The Village Guardians Ch. 3-4

+The Village Guardians+

-Chapter #3- The Lost Love-

Part #4

Written by Dr. Mack Foxx and Aaraboga Jones

Ages 13+ Suggested for Violence and Romance

Original Story, Characters and all other Original Content are Copyright 1987-2009 Philip “Dr. Mack Foxx” Byard and Aaron “Aaraboga Jones” Byard

Poke’mon and all related content and characters are Copyright 1995-2009 to Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures and The Poke’mon Company

[The Village Guardians]
[Chapter #3- The Lost Love]
-91-
“Good morning, class!” said George and Joyce in unison enthusiastically with bright smiles on their faces.

“Good morning, sensei George and sensei Joyce,” said the 23 Kirlia students all at once with cheerful voices, the female ballet dancers offering a curtsy while the male Kirlias bowed politely towards their instructors. The two Gardevoirs glanced at each and every student with a smile. Everyone in the room was wearing the traditional ballet attire and was ready to begin. The Kirlia ballet dancers were all excited, just waiting for the moment when they would all get to start dancing on this pleasant and sunny Saturday morning.

“Joyce and I just wanted to let all of you know that you have improved greatly over the last several months,” said George happily. Joyce giggled.

“We have the joy of telling you that the board of ballet instructors wants to see all of you perform,” explained Joyce with sheer delight, “So in three weeks, we will have a recital right here in our dance studio. If they like what they see, then we will get to start preparations for your first real performance. Only approved, expert-level students ever get to perform on stage in front of an audience, so this is a very big deal.” George nodded his head in agreement.

“Indeed it is,” said George, “Should our little dance company be allowed to perform, it would happen in the late spring at the Olympus auditorium.” The ballet students gasped.

“We would get to have our first performance there?!” asked a female Kirlia with disbelief.

“That place is huge!” said a shocked male Kirlia, “There are enough seats for everyone in Olympus to attend and then some!”

“You are all such great students and if we work very hard over the next few weeks, it will be very easy to impress the other instructors,” said George with mounting joy, “Should we indeed get to perform in the auditorium this coming spring, many of you will then be even closer to earning your tiaras: a mark of ballet mastery to all Ralts, Kirlias, Gardevoirs and Gallades.” This statement seemed to get every student even more excited as very few ballet dancers in the Gardevoir cities had ever earned such an honor.

“We are going to perform a few excerpts from the Nutcracker suite as a group and we’ll finish the recital with free-form performances,” explained Joyce to her eager students, “You will all need to find a dancing partner. Since we don’t have an even number of students in this class, if needed, one of you will get to perform with either George or me.”

“Does anyone have any questions?” asked George with a smile.

“When will we have to find a dancing partner? Today?” asked another female Kirlia.

“We are going to give all of you the next week to find your dancing partner,” replied Joyce, “For today and tomorrow, we will work exclusively on the Nutcracker excerpts. So far, everyone has done a great job, but George and I want all of you to have ample practice to be ready for the recital.” George walked to the other side of the room towards an old record player. He carefully removed a black, vinyl record from a white paper sleeve. George tenderly set the record on the old turntable and then held the needle in his hands.

“Okay, everyone please get into their positions for ‘Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy’,” asked George. The Kirlias swiftly and eagerly got into their assigned spots on the dance floor.

“Good,” said Joyce with a bright smile, “Now, get ready…” George set the needle carefully on the record. In a matter of moments, one of the most well-known songs written by Tchaikovsky filled the room. George watched attentively for a few minutes as the students danced perfectly in time with the music. Joyce glanced at her husband.

“What do you think?” asked Joyce with delight, using telepathy, “I believe our students have mastered this dance.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” replied a smiling George telepathically, “Their timing and technique are absolutely perfect.” While the Kirlias continued to dance under the watchful eyes of their instructors, they were all completely unaware of the being, hiding in the darkest corner of the room. It was watching the Kirlias and two Gardevoirs attentively, waiting for the right moment to strike. There was maybe a minute left of the song being played on the record player.

“Well,” thought the hidden creature, “It’s now or never…” Without warning, the small, black figure jumped out of the shadows and right into the very middle of the dance floor. The male Kirlias yelled with fright while the female Kirlias screamed out of sheer terror. George and Joyce were absolutely stunned at the scene unfolding before them as the students huddled near the two Gardevoirs for protection. None of the dancers knew what to make of the grinning Sableye that stood before them, wearing all the traditional Kirlia ballet attire. The music continued to play and it only took a few moments for George to realize what was happening.

“Oh, no!” thought George with a heavy sigh, “It’s that same Sableye from last week! What’s he doing here?!” Joyce stared at her mate with a look of utter bewilderment on her face while she read George’s thoughts.

“Do you know who this is?” asked a thoroughly confused Joyce via telepathy. George nodded.

