An Evolutionary Idea (Anyone)

In the midst of a cloudless, warm sunny morning the marketplace was rife with activity as vendors competed to set up the best spots for their stands before the main street became busy during the next few days of the Evolution festival. The festivities were planned and ready, and many delicious smells originating from the preparation of the banquet at sunset that would accompany the bellies of those who were taking the exciting chance as the luminous springwaters returned.

Among all these vendors, Team Breezy had been called in to help Summer's expansive family set up a plain, but equally expansive counter upon which to sell the baked desserts that certain talented family members were baking now. As soon as he had a chance, Rolly had run off to "help" by sampling various treats.

This left Collin grumbling to himself as he dusted off the surface of the counter while his Eeevee partner reconnected with her dozen or so siblings. Collin wasn't angry with her, it had been a while since any of them got to meet with the cheery family. Rolly was busy flirting with Autumn, one of Summer's older sisters as he chewed over the jam filled pastry he had succesfully swiped. That wasn't much of a bother to Collin either, as a fellow guy, it was completely understandable, and even supported.

But his body ached horribly ever since he had gotten up in the morning, and he had been told it was a sign that he was ready for evolution. And it was growing worse! It was almost intolerable, but the Charmander was not ready to evolve. Collin LIKED the way he was now. Of course, agitating over it wasn't helping, but there had to be a solution other than a dip in the spring.

'Pass the electric yellow, honeybunch,' called a Pikachu as he gave the final swipes to the legs of a grand table. 'Mercury silver is just the color for the tripod of a grand counter.'

'Sunrise, will you stop calling me that?' complained a Jigglypuff, handing the Pikachu a can of yellow paint that he used to cover the sizable table.

'You know you like me, Renee,' grinned Sunrise as he watched her fill the crusted shell of a pie with Mint Berries and set it in front of a Charmeleon, who cooked the the pie to perfection in a breath.

Renee puffed and rolled her saucers of Jigglypuff eyes. 'By the way, where did you get all the Thunderstones?' she asked as she prepared another pie shell.

'The same place Celadon City gets them,' chuckled Sunrise, unpacking the transparent boxes containing Thunderstones and stacking them on the surface of the electric yellow grand table.

'I assume you had something to do with this, Ben,' said Renee to the Charmeleon in a questioning tone.

Ben cooked another Mint Berry pie in a breath. 'Nothing a little Dig and Slash can't do. Now if only I could add Fly into the combo, everything would be simply charming.'

'That's why we're here,' giggled Renee. 'To teach a Charmeleon to Fly.'

'You mean to make a small forture off these Thunderstones and Mint Berry pies,' corrected Sunrise.

Ben snorted. 'Hey, I smell something scrumdiddlyumptious over in the direction of yonder stall. Let's hurry up with the pies and go check it out.'

"Rolly, stop eating the food, you oaf! If you keep this up there'll be nothing left to sell!" The harsh feminine voice was quickly followed by a loud thud that sent the unfortunate Shinx sprawling out of the hot 'kitchen' area. Collin doubled over laughing at the sight that a jam covered Rolly provided, but was not as pleased when he ended up wearing the same delicious, but unfashionable jelly.

Misgivings were later solved and the two were soon busy setting out the array of unassuming breads. As most of the family agreed they looked unappetizing, but they were still a tasty snack. That wasn't the time for such a thing though, they had to hurry now while other Pokemon began carousing the stalls.

"So what are you planning to do now? Gonna evolve?" Rolly asked. It was the big question; the rest of the family was here to make a profit, but everyone was eager to see what Team Breezy would do. "I'm going to evolve myself~ I would cut quite the heroic and dashing figure as a Luxray!"
"What, covered in Razzberry jam?" Collin teased.
"Of course not, I'll be covered in the laaaadies~"
"I didn't know the ladies came fruit flavored." Collin nabbed a glob of jelly still on Rolly's neck and gave it a taste with a chuckle. "And you have to go to Luxio first I think. Don't you know your own species?"
Rolly stood and settled the matter with his absence, leaving Collin alone to defend the stand from the sneakier types and collect the money.

