Chapter 4: The Contest Begins
At this very moment, millions of viewers were tuning into their televisions or whatever device they could view the contest with to watch what was hopefully going to be a historical moment in the Galar region. For the first time ever, a Pokémon Contest was being held and it was hopefully going to be the first of many depending on its success over the next few days. The first day would hold the qualifier and appeal rounds, then the next day would hold the double-performance rounds and the quarter-finals and then the last day would host the semi-final matches and the final itself.
For now, 100 coordinators had entered Hulbury Stadium in the hopes of getting a chance to enter the contest. Only 64 would make it in out of those 100 entering the qualifier rounds now. Ruby, Emerald, Tony and Dawn all patiently waited for their turns, which wouldn't be for a while as they were far down in terms of numbers. Nessa had arranged it like so as she felt it would be more interesting to let the big names like Ruby, Emerald and Dawn come in later to keep people eagerly anticipating when their time came. To Avery's annoyance, he was right at the bottom at 100, meaning he was going to go last.
"I suppose I'm last because Nessa knows my act will be the best and she wants to save the best for last." he gloated, trying to make it seem like a good thing that he was at the bottom.
"Nah, I think Nessa knows no one's interested in you and that most viewers might tune out after me, Em and Dawn go so barely anyone will watch you." Ruby sneered, "WE'RE the star attractions here and you know it!"
Avery grumbled but said nothing.
Ruby and her friends had gotten dressed into their costumes while they were waiting for their turn to come. Ruby had chosen to wear a sparkling red tuxedo and trousers combo with a white shirt underneath, a black tie and white gloves. The tuxedo had black lapels and black cuffs. She's neatly brushed her hair to look smarter and she'd accessorised herself by carrying a black cane with a gold head. This costume made her look like a ringmaster in a circus with an added sparkling effect to look prettier. Dawn had been reminded of Zoey when seeing Ruby's costume.
"She was the kind of girl to wear suits rather than dresses too." she explained, "It fit with her more tomboyish nature, I guess."
"I see." Ruby said casually, "I just can't see myself wearing a dress. They're not for me, so this is what I've gone with. I'm sure my fans will like it."
"You know I like it at least!" Emerald complimented, "You look so dapper in that suit!"
"Thanks Em." Ruby said appreciatively, "And you look cuter than ever in your costume."
Emerald beamed with pleasure. She'd chosen to wear a pretty green dress and matching flats with a dark green sash neatly tied around her waist, white gloves that went up to her elbows, a silver necklace and a dark green bow on top of her head. Emerald felt this costume gave her a Disney Princess look, which she'd been aiming for, and it was the kind of costume that combined cuteness and beauty in the person wearing it. Tony himself had barely been able to keep his eyes off his little gem when he saw her in it.
"I don't think I've ever seen you looking so beautiful before…" was all he'd been able to say before going red in the face and hiding shyly behind his hands. Emerald had equally been flustered.
Tony himself had gone for a standard black suit and red bow-tie look. The tuxedo had gold buttons and he wore gold cufflinks to match them. Like Ruby, he wore white gloves as well. This attire made him look as if he was about to be married, and no prizes for guessing who the bride was going to be! Emerald thought the suit somehow made Tony look even more handsome than he already did. Seeing him wear it certainly made her heart skip a few beats.
"Oh my, is it hot in here or is just you?" she said sheepishly, trying to keep herself from blushing.
"I'm p-pretty s-sure it's j-just you, Emerald." Tony said meekly, "Though you certainly turned up the heat with that cute dress you're in…b-bloody hell, why can't I keep my thoughts in my head when I want to?!" he muttered.
"Oh get a room already, you two!" Ruby teased, "You can kiss and cuddle one another later when this contest is over!"
Emerald frowned in annoyance while Tony just laughed bashfully. Emerald supposed she deserved this for all the teasing she'd given Ruby when she was shy about her crush on Hop in the past. Dawn could only smile at the two. She just thought it was cute they seemed to love each other as more than just friends and hoped they would eventually confess it to each other.
"Maybe this contest will be just the thing to make it happen…" she thought to herself.
The girl from Sinnoh was dressed in a simple one-piece swimsuit that coincidentally had the same colours as her mini-dress and a pair of pool sliders. She saw no point in getting all dressed up when her qualifier act included swimming so she'd dressed up like so. Her real contest outfit would come later, should she pass the qualifier round.
Avery himself was still wearing the same uniform he had been when Emerald had bumped into him earlier. It seemed odd that the blonde-haired boy actually seemed to think his uniform was passable to wear in ANYTHING and he thought he looked good enough in it for the contest. Somebody really needed to tell him that the Gym Leader/gentleman combo was NOT a good look! He'd taken one look at the four's costumes and snorted. In his mind, HE was the most fabulous looking coordinator when in actuality, he was far from it.
All coordinators waiting for their turn could watch the contest unfold on TVs. There were four TVs arranged in cube formation so people on all sides could watch. Each qualifier act lasted between 2-5 minutes before the next one started. Some of the acts didn't attract much attention with some acts outright boring the audience while others caught much attention and attracted some cheers that made it a guarantee they'd qualify for the show itself. Emerald watched nervously as act after act came and went. She particularly noticed that although Joe Harrows and Nurse Joy seemed like nice judges, Samuel Callow was going to be the one that was hard to please. He still looked bored out of his mind, like this whole thing was a colossal waste of time for him. Emerald imagined if he could have his way, he'd just say nobody passes and be done with it. Well she would impress him! She'd give him the one act that would get applause from even him!