“His name is Gremlin,” grumbled George telepathically, “He seemed so interested in our ballet classes, but I never imagined that he would dare crash a session like this!”

“Are you sure?” asked Joyce with surprise, her soft gaze falling upon the seemingly-deranged Sableye, “Take a good look at him, George! I think… I think he’s actually dancing!” George stared at Gremlin with disbelief. The Sableye was dancing with a level of grace and perfection that neither of the Gardevoir ballet instructors had seen in years. Only the top three students in the entire class were anywhere near as good as Gremlin as he continued to dance on his tip-toes.

“I don’t believe this!” exclaimed George with delight, “Not only can he dance, but he’s also very good!”

“I’ve never heard of a Sableye that could dance,” said Joyce with awe, “As a matter of fact, I don’t think there has ever been a time where a Pokémon, other than a Kirlia, Gardevoir or Gallade, learned how to dance in such a manner and so well, too.” The other Kirlias had finally calmed down and looked upon Gremlin with amazement as he danced on his own.

“Well, what are you all waiting for?” asked George with a grin to his students, “Join him in the last moments of this dance. After all, you are all being graded for this performance.” Instantly, the Kirlia ballet dancers rushed back onto the dance floor in their appointed positions and danced with the very unusual Sableye. The two Gardevoirs were dumbfounded.

“Where did he learn ballet and how did he get so good at it?” asked George to his wife. She shrugged her shoulders in reply, keeping her eyes on Gremlin. Soon, the song ended and all the dancers were in their final poses for the dance. George, Joyce and the other Kirlias applauded Gremlin, utterly amazed at his flawless and unexpected performance.

“Thank you! Thank you!” said Gremlin, smiling with a polite bow.

“That was a perfect performance, Gremlin!” said an amazed Joyce, walking up to the ghost Pokémon, “Where on earth did you learn to dance like that?” George followed closely behind his mate.

“So, is this why you had so many questions about Gardevoir ballet last week?” asked George with a friendly smile, “Did you want to join the class?” Gremlin took a deep breath; he smiled, savoring this moment. He had never been around other Pokémon who would truly have appreciated his unusual talents.

“I would also like to know how you managed to get a set of your own ballet attire, too,” asked Joyce, giggling to herself at the sight of a Sableye donning an ornate, fluffy white dress and ballet slippers, just like what the Kirlias were wearing.

“Where to begin?” said Gremlin with his trademark, toothy smile, “Of course! Would you believe I spent over 30 years of my life in an old dance studio in the city of Alakaz? For years I had stayed out of sight, closely watching humans perform ballet, hula and many other forms of dancing. Over time, I too practiced their dance steps and managed to learn every kind of dance that was being performed there.”

“So, you know how to waltz as well, I suspect?” giggled Joyce.

“Yes, indeed!” laughed Gremlin, “Why, you should have been there at my premier! During one of the ballet numbers, I jumped out of the shadows, dressed-up like a human ballerina!”

“What happened next?” asked George with a grin, “Did the humans enjoy your little performance?” Gremlin erupted with laughter.

“Better than that!” laughed Gremlin, “They were overcome with terror in an instant and I cleared the auditorium faster than you could say ‘Boo!’. Why, the dance hall was declared haunted the next day and no one ever came back, not even to reclaim the vast collection of dance costumes!” George seemed very worried.

“You aren’t planning to scare everyone at your first performance in Olympus, are you?” asked George with concern.

“Certainly not,” replied Gremlin with a toothy smile, “In fact, I wanted to ask if I may please join your ballet class. I think you can agree that I more than meet the requirements of an expert-level student, don’t you?”

“I would agree,” replied Joyce happily, “You are one of the best dancers I’ve ever seen.”

“You are just as good as the very best students in this class, Gremlin,” remarked George with an appreciative nod. Gremlin glanced about the room and could clearly see that some of the students were jealous of his abilities.

“Now, don’t any of you get mad at me,” said Gremlin, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “It took me over twenty years to get as good as I am. Whereas all of you have been practicing ballet for what, maybe 8 years now at the most?” With that statement, the miffed students relaxed somewhat and seemed to be much more welcoming now.

“We would be honored if you would join us, Gremlin,” said George as he knelt down in front of the Sableye and held out his right hand in an offer of friendship, “Would you like to be a part of this class and learn from some of the best in Olympus?” Gremlin reached out and held onto George’s hand, shaking it gently.