'Finally, that's the last of them,' grinned the Charmeleon as the pie bakers used up their ingredients.

'I hope it's enough,' said Renee.

'Now to go enjoy the festivities,' exclaimed Sunrise. 'Ben has to go so he can learn how to sprout wings and I'll accompany him because a Yellow Version Pikachu that can't evolve is a terrible advertisement for Thunderstones.'

Renee disagreed. 'No, it's my turn to have fun. You always get to go on adventures with our trainer while I have to stay home and watch our Igglybuff.'

'Pika,' growled the Pikachu.

'Puff,' insisted the Jigglypuff.

'Pika.'

'Puff.'

'Pika,' asserted Sunrise, his cheeks bristling with electricity.

'Puff,' crooned Renee as the starting note of a song that put Sunrise to sleep. 'That settles that,' she said happily, hurrying after the Charmeleon who had started to leave during the dominance ritual. Before they could reach Collin's stand, the source of the delicious scent, they ran into Rolly.

'Hey now, young Shinx,' greeted Ben.

'You look to be the same age,' chided Renee.

'Never mind that. What's the procedure for evolving in this place?' Ben asked Rolly.

(I'm sorry I took so long to update this. Please don't give up on this forum.)

"Oh crap. You mean there are procedures to follow now?" Rolly hadn't done much actual... or any of the necessary research over the rules of the festival, but it was lucky enough for him that the brainier member of the team, Summer, came to his aid.

"Don't you know anything? You've gotta wait until sundown. The evolutions are the fireworks, the grand finale." Although she wasn't planning on evolution, Summer was well versed in the ancient art of paying attention.
"Anyone can go when they want to as soon as the celebrations start of course~"

"Bah, we have to wait? That's gonna take FOREEEEEEEEEEEVER."

"So who are these two? Friends? You haven't introduced me~" Summer wagged her tail and directed the conversation to Renee and Ben.

"I haven't been introduced myself as a matter of fact, Miss Informational, thank you very much," Rolly murmured under his breath, and hopefully out of earshot of his partner. "Well I've just met them myself. Let me introduce myself, I'm Rolly."

"And I'm Summer, it's nice to meet you..." Summer trailed off, waiting for a response.

(No worries, you're very busy I hear, sleeping, eating, and the such. Must be a hard life. I know just how you feel.)

'Renee,' filled in the Jigglypuff, 'and this oaf is my brother Ben.'

'You mean Ben,' corrected the Charmeleon, 'and this cow is my sister Renee. How can a monster/dragon breeding group Pokemon and a fairy breeding group Pokemon be siblings, you may ask?'

'Magic,' the siblings said together.

'Hwu the Wise Old Noctowl says Magic Guard, Magical Leaf, Magic Coat, and Magikarp had something to do with it,' said Renee, 'We've never seen our parents and our trainer doesn't know either, since he found us living in the wild. Nice to meet you.'

'Good to see you,' added Ben. 'I sympathize with you. Waiting's the pits. I was looking forward to sprouting wings right away. I can't wait to be our trainer's first Pokemon that can both Fly and Dig.'

'How do you two know each other?' inquired the Jigglypuff.

(Please start The Seven Great Treasures!)

"Oh us? We've known each other for forever; I can't remember a time when Summer wasn't nagging me," Rolly leaned against Summer and knocked her off balance teasingly.

Summer huffed and lifted her nose indignantly. "Or a time when Rolly wasn't acting like a moron."

"Anyway, I'm certain we aren't related, but no matter," continued Rolly. "I can't figure out why pokemon wouldn't want to evolve."

"Hey, I don't want to evolve. Neither does Collin; it's perfectly fine if we don't want to."

"Doesn't mean you're both any less nuts. Anyway, we have shopping we could be doing; would you two like to come along?"

'Wynaut?' agreed Renee.

