The exhibition contest ends this chapter! Will Olivia and Darla's performances blow Reed away? What have they got up their sleeve? Hopefully it'll be quite an excellent performance! Let's see!
KedharS: Well, you'll see it right here!
Hellraiserphoenix: Contests are definitely fun, but like we'll see, they're hard to keep unique, as Allen exploited.
Omesta: I see.
Just a Bad Writer for Fun: We'll see what Olivia has up her sleeve. I'm sure she won't be taken aback by that.
The Harmonium: As you'll see, they do, don't worry.
Epifanio Therion: Allen is quite a griefer alright.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 802
"Spotlight!" Olivia snapped her fingers. Cynthia tilted back her head and roared, raising her fins high. Large sharp stones floated up into the air, circling around the stage.
Celia leaned in, interested. So she was starting with stealth rock?
"Come on, boss!" Ayame cheered.
"Swift," Olivia ordered, bringing her finger down in a sharp swing. Cynthia's fins began to glow and he spun, sending waves of bright stars flying in a gust through the air. The stars flew every which way, colliding with the hovering sharp stealth rock attack. But the rocks didn't break. The stars broke instead, bursting into shards of light that embedded themselves into the jagged stone, giving them a glistening sheen like mirrors.
More stars. The stealth rocks were carved away, their rough edges being shaved away. They got brighter and brighter until they began to shine like the stars themselves, hovering five-pointed crystals that glittered in the light of the stage.
"Wow…" Lila gasped, entranced by the sparkling stars. It was like a field of fairy light, glowing above the stage with an enchanting shimmer.
Then the stones began to move.
Cynthia began to spin, fins stretched out, summoning a swift twister that caught up the hovering stealth rocks, which began to circle around her like the stars in orbit on a mobile. They danced around Olivia and Cynthia, and to everyone's surprise, they began to order.
Celia was stunned. Normally, when someone used stealth rock, the stones hovered haphazardly and jagged in the air, to better cut into the pokemon that were sent out. But Olivia's performance was nothing like that. The stars floated around her and her pokemon in a perfect ring, layers upon layers of star rings, in fact, forming a sphere of glowing light that spun slowly in orbit around her in a gorgeous gleaming cage. It made the duo practically glow herself, entrancing the audience with her alluring beauty.
It was an unbelievably "Olivia Himeko" thing to do.
She had turned stealth rock from a strategic attack in pokemon battles to a beautiful and elegant performance piece designed to emphasize herself and her pokemon not as fighters, but as stars of the stage.
If anything emphasized Olivia's philosophy, it was her performance right now.
And Olivia's show was just beginning.
"Pick up the speed, Cynthia!" Olivia instructed.
"Gar," Cynthia nodded, and began to spin again. The stars increased in speed, their orbit picking up as the harsh winds pushed the stones so fast they created a bright ring of solid light. It was so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes.
Reed didn't, though. It was like the bright lights didn't even faze her, she was watching it so intensely, her face locked in a lazy smile.
Then, with a snap of Olivia's fingers, the twister ceased and the stars froze in the sky completely, hovering in the air. Everyone stared intently, feeling the tension floating in the air like the stars themselves.
Olivia was building to something, and the air was electric with anticipation.
Olivia turned her hand down and clenched her fist, and the stars fell from the sky.
Like a meteor shower, streaks of light rained down upon the stage, but not one ever hit. Cynthia began to glow, draconic energy building up through her body. Fire and lightning roared around her, and with a howl she released the energy in shockwave the smashed into the falling stars, crushing them into glistening powder that sprinkled down.
"That's dragon rage!" Reed gasped, clapping her hands excitedly.
For a moment, the stage was covered in a glittering fog. The dust scattered across the stage, covering the platform in a layer of diamond dust, like staring at a shimmering sandy beach.
"Now, let's show these sweet boys and girls what a real sandstorm looks like, Cynthia!" Olivia ordered, winking to the audience.
"Garchomp!" Cynthia roared, raising her fins and slashing at the air. She summoned a sandstorm, but it wasn't sand she called to her command, but the shards of starlight. With a powerful gust she swept the scattered powder up in a glittering tornado, whirling brightly around her, covering the stage in a splendid light show as the spotlight danced across the glittering stars.
"Now, for the grand finale!" Olivia cheered.
Cynthia opened her mouth, violet-blue flames crackling with golden lightning erupting from deep inside, the dragonbreath burning across the sandstorm and turning the brightly glowing tornado into a massive pillar of colored light as the dust burned away, searing all traces of stealth rock until all that remained were the shards of the swift. When the attack died down, they remained, glittering in the air, bursting into pieces of nothingness in a bright sparkling sheen.
Olivia lowered her head into a bow, pulling up the hem of her skirt in an elegant curtsy as the stars faded out into tiny sparkles above her head.
The crowd went wild. Ayame was cheering the loudest, leaping from her seat and slapping her hands together eagerly. Blake did the same, though not as fervently, and even the shyer Danica was getting into it.
Celia herself felt a swell of relief at seeing Olivia perform so flawlessly, happy that Allen's attempt to upstage her had completely failed. She should have had more faith in the Empress, she understood that. After all, Olivia was an expert at contests. She would have dozens of performances and tricks up her sleeve, and this one had been beautiful, letting her show off the charm of her favorite pokemon, and her draconic abilities.