While she was nervously anticipating her turn, Ruby was completely calm and confident. Being the Champion of Galar and all, performing in front of people was no trouble for her. If she could carry out Pokémon battles with an audience watching, then this kind of thing would be no different. She was simply going to be in front of people with her Pokémon, just performing rather than battling for the moment.
49 Contestants had had their go before it was time for one of the foursome to go up next. It was Ruby herself as she was contestant Number 50. She whipped out Freddy's Pokéball and smiled confidently.
"OK, I'm up next! Cheer for me, won't you?" she asked.
"As if you needed to ask us." Emerald retorted, "Of course we'll cheer for you!"
"You'll nail it out there." Tony said encouragingly, "Go for it!"
"No need to worry! You'll be amazing!" Dawn cheered.
And so Ruby took the stage as Nessa made the announcement to the audience.
"And now, ladies and gentleman, for the contestant who needs no introduction! You all know her name! Welcome to the stage, Number 50 herself…Ruby Silverlock!" the Gym Leader announced with immense enthusiasm. It seemed strange for her to introduce Ruby in such a way considering she'd been defeated by her in the past.
The audience screamed louder than they had done for any other contestant that had tried to qualify so far. Ruby just waved to everyone, appreciative for the applause she was receiving. It was nice to know that she still had so much support from so many people for her times as the current Champion, her role in saving Galar from the Darkest Day and Team Royal and for giving the region exciting Pokémon battle after exciting Pokémon battle. They were clearly keen to see how their biggest celebrity would perform in the contest. At Postwick Town, Hop and Leon were watching intently as Ruby entered the stage, as were Annie and Michael at their house. Sapphire was watching at this moment with Mustard, Honey and Hyde watching alongside her. Sapphire's girlfriend, Ashley Benson, sat on the sofa next to her, her hands resting on her thigh as Ruby took the stage. They'd all been waiting for her and they couldn't wait to see what she was going to do.
"Thank you everyone! You're a wonderful audience!" Ruby cried with pleasure, "Now allow me to reward you with a wonderful act! Freddy, you're up!"
She threw the ball and out came her most popular Pokémon amongst her fans, Freddy the Toxtricity. He was a strong and skilled Pokémon in battle, but of course that wasn't why he was so beloved. Freddy took in the audience watching him while also taking note that the scenery looked somewhat familiar to him. He smiled eagerly, glad to have such a huge audience to perform for today.
"Heh…feels like yesterday when I was in this very Gym battling Nessa's Pokémon and singing for the crowd watching that day." he purred.
Ruby nodded. She would never forget that moment herself. Nessa felt the same. Back when Freddy had been a Toxel, the first thing he'd done was sing Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and then battle her Arrokuda. She was as keen as everyone else to see what Freddy was going to do.
"Like we rehearsed Freddy! Let's give the audience a show to remember!" Ruby cried excitedly.
The Poison/Electric Pokémon gave the thumbs up and began strumming his chest organs to get the music going. He started playing the iconic beat to Queen and David Bowie's Under Pressure single, bobbing his head up and down in time while Ruby did the same. She grabbed a microphone and stood beside Freddy as the song began. As the qualifier act required cooperation between trainer and Pokémon, the duo had agreed to make this a duet with Ruby singing David Bowie's parts while Freddy sang Queen's parts. The audience began clapping in time with the music.
Pressure, the two sang in unison, Pushing doooooown on me. Pressing dooown on you. No man ask for.
Under Pressure, that brings a buiiiiilding down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets
Um ba ba bae
Um ba ba bae
Eh day da
Eh day da
That's OK! Freddy sang and he gestured to Ruby as she took the stage for the next line. The audience were impressed by the girl's singing voice. They'd never heard Ruby sing before so this came as a welcome treat that their Champion was also a great singer as well as a great Pokémon trainer!
It's the terror of knoooowing
What this woooorld is aboooout!
Watch-ing some good friends scream,
Let me out! both sang together.
Pray tomorrrrrrrow, gets me hiiiiiiiiigher. Freddy continued.
Pressure on peo-ple. Peo-ple on streets. they both sang.
There was a brief break from the solo as Freddy kept the beat going and then as he began his next part, the electric frill on his head crackled and glowed to add some extra wow factor to the performance.
Chippin' aroooooooooound, kick my brains around the floor.
These are the daaaaaaaaaaays it never rains, but it pours.
Then the two sang together again for the next part.
People on the streets.
Ee da de da de.
People on the streets.
Ee da de da de da de da
Then it was back to Ruby as she sang again.
It's the terror of knoooowing
What this woooorld is aboooout!
Watch-ing some good friends screaming,
Let me out! both sang together.
Tomorrrrrrrow, gets me higher, hiiiiigher, hiiiiiiiiigher. Freddy continued.
Pressure on peo-ple. Peo-ple on streets. they both sang.
Then as they started to reach the end of the act, they began to ramp the performance up even more. Freddy threw his arms out to one side while Ruby stood in front of him to avoid his Overdrive attack. A huge burst of electricity exploded out from his body, creating a fantastic light show that made the audience cry out in awe.
Insanity laughs, under pressure we're breaking! Ruby sang.
Why can't we give ourseeeeeeelves, one more chaaaaaaaance? Freddy took over.
Why can't we give loooove that one more chaaaaaaaaaance?
Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give looooooove?
Caaaaause loooove is such aaaan ooooold fashioned word, Ruby continued,
Aaaaand love daaaares you to caaaare for people on the…
People on the streets! Freddy put in.
Edge oooof the niiiiight and love daaaares you tooooo change our way of
Caaaaring abooooout oooooourselves thiiiiiiiiis is ourrrrrr last dance.
