Coral: So...
Jacob: So...
Coral: It's been a while.
Jacob: Yep.
Coral: I haven't updated this in so long.
Jacob: Nope.
Coral: Last I updated was in July.
Jacob: Yep. Any reason as to why you decided to come back to this story now after four months?
Coral: I think you know the reason.
Jacob: Shall I say it with you?
Coral: By all means. You did help me in making this chapter. Ah one, two...
Coral and Jacob: RWBY VOLUME 8 IS OUT!
Coral: Ah, RWBY... The reason for this story's existence! Well, one of the reasons, but still!
Jacob: And now that it is up, you're going to do some updates on this story like you used to?
Coral: Well, I'm halfway done with the one story/reason for the hiatus on my many other stories. This chapter is special, so as to commemorate the release of V8. ... Not the drink, Jacob.
Jacob: Did you have to say that?!
Coral: Hahahah. In any case, welcome back, readers! It is time to start this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, Pokemon, or the OCs. They all belong to their original creators.
*OPENING*
Don't be afraid of stuff you have never seen or done
(Crescythe approached a lake and was going to take a drink it when she felt her horn tingle)
Come on, future hero!
Let us all run with the winds at our backs
(She side stepped and avoided Ruby's attempt to tackle her from behind, as the trainer fell into the lake. Crescythe offered a paw to help Ruby out with a smile, in which she gladly accepted.)
(Instrumental)
(Camera faced the whole landscape of Kalos as title appears on the screen)
You've gotten more tan since the time we met
(Scene changed to Bermuda Island, with Vanessa exiting out of the portal, exhausted as she fell to her knees)
Clothes have gotten a bit dirty, but that's alright since it's more like you
(She looks up and saw all her friends and their Pokemon in front of her, smiling as Ruby and Jaune offered her a hand, in which she accepted in relief)
Even with bitter tears hidden under the hat
(Ruby sat along the coastline at a beach, looking down at her Mega Bracelet in sadness)
Look, the sun will dry them soon enough
(Crescythe tapped her nose against her back, causing her to turn and saw her Pokemon team standing behind her, and all her friends behind them. This made Ruby smile as she ran up to them all.)
Learning 'til we're tired
(Scene changed to the plains where the team are training their Pokemon, with Vanessa and Lyanne supervising, and Seth and Jackson preparing lunch.)
Playing 'til it's dark
(Scene changed to the group sitting around a campfire having dinner)
Let's chase the Rainbow Wing
(From another dimension, Lugia and Ho-Oh kept close eyes on the group, specifically some certain individuals)
The importance of voicing out my dreams
(Weiss is on stage with her Pokemon team as she performs with them)
That's what you've taught me
(Meloetta flew above them as she sang. She then started to glow and change shape)
Don't be afraid of stuff you have never seen or done
(In a sunny area, Team RWBY had their first Pokemon out and against Team CRDL's Pokemon, the girls' Pokemon unleashing Aerial Ace, Ice Beam, Dragon Claw, and Hyper Beam at the opposing Pokemon)
Come on, future hero!
Let us all run with the winds at our backs
(In another area, Team JNPR had their own Pokemon out against the Neo Team Flare's female scientists' Pokemon, the Huntsmen's Pokemon using Iron Head, Swift, Dragon Breath, and Flying Press on the enemy)
Do not ever forget the dream that you have always had
(Vanessa looked down at her armor in her hands, thinking about Nic, as the Dark Legendaries appeared behind her. She sensed their presence and turned, only to instead see Seth, Jackson, Leafeon and Lyanne behind her)
Come on, let us all get our backpacks ready and go
(This made her relieved as she placed her armor in her new bag and put it on her back, as she joined them and the rest of their friends.)
This is your adventure and nobody else's
(In the Pokemon Village, Wulric and Diantha stood in the middle of a group of Pokemon. Both then looked up to the sky as a gentle wind blew.)
Let's take a step forward
(Opening ends with the heroes atop a cliff as they looked down at the town below)
In Neo Team Flare's headquarters, RDL and the four scientists stood in the halls, staring at a room from the window. Specifically, who was in the room.
"How's Cardin?" Russel asked the girls, who went to check up on the unconscious patient in the room.
"He seems stable for now, but with what happened earlier, it's hard to tell," Mable answered.
"Especially when he's been affected by that dark energy Giratina had gave him the other day," Alaina added.
"What was that anyway? It even affected Dusclops," Dove questioned.
"For once, we actually don't know. This is a first for us, too," Celosia answered. "Whatever it is, it is definitely dangerous."
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Sky asked them. "This is our leader who's been infected by this! Granted, it did give him some kind of power-up, but it's like he was someone else."
"We can't say for sure. And something tells me Giratina isn't going to give us another visit. And even if those brats know a little more than we do about that weird power, the possibility that they'll actually tell us is practically zero," Bryony said.
"So what are we supposed to do? Stand by and let this thing make him worse?" Russel asked.
"Either that, or we find a way to put him in control of that power," Mable suggested.
"You really think something like that can be controlled? We have a better luck controlling a Legendary Pokemon," Celosia told her.
"Well we won't know until we find out for ourselves, wouldn't you say? Besides, it's better to have that under control than not knowing when it'll take over Cardin again and backfire on us."
"She has a point there," Bryony agreed. "And while we're not trying to find ways to keep that thing under control, you boys just do as you always do and hang around Cardin. Monitor his moves and behaviors."
"If you can keep him calm, too, that would be great," Alaina added. "Going on from what happened last time, if he gets excited, there's a big possibility that power will take over again."
The three members of CRDL looked to each other at the advice. While it sounded like doing nothing to them, they had to admit the scientists had some good points. Besides, as far as they knew, it was the best way to help Cardin at the moment.
Meanwhile, back in Route 18, the Remnant team all stood tall and watched, as Pyrrha and Freesk were facing off against a while Gurdurr that approached them a little earlier.
"Freesk, use Silver Wind!" Pyrrha ordered.
Freesk did as told and unleashed a strong array of wind at her opponent. The Gurdurr held his ground, however, and endured the attack.
"That Pokemon sure is tough..." Weiss stated.
"One of the reasons may be due to type disadvantage. Bug-type moves are no good against Fighting-types like Gurdurr," Jackson pointed out.
"But, with Silver Wind, all of Freesk's stats increased," Ruby pointed out, as the Butterfree glowed a red aura, indicating an increase in stats.
"Let's also not forget that Freesk doesn't only have Bug-type moves," Jaune added, as Gurdurr swung its beam at the said Butterfree.
"Psybeam!" At Pyrrha's call, Freesk unleashed a point-blank Psychic-type move at her opponent. The attack struck and knocked Gurdurr down on its back.
