(Hi, all! Now, for most notes, you can check the end now; just tidbits of info that I can't fit into the paragraphs. They're marked with an aterisk, or a (1) or (2), etc... Onward with the story! Azephere, my dear Weavile, disclaimer!

Aze: She doesn't own pokemon.)

The announcer yelled, "Welcome to Lavaridge Contest Hall! Are you ready for dazzling appeals?" The audience cheered. I rolled my eyes. "That's why we're here..." He called out the first name, which happened to be Dawn. She skipped out in that inane pink dress.

As I retched, making the others giggle, she threw her pokeball. "Piplup, spotlight!" The blue penguin flew out. He blew a stream of bubbles, showing us all with soapy sparks. I wrinkled my nose.

"Ew, wet." She recalled him to cheers, and she ran backstage. The announcer clapped, and announced a few more names. I saw a few kids who looked about twelve, and one kid, about eleven, maybe, with blonde hair.

He threw out a pokeball, and it appeared to be a female Mightyena. I was a bit surprised, but Crash was just staring at him with deadly intent. I sighed. It didn't look good for this kid if he faced Diva Destruction here...

Next, Ash. He nodded to that damn Pikachu, who Shuka-Rin growled at. As he appealed, I turned to May. "Do you know why he's here?" She shook her head.

"In Hoenn? No. But I guess that new girl he's with likes Contests." She looked pissed. Drew put a hand on her shoulder.

"May, forget them. You're so much better." We both stared at this comment, but May had the sense to keep her mouth shut. Mine was about to reach the floor, however.

This conversation lasted about two more appeals, until the announcer was yelling out Crash's name. She walked out, looking confident and proud. "Scourge! Swords Dance!" She yelled, tossing the pokeball. The Absol jumped down, and landed neatly.

Then, a ball of energy swirled out of him, and took the forms of seven swords, which slashed and fought around him. She nodded to him, and he jumped out, doing a backflip. The audience recovered from the shock of seeing a shiny, and cheered.

I grinned at Azrael, who appeared to have a small crush on our friend here... and Dresden looked jealous. It was strange, seeing them that way. After all, the only thing relating to it in the anime was that damn Buneary's crush on Pikachu. Ick. Eye twitching, I clapped at Crash's appeal. Harley didn't say anything, but he looked incredibly proud of his sister.

As she finished the appeal, the announcer called Harley, who grabbed Banette's pokeball. He strode out, and tossed the pokeball. Banette flew out.

"Shadow Ball, please." Harley asked Banette. Banette obeyed, and soon enough, the entire arena was covered in a blackish-purple shadow. I whistled. That must've taken a lot of power. Crash saw me staring, and grinned.

"Ah think he's pissed 'cause yah beat 'em in tha Contest." (A/N: Jesus H. Christ, she sounds like Anderson. (1)

I nodded. "Looks like it." He retracted the shadow, and said, "Fling!" I raised an eyebrow. "What the..." He ripped open his skin, and I clapped my hands to my mouth. "Harley, you ass—"

Banette threw out... stuffing. Yep. I relaxed. "He is a toy, after all." Drew reminded me. I nodded. "Right." Still a bit shaken as he returned to our ragtag group, I told him, "Okay, a bit more warning before you rip your pokemon apart?" He grinned at me. "You liked it?" I nodded, and congratulated Banette.

"Thank you, Lucy-friend!" He smiled at me. He looked so cool when he smiled. Like he was gonna eat you. I was watching intently as May appealed. She sent out Blaziken, who used Sky Uppercut, then came down to earth with Blaze Kick. I whistled. "Nice." Drew nodded. Bored, as Drew appealed next, I played with my lighter. "Flick. Flick." I repeated to myself.

It went out, then on. Out, on. Out, on. It was rather calming, and since our house lost electricity quite often, I'd bonded with flames. They had always been guardians and friends to me; they could protect with their searing flicker, but calm a sobbing child with their light and warmth. I suppose that's why I chose Szeren as my first starter. And then it hit me; I had never gotten her out of the PC.

Feeling incredibly guilty, I decided as soon as this contest was over, I would get her. But who to switch out with? I looked at Dresden and Azrael. They had apparently apologized to each other over the Scourge thing, and so I decided to let them stay in the Day-care for awhile.

