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Uhh...forgot what I said last time, as this is a reupload from a take-down due to honest mistakes on both sides. I think it was about Pokemon Presents a few days ago? Yeah, think that was it, and the new anime coming out. Well anyways, it should be fixed now, so for those who cared this was gone, here you are.

---

Chapter 4 ...For a Change

We went to the park. Well, I guess it was technically that...the place with the fountain and the padded Pokemon statues; or at least a section to the side where there were benches. I really didn't want a LONG awkward walk with Lillian, but I definitely needed to sit down. We came to a group of them that were unoccupied---actually there weren't many people around this area---maybe it was popular for lunch for employees or something, as there were picnic-fashioned tables too.

I sat on one side of the table, placing my bag beside me, glancing over to see Sol still perched around me. I asked him if he could give my shoulder a little rest, him giving me a strange look as if he was surprised I didn't mention it earlier, and promptly slid off, his poofy backside crinkling against the soft wood as he sat, though keeping his feet on the bench rather than having them dangle. Blinking as he did that, I was actually still surprised to see he was only marginally wet after everything...

But back to the focus, I looked back over at Lillian across from us. She had her hands on the table, clasped together, thumbs rolling over each other. Pearl was beside her...standing on bench...most of her hidden under the rim to my partial amusement. Sol seemed to notice, giving a little smile to his advantage in height over the Water Pokemon.

Taking a breath, and letting it out, I figured might as well get this over with.

"Ok Lillian...what's the de---what's the problem?" I asked, trying not to sound annoyed or aggressive in some way. She glanced our way for a second, looked away, made a grunt behind her mouth, then sighed through her nose.

"You...know that the Mew celebration is coming up right?"

"Yeah, everybody's setting up for it," I said, swiftly moving a hand over discreetly to poke Sol in the side to distract him from the 'duh-centric' comment I KNOW was about to spew from his mouth.

"Yeah, well, us too," she said, taking another long moment again. "Everyone who participated in the Pokemon Contests for the past few years always put on a show for the celebration. It's not for prizes really, it's for the special occasion. Dancing, acting, stuff like that. Each participant does a routine and...this year it'll...be my first time."

"Oh."

Oh that's right. That was one of the things that happened at the celebration wasn't it? Right, during the celebration, the officials at our local Padded Pokemon Contest, the judges I guess, organized a showing for some of their winners and runners-up...well actually not just them, any kind of Contest participant was able to come in for the open slots. They make lots of performances, like Lillian said, and it was...ok. I mean, it as nice to see people just performing instead of doing it for trophy. Ya know, instead of the more diaper-snap version of competition?

Oh wait, probably is a different expression elsewhere. What was it...? Cut-throat? Yeah, there we go...wow, that one sounds MUCH worse than our version.

But that explained...most of it I guess. I mean, I hadn't actually SEEN Lillian perform in her Contest. I didn't even KNOW she entered. Besides, I had Sol to focus on. I did find out she went seasonally, participating when she could...and eventually her and Pearl actually did win one apparently.

Huh...think that season she was...more bearable than normal.

"So...you're...worried?" I inquired, raising a brow. It sounded on the nose. I mean, she won once, and now she'll be performing for, like, the whole town in person in right? I'd be nervous.

"I got ideas," Lillian said, with the barest hint of defensiveness.

"Ok, so where do me and Sol come in?" I asked, looking to my partner. He was looking at me with one eye slit, silently saying 'why are you still talking to her?'.

"Because," Lillian started, pulling hands away and laying them flat on the surface of the table. "I wanted to show I could work with a partner for later Contests...so I had help from this one girl who didn't make the cut last year, and her partner, a Chimchar. It looked perfect!" she said, then sighed, shaking her head.

"But then, during the act, her Chimchar went wild, running and jumping, swinging on the pull ropes, torching up some of the scenery and...jumping on the judge's table and...messing his diaper," Lillian told us, gagging a bit on the last thing.

"I...can see why she didn't make the cut?" I decided to say, blinking.

"Yeah," she replied simply. "Turns out he did it last time too, something his partner 'forgot' to tell me...performance anxiety or something."

"Sal anan dit," Sol mumbled to himself, resting his head on a hand, elbow to table. Not sure if it was sympathy or insult.

