//------------------------------// // Ch.14 - Little Lost Ace - Pt.4 // Story: Little Lost Pikachu // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Little Lost Pikachu - Chapter 14 - Little Lost Ace - Pt.4 “Hmm, just a tad more yellow over here… Oh, no! That’s too much! Thread a single strand of blue instead,” Coco instructed, watching Ace’s every move as he worked diligently on his newest addition to her back room. She paced anxiously, creating steady tempo of thuds as her hooves worked across the floor, panic written all over her face. Speaking as if defusing a bomb, she crept closer to the Raichu and whispered, “Easy does it… “ She looked back at Ace’s face which was scrunched in concentration while his ears radiated a silvery aura. Multiple materials levitated above the pokemon’s head, suspended by his physic power as his forepaws worked with the sewing machine. A yellow t-shirt was fed halfway into the device, an elegant pattern etched into the top section of the fabric. Coco released a soft sigh and gave her second assistant a proud smile. “Very good. I must say, you’re learning quite fast.” She peeked back at Ace’s work, examining the craftsmanship. Hopping atop his tail, the Raichu floated up and grasped the shirt, holding it up for her to get a better view as he wore a confident grin. Though it wasn’t perfect, or near her own set standards, she was thoroughly impressed with how fast he was able to stitch the piece, with little to no formal training as well. After a second look, the shirt proved big enough to cover half of an average pony with two adjacent openings for forelegs. While this product was mostly made out of yellow cloth, once dressed on a pony, the chest part would display royal blue inscriptions of the word “Summertime,” surrounded by a simple cut-out view of the beach. She could see the joy Ace projected as he worked, delighted at being to craft something going along with his favorite naval theming. “Now, just a small touch up over here,” Coco said as she pointed at a lone spot just above the wave threaded into the shirt. “I think a couple more blue strings will do, for now at least.” Ace nodded before levitating a needle enthralled with a dark, bronze thread, creating a simple inscription of a surfing pony. Judging by the shape, it showed the outline of a mare’s body type, with extremely similar bangs and tail style to her own. Shrugging, she brushed it off and turned to Ace, who was now looking up at her with an eager smirk. “Very good,” Coco praised with a warm smile. Cool! So, how many of these do you need? Coco rubbed her chin for a moment, looking down at the completed model. “I suppose eight will do as a starting line. We can add five plus-size shirts for taller ponies and two miniature ones for younger foals. Any orders that come in larger or smaller than the ones we already have, we can just customize a specific request for them,” she explained while thinking of the average size of her customers. While the majority of ponies visiting her store were grownups of a similar size, some stallions proved to be quite tall. Trying to manufacture this new naval line in a diversity of sizes without knowing how her clients would react would be too risky for now. Ace saluted before levitating over two extra sewing machines and a large quantity of materials, tripling his efforts. Narrowing her eyes, she spotted small beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, barely noticeable unless one was looking for it. She knew that Ace had a huge amount of physic power at his disposal, but even now, this was extremely impressive for any pony… and a tad worrisome if he were to overwork himself. Coco chuckled nervously at the display before approaching her own sewing machine, struggling to push away the negative thoughts that had been clouding her mind. With a reserved sigh, she made herself comfortable, focusing her attention on an assortment of products of higher quality. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, pointing a single, stubby hand towards the six. I can’t believe it’s only been two days since Ace appeared in my shop and offered to assist me. His progress ever since then has been remarkable, she thought to herself before looking down at the suit currently placed into her own sewing device. Two shades of gray fabric were layered on top, ready to be threaded into the main piece. She turned it back on and sat down, getting comfortable as she straightened out the clothing. Humming along with the gentle whur of the machine, she mused, I must admit, this Raichu has an artistic side. As long as I keep him passionate about his work, he easily pulls his weight, and then some. She narrowed her eyes, scoffing as her stitches became slanted. While most of her customers didn’t pay too much attention to any imperfections of her jackets, shirts and shoes, it was a different story for those who spent hard earned bits on her suits. With a reluctant sigh, she quickly undid the thread and began once more, perfecting