"Nineteen! Contestant number nineteen, you're up!" a young man in a headset shouted, exasperated, no doubt, at the unending stream of contestants. A lady with long, blonde hair rose quickly, nearly tripping over her own feet, and hurried out of the waiting room with the man. Haruka sighed and stroked her Beautifly's cheek. She'd arrived late to sign up for the Pokemon Contest and, consequently, would be the last to make her appeal. It was an unfortunate place to be in; judges were tired of trainers parading their prized Pokemon up and down the stage with such parlor tricks as a juggling Mime Jr. or a dancing Ursaring.
"Don't worry," she assured one of her oldest companions,"We'll do great. Just like always." Haruka smiled and her Beautifly murmured softly in response, flitting about the small side room she was occupying. She wasn't feeling quite up to listening to fellow contestants fret about their "little darling's" misstep on stage. Her loss at the Wallace Cup still rung fresh in her memory. Her losing streak hadn't been broken and she felt her smile falter. Was she losing her touch? Maybe she should take another break to train more extensively... Her Beautifly landed upon her head and gave a concerned murmur. "I'm alright." she responded, trying her best to look confidant. She jumped a little upon heading footsteps enter the room, footsteps that sounded... familiar.
"Another rose for Beautifly?" she asked, closing her eyes and smirking. There was a pause, a slightly uncomfortable one, before someone cleared their throat and asked,"Are you talking to me, ma'am?" Haruka spun around in her seat and saw, to her utter horror, a janitor, mopping up some spilled soda just outside the doorway. A confused look played on his face, but the puddle of bubbles took presidence over the mistake of some girl. She turned away again and sighed. Her nerves were shot and a deep, twisted feeling crept up her stomach. Haruka placed her forehead in her hands and breathed deeply while Beautifly beat his wings, worriedly.
"I heard you took a beating at the Wallace Cup." a condescending voice announced, smooth as oiled silk. Haruka lifted her head from her palms and was suddenly nose-to-petal with a dark purple iris. She might have been flattered if it wasn't attached to the arm of her ever-critical rival. "Yeah..." Haruka admitted, looking away. Heat crept across her cheeks and her shame was evident. "It's such a shame, too," Shuu went on, smirking, "That Glaceon really does deserve a more skilled trainer. I mean, really, losing to such a newbie? With a Piplup, no less. Even a loser like you was smart enough to raise a new Pokemon rather than just using her starter." As he spoke, small tears built up in the corners of Haruka's eyes. Everything he said was right, as usual. It had been almost shameful to lose in the way that she had. She was better than that, Glaceon was better than that, and they both knew it. She opened her mouth to say something, to offer excuses to the contrary, but suddenly the flower was in her lap and a voice was tickling her ear. "But it would be an even bigger shame,"he whispered, "if you were to leave here empty-handed." With that, he was gone, as quickly as he had arrive.
When the man in the headset finally called for contestant twenty, he had to shout three times before it finally broke Haruka's stunned silence. She apologized, called Beautifly back into its Pokeball, and hurried onstage. The Johto announcer, Karen Meridian, stood center stage and announced that the last person to be appealing would be Haruka. The woman looked remarkably like her cousins, who also held the trade of contest announcer, but her hair was much longer, falling around her waist in large curls. As she backed off the stage and the arena echoed with applause, Haruka stepped forward, clutching her Beautifly's pokeball. "Okay,"she told herself, "Just take it easy." In her other hand she held the dark iris. The dainty flower gave her confidence and she felt emboldened. "Beautifly, stage on!" she shouted, throwing out her pokeball. The winged Pokemon exploded in the air, center stage, gleaming under the stage lights. Wishing to waste no time, Haruka issued her commands quickly.
