C-Box

White butterflies from the winter sky caressed the students as they entered the academy. The cold and invisible ghosts intruded the hair and clothing of any being willing enough to walk through the frigid night. A large banner hung outside the main entrance of the academy. It read in big bold white letters on a deep navy background, "Winter Dance."
Students chatted anxiously as they walked inside. Some took off gloves and coats, while others rubbed their hands together or embraced to help warm themselves faster.

A female sat behind a large table covered in a satin blue table cloth. The cloth was plagued by small sparkles, which were confetti in the shapes of small silver and white snowflakes. In front of the orange haired female sat a box. It was full of lush emerald green cash, as well as bright white tickets, too plagued with snowflakes, only this time colored different shades of blue.

Misty was just as excited as the rest of the students as she accepted money and shuffled them into the gym with their flashy white tickets. Despite all the cold Misty's cheeks were still a pink rose color. She would hand a student a ticket and point them in the direction of the doors to the gym. However, they no longer looked like the doors of a gym.

Each and every door was covered in whispering curtains of silky smooth white and sapphire. To hold each curtain in place olive green tinsel was tied tightly around it. To finish off the look holly made from leaves and brilliant red pokeballs adorned the olive green rope.

Inside these doors of art was the ballroom. The school had managed to get a crystal chandelier plagued by diamond looking gems. Orange flames were glowing as brightly as the could from the ends of the jet black candles that sat in each spot in the chandelier. This was not the only light off course. The floor was lined with bright white Christmas lights pushed against the wall. There was a large table set against the west wall. Another blue silk tablecloth covered this table. Atop this table was a large garnet colored bowl full of burgundy colored punch. Next to the bowl was a large pyramid of garnet colored cups, as well as a few other bowls full of various food items. On the opposite wall of the feast table was a large DJ sound system and speakers. They were adorned with gold and khaki colored streamers. Snowflakes hung from the ceiling clear as quartz and just as shiny. Amethyst and violet colored jewels were strung from the chandelier, weaving their way through the snowflakes. It was shiny, bright, and flashy, but yet...it was not gaudy or over the top. Small sneaky groups of mistletoe were hidden in places you would not expect, thanks to the work of some sneaky pink haired student.

The music blared. It could be heard from every hall of the school. Tonight was the night to let loose. Pokemon were allowed to join the dance, but only if they behaved. There were others rules as well, but they were not important now. All that mattered was seeing those you knew in the formal clothing they had to arrive in. That was part of the fun...was seeing what others were wearing.

Several chaperons walked around the school. Clair was to monitor the hallway in the north wing, Lt. Surge the east wing, Sabrina the west wing, and Kouga the south wing. Inside the gym would be Brock, Misty ( when she was done with tickets), Erica, and Blaine. They would make sure the students didn't give into...desires they shouldn't.

((Am I out of order?))

It was finally the night at most people had been waiting for. The week slowly crawled by until the eve of Saturday was upon the Deviant Academy. Snow fell lightly from the sky - a sure sign that it was going to be cold tonight. The Winter Formal was set to officially start in an hour, and most deviant students were already plenty ready for it.

Wandering through the hallways, Red felt strangely overdressed and under dressed at the same time. Sure he had been smart enough to shower and adorn the appropriate formal wear, but he failed to do anything with his hair. He shook his bangs out of his face… then shook them back. That felt a little too unnatural. It was weird enough strolling around the Deviant campus in a tux. Everyone else was doing it, but it still felt a little off.

He walked with his hands buried deep in his pockets and shoulders slightly hunched, trying to blend in with the rest of the crowd that was wandering about, picking up their respective dates. Someone was bound to recognize him at any rate, but the longer he could put it off, the better. These social gatherings were so awkward – why did the Head Deviants bother to waste their time on such things?

Red had to stop under one of the ornate, brass candelabras that lined the hallways of the dorms to fish a small, folded piece of paper from his pocket. He and Sapphire had agreed to meet at her dorm. So on this little slip of paper was a crudely drawn map and a number: G31. The door number of the dorm in a hallway right across from him read G28, so he supposed he was getting close. The girl's wing of the dorms was by far nicer than the guy's. At least some one had decided to decorate the walls with pink and white streamers while the male's side made it look as if it were just a regular, old weekend. If only it was just some other Saturday...