Thiiiiiiiiis is ourrrrrr last dance.
Thiiiiiiiiis is ourrrrrrselves. Ruby sang.
Under Pressure. they both sang together.
They repeated the two words until the sang came to an end and Freddy let off one last Overdrive to create an electrifying finish that set the audience wild. Cheers exploded from all around the stadium. Even Nessa was blown away by the performance she'd witnessed. If this was what Ruby's qualifier act was, then who knows what she had in story for the performance stages! Ruby and Freddy took a bow as cheers rang out for them.
"Thank you! Thank you! You're all wonderful!" Ruby said appreciatively, "So glad you loved it!"
"I'd say that's gonna be a tough act to beat!" Nessa put in, "What an electrifying act from Ruby and Freddy everyone!"
"Yes, quite a performance indeed!" Joe agreed, "In fact, that performance was quite simply…FAB-U-LOOOOOOOOOOOOUS!" he cried ecstatically.
"We've all seen Freddy perform before, but this is a first for us in seeing his trainer sing too." Samuel acknowledged, still looking bored but sounding more interested than before, "This was a duet that we didn't expect and I say Ruby certainly has my vote to qualify for the contest."
"The way they worked together to give us such a show was wonderful!" Nurse Joy put in, "Already Ruby's showing great cooperation with her Pokémon and using Freddy's electrical powers to add more to the show made it beautiful to watch!"
Ruby was so overwhelmed that she thought her heart would explode. Everyone really loved the act! She was certain to pass the qualifier round now! As she returned backstage, she was met with a lot of congratulations from the other coordinators.
"That was amazing!"
"You're gonna be Champion of the stage at this rate!"
"You arsehole! How's anyone gonna top that?!"
"I can't wait to see you in the appeals round!"
Even Avery, as begrudging as he was, complimented the performance.
"I'm inclined to agree, that act was…sensational." he muttered. He said those words as if it offended him to say them.
"Oh what's the matter? Does praising anyone other than yourself give you a bad skin disease?" Ruby sneered.
Avery rolled his eyes but said nothing more. The silver-haired teen ran over to Emerald, Dawn and Tony, who were naturally full of praise for her.
"I don't think anyone will top that!" Tony laughed, "We can definitely say your place in the contest is assured!"
"You two were spectacular out there!" Emerald screeched, "I bet the audience was amazed with how well you can sing, Ruby!"
"I've never seen anything like it!" Dawn added, "I bet if this had been a contest back home, everyone would've loved it too!"
"Thank you everyone! I appreciate it!" Ruby cried in gratitude, "But don't act like it's all over. You guys will wow everyone with your qualifier performances too. It won't only be me that wows everyone!"
While she was right, it was clear that Ruby had stolen the show with her act as the next few acts that followed felt very underwhelming by comparison. Nessa was beginning to wish she'd saved Ruby for last just so that the qualifier rounds would've at least ended on a high note! But she began to feel more confident when she announced it was Dawn's turn next. A high-profile coordinator such as herself was bound to liven things up! Back home in Sinnoh, Dawn's mother Johanna was in front of the TV to watch her daughter perform. Johanna was a former Coordinator herself and had been an inspiration to Dawn's decision to be one herself. She was very keen to see how her little girl was going to perform in this new contest in a region different from her own.
The floor of the stadium opened up to reveal a huge swimming pool that Nessa and her Pokémon liked to train in between battles. This time, it was going to be used for Dawn as she'd been informed beforehand that she was doing a synchronized swimming act. Naturally, Nessa was keen to see this act. Dawn took the stage, already feeling like she was back in Sinnoh as the crowd welcomed her enthusiastically. Galar sure knew how to capture the excitement of a contest like her home region did! Dawn took a moment to kick off her flip-flops ready for the dive into the pool and then whipped out her chosen Pokémon's Pokéball.
"OK Pingu, spooooooooootlight!" she cried excitedly threw the ball.
The Water/Steel type Pokémon materialized onto the stage ahead of Dawn and waved his sharp flippers with excitement. It was clear that he was glad to be having the chance to perform again after so long. Dawn and Pingu waved to the audience for a moment before taking their places in front of the pool. The audience fell respectfully silent so Dawn could concentrate better. Nobody wanted to put her off. Nessa beckoned for the sound team to begin playing a soft, peaceful, ocean-style tune to go with the act. Of course, Dawn and Pingu had practiced to the music over the past year so they could be in time with it. Dawn and Pingu struck a pose, standing up straight with their hands and flippers respectively held up high. They closed their eyes and breathed in deeply. They allowed a couple of seconds to pass…and then dived into the pool.
The two had entered the pool at exactly the same time as one another, already impressing the audience and the judges on the synchronization between the two. Then Dawn and Pingu simultaneously emerged from under the water, striking the same Y-pose as each other. The music played softly as Dawn and Pingu began their performance. They positioned themselves onto their sides and kicked off slowly, beginning a slow swim in a circle. Dawn was at the top of the circle and Pingu was at the bottom and yet both swam at the same pace as one another with their moves perfectly mirroring one another. Then they both moved upside-down and stuck their legs up completely straight. While bobbing upside-down, they performed the splits, once again mirroring each other as they performed. They kept this up until they had to come up for air and went back to swimming in a circle together. Then they positioned themselves upright once again and carried out a serious of poses and stretches with their arms and flippers respectively. Incredibly, they were still in perfect sync with each other, not a single move out of line or in the wrong position at all. Everyone watched in total awe. If this wasn't a great example of a trainer and Pokémon being in perfect sync, then who knows what was!
