Project: Titans -- A Pokemon Story (OC x Piers)

Chapter 33

"A white sheet and projector could work," I said, drawing up a plan on a sheet of paper.
"The speakers and technical stuff like microphones can go over here, with a well-placed folding screen to hide it. Just over here, as you walk in, maybe some instruments like guitars or drums-"
"We could even have a little recordin' studio in here!"
"Ooh, great idea!! But how will we get-"

"COR BLIMEY!!! WHAT THE DEVIL IS GOIN' ON IN HERE?!"

I turned my head to see Piers, face blotchy with rage, breath ragged and shaking. Instantly, all the Team Yell members froze, Marnie included. "'Sup, Ziggy?" I asked nonchalantly, standing up from the chair I'd been relaxing in. "Enjoy your nap?"

"Get away from my little sister," he breathed, voice dangerously low.
"Was that a suggestion, or-"
"Now."
"Alright," I shrugged, handing the microphone stand back to Marnie with a tiny wink. "Told you I wasn't going to keep it."

Beaming, she trotted over to her brother, and offered the collapsed stand back to him. Snatching it out of her hands, he stretched it to full length, examining it for tarnishes or scrapes. "Ziggy?" Marnie mouthed to me, clearly confused. "Tell you later," I mouthed back.

"Clearly, you didn't get the message when I said don't talk to her," he glared at me. "Lemme knock it into your skull for ya."
"You want another taste of my knuckle sandwich?" I asked, gripping a spare guitar by the neck. "'Cause I'm ready to make a delivery."

"You two stop fighting!" Marnie shouted, her Morpeko crackling with electricity for emphasis. I paused, watching Piers with one eye as he lowered his mic. "Bro, Gia just fixed up Team Yell's clubhouse! You could at least show her a bit of respect."

"Whaddaya mean, fix-" he froze, gaping at the empty room. "Blimey," he murmured, tracing his hands over the walls that were now shiny and clean, and the beginnings of the plan for the interior. "Didja really do all this?"

"No, it was a magical fairy," I said sarcastically. "I did this for negotiation rights."
"What negotiation rights?" he asked. Marnie shuffled her feet nervously.
"You tell him, Marnie. You're the one who promised me," I said, looking her right in the eye.
"Well, I dunno..." she mumbled, looking down at her feet.

"Marnie," Piers warned her. "What did you do?"
"Well, since she went outta her way to fix the clubhouse....I figured that she earned herself the right to negotiate."
"Sis, you know you can't trust her!"
"How d'you know?"

"She hit me in the head with my own microphone stand!"
"But she didn't hit me."
"Marnie's got a point, Piers," one girl chimed in, who I recognised as Victoria. "This er, Gia, was it? She fixed up our clubhouse an' even started mappin' out the insides."

"We've got a lot done with her around, even if she is a little bossy," another grunt chimed in.
"See, bro?" Marnie said pointedly. "She's even got an idea on how to get tourists in here!"
"I think I have a solution to the problem," I said, cutting off Piers before he could speak. "Well, then, spit it out," he snapped.

"A battle. You and me, no holding back. If I win, you let me go and I get to take the Wishing Stars with me." Piers was silent, contemplating my offer.
"Okay, on one condition," Marnie chimed in.
"Name it."
"If my big bro wins, you stay here for six months and help us rebuild. Then we let you go, but we keep the Wishing Stars."

"Alright. But now I've got some terms."
"I don't think you're exactly in a place to make demands," Piers growled, gripping the stand tighter.
"If you win, I get full control over Team Yell and access to any Pokemon I need to repair Spikemuth."
"Done."

"I also get a place to stay other than that cage you keep me in. I may be a prisoner, but I refuse to be held in a cell."
"Isn't that the point of being a prisoner?" Marnie asked in confusion.
"Finally, I want some shoes," I ignored her. "I can't keep walking around this city in socks; they're getting filthy. Not to mention the broken glass and nails that I've almost stepped on multiple times in just the few hours I've been out and about."

Meowsie stole a quick glance down at my white socks, which were now barely recognizable past the mounds of grime caked to them. "If I win, then I want to be sure you don't run off the moment you get the chance," Piers said after a moment of thought. "So, if I win, your little Meowth pal there can stay with my little sis for the time you're here."

Meowsie opened her mouth to protest, before stopping when I gave her a look. There was no way we could lose to this guttersnipe; he had no idea what he was getting into. My partners were surely superior in every way.

"So, are we all in agreement?" Marnie asked. I looked at Piers, and he looked right back at me. "Yeah," we said in unison.
"Alright, then, back to the stadium!"

As we walked back, Meowsie jumped down and pulled me aside. "Gia, wait. Before you battle, I've got something for you." She tossed a cloth parcel to me, and I delicately unwrapped the familiar object. It was a Z-ring, the one I had when we were in Alola.

"I made sure to pack it when we got to Galar. I thought you could use a trump card," she smiled. Clambering back onto my shoulder, we exited the alley and continued to follow Marnie to the stadium.