"I guess it's not for everyone," I said noncommittally.

"No, it's not," Lillian actually agreed, sighing. "They were worried it would happen in the live show too, so I was told to get a replacement. I already had a theme all planned out, and in practice it seemed fine, but after that house rehearsal..."

"Wait...you're not saying...?" I began, leaning away, eyes narrowed.

"I need a new partner for Pearl for my performance."

The Poke-coin dropped. Sol's holding fingers twitched, looking at Lillian with widened eyes before looking to me. I, meanwhile, was trying to accept that my suspicion was true.

"...no?"

"Dit."

"Why not?" Lillian exclaimed, pulling her hands back, under the table to her lap, watching as Pearl tried to pull herself up more to see us better.

"We're not Contest people Lil," I said, folding my arms and shaking my head. "Sol's not some kind of performing monkey like that Chimchar," I added, choosing my words precisely. Chimchar WAS a monkey-like Pokemon, and he WAS performing...kind of, so it was not an insult.

"I know that," Lillian scoffed, looking off.

"Sal dit," Sol scoffed himself, a real 'if you knew, don't ask'.

"I mean, we don't even WATCH those things," I continued, thinking off to the side when we had. "I mean, maybe just one from the mainland channels, and honestly, it was funny to us."

"It's NOT suppose to be," she told me, narrowing her eyes through her glasses.

"Look, what I'm saying is, Sol's not the type to prance around on stage with sparklers and glitter trying to prove something," I started, dropping my fold and moving a hand over to Sol's shoulder, pulling him toward me a little more. "He doesn't have to prove anything."

Sol blunk a few times, head going side to side for a moment before looking up at me as if I was a billboard for some interesting looking new media show or foodstuff. I didn't stay with my look at him, finding the truth in my words a bit more of an attention-grabber to my thoughts.

Lillian and Pearl each gave us some weird looks, as if both insulted and...possibly taking in something that I had said as wise, deserving of a few seconds of consideration. Eventually, Lillian shook her head, shaking it off.

"Look, it's not like that," she started, hands back on the table. "It's a performance piece, with a Coolness theme, not the Beauty or Cuteness that Pearl is so good at it," she added, looking over to see Pearl's attempts, sliding over and proceeding to pick her up and plant her poofy butt on her lap. It gave a little more height.

"Cool we are---" I started, not exactly true but I was on a roll.

"Dit," agreed my diapered lizard.

"---but like I said, we're not contest people. You should honestly pick someone else."

"I don't have the time!" Lillian explained, hands out stretched. "I got limited time for use of the Contest stage...and I just managed to get that after the whole Chimchar incident."

"So why us?" I asked, wanting clarification on that. There were plenty of Pokemon out there.

"Because, I made the routine around someone twice Pearl's size," she said, looking down at her, Pearl looking a little disgruntled at the concept of being 'short'. Again, my lizard chuckled behind his mouth. "There's a reason for it, with the whole popular male and female thing...I don't need to get into it," she continued.

"We also need a Pokemon that can use Fire too, that's important! It's to go with the theme that I presented to the judges, Fire & Water," she explained, waving one hand and doing a popping motion with the other.

"So that's why," I replied, folding my arms again.

"Yes. And I know HE knows he can use Ember at least," she said, pointing to Sol, who looked at her suspiciously again.

"How do you know that?" I asked, suspicious myself.

"Uh...the balloon incident?"

Sol and me looked at each other, as if to confirm if either of us remembered that.

"Remember? That balloon vendor with the one shaped like a Drifloon?"

Our expressions perked.

Oh, right, that. I think Sol thought an ACTUAL Drifloon was attacking us or something, and he shot a few flames at it...making it pop with a sound everyone in the square heard. Not the worst moment, not the best either. Oh...guess Lil was somewhere in the crowd. Possibly snooping.

"I can neither confirm or deny that," I said, looking to Sol and getting an affirmative nod from him. Great line from a great crime movie.

"Right," Lillian replied, dull expression, clearly not taking that ambiguous response as any sort of denial. "Look, as said, this would be a favor to me. If I can't get this to work, I have to pull out of the performance line-up."

"Not...the worst thing," I said, honestly.

