[h2][center]Slateport City[/center][/h2][h3][center]Beautifly is in the Eye of the Beholder[/center][/h3]
After leaving the Pokemon Fan's Slateport chapter house Sarah caught the tail end of a conversation, an argument really, that she heard many times on T.V. It was [i]the[/i] age-old argument.

Among the group of youngsters, some older, and some younger than Sarah there was a light that attracted her attention well before the words they spoke told her what was going on. It was the light emitted by pokemon evolution. From the snippets of conversation she had heard it appeared that Olivia had enough to get the beautifly she desired. It had just fluttered up to its trainer as Sarah jogged over.

As the exuberant child bounded onto the scene her arrival did not go unnoticed by the other children or their pokemon. Her Pokemon Lens was secured to her belt, while the other children's pokemon gauntlets were either strapped to them, or tucked away somewhere safely. [color=#FFC0EB]"Wow,"[/color] Sarah said as she looked to the Beautifly that had just hovered up to her trainer. 

"Quite," Olivia quipped back.

[color=#FFC0EB]"So you're going to be a contestant, then?"[/color] Sarah asked as she caught her breath. 

"Only the greatest beauty coordinator in the city. Maybe even the [i]whole[/i] world!" Olivia said with a mark of smug determination as she reached out to her Beautifly.

[color=#FFC0EB]"That's super neat!"[/color] Sarah said, gaining some ire from Ezmarelda before she continued. [color=#FFC0EB]"I have one of those too,"[/color] Sarah lied as she pulled her Premium Ball off of her belt, [color=#FFC0EB]"Being the best... it's a lot of hard work."[/color] She looked thoughtfully at her ball as if she was realizing something too for the first time. [color=#FFC0EB]"I don't know if we can do it."[/color] Sarah added while lecturing Olivia, who was largely unimpressed. 

"It is." Olivia said with a hair flip, some people just aren't cut out for it." She added, "A lot goes into making a prize winning pokemon," she said as she started counting on her fingers, "First you need a good pokemon, like my beautifly." The complement made the beautifly smile, but then Olivia kept talking. "Obviously it'll need a specially formulated diet to shine up its dull coat." The beautifly's eyes drooped and it sagged a little in the air, but Olivia kept talking. "Of course then there's grooming, and accessories and don't even get me started on fashion advice."

[color=#FFC0EB]"You're wrong."[/color] Sarah interrupted. She was quiet at first but then pointed her Premium Ball at Olivia. A universal symbol of intent. [color=#FFC0EB]"First you need to know what your pokemon is capable of. Then you need the determination to accept that or change it."[/color]

"Don't be ridiculous," Olivia said, "I'm not going to battle you."

Sarah frowned but it was Ezmarelda who spoke up, "Are you afraid of a little competition, Olive?"

"That's not a very winning attitude, Olivia!" another girl called from the rear.

"Fine." Olivia said in a huff. 

The other trainer directed her beautifly to the center of the ring of girls that had parted for Sarah to join. In response Sarah tapped the button on her ball which caused her ditto to spring forth. It's imposter ability activated immediately and it copied the opponent beautify.

Sarah pulled her Pokemon Lens of her belt as it read [color=cyan]"Beauty Contestant Olivia would like to battle!"[/color] Though, this time Sarah was given the option to allow others in her Pokemon Fanclub network to spectate, and she checked the yes box, before hitting yes again on the do not ask again option. 

[hider=Lens Report]
Beautifly: Bug/Flying
Its colorfully patterned wings are its most prominent feature. Beautifly also has a long mouth like a coiled needle, which is very convenient for collecting its favorite food: the sweet pollen from flowers. This Pokémon rides the spring winds as it flits around gathering pollen. If you want to see this Pokémon, just leave a potted flower by an open window. Beautifly is sure to come looking for pollen. Despite its appearance, it has an aggressive nature. It attacks by jabbing with its long, thin mouth.
[/hider]

After listening to her Lens Report, Sarah tabbed over to the list of moves her Ditto acquired from the transformation, and the list was disparagingly short indeed. After that she was ready to battle. She called to her pokemon with the first move of the match: "Squishy, use harden!"

Olivia on the other-hand too a different approach, "Let's finish this quickly. Use tackle."

After bolstering it's defense the transformed ditto-beautifly also engaged in tackle use, and the two pokemon flopped about in the air for a few moments. Olivia's pokemon tried desperately to win her approval by making its attacks as artfully executed as it could manage, meanwhile Squishy's lax attitude, and defensive state encouraged it to pay the other pokemon little mind.

[color=#FFC0EB]"You... You don't have any idea what you're doing, do you?"[/color] Sarah said to an increasingly flustered opponent.

"Shut up and fight!" Olivia shouted back before redirecting her focus to her pokemon, "You're making me look bad!"

[color=#FFC0EB]"Tell you what,"[/color] Sarah said as she offered a bit of free advice. [color=#FFC0EB]"When your pokemon evolved it learned gust, but you didn't bother to check your Gauntlet. It's a lot stronger than tackle."[/color] 

Olivia looked to her opponent and then back to her pokemon. "Is that true!?" The pokemon cocked its head as if it didn't understand the question, before Olivia decided just to test it. "Use gust!"

Sarah grinned as she commanded her ditto. [color=#FFC0EB]"Me First."[/color]

The two beautiflies flapped their wings at each other, one slightly faster than the other, and a small air-front built up between them, and then exploded. Air rushed out of the circle of cheering kids as the beautifly crashed, and the Ditto transformed back. Sarah quickly scooped up the slimy pokemon with both arms—between which it was barely contained—while she kissed what should be its face. She then turned to Olivia whose harsh gaze shot daggers at her, before turning an oppressive disappointed stare to her unconscious pokemon. [color=#FFC0EB]"Rule #1."[/color] Sarah said, allowing herself to gloat a bit, [color=#FFC0EB]"Your opponent is not'cha friend."[/color]

"But how!?" Olivia asked more to herself than to her opponent. "They were the same."

[color=#FFC0EB]"They're not the same."[/color] Sarah indignantly explained the one of the common misconceptions about dittos, [color=#FFC0EB]"Squishy is a lot more durable than most bugs, even if he's a little slower."[/color] she squeezed her ditto with excitement and its eyes bulged a little like a beach-ball sized stress-ball. [color=#FFC0EB]"I've also had him all my life, and we know each other very well."[/color] She shrugged, [color=#FFC0EB]"You know nothing about your pokemon, or mine, and that's [i]the point[/i]."[/color] the emphasized words were further accented with finger quotes.

"That was really mean," Ezmarelda said while coming to the defense of her (admittedly bad) friend. "That's going way too far."

Sarah hoisted her pokemon up to reposition it for comfort before looking back to, or more accurately, down on Ezmarelda. [color=#FFC0EB]"Lots of people wanna to be the best,"[/color] she said while returning her ditto to its ball so the lens could work its healing magic. [color=#FFC0EB]"Not all of them gonna be nice."[/color]