Lyanne went to check on the wild Pokemon's condition and saw that it had fainted. "Gurdurr is down and out!" he announced, causing everyone to cheer for Pyrrha and Freesk's win.
"Yes! That was awesome, Pyrrha!" Nora cried out.
"That was amazing!" Meloetta commented.
"She truly has grown since the last time I saw her. Back on Remnant, though she was known to be Invincible Girl, her skill in Pokemon Battles was just... And now look at her," Vanessa stated to Jackson and Seth, wiping away a single tear that formed in her eye.
"No offense, but you sound like some old lady saying that," Seth stated.
Vanessa let out a chuckle at that, before turning her attention to the scenery around her. "You know, I actually traveled down this route once before," she then said.
"You did? But I thought you have five badges," Jackson questioned, knowing that trainers usually weren't to travel to certain routes unless if they meet the required number of badges gained.
"I do, but it was for a more special case," Vanessa explained.
"Did it have to do with you getting to our world?" Ren asked, joining the conversation, as well as everyone else.
"Yeah. It's kind of a long story, though. What do you say we head back to town first? The Pokemon need to recover their strengths anyway, so I'll tell you guys about it then." No one argued against the idea, as they head back to Anistar City.
Once they made it back to Anistar City, the group made their way to the Pokemon Center to drop off their Pokemon, with Meloetta going invisible the moment they arrived to town. As they dropped off their partners, the group took a seat at the lounge, when suddenly...
"So rumors were true. You did come back," came a familiar voice.
They turned to the source and were surprised to see some familiar faces.
"Coco! Velvet!" Ruby called in glee.
"Yatsuhashi and Fox, too," Blake added.
"Hey, guys! It's been a while," Yang greeted.
"Not as long as our professor," Yatsuhashi pointed out, as Velvet caught Vanessa in a hug.
"We were so worried about you!" the faunus exclaimed. She broke out of the hug and inspected Vanessa. "Are you okay?! You're not hurt, are you?!"
"I'm fine, Velvet. Really, I am," she assured. "But, what are you guys doing here? I heard from the others that you've been staying in Laverre City."
"We came as soon as we got the news from Teams RWBY and JNPR. Even heard you were in the most serious condition. You seem quite fine, though," Coco pointed out.
"I was. But thanks to my recovered aura and some special treatment, I'm feeling peachy now."
"But I'm surprised you guys found time to get here. Especially Coco and Velvet," Jaune said. "I mean, yeah, this is big news, but I thought with your new fame here, especially in Laverre City, you wouldn't find the time to just take off over here."
"Actually, it just so happens we also have business in Anistar City," Yatsuhashi corrected, with Fox nodding in confirmation.
"You do? What for?" Pyrrha asked.
"What do you think?" Coco responded, looking out at the recovering city. "What happened to this city has become big news all over Kalos. People are both scared and worried about what happened here. As Huntsmen, it's our job to ensure the safety of the citizens."
No one could argue with those words, especially not when they were in the middle of the destruction, not when they had faced off against the ones responsible for the mess around them.
"When Valerie heard about what happened here, she said she wanted to do something to help, and thus made plans to come here. So when we asked her for some time off to see Vanessa, she invited us to come along to help rebuild Anistar," Velvet explained.
"Wow... Talk about a coincidence," Jackson stated. He then realized something and asked, "Wait, how is she planning on helping the town? At best, she could help with the construction work, but other than that, I don't really see how she can help here."
"Believe it or not, she'll have a fashion show set up here," Yatsuhashi answered.
"A fashion show?" the others echoed in surprise.
Coco let out a light chuckle at the confused tone. "Not entirely what you expect, is it? Then again, fashion designing is her strong suit, aside from Pokemon battles," she pointed out. "She believes that by putting on a show, it will help lighten up the citizens from the attack, bringing back whatever hope can be brought back from watching the show."
Weiss placed a hand on her chin in thought. "Shows do often set up the audience's mood. Though, I'm not so sure if it can be done," she stated.
"It will be done," came another familiar voice. The teens all turned and saw, to their surprise, the Fairy-type Gym Leader herself approaching them. "Ah will see to it that the show succeeds."
"Valerie?! You're really here, too?" Lyanne gasped.
"Indeed. Ah just got back from speaking to Olympia of mah idea. One in which she had approved." Hearing that baffled them even more.
"Olympia was all in on that idea?" Blake questioned, finding it hard to believe that a fashion show would make much of a difference for the people with the way things were.
"These people need to find something to believe in again, after what happened. Something that can spark up their hope for the future. Even if the town does get repaired, if the people constantly worry about what is to come, there'd be no point in all this construction. Olympia thought so, too, and is currently getting help in making preparations for the show."
When Valerie said it that way, none of the huntsmen found it in them to disagree with the thought, especially Ruby. After what happened in that battle against the Dark Legendaries, she, Crescythe, and Reaper had lost hope, which in turn, severed their bonds. Ruby couldn't begin to imagine what all the innocent people in Anistar are feeling after that horrendous battle.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" she then asked, surprising her friends, and even Valerie.
"Ruby, you want to help them out?" Yang asked.
"We can't just leave things as they are now! Valerie's right; these people need to find hope. You all saw, didn't you? Even though construction is getting done, a lot of civilians are still scared, both human and Pokemon. We have to do something to help, especially since we were the ones who battled and failed to stop the Dark Legendaries." As much as the others wanted to deny those words, they knew Ruby was right. Besides, they were Huntsmen-in-training. What kind of Huntsmen would they be to turn away from people in need?
"I'm in," Vanessa said, bringing all eyes on her.
"Are you sure, Vanessa?" Weiss asked.
"Of course. My Pokemon and I may have just recovered our strengths, but that doesn't excuse us from helping others who need it." At those words, the others found themselves agreeing to the idea even more.
"So, what exactly do you need help setting up with?" Jaune asked Valerie.
After offering their assistance, the Remnant team did what they could to help set up for the fashion show. Thankfully, there wasn't much left to set up, and the show was going to happen at night. While the boys were doing the heavy-lifting, as well as spreading word around about the upcoming event, the gym leader herself asked something of the girls, especially one girl.
"You want us to what?" Yang questioned the gym leader.
"And you want me to what?!" Weiss more gasped than questioned.
"Ah wish for yuh girls to act as models for tonight's show. And for Weiss to do a spectacular performance as the opening act," Valerie repeated, Coco and Velvet standing by her side.
"Sorry, but some of us aren't really model material," Blake declined, as well as glancing at a pair of girls amongst them who especially are not model-like.
"That sounds like fun!" Ruby exclaimed.
"I'm in! What are we wearing?!" Nora asked.
'Them confirming they want to be in it now concerns me...' Blake thought.