"Not for me," Lillian scoffed, shaking her head before leaning in again. "Look, all you would have to do is show up, follow the routine with Pearl, it's not that hard, and when we nail it, just do it again at the celebration. That's all."

"That's asking a LOT Lil. That's like MULTIPLE favors," I said, throwing up my hands slightly. "Me and Sol don't DO stuff like this and---" I started again, then kind of lost steam as I realized something.

The Ceremony that Wyatt asked us about. He wanted US to do it. He may have had other choices, but he said we were the best one, that what we were embodied everything that it was meant to be. That kind of...moved me to say yes I guess.

Honestly, by comparison, Lil's thing seemed lesser but...maybe...that's not a bad thing? I mean she kind of got messed up due to something that wasn't her fault, not really, and she actually came to US, almost pleadingly it's growing to be, for help.

BOTH things would be in public, at important things, one to a town and one to a person...it was asking a lot.

...would checking out Lil's thing give me, give us, the nerve to do the Ceremony?

I mean, if Lil's thing is lesser on the scale, and we managed to do it, would that mean we could do it for Wyatt too?

Could we actually get that far together...?

"Um...hello? Are you alive there?"

I blunk and shook my head, seeing everyone looking at me. I was about to give a reply, but clamped my mouth shut, not wanting to decide on this myself. I looked down at Sol, who was looking at me with slight interest to what I was doing a second ago. It was his decision too, even MORE so.

In some ways...I guess Sol was my rock. I made him braver, I think, but he did the same with me. If HE could do something, maybe I could too...

"Um, could you give us a moment Lil?"

"Lil? Uh, ok," Lillian started, confusion written on her face at first before she slowly got up. She carried Pearl with her, one arm around her waist, the other on the bottom of her diaper. They went away a few feet to an empty bench nearby, having their own conversation as I looked to Sol.

He glanced their way, then to me. "An dit?" he questioned, wondering what I was up to. Or maybe he was asking 'can we go now?'.

"Um, look pal, I was thinking...maybe...it's not the worst thing?" I started, draping one arm on the table, gesturing with my other.

"Sa an dit," he said slowly, I think repeating my last few words. "AN DIT!" he added, getting to his feet on the bench and pointing at me.

"Whoa whoa! Hear me out," I said, hands up defensively. He gave me a dark look, but didn't speak, instead placing the back of his wrists against the sides of his diaper, tail flicking with slight agitation.

"I think it's dumb too. We're not contest people, never will be," I assured him. I didn't want him thinking the worst, so squash that quick. "But look...Wyatt wanted us to be in the Mew Ceremony right?"

"Sal al al," he stated, one hand pointing at me, his eyes narrowed in defiance.

"That I said yes to...right, I know," I said, not disagreeing with him on that point. "I'm still working that out too. But here's what I'm thinking...if we can...do some stupid little contest show thing, then we can do that right?"

Sol dropped his arm, staring at me like I was the dumbest person in the world. He brought both hands up, claws flexing as if threatening to strangle me. Knew it wasn't his intention, but it did show how annoyed at this he was.

"SALanDIT!" he exclaimed.

"I know she said YOU and not me, but I'm going to be there---"

"AN!"

"Yes, you'll be the one doing...whatever it is but---"

"Di it!"

"You won't look like an idiot, I would NOT let that happen," I told him shaking my head. He dropped his arms and looked away, growling under his breath. I reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to make him feel better.

"Look, if you're not comfortable with something, or want to back out, I'll ask Lil to change it...or we'll just leave." He turned back to look at me, still not with a happy face. "Look buddy, I...I don't want either of us to do something we don't want to do. But...Mr. Wyatt sees how you and me are and...he kind of brought us together. I...don't think I would have had the nerve if he didn't give me that extra nudge."

As I spoke, I saw Sol's expression change. His anger was diluting. I felt his shoulders slacking, his tail lowering from his heightened emotion. He blinked a few times, tongue rolling against his teeth. I think he got what I was saying...that maybe the Ceremony thing was our way of making it up to Wyatt, for thanking him for bringing us together. Maybe his first encounter with the guy didn't go well...but from my words, he got that there was some connection there that made what we have now.

"That's...the reason I said yes, I guess," I added to clarify for him. He quickly sighed and a gave a double nod. Apparently, I didn't have to say that. Heh, yeah, some Pokemon really do get it...

