@Scytherwolf; @Soups;


Episode 88: Stopped in the Name of Love!


"Come on out, everyone!" Dawn called as she heaved her four Poke Balls skyward. "Even though we're not competing in the contest this time, that still doesn't change that we need one more Ribbon to enter the Grand Festival!"

She looked over as Kori ran to meet her and tripped. "Are you okay?" Dawn asked as Kori tried to get up, only to fall again.

"Well, fancy seeing you guys all the way out here!" a familiar voice smiled.

"Oh, Danielle, hello!" Dawn smiled as Danielle arrived in the yard. "It's been a while!"

"It has..." Danielle smiled. "Are you planning to enter the Sandalstraw Contest? I'm here because the Fantasia is going to be performing as part of the festivities."

Dawn was about to answer when she saw a pale blue aura form around Kori. "What in the..."

"Kori is starting to evolve into Prinplup." Barry explained as he joined the group in the yard. "A lot of Pokemon do this before the evolution happens."

The group watched as Kori braced herself, making the aura fade away. After a few minutes, she collapsed on the grass. "Let's take Kori inside--a sudden collapse could be something serious!" Brock motioned for the group to follow him inside..."

---------

"Is Kori okay?" Dawn asked as Nurse Joy met the group in the lobby.

"Kori's all right--she only needs to rest." Nurse Joy assured Dawn. "All the tests for more serious diseases came back negative."

"That's a relief..." Dawn smiled as she was reunited with Kori.

"However, I would still keep an eye on her just to be sure she has not contracted anything." Nurse Joy cautioned.

"Okay, then--thank you!" Dawn smiled as she departed.

She located the others enjoying dinner in a lounge near the on site food court. "It's still a bit of a shock that Kori is at the brink of evolution..." she mused as she found an empty seat at the table.

"I'm not surprised, considering how well you take care of her." Barry assured Dawn.

"It's nice that your Piplup is about to evolve, but the path to becoming Empoleon is only harder from here." Danielle cautioned. "And that's even if Kori wants to evolve in the first place."

"Prinplup is double the size of Piplup, meaning you'll have more to show off in Contests." Barry agreed.

"You'll also to adapt your battling style too, just like I adapted when Diddy evolved into Monferno." Ash added.

Dawn smiled as she contemplated what her friends had said. "It's like Satomi becoming Gardevoir---so how hard can this be?"

Brock watched as Dawn got up to get some food for herself. "Satomi evolved due to a combination of love and a Legendary's concern. Kori's attempt at trying to stop the evolution process may mean that Kori may not want to evolve at all."

"You mean, Pokemon that evolve due to experience can refuse to change too?" Dawn asked as she returned with a taco platter.

Brock nodded. "If a Pokemon doesn't want to evolve, that is their choice and their right. It might help if you try to get Kori's side of the story as to why she doesn't want to evolve."

Ash realized Brock had a point. "Pokemon may not want to change for many different reasons--Tintri refused to change because he felt he could surpass a Raichu in Pikachu form. Maybe Kori feels the same way."

Dawn thought for a moment. "Maybe I do need to talk to Kori...any suggestions as to how to have the talk?"

"Emphasize that you will not force them to evolve--and that evolution is their choice and their right." Brock suggested.

"Try to frame the discussion as you wanting to learn their rationale for not evolving." Ash suggested. Don't try to convince them why evolution is the way to go--their mind's likely made up already."

"You also don't want to tell them to 'let the evolution happen'." Danielle agreed. "That one phrase will come across as you not caring about their decision to not evolve. It may also ring down the curtain on your friendship."

"The last thing I want is Kori mad at me..." Dawn shuddered as she gathered up her trash. "At any rate, thanks for the tips, guys. I'll let you know how our discussion goes."

"Anytime." Brock smiled as he watched Dawn depart to the group's room.

"Moving on---would you guys be interested in helping me practice for the show?" Danielle asked.

"Whoa there--I don't sing." Barry protested.

"Relax, you can read the role of the king--he doesn't sing in the show." Danielle assured Barry as the group cleared the table.

"What part can I play?" Ash asked as he gathered up the trash.

"I'd be happy to play the role of a minstrel, if there is one." Brock offered.

"Come to think of it, there IS a minstrel in the show." Danielle grinned. "I'll give you all the context you guys need once we find a space we can rehearse in."

"The lounges should be a perfect stage!" Ash suggested as he followed Danielle, Brock, and Barry into a large lounge at the end of a hallway.

---------

"...She learns from one of the royal battlemages that the princess has been kidnapped by a Hydreigon, and the king is appealing for help far and wide for any hero that can rescue her." Danielle explained as her Alolan Ninetales Twinkle gave the boys their scripts. "The archer volunteers for the quest, alongside the battlemage she befriended, one of the royal knights, and the royal minstrel, who can sing magic in his song."

"Easy roles, for Dawn, Brock, and me; if you need understudies!" Ash smiled, excited.

"The king tells the group that the only thing that can kill the Hydreigon is the titular artifact, which was said to be forged from eight mystical jewels." Danielle concluded. "So, we'll start with the song conveying the archer's and the minstrel's loyalty to each other."

[Soundtrack is ready.] Twinkle reported as she inspected a large radio on a table that would be standing in for an orchestra.

"Track 5, please." Danielle requested.

Twinkle hit the PLAY button on the radio's CD player, making an ethereal melody drift into the room. In the wind, the flowers sway... Brock sang along with the male singer on the CD.
In the sky, gentle clouds float...
In the sea, the sun sparkles on the water...
And in my heart, my song rises anew...

In happy times, we'll touch the sky together... Danielle sang along with the female singer on the CD.
In sad times, I want to dry your tears...
Our friendship will transcend time...
The heroes have been gathered here!

