm 300 words into the next chapter.

Sorry it took awhile, I do other things besides writing. So who's excited for Pokemon Sun and Moon? It's only ten days away from where I live! What Pokemon are you looking forward to catching? I'm planning on getting a Type: Null and Stufful, those are two of my favorites! That's kinda why I added Mittens the Stufful to be honest. Feel free to tell me what you're looking forward to!

vvv PLEASE READ vvv

So I have two things to discuss with remaining readers. First off is that I am half way through finishing my new book, "When I See You Again". I have two chapters to finish writing, and then I need to edit and delete words. It's a short story, so to be entered into the Pokemon Watty Awards, it must be 8,000 words or less. It's 5,000 right now. I hope to publish it on November 18th. It will be updated every few hours that day. Since it's the same day Pokemon Sun and Moon come out, I don't expect people to read it. I will post it so readers outside of the United States can read it and I can enjoy my new game without worrying about updates. It is a continuation of "We'll Be Counting Stars", so because one of the themes is stars and the night I decided to post it on the release of Sun and Moon. I just hope it is finished in time.

My most important announcement is here: "Searching Without Shame" is going on hiatus in a couple of chapters.

NO. LISTEN TO ME, ITS NOT WHAT YOU THINK.

The hiatus isn't going to me quitting the book for a short time! After a certain point, I don't know what to write until a few routes later, so it's pretty much gonna be a time skip. So what I'm doing is splitting SWS2 in to two books, but it's all going to be in this one book. During the hiatus, I will write a prologue and a chapter. Instead of me publishing a chapter and starting a new one immediately after, I want to get a head start on the book. My estimate for when the split will take place will probably be around Chapter 42. I hope to make the story less than 60 chapters, but it may go over. I want this book done, I want to start book three, but I can't do that until finishing this. I thank you all for being patient with me, and I'm so sorry...

^^^

I think that's it. I will try to publish the next part before Pokemon Sun and Moon come out, but "When I See You Again" is my number one priority right now. You can sign up for the Geosenge Town Pokemon Showcase in the last chapter, only one person has signed up so far. I honestly don't have my hopes up for any more performers. Sign up ends once the next chapter is published.

Anyway, bye, and if I don't publish before hand, have fun in Alola!

(*This is a little note for the beginning of the chapter. Curandero is short, he can't even reach Deborah's waist. What he did to make Deborah angry was really just pinch the hem of her "dress". It was nothing overly inappropriate, I wanted to clarify what happened because I didn't say. I think I've watched too much Deep Space 9.)

(Lyrics : "Happy" by Pharrel Williams)