“I would love to,” said Gremlin with delight. Only a few moments passed before all the students, including Gremlin, were back on the floor, gracefully dancing to more fine music. George and Joyce stood on the sidelines, watching their students perform. As for Gremlin, it didn’t take him very long to notice how female Kirlias kept staring at him with big smiles on their faces. The Sableye gulped, remembering that Kirlias, Gardevoirs and Gallades were often attracted to good dancers and Gremlin knew very well that he was easily the best dancer in the class. One Kirlia in particular had managed to get Gremlin’s attention. The female Kirlia with blue hair, would often glance at Gremlin and smile at him. Gremlin decided to ignore the attention he was getting from the female Kirlias and concentrated on dancing instead, at least for now. The Kirlias and Gardevoirs danced together throughout the day and into the evening, working hard to perfect their techniques for the upcoming recital. Meanwhile, outside the small dance studio, looking through the large front window was a surprised lone Ralts with a familiar black ribbon and bow around its neck.

“So, this is where Gremlin has been all day,” thought Lucca. She had spent the entire day trying to hunt down the infuriating Sableye in order to pummel him into the ground. She had not forgotten the mess Gremlin had caused her to make on Mack and Aura’s wedding portrait. Now the painting was several days behind schedule and Lucca was not pleased in the least.

“The time isn’t right yet for my vengeance,” thought Lucca as an evil smile spread across her face, “Still; I bet I could have a field day making several sketches of the moment when Simon comes into the dance studio and sees his Sableye dressed as a ballerina and dancing with a bunch of Kirlias! Maybe he can do the pummeling for me and I’ll have some more ideas for yet another batch of embarrassing portraits of Gremlin.” The possibilities were enough to make Lucca giggle with glee in a most unpleasant manner.

“You’ve all done a great job today, class,” said Joyce happily, “Tomorrow; we will continue to work on our group dances. Then next week, we shall begin work on the free-form routines.”

“It’s time we all went home for the evening, so you all have a good night and we hope to see all of you in the morning,” said a delighted George. Lucca ducked below the window sill and out of sight the moment the Kirlias started to disperse and leave the building. She stealthily made her way back to her home unnoticed in order to prepare for the next day.

-92-
The sun was now setting over the village of Gardev as the Guardians made their way to their bedroom for the night, locking the door tightly behind them. Artemis could hardly believe how well things were going. The Guardians of Gardev almost had complete trust in him now after only being around for slightly over a week.

“It’s only a matter of time now before they willingly show me the hidden laboratory and many of its secrets,” thought Artemis with glee as he entered his own bedroom and then closed the door, “That Ninetails may be mine sooner than I thought.” Artemis glanced at his bed and let out a heavy sigh of dread. For years his dreams had been nothing but horrible nightmares, which only fueled his ambitions to finally have revenge on the Ninetails that had taken away his mate-to-be in an instant.

“Hi there, Artemis!” said William cheerfully as he jumped out from under the thick covers on the bed. Surprised, Artemis shrieked and jumped back several feet into the air and towards the bedroom door. The young Gardevoir glared at the electric rodent as it pointed and laughed at him.

“Must you do that?!” thundered Artemis angrily, “My dreams are bad enough without you trying to scare me, too!”

“I just couldn’t resist!” laughed William, “You’re too easy to get to the drop on! I’ve never seen such a nervous Gardevoir in my life!” William was telling the truth and Artemis knew it. The young Gardevoir’s thoughts always seemed to drift back to Fina and the day he lost her.

“Well, you certainly did surprise me,” said Artemis with a smile, “I guess I need to keep the doors to my suite locked from now on, don’t I?”

“That won’t help you very much,” chuckled William, “The old locks on these doors are so easy to pick, even with my small hands and fingers. Why, I’ve even gotten through locked doors in the mansion with ease in my sleep!”

“Have you ever broken into the hidden lab in your sleep, too?” asked Artemis with warm laughter.

“Of course not,” answered William with a scowl, “The doors to the lab all have electronic locks and secret pass codes. Only Mack and Aura know how to get into the lab.” Artemis smiled: for the first time, he now had some information on the Guardians’ hidden laboratory. The caches of powerful weapons, just below the ground’s surface, now seemed ever closer.

“What if I was to teleport you into the lab?” asked Artemis.

“That won’t work,” replied William with a sigh, “Even if you did try to teleport me into the lab, Mack’s defense systems would instantly teleport me back to the main door in Warren’s basement.” Artemis could hardly believe this: interrogating the Guardians’ pet was far too easy and was actually quite amusing.

“This little rodent is not very bright, is he?” thought Artemis as he grinned at William.

“Is there something on your mind?” asked a suspicious William.

“No, nothing,” lied Artemis with glee. He now knew exactly where to get into the lab, but getting past the electronic locks would be impossible without the Guardians’ help and it seemed that teleporting into the lab was going to be impossible.

“Are you sure?” demanded William, “You’re staring at me as if I’m a complete idiot.”

“You? An idiot?!” laughed Artemis, “Of course not! You are more helpful than Mack and Aura realize.” William seemed puzzled.

