Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Brock's Love: Maiden of the Dastardly Dr. Rage ❯ Seven: Belle of the ball ( Chapter 8 )

Hey there! Did you enjoy the last chapter? I know, maybe I should've put more logic in there, but hey! This is my story darn it! But if you think I should change the rating now, tell me. I'm gonna change it again anyway in like two chapters. And for those of you who didn't know (and you know who you are!) Liz has brown skin, a little lighter than Brock. I got PERSONAL emails, which really crept me out, about that because they thought Liz was another color or something. I based the character on myself, so I thought it would only be fitting that she had the same skin color. So blah!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon or any characters thereof; otherwise I would be married to Brock right now. . .

CLAIMER: Liz is my own personal character whom I've named after myself. (And Percy is based on my cat, Daymon.) Paws off.

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Brock lay in bed, thinking about what Liz had said. `Thank you'? What was she thanking him for? Was she saying that because she would be leaving? Or would she stay? And why wasn't it safe for her to stay? Questions burned in Brock's head like a thousand Magcargo. But he was tired now. His eyes lulled shut and he was asleep. ~*~

After a quick breakfast (and another "manly" contest to see who could eat their eggs the fastest, with Brock and Ash tied until Ash started to choke and left the victory to Brock by default), the gang set out to the mall, "La Chic Boutique", to get something nice to wear. The girls dragged the fellas around everywhere, seeing new designer this and imported from France that.

"Oh, over here! Isn't that the softest fabric you've ever felt?"

"No over there! Misty, you would look so great in that!"

"Liz, do these pumps make my knees look weird?"

It went on and on for nearly an hour, with neither soul purchasing anything.

"Oh, Brock," Ash cooed, mocking Misty, "Wouldn't I look divine in this pink feather thingy?!" He twirled the boa around his neck and batted his eyes before doing a fashionable turn. Pikachu found a big frilly hat to put on his head and jumped up and down.

"Oh, Ash!" Brock shrieked, "You look positively gorgeous! But tell me, does this skirt make my ankles look puffy?" Brock and Ash both spun and bowed, before erupting in laughter. They were both rolling on the floor as Liz and Misty stared at them in contempt.

"Fine," Misty shouted, "Take this credit card and get your own dang tuxedo!!" She threw the card at them as they wiped their eyes. "I sound nothing like that, anyway. We'll go get our clothes by ourselves. Come on, Liz."

"Yeah," Liz said, crossing her arms, "And for the record, that skirt does make your ankles look puffy!" Persian stuck out his tongue.

As the girls walked out of the store, Ash and Brock looked at each other, dressed in God-knows-what, and started laughing again. ~*~

Liz and Misty walked around the huge mall. It was already four o'clock and they still hadn't settled on a dress. There just wasn't anything that looked formal enough without looking like a senator's wife. "What will we do? The guys are probably already done being fitted by now!"

"Wait! Over there," Liz pointed, "We haven't been in there. The `Gown Galleria'?" She pointed to a large shop with mannequins dressed in lovely evening gowns and some in sporty business suits. Persian was already in front of the shop, looking at all the funny "People" in the window with no faces.

"Well," Misty sighed, "They seem to have variety. Maybe they could find us something."

Misty and Liz walked into the nearly empty shop. Many of the racks were vacant. A small man walked out of the back with a huge smile on his face.

"Oh my!" He exclaimed. "More customers? This has been my best week ever!"

The girls looked at each other. "You mean, all of these empty racks?"

"Yes, yes! Bought, sold, outta here!" The little man looked around. "There's some sort of party at the Cerulean Gym tomorrow night. My dressed have been flying off the racks!! One lady even took the mannequin wearing the dress! I'm afraid I haven't much left."

"Oh no! Now we'll never get a dress!" Misty cried. "I won't even be able to go to my own fundraiser!"

"'Your own fundraiser'? Wait, aren't you Misty Fountain? Of the Cerulean Gym?" The diminutive dress man's eyes widened.

"Yes, yes I am," she whispered between sobs.

The little man swept the two girls farther into the shop onto two pedestals. He blew a whistle around his neck, which produced dozens of women, scrambling in out of nowhere.

"One of the four Sensational Sisters here in my shop?" The little man waved his finger. "If it's a dress, you need, a dress you shall have! We will create a masterpiece! Hmm," The little man circled the two girls, who were now a little freaked. "This one," He said, pointing to Liz, "She should have something. . ." He whispered to his huddled group of dressmakers. "And this one," He said, cocking his head this way and that, "Maybe a little something like. . ." Liz and Misty looked at each other. Was this bunch actually going to create a dress for both of them, right there on the spot?!