"As for Lil, well, she's a pain."

"An dit," he agreed, in a 'you're telling me' way.

"But maybe this'll give US the nerve for it," I told him, giving a slight shake of his shoulder to get him to look at me. "We'll go along with this favor thing, she'll owe us, A LOT---"

He curved his head at that, neck spines tingling at the concept of Lil owing us a bunch of stuff, as if he was already calculating ideas for it. Always thinking...

"---see how this rehearsal thing goes...and if we're up for the actual thing too. And man, if we can do THAT, the Ceremony will be a cinch right?"

Sol stared hard at me, obviously aware that the first of everything would very much involve him. He grunted, looking away, seeming to nip at his own...well, I don't think he has 'lips' per-say, but that sorta motion. Slitted eyes went to me, maybe letting me know he was CONSIDERING the idea.

"We'll put down the boot on anything we don't want, and she'll just have to agree with us if she wants help," I said, to assure him. I know it sounded kind of mean, but I...kinda did want to be helpful, but at the same time, not to the humiliation or detriment of me or him at all.

My lizard gave a long, drawn out sigh, then gave me a narrow look. "Sal and it," he told me firmly. I guess...the expression was 'this better not bite me in the tail' in his case?

"Ok, good,"I said turning back around forward, taking a breath myself. "We'll just get the particulars, hash it out and---"

*Grumble*

"---get something to...eat," I finished, glancing at Sol looking down, holding his stomach as it grumbled in need. Yeah, a shake'll get you through a few things, but not two crowd-centric opportunities being thrown in your face in succession.

Lillian and Pearl didn't notice we were done discussing ourselves, but we took the few short minutes to gather our wits about us, or at least have some reprieve to this morning's bulk of business. Eventually though, they did, Lillian sitting across from us and putting Pearl on the table this time so that she could more actively be involved.

"Ok Lillian, first off," I started, holding up a finger, not wanting her to take a flat ok as a yes to all this. "Me and Sol have final say on what goes."

"Excuse me?" Lillian questioned, narrowing her eyes. "It's MY routine---"

"We're not going to be doing anything we don't want to," I told her, folding my arms.

"Sal," Sol said with just as much conviction, folding his arms.

"But you can't just say no to EVERYTHING," Lillian argued back.

"Osh!" Pearl agreed.

"Ok, then how about you tell us what it all is, and we'll go from there," I said, deciding to go a different route.

"...ok," she seemed to agree, her and Pearl exchanging a look. "Well, it's a performance piece, either dancing or acting---"

"So...which is it?" I asked.

"...it's kind of both," Lillian mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sa dit!" Sol yelled, putting a fist to the table.

"Yeah, he doesn't do the dancing thing."

"Oh fine," Lillian scoffed, shaking her head. "I mean that would have made it BETTER...but I guess it's mainly acting anyway."

Me and Sol shared a glance. Acting. We did like movies...

"Ok so say we do that. What is it?"

"Ok, well, my theme is Fire & Water, like I said," she started adjusting her glances, gesturing to Pearl. "Water." Then she gestured to Sol in a less direct way. "Fire."

"Sal al," Sol muttered with a smile, a decisive swish of the tail.

And Poison...too right. Though I think in this instance, it would be your tongue spitting that buddy heh.

"Anyway," Lillian continued, ignoring Sol's comment. "It's suppose to be a representation of how oppositions in the Types can work together to make something new."

I had to think a few seconds. "What? You mean steam?" Lillian and Pearl both leaned back at that, and I did too, but in contrast to their surprise, it was at being insulted. "We ARE smart ya know," I told them, letting it show on my face.

"Dit," Sol agreed, shaking his head as if he had been thinking the same answer.

Then I remembered sometimes what 'steam' meant in those obligatory flirting scenes in film noir movies, and I quickly aimed to squash that. "Whoa whoa, this isn't one of those romancey type things is it?" I posed with concern, Sol shooting me a look with wide eyes like 'what?!'.

"No!" Lillian said, almost in disgust. Pearl did a more direct gesture, pointing into her mouth and gagging. "That kind of stuff only happens in movies! It's VERY unprofessional for partners in Contests to be like that!"

