Shut Up and Dance, a pokémon fanfic

Disclaimer: The song in this story is Shut up and Dance by Walk The Moon. I take no credit. And I sadly do not own Pokémon either.

It was Saturday. And Saturday meant nearly everyone in Kanto would meet at the local hotspot for drinks or dancing. And that included Kanto residents -and best friends- Ash, Misty, and Brock. It was the one place they could all agree on was the best place to be on the weekend, despite the crowds of people that usually occupied the area on most nights. But this visit was different, because this visit was the reopening of the club after the owner decided to expand the once modest establishment.

It was now a giant, dome-like structure from the inside with red plushy couches and tables that were scattered all along the walls. The bar itself was located in the center of the place, forming a circle with several silver stools that surrounded it. Three or four bartenders themselves would now be present to take drink orders and slide them down the marble surface. The rest of the club was dedicated to space for whoever needed or wanted the room to dance. And plenty of strobe lights along with multicolored strobe lights hung from above to help create the atmosphere. It was also now Pokemon-friendly, with the only conditions being that the Pokemon was of reasonable size and well trained.

The trio themselves were looking especially forward to this visit after the improvement, as it was a favorite meetup of theirs ever since a few years back once everything settled down in their busy lives.

Misty was the first to arrive at one of the tables. She was dressed in a long sleeved, curve hugging black dress without a backing to leave her back completely bare. Her hair was also swept up into the usual side ponytail, but it allowed the room for the silver earrings she wore that swayed with her movement to show. This was likely the most feminine she allowed herself to be, but it wasn't everyday that her favorite nightclub had a reopening after expanding.

Ash and Brock also later flocked her side as they always did at Club Kanto. And even they had dressed up for the occasion; Brock was dressed in a dark red, button up shirt with a pair of black slacks. And as always, Ash was the last to show, giving all new meaning to the phrase 'fashionably late'. But nevertheless, he was there as well. And he was easy on the eyes as he wore a dark grey shirt with a black jacket over it, also clad in a pair of black slacks. He had the common sense to go hatless as well, and seemingly a little flummoxed at Misty's unusual feminine profile that night.

A greeting had barely left his lips before he took in the sight of Misty and chose that moment to openly gawk at her. But in his defense, it was different from her usual attire of leggings and some kind of oversized sweater. This left alot more to his vision than ordinary.

And it was because of so that he nearly tripped over his own two feet on the way to their table.

"Making an entrance as usual, I see." Misty teased upon his less than graceful arrival. Ash just scowled without a decent retort, and took to finding a seat while keeping his head somewhat averted. Brock then spared his friend from further humiliation by changing the subject.

"This place is doing pretty well so far, I think they made the right move by expanding." Brock surveyed the scene, noting the growing number of people that filled the place. Even the Jynx that belonged to the club owner could be seen out and about, which lead to him fighting back a chill at the last encounter he had with one of those.

"Parking was difficult, though. I wonder if Valet is what they'll do next."

Misty considered this for a moment before nodding. "I don't see why not. They'll need it if business keeps up."

"Then I'll start needing business to keep up with the place," Brock shook his head. "I can feel it hurting my wallet already."

"Well anyway," Misty smirked, rising to her feet. "Now that Ash has decided to grace us with his presence, I'm going to the bar to get us our drinks. What do you guys want?"

Brock declined anything just yet while Ash also mumbled in agreement. Misty only shook her head before departing the scene. Meanwhile, the eldest eyed his younger friend, who was staring at the back of the person who just left them. He looked like someone who was having a hard time trying to solve a math problem.

Brock nudged him. "What's the deal, man?"

Ash gave a start before turning back to him. He still appeared somewhat perplexed, scratching the back of his neck.

"That's a dress.. Misty's wearing a dress."

Brock paused to shake off the understatement of Ash's delayed reaction. "She is, I agree. That does very much look like a dress."

He wasn't amused.

"So what about it?" pressed the breeder.

"It's just.. I dunno.. she never wears 'em..." Ash trailed off. It wasn't often Misty ever ditched the tomboy threads in favor of something more... girly. He tried to ignore the way it was making his face burn.

Brock had to hide a grin at the trainer's obvious attraction. However, that was when Misty herself arrived back to their spot before he could say a word about it. And it wasn't until then that he caught sight of the redhead's shoes.

"Misty... are you wearing sneakers?" Brock eyed her choice in footwear as she took a seat with her drink, tilting his head in obvious confusion. Ash followed suit with a pair of raised eyebrows. But she just nodded without a trace of embarrassment.

"Yeah. I can't walk in heels. And I figured if I can't walk in them, I probably won't be able to dance in them."

Brock made a face as if to say 'good point'.

"Dance?" Ash sputtered a moment later. "You hardly dance, Misty."

But all she did was shrug as she sipped the Shirley Temple she ordered. "I know. But I think I will tonight, the occasion calls for it. We'll see."

This was nearing the second time Ash was left without anything to say back to her.

"Speaking of which," Brock stretched his limbs and angled himself toward the dancefloor with a wide grin. "I think I'm going to get a head start out there. I want to test my moves and see if I can dance my way into the heart of a beautiful vixen. Excuse me."

Oh don't you dare look back, Just keep your eyes on me,
I said you're holding back,
She said shut up and dance with me.
This woman is my destiny,
She said oh oh oh,
Shut up and dance with me.

He popped up from his seat and entered the open space ahead of him, starting to move to the song that was just barely beginning. Ash and Misty then took a moment to stare in synchronization at their friend. Although he was one among many others on the scene, he was already waving his arms in the air like spaghetti, and it was humiliating enough for the two to reconsider ever being seen in public with him again.

Ash slowly shook his head. "The sad thing is, he hasn't even started drinking yet."

