Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Stories

Living in the Shadows Ch. 6

Violet took a deep breath, her feet balanced perfectly along the narrow beam. When ready, she started with a cartwheel followed by a backflip. She landed gracefully along the other end of the beam. The sound of applause made her head turn to see a crowd of students along with a couple of teachers. Salazzle and Zoroark were both out of their poke balls and watching her as well. Smiling, she gave a bow before glancing toward Atticus's accessory booth. Even with his headwear on, she could see his lone blue eye on her.

She still couldn't believe the lengths he went to for her. It had only been a week since he'd learned of her predicament, yet in that short time, he'd gathered all of Team Star and gotten approval from the director to hold a fundraiser. Violet was an entertainment act, doing gymnastic feats for a small fee. Atticus had set up a booth to sell accessories - all lovely little items he'd made. Mela was happily painting portraits, and although they weren't the best, the customers liked the silly art nonetheless. Eri had set up a wrestling ring for people and pokemon to try their hands at taking her down. Giacomo was DJing and taking music requests while people and their pokemon had fun dancing. There were mini robotic pokemon toys being sold at Ortega's booth, which quite a few people adored. Even Penny had joined in with a comic book stand. And, surprisingly, even the student council president got in on the fun and organized a little battle tournament. All in all, it was turning out to be a big success.

"I hope you all don't mind but I need a small break." Violet climbed off the beam, smiling at the students she passed. "Salazzle, Zoroark, take over for me please."

It was still so strange. She used to be totally invisible. Now, so many were watching her perform with enthusiasm. She definitely preferred the attention, and who knows, maybe getting back into gymnastics classes could actually work this time. Going over to the snack and drink stalls, the girl bought two Lemon Sodas, then went to the accessory booth.

"Hey, Atticus. Brought you a drink. I haven't seen you leave your post all day."

The ninja pulled down his headwear to reveal his smiling face. "You have my thanks." He accepted a soda and took a few greedy gulps of the refreshment. "It's true, I've been quite busy. The ladies in particular are taken with my wares. I'm nearly out of stock."

"I can see why." Her purple eyes skimmed the numerous cute items. There were bracelets and necklaces, and lots of hair clips and ties. "Everything you make is pretty." She glanced toward the dance floor where Giacomo's music was blaring. "Do you think we could…" She shook her head before finishing the thought. "No, nevermind."

A chuckle escaped the boy. "You wish to dance, is that it?"

"No, no, I don't dance. But I kinda wanted to enjoy a little time with you."

"As you said, I haven't left my stall once. I could use the break." He waved over a nearby boy munching on a churro. "Youssef, my compadre, would you mind keeping an eye on my wares for a short time?"

The younger boy eagerly nodded, finishing the last bite of his treat. "Leave it to me, don Atticus!"

Atticus politely held a hand out to Violet, which she didn't hesitate to take. Hand in hand they went over to where Giacomo was DJing. They nimbly moved between the dancing students to get up close to the stage. The dark type user's gaze fell upon them, and his big grin seemed to widen. His music started to die down, which earned everyone's attention.

"This next one goes out to a great friend of mine! Let this melody soothe your very souls!"

Compared to the music he'd been playing, the new one was a slow song. A lot of the dancers paired up, which only helped to set the mood. Atticus nearly facepalmed. It was obvious Giacomo had set that up on purpose specifically for him. The ninja's feelings for Violet was no mystery among the rest of Team Star.