Author's Note:
Bonus chapter release due to popular demand from the folks over at Royal Road. Had to gut about half of the original draft and rewrite it just to add a bit more depth to the story over Nina just being whiny the entire chapter.
I haven't had much ti to proofread this so please be extra patient if you spot any mistakes.
***
“FUUUUUCKKK!!!”
As the wind whipped through her face, her body under siege by inertia, Nina couldn’t help but wonder; “Where did it all go wrong?” She agreed to this ostentatious display out of love for her friend and family, but it wasn’t until she stepped under the spotlight that regret started to really set in. “Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to Daisy’s proposal to join the Gym all those years ago. Damn you and your greed, Nina!”
It was pure willpower that allowed her to maintain a deathgrip on Beverly’s hand, even as the two of them were spinning around like a beyblade. That and the fear that if she were to let go, both she and her friend would be violently slingshot towards the edge of the arena and be seriously injured. She definitely did not make the sa mistake during practice or anything. Nope. Definitely not. Must have been a different Gym Apprentice who was secretly a guy from another world.
The next part was the trickiest, trying to tighten the spread between her and Beverly’s skates, all the while maintaining their current montum without tripping and slamming into each other in a pile of limbs and curses. Nina recalled her ankle getting all sprained and swollen the first ti she tried this.
“Focus Nina, focus… Look into Beverly’s eyes…” This was important to prevent dizziness, if she focused even a fraction of her mind on the spinning background, she was liable to be overwheld and end up throwing up all over her partner. Again, definitely not speaking from experience. Nina did not throw up all over Beverly, and even if she did, it definitely did not happen more than once over the course of their practice. Nope. Nuh-uh. Couldn’t be her.
As the ice began to crack all around her, she could feel a sense of warmth enveloping her. This was Espy who was working in tandem with a team of Psychic Pokemon to help stabilize them — a fairly difficult feat, according to what Espy told her. The familiar presence of her Espeon was a great source of comfort for Nina, especially in the face of what’s to co. Face in a very literal sense. Because once the floor completely disintegrated underneath them, Nina suddenly found herself atop the brow of a fierce looking Gyarados.
Ryu was a sweetheart, probably the nicest and goofiest Gyarados Nina had ever t. Not that she’d t many of them. A grand total of only three, in fact. But it didn’t make the experience of dancing on the precipice of that gaping, toothy abyss any less daunting; one little slip, or Arceus forbid, if the Psychics lost their grip, Nina would be sent plumting into Ryu’s mouth. She could only hope that the Gyarados wouldn’t swallow on instinct.
However, right as she had that thought, Nina’s balance faltered. A sense of vertigo overwheld her as her surroundings warped. For a mont there, it felt like the floor was just inches away from her face before her vision pulled back again.
Nina keeled over slightly and hastily grabbed hold of Beverly to regain her balance eliciting a hiss from the older girl. “Dammit, Nins!” Beverly whispered through gritted teeth and a stiff smile as she did her best to hold the two of them up.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t an to, okay?!” Nina exclaid, but not out loud. She had the sneaking suspicion that if she were to open her mouth to speak right now, her stomach would rebel against her. In fact, she deliberately skipped breakfast and lunch just to avoid that from happening.
The music shifted, signalling the start of the next act as Beverly yanked Nina a little too forcefully to correct her poise. Nina didn’t mind. In fact, she appreciated it, otherwise they would have missed the beat. And she definitely did not have the confidence to adjust and catch up. More than likely, she would have just panicked and ruined the rhythm.
As the two girls broke out into a slow waltz, the only thought in Nina’s mind was; “Don’t step on Beverly’s feet. For the love of all that is Pokemon, don’t you dare step on Bev’s feet, Nina!”
They had to simplify the choreography because Beverly got sick and tired of being stepped on, this part was one that Nina never really got the hang of in the end. So they decided to just cheat with Psychic Pokemon. At present, Nina was being hovered in the air to allow Beverly to spin her around like she was a lifeless doll.
That was not to say the younger girl was spared from dancing though, there were still a few sequences that required her to move her legs sowhat and she needed to be mindful of her steps — sothing very difficult to do while maintaining eye contact with Beverly.
“Dammit Nairy!” Nina cursed at the tail of her Dragonair that wooshed past her head in too close a proximity. This entire act was the part that she dreaded the most, no matter how hard they practiced, there were always going to be so variables in a play fight between two powerful Pokemon.
Not to ntion, trying to maintain a serene expression when in the midst of so much chaos took nearly all of Nina’s concentration. So she wouldn’t be able to react in ti even if she saw a stray attack coming her way.
And for a brief mont there, Nina saw her two lives flashing before her eyes; her first mory as Miles, watching the Pokemon cartoon as a kid, his first exposure to the deford looking sprite art of Pokemon Yellow on a CRT screen, the frustration he felt when he finally got a PC and was impatiently trying to figure out how to install an emulator on it.