After that, Dawn and Pingu suddenly submerged underwater again, both spinning together as if they'd been caught in a whirlpool. After a minute of underwater spinning, they leapt up out the water together, managing to get a couple of inches above the water before splashing back down into it. They re-emerged again, facing each other before leaning over onto their backs. They swam away from one another on their backs and then moved onto their fronts and swam back to each other. They went back upside down again and performed some more splits before submerging completely. Then Dawn suddenly rocketed out of the water, shooting straight up as if blasted out of a cannon and she performed a neat backwards somersault. It was a very graceful move to watch, helped by her hair being loose so it flowed beautifully around her. Pingu was doing the same move just underneath her. Then Pingu landed stomach first onto the water with Dawn landing on his back. The landing was perfect with not so much as a wobble from Dawn. She stood up straight and held out her hands, smiling sweetly to everyone. At the same time, the music stopped playing. Dawn and Pingu's timing had been so perfect that they'd finished at exactly the moment the track had completed.
"Ta-daaaaaaaaaaa!" she cried.
The audience applauded wildly for the blue-haired girl. This had been quite a performance for them, and one of the most unique of the entire show so far as no one else had done anything like this. Nessa clapped for Dawn and Pingu as they climbed out of the pool to dry themselves off.
"That was sensational! You both showed perfect synchronization with each other and brought out your inner beauty!" Nessa complimented, "This is what I created this show for and you've given it to us all!"
"Thank you so much!" Dawn said appreciatively.
"That was quite an act, little lady." Joe agreed, "Perfect timing with your Pokémon and the track that played over your swimming act, total confidence on display and both you and your Empoleon were having so much fun out there. It's an easy pass for me!"
"Yes, quite remarkable." Samuel said bluntly, his face still blank despite the praise he was giving, "I also give you extra praise for the originality of the act that puts this stadium's usual function as a Water-type Gym to your advantage. How nobody else thought of a swimming act in a Water-type Gym, I'll never know so well done to you Dawn for thinking of something no one else has."
"I though you two were simply adorable together." Nurse Joy said kindly, "With such a wonderful act that brings out the beauty and the bond you two share with each other, I'll be amazed if you two don't make it through!"
Dawn thought she was about to burst. It warmed her heart so much to know that people were impressed with the act, including the judges! After she'd dried herself off and put her pool slides back on her feet, she returned Pingu to his Pokéball and returned backstage to see her friends. Many of the coordinators gave their congratulations to her with some expressing hope she makes it into the show itself. Avery had no comment, though Dawn didn't care what he thought anyway so she didn't bear him any mind at all. Ruby, Emerald and Tony were the ones that mattered to her and they were full of praise for their friend.
"The amount of practice that went into that must've been insane!" Ruby gasped, "You two were so in-sync that it's unreal! Well done to you both!"
"It was so cute seeing you and Pingu together looking like you were having so much fun swimming in that pool!" Emerald piped, her hands shaking furiously, "It almost made me want to jump in and join you!"
"It's easy to tell you've been a coordinator for a while because the way you carried out that act just screams of experience." Tony added, "Like Nurse Joy said, I WILL be amazed if you somehow don't make it in! Like Ruby, I think your place in the contest is assured."
"Aww, thank you everyone! I'm so glad you enjoyed the show!" Dawn said happily, "I'm so proud of myself that I feel like I could cry! I bet mom's really proud of me at home!"
If Dawn could see Johanna now, she would see she had the biggest smile on her face that she'd worn in a while. No matter how many times she'd watched her daughter's contests, she never forgot that feeling of being so proud of how much her little girl had grown since he journey's beginning. Her Dawn was truly one fine coordinator!
A few more acts passed before it was time for Tony to take the stage. He was contestant number 65 and quite a few people were interested to see what he had to offer. He was a complete unknown to many, but a good chunk of Emerald's fanbase were aware of who he was as he'd often been seen with her, which naturally stirred up conversations of who he was and if he was her boyfriend. A few girls in the audience swooned as they laid eyes on Tony, their hearts practically stolen from their chests by how handsome he looked. Even a few boys were staring at him, presumably wishing they were as good looking as he was or sharing the same crush that some of the girls were. Tony just waved shyly to the audience. He was new to this as his time as a Pokémon trainer had been spent training for battles and contests rather than actually participating in them. He'd never been in front of an audience before. The constant noise and the large amount of people here watching him was starting to feel overwhelming but he tried his best not to let it get to him. He would give them all a show and he wouldn't let anyone down, especially Emerald! He knew she'd be watching him back in the waiting room. He imagined his face was on the TV screen and Emerald was staring at him right now. She wouldn't want to see him screw up on stage like this!
"And now ladies and gentleman, let's give a warm welcome to Contestant Number 65…Tony Summers!" Nessa announced.
The crowd cheered in support, though the noise was clearly not as loud as the acts that Ruby and Dawn had done given Tony was unknown to most people here. The brunette boy didn't mind as he wasn't about having the most support. He was just glad he could have his time to shine.
"How do you do, everyone?" he said politely, "I hope that I can entertain you all as others have done before me. Now then Blossom, centre-stage!" he called merrily, throwing his Pokéball.
His chosen Pokémon, Blossom the Roserade, emerged from her Pokéball in a flurry of sparkles and performed a neat twirl through the air before landing perfectly on both feet. She threw her arms aside to make her leafy cape swish out. The audience was impressed to see Blossom for she was no ordinary Roserade. Her dark green body was a lighter green than normal, her eyes were pink instead of red and she had a violet rose for one hand and a black rose for another. To Tony's amazement, he'd managed to catch himself the shiny variant of Budew when he'd been building his Pokémon team up and over time had evolved it into Roserade. This was already an eye-catcher as Tony was literally the first contestant the audience had seen today to be using a shiny Pokémon. But could Tony make it look as good as it unique colouring did?