As if sensing her worries, Vanessa placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure it'll be fine," she assured. To Valerie, she then said, "We would love to help out however we could."
"Excellent! Then first, perhaps yuh girls can try on some clothes I had brought with me?" the gym leader requested, already pulling out a pair of furisode dresses. "I must see if I need to make adjustments to any of your likings."
"Okay!" Ruby and Nora cheered in agreement.
"Wait, don't we need to have a Pokemon based on the outfits we wear for the show?" Pyrrha realized.
"Don't worry. Ah made these outfits based on the Pokemon yuh used in the gym battle. Even the boys' Pokemon," Valerie assured. "Though ah assume some of your Pokemon may have evolved since then."
"A few of our Pokemon did," Ruby confirmed. "Is it going to be a problem?"
"Nonsense. Besides, with so many potential models, as well as the opening and closing act, ah suspect the show will last long enough, and give much hope to the people."
At those words, Vanessa raised a brow in confusion. "I don't know much about fashion shows, but aside from Weiss's part, isn't it going to just be a walk down the walkway with the Pokemon? And what do you mean closing act?" she asked.
"After the fashion show, Valerie selects a random person in the audience to do battle with," Pyrrha explained to her.
The blonde-banged girl was shocked to hear that. "Wait, really? That's not something that usually happens in a fashion show. Then again, Valerie is the gym leader."
The fashion designer took full notice of the girl for the first time, noting something odd about her. "Yuh there... Have we met before?"
"Huh? No, this is our first meeting," Vanessa answered. "I'm a trainer just like Ruby and the others. My name is Vanessa Pularis."
Valerie widened her eyes at the family name. "'Pularis'? By chance, would yuh be related to Nic Pularis?"
Though surprised she knew her brother, Vanessa could only guess it was because he had faced her once before and calmly replied, "Yes, I'm his sister."
"Ah. To think the girl Coco and the others were looking for was sister of a great trainer." Valerie approached Vanessa and looked straight into her eyes. Vanessa felt it was rather awkward for being looked so closely at, and wasn't sure how to react to this. "... Ah can see yuh have the same eyes as Nic."
"Yeah, we do."
"Seeing those eyes bring back memories of mah battle with him. He was quite memorable."
Those words intrigued the Remnant girls. "Oh, in what way?" Yang asked.
"He was quite strategic in battle. He bested many of mah Pokemon with that Arbok of his."
"Makes sense, since Poison-types have an advantage over Fairy-types," Coco noted. "But I'm sure you've encountered trainers who used that trick, too, right? What set him apart?"
"It was their bond, and their drive to win," Valerie answered. "Ah have never seen someone so determined to win. When it came down between mah Mr. Mime and his Arbok, he took many hits, despite mah Mr. Mime's Psychic hitting him over and over, but it was never enough. It was as if no amount of damage they took together was enough to put them down, and their tenacity bested me that day."
'Yeah, that makes sense,' Vanessa mentally told herself, looking down, proud and saddened by this. 'I guess my brother taught his Pokemon to take as much of a beating as he did...'
"Sounds like an amazing trainer," Velvet stated, looking from Valerie to Vanessa. "And I can see that in Vanessa, too. Especially considering what I believe the pain you must've gone through to make it back to us."
"Yeah... It was not easy to get back here," Vanessa admitted. "My Pokemon and I did have to go through a whole ton."
While the majority of the Remnant team understood and could vouch after seeing her condition upon her returned what she meant, the two girls of CFVY looked rather guilty.
"Hey, listen, Vanessa," Coco spoke up, looking really ashamed of herself behind her sunglasses. "We're sorry for not looking for you like the others did. I told myself that if we stayed with Ms. Valerie, information of your whereabouts might come to us if we did the shows and listen in on rumors from fans. But... I guess I was only fooling myself, and just stuck around because I wasn't sure of myself."
"We all felt that way," Velvet assured her leader. "We were very insecure about our ability to explore this unknown world to find you, not knowing where we or where you were. We're so sorry."
"You don't have to apologize," Vanessa assured them. "Besides, you guys couldn't have found me even if you tried. I'm sure you were told already but, I was in another dimension, after all."
"Yeah. It was pure luck we managed to find her," Ruby added. "So don't go beating yourself up about it."
"And besides, I like to see that you guys are trying out new experiences in this world," Vanessa finished, smiling at them. "Fashion does sound right up your alley, Coco. And Velvet, you really do have the looks of a model. And you guys have learned more about Pokemon, too, yeah?"
"Of course we did!" Velvet answered. "Valerie has been a great teacher to us, both in modeling and Pokemon. She even guided us in catching a few additions to our team."
"Then as your teacher, I have no complaints. As long as my students were still learning, you have nothing to feel bad about."
The Remnant Team giggled at Vanessa, as did Valerie. Truly, when she got back to becoming a teacher, it was nostalgic, and rather amusing. The two girls smiled back at Vanessa, glad to see that she was so willing to forgive and forget.
Valerie clapped her hands together, grabbing everyone's attention. "Ah do believe we should get back to preparing for the fashion show." She looked over to the Remnant trainers. "Ah'll give yuh the basics on how to be great fashion models. Hope yuh are faster learners."
Day turned to night, as many people gathered around by the sundial, where the fashion show was said to take place. A walkway was set up for the models to walk on and show off the new trend.
"With the situation going on, I didn't expect so many people to actually gather," Jaune admitted to the rest of the boys, as they stood on standby as the backstage crew. Or in this case, sidestage crew.
"Aside from the fact that this event is being held by a Gym Leader, Olympia helped in spreading word around town. Having two Gym Leaders involved is making this event that big a deal than it should be," Seth explained.
"There's also the fact that some of these people are already fans of Coco and Velvet," Ren pointed out, noticing a small group of fanboys amongst the crowd.
"Those two really made big names for themselves here, didn't they," Jackson stated in amazement. "Honestly, after hearing about how faunus are often treated in your world, I wouldn't be surprised if Velvet chose to stay in this one."
"To be honest, Coco might, too, considering the fact that she's living her fashionista dream," Yatsuhashi added, with Fox smirking and nodding in agreement.
"What about you two?" Seth asked.
"Even if we'll just be Pokemon Trainers here, I think I prefer staying in this world with the girls. Not only are we a team, but here, I don't have to worry about idioms offending anyone. Due to how faunus are usually treated back in our world, I often say things that sound offensive when I never meant to."
The rest of the guys understood what he meant. Jaune and Ren saw for themselves how faunus were often treated, and Seth and Jackson had heard of the treatment towards them. Jackson, especially, saw firsthand, after what Cardin did to Blake.