Sapphire’s dorm was tucked into a corner. Red almost passed it before he realized there was a door there. The boy checked the piece of paper again, and checked the scroll-like brass numbers nailed to the beveled door. G31. Nerves had brought him to her door far earlier than he would have liked. They would probably waste the time being really uncomfortable around each other and making the night just that much better. Awesome.

Red tried to swallow his nerve, and rocked his shoulders back and forth to resettle his collar. He didn’t think he’d ever been this nervous before in his life, and the dance hadn’t even started yet. He sighed. It’s just knocking on a door. Yeah, just a door. Not that that helped at all. The boy curled together the fingers of his right hand into a fist and knocked on her door twice. He then backed off a little, trying to position himself to looks as neat, proper, and polite as he could muster.

White walked into the gym. He had all ready picked up Rose and they were one of the first to arrive. His high standards were shattered the second he parted the doors. Despite the beautiful attempt, all had been failed by some randomly placed streamers and snowflake décor, which one could tell had been rapidly—and poorly—hidden by the staff of the school. The extra decorations were pink and white, and White could think of only one person evil enough to even think to do such a thing.

That was his date, the girl who he had to keep practically tied to his side with his arm hanging over her, literally. The height difference was insufferable, White decided, but nonetheless he had ‘borrowed’ and slipped yet another rose into her mouth, and it had shut her up until she had decided to take it out and place it on her dress.

This, he decided, was another problem. Much to his delight upon first seeing her, Rose had dressed splendidly in a beautiful pink gown, and her usual headband was tied up in a bow in the back, which was all very nice. However, there was one major problem, and that was the slit in her dress. The form-fitting dress contained a slit that went up to her thigh, or would have, had the dress been tailored correctly. Unfortunately, the slit went a tinge too high, and out from underneath poked the white panties of White’s date. Though it was a small amount, it showed nonetheless, and this irritated White beyond all means.

Brushing this aside, and the decorations, and the company, White decided this would be a fairly easy evening to maneuver. White himself was dressed in a full, stunning white tux, with a small pink rose to compliment his date tucked into a buttonhole. Any girl could have sworn he glistened as he walked, and his usual barrage of fangirls were standing jealously in the back corner, seething at the pink-haired demon underneath the weight of his arm.

“Rose-san,” he smiled sweetly, “Where would you like to go?” He at least tried to sound and look pleasant. The key to keeping his date, he thought, would be to keep her entertained, at all times. A challenge, which was fine for White. Beside him was his Glaceon, Shard. She padded along silently next to Rose’s Pokémon.

‘This,’ White thought, ‘Will be an interesting evening.’

Rose wriggled and smiled gleefully as she walked into the gym. A guy had his arm around her. Rose could have only been happier with her Red onii-chan. She snuggled White’s arm, enveloping it in her own two arms, and rubbed up against it affectionately. ‘Everyone is going to be so jealous,’ Rose thought smugly. ‘I got the coolest date ever! And he can pop roses out of thin air!!’

Sancta treaded behind her, feeling large and in the way. The Glaceon beside him gave him no attention, and so he returned none.

Rose attempted to bounce around excitedly, but the weight of White’s arm prevented it. However, she quickly cooled off, seeing that some of her decorations had been replaced.

‘Aww, no fair,’ she thought, ‘But at least some of them still show…’ She quickly eyed the several spots of mistletoe and grinned. ‘But that will be fun…’ She thought about Red. ‘Maybe…’

Her thoughts were swept away by the charming smile of her date. ‘W-wow,’ she thought, ‘He’s just as good as Red onii-chan…’

“Rose-san,” he said, “Where would you like to go?”

“I want some punch,” she giggled, “Let’s go, White onii-sama!” She started to walk over to the punch bowl with White and looked up at the ceiling. “Wow, look at the pretty chandelier! It’s so pretty!! I can’t wait for the others to get here, I want to see everyone! I want to show off my dress!”

‘And my date,’ she smiled to herself.

Violet sighed and stared at herself in the mirror. She was having serious doubts and feeling very insecure at the moment. She wasn’t used to being out in public. She didn’t get out much, as anyone could tell. She was very shy, to put it mildly.

She had her dress on and her purple hair in a clean ponytail with two strands on either side of her face. She had used just a little eyeliner and had a bit of light pink lipstick. She sighed and sat heavily on her bed, nervous.

Yes, it was just a dance, but everyone was there. She definitely wasn’t popular. She wasn’t very outgoing socially. If someone approached her, she’d be quiet and kind, but she rarely approached people.

