Love in the Time of Trials

Chapter 14: A Pain

I think this should be the last of the depressing stuff for some time, but I also want to take the moment to say that some things regarding character development may be subtle from the events of last chapter, rather than overt. In any case, time for Chapter 14!

Chapter 14

A Pain

"Stufful, let's show our grace with Brutal Swing!" Jessie laughed maniacally, grabbing the hem of her dress and kicking outward. From within the crowd, James was in a conflict between completely facepalming and continuing to cheer for his companion. Meowth had no such conflict, instantly going for the facepalm amidst Jessie's insane antics.

"Stuffa!" Stufful cried on the stage below. Her opponent, a rather swift Metang, zipped in to give a Meteor Mash. However, the smirk on both Jessie and Stufful's faces was not to be denied and James could already see the end in sight. Stufful raised up on both of its hindlegs and trapped the incoming glowing blue punch with both of its hands, the nascent glow of the attack scattering like little diamonds. On the screen, a flower was put next to Jessie's face. Just one more to go and the 'Ohe Town Ceremony would be finished in her favor. Not that her opponent hadn't put up an equally good fight, considering he was now trailing behind her by a single flower.

"Yeah! Go Jessilie!" James decided to call out, cheering her on. Some of those around him looked around in disgust, while others were perfectly fine and joined him.

"Wobba wobba wobb!" Wobbuffet called out, waving his arms wildly. Meowth didn't say anything, but he started to nod his support. Stufful began to swing Metang around with surprising strength, making it appear like a big metal blur in the air before she slammed it down onto the stage. The dust that plumed upward glittered with the blue residue of Metang's body, making it look like diamonds.

The bell rang.

"That's it! The battle is over!" the commentator cried. "Jessilie has earned her seventh flower and has won the match! The winner of the 'Ohe Town Ceremony...is Jessilie!"

"Ah ha! We won!" Jessie cried, halfway between surprised and smug. Any other combination wouldn't suit her. James wasn't surprised at all, though. Jessie had made leaps and bounds when it came down to her Contests or Showcases or the like. Ceremonies, which felt somewhat like an odd combination of the two, were just a further evidence of that. What he really had to admit was how proud of her he was. She was making something of herself.

"Can't believe Jess won..." Meowth said in his own sense of shock. "I mean, sure, she's been gettin' better and all, but she's just one Lei away from makin' it to dat big competition...and she goes and wins da first Ceremony on Ula'ula."

"Maybe she could actually beat the twerpette," James mused. It was, of course, a far-off fantasy in some sense, but when he thought of the Master Class in Kalos, and how ultimately close she'd been to making the finals against Aria, it seemed less like a fantasy.

"You tink?" Meowth asked. He almost looked like he was about to cry at the suggestion, and it made James tear up as well. All around them, the crowd started to gasp, as though they were witnessing a true phenomenon. The blue-haired man wiped his tears from his eyes and looked to the stage, where Stufful was glowing before Maika Olelo could approach with Jessie's newly earned Lei.

"It's an evolution!"

"Oh, how cool!" cried a female just a few seats away. James shared a look with Meowth while Wobbuffet began clapping his hands. It was obvious that he liked the prospect of Jessie's Pokémon evolving. Stufful grew larger, moving to stand on two legs instead of four, though its coloration didn't seem to be changing very much. "Stufful evolved into Bewear!"