“Are you sure?” asked William again. As far as Artemis was concerned, the ignorant Pikachu was more help to him than he had ever thought possible. The young Gardevoir tenderly took William up in his arms, holding him close to his chest while stroking the rodent’s head and back with his right hand.

“Of course,” replied Artemis with a friendly smile, “Now. Do you think you could dig or blast your way into the lab?” William shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ve actually tried that a few times,” answered William, “The entire lab is covered with a thick shell of virtually-indestructible metal. Mack calls the stuff Ultra-Alloy and even a nuclear bomb wouldn’t put a dent in that stuff. So, digging or blasting your way into the lab is an absolute waste of time.”

“Hmmm…” thought Artemis, “Another dead end… My only hope is to earn the Guardians’ complete trust after all.” William squeaked with delight as Artemis continued to pet him.

“Do you have any other questions?” asked a happy William.

“I have just one more question,” replied Artemis with a tender tone of voice, “Just what kind of hardware is Mack keeping down there anyway?” William sighed blissfully.

“Mack’s weapons are like something from your wildest dreams or straight out of the best science-fiction movies,” answered William as Artemis gently stroked him, “Plasma cannons, missile launchers, machine guns, lasers, grenade launchers: enough military hardware for a handful of people or Pokémon to start and then thoroughly finish a small war.” William’s answers were enough to make Artemis burst out with laughter.

“What?” asked William softly, “You don’t believe me?”

“I believe every word you’ve spoken to me, my little friend,” was Artemis’s reply.

“Mack has said now and then that only a complete fool would ever trust me,” said William, “Could you please softly scratch me behind the ears? It always feels so nice.”

“But of course,” replied Artemis as he did as William asked.

“Perfect…” said William with a blissful sigh, “Yeah… that’s the spot…” Artemis chuckled warmly as he stroked the soft Pikachu.

“It would seem that Mack is the fool for trusting so much information about his deepest secrets to a mere Pikachu,” thought Artemis with sheer delight, “Why, I thought I would have to interrogate William within an inch of his life in order to get to him to talk. Of course, the Guardians would never tolerate that, report it to Glacian and I would end up being banished before I could get everything I needed to annihilate that infernal Ninetails. Instead, all I had to do was be nice to William and tenderly pet him.” The Pikachu smiled at Artemis.

“Can I sleep here tonight?” asked William.

“Yes, you may,” replied Artemis with a grin on his face, “I really do enjoy your company and it makes me feel a lot better when I pet and talk with you. So much better…” William sighed with delight again.

“Thank you Artemis,” said William happily with a loud yawn right in the Gardevoir’s face. Artemis coughed and gagged: at that moment the young Gardevoir realized that getting close to William was not such a good idea after all as the small rodent’s breath was more putrid than he could have ever imagined.

-93-
Simon was perturbed. He had worked so hard over the last several days, preparing for a very long journey out into the world. The challenge of collecting the two main ingredients for the wing serum, the discarded old hide of a Golem and the feathers from a Dragonair, still had the old Kabutops quite eager to get on his way, but he was still going to need some help from his old friends. Sure enough, Phoenix the Ho-oh and Nox the Umbreon were all too glad to come with Simon. However, Gremlin was nowhere to be found. The angered Kabutops had spent the last six days trying to find Gremlin in the immense Gardevoir city of Olympus with no success.

“Gremlin always was a bit on the unreliable side…” thought Simon with a sigh. Just this morning, the ancient Kabutops finally learned how Gremlin had acquired a new home in the Gardevoir city more than three weeks ago. Such news did not surprise Simon much for he knew very well that Gremlin was starting to get attached to the peaceful, Pokémon city of white marble. The news he got just minutes ago from Lucca was what had really gotten Simon angry. For some reason, Gremlin had joined a ballet class full of Kirlias without telling anyone. The Kabutops’s patience for the Sableye’s sneakiness and deceit had officially run out. He stormed off towards the dance studio, ready to have a few strong words with Gremlin. He forcefully threw open the glass and bronze double doors with his massive claws and then walked heavily and loudly through the front office. Simon paused only for a moment when he heard some delightful music playing from a room on his left. He walked up to the dark wooden door with its polished bronze handle. Simon slowly opened the door with his weak powers of telekinesis to peer inside. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next. Inside the room he saw 23 Kirlias and 2 Gardevoirs in the traditional ornate, fluffy white dresses as well as white ballet slippers. They were all dancing perfectly in time with the pleasant music with Gremlin in the very center of the group, wearing the exact same ballet attire as the Kirlias and Gardevoirs. Simon growled, stepped into the large room and slammed the door behind him so hard he startled all the dancers and managed to knock the record player’s needle clean off the black vinyl and back into its resting position. Gremlin grinned nervously at Simon while frozen in his stance on his tip-toes.