That’s why she was nervous. Gold was supposed to pick her up, but what if he didn’t? What if he stood her up? She wouldn’t be surprised. She wasn’t Rose or Blue or Crystal or any of the other girls. She really liked Gold, even though she didn’t know him that well. He seemed very nice.

She shook her head and just sighed again. If he stood her up, oh well. No one noticed her enough to care. If they did, what’s a little teasing? She checked her appearance once more and waited, writing some song lyrics down in her notebook.

'Oh, God, I'm probably going to act like a complete idiot when, or if, he comes. I've never been to a dance before.' she thought miserably. She liked the idea of the dance, just...not with so many people.

Blue sat scared in front of her vanity, fiddling with the ends of her newly shorn hair, debating whether or not it was a good idea.

Not that it was the worst thing to worry about.

As Blue swept up her bangs and pinned them with a clip adorned with pearls, she lowered her eyes in the mirror to stare at her shimmering, color changing dress.

It was completely different. Not at all the one she had originally chosen and bought when she was out shopping with the girls, and Quartz.

Maybe it was a subconscious want for her appearance to be a surprise to him, or maybe she wanted more elegance than the wanna be prom dress she had originally bought. Everything was different, the jewelry, the dress, the shoes, even the way she thought about wearing her hair, the only thing that stayed the same were the silver-white gloves.

But Blue worried, this dress showed just as much leg as Khaki's, but the deep necked halter design showed so much more chest than Khaki's Flashback to the Past choice.

And that bothered her.

Would Quartz like it? What if he liked her original choice more? Would people talk more than they already did seeing her dressed so scandalously? She knew her close group of friends would only comment on how nice she looked, or in Diamond's case, how much more skin she should have shown.

But did that really matter once her friends were back in class or dancing on the floor without her and the points, stares, and whispers started? What they actually said didn't bother Blue, it was the fact she was so completely past their limitations that it caused them to gossip. It was the fact, that she was such an alien being in her looks and ways that they decided whispers behind her back were better than questions to her face.

As she finished the last touches to her hair, and makeup she pulled on the gloves and slipped her feet into the simple low heels.

Smiling to her reflection, she turned and pulled out her pokéball, tossing it lightly to reveal Snow, shrinking the pokéball and rolling it to Snow so she could attach it back onto her tail.

Blue was never one to hog attention to herself, She had done up her Seel just as she had done to herself. Instead of the usual black band to hold the ball, there now was a glimmering rhinestone band. Around Snows neck has a silver ribbon tied in a bow, and stuck delicately to the tip of her horn was a blue-green colored teardrop, an exact replica to the one that hung around Blue's own neck.

Arranging her dress delicately under her, Blue sat on her bed and smiled lightly at Snow as she curled up next to her. Blue grabbed her phone, her mind debating, to call Khaki and interrupt her thorough process of getting ready, to call Quartz to cancel the date and stay in her room alone, or to toss the phone into her clutch and wait patiently.

Blue did none of the above, instead she ran a hand down Snow's soft fur and starting a game of Tetris to pass the time.

Crap, why didn't I think of prep time beforehand? Saph wondered as she scrambled about her room looking for a proper accessory. Because blue was her favourite colour, it was fairly easy to identify several items that matched her floor-length gown, but she wasn't sure whether any of them were ornate enough. She already felt that she perhaps should have chosen a different dress to wear. She hoped Red wouldn't think she was underdressed for the occasion, like she was some sort of slacker or something.

Eventually she came across a butterfly hairclip that was a combination of silver, blue, and purple. She clipped it hastily into her hair, checked the mirror, and heard a knock on the door.

Holy crap! Is it seriously already time for the dance? I still thought I had a while to go. She checked a nearby clock. No, it's definitely not time yet. Red must just be early. That's so sweet.

Warily checking the mirror one more time, indecisive as to how she should answer the door, she walked to the other side of the room and opened it, standing in the doorway, unsure of what precisely to say.

Before she could even allow herself to think of how to greet him, she let herself glance him over. She hadn't even realized before how handsome Red was. His tousled hair was juxtaposed against his classy tux, and he was standing straighter than he usually did. Saph blinked, trying to bring herself back to reality, where she was standing in the doorway, staring at Red. He probably thought she was mental or something.

