[Elliot Sunderland]

"Huh? What? No, really, you don't understand. We're not-"

Oh.

Oh, no.

Oh no, she was crying.

Elliot's heart sank, and he felt like a knife had just pierced it. The sound of someone he had so much admiration and respect for crying out in grief and fear was agonizing. Elliot pretty much rocketed out of his seat, looking around nervously. Was he trying to see if they were being overheard? Looking for some sort of escape? Or did he just want advice? Even his Pokemon had stopped their eating. Echo, Murex, and Joule shot the pair worried looks. Lord Beerus simply groaned and covered his ears. None of their reactions were very helpful.

Out of ideas, Elliot made his way over to Elise's seat, giving the poor idol a tight, warm hug. "H-hey. Hey. Elise, c'mon. Please," he pleased, his voice almost squeaking from worry. "I'd never lie to you. And I'd never, ever, ever take Levy away. You've been nothing but nice, friendly, and helpful to me since the day we met. And I'd never dream of doing something that could hurt you like that. And I'd never hurt Levy like that, either. She loves you. She loves all of you guys. Spiriting her away to some far-off region would be horrible for both of you. And if I did love her that way, then I'd be the worst boyfriend in the world for even thinking of doing something like that.

I don't. I swear on my life, I really don't," he reaffirmed. "But I love her as a sister. And I care for you as a dear friend. And I don't want either of you to have to cry or be worried, okay?" He'd keep the hug going for as long as Elise needed, but maybe she wasn't the only one in need. By now, Elliot's eyes were starting to well up too.

[Elise Bell]

Elise’s eyes stung. This was clearly what was happening. Levy was trying to play this down because she didn’t want the others to know what had been decided. She and Elliot were going to run away together, and she’d never see Levy again and all because a phantasmal runaway prince from the Orre caught her eye. She didn’t know what to do! She didn’t know what to say!

One of Elise’s many sisters that had happened to be working the counter rather quickly got up and went to find their father. She was not qualified to handle another one of Elise’s melt downs whatever it entailed. Distantly, Elise was vaguely aware that she was probably causing some sort of scene and that she needed to calm down, but that was impossible. She was suddenly so so so so so sad.

As she was hugged, Elise went rigid for a moment. Elliot’s squeaking had her fidgeting a little. Slowly, his words clicked in her ears, and her breathing hitched and leveled off some. Meanwhile, a tall blond man with glasses was coming around the corner looking equal parts pensive and alarmed. His eyes flashed from Elise to Elliot and back again. “Ellie, honey? What’s wrong?” he asked his tone forcefully leved. Behind him, one of her sisters was looking around the corner now hoping that everything would settle out again.

Elise jerked somewhat and looked back to her father and then back at Elliot again. Immediately she started dabbing her eyes and taking weird choking breaths.

[Elliot Sunderland]

As Elliot heard Elise's breath hitch, and her breathing steady, he couldn't help but find himself tearing up. Nevertheless, his comfort seemed to be working? Maybe? With little to no idea on what to do next, he just hugged Elise for as long as she'd allow. "It's okay," he said. His voice was as soft as a pillow and as fragile as glass, but nonetheless he did his best to try and keep it strong for her. "I promise. It's okay. Levy's your bestie, she says nothing but amazing things about you, and she isn't going anywhere. And I'd never, ever lie about that."

And then Elliot heard a forcefully-held voice. He let out a squeak of surprise, looking up from the girl he was holding just in time to see what could only be her father. Oh, no. He looked towards Elise, checking to see if she was okay, then nervously looked between her and her father. Her breath was choking again. Was she trying and failing to breathe? Or was she about to start crying again? Frankly, Elliot had no idea which was which. That kinda terrified him.

He clammed up, a blush on his face, as he tried to think what on earth he could say in this situation. "Oh," he said, voice soft and quivering slightly. "H-hello, sir. I'm just . . . we're just . . . I . . . oh boy, this is a long story." Gee, Elliot, you think!? "I gave some news that got Elise worried about one of her best friends, and I think she took it the wrong way, and then she got all worried and sad, and . . .