her original seam. Once done, she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and glanced at the clock, gasping as she realized that half an hour had already flown by. She looked back at Ace, who seemed to be finishing his fifth shirt. Now that I think about it, Ace’s first attempts were more of experimentations, and although many were of poor design, they all had different unique designs and stitches. Makes sense for someone who has never worked in this kind of industry. She sat and observed the Raichu at work, thinking back to her many attempts at teaching him. He’s clearly hasty and lacks patience, prefering to dive headfirst into something rather than learn the ropes first. So unless he can change that, I fear he won’t be able to make any high quality products anytime soon. Setting aside her current materials, she watched as Ace levitated the fabrics with pure concentration, showcasing an unbelievable amount of skill, even for a talented unicorn. On the other hoof, he puts his heart and soul into projects that inspire him, something that I can take full advantage of when we’re working on naval themes. Not to mention how important his ability at multitasking is with all those individual threads and needles. Probably balancing himself on wild waves and levitating on his tail for who knows how long helped with that. While I don’t see him making any marvelous creations, making average quality clothes at a quick pace is another story. Something that’s perfect for most of my daily customers. Coco felt a burst of pride as Ace finished his seventh creation in record time, only taking a few seconds to take a break and drink from a nearby water bottle before resuming his work. The standards of my customers are pretty low, which makes sense for this part of Manehattan, something that fits Ace’s skill set perfectly. She thought back to her attempts at showing him how to make clothes by her own example, occasionally pointing out his mistakes as they went along. All the time she put into teaching him was already paying. With how fast he was able to manufacture lower quality goods, it left her tons of time to really focus on her best works. The time she spent training him was already paid back, for once making her feel as if she was on top of her clients overwhelming demands. She raised a forehoof up to her face and chuckled, trying to hold in her giggles so she didn’t disturb her enthusiastic worker. His productivity skyrocketed the moment I agreed to let him to make that naval line. I’m actually keeping up with the demands for a change now! Pulling out a notepad stowed away, she snatched a pencil with her mouth before writing down an important idea to remember. Note to myself. She wrote. The first worker or two I hire need to be selected for the manufacturing of lower quality clothes, similar to what Ace is doing now. Leaf has already proved himself more than responsible enough at the counter and I can handle customized orders and higher quality designs. After putting away the notes, she looked back at the sewing machine with glee before returning to work, this time focusing on an order she had from a serious business pony. Suits like these are what took up most of her time, consuming each precious second she spent trying to perfect her designs. She glanced at the numerous measurements she took along with the requested details of the order before getting back to threading the gray shades. Though, before she could finish the final improvements, Ace’s snow dusted paw popped up in front of her and playfully booped her muzzle, causing her to snort in surprise. What’s next, boss? the Raichu asked, awakening the fashionista from her thoughts. He looked at her with an open eagerness displayed on his face while bouncing up and down in excitement on his own tail. Clearly, even after a bit spent mindlessly threading multiple shirts, he was still as energetic as ever. He didn’t even seen bored, something that really impressed her. Coco looked at the clothes that were stacked moments ago, only to find them gone. “Where…?” she began. Already set them up on the dummies, Ace cut in before puffing out his chest and rubbing the fluff a top it. Being quick is essential in pokemon battles, and I’m no Slowpoke. Coco walked towards the front room. Soon, she was bypassing the open door as her attention focused on a long line of dummies, all cleaned and outfitted with the naval line of jackets and shirts just produced. Quiet Leaf stopped inspecting the mannequins upon noticing her and approached. “Don’t worry. I kept an eye on the number two,” he said, pointing towards Ace, “and made sure he set everything as you like.” The fashionista sat and rubbed the back of her neck, suddenly overwhelmed by confusion. After weeks of overworking and stressing, it felt odd to find herself with… free time. She actually had free time. Not that all her hard labor didn’t pay off as she earned quite a small fortune, but it still came at the expense of her own health. “We… we’re