"Wow, you look great," she said. Oh, wait, that's probably not the appropriate greeting. Way to understate things, Saph, she told herself. She bit her lip nervously. "Um, sorry," she added, chuckling nervously. "So, are you going to be okay with it if we get there early? Or would you like to kill time doing something else? We could always just walk really slow." She gave another nervous laugh.

"Look at me, just rambling on. Sorry."
At least he found my room all right and everything. I hope I haven't made him uncomfortable.

Gold had gone to his home to get ready for the dance. Standing in front of a gull-length mirror he examined himself.

He was wearing a pale gold tuxedo with white trim on the cuffs and hem. Intricate scrollwork in white wound its way across his torso in flowing spiral curves. For his black hair he had used gel to keep in down and frizz-free. He was wearing soft white gloves and gold and white shoes. The overall effect made him look quite stunning, and very different then his usual self. He hated it. This is not who I am. I am simply a young man who seeks knowledge. I hate dressing up like this because people will only see the money, not the person.

Gold was rich, very rich. He had more money that he would ever need and got whatever he wanted. While it got him all the books he could have dreamed of, he hated when people looked at him and saw only moneybags.

Shaking his head, Gold focused on the dance. He still needed to pick up Violet, and she lived in the dorms of the academy. He smiled, he could get there in a flash. He turned to his Alakazam who was standing there watching him. Do you think you could teleport us back the to the dorms Sirius? I need to pick up Violet.

Of course Gold. If you wish we could teleport directly into her room. His Pokémon replied.

Heat flooded Gold's face as his imagination filled in the blank as to what might happen if he suddenly appeared in Violet's room unannounced. No, our room will be just fine Sirius, our room.

The Alakazam moved over to Gold and took hold of him arm. A tingling ran through his body followed by a feeling of very fast movement, then he blinked as his dorm room came into focus. He turned and walked out the door to Violet's room. He passed Red on the way and said hello in passing, but Red seemed not to notice. He seemed more nervous than Gold was. Arriving at Violet's door he knocked softly. Then, unbidden, Rhysaar, his Chimecho, popped out of his Pokéball to float by Gold and Sirius teleported away. I think they planned that... He laughed to himself as Rhysaar started to chime softly as they waited.

Damn, Orange thought as he paced through his room. Isn't it time yet? I borrowed some underclassman's rapidash just for this. She'd better think that's stylish because if not, I don't know what else could possibly be.

The seconds continued to tick by until finally he got impatient. With one final glance at the clock, he decided it was time to leave. Releasing the rapidash, he swung his leg over it and rode off down the corridor.

Upon reaching the room that he had received directions to, he knocked on the door, trying to look casual. When Emerald answered her door, he knew exactly what he was going to say, not able to keep the smirk off his face.

"Wanna ride?"

Jet stood in his room, staring at his reflection; a dark black suite with a red bow-tie. His shoulder length white hair was tied back with a red bow. Kamin sat next to him, sporting his own red bow-tie. If Jet was forced to dress up, Kamin would be forced to as well. It wasn’t as if Jet disliked the fact that he was being made to dress up. He had a date, some girl named Snow. Snow was a little shorter than himself, which was nice. Her hair was almost the same shade as his own, a perfect reflection of white, and in her case, a perfect reflection of her name. It was a little ironic that Jet’s own hair was the opposite of his name. Both of the two had eyes that were mirrors of each other, each a different shade of light blue. It was scary how much alike they looked. If it wasn’t for Snow’s slight curviness and longer hair, then they would look all too similar. They already did, but their personalities were different.

As Jet had been walking on the ice after the class that had informed him of the Dance, Kamin had stopped to stare at this girl curiously. Without a warning, Kamin dashed over to where the girl and her Totodile stood. With a heavy sigh, Jet walked over the ice, and let his black boots crunch into the snow. When he finally got to where Kamin was sitting in the snow, he apologized for his Absol’s behavior. To Jet, Kamin’s behavior was so odd. Now that he looked back on it, Kamin had just wanted to get Jet a date. When Jet had wanted to leave, Kamin had pushed him back to where this girl was. Kamin felt good about this girl, and knew that Jet wouldn’t go unless he had a date. So it had turned out that Jet ended up asking this girl, who was obviously new here, to the Winter Ball.