"Okay, break!" the little man shouted, and the assembly flocked to the two girls standing on their pedestals. They drew a curtain as articles of clothing were flung about. Three women brought in rolls of fabric. The sound of snipping and chattering could be heard at the register, where the little man sat, reading a comic book. `They will be my best pieces ever!' he thought. ~*~

After another hour or so of beauty critique and stitching, Liz and Misty had their dresses, bagged and accessorized. A dressmaker had found Percy a nice necktie collar. They walked to the register where the little man had finished his comic book.

"This is a really nice store you have here!" Misty said.

"Yes, the shoes, accessories, and dresses all in one shop," Liz added.

"Oh, pish posh," said the little man, blushing. "I do what I can."

"How much do we owe you, sir?" Misty said, pulling out her credit cards.

"For the most beautiful women in Kanto?" the little man said, winking. "Half-price! All of our fabrics are on sale."

Misty paid the man. "I'll be sure to say where I got my dress!" She said as they left the store. ~*~

The guys were having an easy time getting a tux. They found a tuxedo shop that did tailoring. They had already been measured and were now seated in the lobby chatting.

"So are you and Liz a couple, Brock?" Ash asked, nudging Brock in the arm.

Brock froze. "Well, I, uh, I. . ."

Ash sat back in his chair. "Oh, I get it. So you do like her, at least, but you don't know if she would like you in the same way." Ash sighed, knowing just how Brock felt.

"Well, that's not exactly true," Brock said, uneasily. He told Ash what had happened last night.

"Whoa," Ash whispered.

"Yeah. I just don't know what to do." Brock clasped his hands together. Vulpix looked up at his trainer, who seemed deeply distraught. He then looked back down into a low mirror, admiring his little bowtie. ((AN: Cute!! Pikachu has one too!))

"Mr. Ketchum? Mr. Boulderson? Your suits are ready," announced a tall, slender man in a blue suit. "Would you like us to wrap your pokemon's ties also?"

"Uh, sure," Ash said. Ash and Brock went to take off the ties. Vulpix stopped wriggling reluctantly. However, Pikachu was having a fit.

"Come on, Pikachu! We have to save it for the party!!" Ash got the tie off Pikachu's neck, but Pikachu wasn't going to let go that easily. He grabbed one end of the tie and pulled as hard as he could. Ash pulled too, easily lifting Pikachu off the floor. Pikachu dangled there for a few more seconds before admitting defeat and letting go. ((^__^))

"Heh, here you go sir," Ash chuckled, handing the man Pikachu's bowtie. The man dropped it into a little bag and handed it to Ash, along with his tuxedo. Brock received his little bag and tuxedo.

"We are gonna be dressed to impress," Ash said, puffing out his chest. Brock slapped him on the back, making him gag.

"Slow down, cowboy," Brock joked. "We'd better find the girls, or there won't be anyone to impress. It's already 6:30!"

"Oh no!" Ash shouted. "We're gonna miss dinner!"

Brock sweatdropped. They had just left the store when Brock spotted a little jewelry stand. "Hey Ash! Look." He walked over to the booth, where there was a little old lady, shining a ring.

"Hello there, gentleman!" Said the lady in a surprisingly loud voice. "Welcome to Greta's Jewel Shine. I'll shine your watch and polish your diamonds till they sparkle!"

"Well, I don't need anything shined, really," Brock said.

"Let me guess. Looking' for something nice for a lady-friend?" the little old lady asked with a twinkle in her eye. "I sell some nice pieces, too! These here were dropped off to be cleaned, but these," she pointed to a small showcase, "are for sale. I see you've got some nice suits. Going out? Here," she unlocked the case and pulled out a tray. "How about a necklace?"

Brock looked at the dazzling jewelry. "They're all so pretty."

"Hey, Brock," Ash pointed, "What about that one? Wow, or that one on the left?"

"No!" Brock whispered loudly. "Let me see that one right there." He pointed to a silver necklace with a floating silver heart.

"Ah, a fine choice! And you," she looked over at Ash, who was currently staring at a necklace in the showcase. "See something you like?"

"Uh, yes ma'am. This one here, in the center."

"Ah, yes, this is one of my favorites." She took out the gold necklace. It had a blue topaz charm in the shape of a teardrop. Pikachu gazed at the "pretty rock". "Would you like these two pieces?"

"Yes ma'am!" said the guys in unison. The lady wrapped them in soft paper and placed them each into a fancy little bag. "There you go boys! Have fun!" Ash swiped the little credit card through a machine and thanked the old woman. ~*~

"So what did you guys get?" Ash asked.

"No way, Ash Ketchum! You'll just have to wait and see," Misty said, clutching her garment bag. "Now let's go! I'd like to get home before dark, and you know haw hard it is to catch a cab around here!" Misty looked around the crowded parking lot. Not a cab in sight. "Taxi!! Taxi!!"