This caused Misty to laugh into her glass before covering her mouth with her hand. "He's just celebrating, Ash. It's a big night for the club."

"You can say that again. The room in this place went from here to... he- whoa!" he held his hands close together before spacing them back apart to accentuate, and nearly knocked Misty's drink from her hands in the process. But she was quicker than he was and steadied the nearly fallen beverage.

"Sheesh, Ash!"

He just rubbed the back of his neck again, turning a bright shade of red at his clumsiness. "Sorry Misty, I.. I didn't see it."

We were victims of the night,
The chemical, physical, kryptonite,
Helpless to the bass and the fading light,
Oh we were bound to get together,
Bound to get together,

Misty just pursed her lips and shook her head. She set down her drink and was about to ask what had gotten into him that night, when she suddenly caught wind of the song playing. Her attention was briefly casted to the dancefloor with wide eyes, and Ash's heart began to pound a mile a minute.

She took my arm,
I don't know how it happened,
We took the floor and she said,

She had lit up like a firework, and Ash could see the idea forming on her face before she even said anything.

"Ash-"

"No way."

No way in hell was he about to put himself on display in front of everyone and attempt anything even close to what she was thinking. But naturally, Misty was deaf to his protests and took him by the arm anyway.

"It'll be fine. You need to relax a little anyway!"

"But, Misty-"

"But nothing. It's my favorite song, now let's go!"

Ash unfortunately didn't see a way out of this. He stumbled along the shiny black surface that was the floor as Misty tugged him forward, his face burning up for a third time that night. His wits already sacrificed a great deal from his own minor mishaps, and now this was about to top it all off. That woman was going to be the death of him.

His first instinct was to run. Ash was never one to throw caution to the wind. But the same couldn't be said for the female in his company, for she all did was claim the dancefloor as if it was her own. She lifted her arms, holding them above her head while the rest of her swayed from side to side. He didn't know how she did it, but she was able to move in pace with the song without any of it appearing forced or vigorous. All he could do was stare in a fixated trance at the way she was compelling him to.

A backless dress and some beat up sneaks,
My disco tec Juliet teenage dream,
I felt it in my chest as she looked at me,
I knew we were bound to be together,
Bound to be together,

The strobe lights pulsed with the beats contained in the song, leaving Misty to momentarily blink away from sight every few seconds. But it wasn't strong enough to divide his attention, despite being bumped into by other dancing bodies. He couldn't take his eyes off of the woman in front of him, hardly daring to believe how the music was able to move her. It was a side of her that Ash hadn't seen before. And Misty was already someone who stood out against the rest, leaving him permanently blind to everyone but her.

She took my arm,
I don't know how it happened.
We took the floor and she said,

The lights were all over the room now, leaving no space in the club untouched by the colorful orbs. She was fully in his visage once again and she more than took notice. And soon enough, it was his hands she were grabbing onto before hauling him into the scene to join her. A part of him praised the heavens that she took the lead in this because he wasn't someone who would know where to start. He found himself drowning in her mysterious spontaneity and absorbed as much of it as he could. And that was more of a distraction than finding the nerve to dance on his own could ever be.

Come on, girl!

She took the hand she grasped and quickly pulled away before twirling underneath it. And then suddenly it was as if his arm had a mind of its own before pulling her back in at the last minute. This caught her off guard just as much as he caught himself off guard, and their faces were closer than they'd ever been in that moment. The look in her eyes confirmed what must have been in his, and the two were in their own world for that second.

Deep in her eyes,
I think I see the future,
I realize this is my last chance,

The deep seated affections that resonated in his chest were coming to a rise in that moment. She was tempting fate with every move she made, and Ash found himself powerless to try and stop it. Misty was the magnet and he was the Magnemite. The electricity between them was impossible to deny, and the force behind it was anything but relenting.

She took my arm,
I don't know how it happened.
We took the floor and she said,

Somehow, she ended up twirling back out from him again. Her hair was starting to fall from the place it previously was in, now slipping from the hairtie's concealment. Her face was also flushed and her eyes were sparkling with something all the lights above them never could.

By now, Misty's hair had almost slipped completely free from the ponytail. But that didn't stop her. It only flowed in sync with the rest of her on the spot. Ash was tempted to reach out and brush away the few strands that splayed over her face, despite how the tendrils that escaped made her appearance that much more endearing as she twirled about.

The lights in the area suddenly started to dim before going bright again as the song that was playing came to an end, and it wasn't until the place filled with applause that Ash even remembered there were other people around them. Brock was staring in half shock and amusement at the sight of his two friends in the middle of the dancefloor. Misty's face resembled the color of her hair once she came to a stop, suddenly shy at all the attention as if she too had forgotten where she was. But she accepted it graciously with a modest smile and left it at that. It was far more distracting to Ash than the sound all around them while everything else just fell away to background noise.

"You did it, Ash! See.. that wasn't so bad." Misty exclaimed breathlessly while she led him away from the dancefloor. He was lost for answers. The other people around them were beginning to disband too, some fanning out to catch their breath at the bar. Jumbled murmurs about the pair carried through the air with them as well.

"I.. uh.. yeah." Ash stupidly replied at the last second. But Misty didn't seem to notice his lapse in conversation as she looked over her shoulder. That was when she gave a brief tug on his sleeve before pointing toward the ladies restroom. "I'm going to fix my hair real quick, okay? I'll be right back."

And there she went, flitting off like the most elegant creature Ash had ever laid eyes on. He let his face relax, allowing everything that happened in the last few minutes to completely sink in. And it was that moment that Brock chose to approach him with the smuggest looking smile he'd ever seen. His arms were folded while his mouth was stretched in the widest, closed mouth grin, effectively disrupting his trance. Ash took one look at him before looking away, and spoke only two words to the guy who knew practically everything there was to know about him.

"Shut up."