The engineer/inventor turned to Fox and asked, "What about you? Staying like the others?"
Fox simply nodded in confirmation.
"It's almost time," Ren informed, as he looked at the time on a clock. "We should get ready."
The others nodded and went to do their part of the showbiz.
(Insert: 'Face My Fears' by Hikaru Utada (0:00-1:24 and 3:00-3:30))
On the makeshift stage, music was being heard, lights were turned on, and Weiss stood in the center, dressed in a furisode based off a Masquerain with Spew, Pythia, and Aurora by her side.
"Spew, Stun Spore. Aurora, Mist," the performer simply told her Pokemon.
The Icy Snow Vivillon flew over his trainer and comrades' head, spreading yellow dust all over, as the Aurorus spread mist all over the field. As they did so, Weiss and Pythia slowly danced along the field with the music, the latter with her stick lit in flames. When the song started to speed up a bit, so did their dancing, as Spew did an aerial dance alongside them, and Aurora was lightly dancing along in the background.
"Magic Coat and String Shot!" At Weiss's call, once the music started to have a pop feel, Pythia called upon multiple barriers in the air, in which Spew shot a multitude of his String Shots at, forming makeshift curtain sashes above them. "Freeze-Dry!" Aurora followed it up by charging an orb of light blue energy in front of the crystal on its head, and fired it at the String Shot. The orb dispersed upon contact, and beautifully froze the web. The sight of it caught many audience's attention, as Weiss and her Pokemon continued to dance to the upbeat music.
"Psybeam and Aurora Beam!" Just as the music started to slow down, Spew and Aurora both unleashed their respective attacks and struck the frozen String Shots. Not only did the combined attacks break the webs, they also displayed a wonderful, rainbow-colored aurora in the air, awing the crowd even more. "Ember!" Pythia then shot multiple fireballs up above, all which exploded into fireworks, and thus amazed the people much more. The three Pokemon and one performer then posed, ending the act. "Finish!"
At those words, the audience applauded at the performance shown to them, all fears and despair lost.
On the sidestage, the rest of the girls peeked from behind the sundial, where they were to be on standby, and were amazed at Weiss's part of the show.
"Wow..." Velvet breathed out. "We watched her performance on tv, but to see it in real life... Wow..."
"Weiss truly fits into this world's customs," Coco stated, sunglasses propped on her head.
"I know you guys said she's a performer in this world, and that she has two Princess Keys, but even I'm amazed to see how far she's gotten during her time here," Vanessa said. "If only Zetta sees this... She'd be proud as her mentor."
The rest of the Remnant Team looked down at those words, reminded of what became of the girl.
"That reminds me, if you're back, why isn't Zetta?" Coco asked. "Was she sent in a different dimension, or did she...?"
"No, of course not," Vanessa answered. "It's just..."
"Thank you all for coming, everyone!" came Weiss's voice. "Welcome to Valerie's special fashion show!"
"We'll explain after. We have a show to do." The way Vanessa ended it, Velvet and Coco both knew something must've happened to Zetta. Not just from their young professor's tone; but also from how their juniors are acting. Curious as they were about Zetta's case, they decided to let the topic slide for now.
"Now how about we start the main show?" Weiss asked the audience, all who cheered at the suggestion. "Then let's start with the first model! Come on up!"
"Oh! That's me!" Ruby gasped. "Come on, Sickle!"
Her Kabutops, already out of his Pokeball with several other Pokemon, wordlessly nodded and followed his trainer out to the stage.
"I still can't believe this happened while we, Pokemon, were recovering at the Pokemon Center," Crescythe said to the group, watching her trainer and comrade leave.
"Same here. Then again, this is a good thing for the people," Leafeon pointed out.
Lyanne looked to Vanessa, who was the only girl wearing her casual clothes. "You sure you don't want to join?" she asked.
"I'm good. I'm not really into that stuff," Vanessa answered.
Ruby and Sickle walked to the end of the catwalk, showcasing the former's brown and black furisode with yellow sleeves, based off of Kabuto, and waving to the crowd watching them. Well, one of them was waving, while the other simply remained neutral, not even glancing at the audience. Despite the lack of emotion, just the fact that they were seeing a Pokemon said to be extinct was enough to wow them. Once they got to the end, Ruby spun about, showing off the furisode in full, before standing to the side with Sickle.
Next to walk up was Yang, who donned an orange furisode with a blue and red sash around her waist, her hair up in a ponytail, and Emburn walking next to her. Both were waving cheerfully to the crowd, even doing some poses for them, before taking a spot on the other side of the end of the catwalk.
After Yang was Lyanne, who was wearing a yellow and green furisode with Leafeon walking by her side. Like Yang and Emburn, they also waved to the crowd as they walked, and stopped right next to Ruby.
Blake in a black and light blue furisode, her sleeves light blue with yellow stripes, and her hair in low twin tails, held in star hair ties. Walking by her side was Lux, looking at the crowd in pride. Like the other three pairs, they also took a spot at the end of the catwalk.
This confused the civilians, as they knew usually in a fashion show, models would walk back once they've reached the end of the catwalk. So why didn't they?
"Sickle, Bubble Beam!" Ruby followed up, as her Kabutops blew out powerful blue bubbles from his mouth. The bubbles floated all over the area, reflecting the sunlight, as pretty blue colors covered the field, quite similarly to a disco.
"Lux, Discharge!" Blake was next to call a command, in which her Luxio obliged to, as he released multiple bolts of yellow electricity at the bubbles. The Spark Pokemon managed to hold back the much of his attack's power, as the electricity from the Discharge wrapped themselves around the bubbles rather than destroying them.
"Okay, Emburn! Mach Punch!"
"Leafeon, Iron Tail!"
At Yang and Lyanne's order, the Playful and Verdant Pokemon took it into the air and swiftly punched or whacked some of the electrified balls. Whether the pair held back the force of their attacks like Lux had or the electricity provided some kind of defense to the bubbles, or maybe it was a mix of them, no one knew, but upon making contact with them, rather than breaking the bubbles, they were knocked to some other electrified bubble. Once the hit bubbles made contact, that was when they popped, and spread pretty-looking sparks and water droplets out, whereas the second bubble was knocked into the next electrified bubble. This began a chain reaction of bubbles popping and spreading beautiful sparks and droplets all over the stage, much like a firework.
The fact that they did their own mini-performance of sort was enough to wow the audience. The only ones still surprised were the male Remnant team.
"Whoa! I didn't know that was going to be a part of the show!" Jaune gasped.
"That's because it originally wasn't," Yatsuhashi said.
"Guess the girls wanted to make this show a little more memorable for the crowd," Ren assumed.
Jackson and Seth said nothing, as both only stared at their girlfriends in their new outfits. '... I'm in love all over again...' they thought.