I just feel really, really bad about it. Do you have any ideas on how I could help cheer her up?." Was this a brilliant question to ask, or an absolutely boneheaded one? At least Elliot's tone practically bled with earnestness. For all his faults, he wasn't disingenuous!

[Elise Bell]

“Daddy I’m—” Elise was not ok, but she had no idea how to get back to it. She was just upset??? And worried and scared and confused and so many other things?? She kind of wanted to cry some more, actually, but she wasn’t sure why.

Daniel Bell looked at his daughter then to the boy there with her generically assumed to be the reason she was crying. As Elliot stuttered out some confused lines, Dan stepped forward and got very very very close to Elliot staring down at him with a hard look on his face. “I don’t know what this is about,” he stated clearly not having understood or even listened to what Elliot was saying. “But if you made her cry, I’m going to politely ask you to leave.”

Elise was choking back a couple of words and immediately squeaked at Dan’s. “Daddy I just! Wait!” She was trying and failing to quickly compose herself again. Dan looked sideways at her and then frowned a bit quieter. “I just… I …. ThisisLevy’srunawayprinceboyfriendfromtheOrreandI’mreallyscaredthatheandLevyaregoingtorunawaytogetherand….” Why was she rehashing this? Elise didn’t even know. At the very least

Dan had the decency to realize there was more to this than what he might have liked and sighed. “Come here sweetie,” he mumbled shifting to hug Elise sideways… and squint at Elliot all the same.

[Elliot Sunderland]

At what Dan had to say, Elliot's face collapsed. Yet Elise stepped up to have his back regardless. Even after he had hurt her so badly? She was a truly wonderful friend, making Elliot feel all the worse that he couldn't properly explain his situation to her. And now, with her dad giving him a reluctantly patient stare, he knew he had one last chance to explain.

"Okay, so. I've been living with one of Elise's friends, Levy, because I've . . . needed to get away from home," Elliot said. "And I did a bad job of explaining it. And Elise thought it was a romantic thing, and that Levy and I were trying to keep it on the down low. And then she thought because I was living with Levy, I'd try and take her away someday. To . . . Orre, apparently. Because I'm from there now? And also a prince? I really don't know where that whole path came from. I'm just some normal guy from Hoenn. But . . . either way. Point still stands.

But I guess what I'm trying to say here is. She's not crying because of me. I mean, maybe she is? Because of, like, Hypothetical Runaway Prince Me? But, it's not because of me, or because of anyone. It's because she's got a really big heart and loves the heck out of her friends. And I'm lucky that she's counted me as one of them. And if I can do anything to help her with this worry, I'd be happy to.

That includes leaving, if you'd still prefer."

[Elise Bell]

Elise burrowed into Dan’s side like a small child would have otherwise. He always had the power to make her feel safe and secure in whatever form or fashion even when she was hesitantly keeping him from combatting her friend. Dan pat her quietly and squinted as he listened to Elliot. He still wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but he was listening now at least.

As Elliot explained a little slower, things started to click for both father and daughter. Elise… supposed… that sounded… reasonable. Dan was just happy to find there wasn’t near as much confusion as he was expecting there to be. His eyes dropped down to Elise who was still kind of leaning into his side. She glanced up at him a little uncomfortably, and he sighed back at her gently patting her for comfort. “Seems there was a lot of confusion; are you ok now, Ellie?” he asked looking back down at his daughter again.

Slowly but surely, Elise took in a few breaths and managed to nod her head. “I’m… I’m ok… I just… y-yeah… I’m ok,” she said slowly.

Dan deflated some, happy to see the situation had kind of diffused itself before getting too out of hand. “Alright then—“ Dan paused to look at the table… and then at Elliot… and then sideways at Elise. His lips pressed together into a fine line and then slowly turned up playfully. “Elise, I am pretty sure your friends don’t count as powerful restaurant critiques….”

Elise immediately blushed and stammered. “D-daddy!”