No matter what trials may befall us,
A triumphant voice rings across the battlefield! Brock continued over the male singer.
That's a sign of the gratitude I have for my friends!

Some frantic footsteps spurred Twinkle to stop the CD. "Dawn's coming...and it doesn't sound good..." Ash mused as he set his script down on another table.

Dawn burst into the room moments later. "Forgive me for interrupting the rehearsal, but Kori's gone!"

"Gone?" Danielle asked.

"See, I was trying to talk to Kori about why she didn't want to evolve." Dawn explained. "I did everything you guys said to do, but she bolted outside in tears!"


"Let's go find her, and calm her down!" Ash suggested as he and the others followed Dawn outside into a forest.

"It makes sense why Kori was exhausted earlier--she was using Bide to stop the evolution process; which also burns a lot of energy." Brock mused. "We have to find her before a predator finds her in that weakened state!"

"Flora, help us find a lost Piplup!" Barry heaved a Poke Ball skyward as the group approached a fork in the forest path.

"We'll check to the south!" Ash called as he and Brock took a south path. "Meet back here in an hour!"

Just then, Dawn spotted a familiar aura coming from the north path. There she is..Kori has to be there!

---------

Dawn emerged from the brush and gasped when she found Kori stuck in a web, still glowing from the evolution aura. "Kori! I'm here to help y-!"

She gasped as an Ariados appeared. she rolled away from the sludge that red, gold, and purple spider Pokemon fired at her, desperately trying to reach a bush.

[Keep away from her, eight-legs!] Kori snapped as she heaved a Bubblebeam at the Ariados.

The attack freed Kori, sending her flying at a rock. "I gotcha!" Dawn leaped to catch her falling Piplup. "Are you okay?"

[I'm fine...but we're not out of the woods yet!] Kori replied, pointing out multiple Ariados about to fire a massive Hyper Beam!

Before Dawn could react, Kori fired a massive white beam at the crowd of Ariados! "Wow...what was that?" she asked as she cradled her exhausted Piplup.

[That was a Bide attack.] Kori wheezed. [You remember how you protected me at Lake Verity? I wanted to do the same for you. I shouldn't have to change to keep getting stronger. I can get stronger just the way I am.]

A smile formed on Dawn's face. "This is what I was trying to tell you before--if that message came across the wrong way, I'm sorry."

"There she is!" Ash and the others arrived moments later. "Is Kori okay?"

Dawn nodded. "I calmed her down, and told her I wasn't trying to force her to evolve or anything. She's happy just the way she is.

Barry smiled, relieved Dawn and Kori were okay. "Although...what was that massive white flash we saw before we found you?"

"That was Bide." Dawn explained as she rejoined the group. "It's a move with a decent appeal score, but you move later on the next turn...

---------

Back at the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy delivered the group their teams. "Here you are, everyone--good as new!"

Ash gasps in surprise as Gaia glowed in his arms, transforming into a small, light green bipedal Pokémon with roses on its hands. "Well...at least one of us gets to see an evolution." he admitted as he read up on what Gaia had become:

<b>"Roselia, the thorn Pokemon. It shoots sharp thorns as projectiles at any opponent that tries to steal the flowers on its arms. The aroma of this Pokemon brings serenity to living things."</b>

"Speaking of evolution...I have something for you, Dawn." Nurse Joy offered Dawn a small rock with dot-like bumps on it. "This is an Everstone--it can prevent a Pokemon from ever evolving at all."

"Thank you..." Dawn replied as she carefully buried the Everstone deep into Kori's feathers.

She looked over at Danielle. "If you still need to practice for your big show, I can join in rehearsal, if you want me to."

"Well, you can join me and some of my fellow performers in a singing game..." Danielle offered. "Would you like to do that?"

"Yeah!" Ash and Dawn replied at nearly the same time.

"Me too." Brock smiled.

"I'll just work on appeals in the yard..." Barry stammered before dashing off, not wanting to sing again.

---------

"Okay...in this exercise, we're gonna explore one of the more important vocal skills that also applies to actors as well as musicians--making sure your voices blend well as a group." Danielle explained as she welcomed Ash, Dawn, and Brock to a large, open lounge in the Pokemon Center, where several other boys and girls were quietly talking.

"Welcome back, Danielle..." a boy smiled. "Now we can get started with the vocal improv."

"Not yet--I still have to explain the rules to these three--okay if they join in?" Danielle asked the group.

Affirmative murmurs wafted back in reply. "We're gonna do what's called a vocal improvisation." Danielle explained. "Starting with a single note, we'll sing something based around that note, and keep the resulting melody going for as long as possible. There's no one 'correct' note or melody you have to sing--whatever would sound good to you, the people around you, and the overall melody."

"I've got a pitch pipe to give the starting note..." Brock offered as he fished his guitar pitch pipe from a pocket in his bag.

"Ooh, it's one of the nice chromatic ones!" Danielle smiled when she saw the tiny silver instrument in Brock's hands.

"Chromatic pitches are nice to have when you play in alternate tunings or use capos often." Brock agreed. "D okay for the starting note?"

"Works for me." Danielle replied as Brock set the pitch pipe. "Remember--the goal is to keep a nice melody going for as long as possible--not reproducing dots on a page."

"Right!" Ash replied as Brock blew a D note in the direction of the performers to signal the key of the improv.

Once everyone was ready, Brock started singing a droning bass line that evoked a string bass, snapping in time to his gibberish vocals to establish a beat. Danielle harmonized a third above Brock's singing and snapping, with Dawn harmonizing a third above Danielle. Inspired, Ash decided to sing some nonsense lyrics that mimicked a harmonica, spurring the other performers to add in more layers of jazzy harmonies, and even using the furniture as percussion...

To Be Continued...