With their part of the show over, the four girls retreated back for the next act to come. Nora was the first to go out, wearing a fiery, orange and black furisode with Pigpen walking behind her. While the latter was simply waving to the crowd, the former was energetically greeting the audience, up until they got to the end of the catwalk, where they stood to one side.
Following them was Pyrrha in a blue and yellow furisode, a red sash around her waist, as she walked and waved to the audience with Vulcan walking and waving with her. Like Nora and Pigpen, once they got to the end, they also stood to one side.
Next to walk down was Coco, who was in a yellow furisode with silver linings and a purple sash around her waist. Walking, or rather hovering, down by her side was none other than Jaune's Aegislash, Excalibur, who was being borrowed for the event.
"I must say, I never thought milord would ask me to do this," he whispered to Coco.
"I don't think he ever thought he'd have his Pokemon borrowed for anything," she whispered back. "Still, this is to help ensure the people for a bright future. I'd say that's just and honorable enough, wouldn't you say?"
If Excalibur had a mouth, he'd smile at the point she made. "Indeed." The two took their place next to Nora and Pigpen.
Last to walk up was Velvet, who wore a dark blur furisode with a yellow sash, and a blue wide brim fedora on her head. Walking by her side was Ren's Heracross, Hercules. Upon her entrance, less than half the audience went wild upon seeing her, no doubt her fans.
Back on the side stage, one the girls' side, Vanessa was surprised to see the reaction, as well as Velvet's current action. "I know Velvet has the looks of a model, and you guys said she became famous enough to have fans, but to actually see it for myself... I feel more proud of Velvet than ever before, especially considering how she usually was back in Remnant," she said, wiping away some tears that formed in her eyes.
"If I can be honest, out of all of us, I think Velvet has had the biggest change and improvement since coming to this world," Ruby stated, in which Yang and Blake both nodded in silent agreement.
"She's certainly no longer the shy faunus we all knew," Crescythe stated. "Bet if she sees CRDL again after so long, she won't be as reserved to fight back against their bullying as she used to."
"That's going to be the biggest improvement yet," Vanessa could only say.
Back on stage, as soon as Velvet and Hercules took their spot, they, Coco, Pyrrha, Nora, and their Pokemon got started on their part.
"Pigpen, give us a good Rollout!" Nora exclaimed.
The Emboar did as requested and curled his body up into a ball, rolling in place before heading over to Velvet and Hercules.
"Bring him up with Megahorn!" Velvet told the Single Horn Pokemon. The Heracross quickly got into position and bent down, lowering his head. Once Pigpen was close enough, he instantly flung the Fire-type into the air.
"Keep him up, Vulcan! Eruption!" Pyrrha called out.
"Finally! Time to try out this new move we learned the other day!" the Typhlosion gleefully said, positioning himself under the rolling Emboar above him. The red spots on his back lit up in flames, and with a battlecry, he unleashed a geyser of flames from his back at Pigpen, keeping the Pokemon in the air, as he continued to roll in place, glowing an orange color from the heat.
"Higher up! Full blast!" Vulcan happily obliged to Pyrrha's command and increased the output behind his attack, sending Pigpen higher up.
"Time for the finale, wouldn't you say?" Coco asked Excalibur.
"I await your command," he simply said.
"Then get to it." With a nod, Excalibur flew to Pigpen.
Taking that as a cue, Pyrrha and Nora shouted out their next, respective command. "Okay, stop!/Heat Crash!"
At their call, Vulcan ended his move, causing Pigpen to come crashing down. The Mega Fire Pig Pokemon surrounded himself in a sphere of yellow-orange flames, as Excalibur made it under the guy.
"King's Shield!" At Coco's call, the Aegislash went into his Shield Form and a barrier of light blue hexagonal shapes appeared in front of him.
The two attacks collided, and next the audience knew, hot orange shockwaves were sent out from the clash. The bright colored wave in contrast to the nightly atmosphere amazed the audience, as they applauded for the act.
With their part of the show done, the four girls and their Pokemon also left the catwalk, the lights dying down. Seconds later, the lights came back on, and Valerie and Olympia both stood there. The sight of the two gym leaders got the people cheering upon their presence.
"Wow. Guess Valerie really is that famous, even outside of Laverre City," Jaune said, amazed by the reaction.
"Same with Olympia. She truly has the people's respect," Ren stated.
"True. But I think it's more because of the previous performances," Yatsuhashi told him. "Had they both shown themselves from the beginning, it may not have as big of an effect as now."
"He's right," Jackson agreed. "The others built up this excitement. And now, for the grand finale."
"Everyone, thank yuh all for attending mah special show today!" Valerie spoke. "Ah heard of what happened in this city days ago, and ah know that times now is tough, especially after seeing the damage for mahself. However, even so, then what? Although the damage done to this city is horrible, yuh all are still alive, are you not? Yuh all still have lives to live, don't yuh?"
"It is because you are all still alive that you must live!" Olympia continued. "Stop brooding over the past, and look forward to the future! Yes, just like the marvelous performances done by these spectacular trainers! Life can be dangerous, but it can also be a wonderful thing! That is why, instead of moping in despair for what may happen in the future, take a first step, challenge it, overcome the obstacles, and strive for the good that is to come!"
The audience cheered at the speech the two gym leaders gave, moved by their words.
"The show's going really well," Vanessa said from the sidelines.
"If I recall, doesn't Valerie's fashion show end with her battling someone? Is she going to apply that to this show, too?" Ruby asked.
"She might, but the audience might not be ready to have a battle quite yet," Coco said.
"Now then, what do yuh say we end this show with a wonderful finale?" Valerie asked the audience, who all replied with cheers. "Then, let us start the finale... The time when the clothes ah design shine most!"
While the crowd sounded excited at the announcement, the models in question and helpers were shocked to hear that.
"This is the part when she chooses an opponent to do battle with, right? I wonder with who," Vanessa wondered.
As if to answer, a spotlight was lit up for her.
"The one to do battle with Valerie will be this person!" Olympia called, getting more cheers from the audience, while the girl herself was in pure shock with the revelation.
"Wait, what?! Me?!" Vanessa gasped. "But, I thought it's against someone in the audience?!"
"Don't question the gym leaders. Just go," Coco said, pushing her young professor up to the stage.
Soon enough, the girl stood face-to-face with the two Gym Leaders before her. Even if she wasn't facing them as a challenger, to stand before them was quite unnerving enough.
"I assume I'm chosen to do battle with you," she questioned.
"Yes. And no," Valerie answered, to the confusion of many minus Olympia.
"You're chosen to do a Tag Battle against Valerie," the Psychic-type Gym Leader explained and announced, now surprising them all.