"Perfect entrance, dear." Tony said affectionately, "Now…let us show the audience what you can do."
He stood where he was, holding a large metal hoop in each hand. Many audience members could tell what kind of act this was going to be and were keen to see how good it was going to look. Tony held one ring in front of him and the other ring behind him.
"Show off your brilliant gymnastics, Blossom. Dazzle the audience." he commanded.
Blossom obeyed instantly. The Grass/Poison type Pokémon ran towards the ring in front of Tony and jumped through it, spinning neatly as she passed straight through it without so much as brushing against the ring itself. She then landed on her rose hands, performed a handstand and sprang back up into the air in a flawless somersault that made everyone stare in amazement. Blossom landed on her feet and then sprinted towards the hoop Tony held behind him. She jumped through it and just like before, it was a perfect leap with a clean pass through the hoop. She repeated the handstand and somersault combo from before and repeated the process two more times, one through each hoop. Then Tony changed positions by holding the hoops out to the side and Blossom performed the same feat of gymnastics. The audience was impressed but they soon saw that Tony was just warming up. The true act was beginning now as he gave his next command.
"I think it's time to add a little extra to this act." Tony declared, "Use Petal Blizzard as you pass through the hoops."
Blossom did just that. She conjured up a tornado of pink petals that surrounded her and then leapt through the hoops, leaving a beautiful trial of petals behind her with each leap. Then Tony further spiced things up by throwing the hoops into the air for Blossom to leap through and catching them on the way down. He carried out what was essentially a glorified juggling act with him throwing up and catching the hoops one by one every time Blossom jumped through them, still leaving petals behind her as she did so. A lot of mouths dropped open in astonishment at the amazing performance before them. They'd never seen such a well-trained Roserade like this before! The act carried on for another minute before Tony finished off by throwing both hoops into the air at the same time. Blossom jumped up, surprisingly managing to reach the great height he'd thrown the hoops up at, and she passed through both of them cleanly at the same time. She left behind one last trial of petals as she spun through the hoops. She landed on the floor and struck a pose as Tony caught both hoops and took a bow. The audience applauded wildly for him. They may not know who he was, it was clear he had a lot of potential in him. If this was his qualifier act, what did he have in store for the performance stages?
"Thank you, thank you everyone. You've been a most gracious audience." Tony said modestly, waving to everyone.
"It looks like we have a potential rising star on our hands." Nessa acknowledged, "Was that a brilliant performance or what everyone? Let's hear it for Tony Summers and his amazing Roserade!"
The crowd cheered again for the two.
"That was really remarkable, young man!" Joe said gleefully, "You managed to show off the true beauty of your Roserade while also showing its natural grace with those amazing gymnastics! The timing of those jumps through the hoops and how you kept it exciting by moving them around and having Roserade add that Petal Blizzard to make the act extra pretty to watch was simply FAB-U-LOOOOOOOOOOOOUS!" he cried.
"While I feel that you, Tony, could've had more participation in the act, I must also commend you on how well coordinated you and your Pokémon were." Samuel put in, "The timing on your Pokémon's jumps were flawless. I noticed Roserade always managed to be perfectly in the centre when passing through the hoops even when the act started to get more complex. Overall, I'd say it was a satisfactory performance."
"I'm inclined to agree. It was a gorgeous act from beginning to end you toy!" Nurse Joy praised, "I couldn't keep my eyes off of your Roserade for how beautiful it looked! The fact it was a Roserade with a different colouring even made it more interesting to look at too. I don't speak for the others, but you have my vote!"
Tony beamed with pleasure. It was so good to hear that everyone liked the performance. It seemed that his place in the contest was as good as secured. He returned Blossom to her Pokéball and made his way back to the waiting room. But as he was walking back, he suddenly began to feel dizzy and placed a hand on the wall to steady himself while rubbing his head. He waited for his vision to get back into focus and grunted in frustration.
"Not now…you can wait until after I win the contest and win that cash prize!" he scolded, "Then I should be able to afford the proper treatment to get rid of you for good!"
He returned to the waiting room where the other coordinators began to congratulate him on a spectacular performance. Emerald was already running towards him before he could even start looking for her. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
"That was amazing Tony! Wow, you and Blossom looked so cool out there!" she squealed.
"Heh…I knew you'd like it little gem. Thank you." Tony said meekly.
"I loved it too!" Dawn put in, "How did you manage to train your Roserade so well? All those somersaults she pulled off were so well-timed and graceful to watch!"
"I'm just gonna say all that practicing paid off in the end." Tony said modestly, "Thanks everyone. I'm glad you enjoyed it too."
"You're welcome." Ruby said kindly, "I think you're definitely going to qualify for the show itself. Now there's just Em left and we've all had our go…"
Emerald gulped as it suddenly dawned on her that her turn was still to come. She was beginning to feel the pressure weighing down on her now. So many coordinators had gone and shown their stuff at this point and her sister and two of her friends had been complete show-stealers! How could she possibly prove herself to be on their level? Would anyone even take much notice of her act? She had a horrible image in her head of the audience being completely apathetic to her and finding her to be a downgrade from the previous acts. Why couldn't she have gone first so she wouldn't feel the need to live up to everyone else?! She hugged herself anxiously.
"Y-yes…th-that's true." she stammered, "I've been enjoying all the other acts that I almost forgot that I'm due to perform sooner or later! And there's been so many good acts too…what if nobody likes mine?" she said worriedly.