Looking back, he had asked her out to get Kamin to let him leave. Now, he was actually a little excited and nervous. Jet had never gone on a date. He had never been close enough to a person to have a date. And now, out of nowhere, he was going on a date with a girl who he had just known for 5 minutes. This could turn out to be one very interesting night.

As Jet was thinking all this over, Kamin made a low growling. “I have not chickened out.” Jet said in his cool voice. It was true, but maybe that would have been the better thing to do. Jet had also never gone to a dance of any type before. He had lived, virtually, for his pokémon only. Bringing his hand to his belt, and released all his pokémon from their pokéballs. Yunna moved to Jet’s bed, and curled up for a long sleep. Aki flew over to the window ceil, and cooed at the night sky. Hoshi bound from the floor, to join Yuuna on the bed, cuddling in the warmth of the larger fire pokémon. Suoh stood and stared at the rest of the other pokémon before he walked to the desk, and curled up underneath it, ignoring everyone else. Last was Kuma. The large bear pokémon stood in the center of the room, seemingly beaming at being let out of her ball. With a few movements, she moved to the bed, and slide under it, to sleep.

“Now, all of you behave,” Jet said, moving over to the window, “And that means all of you.” Jet opened the window, knowing that Aki would be back when he was done surveying and stretching his wings. There was no fear that any of his pokémon would bolt. No, all of them were far too loyal to leave. Even the headstrong Suoh would not bolt. As Aki flew out the window, Jet and Kamin moved to the door of the room. “I am going off to a dance, I’ll be back later.” With that, he left most of his family into the room while he and Kamin moved down the hall to the room number that he had been given by Snow.

Once he had gotten there, Jet knocked lightly on the door, still feeling a little nervous. He wasn’t sure what to say. All he knew was that he was supposed to be the one who was to pay for the tickets, because he asked her out. That was all he knew. All other facts, he was going to have to guess on. He wasn’t the most emotional of people, so it could turn awkward fast. But Kamin had been confident that it would be fine, sitting proudly next to Jet, almost completely beaming at his doings.

Snow grumbled when she stepped in front of the mirror and saw her new, girly looking form. It had been forever since she worn a dress. Sure, it was just a plain black dress, nothing special, but she didn’t feel whole without jeans on. But, it showed her slim figure nicely with tight-fitting, smooth material with light blue designs on it. Her white hair was curled, finally a use of that curler that was gathering dust. Snow really didn’t know why she even brought it. But now, she was glad she did. She leaned in closer to the mirror to touch up her make-up. Another shocker. She absolutely hated dressing up, but Zax wouldn't let her leave this room in jeans and a t-shirt. Snow spun around to face her Totodile who was attempting to tie a black slip of material around his neck on the bed.
“Well,” she said while holding her arms out and then letting them drop again, “How do I look?” Zax smiled, his eyes slightly widening at his owner’s new appearance, “Toda!” he responded.

Snow sighed and walked over to the bed. “You’re hopeless,” she said dully, noting her Pokémon’s failed attempt to dress himself up. While tying a bow around his neck, Zax scolded her, sending a be-happy-vibe. Somehow, Snow caught it. “I am happy, Zax. You know how I am; I don’t like to dress up. At least I am going,” Snow smirked. He just rolled his eyes. ‘At least I have a date…’ she thought. It just happened out of nowhere. Started out as a boy’s Absol dashes over where she and Zax were standing. They just talked for awhile, awkwardly though. But it just ended up with him asking her to the dance. She wasn’t really sure, she only knew the kid for only minutes. But, as she could tell, he was nice. So, why not go with him?

Her date’s name was Jet. With almost same shade of white hair and blue eyes, he looked a lot like Snow. She shivered at the thought that she might be going to a dance with a brother. But she continued to remind herself that she was an only child. But their personalities were the opposite.

Snow finished up with Zax’s bow and reached for her Pokéball belt that was laying on the bed. She unclipped two of the four balls on it and opened them up. An Electrike and Scyther appeared in the middle of her dorm. Snow kept her other two in their Pokéballs. “Sorry you guys, I don’t need you guys trashing my new room…” she felt bad for not letting them stretch out with the others, but Aisu’s playful personality and Hera’s largeness, something was bound to get broken. Hunter jumped onto the bed and curled up, glaring at Takuya, telling him ‘bother me, and it will be the last thing you do’. Takuya just rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, crossing his scythe-like arms. “You two don’t cause any trouble, got that?” Both just rolled their eyes, their way of saying ‘sure, whatever’.