Ben sniffed the air. 'Does shopping include stopping by yonder stall to eat whatever scrumptious treats' delicious scent wafts through the air?' he asked hopefully, pointing in the direction of the stand Collin was guarding.

Meanwhile, Sunrise was dreaming of a Dewott chasing a Tepig through Ilex Forest. He wondered how Unova Pokemon found their way into Johto.

"Oh? That's my family's stand there~" Summer wagged her tail and paced around, looking for the others to decide, although Rolly happily intervened on their behalf.

"We should go then; I might be able to get more free samples," Rolly purred while leading them forth to the not-quite-so-busy stand. Collin was noticeably bored, and he was staring off and daydreaming.

Rolly's... magnificent... presence brought him back around though with an annoyed scowl. "You aren't eating anything else, you've already had-" Collin cut off and smiled pleasantly towards the other two. "Well hello~ See anything you liked~? They're all delicious I assure you~"

Summer rolled her eyes and whispered off to Renee. "He isn't in the family, he's just a friend running our stand."

'He must be a valuable friend,' Renee whispered back. 'He seems to know Assurance. My trainer still doesn't have a Pokemon with that move.'

'It's a Charmander,' said Ben in delight. 'You've done well in coming to this festival. Evolving is one of the best things for Pokemon, because you get strong more quickly.'

'Right,' grinned Renee, 'That's why Ember is the only fire-type move you know.'

Ben took no notice of the jab. 'I'll take a jelly doughnut and a Durin-flavored muffin. I'll pay you with a Pokemon match.'

Renee rolled her saucers of Jigglypuff eyes. 'Ben,' she trailed off with a sigh.

'Step aside, wench,' he chuckled, pushing her out of the way, the flaming tip of his tail burning brighter as he took a fighting stance.

"Evolution? Meh, doesn't seem all that great, and you could pay me normally, unless you plan on taking them," Collin chided with a roll of his eyes, but he still stumbled up and faced Ben. He didn't notice it much when he was sitting, but he still ached.

"Whatever, I'll take your challenge." Collin wasn't about to fight on Ben's terms, since the Charmeleon was obviously much stronger, and he immediately coughed up a Smokescreen. It wasn't entirely beneficial though, and Collin had to pause as he choked on a bit that hadn't gotten out.

"Seriously?" Summer growled with disapproval, but she wasn't about to intervene. If the two wanted to beat each other senseless in public, that was their problem now. She was busy attending to Rolly and keeping him away from the table of sweets, where the Shinx was attempting to purloin more than a few cookies.

Ben frowned, displeased by the accuracy-reducing smoke and attack-reducing Growl. He rapidly dug a hole, disappearing underground, while wondering whether he could take the baked goods if he clocked the Charmander.

'Boys,' muttered Renee, not admitting that she'd probably like a challenge too. 'That Rawst Berry Rattata-shaped pastry looks particularly good. Anything else you recommend? What currency would you like payment in? My trainer gave us several different currencies to suit our ignorance of the local customs.'

Meanwhile, in Sunrise's dream the Dewott had corned the Tepig, who turned to face it and oinked bravely.

Collin grimaced while stumbling about in his own haze. It certainly didn't work out as well when he was in the middle of it. Actually, how such a move could be used practically is mind boggling. He wasn't above cheating, where his unusual Nasty Plot kicked in and he pondered several unfair ways he could take on this challenge.

"Oh really? Well that's certainly... interesting? I thought all Pokemon used the same money though," mused Summer, who swatted a straying Rolly. "Do you have enough Poke? I'm sure that's all that everyone here is going to be using anyways."

"To be honest, I recommend everything! It's all delicious!" Rolly urged. He was too busy trying to figure out what was going on in the fight to steal anything appetizing.

(Stop describing my sweets! It makes me feel guilty and lazy about not actually being in depth about them D:)

'Poke?' asked Renee, 'I hope that's the same as Yen with a P, the money my trainer says all the PokeMarts use.' Renee took some of the currency out of a pouch and showed it to Summer. 'You're right, Rolly, it does all look tasty.'

