𝒯 𝒽 𝑒 𝒲 𝒶 𝓎 𝒲 𝑒 𝒲 𝒾 𝓁 𝓁 𝐵 𝑒

Chapter 8: A Night Of Truth

Kiloude Station

Alouette stepped out of the train station, her Furfrou loyally following her every step of the way. She took in a deep breath of fresh air, and smiled at the sight of Kiloude City. It was such welcoming scenery to the black-haired Pokémon Performer, a definite contrast to the tough season of Pokémon Showcases that just concluded. After all, once again, it was another failure for her...

Alouette shook her head to clear it of all the dark thoughts. Then, she started walking further into the downtown area, where many pedestrians where.

"Wow!" the girl exclaimed as she examined the storefront windows of multiple boutiques. "There's so many clothes and accessories here! And I can see a Stylist shop! I guess it isn't Aria's hometown for nothing!"

"Furf-furfrou," Furfrou grumbled, nodding its head in agreement.

"What do you think, Furfrou? Wanna get your fur groomed?"

The Poodle Pokémon's tail started wagging in excitement. "Furfrou!"

The two began to proceed towards the Stylist shop when they overheard the voice of a reporter on a nearby television monitor.

"And here's a recap of my one-on-one interview with Kalos Queen Aria."

Alouette and Furfrou both stopped and looked at the monitor. It had attracted a considerable crowd, though she and Furfrou could still see and hear it from the distance they were at. And they could definitely see the redheaded, beautiful Kalos Queen, sitting on a luxurious chair and with a microphone close to her face. Her Delphox and Aromatisse were standing on either side of her, while her Meadow Pattern Vivillon was perched on the head of the chair.

"So, Aria," the reporter said, "how does it feel knowing you are returning to your hometown after so many years? I'm sure you must be feeling a whole lot of joy and nostalgia from this."

Aria smiled serenely as always, nodded, and replied cheerfully, "Of course! I made a promise to myself to return home once in a while, but I guess I've become more and more preoccupied in recent years. All the new challengers to battle, all the new events to go to, all the smiles to give, it's just been so extraordinarily busy for me! But with the season over and a huge clearing now in my schedule, it brings me great happiness to know I'm going back home to Kiloude City." She then directed her smile at the camera. "Kiloude City, whose citizens are always kind, sweet, exquisite, and keep on shining!"

The redhead winked charmingly at the camera's direction, eliciting a massive roar of joy and excitement from the crowd, mixed with several males shouting, "AAAAARRRRRIIIIIAAAAA!" Alouette couldn't help but roll her eyes at the fanaticism of the citizens.

"Come on, Furfrou," she said. "Let's go- OOF!" The black-haired Performer had walked into someone; she gasped and stumbled backward. "Oh! I'm so sorry, sir, I didn't see where I was going!"

However, the man didn't respond. Instead, he started staring strangely at her. Closely inspecting him, Alouette saw that he had a muscular body, blond hair cut in a buzz-cut, and beady dark eyes so sharp that one stare could pierce through her soul. He also wore a tight-fitting, white tank-top; a light, jungle-camouflage jacket; jungle-camouflage pants with a thick brown belt; dark-brown combat boots; and dark sunglasses that were on top of his head at the moment. He almost reminded Alouette of a soldier returning home from a war.

At that moment, Furfrou started growling menacingly at the man, who met its gaze. The three stood still for a minute or so, though it felt like an eternity to Alouette. Finally, the strange man merely turned his back on her and started walking away, his footsteps loud and imposing. The Performer could only stand still and watch him go in befuddlement.