"And you're a professional," I remarked, giving a dull look to Pearl's reaction at this.

"Yes I am."

I glanced to Sol, him to me. If letting her think that means that wouldn't be an issue, then fine.

"Ok, fine, good, no funny business," I assured, for all of us. "So what's the routine acting...thing?"

"It's not THAT hard," Lillian started, mumbling a bit to herself. "Aside from the details of the 'story', each performer makes a Move display from their Type to start off with. Fire goes first---"

Sol grinned at the concept of being first...I guess just in the general sense of being first for something.

"---Water next." Lillian continued. "Then we...actually, what CAN your lizard do anyway?"

I blinked, looking to Sol, who was still grinning at her. Now that I think about it, I never really put THOUGHT to that sort of thing. I mean, I know he can use his claws whenever he wants...he can use fire, duh...I KNOW he can use some kind of poison thing, but honestly I don't think there has been a circumstance where he used it since, well, my hair incident.

"How do you NOT know?" Lillian questioned, as if I was dumb for lacking the knowledge.

"It's never been thing I NEEDED to know," I retorted, shaking my head. "I know he can flame up from time to time and...the other thing, but it's not like I'm some Trainer Lil, I don't...know."

I was suddenly reminded of Wyatt's CD, the info on Salandits that he gave me. Huh, funny, would that have Moves on it?

"Eh, well, you should find out," Lillian mumbled, shaking her head. "I mean, every Contest participant knows what their Pokemon can use...I guess people outside it don't really think about it. Nobody's suppose to fight around here like Trainers, so it makes sense..."

I paused in thought for a moment. Did Lil just admit a mistake? No, maybe not, I wasn't focusing. Anyway...

"Well, he CAN use Ember, I guess we can work with just that," she said, adjusting her glasses with a poke to the middle of the accessory. "Back to what I was saying though. It's a few displays by each Pokemon, and then they combine them into, yes, steam."

She paused for a moment, and gave a face like she was unsure if she wanted to share this next thing. "I was...actually inspired by a story I read about the Legendary Birds."

"Them? You mean...?" I started, not really finishing. My mind flashed back to the Poke-Poof HQ models.

"Yes, them. But it was mostly about a fight between Moltras and Articuno," she said, seeming to think about it as she looked up. "They were really angry over something, and when they shot their fire and ice at each other, it created this HUGE thunderstorm because of the steam going into the clouds. The third one, Zapdos, appeared in the storm and broke up the fight."

"Sounds like that might have been something to have really happened," I found myself saying, thinking the simple plot sounded like a good story. I glanced to Sol, who was looking off with a strange look on his face. Guess Pokemon got...weird when the talk of Legendaries came up.

"Almost like siblings squabbling," Lillian said with a light chuckle as I looked back. Wow, that was a first for her, laughing in general and not at us. But also...the Legendary Birds being siblings? That's...a strange thought...maybe they were.

"Anyway," she continued, gesturing to both of our Pokemon. "I worked with the prop people, and they managed to make up this sorta little steam generator thingy for me. It'll hook up to a light display that, when the performers make steam with their Moves, causes it to turn on for the finale."

"Like the Birds' thunderstorm...making lightning, electricity," I posed, seeing the connection.

"Exactly!" Lillian exclaimed happily, pointing at me. We all paused at that reaction, blinking a few times as Lillian SLOWLY started to lower back into her seat, having rose at the word, and brought more demeanor to herself. "I mean...exactly," she said with almost pure calm.

"Ok, I think I get it. It kinda...sounds cool that way," I admitted, looking to Sol to see if he agreed. He looked to me and made a flimsy wave with the flat of his hand like 'so-so'...but he could have been insulting, so maybe it was a compliment.

"So that's...all it is?"

"Pretty much," Lillian said, blinking. "I mean they have a lot of people performing, so most of the acts have to be small and not too long."

"Ok. If it was gonna be some cutesy stuff, it was going to be a flat no," I told her, making sure that was pointed out. "But it actually sounds not too bad, right?"

I looked to Sol to see what he thought over all. He tapped the index claws on each hand on the table a few times, seeming to consider the details. He wouldn't be dancing, which would have been a no-go, and it doesn't sound like some frilly dance display, so maybe we actually COULD do this.

