As Zac sat waiting, the clock struck noon and the coach's whistle blew, finally signaling the end of the volleyball practice. Simultaneously, the upbeat latin music which had been coming from upstairs came to an end, and a group of happily chatting women in aerobics outfits came clomping downstairs, apparently having just finished a workout. 

"Zac! Zac, hello!"

Among them was one Michiko Maeda, who waved merrily from the steps. Light on her feet, she broke from the pack and hurried across the gym towards the red-haired man. "I am sorry for being late! I would have come more early, but free Zumba trial lesson was starting! It is very fun-- I did not know this gym had so many things to do!"

Michi was practically glowing, her cheeks flushed from exertion. "Maybe I will challenge all of the gyms, and do their Zumba lessons! Then I will never need to pay!" She laughed, eyes twinkling.

<Matchaaa...> Matchan came up behind her with a wave at Zac, holding Michi's unreasonably large gym bag. His Skitty, Charmmy Skitty (not to be confused with Hello Skitty, who was a little Galarian girl and not actually a Skitty at all) was riding on his shoulder. <Macha, macha!>

"Ooh yes! Thank you Matchan, I almost forgot!"

Michi hid something behind her back, whispering. "One, two, three..."

There was a pop and a small shower of confetti as she and Matchan each pulled out a party popper. "Do-don~! Congratulations on your promotion! We are very happy for you!" 

She and Matchan applauded, joined after a moment by the remaining members of the volleyball team from afar. The Zumba group joined in as well. "Lavaridge is very lucky to have you as gym leader!" Michi said, looking around and beaming. "Today I will also-- do my best!"

She pumped her fists, which earned another smattering of applause. 

"Ooh! It is very nice," Michi said, admiring the rising Minior bathing the Lavaridge Gym in a soft wash of violet light. "It is like a social media filter!" She patted down her frizzy hair self-consciously, realizing she'd just finished a workout and wasn't exactly looking her best for the camera. She felt silly. Why hadn't she thought about that earlier? 

Well, what was done was done, and the older woman had promised to try her best. She'd mostly come to support Zac as the new gym leader, but she didn't want to embarrass herself on his webpage! Her husband would be so disappointed. I am not confident in my battling skills, but... Today, Michi was determined to have fun and be cool!

"I am starting with Skitty!" Michi said brightly, "She is very strong, so Matchan likes her! But I do not like Skitty so much..."

On this positive note, Charmmy was dumped onto the gym floor.

Despite this less-than-graceful entrance, she managed to land safely on her paws, testing her footing experimentally. Lacking the Doduo's tough, sturdy claws, she could already tell she would have a harder time running without slipping on the freshly-waxed wood.

But Charmmy hated losing. And she was strong. She'd defeated Matchan before they'd even met, and she'd done it without lifting a claw.

"Zac, I'm ready! Please treat me kindly, I am in your hands!" the feline heard Michi say from her position beneath the basketball hoop. The woman took a deep breath, then (bizarrely) struck a pose. "OK~! CharmmySkitty, use the power of: Sweet Love ☆ Love ATTACK!" 

No questions asked, the Skitty obeyed.

<Mwaah!> Charmmy yawned, showing off a mouth that was as pink as her fur. <Prrp prrp?> She scampered forward, taking advantage of the wooden surface to make her clumsiness even more endearing. She flicked her ears curiously at the Doduo, then turned around and waved her tasseled tail enticingly to catch the two-headed bird's attention. Widening her eyes as far as possible (not far) she winked. 

A big heart burst from the adorable kitten like a dust cloud released from an enormous impact, blowing towards Big Habanero in an invisible wind. And that wasn't all-- one might swear music was humming through the air. Could that be Victor J Hunky's dance class upstairs, or was someone actually singing? 

<Sleep, fluffy birdie-- sleep, don't you cry--
When this Charmmy wakes you, you'll be in a pie--> 

The scene seemed obvious from Michi's perspective, though shockingly violent. She covered her mouth as the larger bird charged and lashed out with wedge-shaped feet that seemed cute and pattery from far away, but more like bone-breaking talons up close.

"Poor Charmmy..." she murmured behind her hand, watching the little cat as it scurried forwards. Its ears laid back flat as it rushed the Doduo and skidded, sliding right underneath its plump brown body. Michi caught  herself-- what was she doing, just watching the attacks happen? She had a role to play in this battle too.

"Fight, fight, Charmmy! Fight, fight, Charmmy!"

...Cheering Charmmy on, of course! Even if she did not like Skitty so much, Michi was determined to support her!

But the actual scene wasn't obvious. There was a second fight going on, even as claws came dangerously close to catching the kitten Pokemon and stomping her flat. It wasn't a match of wills, or strategy, or anything like that. It was much more literal. 

As Charmmy fought River in real life, she fought Mario in the dream.

She took the shape of a pink and cream Doduo, one head as tassled as her tail, the other fanged and narrow-eyed. Though in real life the song had ended, here, in the dream, the melody went on. Where one head left off, the other continued, wrapping and winding seamlessly into one another. <Sleep, little birdy, don't say a word-- If you stay still, little boy, nothing will hurt...> Charmmy-Doduo's ribbonlike necks snaked around Mario like two sides of an infinity sign, stretching endlessly long. 

The gym floor squeaked as Charmmy leapt. She pretended to pounce at the creature's ankles if aiming an attack, then scurrying to the side at the last moment. There was no purpose to her movements except to buy time, to keep the waking head moving and distracted. 

The fastest way to a victory was not to fight at all. If she could stay out of its reach, she'd sap all its resources without lifting a paw. 

The HONK seemed infinite. It packed the concussive power of a herd of Tauros, and it ragdolled Charmmy away from the Doduo faster than flicking away an ant. Stunned, the cat sailed up and away into the air, disappearing momentarily from sight.

"Ooh! It is noisy!" Michi said, unplugging her ears. "I was surprised!" She laughed, putting one hand over her heart. Above, the shape of the pink kitten made a perfect basket through the basketball hoop.

Ignoring Charmmy, Michi smiled at Zac, trying to provide reassurance to cover up the embarrassing snore from his Doduo. "Don't worry. It is like my husband! But he has sleep apnea, so I understand a little bit!" Perhaps Doduo also had sleep apnea?

Digging her claws into the net, Charmmy hung there in the basketball hoop with two legs stuffed through the holes and her other legs dangling down uselessly. She panted, rattled by the sudden and unexpected retaliation. The HONK still rang in her ears.

So much for staying out of its reach.

There was no way someone could make that sound while awake, though. Charmmy was certain. And it had still been asleep-- she'd been siphoning its dreams when it attacked. She just had to wake it up.

First thing's first. I have to get out of this net, she thought, wiggling and just becoming more ensnared. Could I get an assist, someone? 

Her pathetic mewing carried down from her predicament, though not as loud as Doduo. Craning his head up to see her properly, Matchan flexed all his muscles, letting out a powerful shout of encouragement. He raised one fist into the air just as the Skitty's paw glowed white.

ASSIST summoned Matchan's BULK UP. Charmmy's lithe muscles flexed all at once, rippling and doubling in size beneath her soft pelt. If she'd been a wrestler, she would have gone up several weight classes. The net burst around her and fell to the ground like a ruined spiderweb as the massive, now-Purugly-sized Skitty burst free from her prison.

Charmmy herself landed with a dull boom that echoed ominously through the gymnasium. "Nyaaa!" she roared, tensing powerful haunches. Thud. Thud. She took two heavy steps, then leapt into the air with a right-hook WAKE-UP SLAP swipe towards the sleeping Mario.