'Upthrust!' exulted Ben as he used Dig, popping up beneath the Charmander and attempting to send him sprawling with a ground-type uppercut.

The Pikachu dreamed of the Dewott dripping water to spook the Tepig, whose brave oink changed to an oink of fear.

Collin was certainly caught off guard, and it was a brutal strike that caught him right in the gut. Surprise seemed just as vital as the damage that was done, it left him clutching his tummy in a daze before pain kicked back in and his plots before came with a desire for revenge.

It seemed the Charmander had one clear and unusual advantage over the Charmeleon, if Renee's joke was true. Whereas Ben may only know Ember, Collin had full access to Flamethrower. Heated saliva dripped from his jaws before he let loose a powerful burst of flame, spreading the effect to a wider area to catch him.

"I dunno, I've never seen anything like this before. It's really neat looking though." Summer admired it for a while, leaving Rolly to interject.
"I didn't know that Pokemon ran the Pokemarts now, will they be working the Center soon too?" Rolly lathered his voice liberally with a snarky tone. He seemed a bit grumpy after watching his teammate fly through the air like a dying Pelipper. How was anyone supposed to take Team Breezy seriously with a member like that?

Ben got charred well by the flames, but thanks to his fire resistance he was still standing. He vanished underground, thinking, If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Renee didn't get it. 'What does the PokeMarts using Yen with a P have to do with Pokemon running them? I just have some in a pouch because my trainer thought I might need some sort of currency at this festival. Of course Pokemon run the Pokemon Centers. The nurses are just there for looks. It's the Chansey who do all the work. If it's true that the sellers here are using the Poke, what can I trade you in exchange for some? Perhaps you would like to come over to our stall to trade for Thunderstones or Mint Berry pies?'

In Kirby's place, Special Pikachu Edition, the Tepig leaped over the Dewott and ran the other direction. The Dewott spun around in confusion.

Collin clearly saw Ben's dive back into the earth, and although he feared yet another painful ground-strike, he reaced over and huffed in air, puffing out his cheeks almost humorously before letting out an especially massive burst of flame into the tunnel. This was shortly followed by him making his way in. If the whole was big enough for a Charmeleon it was well accomodated for Collin.

After not being able to find a witty retort, Rolly sauntered off to browse the other stands and wares, taking delight in a curio from a nearby vendor.

"I'm not sure if we have enough for an exchange. We still need to keep a fair amount for changemaking. If you'd like to make a deal though, how about a pie or two for our desserts?" Summer bargained, watching Collin scramble about with a sigh. "And I'm not sure it's best to leave these two here to themselves." Summer paced over while it was momentarily safe to kick dirt over a few embers that struggled to survive on sparse grass.

Silly Charmander, not knowing that Dig dodges all moves barring Earthquake, Fissure, and Magnitude. The Charmeleon was also grateful that the effects of No Guard, Lock-on, or Mind Reader were not in play. Ben didn't expect the Charmander to follow him in, but once Ben noticed that his opponent had entered the hole, Ben reversed directions, using Dig to bring them both to the surface and smacking the Charmander with his tail for the tunneling hit.

'Pie for desserts? Sounds musical,' uttered the Jigglypuff. 'If you wish, I can prematurely end their so-called honorable melee.' While Renee liked watching her brother battle, she didn't relish the idea of it stalling an exchange of sweets.

Collin was rather small, but he could certainly take punishment, but it was becoming a struggle to get up; his arm caught the main force of the attack, and it hung limply, as dead to pain like a limb that has fallen asleep.
"Fool me once..." He muttered under his breath, although taunting himself wasn't quite that helpful.

Collin grabbed a hold of Ben before the sly Charmeleon could use Dig again, but his planning was suffering. He pulled out one of the more basic moves he could, slashing Ben with undeveloped claws.

"If you plan on using Sing, wouldn't I fall asleep too?" Summer questioned Renee. Not that she didn't trust the Jigglypuff, she seemed friendly enough. "But go for it if you had other ideas." Summer herself was more than ready for this to end. Boys and their silly spats, it grew old fairly quickly.