He looked away from me, then toward Lil and Pearl. Tapping away, he slowly formed a grin on the side of his mouth before dropping his arms and motioning for me to lean over to him. The girls became suspicious, but I ignored it, listening as Sol started whispering in my ear, with partial hisses of laughter breaking into it.

Ok...yeah, I'll keep what I said in mind, yep. She'll owe us a lot, right. Is she serious? I would think so but...wait...you want her to WHAT?

I had to give him a look for THAT one, but he continued whispering to me. What? Really? But that's something you want ME to...really? Just for that? Seriously...? Ugh...fine, it is up to you after all...

I sighed as Sol finished, pulling his head away, grinning at a cheek, trying to not let a laugh escape from his mouth. I rolled my head opposite of his direction, exasperated at what he told me, while he got up on the table. He made a show of it, hands behind his back as he came to the center of the table and gestured with a finger claw between the both of us, a gesture for 'the humans to work out the details', before marching off the table, off the bench, and a few feet away. Suspicious of his intentions, rightfully so I admit, Pearl followed him at her own little march.

A dark lizard with a saggy diaper had just took control over the conversation, though Lil and Pearl didn't know it yet.

"What was that about?" Lillian asked, one eye narrowed in hesitation.

I gave a sigh to the sky, wondering why I had such a naughty-minded little lizard. I mean, to be fair, he had his points, but wish he thought of how to prove it in a different way. Eventually I managed to look at Lil and curve my head down to look her straight in the face.

"Ooook Lil. First off, gotta say, you owe us a lot for this."

"Yeah, I know, I said a favor," she said, looking to the side with a not-too-pleased expression. Apparently she thought she'd never live this down. Not sure how truthful that was to be honest at this point...

"I mean honestly, going up in crowds is NOT for us. But you're in a jam, we're actually NICE, and we got reasons too," I told her, wanting to make that point NOW before the other thing.

"Ok, fine," she admitted, biting her lip again. "I mean...it IS nice you didn't just blow me off."

"Could have. With reasons. I mean, you're not exactly our best person either," I said with honesty. I noted she didn't immediately dispute that, but continued on. "But this seems important to you, so I guess I could help."

"Right...I...guess I should...say...th---"

"That said---" I continued, not actually hearing the later of what Lil said, because I honestly wanted to rip the band-aid off quick. "---Sol wants convincing you're honest about owing us for it."

"What?" she questioned, dropping what she previously was going to finish saying. "Is that what you were talking about?"

"Well yeah. I mean he IS the one putting the most effort in between us."

"Eh, fine. What does he want?" she asked warily.

"He...wants you and Pearl to change him. Just this once."

"....WHAT!?"

I sighed again as Lillian kept stopping short on words and making outrageous gestures to what Sol had whispered to me about. According to him, some 'prancy Contest girl' and her 'little squirt' could just have them do this and then skimp out on owing us anything. This way, he said with utter amusement, they'd prove otherwise. Obviously they didn't like 'boys' in general, for some reason, so if they can't stomach changing one of them, it would be obvious they were lying...

...not exactly genius thinking, but I got his point. Again, I wish he figured out a better way. Also, I wasn't ignorant to how this would be amusing to him.

"...done?" I asked cautiously. Lillian was on her feet, in mid-panic stance, like she was aruging with an invisible twin that was agreeing how nuts the thing was. Eventually she turned to me, leaning over the table with hands flat on them.

"...fine."

"Look you don't have to ye---what?"

It was my turn to be bewildered.

"I saw him," Lillian told me, pointing against the table. "He was just a little wet, I can handle THAT. I mean the diapers take that stuff in."

I blinked at the degree of her observation. It was true, and I would know, I was right near him. Actually, now that I think about it, I was bit surprised that Sol had actually made this a requirement. I mean, HE knew he was just wet...so did he gamble that Lil wouldn't even TOUCH a boy's wet diaper? Seems kind of a wrench in his plan there to be hon---

"OSHA!"

Pearl's shout got both of our attention, Lillian looking beyond me, her almost-confident expression suddenly growing pale, as I looked behind me. My eyes widened a little at what I saw. It was going to happen sometime, I knew, but I didn't think he had thought THIS far ahead...or maybe it was by convenience of other things.

