Crescendo | Pokémon Short Story

Perish Song

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Content Warning:
Contains slight graphic violence
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The dancer held his head high in euphoria and swept his wings, standing on one foot as he swirled around, as if he revolved around the world. That was all he had to feel, not the adrenaline rush in his blood, but that he was greater than the world. The spell he'd bound people and Pokémon to didn't seem to matter as much as the flamenco dance.

With his cheeks flushed pink, the dancer picked up pace and went on to the percussive footwork. Quick and rhythmic, his feet shifted to the beats of the joyful music. The sounds of nature was something he appreciated the most, bringing out all the excitement as he turned around and around on the spot, pulling his ablaze, red and black wings up and down. The claps of wings came to a crescendo while the wind tugged the trees left and right with a bow, the fruits swaying and bouncing to the music.

As chirps grew in volume and frequency, and the sun made a gradual, grand appearance, the dancer's wing, tail and body movements became more intricate. When the ground started baking minutes later, the performer was swift in completing the final part of the choreography, keeping one wing high and the other gripping his tail lightly, facing the audience with a tiny smile. The cheers that rang through cued him to step aside.

"José, you're great," his friend chirped, raising two yellow pom-poms. Her body was a pale yellow with a line of longer feathers around her waist like a skirt and they shook a little as she skipped to him.

"That Baile Style Oricorio was so good. I wanna get one like that. Can I, mummy? Can I?" Somewhere in the crowd, an auburn-haired girl pointed at the Pokémon who was now resting, sipping water with his beak.

The blonde-haired woman smirked,"Oh no, that's a girl. I can't have two girls to take care of. That's double trouble!"

With that, the mother and daughter left the scene toward a large city.

A sigh escaped the male Oricorio's beak. He, like most Pokémon, could understand the languages humans spoke. Oftentimes, they made the same mistake. "Do I really look like a female? But I guess it's successful that way, don't you think, Pachi?"

"Right. You're just so passionate in embracing your femininity over your masculinity!" The Pom-Pom Style Oricorio chirped.

"I behave more feminine than you." José whistled and combed his plumage with the thin, spiralled extensions on either sides of a white ball on the back of his head. The extensions resembled earrings that scintillated with the bobbing of his head.

"Come on!" Pachi dismissed his comment and took him by the wing. "Lawe and Maimai are waiting!"

Shuffling past the crowd of amazed Pokémon and some people who stayed, it wasn't long before they reached a meadow home to exotic flora. In the middle of the meadow were two Oricorio. The one on the left was purple and her wings looked like she was holding a fan. José recognised it as the Sensu Style. Beside the purple Oricorio, a pink avian rocked her body left and right. The feathers on her waist resembled a skirt. The Pa'u Style.

"Lawe," Pachi squealed. "José's back from his performance!"

Pink feathers collided with red and black ones as José and Lawe hugged each other.

"I miss you," the Baile Style Oricorio said.

"Give me a lil' hug too!" Maimai spoke, her fan-like wing slightly below her eyes. José wrapped his wings around the Sensu Style Oricorio, closing his eyes for a while. Then, they let go.

Stroking his feathers, he made sure to keep them neat. Opening his pink beak, he said,"You two missed the dawn chorus."

"Beauty sleep's more important," the pink avian cooed and stole a quick glance at Maimai. "It's kind of better than watching spirits."