"Nonsense!" Ruby said supportively, "They'll love it! You and Kerchak will be wonderful together!"
"Oh I don't know." Avery crowed, "If the little brat is feeling this nervous about herself now, then she has no chance of qualifying. I did tell her she should teleport on out of here as this is no place for a little shrimp like her."
Ruby shot Avery a fierce death glare that made his blood run cold.
"Do you mind pissing off? This is a family and friends discussion." she snarled.
"Quite right. Nobody asked your opinion you uppity prick." Tony scolded.
Avery backed off, knowing better than to provoke the Champion of Galar and Emerald's closest friend any further. Despite Avery's insult, Emerald suddenly found herself feeling more confident than before. It was as if his unwarranted opinion had magically given her a new drive to get out there and prove herself, chasing all her doubts away and replacing them with a total desire to win no matter what.
"I totally have a chance of qualifying and this is the place for me!" she declared, "I'm gonna get out there, wow the audience and secure my place in the contest, and no one's gonna stop me!"
"Wow, mood swing much?" Ruby gasped, "You're suddenly all fired up, Em!"
"I think Avery's insult may have had the opposite effect on me…" Emerald crowed, throwing a taunting smirk in the blonde boy's direction.
Avery could only hid his face in embarrassment. He'd hoped he could bring Emerald down further and instead had only made her more sure of herself! If only he'd kept his mouth shut!
Later on, Emerald made her way to the stage as Nessa announced her to the crowd.
"And now for Contestant Number 72! You'll all know her as the runner-up in last year's Galar League, the very trainer who fought Ruby to a standstill and gave us Galar's first ever tie in history!" Nessa yelled into her microphone, "Please welcome on stage, the sweetheart of the Pokémon arena herself, Emerald Silverlock!"
Emerald ran on stage like an excited schoolgirl rushing to the playground. Despite her nervousness, the excitement and energy of the crowd had her feeling fired up and ready to go. She suddenly found herself back last year when she'd been here battling Nessa for the Water Badge in the Gym Challenge. How long ago that suddenly felt! And here she was now, about to give a different kind of performance. Emerald could see her fanbase was still as large as before, even if she wasn't the new Champion or had done much of anything with her Pokémon skills lately. They were happy to see their beloved trainer in action again.
"Thanks for the lovely, big welcome everyone!" Emerald said sweetly, blowing kisses to the audience, "I hope you'll love what's to come! Kerchak, let the fun begin!" she cried, throwing her Pokéball to bring out her partner.
Her faithful Rillaboom materialized onto the stage and pounded his chest while grunting loudly. It was his way of telling the audience he was ripped and rearing to go and give them all a great show to watch. Emerald waved to the audience and then beckoned for Kerchak to take the position they'd practiced together. The two stood facing one another with Emerald looking up at her huge Pokémon. It was appropriate that their act should be the dance from Beauty and the Beast as seeing them together, they really looked the part with Emerald as the beauty and Kerchak as the beast. Nessa was aware of this of course and beckoned for the sound crew to start playing the song from the movie. It started to play as Emerald and Kerchak bowed and curtsied to one another respectively.
Tale as old as time.
True as it can be.
Barely even friends,
Then somebody bends…unexpectedly…
As the tune played out of the huge speakers, Emerald and Kerchak took each other's hands. Then Emerald positioned one of Kerchak's around her waist while holding his other hand and placing her other hand on his shoulder. The audience could see how well the two had been practicing this routine together with how soft and gentle Kerchak was being with Emerald. Now they were in position, the two began to dance together. They moved in perfect time to the music, not a single step too early or too late. They slowly waltzed around the stage, still holding one another's hands. Then they outstretched their arms so Emerald could twirl, her dress flowing gracefully around her legs. Despite how in tune the two were with each other, they could barely ignore the pounding of their hearts. Everyone was watching them! They had to keep it perfect or they'd have no chance of qualifying!
They kept up the beautiful ballroom dance, pirouetting and twirling around together while still keeping hold of their hands. They remained perfectly in time with one another and with the song that played. Then they started to show off some of the moves they'd added themselves to the dance. At one point, Kerchak held his arm out and allowed Emerald to spin around on one foot. Then she fell over backwards into his arms with him catching her no problem. Then after that, Kerchak picked Emerald up, holding her gently with both hands on her waist as he pirouetted on the balls of his feet while holding her. Emerald let out a giggle as he twirled her around. He put her back down and they resumed waltzing like before. Seeing the pure beauty of a trainer and her Pokémon in such a well-practiced dance routine was enough to get some of the audience feeling teary-eyed. This was one of the sweetest acts they'd seen all day. Emerald could see some of the audience were even dabbing at their eyes with tissues. She hadn't expected to make people cry with this act so that was a nice bonus. Also, was it her imagination or did even Samuel Callow look like he was smiling as the judges watched her closely? The dance carried on until the song reached its last lyrics.
Tale as old as time.
Song as old as rhyme.
Beauty and…the beeeeeeeeast.
As the song ended, Emerald and Kerchak embraced each other in a warm hug that showed all the love and care they had for one another. Emerald had felt it would be a really heart-warming note to end on. The audience exploded with joy. They'd been captivated by the lovely act and were keen to voice their pleasure. Emerald curtsied in gratitude.
"Thank you everyone! You're so lovely! Thank you!" Emerald said graciously.
"I'm honestly tearing up after that. That was simply gorgeous!" Nessa blubbered, wiping a tear away from her eye, "I'd say this was an act that was all beauty with nothing beastly about it! Give a round of applause for Emerald and Rillaboom everyone!" she encouraged.