[Elliot Sunderland]

Elliot sighed, slumping in visible relief as Elise and Dan calmed. He wasn't going to get beaten up by a dad or be forced to live with the crushing guilt of breaking Elise's heart! This was an absolute win! "I'm really glad you're okay," Elliot said, blinking back a few last tears that had gathered in the corner of his eyes. "And I'm sorry, again."

But now it was Elliot's turn to get confused! He did a double take at what Dan had to say, especially when the stern's man face had taken a turn for the amused. "Restaurant critic? Huh? When did I . . ." he muttered, confused, only for a bright blush to spread across Elise's face. Now he was even more confused! Did he miss something? Why would Dan even think tha-

That mischievous smile of Elise's.

Oh.

Oh, now everything made sense.

He couldn't help but giggle a little. "You've seriously been doing your best to try and get me helped over those bonanzas, huh?" he said. "You didn't need to do that, you . . . you . . . you dork!" He breaks into laughter, a warm smile on his face. "I can't lie, sir. You raised one heck of a daughter!"

[Elise Bell]

Elise leaned a little harder against Dan. Dan hugged Elise a little harder back. Dan was also glad he didn’t have to do something about a boy breaking his little girl’s heart (even if he would have in a heartbeat). Instead, he could offer a bit of a knowing look and earn Elise’s soft reprimand instead, much more favorable, really.

Elise squeaked a little more as Elliot giggled, her eyes flashing to him as her features filled with more color. “I…eheheh yeah….” she admitted softly after. The laughing reprimand had her features burning all the same, though, and her hands raised to shield her face right after the fact.

Dan, however, was laughing as well. “She’s got a heart of gold and a spirit of silver,” he answered. Elise looked up sideways at him and giggled softly before shaking her head. “No more tears, mkay? You can have whatever ya like…” he was addressing Elise now, gently patting down her hair and doing his best not to look too too concerned. He knew she was still weepy now and again, after all.

Elise took in a slow breath and nodded her head. “Ok…” she sighed a bit after and did manage to feel somewhat better at least.

[Elliot Sunderland]

"She really does," Elliot said, sighing wistfully. "I only met her in the first place because my team noticed all the giant pink explosions from her contest practice in the woods, and we wanted to see what was going on. Pretty sure most people who had their practice crashed like that, especially serious coordinators trying to get into the groove, would've just been pissed off. But Elise was nothing but friendly. Heck, she even invited me to the cafe here! Even before the big-deal discount she apparently tried to sneak in, that seriously meant a lot."

He was all smiles as he took one last sip of his coffee. He had been so distracted, he completely forgot to keep sipping at it! "Honestly? If I can light people up the way she's been doing, I think this whole journey I've been on will've been a huge success."

Then Elliot realized how high the praise he was saying must've sounded. He turned a bright red and hid behind the safety of his coffee cup. He was totally just busy drinking, and not hiding his bashfulness. Honest!

[Elise Bell]

Dan raised an eyebrow and looked sideways at Elise who flashed a goofy grin back at him. “How’s that going by the way, kiddo?” he asked.

Elise smiled a little weaker. “Working hard still… I want to do either the spring fling or the showcase coming up….” she answered. Giving herself two options was… nicer than locking into one, or so she told herself right then.

Dan nodded his head a little slowly back. Well, so long as Elise was happy and safe, Dan was happy. If she needed him, he was there. At Elliot’s words, however, Dan squinted a bit back at him. Was he hitting on his daughter right in front of him or? Hmmmmm no. Dan decided that was admiration… even if Elise had squeaked and covered her face a little at that. A sharp laugh escaped from Dan thereafter and he pat Elise on the shoulder briefly. “Alright, I’ve got to get back to cooking; if you need something let me know, alright?” he asked.

Elise looked back towards him and nodded. “Ok,” Watching him head back, she took in a slow breath and tried to calm down once again. Ok, ok, she was good now.

[Elliot Sunderland]

At Dan's squint, Elliot made a pitiful sound and hid further behind his coffee cup. Oh no! Did he give the poor guy the wrong idea? Oh, he was never gonna live this one down! It was almost a relief when he had to return back to the kitchen. Elliot forced himself to stop hiding behind the coffee cup, working up a shy yet bright smile. "Thank you again! Enjoy your day!" he chirped, giving a tiny wave as Dan returned to the kitchen.