"Use String Shot!" She called immediately. Her Pokemon obeyed, as they had practiced, and began shooting a long, silver string from its proboscus. The string went upwards, catching the light and sparkling, and, as it came down, Haruka quickly called out, "'Now spin!" Her Beautifly began to turn in the air, surrounding itself with the long cord of silk, though not getting stuck. Just as it seemed gravity would pull the sticky substance down and trap the insect, its master gave her next order. "Psychic!" she cried, and her Pokemon obeyed. Its eyes gave a brilliant blue glow and the silver thread followed suit. The sting hovered in midair and expanded outward, quickly forming a large spherical shape with Beautifly in it's center. "Silver Wind!" was the next order, to which Beautifly responded by furiously beating its wings, which shone a powerful silver, as silver blades flew forth, cutting up the string as they went outward from Beautifly. The Pokemon continued spinning, sending silver gusts out in all directions. The still-afloat strands of silver glowed phenominally and filled the airspace of the field. "Finish up with Morning Sun!" Haruka called out. Beautifly stopped its spinning and it's shooting of silken string. With a wavering cry, its body began glowing an almost blinding white. The floating bits of silvery silk reflected the light given off, making the entire arena light up in mesmerizing, silver-white light. When Beautifly stopped glowing, it floated prominently amidst a stage of falling, glowing, sparkling silk. The crowd exploded.
When things had settled after a moment or two, Karen went to the panel of judges. "And now, we hear what the judges have to say about that truly inspiring performance!" she said, enthusiastically. "It was simply amazing,"Mr. Contesta began. "It was so inventive to use such a basic move, such as String Shot, and really make it shine." Mr. Sukizo, the short man next to him, nodded in agreement. "Simply remarkable," he stated. Haruka felt her heart swell. "It really showcased the condition of the Pokemon,"Nurse Joy surmised, "A Beautifly with such strong silk and such gleaming wings must truly be well taken care of." Haruka grinned, holding her flower tightly, and exited the stage. "We will now take a short intermission," Karen announced, "After which, we will begin the Battle Round of the contest!"
During the brief break, the pictures of all the contestants who would be advancing to the second round were displayed on all the screens inside the arena. Haruka watched anxiously as portraits appeared, in order of points accumulated, on the screen. She swore under her breath when she heard the trainer with the dancing Ursaring squeal in delight to see that she'd made it. Six portraits were shown, then seven, then... There it was, Haruka's portrait. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and sat down slowly, trying to ignore the woman trying desperately to remove a tutu from her large partner.
"The last semi-final battle has just started, so please get ready for the final match." The man in the headset told Haruka, checking things off on his clipboard. His job was probably more difficult than she could fathom, trying to get everyone where they needed to be, when they need to be there. She took a sip of her water and nodded to her Glaceon, who was stretching on the couch beside her. Most of the contestants had already left to be a part of the audience. The woman with the Ursaring was outside, battling her Ludicolo with some guy's Manectric. She watched the battle commence on a large screen inside the waiting room. It started off one-sided, with Manectric attempting to end the match early with a stream of attacks, but Ludicolo was proving to be a solid opponent. She took another drink from her glass as she watched the match progress and was taken quite by surprise when she felt a body plop down beside her.
"Well, well, looks like our little flower made it to the end." Shuu said, flicking hair from his eyes. Haruka turned away, fiddling with the iris positioned in her kerchief, just above her left ear. She said nothing, knowing he would only steal the conversation away if she did. "That was certainly an innovative appeal. Where was that at the Wallace Cup, mm?" He smirked at her and she looked down, preparing for an onslaught of criticisms. She did not expect his hand on her chin, bringing her gaze back to his. "You shouldn't let a few losses get you in a rut. You know that," he chastised, though gently now, squeezing her chin between his thumb and forefinger.
"But I... With Glaceon... Battling is..." Haruka fumbled with her excuses, sending them tumbling out of her mouth like a waterfall. She opened her mouth to try and make sense of her words but, before she could make a sound, she tasted the warm sweetness of another mouth on hers. Her eyes went wide in shock, but she surprised herself by not moving. She felt something hot and wet graze her teeth before Shuu pulled back, smirking. "It's a tradition, in some places, to do that for luck." Haruka's face was aflame, she could feel it burning her skin like embers. "What?" he asked, mockingly, "Don't tell me that was your first one." He rose and strode out of the room while Haruka sat, stunned, in her seat, only moving when her glass tumbled from her limp fingers, shattering on the floor, startling both her and Glaceon.
"Hey! Didn't you hear me!" someone yelled as Haruka came back down to planet Earth, "The battle's over! Let's go!" Headset man was pulling at her wrist, grumbling about needing a raise if he was supposed to put up with space cadets like this chick.