"A Tag Battle?!" Ruby gasped.
"That didn't happen before," Yang said.
"This is news to us, too," Velvet stated.
"But, isn't a Tag Battle two-on-two? Who are their partners?" Pyrrha asked.
"Normally, ah'd do single battles against mah opponent in mah fashion shows, but tonight's a special occasion. Yuh and ah shall choose our tag team partner and do battle on this stage. Naturally, if you win, you and your partner will receive a gym badge," Valerie said.
"S-Seriously?" Vanessa asked. A thought came to her mind, as she glanced at her friends. "What if the person already has a badge?"
"In the case that they already have a badge... That's something ah will to later with that person," Valerie answered, her smile still on her face.
"Okay... Then I will pair with Nora."
The bubbly girl of JNPR was surprised at her choice. "Me?!"
Vanessa turned to her. "Of course. I don't know any other Nora but you."
Nora smiled at this and ran to her side.
"In that case, ah will partner up with mah own disciple. Coco," Valerie called.
Coco smiled at the call, dropping her sunglasses down to cover her eyes. "With pleasure," she said, walking over to the gym leader.
With their partners chosen, the opposing trainers stood on either side of the stage. Olympia stood between the two pairs, acting as referee.
"The Tag Team Battle between Valerie and Coco and Nora and Vanessa will now commence!" the Psychic Gym leader called. "Each trainer will use one Pokemon! The battle ends when one side's Pokemon are all unable to battle! Trainers, call your Pokemon!"
"Come out, Sylveon!"
"Stella, show your stuff!"
"Let's go, Blue!"
"Mawile, time for battle!"
The four girls called out their Pokemon, all whom were ready to battle.
Blake's eyes widened slightly upon seeing Stella, and not just because she was a dog-like Pokemon. "Stella looks different," she noted, hiding behind Yang.
"Wasn't that Pokemon while and yellow before?" Yang wondered. "Also, Blake, you're hurting my arm with that grip."
Pyrrha took out her Pokedex and pointed it at the Furfrou. "Furfrou, the Poodle Pokemon. Trimming a Furfrou's fluffy fur not only makes it more elegant but also increases the swiftness of its movements. Historically, in the Kalos region, these Pokemon were the designated guardians of the king."
"The Furfrou on the Pokedex is different from Stella," Pyrrha noted.
"That's because that's what Furfrou normally looks like before they get their fur trimmed," Velvet explained.
Ruby took a peek at Pyrrha's Pokedex for any additional information on the Pokemon. "Oh! It says here that a Furfrou's fur will revert back to normal after five days passed since its trim," she informed.
"So then, she got a new trim?" Yang asked.
"Yep. A Star Trim, to be exact," Velvet confirmed.
Olympia looked to both sides and, upon seeing the trainers and Pokemon alike were prepared, shouted, "Battle begin!"
"Nora, we'll strike first!" Vanessa said.
"Got it! Blue, Water Gun!" Nora called.
"Okay!" The Marill fired a spiral of water from her mouth at the opposing Pokemon.
"Mawile, power up with Swords Dance!" At Vanessa's call, Mawile summoned blue illusionary swords around herself and boosted her attack power.
"Sylveon, use Quick Attack!" Valerie told her partner.
"Stella, Sucker Punch!" Coco told her own partner.
"Right," the two simply responded, as they quickly moved away from their spot and struck their opponents; Stella to Blue and Sylveon to Mawile. Both their attacks were quite powerful, they pushed Blue and Mawile back some.
"Mawile! Blue!" Vanessa called out.
"Are you two okay?!" Nora asked.
The two of them slowly got back up, grimacing slightly in pain. "Yeah. We're okay," Blue answered.
"Whoa! What the heck?!" Seth gasped, surprised at the Poodle and Intertwining Pokemon's speed.
"Those two are bladin' faster than the last time we saw them battle!" Jackson exclaimed.
"Coco had been asking Valerie for some training ever since she lost that battle against you. Even observed her battles against trainers. Both the fashion show battle and her gym battles," Yatsuhashi explained. "All that training even helped Valerie's Pokemon become stronger."
"Clearly..." Ren breathed out, believing those words.
"We need to strike back. Mawile, use Feint Attack on Sylveon!" Vanessa said.
"Blue, give us a good Bubble on Furfrou!" Nora followed.
The pair did as ordered and went to attack their respective opponents. Valerie glanced at Coco, who glanced back with a nod.
"Stella, Cotton Guard!"
"Sylveon, get close to Stella!"
"Mentor!" Stella cried out to Sylveon.
"I'm counting on you!" the Intertwining Pokemon said, dashing to the Poodle Pokemon, as she glowed a white aura.
Once Sylveon was close, before Mawile could land a hit on her or the Bubble to Stella, the Furfrou covered the pair in multiple white cotton balls, concealing them. This surprised the Deceiver Pokemon, as she struck the soft barrier. Mawile felt something got hit from her attack, and assumed it to be her opponent. Next she knew, she saw some familiar feelers extend out the cotton and deflect the Bubble attack. The cotton slowly disappeared in a puff of smoke, where she saw, instead of her Fairy-type opponent, she struck the Normal-type one instead, who was barely fazed by the attack.
"Doesn't hurt," Stella said with a smirk.
"Zen Headbutt/Swift!" At Coco and Valerie's's call, Stella's head glowed blue and she slammed her head right at Mawile, while Sylveon summoned and fired stars right at Blue.
"Quick! Escape with Splash!" Nora cried out to her Marill.
Blue hastily got on her blue tail and bounced upward. However, as she bounced up, the Swift turned upwards and still struck its target.
"Huh?! How?!" Nora gasped in surprise.
"Swift is a move that never miss. I thought you know that," Vanessa told her. From the way she flinched, though, it was clear that Nora forgot. "Nora... I will talk about reeducating you later. For now, Mawile, Crunch!"
"Blue, Water Gun again!"
Mawile recovered from the headbutt and glared back at Stella. "Oh, you're going to pay for that!" she exclaimed, turning around with her black jaws wide open to bite the Furfrou hard.
As for Blue, she unleashed another dose of water from her mouth at Sylveon.
"Sucker Punch/Quick Attack!" Coco and Valerie called out to their respective Pokemon, in which both obliged to.
Stella swiftly moved away from the jaws and appeared right before Mawile once more and struck a paw out, knocking her back to Vanessa and Nora's side. As for Sylveon, she dashed onwards to the Marill, avoiding the Water Gun and tackled her over to the opposing side as well.
"Mawile/Blue!" Vanessa and Nora cried out in worry.
The Deceiver Pokemon rubbed the spot Stella struck and got back up. "Okay... Now I really don't like her," she said.