Then sank to the table, letting out another pitiful groan. "All the Legends, I just wanted to reassure both of you guys, but that was totally too much, wasn't it?" he mumbled into the table. He smiled weakly at Elise as he popped himself back off of the table. "I'm sorry about all that. Honestly, as good as this whole journey's been, it's also been kind of overwhelming to me, y'know? Like, it's great all of the stuff you and Levy have done for me, but . . . wow, it's really been a lot to take in. I've never had anyone be so unconditionally generous, and caring, and just plain nice to me before. Closest thing there's been my brother, and even then he's a lot more rough around the edges than you guys are.  No matter how much I appreciate it, it's still a lot to get used to, especially when I have no idea how to repay the favor.  

He's also not, like, half of one of my favorite bands. But that's another story," he added, chuckling a little. At least getting how he felt off of his chest left him way less awkward about this whole situation!

He coughed a little, adjusting in his seat somewhat. Was he good now? Okay. Yeah. He was good now. And Elise seemed like she was doing better too. Elliot took his phone back out, firing off another quick text Levy's way. [Elise isn't broken anymore! We're all okay! Hope you're having a wonderful day,] he typed, a small grin on his face as he shot the text Levy's way. That should clarify everything! Hopefully.

With his emotions stabilized, Levy notified, and his breath easing in his chest, Elliot was perfectly ready to continue on like nothing had happened. "So you've got two options you're considering now, huh?" Elliot asked. "Got a game plan for each? Or are you still in the deciding stage?"

[Elise Bell]

A soft touch of color came to Elise’s features as she turned her attention back to Elliot. “It’s... uh...… it’s fine! D-don’t worry!” she answered puffing up just a bit as though trying to equal parts reassure herself of that fact as well. It didn’t quite work, though, and she deflated a little after. All the emotions had been settled but left her suddenly feeling a lot more exhausted than before.

Hesitantly, Elise sat down again across from him, a little less assured than she might have been but more stable than she had been about to be. She listened as Elliot spoke and… was pretty sure she sympathized with those feelings. It felt like she had just been blindsided after all! From… from uncertainty too, actually. Elise’s eyes dropped down, and she found herself looking at her phone and rereading Levy’s text message as Elliot spoke. No, they weren’t going to run off together and leave the band… no… it wasn’t like that….A slow breath drew into Elise again. Ok… ok… that was… that was good, right? Right.

….She might have actually been ignoring Elliot’s actual words for her own thoughts whoops what had he been saying? Something about rough??? Oh a brother??? Still, a soft smile pulled onto her features when he mentioned returning favors— but then he mentioned her being in one of his favorite bands and well. Well. Elise let it go just like that. For now, anyways. “If I can get two together, I might try two,” she answered Elliot’s question. “But Showcases and Contests are so different so…” she rolled her shoulders a bit slowly.

[Levy Santos]

Levy continued to stare at her phone, sitting on the edge of the tub as she waited for a reply. Was Elliot alright? Did Elise understand what was going on now? It was incredibly hard to tell because she wasn't getting any texts that told her what was going on. The bluenette sighed, rolling her eyes and put down her phone. It was still on the main text screen, and she kept it unlocked, but she might as well do something while she waited.

So Levy grabbed her razor, set her foot in the tub and splashed water up her leg. She might as well shave her legs while she waited. Smearing shaving cream on the limb, she got started. And finally once she was done did she have a new text. Finally!

And now it was all over. Levy blew out an aggravated breath before texting back. [Alright, but I'd like a full explanation when you get home. And, if you really don't mind. Can I ask you to bring me home one of their red velvet Litten cupcakes? Elise should know which one I'm talking about. Ty, love you, I'm having my bath now.]

And with that, Levy grumbled, rinsed her leg, and began the process of draining the tub to fill it with fresh water. That you know didn't get cold while she waited for texts.

[Elliot Sunderland]

I'm having my bath now.

Oh, no. They interrupted bath time.