The crowd cheered again for the duo.
"Emerald, I know that by nature I'm rather easy to please," Joe began, "But that act was truly wonderful! The love and trust in your Pokémon was clear for all to see. Your Rillaboom may look big and mighty, but seeing how tenderly he danced with you made him look as gentle as a Wooloo! You both looked utterly wonderful dancing together like that and I'm certainly giving you both my vote to go through!"
"You're not the first dance act we've had in this qualifier round, but make no mistake Emerald, you and Rillaboom are easily the best one we've had." Samuel complimented, looking slightly happier than before, "You captured the beauty and the romance of the film you drew inspiration from and made your act both cute and appealing to watch. It was overall a marvellous performance and I congratulate you both wholeheartedly."
"I'm still in tears over such a beautiful performance." Nurse Joy said, still wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, "Bravo to you both! I'd say your act will go down as a tale as old as time for how sweet and wholesome it was to watch! I hope we get to see you again in the show itself."
Emerald was so touched by what the judges had said that she felt like bursting into tears herself. But she didn't want to cry in front of the audience so she held it in until she returned Kerchak to his Pokéball and returned backstage to meet up with her friends and sister in the waiting room. Upon entering, Ruby, Dawn and Tony were quick to shower her with praise.
"I told you you'd be brilliant out there, Em!" Ruby cried, hugging her tightly, "You and Kerchak was as great as Belle and the Beast themselves out there! I'd even say your dance puts the movie to shame!"
"I'm not surprised you had the audience in tears out there!" Dawn put in, "You were wonderful, both of you! Well done!"
"You even managed to make the sourpuss of the judge's smile. I'd say that's a big achievement." Tony said jokingly, "But the biggest achievement is you and Kerchak giving off such a sweet performance out there. Great work, little gem."
"Aww…th-thanks guys! I…I really don't know what else to say!" Emerald sobbed happily, finally allowing the dam to burst so she could let out all her emotions.
She hugged her friends and cried, overwhelmed with happiness that her act had gone so well and everyone had enjoyed it as much as they had. The only one who didn't enjoy it was Avery himself, but he knew better than to voice his opinion out loud.
This must be one desperate audience starved for real talent if they thought that sappy ballroom dance was worthy of their applause! he scoffed in his mind, I'll show them REAL talent!
It took a while but finally, they were down to the last contestant, which was Avery himself. He flounced up to the stage with the utmost confidence, though his was out of pure egotism rather than actual confidence in his abilities. He was so convinced that he would steal the show that he'd deluded himself to believe he'd actually have any chance of overshadowing the favourite acts of the day like Ruby. Even the audience could tell this was a guy who was way too full of himself. As Avery took the stage, he gave a bow to the audience as they welcomed him on and then levitated one of the Pokéballs from around his hat so it was floating over his finger.
"And now, for the act you've all been waiting for!" he preened, "Believe me when I say Nessa has saved the best for last! Swoobat, teleport into action!"
He threw the Pokéball forward seemingly using telekinesis and out came his chosen Pokémon. Swoobat came out of its Pokéball, sporting a cheerful grin and waving to the audience with one of its wings. Swoobat was a Psychic/Flying type Pokémon first discovered in the Unova region and was also found in Galar. They resembled bats in appearance with a love-heart shaped nosed, black wings, a shot pink tail with a pincer at the end, a huge fur collar and fused pointed ears. Swoobat were considered cute Pokémon by many and Avery was especially attached to this one. Ruby, Emerald, Dawn and Tony watched from the TV in the waiting room to see what Avery's act was going to be.
"OK then, let's see Mr. Bigshot in action." Ruby said sarcastically.
"I want you all to watch closely audience, for what you're about to see will be considered…fantastical!" Avery called out, his voice soft and mysterious for dramatic effect, "For me and my adorable assistant, Swoobat, will be performing magic before your very eyes! Observe…"
The audience grew interested. A magic show? That was certainly a unique act. No one else had done such an act so this should at least be interesting. Avery's first trick came in the form of returning Swoobat to its Pokéball and then taking off his tall top hat. He placed the Pokéball in the hat and placed it down on the floor. Then he uttered some strange magical words, waving his hands like how a magician would usually when performing a trick. Then to the shock and horror of the audience, he stomped down on his hat, squashing it flat on the floor! Everyone gasped, even Nessa who nearly dropped her microphone in shock. Avery could see that everyone thought he'd just casually murdered his own Pokémon but he kept up his smile.
"You're all Psyshocked I see." He purred, "But rest assured, my Swoobat is quite fine. In fact…"
He picked the hat up and straightened it out again. Then to everyone's surprise…he pulled out Swoobat's Pokéball and released it to show that he wasn't bluffing! The ball wasn't even damaged despite him stomping on it and Swoobat was completely unhurt! The bat-like Pokémon chirped happily. The shock on the audience's faces melted away into amazement as they applauded Avery. He really was magic to pull that off!
"I can see you're impressed! Save your cheers folks…there's plenty more to come." Avery insisted.