There was a soft knock at the door. Snow glanced at the door and back at her Pokémon. “Ok, Jet’s here. Let’s go Zax.” He jumped off the bed and leaped to Snow. She grabbed a fold of money sitting on the desk. She didn’t know why she was getting money, something her brain told her for those just-in-case situations. She tried to stuff it into her pocket, only to be reminded that there was none there. So she just stuck it down her shirt. She ran to the door and slipped on some low heeled shoes that were sitting next to the door. Thank god for snowboarding making her well-balanced. She took a deep breath, suddenly nervous, and opened the door. There stood a handsome-dressed Jet. His white hair pulled back, showing his stunning eyes. With his Absol beaming next to him.

“Hey there, Jet,” she said with a smile.

For Diamond, it felt as though nothing could go wrong tonight. In fact, part of him was even prideful enough to think that there was no way possible such an amazing night could go wrong. Why? Diamond himself had trouble discovering just one answer to such a simple question. It was a myriad of things. First, the night couldn’t have been a more perfect setting for such an occasion. The snow was just beginning to fall and it seemed to coat the outside world with a silver beauty that even he could appreciate. Second, he honestly felt like one of the biggest badasses in the world in his curiously acquired Zoot Suit. The suit looked as though it had been tailored for a 1950’s mafia man. The only thing that could make the suit truly authentic was if Diamond was allowed to carry a Tommy Gun. Diamond allowed himself a small smirk at the thought of being an outlaw. YOU’LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE COPPAS! Diamond laughed at that exact moment for even allowing such a statement to cross through his mind. Even he, master of badass statements, wouldn’t be caught dead with such a declaration as his last words on this earth. And third, he was going to the dance with Crystal, one of the most beautiful girls in the entire school. Enough said.

Diamond gave himself one last look-over in the mirror of his bathroom, finding himself pleasantly surprised even still that he had managed the feat of tying a tie. This is one of those few moments in the history of mankind that one would ever catch Diamond in something was even relatively as formal as what was embracing his body tonight. However, it was even more mind boggling that he happened to enjoy the suit he was in. The overall gangster feel that it impressed upon him made him feel very smug. And the fedora that was adorned on his head probably was what made the suit altogether. Diamond noted to himself to buy one of these things some day.

Now, the dilemma that dawned upon Dia now was which Pokémon to bring? He knew Vamp would just be a grouch the entirety of the night, so he was immediately knocked off the roster. Viz was too large to even be allowed in such a setting. He knew that Echo and Daisy would behave themselves and would even probably draw the attention and “Awws!” from some of the other ladies at the dance. The idea of those two was immediately scrapped when he remembered …Crap. I’m a one-woman guy tonight. Knowing Crystal, it would not be a wise idea to ruin the night by having other ladies loving on him during their date. And then…Shade. A devious grin spread across his face as he thought of the prospect of setting his horn-dog of a Pokémon loose in such a setting where he could cause sooooooo much trouble. The amusement factor would be through the roof, and he knew that Shade was coming. Besides, the ghost Pokémon would strangle him in his sleep if he found out that he had missed such an event that had so many pretty ladies involved. In an instant, Diamond had attached the Gengar’s Pokéball onto the end of a necklace, checked the time, and realized it was nearly time, 6:30 in fact, to pick up Crystal. Making a quick escape through his door and locking it, he began at a mild sprint down the hall so as not to be late picking her up, God forbid...

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Diamond had never been quite sure just even what to think of Crystal’s house. In fact, any other occasion he would have avoided such a place at all costs. The house wasn’t a bad looking house. On the contrary, the house was magnificent. Almost the entire Pokédev Academy could live comfortably inside without even having to socialize with one another if they wanted to; it was that large ((-giggle snort-)). No, what really seemed to set Diamond’s nerves on edge was the eerie presence the house emanated from everywhere. He couldn’t quite put a finger on just one aspect of the house that seemed to make his hair stand up. It could have been the lighting, or lack thereof, that casted so many shadows and made him see things that weren’t there… or were they?