Then there were all the tis Miles pulled out his phone to go Dratini fishing every ti he felt overwheld in life; when he defied his parents wishes and ran off to go to college in a different country, when he got fired from his first part ti job, when his first girlfriend cheated on him, all the tis he had to work overti, that one ti where he had a ntal breakdown and spent an entire weekend drinking and sobbing in a corner of his apartnt. And finally, when he got hit by a truck on the way to celebrate his mother’s birthday, a bouquet of flowers and an expensive box of jewellery in hand.
“I’m sorry mom, I’m sorry that I died on your special day. Please forgive .”
Then ca Nina’s second life, almost like a dream co true to her as she recalled all the happy monts she spent getting to interact with real life Pokemon. Even her new family wasn’t bad despite all the drama she had to deal with early on in life. They loved and cared for Nina despite all her oddities, which was more than she felt like she deserved. “I’m sorry Patrick, sorry Leanette. Sorry for taking your daughter away from you. I’ll make it up to you one day, I swear.”
Not to ntion the Cerulean Gym, practically her second ho by this point. Despite all her whining and protest, Nina was grateful that Daisy decided to take her in all those years ago. Without the guidance of the Cerulean Sisters, Beverly, and all the other ladies of the Gym, Nina could hardly imagine what her life would be like right now.
“Maybe I’d have ended up like Charlie, struggling at the bottom after digging myself into a hole, without all the proper resources I needed to take good care of Nairy and Espy.” That was the one thing she feared the most; not doing right by her precious Pokemon.
Maybe that’s why she was so harsh on Charlie when she saw the less than ideal state of his Poliwhirl. In hindsight, Nina probably overreacted and she had since apologized to her friend. But she still made a ntal note to make it up to him soday. “Provided I survive this of course.”
As Nina’s mind spiralled further into nihility, a cooling sphere of water abruptly enveloped her, signalling the start of the next act. The girl couldn’t help but sigh in relief and exhaustion, discharging bubbles from her mouth as the soothing lodic tone of Josephine the Milotic perated the arena.
Nina looked towards Beverly, who gave her a reassuring smile and a thumbs up. “Almost there now, Nins. Nearly to the finish line.” Even without words, Nina could make out the ssage that her friend was trying to convey to her.
The two perforrs took the ti to rest their weary bodies. In particular, Nina relished in the relief that the cooling water provided to her throbbing feet. However, that mont of reprieve was short lived as a beep sounded out in Nina’s earpiece to signal the start of the next part.
Surprisingly, dancing in water ca very naturally to her, thanks to all the ti she spent underwater with Nairy. This was the one part where Nina barely struggled during practice. The only issue was her lung capacity, she had the bad habit of exerting her chest with every movent at the beginning, which put a lot of unnecessary strain on her breath. But it was sothing that she got used to pretty quickly — the key was just to stay relaxed and follow the flow of the water as opposed to struggling against it.
Before long, the two girls found themselves lowered onto the arena’s platform as Nina did her best to resist sucking in a deep breath with her mouth. “Gotta keep smiling Nina, keep smiling… Shit! What were the lyrics again?”
In the midst of all the excitent, Nina’s mind completely blanked out on the lyrics of the song she was supposed to be singing after this. All that lip syncing had made her complacent.
However, when the speakers went silent and Beverly’s voice sounded out, Nina automatically followed suit, just a quarter beat behind as her voice cracked audibly. It seed that her muscle mory managed to kick in in ti.
Nina dared not to let a single stray thought into her mind, for fear that her subconscious would falter and that she would forget her lyrics again. A very difficult thing to do when she could make out a very obvious smirk from Beverly, probably making fun of her for the voice crack. “Dammit, I’m never going to hear the end of this am I?”
By the ti that the show ended, Nina was panting in exhaustion as she looked towards Beverly with a foolish looking smile on her face, feeling an imnse wave of relief and satisfaction after finally completing the nearly month long ordeal that she was put through.
Beverly returned the smile and gave Nina’s hand a tight squeeze. The two fledgeling rmaids then turned to face their audience and bowed deeply amidst rapturous applause and fervent cheers.
“Never again.” Nina swore, but she knew that was an unlikely wish. In fact, she overheard Daisy saying to Misty that they could save ti and money by just having her and Beverly repeat their performance for this year’s Cerulean on Ice if everything went well. “Dammit, is it too late to quit this gig?”
***
Author's Note:
Just FYI, I don't plan on writing anything extensive for Cerulean on Ice, just a brief ntion to transition into the next arc.
Also if you've enjoyed this bonus release, consider tipping
over at my Patreon.
You'll get 10 advanced chapters as an extra extra bonus. Soon to be 11 chapters, because I have a special release planned for this Saturday in lieu of a regular chapter release.
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