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

Chapter 3

"Aiee," I shrieked, struggling to wrestle control over my tent from the poles. Espeon was asleep in the shade, softly snoring turning in her sleep. Everyone else was off foraging for berries or something to eat along with my dried fruit and jerky. Meowsie was sitting against a fallen tree, 'supervising' my attempts at wrestling my camping tent, and laughing when a pole smacked me in the face or clocked me in the back of the head.

About ten minutes into my endeavor, I was about ready to tell Meowsie to shred the tent with her claws, when Shelgon and Salazzle returned from their scouting expedition. Salazzle held two berries clenched between her two 'hands', and Shelgon had the move Protect flipped upside down to create a bowl-like structure out of energy, and was carrying many more berries of various kinds inside it. Skrelp didn't have anything, but I just thanked him for trying. I almost wept with relief when Espeon woke up at the smell of them, and decided to help out using Psychic.

Slumping next to Meowsie, I grinned at the fruit of my efforts. A giant tent, with room for all my Pokemon inside it, plus some window flaps with the option to open them or shut them for privacy. Setting up the cooking set, Salazzle lit the fire with Flamethrower, and we all gathered around it as the sun started to set.

As the sky lit up with brilliant shades of pink and orange, we laughed and talked and gossiped about the other operatives, with Meowsie translating for my other Pokemon. "I swear, if I have to deal with X trying to show me up, this trip is going from a tourist-y vacation to a chore," I groaned, drowning my annoyance in the fresh food. I was so focused on my anger, I bit into a Tamato berry without noticing, and instantly my mouth was burning like it was on fire.

Shrieking like a maniac, I yelped and grabbed my water bottle. Yanking off the cap, I guzzled down half the bottle in one go. Gasping for breath, I gingerly sat down and set my water bottle beside me. "Be honest," I asked my partners. "How bad is it?" I came closer to the firelight so they could see my face.

"I'll be brutally honest," Meowsie said gravely. "Your face looks redder than a Fire type!" Her face broke into a huge grin and she collapsed laughing. Everyone else started laughing at me, even Shelgon, who never displayed any facial expressions.

I looked down at my berries, and a brilliant idea hit me out of nowhere. I dipped my fingers in Wiki berry juice, which had been squished in my rush to cool my burning mouth. I traced my fingers along my cheekbones, highlighting the contours of my face with bruised purple. Then, to finish the effect, I snatched my flashlight and flicked the switch to 'on'.

"BLAUGH," I shrieked, positioning the flashlight so that it highlighted my face, which seemed paler in the white light of the flashlight, and with the combination of the shadows and the highlights on my bones, I must've looked like a Ghost-type. Everyone shrieked and leapt back, but crowed in amusement at my impression of a Pokemon. "Meowsie~" I wailed eerily. "Meowsie~~~...You have insulted me for the last time~. Be prepared to face your doom~~!"

I stood up, faked stumbling, hoisted my arms out in front of me and started to shuffle towards Meowsie, wailing like the undead. She yelped, and laughed as she ran away from me, faking terror. I growled and shuffled after her, laughing the whole time. Eventually, I dropped the act and lunged for her, grabbing her by the feet. She shrieked as my hands locked around her ankles, and I started to tickle the undersides of her paws.

Collapsing in a heap, we giggled and broke into cacophonous laughter. "Thanks for distracting me," I grinned, but there still was a little voice of doubt in the back of my mind. Why did X come with me to Galar? Did Father really want somebody to watch after me? Does he think I need protecting?

Meowsie must've noticed the troubled look on my face. "Hey," she said, nudging my shoulder with a paw. "Don't think about that bonehead too much. He's all talk and no walk, and he's not worth it. And besides, you can't play guitar when you're distracted."

I cracked up. "You're still set on that karaoke party?" I asked her.
"Don't tell me you forgot it," she gasped.
"Relax, I'd never forget it," I assured her, and she sagged with relief. I opened my suitcase and grabbed the case out of my bag. Opening it, I brushed a thin layer of dust off it, making sure it was clean before a performance.

I had taken up playing guitar when I was twelve. At first, it was something to do to make extra money doing street performances, but now I even play it for fun. Besides, it's a great way to pass time while camping out. Tuning the strings, I strummed it a few times, making sure it sounded good. I had the greatest song in mind for Meowsie, and I needed it to work out perfectly if I wanted the effect to last.

"Okay, I'm gonna start, and you just chime in whenever. You know the words," I told her, letting a sly grin slip. "Just play the dang song," she rolled her eyes. I smiled and started to play.

"I found myself dreaming," she began, starting out softly. "In silver and gold~. Like a scene from a movie that every broken heart knows~

We were walking on moonlight, and you pulled me close~. Split second and you disappeared and then I was all alone~." She started to get more confident, moving around and swaying to the beat.

"Woke up in tears, with you by my side. Breath of relief, and I realized~No, we're not promised tomorrow. So I'm gonna love you~Like I'm gonna lo~se yo~oo~ou. I'm gonna ho~ld you~Like we're saying goodby'~y-y~y-ye~."

Singing and twirling around the fire, my other partners were playing along with her, pretending like they were in a concert. They put their hands or their appendages above their heads and slowly waved them back and forth. Salazzle even had her hands lit up like lighters, and the movement of the fire was hypnotic.

Meowsie was really getting into it now, grabbing the soup ladle and acting like it was her microphone. She was pointing to each of my partners at every 'you' in the chorus, dancing on top of Shelgon's shell, and even using Copycat to mimic John Legend's voice (she'd been using my earbuds to listen to him on the hike here). As the last chord rang out, my partners erupted into cheers. Taking a deep, over-exaggerated bow, Meowsie grinned, blew kisses to the 'crowd', and pretended to wave to her adoring fans.

"Thank you, thank you, Galar," she grinned. "You've been a wonderful crowd. Now, this next song I'd like to sing to you is a little diddy I like to call 'Achey Breaky Heart'." As I started up the next song, the hours melted away, the quiet air of night pierced by the twang of guitar and the sounds of laughter and singing.