Diamond did his best to keep calm. He controlled his breathing, kept his walk at a cool pace, and somehow made his way up to the door without jumping out of his skin. To any onlookers, he would have looked as though the place didn’t bother him at all and he was just on a stroll around the place. Inside, again, his nerves were frayed and the thought even crossed his mind to scrap the whole date and just enjoy a night at the Lucky Star. However, knowing that hell hath no fury to a woman scorned, he decided it would be a better idea to avoid death in his sleep by Crystal. So, finally working up the courage to ring the doorbell, an abrupt “BWAHAHAHAHA!” erupted from the doorbell system. Diamond simply sighed and thought to himself You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. And then, to add insult to injury and to set in even more paranoia, a Dusclops immediately emerged from the other side of the door, firmly embraced itself around him, turned him clairvoyant, and sucked him through to the other side of the door, allowing him his first glimpse inside the Ame Manor. Even after being dragged into the mansion, the Dusclops held it’s iron embrace on Diamond and hugged him for nearly a minute long. Soon after, several other ghost Pokémon arrived and promptly glomped him as well. Finally understanding why the place held such an eerie air to it, Diamond finally managed to calm down a bit and even let out Shade to socialize with the others. Then, finding the comfiest lounge chair in the foyer, he decided it was just best to wait until Crystal finally showed up, knowing that she would be along before too soon due to all the commotion that was going on…

Olive paced around the room. There was little time to spare. He had only an hour just to feed his Pokemon, clean his room, get ready for the dance and pick up Khaki. He hadn't even been thinking of the dance until now. At the same time he remembered the fight that went on in the hallway between him and White! How unpleasant it'd be if White would jack-off and be a smart ass around him tonight.

Gawd! I hate that guy! No respect for anyone at all!

Olive stopped and stared at himself in the mirror. He only wore a white t-shirt and jeans. He definitely wasn't ready yet! Olive ran around the room as fast as he could just cleaning up his dorm. It was a mess, luckily it wasn't that huge to where he'd spend hours cleaning. He swept, vacuumed and dusted everywhere. When he finished he pulled out the Pokemon food and poured it into six different bowls.

With his Pokemon eating this would be the perfect time to get ready. With only twenty minutes to spare Olive quickly gathered his clothes and sat them nicely on the bed. He began undressing himself and swiftly dressed himself neatly. He put on his black pants along with a white dress shirt underneath. Following was a tie he had once regretted that he'd never wear again. After putting the tux on he took one last glance at the mirror. No way! So not wearing a tie! No matter the occasion! He tore the tie off and shoved it in his pockets.

So not ready for this...!

Olive finally took a nice, deep breath. Tonight was the night. The winter dance. Olive breathed slowly before grabbing his coat. He retreated all his pokemon into their pokeballs and left the room. Once he stood outside he pulled out a ball and released his Charizard. Tail burning brightly, it'd keep them warm! Olive jumped on Charizard's neck.

"Ready?"

Humo gave a short, quiet grunt which had meant yes to him.

"Let's go then."

Humo {Charizard}, took off with a great speed. Olive clenched tightly to his Charizard's neck as they flew through the breezy wind. Humo then turned and landed outside Khaki's window. Olive knocked on the window before speaking to Khaki.

"Wanna take a stroll? We've got time before the dance. Hope you brought your coat along."

Olive knew they had just met and Khaki probably only asked him to go so she'd have a date, so he figured he might as well do something nice for her before he took her to the dance. Humo smiled eagerly awaiting for Khaki to aboard his neck. Hopefully Khaki wasn't afraid of heights!

Quart sighed as he pulled on the snowy white jacket of his tux. He wasn't one much for formalities, especially in dress (the less clothes the better), but this was for Blue, and he wasn't going to embarrass her again.

He winced minutely as he recalled his barbaric behavior towards her and the stiff Steel, and forced the frown on his face away.

He clearly was an ass, but if he could get her to comply so easily with a kiss, then it was well worth it.

Quartz remembered how embarrassed, and disappointed she had been when he'd come along shopping with the girls. He knew, that neither Blue nor Khaki had told any one else that he was taking Blue and the rest of the girl-pack naturally assumed he had tagged along for his 'gay perspective'. But he could tell Blue had been put out that she couldn't surprise him with her dress, and from where he had observed, the dress she settled on....

She didn't like it.

Neither did he.

The sheer normalcy of it, and the pretty prom vibe threw him off and he still couldn't figure out why she had settled on such a drab. But it was her choice and he wasn't going to make her go without to their very first date and dance.

Though Blue in nothing but her underwear, would be kinda sexy.

