Tongue Twisted
Title: Tongue Twisted
Fandom: Pokémon XY (Anime)
Genre: Humor/Friendship
Summary: Four twerps tirelessly tackle treacherous tricks of the tongue. Oneshot.
Total Length: ~800 words
Rating: G
Warnings: Dub!
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10868869/1/Tongue-Twisted
"Bonnie and I have a new game," Serena announced one night at dinner.
Clemont served the last plate and sat down across from her. "Oh, you mean like your impersonations, right?" he asked.
"Exactly!" Serena said. "Why don't you tell them, Bonnie?"
Bonnie stood up importantly. When she was sure all eyes were on her, she said, in her best impersonation of seriousness: "Tongue twisters."
"Tongue twisters?"
She nodded. "And not just any tongue twisters. Pokémon tongue twisters."
Ash leaned forward over the table. "Hey, that sounds like fun. How does it work?"
"Well, we figure it'll go like this," Serena explained. "Someone comes up with a tongue twister involving one or more Pokémon. Everyone else takes turns saying it as fast as they can, and the first person to mess up has to come up with the next one!"
"Ha!" Ash grinned broadly. "You're on!"
"I'm game," Clemont added.
"Yippee!" Bonnie said, clapping her hands. "Give 'em the one from last night, Serena- it was a toughie!"
"Let's not start with anything too difficult," Serena said, winking at her. "But how about this for a warm up: try saying 'Bunnelby tunnels by' five times fast."
The boys did, but not without a few stumbles.
"Hmm, I guess this is gonna be harder than I thought," Ash said.
Serena smiled encouragingly. "Don't worry, that was just for practice. Now give this one a try." She cleared her throat. "Ahem. 'Dinky Inkay winks, and dinky Inkay drinks, and dinky Inkay doesn't think that dinky Inkay stinks!'"
Ash looked at her, impressed. "That still sounds pretty hard," he said. "Dinky Inkay- how does it go again?"
She repeated it for him.
"Let me try!" Bonnie said. "DinkyInky winks and dinkyInky drinks and dinkyInky doesn't think that dinkyInky stinks!"
"Not bad," Clemont said, "but it's 'Inkay', not 'Inky', right?"
Bonnie laughed. "Whoops, I guess I tried to say it too fast. That's OK, I already have one." She got to her feet again. "'Can the Fennekin fix a fence again?'"
"Can the Fennekin fix a fence again."
"Can the Fennekin fix a fence again."
"Can the Fennigin- oh no!"
"Uh oh!"
"Your turn, Ash!"
"Hmm, let's see," Ash said, casting his eyes around the table. "How about... 'Pikachu pika-chewed a whole pile of food 'cuz it couldn't choose the kibble and it couldn't choose the stew?'" At this, Pikachu glanced up from its dinner and shot a quizzical look at its trainer.
"Pikachu pika-chewed a whole pile of food 'cause it couldn't chew- aah, I mean..."
"Nope!"
"Too late!"
"Now you have to make one, big brother!"
"Um, well, I'm not sure I can come up with anything very good on the spot," Clemont said, looking flustered. "Maybe if I had time to build some sort of tongue twister generation device..."
At this, Ash looked at him excitedly, but a cry of "NO MACHINES!" came from the girls' side of the table. Clemont laughed. "All right, all right! Well, let me think... what about a twist on an old classic, like 'Shellder sells seashells down by the seashore?'"
The other three all tried to say it in unison, but started giggling and broke off one by one before any of them made it to the end. "Not very creative," Bonnie commented with a shrug, "but it is hard to say."
"Well, speaking of twists on old classics, how about this?" Serena said. "'How many feet would a Wobbuffet rub if a Wobbuffet gave foot rubs?'"
They looked at her, eyebrows raised. Serena shrugged. "What? It's based on one my mom taught me," she said. "OK, if you didn't like that one, how about..."
They started suggesting phrases to each other, each one faster and louder and interspersed with more and more giggles, all pretense of rules forgotten.
"Furfrou's fur flew fast and true!"
"Chespin chooses chestnuts, cheddar cheese and chewy chives!"
"Six sick Mareep slept long n' deep!"
"Fletchling fetches Fletchinder's embers while Froakie flicks flecks of frubbles!"
"Noisy nosy Noibat never knew a Noivern!"
"Great galloping Gogoat got caught in the gaping wide maw of Meowth's mouth!"
At this, the table errupted with laughter.
"Haha, what?"
"Eeeew!"
"Gogoat's such a cutie!"
The lively sounds of dinner mixed with strains of delighted conversation were all that could be heard around camp for the rest of the night.
Meanwhile, in a clearing not too far away...
"Meeeeowaah... ah... ahCHOO!"
"Meowth, what's wrong?" Jessie asked. "First Inkay sneezed, then Wobbuffet, now you- did you all come down with a case of the Poké-flu or something?"
"Eeugh, stay away from me; I don't want germs!"
Meowth lept up and cuffed James on the head. "I don't got germs, ya numbskull, there ain't nothin' wrong! Although..." he turned to stare curiously at the low-hanging moon. "D'you ever get the feelin' somebody's talkin' about ya somewhere, widdout really knowin' why?"
~Fin.