“Gremlin!!” thundered Simon, “What is the meaning of this?!” The Kirlias scattered and clustered around the two Gardevoirs for protection, once again.

“Oh, no!!” screamed a ballerina, “It’s Simon the Klutz!!” The old Kabutops snorted with contempt and anger.

“I grow tired of all the children in Olympus calling me that…” growled Simon as he stepped towards Gremlin. He could not believe that Gremlin would think nothing of dressing up as a ballerina. Gremlin grinned as he gently held onto the side edges of his fluffy skirt and offered a curtsy.

“Good morning, Simon!” cackled Gremlin in an annoyingly sweet tone of voice. Simon grumbled with anger once again.

“What are you doing hopping and twirling about in that dress?!” demanded Simon, “Have you no self-respect?!” Simon’s outraged tone only succeeded in widening the Sableye’s grin.

“Nope!” was the Sableye’s smug reply.

“It’s traditional ballet attire, sir,” said George, narrowing his eyes at Simon, “You’d best explain why you felt the need to come here, disrupt my class and scare my students.”

“You may not like your nickname,” giggled Joyce, effortlessly reading Simon’s unshielded mind, “But you sure are living up to your unofficial title of ‘Simon the Klutz.’” Simon grumbled to himself as he raised his mental barrier again. Somehow, the Kabutops had forgotten to do this. At least now the two Gardevoirs would not be able to probe his mind any further.

“Hrmph!” said Simon, glaring at Gremlin, “So you want to dance with the Kirlias in that ridiculous dress, eh?”

“It’s not ridiculous!” snapped a female Kirlia, boldly stepping up to Simon, “It’s beautiful! Besides, Gremlin looks cute in that white dress and slippers, so there!”

“So this is what you want?” asked Simon with a huff, “Fine. Either way, I need you to come with me. We have a long journey ahead of us and will be gone for possibly several months.”

“But I have a recital in just three weeks!” complained Gremlin, “These Kirlias need me here!”

“Very well,” said Simon, relenting, “Your abilities would have been most helpful on this journey, but if you really want to stay here, that’s fine.”

“Gee!” said Gremlin with delight, “Thanks, Simon!” The Kabutops suddenly clamped his claws to the sides of Gremlin’s head and lifted him up, the Sableye level with Simon’s stone-cold glare.

“However, you better make sure to tell me about your plans next time so I don’t end up wasting several days going on another wild goose chase to try and find you! Got it?!” snarled Simon, “Do I make myself clear?” Gremlin gulped with fear.

“Crystal clear… Simon…” said Gremlin, shaking with terror while Simon gently set the frightened Sableye back down on the floor. Gremlin was certainly going to think twice about getting on Lucca’s, Agatha’s and especially Simon’s bad side. Still, Gremlin couldn’t resist having a little fun with Simon.

“Well, since you’re going to be the only one from our team who is not coming, I’ll need you to be my eyes and ears in Olympus until I return,” said Simon sternly, “I’ll want to know about anything major that happens while I’m gone. Understood?”

“Sure, Simon!” said Gremlin cheerfully with a cheesy salute.

“Very well,” said Simon with a nod, “Take care and I’ll see you later.” Simon was just about to start walking towards the door when Gremlin leapt right into the Kabutops’s path. Simon was not amused as Gremlin twirled on his tip-toes, showing off his pretty, fluffy dress and ballet slippers to the Kabutops.

“Don’t you think I look pretty?” asked Gremlin with a smirk.

“You disgust me…” grumbled Simon.

“Yep!” was Gremlin’s very smug reply.

“Heh!” scoffed Simon, walking around Gremlin, “Just make sure you don’t end up with another girlfriend. You remember what happened with the last one, don’t you?” Simon flashed Gremlin an evil smile as he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. Gremlin was not feeling so well now. He vividly remembered when a Pokémon trainer had visited the abandoned dance hall in Alakaz where Gremlin had taken up residence several years ago. The trainer clearly had been from the Gardev region and had but one Pokémon in her possession: a female Kirlia. Though beautiful and very nice around her trainer, the Kirlia wanted nothing to do with Gremlin even though he was only trying to be nice to her. The last time Gremlin saw the Kirlia was when he had brought her a bouquet of deep red roses. Instead of a traditional “Thank you”, the Kirlia promptly attacked him, landing a powerful Mega Kick directly to his left eye. The gemstone eye had been cracked by the powerful strike and was knocked loose from its socket only to land several yards away in a pile of dirt.

“Good shot, Annabelle!” said the Kirlia’s trainer with delight. The trainer would have captured Gremlin for sure, but Simon intervened and easily drove the trainer away. Since that day, Gremlin had stayed at Simon’s side as an invaluable friend. But that was decades ago and now Gremlin was confident that he could finally have his own life and place to live. The Kirlias and the pair of Gardevoirs that surrounded him were very welcoming, plus they liked his dancing, unlike Simon.