"Oh, that hurts..." Blue groaned, weakly getting back up.
Nora was baffled at this. She knew Sylveon was strong from the last time she battled her, but it then came to her mind two important things. One was that Sylveon was truly stronger than last time, and the other was that Blue has the least amount of battling experience. Yes, she did train with the other Pokemon, but in terms to having actual experience in battling, she has the least amount of it. 'I can't believe I neglected something as important as that!' Nora thought. 'Now because of my mistake, we're going to lose!'
Vanessa, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel proud by Coco's Pokemon Battling skills. 'Wow... When Velvet said Valerie had been a great teacher to them in Pokemon, I didn't think it was to this extent,' she mentally admitted. 'It kind of feels like I'm facing against an Ace Trainer. No... A gym leader.' She gave her cheeks a hard slap, pumping herself up some. 'Time to step up my game!'
Before she could give Mawile another command, Nora suddenly shouted, "Ohmygosh! This is really, really bad!"
Vanessa turned and saw her partner with her hands placed on her head and shaking it with worry. "Nora, calm down!" she told her. "We can bounce back from this."
"But they are really strong! And I know you are strong, but I realize Blue and I haven't been training hard enough, not like how I do with all my other Pokemon-"
"Nora."
"-and I just had to use Blue in this Double Battle, and more importantly, a Gym Battle, and I will only hinder you-"
"Nora!"
"-and it'll be my fault you can't get your next badge, and I'll be a bad example on the team because I got a badge from her before, but now I'll lose, and that'll make everyone think I won on a fluke and-"
"NORA VALKYRIE, SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Vanessa's roar silenced not only just Nora's frantic speech, but also everyone else around them, even stopping the fight for a moment.
Nora's eyes veered to Vanessa, whose expression told her she had enough of her talking, and she should shut up for a moment. The same look when one of her students back at Beacon was being rude to her or her peers. The one that scared the Remnant trainers the most.
"First of all, might I remind you that those who lose their heads in the middle of a battle are guaranteed to lose?" Vanessa started. "Secondly, you are not hindering my chances at a victory. I chose you to be my partner in this fight, and that's it. Finally, it's okay to understand what you have done wrong, like lacking training Blue to be properly prepared for this fight, but pondering on that during a battle will easily stop you from making sound judgements. Just keep fighting with all you have in the moment!"
"But..." Nora started. "This is basically a fight for YOUR gym badge! I don't want to be the reason you aren't able to catch up to us. Plus... we are your students. I want to make you proud."
"Nora, I understand you are thinking about me and wanting to make sure I am able to get my next badge, but fretting with worry will only make me feel worse than losing one measly fight. Besides, it's not like this is an official gym match. I can go back to Laverre City any time for a proper battle and gain my badge that way. Plus, look at Blue!" She pointed to Nora's Marill, in which Nora herself turned and saw Blue with a worried expression on her face, while Mawile was still looking strong and determined. "Blue is worried... because you are worried. If you feel like a failure, then your Pokemon will also feel the same. Stay strong, and don't give up so easily. Otherwise, you WILL make me a disappointment as a teacher for not teaching you something so basic."
Nora looked down, realizing she was worried about everything the wrong way. She was scared that she would be the disappointment for Vanessa, as well as Blue, but the fact was she wasn't suppose to act that way. If she felt she would fail, so would others around her. That's why she had to keep up her happy-go-lucky personality even when at a disadvantage. Now was not the time to worry; now was the time to give everything she and Blue had, so they could give Vanessa a fighting chance.
She tensed herself up, before slapping her cheeks hard, which practically created a shockwave, and even made her aura flicker from the force. This surprised some of the group. She then lowered her hands and glared at Valerie and Coco, their Pokémon, then growled, "Okay. I'm ready!" she growled, "I know Blue and I should train harder after this, but right now, we'll be the best damn pair to work with you so you can get your badge, Teach!"
"That's the Nora, I know," Vanessa responded with a smile, looking back to their opponents. "Apologies for the wait. My student just needed a wake-up call."
"Ah was not worried," Valerie answered. "In fact, it was very refreshing to see such a moment in one of mah battles."
"You really still are a teacher to us, Vanessa," Coco stated, peering over her sunglasses. "I'm glad you haven't lost your tough love teaching."
"Of course I haven't. Now let's get back to the battle!" Vanessa exclaimed.
"Yes ma'am! Blue, you hear her?! Time to give it all we got now!" Nora called to her Marill.
Hearing the confidence in her tone, Blue's worried expression turned to that of determination. "I hear you, Nora. From now on, our playtime is going to get even more rough!" Next everyone knew, the Marill started glowing a familiar blue light. This surprised and amazed the people watching, as Blue started to grow in height, and her ears beginning to grow longer. Once the light faded away, Blue stood in her new, fully evolved form. Her body was blue and ovoid, with the bottom half of her body being white with white bubble-like patterns above it. Her ears are now similar to that of a rabbit's, rather than that of a mouse.
"Whoa! What timing!" Jaune gasped out.
"Blue's evolved into Azumarill!" Jackson identified.
Ren took out his Pokedex and pointed it at Blue's new form. "Azumarill, the Aqua Rabbit Pokemon. Its long ears are superb sensors. It can distinguish the movements of living things on riverbeds. The bubble-like pattern on its stomach helps it camouflage itself when it's in the water."
Nora was the most shocked at the development. Slowly, her shocked expression changed, as her mouth started to curl upwards, and she felt some blood rushing to her head. "WHOO-HOOO!" she then cheered. "All right! Now we're getting all fired up!"
"This is quite the development," Valerie spoke, amazed with the timing herself.
"But this doesn't change anything much, does it?" Coco asked, recovering from her surprise.
"That indeed. In fact, it only makes things more interesting. Sylveon, use Dazzling Gleam!"
"Stella, Zen Headbutt!"
Sylveon jumped into the air and unleashed bright light from her body, forcing Mawile and Blue to shield their eyes from the brightness, while Stella charged at the pair with her glowing, blue head.
"Mawile, get prepared for Crunch!" Vanessa called.
"Blue, Splash up!" Nora followed.
While Mawile turned her back to Stella, her back jaws open to catch her opponent should she choose to attack her, Blue didn't do as she was told. "When I said playtime is going to get more rough, I mean it!" she shouted. The tip of her tail then glowed light blue, and a powerful stream of water spiraled around it, as she turned and whipped her tail at the oncoming Stella, surprising the Furfrou as she took a direct hit from the move. That's not all, for when the Azumarill whipped her tail around, she also unleashed a jet of water from the spiral right at Sylveon, thus striking her and cancelling out her Dazzling Gleam.
