As Luck Would Have It (Lay the Very Best - Chapter 404)

The interior of the Spikemuth Gym was a sensory overload. It was like a nightclub melted into a casino, but somehow it had class to it. Lights strobed in flashes of ultraviolet and blood red, illuminating arched steel beams wrapped in black velvet. Music thumped through the floor, reverberating so loudly that Brandy could feel it in her bones, a heady mix of sultry synthwave and pounding basslines. The air smelled like candy and a hint of rich perfume, giving the brain a warm, comforting hug.

Even the trance was overwhelming. A rotating chandelier made from glittering Binding Balls spun overhead, refracting multicolored beams down over the people filing in and out. Gold-flecked tiles led up to a lush purple carpet with black roses embroidered along the borders. 

"Okay," Morgan whispered, her hand creeping into Calcine's, "this is dangerously my aesthetic."

"I don't see you as a noisy sort," Calcine said "This is a bit loud for you."

"Ah, but you can't ignore it, and there's a hint of dark around the edges of all the lights. I love that." Brandy got it. Morgan might be composed, but she also loved taking center stage, and this was a place built by someone with that same level of theater kid energy. It made sense; Morgan was a Dark-type, and this was a Dark Gym. It should call out to her.

The gym wasn't laid out like fights were meant to happen here. There were booths, dance floors, shadowy alcoves, and tables decorated with crushed velvet and gold, each offering its own game. Glittering signs advertised prizes and dares. 'Flash Speed Kiss: 10 Wins = 1 Date!', 'Triple Trouble: Pick up someone new for a few spins.' and 'Double Down: Clothing or Dignity, you'll lose it all eventually.'

"Double Down?" Sparky said hopefully. 

"You're barely wearing anything and don't have any dignity." Brandy teased.

"I'm giving you such an advantage then! You can't lose "

"Let's try to see what the challenge is first," Brandy said, "Half our team is exhausted, let's not make it worse."

A stage in the center pulsed with bass-heavy music, where a Luxray and an Umbreon splattered with glowing paint had taken to the dance poles in sync. Their performance had a crowd gathered in tight, cheering, tossing tokens that glittered midair before dissolving into sparkles the moment they touched the floor. Onlookers clapped as the Luxray flipped backward into the Umbreon's arms, then used her tail to pull her into a kiss that made the lightfloor briefly flicker pink.

Brandy licked her lips. "Maybe we could get a little distracted."

Dani, blushing already, nodded enthusiastically. "If there's kissing to be had, we should get in on it! We could get a crowd."

"Focus," Calcine clicked her tongue. "We're here for the badge." They were so focused. Until they took ten steps and got ambushed by a woman wearing a gemstone-studded bra, with spiky black hair that flared like a crown around her angular face, her eyes glittered unnaturally, and she flicked out a long black tongue and stroked it over her sharpened teeth. She moved with a jittery, unpredictable energy, towards them in fits and starts.

"You look like a fun bunch," she said with a grin. "Wanna play Kissing Compliments?"

" We're here to try for a badge."

"Hah! Good one," she grinned. "Well, I'm Topaz. Once you have your spin, come find me and I'll show you a good time."

"Sure," Brandy said, "Maybe we will."

"Looks like you lovers are already keen to get in." Brandy turned, and sure enough, the group had scattered. Morgan was steering Calcine toward a fortune wheel being spun by a very smug-looking Gardevoir with black gloves and a slit-up-the-thigh dress. Her eyes glowed pink as she span large playing cards, and then women in the audience began to spasm and keel over. 

Sparky had gone the other way, distracted by watching a woman dressed in nothing but cloud puffs and leather straps float upside-down over a table where a dark-skinned punk woman was staring down at a woman who wore a sleek cocktail dress that had ribbons wrapped along her arms and trailing out behind her like comet tails. Her hair was done in elaborate curls, each twist held in place by glittering violet pins.

The Drifblim floating overhead let a single crystal cocktail glass drop gently onto the table between them, filled with a shimmering pink liquid. Without breaking eye contact, they each leaned in from opposite sides of the table, mouths meeting at the rim of the glass. They sipped slowly, lips brushing at the edge, the drink sloshing slightly between them. As the last drops of the cocktail slid away, the punk leaned in further, her tongue flicking out to catch a stray bead clinging to the Gothorita's lip. The Gothorita didn't flinch. Instead, she opened her mouth just slightly in invitation.

The punk took it.

With a slow, deliberate motion, she leaned forward and licked into the Gothorita's mouth, chasing the last taste of the drink. The Gothorita answered by sliding one ribbon-wrapped arm around the punk's neck and pulling her in deeper, the two of them locked in a messy, glistening kiss. The table creaked beneath them as they pulled together, the Gothorita rising higher on her knees, the punk pressing in closer until their bodies tangled, both jockeying for control. Lips parted and rejoined, tongues twisting, hands roaming with mounting urgency.

