Crescendo | Pokémon Short Story

Teeter Dance

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"Nox," the crimson-eyed boy greeted her with a plastered smile, placing a yellow Oricorio on her left and a pink one on her right. She rose from her blue Tauros leather chair and strode toward him. Clad in a black Sewaddle silk dress, she wore a silver necklace the shape of a crescent moon, her eyes a dirty green. "We have the Oricorio."

She bent a little to meet eye to eye with the Pom-Pom Style Oricorio, then she shook her head. To the Pa'u Style Oricorio, she had the same reaction.

Her pink lips parted and she exhaled a sigh. Crossing her arms and tapping her feet, the girl said,"They don't look well. But I remember saying I only want the cheerleading one."

"This one," the boy told her as he held the pink bird up high,"Followed us back here."

"Interesting." She clapped slowly and loudly. "Very interesting. Whatever. Once we're done with our grand plan, we'll be the only ones in Alola to dance under the stars."

At that, the boy shivered. "Nox, they're stupid Oricorio. They probably don't know they are the only ones left. They don't know they're an endangered species. We lured the others and finished them off after all."

"How many left?"

"Two in the wild, two in our hands."

"Then, Colton, get the remaining two damned Oricorio! Soon, the whole of Alola will dance. Soon, we'll lead the dance."

Colton bit his lips and nodded. He would have his fellow dancers to do the dirty work for him. He had it all planned out: return to the meadow, grab those Pokémon and show the world what dancing really is.

A smirk ran across his face and he could not wait for the plan to succeed. Yet somehow, Colton felt something strange. It was as if he was being watched. He blinked and shrugged his shoulders.

"My comrades!" He shouted and observed his dim surroundings, the dancers barely seen. He knew the night would be long. At least, it would be an exciting one.

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"Let's go to the meadow!"

The purple Pokémon was startled at the mention of what was their comfort zone. She gave the flamenco dancer a look. José simply ruffled his feathers with his beak. Maimai thought he was trying to make himself look presentable, to whom she wouldn't be sure of. It was when the wings dropped that she realised the accumulating pain in the expression he delivered. It was contorted.

She wasn't sure what was right to do. She wasn't certain if the spirits were right.

"You heard them too. That Nox is going to hurt Pachi." The tip of Maimai's tail touched the floor as she lay low.

"She's caged! Lawe might soon be in one too! Then—"

"Then comes the rapid pacing in the cage, distress calls, explosive anger and... self-mutilation." Maimai's volume lowered with each word.

José's eyelids were drooping. He wanted only to be away from anything and everything—he feared that he would destroy everything. That was the part he hated to hear.

"Stop, please," José cawed in response. Suddenly, all he wanted to do was peck his wings and pluck the feathers till his skin was bare, to be flat-crest and withdrawn as if he was in a cage. The mental cage he was in was different from the tangible one. The thought was gone faster than it was conjured.