"Whoa! What was that?!" Ruby gasped out.
"That looks like... an Aqua Tail?! And an incredibly strong one at that," Lyanne answered.
"Well, looks like our new bunny learned a new move with her evolution," Yang said.
"And since it's a physical attack, combine it with her Huge Power ability..." Weiss trailed off.
"Vanessa and Nora may have a chance!" Velvet exclaimed.
Stella got back on all fours, shaking her head from the surprise hit. "Did not see that coming..." she muttered.
"Careful, Stella. With that new move, it's going to be tougher to beat them now," Sylveon advised.
"Right."
"Things just got a little more troublesome..." Coco stated, specifically due to the new move Blue learned.
"True. But as yur teacher said, pondering on about things in the middle of battle will hinder yuh," Valerie said. "Take this as a learning experience. In battle, anything can happen!"
"Right!"
"That said, Sylveon, Swift!" At the Gym Leader's call, Sylveon unleashed her starry attack at Blue and Mawile.
"Knock those away, Blue! Aqua Tail!" Nora shouted. The Azumarill happily did as told, as she swung her water-covered tail at the oncoming attack, knocking the stars away, and shooting out another jet of water at Sylveon.
"Defend Sylveon! Cotton Guard!" Upon Coco's command, Stella stood in front of the Intertwining Pokemon and covered herself in her cotton armor, blocking the attack, and getting herself a bit soaked.
"Sylveon, Quick Attack!" As Stella defended her, Sylveon went to take the offensive, when Mawile suddenly appeared in front of her.
"You're open," the Deceiver Pokemon smirked.
"Sucker Punch!" At Valessa's call, Mawile struck the pure Fairy-type with her iron jaw, knocking her back.
Valerie gasped at this surprise attack. "Sylveon!"
"Somehow, I knew you'd take the offensive," Vanessa said. "Furfrou may not look like it, but they can take quite a number of hits, especially with their defense constantly raised."
Hearing this observation made Valerie smiled. She knew Vanessa was a skilled trainer from what Coco and the others had told her, but to realize this Double Battle attack pattern so soon exceeded her expectations. "However, yuh have yur Pokemon too close to ours. Dazzling Gleam!" Sylveon quickly lit her body up again, blinding Mawile at close range as the latter raised her arms to block the shine.
Coco knew what she had to do and shouted, "Last Resort!" Once the cotton balls disappeared, Stella turned her attention to Mawile and, emitting a bright white aura, went to tackle her down. The move struck hard, but Mawile held her ground.
"Vanessa! Toss to us!" Nora called.
"I hear you, Nora! Feint Attack!" Vanessa told her Mawile.
The Deceiver Pokemon heard what was said loud and clear, and mustered up all her strength to hit and toss Stella to Blue.
"Blue, time to play with her! With Play Rough!"
"We did say playtime will get rough!" Blue said, following her trainer's command to jump and attack the Furfrou with everything she had.
"Stella!" Coco called in worry.
"Get Stella out of there! Quick Attack!" Valerie told Sylveon.
"Hang on, Stella!" The Fairy-type went to save his partner, when suddenly...
"Protect!" A green barrier appeared and stopped Sylveon from advancing. The Intertwining Pokemon looked and saw Mawile, on the other side, making faces at him. "Sorry. But I'd much rather have a one-on-one. Swords Dance!" Blue illusionary swords appeared around Mawile, boosting her attack power as the Protect barrier faded away.
"Then we'll have to take you out first. Dazzling Gleam!" Valerie said, her Sylveon prepared to blind Mawile once more.
"Not this time! Sucker Punch!" Mawile suddenly disappeared from her spot, prompting Sylveon to look around in confusion and wonder.
"What?! Where did you-?!" Next he knew, Mawile appeared below him, and gave him a good kick on the chin.
Vanessa glanced at Nora. "Nora!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the girl shouted, already knowing what her teach wanted. "Blue, give us a good Water Gun! Push Stella to Sylveon!"
"Okay, Nora!" After landing some hits from Play Rough, Blue shot out a stream of water from her mouth at the Furfrou, pushing her over to the two Fairy-types.
"Mawile, Feint Attack!" The Deceiver Pokemon glanced at the approaching Poodle Pokemon, before knocking the pure Fairy-type over to the Normal-type, causing the pair to crash into each other before falling weakly to the ground, but not yet out.
"They can't take any more of this..." Valerie said.
"Then we have to hurry and take them out. Last Resort!" Coco exclaimed.
"Dazzling Gleam!"
Sylveon and Stella both got up on their four legs and unleashed their moves. Sylveon lighting herself up brightly to blind their opponents, and the Furfrou covering herself in her white aura and charged at Blue.
"Sucker Punch!" Before Stella could get far, she was suddenly hit by an iron jaw and was knocked right into Sylveon, knocking him down and forcing him to cancel the Dazzling Gleam.
"Now the finisher! Aqua Tail!" At Nora's call, Blue leapt up with her tail concealed in water. She whipped her tail down, and sent out a strong stream of water right at the two downed Pokemon. The attack was so powerful, it raised a lot of dust upon contact.
Once the dust cleared the field, the two Pokemon lied there, completely knocked out.
"Sylveon and Stella are unable to battle! Mawile and Blue are the winners! Victory goes to Vanessa and Nora!" Olympia declared.
Upon her declaration, cheers bursted out from the audience, all amazed at the battle.
"They won!" Ruby and Yang cheered in joy.
"That was a wonderful battle," Pyrrha nodded.
"And undoubtedly an memorable one," Blake added, looking at the happy, excited audience.
"Gotta admit, that was a great battle," Weiss said.
Both Valerie and Coco approached their defeated Pokemon. "Yuh did your best, Sylveon. Thank yuh for the wonderful battle," the gym leader said to her Pokemon.
"Same to you, Stella. Turns out, my teacher is a lot stronger than I thought," Coco said to her own partner, as they both returned their Pokemon.
Valerie looked over to Nora and Vanessa, both who were praising their Pokemon for the win, and Blue for her evolution. "That was a wonderful battle both of yuh've showed me," she called, getting their attention. "As promised, Vanessa, yuh've earned this badge."
Valerie held out her hand, where placed on her long, wing-like sleeve was a badge; the Fairy Badge.
Vanessa looked down at the badge, shocked that she really would be receiving her sixth badge outside a proper gym battle. She looked to Nora and Blue, both whom had excited looks on their faces. She then turned to her friends on the guys' side, who were looking at her and nodding for her to take it. To the girls', she noticed they were doing the same. She then looked to Mawile, who looked back to her with a single nod. Looking back to Coco and Valerie, she reached her hand out to the badge and took it in her hand. She held it up in victory, prompting the audience to applaud for her.