“Well, how about we all have lunch now and then we’ll get back to work on our routines. Shall we?” suggested Joyce with a smile. The stunned Kirlias couldn’t agree more. While the young dancers enjoyed a small meal and rested, Lucca watched closely. She had witnessed the whole scene completely unnoticed through the front window and was rather disappointed at the outcome.

“I figured Simon was going to throttle him for sure. Oh, well,” thought Lucca, “Looks like Gremlin and that clumsy Kabutops are better friends than I thought. I’ll just have to find another way to get back at that hateful Sableye for ruining my painting.” Lucca left the front area of the dance studio and made her way back to her home. For the rest of the day, the eager ballet students continued to rehearse and work hard to perfect their steps and routines together. Time seemed to pass by quickly and soon, the sun was setting upon Olympus. The Kirlias and Gremlin gathered before the delighted Gardevoir instructors for the last time that evening.

“You have all done so well and mastered what Joyce and I have taught you,” said a happy George, “I think you are all ready to perform your group routines before the Olympus Instructors Board in three weeks.”

“All we need now is for each of you to pick a dance partner from within the class to perform a free-form routine before the other ballet instructors,” explained Joyce, “You all have one week to find a dance partner. After that, starting next Saturday, George and I will work with each couple to plan and then perfect a routine that will need to consist of several high-skill techniques and dance steps. Since these are free-form routines, you and your partner can arrange your dance in almost any manner and to any song you want, so long as you both are capable of the routine. Plus the routine must have a high level of difficulty. George and I will make sure of that.” Gremlin and the other Kirlias seemed eager to begin, even though they knew the next several practice sessions were going to be far more difficult than before. Many of them already were getting ideas on who their dance partners should be. There were three shiny Kirlias in all in the class: one male and two female and it seemed that all the other students were hopeful to get one of the blue-haired Kirlias as a dance partner. For Gremlin, the situation was even worse. He was the single best dancer in the class and he clearly knew that every female Kirlia in the ballet group was eager to be his partner.

“Well, its time for everyone to be going now,” said a cheerful George, “You all have a nice evening and make sure you have a dance partner by next Saturday.” With that, the Kirlias started to leave the dance studio. Almost as soon as they were outside, the young dancers were begging the off-colored Kirlias to please be their dance partners. Gremlin, on the other hand, managed to sneak out of the dance studio completely unnoticed, or at least he hoped this was the case. Gremlin only looked back just in time to see the other Kirlias suddenly become sullen and very disappointed. The shiny male Kirlia held onto the right hand of one of the off-color females.

“I’m afraid you are all too late,” said Josh, the male Kirlia with a smile, “Ella has decided to be my dance partner.” Ella was blushing and smiling, glad that Josh had chosen her. In an instant, the other male Kirlias started looking for the last, single off-colored female Kirlia, but she had already left. Gremlin knew he had better hit the bricks when he realized that the other ballerinas would soon be searching for him.

“No way I’m gonna get caught in the middle of a group of over-excited ballerinas!” thought Gremlin as he made a break for it. Fortunately for him, the shadows cast by the nearby buildings were dark enough for him to easily become invisible and be able to run as fast as he could. Only a few Gardevoirs stopped and looked up and down the street, confused when they heard the soft rustling of the fluffy petticoats under Gremlin’s skirt. After ten minutes of running, Gremlin figured he was safe. Several blocks from the dance studio, the Sableye became visible again at will. He focused his strange powers: a black aura appeared around his body and in an instant his ballet attire vanished without a trace, as did the dark energy surrounding his body.

“Well, surely I lost them,” thought Gremlin as he strutted down the street with a grin on his face, proud that he managed to evade the other Kirlias so easily… or so he hoped. The sun was disappearing over the horizon while Gremlin walked down the marble avenues, one block after another towards his home. Olympus was more massive than Gremlin had imagined and he was glad he’d taken the time over the last week to thoroughly learn his way around the city, especially since the Sableye figured he was probably still being tailed by the ballerinas from his class. More time passed and soon, Gremlin could finally see the roof of his small home in the middle of the Gardevoir city. However, a nearby presence seemed to be following him and the unwelcome feeling was enough to make his skin crawl. For a ghost this feeling was both very unusual and very embarrassing. The street seemed to be completely empty.

“Who’s there?!” thundered Gremlin with anger, trying to hide his fear, “Show yourself!!”