Before Ben could reply with a claw-based attack of his own, the Jigglypuff stepped in, unleashing a stream of bubbles at him. 'What are you doing, Renee, targeting me with a super effective attack?' questioned the Charmeleon in upset surprise, 'Do you want me to lose?'

'You're getting in the way of a fair trade of sweets,' explained the Jigglypuff. 'Such nonsense will not be tolerated.' She didn't know how to calm down the Charmander and left him to the Eevee, hoping Summer would take care of things.

'Bah,' muttered Ben, but he didn't further attack the Charmander. 'Nice match. You're not bad,' he said to his ex-opponent, leaving out his thoughts of how his opponent would have been a real challenge if he were evolved.

'Let's go back to our setup and bring back some Mint Berry pies to trade for these indescribable sweets,' Renee instructed cheerily. 'What should we do about Sunrise? He won't want to stay and take care of the prospective customers, but if we just leave him asleep it's not much better.'

'Let's just let him sleep until a customer comes by. He'll awake in time to prevent any Pokemon from using Thief or Covet,' Ben said confidently. 'Now if only I were a Charizard already, carrying many pies would be a breeze.' They arrived at the stand to see Sunrise still snoozing, his dream this time a recap of the Char vs. Char match. 'Even though we wouldn't get this nice feeling of independence with our trainer around, it would be nice to be able to return to our Poke Balls to communicate with his other Pokemon. In this case I'm thinking of calling on Farfetch'd Harry d'Leek to jack some sort of transportation device for carrying the pies.'

'You're silly,' returned Renee. 'We need to leave most of the pies at our table to earn our fortune. Let's bring four.' She easily hefted them with Strength and carried them back to the stand of Summer, Collin, et al. 'I'm sorry about the brigand tendencies of my brother,' she apologized. 'What would you give me for these four Mint Berry pies?'

Summer pulled a fussing Collin away from Ben with a smile to Renee before she and the Charmeleon had left, and was busy trying to calm him. When it hadn't worked she smacked him upside the face. "Cool it! It's not that big a deal!"

"Bah, what would you know."

"More than you, obviously. Now c'mon, let's get back to the stand. They're bringing some pies to trade for our sweets."

Collin stepped down with a sigh. "All right then."

When they had come back with the many pies, Summer stared in amazement. She considered that just one of those pies could grab several sweets. "Actually, why don't you pick out a few, I think two pies would be all right..."

Summer gestured to the indescribable sweets with glee, already content with the minty smell that wafted from the pies. Collin attempted to be useful and tried to remember what they had asked for earlier, but he could only remember his and Ben's tussle. "What did you say you two had wanted?"

(My apologies for not updating, Breezy. Work takes me more time than I'd like. As for the other reason:
https://pikachu-battle.forumotion.net/t411-ike-for-president#8224
Is there any way to get the Buizel to update The Seven Great Treasures?)

(That's alright, take your time if you need to~

Woohoo for you, I posted my recommendations.

We strap him down and force him to, or we allure him with pretty girls. But really, I don't know how buizels think.)

'I think I said I wanted a jelly doughnut and a Durin-flavored muffin,' said Ben. 'The Rattata-shaped butter bread looks good as well.'

'May I have one of your Mint Berry-flavored treats?' requested Renee. 'I'd like to see how your style compares with ours. I'd like a Sitrus bran tart too. Is it okay if we take one baked good back to my Pikachu? Anything that's yellow or crackles will do.'

"Of course, that sounds perfect!" Summer suddenly became busy wrapping things up for the pair, but she wasn't keen on recommendations; it was too intrusive for her tastes, although Collin tried to remain helpful, pointing out other confections for the PIkachu back at base.

"I don't think we have anything that crackles, but there's a couple of Nanab Muffins, is that close enough?" His mind was still distant. He was giving new thoughts to evolution now; he considered pulling Ben aside and asking him about it, but it would sting his pride, and that just wouldn't do.