[attr="class","text"]

Standing before the door to Admin Bee's office, Yumi took a deep breath. Finally, a member of Team Rocket's upper brass had recognized her and summoned her for a meeting. A conversation.[break][break]

She hoped, deep in her heart, that this was the opportunity she'd been waiting for: a chance to grab at the power within the crime syndicate. Like with vincenzo de luca, Yumi might have to work under another person's authority for a while, but that was a small sacrifice in the face of her grander vision.[break][break]

Arriving at the office had not been an easy feat. The submarine was a labyrinthine maze of corridors and rooms. Thankfully, she had managed to commandeer a random grunt as a guide, ensuring she was right on time for her appointment.[break][break]

After double checking that her clothing was immaculate, Yumi raised a hand and knocked. As a grunt relatively low on the Rocket ladder, she did not know anything about the man she was about to meet, only that he was in charge of propaganda and public image. Was he charming and social? Clever and witty? Cold and uncompromising one in truth?[break][break]

Either way, she was about to find out.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Aimee's questions became more personal the more she chattered, prompting Yumi to focus her critical gaze upon the other woman. Aimee seemed like nothing more than an airhead at first blush, totally absorbed in the world of social media. But the conversation had taken a deeper, more philosophical turn.[break][break]

After a long pause, Yumi admitted, "My parents never approved of my attitude, and lately they haven't approved of my choices, either. They say I am wasting my potential." She scoffed. "They know nothing about me, and I'm going to prove it to them."[break][break]

Was she a good person?[break][break]

Did it truly matter what strangers like Aimee thought of her?[break][break]

Turning the Hatterene mask around, Yumi checked the price tag. 40 PD might have been expensive for most festival-goers, but for Yumi, it was a metaphorical drop in the ocean. Satisfied, she watched her companion pick through the masks for something to buy.[break][break]

"Of course I don't belong to my fans. Even if I share my life with them, it's because I choose to. I can also choose not to, if I don't want to."[break][break]

Brief thoughts of the more private parts of her life flashed through her head: drinking with parker jones, lunches with Sebastian Lavigne, shopping trips with fern delaney. Yumi did not post about those moments to social media. They were solely hers to cherish.[break][break]

"I do have friends, but not many," the black-haired woman admitted. "I find that not many people can keep up with me. Quality over quantity, anyway." Then she paused to consider Aimee. "I take it you have many friends? You seem like a very social girl who's good at adapting to different situations."[break][break]

At the very least, Aimee had not been offended by Yumi's personality or anything she'd said. Not yet, anyway.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Bone broth and vegetables sounded par for the course for soup. It was what the cook always made whenever Yumi was sick, even after she had grown into an adult. A pang of nostalgia filled the couch-ridden woman in that moment, causing her hands to still upon Itazura's small body. With a light sigh, she closed her eyes against the feeling.[break][break]

"If I'm not, I'm coming over to kick your ass for making a promise you can't keep," Yumi replied, sitting up to accept the bowl of soup. To her relief and delight, it was still piping hot. She scooped a spoonful and blew on it a few times before tasting the concoction.[break][break]

The first revelation to hit her was the taste. The broth was light and flavorful, suffused with the right balance of salt, spice, and umami. A nibble of cabbage confirmed the vegetables were cooked through appropriately, with a bit of crunch left in them.[break][break]

Yumi looked up at the redhead who still stood before her, eyes wide with wonder. "Parker, this is really fucking good."[break][break]

The second revelation was just how wonderful hot soup felt going down Yumi's sore throat. The heat spread throughout her body with every spoonful, a comforting sensation. Before long, the black-haired woman had eaten half the bowl, though she put it down then to reach for a nearby tissue box. The heat and spice were clearing out her sinuses, fast.[break][break]

"Sit down," Yumi told her visitor between blows of her nose. "Unless you're just going to leave?"

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

To Yumi's credit, she had never seen a crockpot before. She stared at the bulky device in Parker's arms for a brief moment, uncomprehending, before shaking her head in bewilderment and stepping aside. "You might as well since you came all this way."[break][break]

The interior of the apartment was not luxurious by any means — at least, not by Yumi's standards. The living area was clean and tidy, however, with comfortable furniture to Mei Liu's tastes. To one side was a combined dining and kitchen area, while a hallway on the other side led to bedrooms and bathrooms.[break][break]

Yumi flopped down onto the couch and wrapped a throw blanket around herself. Itazura joined her there, hopping into her lap; her hands automatically wrapped around him and began stroking his fur.[break][break]

"What kind of soup is it?" she asked Parker. Yumi assumed, of course, that the redhead would go about doing whatever was necessary with the crockpot without needing Yumi's help.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

"I wanted to know how someone so perfect exists on a day-to-day basis."[break][break]

Yumi laughed, the melodic notes darkened by derision. "A perfect life is a highly curated one, Aimee. Only a fool would believe otherwise. Thankfully for people like you and me, there are many fools on the Internet, happy to lap up the content we spoon-feed them."[break][break]

The women arrived at the accessories shop. All manner of trinkets and jewelry hung from hooks and lined shelves. The masks were front and center, arranged on a wall in a panoply of color. Yumi broke away from Aimee to pick one up for a closer examination. Blue with hints of purple, it had been molded into the elegant face of an Alolan Ninetales.[break][break]

"But you're right," she continued without looking over at the younger woman. "People aren't easy to please, either. They think they know you — or own you — simply because they watch your channel or follow your Instagram. 'Cater to my needs. Be my entertainment, my fantasy.'"[break][break]

Yumi returned the mask to its hook and removed another: a white, blue, and pink Hatterene.[break][break]

"That's why, when I decided to focus my efforts on my social media image and branding, I knew I wanted to share my true thoughts and opinions as much as possible. That way, people won't be surprised when I have to shoot them down."