“I’m right behind you,” said a feminine voice less then a foot away from Gremlin. The ghost screamed and jumped back several yards, landing on his feet in a mach-karate stance. Gremlin was blushing with embarrassment as his jaw dropped wide open: he had just been scared out of his wits by an off-color female Kirlia… and a ballerina no less! The Kirlia closed her eyes, bowed towards Gremlin and offered a curtsy.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” said the Kirlia with remorse, “I’ve had a hard time trying to follow you…” Gremlin quickly regained his composure and stood up straight. The Sableye could only imagine how his friends were going to react when they found out he had been scared half to death by a Psychic-Type Pokémon.

“Well,” said Gremlin as he approached the young ballerina, “You must be very strong. You must also be pretty quick on your feet and have great perception in order to have tracked me all the way here. I forgive you.” The Kirlia smiled and stood erect, releasing her hold on the edges of her fluffy skirt.

“Thank you, Gremlin,” said the blue-haired Kirlia with another polite bow, “I was only able to follow you because my father taught me how to use Foresight.” Gremlin nodded his head.

“So, why did you take all the trouble to follow me half-way across the city and scare the living daylights out of me?” demanded Gremlin, “I would certainly like to know.”

“I wanted to ask you if…” said the Kirlia with hesitation as she spread her skirt out with another curtsy, “Would you please be my dance partner, Gremlin? You know I’m one of the best dancers in the class and I want to work with you, the best ballet dancer I’ve ever seen! I’m sure we can put together a great performance that will surely wow the ballet instructor panel.” Gremlin knew that in order to continue onwards in the ballet class, he would at some point have to work with a female Kirlia as per tradition. At least this Kirlia didn’t seem to want to be his partner not just because he was the best dancer, but because she felt that close association with him would hone her own talents as well. Despite this, Gremlin had this horrible feeling, one way or another; he was really going to regret his answer.

“I would be… glad to be your dancing partner,” said Gremlin with a nervous smile. To say the least, being around female Kirlias was really making him feel uneasy.

“Oh, thank you, Gremlin! You won’t regret it!” said the Kirlia with joy as she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around Gremlin. Immediately, Gremlin’s body seized up from immense shock. The Kirlia blushed and walked away from Gremlin with a smile on her face. She winked at Gremlin.

“See you next week and thank you so much, Gremlin!” said the dancer sweetly with a bright smile. The young ballerina happily skipped down the empty street, completely unaware of Gremlin as he stood in place, twitching uncontrollably and babbling incoherently. Gremlin stayed like this for hours, well into the night. By the time midnight had struck in Olympus, Wallace had made his way to Gremlin’s location after being summoned by another Gallade. He arrived on the scene to see Arthur watching over the twitching and mumbling Sableye. Despite the late hour, several curious Ralts and Kirlias had gathered around the ghost, not sure what to make of this situation.

“What’s going on here?” asked Wallace to his comrade.

“To be honest, I have not the slightest idea,” said Arthur, shrugging his shoulders as the small group of Ralts and Kirlia poked and prodded the stunned Sableye.

“Is he dead?” asked a Ralts.

“Hey, Mister, are you dead?” asked a nearby Kirlia. The old Gallade’s eyes opened wide when another Ralts walked past him, carrying a long and rather large stick.

“I got the stick, just like you asked!” said the Ralts eagerly.

“Go ahead and poke him,” said a female Kirlia, “Maybe that’ll wake him up, but we’d better stand back.” Wallace decided the young Ralts and Kirlias were going too far now, so he walked up to the perplexed, young Pokémon.

“Now, now… It’s very late,” said Wallace sternly, “I think all you little ones should head back to your homes now, before your parents worry about you.”

“But what about this babbling, purple ghost?” complained another Kirlia, “Maybe he needs to be sent to the loony-bin!”

“That will be enough,” said Wallace softly, “Now, you just head home. Arthur and I will take good care of him.” Reluctantly, the young Ralts and Kirlias were on their way back home.

“And I’ll be taking that,” said Wallace, snatching the stick from the passing and very disappointed Ralts.

“Make sure you get him in a straight-jacket!” said yet another Ralts as he walked down the long streets and was soon out of sight, “He might try to bite you or maybe eat your brains!” Wallace and Arthur couldn’t help but laugh as they returned their attention to Gremlin.

“Well, what are we going to do with this guy? We can’t leave him in the streets like this,” said Arthur with concern. Wallace eyed Gremlin and smiled.

“You head back to your home, Arthur. I’ll take care of Gremlin,” ordered Wallace. Arthur nodded in reply and promptly started on his way back to his house as well. With that, Wallace calmly walked up to Gremlin.

