Nimbasa Gym.
Elesa's Fashion Show.
Though the show hadn't started yet, the venue was already packed to the brim.
Not just with people—you could spot the occasional Pokémon here and there too.
Among them, of course, was Haunter—wearing a yellow-and-black headband, waving two glowsticks.
It blended perfectly with the crowd, not looking the least bit out of place.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed. Then, a blast of electrifying, intense music erupted, as if trying to blow the roof off.
With that thunderous beat, a lithe figure gracefully emerged from center stage.
The sole star of tonight's show—Elesa.
She moved to the rhythm with effortless poise, like she was composing a stunning piece of music through every step.
Despite the below-freezing weather, she wore nothing more than a striking blue-and-yellow swimsuit and a yellow overcoat draped over it.
Her long legs shimmered under the lights, commanding the attention of all.
Her white headphones, with red and blue antenna-like wires extending from them, twitched and bounced in sync with her movements.
The moment Elesa appeared, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.
Everyone waved their glowsticks wildly, unleashing all their pent-up energy and excitement.
"Elesa! Over here! Look at me!"
"She looked at me! I swear she did!"
"No, she looked at me!"
"Get lost, it was totally me!"
"Haun~ter!"
"Haunter (?????)!"
Haunter's eyes turned into heart shapes as it stared at the radiant Elesa, drooling uncontrollably.
It swung its glowsticks with all its might, praying Elesa would notice it.
It had practiced this routine endlessly at home—it was muscle memory at this point.
"Haunter!"
But it had overlooked something important: in such a packed, heated venue, big movements were bound to hit someone.
Sure enough, with just one swing, a pained grunt came from beside it.
"Jynx"
A delicate voice reached Haunter's ears.
Haunter turned to apologize, only to freeze when it got a good look.
The figure wore a red floor-length dress that hid its feet, had pale white arms, purple hands and face, pink lips, disc-like eyes, and long golden hair.
A woman-shaped Pokémon.
"Jynx~"
"Jynx!"
"Haunter!"
Haunter, about to apologize, was immediately irritated by the Jynx's tone.
At that moment, a woman nearby—clearly its Trainer—turned toward them. "What's wrong, Jynx?"
She wore stylish black glasses, with flowing burgundy hair cascading over her shoulders.
Her form-fitting black leather suit clung to every curve of her body, accentuating her striking figure.
The front zipper was left open just enough to reveal a hint of pale skin and a captivating collarbone.
Below, skin-tight pants and high heels gave her a tall, sleek look.
Haunter's ghostly little heart skipped a beat at the sight of her.
But it quickly shook its head. No! I have a Trainer! I already have a Trainer! Trainer... home... loyalty...
...
Backstage at the Fashion Show
Nessa's manager finally located her—and brought Caleb and Flint along to the backstage area.
It was spacious and open, with few staff members lingering around. Caleb soon spotted Cynthia, Gardenia, Candice, and Maylene.
"Elesa's outfit is really daring, huh~" Candice remarked in awe.
As an Ice-type Gym Leader, she'd worn swimsuits in the dead of winter before—but only at home.
Even then, she'd felt shy.
So seeing someone wear that in front of this many people... Elesa was on another level.
"If it were you, Cynthia, I bet you could pull it off too, right?" Gardenia teased with a chuckle.
Over the last few days, the group had grown close with Cynthia.
Not in the "throwing hands" sense, of course.
There's something about girls—sometimes just hanging out and chatting a bit can forge friendships quickly, especially if their vibes click.
Which is exactly what had happened here.
The three once-distant admirers of Cynthia now felt comfortable enough to tease her lightly.
Cynthia actually placed a finger to her chin and began seriously contemplating how to pull off an outfit like that.
And she didn't seem like she'd be done thinking about it anytime soon.
After greeting the others, Caleb poked his head out to scan the crowd, searching for Haunter.
But with the venue packed wall-to-wall with people, it was like looking for a ghost in the sea—wait, bad example.
Then Gardenia suddenly pointed.
"Hey, look over there! What is that?!"
A UFO?
Aliens?
Nope—it was Haunter!
And standing next to it... was a Jynx!
The two Pokémon, each holding glowsticks, were moving perfectly in sync with the music.
Their moves were fluid and light, completely in tune with the rhythm.
Despite the rapid pace of the song, their glowsticks didn't slow for a second.
Then, something magical happened.
They were dancing so intensely that their purple arms began to blur into the music and lights.
Soon, all the crowd could see were two brilliant red beams of glowstick light cutting through the air.
These two Pokémon were calling hard.
Way more explosive than Elesa's fashion show—because while fashion shows were common, Pokémon who could call like this? Practically legendary.
Sure enough, Haunter and Jynx's performance instantly caught everyone's attention.
People's eyes widened, jaws dropped, utterly stunned.
Many frantically pulled out their phones to record it.
Because if you don't have video, how would anyone believe you saw this?
Saying "I saw two Pokémon doing a call routine at a fashion show" sounds just as wild as saying "a Chansey did a backflip."
Even Elesa onstage was stunned. In all her years performing, she'd never seen anything like this.
After a moment of surprise, she too was swept up in the moment—pulling out her phone to record it herself.
"Haunter~"
Elesa looked at me! She really looked at me!
"Jynx~"
Everyone's watching me—I'm a superstar!
Both Pokémon looked blissed out, completely enchanted.
But none of that slowed down their relentless, dazzling glowstick routine.
"That Haunter... that's yours, right Caleb?" Gardenia asked, not sure what to feel.
"P-probably..." Caleb replied awkwardly.
"Wow! That Haunter belongs to Gym Leader Caleb? That's amazing!" Nessa gasped.
Not only did Caleb have a unique approach to battling, but even his Pokémon had such quirky, iconic flair.
No wonder Solaceon Gym had made such a miraculous comeback under his leadership.
"It's... not that big a deal..." Caleb muttered.