Elliot paled a little as he practically dove onto his phone. For a second he considered warning Elise about the horrible transgression they had made, but poor Elise still seemed shaken up. Better to let her have her blissful ignorance on this one. "[Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Explanation promised. Cupcakes ordered. Big sis loved. Enjoy your bath!]"

He looked up from his phone, shooting Elise a small smile. He'd make the order, but while she was still on break? That'd be such a dick move! Besides, while Elise wasn't looking 100%, she was starting to look better now. He considered trying to cheer her up a bit more, but frankly, Elliot had already said enough well wishes for the day. If he laid it on any thicker, they could use all of his reassurances as a weighted blanket. Probably better to take a break and focus on more conversational topics. Like Elise's upcoming performances!

That said, Elise was probably more educated on the finer points of those performances than Elliot was. He blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what she had just said. "Huh! What're the differences?" he asked. As far as he knew, contests were Pokemon doing moves on stage with a performer, and showcases were Pokemon doing moves on the stage with a performer and a song. Were they really such different concepts that Elise needed two different game plans for each? Nevertheless, his eyes were bright and eager with the promise of new learning. She'd already shown off how cool the mere concept of Pokemon performance was. Who knew what encouragement this new info would teach him?

[Elise Bell]

“Huh??” Elise blinked back at Elliot. How did he… what did he…. She guessed maybe he just didn’t look into that sort of thing? But?? How did she begin to explain what was different?? “Everything???” she ask-answered back, unsure of what else to say for a moment. Her phone buzzed, and Elise was aware that her break time was up but Dad had already made it clear she could just keep chilling so…

So she took a moment to consider. “A contest is all about one specific aesthetic…” she said slowly. “Cool contests, beauty contests, that sort of thing. It’s about using moves in a specific format to make the right look for that specific contest. And the number of rounds is different. You start with appeals where you use two Pokemon to show off combinations, and then if you manage to advance to the next round, you have a battle with another coordinator and have to show off your best moves with a singular Pokemon. A Showcase is…”

Elise’s brows knit with entirely too much concentration. “It’s just a one round thing. There’s a theme designated at the start of it, and then you work with six of your Pokemon to match that theme with attacks and dance and style…” That didn’t sound right coming out of her mouth, but that was as close as Elise was going to get to a proper explanation.

[Elliot Sunderland]

Those still seemed pretty similar to Elliot, if he was being honest. But Elise was the superstar here, and Elliot was just the curious spectator. Much as he still didn't understand, he at least had the sense to know it was due to being out of his element here. It was like asking a marathon runner their thoughts on participating in a 100 meter dash. "Yeah, I can see how those'd have a lot of differences in your approach," Elliot remarked. For example, come to think of it, there was no music playing during his first encounter with Elise in the forest. She had some good special effects going, but would the moves she was using play well alongside a song? Meanwhile, if she spent all that time elaborately stringing a routine together, a more improv-focused contest setup might not have worked as effectively.

At least in Elliot's opinion, the music really made or broke which plan Elise went for. And if there was anything Elliot knew about songs, it's that committing to them took some genuine passion and heart. "Well, are there any songs that really, genuinely speak to you?" Elliot asked. "If you don't, it might be easier to do a routine that you can craft by yourself for the Spring Fling, instead of trying to push against a song you're really not feeling." What was the motif of the Showcase, again? Oh, if only he knew. Then maybe he'd be able to actually give some proper advice!

[Elise Bell]

“Yeah, the battle portion is the hardest to account for,” Elise frowned a little. “You’ve got to turn your opponent’s moves into something you can work with on the fly, and you can’t play off your own Pokemon since it’s singles…” Doubles might make things a little better, but yeah, that was hard.

There was… a look that would flash into Elise’s eyes as Elliot asked about a song, a mix of something deeply upset, hurt, and accepted. But it was gone again right after, as if it had never been there to begin with. The songs that spoke to her right now, the things that made her feel something... were heartbreak still. It had been weeks, but it was heartbreak still. And she'd already spilled songs about that. As a group, they'd already come up with songs about that. And she didn't want that. Not right then.