“Time to wake up, Gremlin,” said Wallace, gently pushing on the Sableye’s chest with his right hand. However, instead of waking up, Gremlin teetered back and forth for a few moments right before he fell flat on his back, still frozen in his stance and shaking uncontrollably whilst continuing to gibber as well. Wallace glanced to his left and behold, there was a small ice cream parlor on the street. Wallace smiled in an unpleasant manner: being a member of the Elite Guard gave him many responsibilities and many more privileges than the average Gardevoir, including being able to enter closed stores and shops to acquire supplies when needed. Wallace walked up to the dark shop and quietly opened the black door with large windows. Of course, Gardevoirs, Gallades and even their young did not feel greed, so store and shop owners never needed to lock their doors and windows for fear of thieves. Wallace quickly found what he was looking for in the darkened shop: a ten-gallon bucket, some cold water, ice cubes and a large bag of salt. The Gallade chuckled with glee as he poured cold water into the bucket, filled it to the brim with ice cubes and then dumped in a cup or more of salt. He quickly stirred up this chilly concoction with a large wooden spoon.

“If this stuff doesn’t wake Gremlin up, nothing will,” thought Wallace as he laughed to himself. Of course, the water was already quite cold straight from the tap and adding ice had cooled the water even more, but adding salt to the water made the ice melt faster and even lowered the freezing temperature of the water from 32 degrees to a chilly 23 degrees. Surely having a bucket of this super-frigid water dumped over Gremlin would wake him up. Being a gentleman, Wallace cleaned and put all the items he used back in their proper places. The Gallade then left a note for the store owner, letting him know what had been used from his store and why. Wallace chuckled warmly to himself as he left the closed shop and walked back into the street where Gremlin was still laying on his back, convulsing and babbling on and on. Naturally, Gallades and the rest of their species were not mischievous, but Wallace still felt that he was going to enjoy this. He stood over Gremlin with the large bucket in his hands poised and ready. All at once, Wallace dumped the extra-icy water over the purple ghost who immediately awoke with screams of surprise and terror.

“Gadzooks!! It’s so cold around here all of a sudden!!” yelped Gremlin as loud as he could while he jumped up onto his feet and wrapped his arms around his torso, shivering as the freezing water dripped down his body, “It isn’t Winter already, is it?! Have I really been out of it that long?!”

“No,” replied Wallace calmly, grinning at Gremlin, “You’ve been standing in that exact spot for only the last five hours.”

“Five hours?” asked Gremlin with relief, still shivering, “Oh. Okay then. I was afraid I’d been in a coma or something for the last several months.” Wallace glanced back and forth at the nearby houses: the windows were still darkened, which surprised the old Gallade. After all, Gremlin’s screams were practically loud enough to wake the dead.

“Well, I think it’s high time you went home. I’ll escort you there, just so you don’t get lost again,” said Wallace while he teleported the empty bucket back into the nearby ice cream parlor. Gremlin nodded his head and let out a loud yawn.

“You’re right,” said a tired Gremlin, “Thank you Wallace.”

“Not a problem at all, my friend,” said the old Gallade as he and Gremlin walked quietly down the darkened marble streets. Only a mere ten minutes passed before Wallace and Gremlin arrived at their destination: a small one bedroom house made of white marble. Something perfect for someone who was just starting out in Olympus.

“So,” said Wallace with a friendly smile as he and the tired ghost walked up to the front door, “I hear my daughter has taken quite a liking to you.”

“Your daughter?” asked a perplexed Gremlin, “Who exactly is you daughter?” Wallace chuckled warmly.

“You should know her,” said Wallace, “Why, she’s in the same expert-level ballet class as you.”

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” said Gremlin, “After all, there are a dozen female Kirlias in that class.”

“She’s a shiny Kirlia,” explained Wallace, “You know, an off-colored Kirlia with blue hair instead of green.”

“I still can’t narrow it down,” said Gremlin, shrugging his shoulders, “There are three shiny Kirlias in that class.” Wallace doubled over with laughter.

“Oh, dear me!” laughed Wallace, “It’s so late and I should have just told you!”

“Well, please enlighten me,” said Gremlin, starting to lose his patience, “And preferably before sunrise.”

“Oh, when she came home, she just could not stop talking about how this nice Sableye was such a great dancer and even agreed to be her dancing partner in ballet class,” said Wallace as he stifled his laughter, “Her name is Crystal.”

“What?!” shouted Gremlin, “You mean the Kirlia I promised to dance with… this… Crystal… is YOUR daughter?!”

“But of course,” replied Wallace. Almost immediately, Gremlin stood still, frozen in his current position while gibbering madly once again.

“Gremlin?” asked Wallace with concern as he moved his right hand in front of Gremlin’s face, “Are you okay?” The babbling ghost did not respond. Wallace sighed heavily, not really wanting to shock Gremlin awake again and the Gallade was really starting to get tired as well.

“I don’t have time for this,” thought Wallace as he took Gremlin under his right arm and carried the stunned Sableye straight up to his room, “Maybe he’ll come out of this stupor in a day or two. Maybe…” Wallace gingerly tucked Gremlin in bed and then proceeded to quickly leave the small house, closing the front door behind him.

>To Be Continued...