And so he carried out the rest of his act with a variety of typical magic tricks. He'd pulled a colourful trial of cloth out of his sleeves, he'd gotten Swoobat to go into his hat, seemingly disappearing inside of it and then flying out of it just as easily, he'd pulled coins out of Swoobat's ears and then he draped Swoobat in a magician's cape and seemingly made it disappear, only to then pull Swoobat out of his hat. Then to further impress the audience, he had Swoobat put the cape on himself. The cape shrunk down onto the floor as soon as Swoobat put it over him, making it look as if he'd truly disappeared into thin air. Swoobat pulled the cape away to show that indeed, Avery really had disappeared. So where had he gone? Swoobat looked everywhere for its master, seeming to share the audience's confusion on where he'd gone. Then Swoobat picked the cape up off the floor, held it in place and then, with a quick swish…pulled it away to show Avery was back again! It was certainly impressive that he was pulling off these magical tricks, and it all seemed like real magic too! Psychic-type specialists were known to be gifted with amazing power and Avery was no exception. As Avery's act concluded, he received a round of applause, but to his disappointment, it wasn't as loud as he'd expected. It sounded as if people found him good but not amazing, which is what he'd been hoping for.
"Well…that was interesting." Nessa said in wonder "A spectacular magic show to end off the qualifier rounds. It was a very clever act that felt like real magic was happening before us!"
Avery was glad that Nessa appreciated the act at least, though a part of him wondered if she was just saying that to make him feel better.
"The only thing your act had going was uniqueness. No one else has done a magic show, so you stand out from the crowd at least." Joe began, "But it really did feel like it was too much about you. If Swoobat had done a few more tricks to show it was as great a magician as you are, then it would've been more balanced. As is, this act really brought out the cleverness of you and your Pokémon and I think if you involve your Pokémon a bit more, you'll go far."
"Your magic tricks are impressive and have me wondering how you pulled them off." Samuel said grimly, "But like Joe said, we barely saw anything from Swoobat itself. I thought you were aware that this is a Pokémon contest. It's about your Pokémon, not yourself. Swoobat felt a bit overshadowed compared to you. I dunno about the others, but you don't get MY vote."
"I personally enjoyed it myself." Nurse Joy said sheepishly, "But if Swoobat had contributed more to the act, it would've been even better. Still, the way it assisted you in your magic tricks was at least impressive and I'd personally vote you through if only in the hopes of getting to see your Pokémon's true potential. You've proven to be great at showing a Pokémon's cleverness, and hopefully you'll be able to show more of it."
Avery appreciated that they liked the act to some extent, but he felt that their criticisms weren't really justified. His Pokémon wasn't involved enough?! Rubbish! He wouldn't have been able to do this without Swoobat! She'd been involved plenty! What did those pretentious judges know about Pokémon anyway?
As he returned to the waiting room, he received much more praise but he didn't feel like it was enough. The judge's words had still wounded his pride to some degree. Ruby and her friends didn't even bother to talk to him as they felt it'd be a waste of time anyway.
"Dunno what his problem is." Ruby muttered, "They did like the act, they just gave the completely fair point that he needs to involve his Pokémon more. It's not like they thought he sucked or anything!"
"I may hate him, but I thought the act was pretty cool myself." Emerald said, annoyed she was giving him any form of praise, "I'm still wondering if he used real magic or not! But it's like he thinks any praise that isn't complete and utter love and adoration for his talents isn't enough! What a jerk!"
"Would it kill him to at least take the praise when he gets it?" Tony muttered, "He should be glad people liked it at all."
"I honestly hope he doesn't make the cut with that attitude." Dawn said bitterly.
A few minutes later, it was time to announce the results. All 100 coordinators watched with baited breath as Nessa appeared on the TV screens to announce who was staying and who was going.
"What a start to our show this has been, viewers in the audience and at home!" the Gym Leader said enthusiastically, "I'd say we've been spoilt with 100 coordinators all joining us to give us some great acts for the qualifier round. I wish all 100 of you could be in the show to give us more! But sadly, only 64 of you will make it in. Speaking of…"
There was a dramatic pause as 64 tiles appeared on the huge digital screen behind her. Ruby, Dawn and Tony watched, their faces neutral while Emerald put her hands to her mouth anxiously. Was she going to get in? Avery watched with his arms folded and his face contorting with loathing. He was sure that just out of spite they weren't going to say he'd qualified!
"The qualifying contestants are…the people you see here!" Nessa announced.
The tiles all spun around to reveal the faces of the qualifying coordinators. Ruby, Emerald, Dawn and Tony let out screams of joy as they saw that their faces were among the 64 qualifying contestants. They had made it into the show! They'd passed the qualifiers! They hugged each other and jumped around with joy. To Avery's astonishment, he'd also made it in. How extraordinary! Maybe his act had been unique enough and the magic tricks were good enough to make the cut! He sighed with relief. At least he still had a chance to redeem himself now.
"Hard luck to those who didn't make it in." Nessa said, sounding genuinely sympathetic to the 36 coordinators that didn't qualify, "Believe me, I'm sure the judges had a real hard time choosing the ones to pass. But we appreciated your acts all the same and maybe if we get to host another show, you'll have your time then! For those that qualified, congratulations for getting in! Now our show REALLY begins so get ready everyone!"
That served as a reminder to everyone that this was no time to relax yet. True, they'd qualified for the Pokémon Contest but that was all they'd done now. They were in, now the REAL show was about to begin and it was going to be much more than what the qualifying acts had been. Ruby, Emerald, Dawn and Tony all nodded to each other. They were in. Now their skills were really going to be put to the test. They'd gotten in, now could they keep it up for the main event? All would be revealed when the appeal rounds began in a couple of hours…
What a great start this is! All our heroes have passed the qualifier stage! It's a good start to their time in the contest, but the qualifier was only a taster of what they're in for. Now the real action begins with the show in full swing as we enter "The Appeal Round". Wish them luck everyone! :D
Trivia: I was originally going to have the qualifier and the appeal rounds happen in this chapter, but as you can see, the qualifier rounds themselves took up way too much time and the chapter got long enough as it did, so I've had to split it up.