They were such a cute couple. So I could get Szeren, and another. Sophonax might stay with me for a while longer; Szeren was her mom, after all. But I could worry about that later. Now, I had an appeal to make. They had all heard the news about the girl and her Dragonair, and were cheering my name as I tossed out Haushinka's pokeball.

"Dragon Dance!" I called.

However, what I got was far from expected. She swept me up, and held me on her body by telekinetic force. (2)

She then swept us up into the air, straight up. It took all I had not to scream. She twisted widly, right to left, whirling, twirling, and she let me grip her on all fours, like you would on a horizonal pole. She shot straight down, and straight up in a frenzied dance.

And through all of it, she was singing. A high, almost otherworldly, tune. Something that made me think of love and hate, life and death, hope and destruction, and everything ruled by them. It was maddeningly enchanting, this world that belonged to the creatures of myth and legend, and not me.

I wanted, needed this place to call me one of their own, more than I needed the blood that ran through my veins.

Haushinka was still spinning, in loops and short dives now.

I was screaming, now, but you couldn't hear me over the wind and the singing.

We went higher, and I knew then I had to jump into the world weaved in song, or die—

And then, abruptly, it stopped. We flew into the wings, amidst screaming and cheering. I got off her slowly.

She looked at me, and said quietly, "This is my world. This is the world you will come to know, in time." I was amazed. "When?" I asked her. She blinked at me with her great brown eyes. "In time."

I sighed. "Okay, fine." She chimed at me. Harley and the others rushed up. "You were fabulous!" Harley cheered. I nodded. "Thanks, Harley. Are they ready to start the battles?" He nodded. "Yup. Come out and see!"

We went out, and checked; Drew was fighting May in the first round. I got Ash. While I wanted Dawn, hopefully I'd get her later. Harley had Crash. I prayed she'd pwn Harley. Even if she only had one pokemon.

Everyone's appeals were dazzling. Drew won against May this time, as he sent out Roselia. I liked the way she battled. It reminded me of deadly nightshade personified

. May looked frustrated, and I swear I saw her muttering something about hating him for eternity, and burning in hell. I grinned. "Yeah, that'll last five minutes, tops." Harley slipped me a ten. "This says he gets her in bed." I rolled my eyes, but couldn't keep from laughing. "Retard." He flipped his hair, and huffed. "Oh, listen to you!" I sighed.

"Could you act like an airheaded bitch any more than you are now?" I muttered. He harrumphed, and stuck his tongue out at me. I flicked his nose.

"Behave, my Sweet Transvestite." As I walked away to grab a soda, I heard him process this comment. And then the inevitable... "HEY!"

Next, we had Dawn and some kid named Kenny. She beat him with Pachirisu quickly; he had a Prinplup. I rolled my eyes.

"She couldn't have gotten a pokemon that evolved, huh? Seriously. Floatzel's never gonna happen; it's not properly 'cute'." I took a breath, preparing for a rant.

"Buneary can't because of that damn yellow rat. Besides, Lopunny is a Playboy Bunny. This wouldn't hold over with the kids-friendly crap. (2.) And Empoleon for the same reason as Floatzel. Maybe Prinplup. MAYBE. And this is why I hate her."

I explained this angrily to a fascinated and slightly bemused Harley. I noticed he and Crash were next, after Dawn won. I cracked my knuckles. "Good. I'll get to face her."

Crash... suprisingly, pwned Harley. It was Cacturne versus Scourge, and he won in a matter of minutes, with a combo Aerial Ace/Flamethrower. I figured it was from a TM, but it was still so amazing to see a ten-year-old best her older brother at his own game.

I was cracking up when they returned, Crash and Scourge thrilled, Harley not. "I'm so glad mum got me tha TM before we left!" Crash said happily. Harley pouted, and muttered, "Evil." I grinned.

"Cheer up, Harley. You'll win as soon as we win enough Ribbons for a Grand Festival."

He unleashed a few choice swearwords at me, and as our pokemon stared in horror and twisted amusement, Crash wrote these swearwords down like someone who'd seen this before.

Quite often, in fact.

And, even though I'd only been here for about a week, I didn't doubt that.

(Okay, for notes.

One : Anderson is from an anime I love, called Hellsing.

Two: Haushinka is a Dragonair. She's gotta have some power like that. If not, sorry.)