That little troublemaker...

Remember what I said earlier? About how, ironically, diapered Pokemon may get a bit of control over their routines with them? Well, seems that had more credit than I initially thought.

Behind me, Pearl was looking at Sol with her mouth agape, one hand partially covering it in alarm. Near her, Sol was on all fours, claws digging into the dirt, his tail flagged upward, teeth gritting as he started grunting in small amounts. It was quite obvious what he was doing, as I had been wondering why he hadn't done it since we woke up...

"OSHA!" Pearl shouted again, clearly a 'oh NO you don't!'. Sol, in mid-grunt, turned his head in Pearl's direction with a grin that said 'oh YES I am'.

We all watched as my lizard, in different views, filled his diaper. The back of it, under his tail, started to budge outward, then sag between his legs as he pushed whatever he had out of him. It actually didn't take long, maybe half a minute or so, but Sol took great pleasure in making Pearl uncomfortable through the process---and probably Lil in the same way. As the last of his load went in, he opened his mouth and flexed his tongue, letting out a pleased sigh, accompanied by a flick of his tail.

"Os-a-watt," Pearl murmured, probably in disgust at Sol's unnecessary, additional display of his dirty deed.

Pearl watched him in sheer disgust as my Salandit pushed from his quad-position, sitting up a bit, arms crossed, the sag of his diaper between his legs almost touching the ground from his crouched position. Thankfully he didn't sit down or anything, which would have flatten his 'deposit', which I guess was his intention---the bulge in the rear of his padding was a clear show of what he wanted the girls to cope with in their task.

I didn't want to look back at Lil for this, sticking with my smug lizard giving Pearl the epitome of smirk-ness in his expression. I guess in his mind, this was his 'check-and-mate' move in the chess-match of boys v. girls.

"Did...he REALLY...just DO that?" I heard Lil say behind me, as if she had heard some horrible, but juicy gossip on a competing contestant in her performing circles.

What happened from that point was a lot of back and forth, with Pearl insulting Sol as best as she could, but my lizard, despite being in a dirty diaper in front of her, had full-on immunity to her comments, assured in his position. Lillian was making some less-than-savory comments herself, and wondered just how much I knew about my lizard's intentions. My only defense was suggesting it was 'by coincidence'...

...in the end though, Sol was not budging on this...

*

Lillian stared down with the look of a person who had dropped their favorite media device in the toilet. You want it because it has stuff important to you and, despite the option to get another one, it would take a long time to get that stuff back if you even could. Then again, it was a toilet. People use those things, and no matter how clean they make it, you know what they're used for...

...huh, guess the metaphor was more on point than I thought.

I was made to be on the side lines after tugging Sol's tail tab---which he allowed me to do---on the opposite side of the table, closer to the head of my struggling-not-to-giggle-at-this lizard laying down on it. He was clicking his claws somewhat eagerly against each other above his chest, his legs spread wide and invitingly for the two looking at his damp, lump-bottomed diaper. Lil, staring at it, was not so keen to start this process, and Pearl was hiding herself behind the spare, partially unfolded Poison diaper, as if she didn't even want to SEE a dirty diaper so close to her.

"Saaaaalllaaannnd," Sol teased with delight as he looked down at Lillian beyond his raised legs, tail shifting with excitement. I really hoped he wouldn't get TOO happy and flame off...that would be a deal breaker if he accidentally hurt either of them.

"I'm doing it!" Lillian spat at him, then looking back to the diaper with the same hesitancy.

...it had been about ten minutes now since Sol laid down I think? I kind of stopped keeping track of time, and my lizard certainly wasn't, he was enjoying EVERY moment of this. I mean, to be fair, I thought it was a little funny too. I mean...

"It's not that bad Lil, I do it all the time," I said with a shrug, being modest about it. Maybe a bit encouraging so she could get this over with. I was hungry...

"That's because---ugh," Lillian scoffed, cutting off her comment as she looked to the situation again. Apparently, my comment either annoyed or encouraged her to finally commit.

Slowly, agonizingly squinting her face up, one of her hands reached for one of the tapes on Sol's diaper. Sol watched the hand approach, his grin getting bigger as he watched the progress. Finally, her index finger and thumb daintily took the flap of the adhesive tab, being delicate not to be careful, but acting like it was some kind of bomb that might go off instead...maybe not far off.