A taxicab rolled through the crowds. The driver pulled up in front of the gang. "Where to, folks?"

"Cerulean Gym, please," Ash said, opening the trunk and putting in all the stuff. Everyone piled into the small cab. They were seated Brock, Liz, Misty, and Ash. It was a tight fit with Persian, Vulpix, and Pikachu, but they managed to get the doors shut. "And couldya make it in a jiffy? It's awfully tight back here."

"No problemo, bub!" Without a second's notice, the driver stomped on the gas, swerving and turning on two wheels. He was at the gym in 10 minutes, when it normally took thirty. Unfortunately, his driving methods had scrambled up the back seat. Ash was on his head; Misty was flopped onto the seat; Persian was on top of Misty's back with Pikachu on his head; Liz had one foot on the seat in a crouched standing position, with her back against the roof; and Brock and Vulpix were on the floor next to Ash.

"Alright folks, that'll be $7.50, please!" ~*~

Liz was just about to go into her room. She wanted to talk to Brock.

"Hey, Liz?" It was Misty.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you sleep in my room tonight? You and Ash can switch places so we can help each other get ready tomorrow without the boys seeing us!"

'Dammit, she's right,' Liz thought. She didn't want anyone to see her until she was ready. "That's a good idea, Misty!" Liz said. "I'll go get Percy and my stuff!"

Ash and Liz switched rooms while Brock was in the bathroom. What a surprise for Brock when he came out, expecting to see Liz waiting for him, to actually see Ash sprawled across Liz's bed. . . ~*~

The next morning, Misty had the cook send her and Liz's breakfast and lunch up to their rooms, along with a few makeup artists in the afternoon when she found out Liz barely knew how to use makeup, let alone put it on. And Misty always did have trouble applying eyeliner. (That eye pencil thing is a b*tch, lemme tell ya!) So they spent most of the day chatting and trying not to spill stuff.

"Liz," Misty ventured, after taking another bite of ham sandwich. "You really like Brock, don't you?"

Liz nearly choked. "Uh, what're you talking about? *cough cough cough*" Liz pounded her chest.

"Aha! I knew it!" Misty said in triumph. "You do like him! That's so sweet!"

Liz sat there, burning red, unable to speak. "Well, I like Brock as much as you like Ash!"

"Wow, you like him that much?? UH, I-I MEAN, wait a minute!!" Misty swallowed hard. "Yeah, well, I do. I guess there's no harm in admitting it. It's not like anyone else notices."

Liz raised an eyebrow. "Anyone in here who knew Misty liked Ash before this moment, raise your hands!" Every hair and makeup designer raised his or her hands high into the air.

"I knew."

"Me too."

"It was so obvious!"

"I knew it!"

Misty's face was deep pink, and she hadn't even had her blush applied yet. "Oh, alright! Alright already! Sheesh." ~*~

It was 7 o'clock, and Brock was just adjusting his silver cummerbund. He tapped his inner coat pocket, where he kept the necklace. He was going to give it to Liz tonight. He could hear the music starting downstairs and many guests were already there. 'One last look in the mirror.' Brock thought. He looked quite handsome in his jet-black tuxedo. His jacket had two tails on the end, giving him quite the dapper look. He bent down to fix Vulpix's necktie as Ash came out of the bathroom, dressed and ready. His tux had no tails on the end, but he looked rather striking, just the same. Even Pikachu in his little necktie walked next to Ash like he was a billionaire. "What a ham," Ash sighed, looking down at Pikachu. "Let's go downstairs and wait for the girls, Brock."

"Good idea. Then we can party!" ~*~

"Misty, do I look okay?" Liz asked for the hundredth time.

"Liz, you look fine! Really!" Misty said, applying a little more lipstick. "Now let's go before they start the party without us." ~*~

Downstairs, the party was already in full swing. Misty's sisters were asked to dance by every fellow around. Professor Oak and Tracy were there, along with Ash's mom, Delia. She gave Ash a motherly cheek pinch before heading off to dance. Gary Oak was there, rumored to be Lily's new boyfriend. Even Todd (Snap) was invited, taking memorial snapshots for everyone. Brock and Ash, however, were waiting impatiently for their dates to arrive. 'Where is she?' they both thought. As if in response, Misty and Liz appeared at the top of the stairs.

Misty's hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. Her sparkling purple dress shimmered in the lights. Her dress was long sleeved and elegant. It had a slit up both sides, showing her attractive legs. Liz had on a silver evening gown, fitted to her torso with no straps, but puffed out from the waist down. She also wore white gloves that reached just past her elbows. The length of her dress made it appear as if she were walking on air. Her hair was worn down, curved around her face. They both looked out of this world.

They descended the staircase, locking eyes with their respective partners. This was going to be an evening to remember.

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Okay, next chapter coming soon!