Quartz shook himself out of his reverie as he looked himself over once more to make sure everything was in place. Under his white jacket was a matching pair of white pants, the shirt was an incredibly pale pink, a rose-quartz color to match his name and the vest and tie were a deep aquamarine to compliment her dress, the piercing on his lip was now silver with a light pink bead, and his the rest of him impeccably the same.

He grinned and grabbed his hoodie, searching through the pockets till he found the Pokémon he wanted.

Pacino.

Releasing the Umbreon, he knelt down and ran a hand tenderly over it's head, between it's ears.

"All right mate, listen closely because whether or not I get to make out tonight depends on you, clear?" The pokémon nodded solemnly, its jubilant personality toned down for a moment as Quartz turned and grabbed a clear container. He popped it open and reached inside to grab a corsage. He hid a smile to himself as he examined it. he'd had it custom ordered for her and he hoped she liked it.

It was a budding rose, soaked in dye as it grew to make the normally white petals black, and the baby's breath around it was now a shockingly bright shade of pink.

She would love it.

"All right my man, This is very, very delicate. You break this, I'll... "Quartz thought for a moment," I don't know what I'll do yet, but you wont like it. So I need you to carry this for me and once we arrive, I want you to turn on your kawaii charm and present it to her. Okay?" Pacino nodded once more and delicately open its mouth.

A bit apprehensive, he placed the elastic wristband in Pacino's mouth and nodded when the pokémon took all care to not jar it, or hurt it in any way. He rubbed the pokémon's head once more before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small bowtie, it matched the color of his own tie, and he grinned sadistically as he snapped it on around Pacino's neck and the pokémon glared at him with an anger-filled gaze.

"I know, but the ladies will love it. Go with me on this one." The Umbreon closed it's eyes briefly before opening them to turn and look at the clock.

Oh right, they were on a time limit.

It was about 6:46 and Quartz mentally decided he might as well head out now, better early than late.

He straightened up and motioned to Pacino as he snapped on his checkered belt and slipped his wallet into his pocket.

Like hell he was going anywhere without his belt. That thing is awesome.

As he opened the door, Pacino zoomed out and Quartz shot him a glare. Pacino looked apologetic and slowed down, being careful as he walked ahead of Quartz, already seeming to know where Blue's dorm was.

He felt his stomach begin to flutter and ran a hand through his hair.

She better be ready.

Within the next few minutes, Quartz smoothly maneuvered through the school halls, cramped with would be party goers. He took it all in stride as he shared smiles, and tossed compliments back and forth before finally landing in front of Blue's door.

The nervousness was riding full gear. Taking a few deep breaths, he looked a Pacino beside him and nodded as the corsage seemed in perfect shape before raising his hand and knocking loudly on the door.

"What do you think Raj? Pulled up, or down?"

A teen-age deviant played with different hairstyles in the full-length mirror next to her bathroom door. The azumarill on her bed sighed. He pantomined hair being pulled back into a single ponytail. Khaki giggled and scuttled into her bathroom to arrange her hair. With a quick flick of her wrist, she painted her lips with a faint shade of red.

Pete clapped his leaves together and shouted his name repitidly. Khaki smiled, pleased her appearance warranted such a response. "Please, my lovely, adoring fans, please. You are too kind."

"Do I look good in this dress or what?" She paraded back to her full-length mirror and twirled in front of it. "I'm sure Blue will be epic jealous when she sees me; serves the bitch right for insulting my fashion tastes. Speaking of the blonde wench, I should call her and make sure we meet tonight."

Khaki snatched her phone off her desk and flipped the cover open. A muffled thump sounded outside her dorm window. There was a rap upon the glass. Hellfire lifted her head off her paws and growled softly.

"Oh, hush up, babe." Khaki sauntered over to the window. "I'm sure it's no-"

Oh, it most certainly wasn't nothing. As the girl pulled back her light-tan curtains, she found her date, Olive, standing outside her window with his charizard. He was nicely dressed (thank the heavens) and even his charizard looked preened.

"Wanna take a stroll?" He asked. "We've got time before the dance. Hope you brought your coat along."

Khaki stared blankly. A frustraited sigh escaped her lips. She placed her hands on her hips and rested her weight on one leg. "Olive, I'm in a dress. Not only would it be difficult and embarassing to crawl out a window, I most certainly cannot ride that thing without flashing the entire of the campus. Can't you pick me up like a normal date?"

She flashed a sweet smile and pointed to her dorm door.