"Sal al al," Sol said, getting attention as he waved his own index finger back and forth, then pointed at Pearl...reminding them that he wanted them BOTH to participate.

"Osh!" Pearl hissed at him, a clear 'no'. Then Lillian looked at her in surprise.

"I'm not handling this ALONE Pearl!" she said. This started off a back-and-forth between the two. I was a bit reminded of me and Sol, and of partners in town in general at this display...Sol meanwhile was laughing the whole time.

Eventually, Pearl dropped the diaper she had been hiding behind and marched around the table, toward my side. She ignored me, though not Sol, who rose his head and tried to look back at her as she passed by him with a spiteful stare and a bunch of mumbling. Eventually she got to the other side of Sol---I guess going the way she did to avoid his moving tail---hesitantly taking the other tape, opposite Lil.

It was kind of funny watching them tug at each one, which look longer than I knew I could do myself. But eventually, with the ripping noise, each tape came off...Lil's first, and she proceeded to help Pearl after a moment of her tugging, much to Sol's bark of laughter at the Oshawatt's lack of physical strength.

After giving him a dirty look, they stared down at the unlatched padding, looking at each other with a 'do we REALLY have to do this' passing between them in silent understanding. With the same slowness, they both reached out with both hands, gripping the top most part of the waistband, taking several breaths as if they were about to take a leap off a diving board....and then pulled the front of the diaper down.

"Ewwww..."

"Ossssh..."

"Saa aaa aaa!"

I just glanced. I really wasn't THAT bad to be honest, in my opinion. I mean that one he did yesterday? Far worse than this little 'deposit', that's for sure. But to Lil and Pearl, it might just as well have been Wailord-sized load.

Sol was laughing in various ways the whole time as they slid his dirty diaper out from under him, the expressions on their face and noises of disgust were just so funny to him. I...couldn't blame him, I had to hide my own smile. Think I mentioned before that a people with aversion to...this kind of task had the Poof Places to go to, which...I guess is where Lil took Pearl to when SHE had a full diaper.

Considering I handle Sol by myself, maybe this'll be a humbling experience for her.

"A-ah! What are you doing!?"

"O-Osha!"

I broke out of thought at the sound of water hitting wood, which was a bit concerning, I thought it was raining or something but---oh no. I watched with equal parts amusement and aversion as I saw water not coming DOWN from the sky...but UP from the table....and it wasn't a clear color...and it was moving in an arch...

...I think you know the finishing move to this embarrassing moment that my lizard managed to pull off.

*

I stood awkwardly with my hands at my side, one fidgeting against a pocket, not trying to look them in the face. I didn't even want to look at Sol at the moment, but I KNEW he was having sheer, pleasurable delight written on his face...even if he did have a newly-wet diaper taped around his hips.

So, did the change happen? Practically. I mean, his dirty diaper was rolled up, in a plastic bag, and in my pack ready to be dropped off. I mean, as far as Sol was concerned, he got what he wanted, though I don't think it stopped at proof that we would be owed for putting ourselves out for Lil's sake. Why was he wearing a wet diaper then? Well, because it was the same one that Pearl and Lillian were going to put on him...

...and that they used to defend themselves against his own version of 'Water Gun'.

.....what? I wasn't about to waste a...mostly good diaper. Besides, I'm trying to forget what happened here, give me a break.

"Contest Hall. At five," was Lil's grave 'I'm-at-my-wits-end-don't-make-me-hurt-you' statement to me.

Pearl would have added to it, but she looked to still be a little gun-shy right now. No blame there Pearl, no blame there. Then they walked away, stiffly at first, but then with more momentum to get far away from the location, perhaps for their whole life. Which left me with the instigator...

Sol chuckled to himself, wagging his tail in sheer delight over what he had planned out, waving goodbye at the two as they left. I wanted to tell him it was a bit much, a bit vulgar, that maybe he had his reasons, but I honestly felt he could have done different.

Sighing, the moment over, my lizard lower his hand, looked to me with one of the best attitudes I've ever seen him in, and pointed over his shoulder.

"Sal?" he asked pleasantly.

...yes. Food. Lets eat...
*