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

The day found Yumi in bed beneath soft, sumptuous blankets, her hair in disarray, her face devoid of makeup, and her sinuses congested. Curled up by her feet was her Purrloin, Itazura. On the bedside table sat a box of tissues. The used ones clustered at the bottom of a trash can within easy reach.[break][break]

A knock at the front door brought Yumi out of her daze. She raised herself onto her elbows, confused. Likewise, Itazura raised his head and stared in the direction of the sound, eyes narrowed with suspicion.[break][break]

"Mei? Is that you?" Yumi called out. Her roommate had left to run some errands shortly after noon and had yet to return. But a knock on the door didn't make sense. Mei had a key to the apartment, after all.[break][break]

"It better not be a fucking soliciter," Yumi grumbled as she slowly climbed out of bed, putting on a fluffy beige robe and matching fuzzy slippers designed like Bunearys. Underneath, she wore only a white silk nightgown. Itazura hopped onto the floor and stuck to his mistress' side as she shuffled across the living room to open the front door.[break][break]

The person on the other side of it was not Mei but a certain red-haired woman Yumi had not expected to see.[break][break]

"Parker? What are you doing here? What is that?"[break][break]

Yumi had texted Parker that morning, bored out of her mind and feeling like shit. Her messages revealed how sick she was, a common cold plaguing her with all the usual symptoms, and migraines on top of that. Parker had asked for her address, but Yumi had expected that maybe the redhead would drop off some cold medicine — nothing more.[break][break]

Certainly not the heavy crockpot Parker cradled in her arms.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

NOTES

⬥ Mission: Zero to One Hundred[break]
⬥ Yumi's Outfit[break]
⬥ Takes place a few days after A Transfer of Power 3 (mid-September 2022)

[attr="class","text"]

The Johtonian restaurant was not far from Slateport Park and the public ice skating rink where Yumi fatefully met Sebastian Lavigne not more than half an hour ago. Unlike most restaurants she preferred, this one was far more affordable, though it still possessed a degree of elegance and class. She wouldn't eat anywhere that didn't.[break][break]

The warmth inside the restaurant was a sharp contrast to the chill of the wintry night outside, for which Yumi was grateful. Once she and Sebastian picked a table, she shrugged out of her thick, puffy coat and unwrapped the scarf from around her neck.[break][break]

"Have you eaten here before? Are you even familiar with Johtonian food?" she asked him, taking the seat opposite him and opening the menu. Pictures of familiar dishes filled the pages.[break][break]

Yumi knew she had to pick a dinner that wasn't too heavy, if he was going to come home with her after their impromptu date. The thought caused her to glance up at Sebastian from behind the top of the menu, her dark eyes drinking in his handsome face and stubble-covered jaw.[break][break]

By Arceus, she wanted to kiss him again.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Aimee was certainly an energetic young woman. By comparison, Yumi was a serene and tranquil garden, its flowers carefully cultivated for their beauty. She continued to smile sweetly at the other woman.[break][break]

"The mask shop sounds perfect," she replied, smoothly winding her arm through Aimee's proffered one. "Let's go."[break][break]

As they walked, Yumi continued to film the passing scenery for B-roll. Since she planned to edit out the audio of the clips and insert music or her own voiceover instead, she spoke her next words plainly.[break][break]

"You know, I almost declined your invitation today. I'm not a big fan of channels that spread rumors and gossip. However," she glanced sidelong at Aimee, her dark eyes calculating, "you seem more focused on promoting and supporting other channels instead of causing drama."[break][break]

They passed a row of stalls selling festival food. Yumi eyed one that sold different types of dango and made a mental note to return later for a snack.[break][break]

"Am I right in my assessment?"

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

"We're about to meet with our fan and special guest for today's video, Aimee, over at that large lion statue. She reached out to me for a collab at the festival and I thought, you know, why not. She seems like such a sweet girl," Yumi said into her camera's microphone, the lens pointed at her as she carefully walked through the thinning crowd toward her destination.[break][break]

Of course, a vlogging day meant the black-haired woman was dressed to perfection, wearing a traditional Johtonian kimono patterned with fans and tied around her midsection with a shimmering, highly embroidered sash. She matched the pink of the fabric with the pink jewels dangling from a golden hairpin securing her hair into a bun.[break][break]

Her Hattrem accompanying her — and matching her outfit — Yumi turned her camera around to face forward and soon found @aim by the statue, as promised. With the camera still recording, Yumi glided over on traditional wooden shoes, beaming a smile at the younger woman.[break][break]

"Aimee, hello!" Yumi exclaimed, a sugary sweetness coating her words.[break][break]

Whether that saccharine quality would last remained to be seen. The social media star stood out not only for the extravagant lifestyle she showcased on her channels, but for her sharp and unrepentant opinions as well. Yumi said what few people had the courage to say, and her fans adored her for it.[break][break]

"How are you? Have you been waiting long?"

[attr="class","ooc"][break]