Elise shrugged her shoulders a little. “I’m… I don’t really wanna do a song that speaks to me right now,” she answered with a different sort of smile. “I want something that… speaks to everyone else about me… and my Pokemon of course.” She giggled a little at that. One of the cats wandered over and immediately hopped in her lap to join the other one. A soft ‘uhmph’ sound escaped from Elise, and she was again aware of where she was. She reached down and scratched the cat's ears gently. 

[Elliot Sunderland]

That sounded a lot more complicated than a Showcase, true. Sure, one Pokemon was a lot less to work with than six, and the musical element not needed to be present opened up a lot of flexibility that keeping to a song didn't offer. But as soon as you introduced the unpredictable element of another competitor, who you not only needed to outshine but also work with? Yeah. Elliot could absolutely see where Elise's dilemma was coming from. And yet . . .

"That sounds really exciting," Elliot said, somewhat starry-eyed. "I'm not much of a fighter, but the idea of working both with and against your fellow coordinator, trying to find out the best way to outshine each other. It's almost like a big old game of Horse! And I bet when you find just the right rival, it's like magic, where the two of you look better together than you ever could apart. I don't know if I'd ever have the guts to give it a try, but." He let the thought hang there.

And then pain and acceptance of pain flashed in Elliot's eyes, and he cringed a little. Right. It really wasn't that easy, huh? Even through the pain she managed a smile, but if anything that just broke Elliot's heart more. "I think I get what you mean," Elliot said. "Well, that gives you a really good foundation to work with! What are the kinds of things you'd want to tell the world about yourself and your Pokemon?" Elliot.

It briefly made Elliot wonder what he'd want to show the world, were he to do a Showcase. But he'd have to have something worth showing first, huh?

[Elise Bell]

Elise set her elbow on the table and rested her cheek in her hand. The other hand reached down to scratch the ears of the cat that was now purring deeply in her lap. The comfort of a cat was always nice, whether it was a cat Pokemon or cat animal. It was easier to think about nice, soft, squishy things than ….sad ones. So she could do that!

“Hmm…. Well….” Elise looked thoughtful as she tried to figure out just what she would want to tell the world about her and her Pokemon anyways. The world already knew she was part of Pixie Nightmare Girls, and she worked to make sure of that all the time! But this was different.

“I… want the world to know I’m here, I guess, and I’m always working to get better,” she thought aloud. “I wanna show me and my Pokemon are strong and cute…” She giggled a little raising the cat up to snuggle into soft fur before lowering him down again. The cat begrudgingly didn’t move, too used to this kind of intense affection to really be repulsed by it. "But those are kind of vague..." she acknowledged with a smaller smile. "It's hard to pinpoint.... exactly what I wanna say. I guess it'd be easier if I knew the theme of this one right now, but it's supposed to be released 'soon'." Whatever soon meant. 

[Elliot Sunderland]

Elliot quirked an eyebrow. "Is that vague?" he asked. "I mean, sure. It's a big, broad idea. But it's also a really clear one, y'know? Self-assurance is the kind of thing pretty much everyone's looking to find. Isn't it, like, half the reason why people go out on a Pokemon journey in the first place? Sure, there are a billion different ways in which people try to be the best person they can be, and how they try to improve to get to that point in the first place. But that doesn't mean your words, and all those feelings behind them, aren't still going to resonate. Music's a universal language, right?

You're proud. Of yourself, and your Pokemon."

That said, no matter how proud Elise was of herself, she'd probably need to wait for what the theme of the Showcase was before coming to a concrete decision. "Heh. Oops. Guess I got a little ahead of myself, huh?" he asked. "Could always practice a contest for now, at least until the Showcase theme comes out. Then at least you're keeping sharp and on the ball for when they make their announcement. And contests are just, like, Tough, Cool, Beauty, Clever, and Cute, right? So if you want to show how cute your Pokemon are, that narrows down your choices by a lot. Boom! There's a game plan right there!

Heh. If only I was this good at helping myself plan. Then my journey'd be so much easier!" And that! Is! Irony!