Then, in a sudden flash of movement, the Gothorita swept her leg out behind the punk's knees and pushed forward. The crowd erupted into cheers as the punk fell back onto the velvet tabletop with a grunt, pinned flat by the deceptively dainty Psychic-type, whose ribbons now trailed like victorious streamers around them.

Gothorita sat astride her, lips glossed and triumphant. "I win," she repeated, breathless.

The punk just laughed, eyes wide with delight. "I am so okay with losing."

Brandy collared Sparky. "Gym battle?"

"I have no idea what this game's rules were, but I am so in."

"Gym battle." Brandy reiterated. "This is all obviously here to distract us."

"And it's working!" Dani said, waving madly at the returning Calcine, who had Morgan under one arm. "I'm going to be good, though. I want to win."

" Let me down," Morgan griped, and she fluffed up her feathers once Calcine righted her. "Okay, how about a deal? We fight this gym for you, and then you reward us with some time on the casino floor."

"I'm bargaining with my partners?" Brandy mock gasped. "Have I fallen so low?"

" Oh, Brandy," Morgan purred. "You've no idea how low we can get you if you let us."

" If you're going to be that smooth, I guess I have to," Brandy said, and ignored all the high fives Sparky gave Morgan as she looked about for any indication of where actually to start this gym challenge. It turns out she just could have waited a moment, because a woman was approaching through the crowd with the purposeful sway of someone with a job to do. She was tall, curvy, and radiant, dressed in a glittering corset that looked like wet ink splashed onto her skin, and adorned with silver playing cards. Her fishnet stockings stretched the gap between high heels marked with tiny hearts and spades, and a velvet top hat perched jauntily atop a cascade of dark black hair. 

"Hold up, sweetheart," she said, placing a gloved hand lightly on Brandy's chest. Her voice purred with theatrical charm. "Can't let a Trainer go about our Casino unattended, who knows what they might do."

Brandy blinked. Had her reputation gotten ahead of her again?

"I'm Delia," the woman continued. "House hostess and mischief coordinator. I make sure our guests are always one breath away from something life-changing." She tilted Brandy's chin up with a single finger, looking her over with slow, appreciative eyes. "And you, darling, are very much my type of challenge. You're not easy to shake."

" Flirt with her more," Sparky said. "She'll shake. Or I will and I'm really fun to look at when I'm shaking."

"Cute bug, maybe I'll take you up on that," Delia laughed. She handed Brandy a small velvet pouch. Inside were a handful of special chips, each glittering with a black feather logo. "These'll get you into the good games. Use them wisely, or don't. We like recklessness here."

Brandy opened her mouth to respond, but Delia stepped in close, her perfume heady and sweet.

"One more thing," she whispered. "Our gym's theme. Take luck into your own hands."

Then she kissed her.

Soft. Lingering. With a fruity taste that left Brandy's lips tingling. A cheer rippled through nearby onlookers as Delia pulled back with a wicked grin.

"Have a lovely time, ladies. I'm looking forward to seeing your smiles."

"Wait," Brandy said as Delia pulled away. "Where's the Gym Leader?"

"Oh, we don't have one." Delia said, "There's just Vivi, but that's all the lady we'll ever need for Spikemuth."

"Where's she?"

" Your Murkrow's already spotted her." 

Brandy turned to her in confusion, brows furrowed. "Morgan?"

Morgan was standing up ramrod straight, her wings tucked into her side, and her bottom lip bit so hard it'd gone white. Calcine pointed where Morgan's gaze went, to a throne atop a pile of tokens, where a woman reclined over the armrests.

Her massive black wings spread out like a curtain to frame her body, and a red cloak billowed from her shoulders in time with the pulsing beat. Her chest was enormous, proudly and provocatively framed by a deep-cut black bodice that shimmered under the lights. Each slow breath drew the eye, and she made no effort to hide it. She lounged as if daring anyone not to look, one hand lazily twirling a black feathered fan, the other resting on her thigh. Her eyes glowed with fierce, red light, and they weren't on Brandy.

They were locked on Morgan.

"I love watching Trainers lose," Vivi laughed, "But I am really being spoiled today. Ready to try your luck, Morgan?"

"How the fuck are you here?" Morgan hissed. "Last I saw you, Vivienne, you were running a third-rate scheme in a fourth-rate gang."

"My fortunes changed," Vivi grinned, "Unlike you. I'm just that lucky."

Well. Vivi had been mean to Morgan, so that settled it. Brandy was going to have to beat this bird's ass so hard her feathers fell out.