actually done?” Leaf jumped into the air with glee, beaming as he sprinted towards the door, a relucant Coco in his grasp. “Finally!” he called. With a final bound, he pulled her out the door and exclaimed, “We have been stuck in here for forever. Let’s go outside and do something fun!” “F-fun?” Coco said hesitantly before a warm smile overtook her previous worries. “I suppose we could have some fun for a change. How about a nice stroll at the local park?” Leaf’s ears drooped, a bored groan sounding a second later. “A park?” he whined, gently pulling on her hoof in aggravation. Coco frowned, oblivious. “Is something wrong?” The unicorn colt stomped his forehoof against the sidewalk, glancing over at Ace for support. “You call a walk in the park fun?” He tilted his head to the side. “You didn’t go outside often as a filly, did you?” “I suppose we could… uh, jazz it up a little bit by going to a theatre.” She gave an excited squee. “I heard there was a new drama coming out today on Bridleway, hmm… Colts and Dolls was it? Oh, I can’t wait!” Leaf facepalmed, as did the pokemon floating by his side. “After being stuck in this store for days straight, I want to do something exciting.” Ace nodded. Sorry boss, but I think we have you outnumbered on this one. A wicked grin grew on his face as the Raichu darted to Leaf and grabbed his shoulder, giving him a playful shake. After a few seconds, the colt gave a similar smirk and dipped his head in agreement. Coco’s eyes became wide, the mare taking multiple, frantic steps back as her two assistants cornered her. Gulping, she muttered, “I have a really, really bad feeling about this…” Coco’s face was deathly pale, almost completely devoid of colors as she stared at the endless ocean before her. Is this really what her dear Leaf considered as fun? Before her was not only a wave, but a colossal one, at least ten meters tall with an overjoyed tail-surfing pokemon resting at the very top. Ace wasn’t alone though as he balanced himself at the very tip of his tail, leaving most of the space for the colt whose hooves were wrapped around his belly for balance. How Ace didn’t lose balance with so much weight pulling on him? She had no idea. She felt her heart trying to escape her chest the moment Ace surfed down the wave before diving into the water with a loud splash. She rubbed the collar on her neck nervously, waiting for them to emerge, hoping she wouldn’t end up swimming to their rescue. She sighed the moment Ace emerged from the water, surfing up the tall wave. Coco bit her bottom lip as Ace flew onto the top of the wave and than further up, performing a triple somersault with Leaf screaming “Yaaaaahoooo” from the overwhelming thrills. She started walking backward as the wave changed its direction, now going for the shore. She braced herself, covering her face as the wave hit the water, splashing in front of the shore while raising droplets onto her fur. The moment she lowered her forehoof and opened her eyes, she yelped as Ace tackled into her. She blinked, finding herself trapped under the colt and the pokemon while they stared at her. Their smiles bright enough to melt solid ice. “You have to give it a try, it was amazing!” Come on. Spread your wings, live a little, Ace said in her mind. “W-what… you want me…” She jumped to a standing position and shook her forehooves. “Oh no, no, no, no, no.” She replied, darting backwards in haste and hiding behind the nearest object she could find. She yelped the moment Ace grabbed her forehoof and pulled, leaving the majority of space on his tail for her to stand on. Coco looked down as her legs were close to each other, forced to balance on limited space. Before she considered stepping to the ground, she already found herself floating above the body of water with Leaf shouting encouragement from the shore. Coco’s ears drooped as she sat and wrapped her forehooves around Ace’s neck, her rear legs now hanging down on the sides of pokemon’s tail. How such a small creature even manage to lift all her weight with little difficulty was beyond her understanding. She gulped and whimpered as her ride summoned a five meter tall wave, which they started climbing a moment later. The amount of adrenaline her body produced surpassed even the time when she saw Nica fight off the gang members or run into a burning building. “I didn’t sign up for this!” Just imagine you’re on a magical chariot flying among the clouds. “This is not the same and you know that!” She screeched, squeezing the soft Raichu beside her for all she had. Ocean water sprayed up from beside Ace, splashing up onto his makeshift board and hitting the seamstress right in the face. Coughing, she spit out the salty water and hugged him even harder, holding on tight as the wave reached its full height. With multiple unbearable moments passing by, they finally reached the top and slowly crept over the top as if descending a roller coaster. Here we go! he called in her mind with a cheerful “Rai” following moments after.