Pokémon Mars

Chapter 81: Immortal

The group temporarily split up when the sun rose over Hearthome City. Callerya, of course, wanted to go to the Battle Frontier. Jin had only seen the one in Orre. He was intrigued enough to go with her. Mercury and Sonnet just wanted to take photos. Praise wanted to go to Celestic Town with Nyx and Firmino.

'It's the Celestica genes,' Nyx said, 'They're calling to us.'

Thalassa, Eden and Plectrude wanted to try a Pokémon Contest. Poppy's 80 year-old father Lambert, a retired Contest star, gave them passes. He seemed quietly broken, barely speaking until he showed them how to make Poffins and they spilled the batter everywhere, then burned it, producing a stack of Foul Poffins. Lambert laughed then, but it was brief.

'Poppy was so good at this...'

The Jigglypuff who waddled after Lambert was once Poppy's treasured Pokémon. They were rising Contest stars. She suddenly decided she no longer wanted it when she met Karot and joined Team Plasma. Lambert watched her trial. She showed no remorse or willingness to change, so she was sentenced to life in Ironville Prison for attempted world destruction, aiding a murderer, administrating an evil team, kidnapping and child neglect. When a biographer interviewed her, she spoke like a Team Plasma devotee: she wanted to create a beautiful world where Pokémon were free. She answered every question the man asked. Lambert still felt no closer to understanding how his daughter jumped from rock music and Pokémon Contests to a Team Genesis Admin, speaking more like a Team Plasma Admin; intent on trampling anyone and anything in her way to create a new world. None of it made sense. Lambert wanted to believe that she was manipulated by Karot, but he worried he was making excuses.

The door opened. Venera and Clefairy peered around it.

'Hi, Grandpa... I wondered if I could join you before I go to Pastoria City...'

'Of course!'

Lambert's face finally lit up. He hardly saw Venera since she received Chimchar. He worried she wouldn't spend any time with him before returning to Mars, but if she actually wanted to make Poffins with him, the sun had scattered the clouds over his miserable, grey day.

Venera splattered the batter all over Eden and Castform. While she reached for a towel to wipe it off, the batter burned. They produced another batch of Foul Poffins that crumbled to blackened dust. Lambert ran to the grocery store to buy more Berries. He returned to a pile of edible Sweet Poffins made with the Berries that Venera collected on her adventure. Clefairy happily ate one.

'Wow! You're getting better! Let's try some rarer Berries!'

Even with Lambert's guidance, it took them hours of mishaps and laughter to create the ultimate Super Mild Poffins, but they eventually did. Their Pokémon loved them. Thalassa fed them to Zoroark, Eden to Castform, Venera to Clefairy and Plectrude to her pet Purrloin. They were covered in batter and crumbs of exploding Foul Poffins by then.

'But before we rush into a Contest,' Lambert said, 'It's time for dance practice!'

He led them to the practice hall. Eden and Castform hardly needed any practice. His dad was a member of Euphoria, after all. Plectrude and Purrloin picked it up quickly. Thalassa and Zoroark improved once they took it on from a numerical point of view. Venera and Clefairy got off to a terrible start, but focused intently until they improved enough for the four of them to enter the day's last Normal Rank Contest. It was no surprise that Eden and Castform won. Most importantly, the Contest as a whole was a success.

'Keep trying!' Lambert encouraged, 'Just like battling, the only way up is to keep trying!'

'Thanks, dude. That was fun.'