Lila was also felt the excitement, but she was more interested in what Reed had thought of the performance. Lila had been so engrossed with Olivia's dazzling display she hadn't had the chance to look Reed's way once. She glanced over at the taller woman, who was watching the stage with a twinkle in her eye and applauding, and Lila felt a smile spread across her lips.
That's a good sign, right? She didn't know what to make of Reed's reactions, but it looked like she was pleased by the performance, at least, and that was the most she could ask for. Now she just had to hope that Darla would knock Reed's socks off with her finale.
Olivia took another bow and recalled Cynthia with a twirl, blowing the audience a kiss as she strutted off the stage.
The second she got to her changing room, she sank down into her couch with a wince, removing her high boot and massaging her ankle. It felt like agony.
"…The sacrifices I make for an excellent performance," she muttered under her breath, soothing the injured leg as best as she could.
Meanwhile, Lukas had taken the stage again.
"Wasn't that something?" He called, grinning at the audience of six. "We have one final performance today, our lovely Darla Drake! How fitting that our showcase of Dragon types shall come to its conclusion with the lady of dragons herself! Let's give her a round of applause!"
Darla was standing backstage, soothing the painful beat in her heart. She had been onstage more times than she could count, but right now it felt like all those performances were nothing compared to what she had to do today.
This was going to be one of the most important shows she'd ever given.
"Are you ready for this, Dina?" She whispered to her pokeball. She clutched it tightly and stepped forward, breaking out onto the stage at the sound of Lukas's call.
"Hey there, everyone!" She greeted with a wave and a wink. She had Lila and Reed square in her sights, the other four didn't matter.
This was a performance just for them.
"I'm Darla Drake! The cool beauty with the heart of a dragon! Now let me show you just what a dragon can do!" She flung her pokeball into the air, and her Deino emerged with a growl, glaring through sightless eyes.
Lila gasped in surprise. Darla… was using Dina? But she had never used Dina in a Pokemon Contest before! This may have just been an exhibition match, but that didn't mean she could use a pokemon she never used before! She was supposed to show Reed how great contests were, and that meant that she should…
Wait, no, that… that was wrong. All wrong. Lila shook her head and forced a supportive smile onto her face. She cheered for Darla. Her partner knew what she was doing, and Lila needed to have faith in her, even if she didn't know what she was planning.
Dina, you've been training so well. I know this is your first contest, but this is the perfect time to show. There's no better time, for this to work, it has to be now, Darla silently urged her partner pokemon. She narrowed her eyes and focused her energy, and for the first time she directed her dragon force into her pokemon not in order to win in battle, but in order to make her Deino shine her best in a Pokemon Contest.
"Deino!" Dina growled, feeling the flow of power surging through her. She began to crackle with dark energy, building it up into her body as she focused her energy. With a roar, she released it in a curtain of darkness, shadows swirling around her in a wave.
Lila was startled by the performance. Most of Darla's showcases displayed her singing talents, she had taught her pokemon how to sing beautifully for a reason, of course. But right now, this dark energy of hers was designed to appeal visually. What was she-
It wasn't Darla who started singing. It was Dina.
Engulfed in shadow, Dina's hyper voice echoed across the stage in a mournful howl, causing the Milotic Dome to shake. Then, she gathered her energy together, and compressed the darkness into a pillar of burning shadows. Dark lightning crackled in a massive eruption in the center of the stage, slowly spinning around in a twister.
Her loudest roar reached the ceiling, and the darkness began to warble. As it surged above her, Dina began to glow with draconic energy, feeling the full power of Darla's dragon force surging through her body.
"Woooo, that's something!" Reed leaned in, her eyes shining brightly. The air was electric with draconic power, and she could feel her own power resounding with it. She was drawn into the performance in a way she hadn't been with any of the other girls' showcases.
The darkness from Dina's dark pulse blended together with the energy she released out with her dragon rage, creating burning flames of shadow that spread out across the stage and lit up the entire dome in a burning black bonfire.
"Now, focus your energy, Dina, gather it all!" Darla called.
"DEINO!" Dina roared, drawing the flames back towards her. They burned brightly and swirled around her in a tornado of black fire, obscuring Dina from sight.
"Where is she?!" Lila asked, squinting into the curtain of darkness. She had loved the performance, even if she didn't think it had quite been a match for Olivia's. Darla had shown what her Deino was capable of for sure, it just needed an extra oomph.
The only clue anyone had that Dina was even still there was the sound of her howling song, echoing over the crackle of the flames.
Darla closed her eyes. She would only have one shot at this. Because of the… unique performance she had designed, there hadn't been any chance of practicing.
But she had faith in her pokemon. She knew Dina would be able to pull it off.
Lila and Reed were at the edge of their seats with the rest of the audience, drawn in by Dina's singing. And then her howl was joined by another voice, much to Lila's confusion.
Reed's eyes widened and she rose from her seat in shock. Her smile was wiped off her face as she stared in slack-jawed awe, unable to believe what she was feeling.
The dark flames began to pale. Rays of bright white light pierced out from within the inferno, and the curtain of shadow began to crack, making way for what lay behind it.
And with a massive explosion of energy the flames were snuffed out, and a glowing Dina leapt out from within.
"No way!" Celia gasped.
"Dude, that's…" Ayame's breath was taken away.
"…Awesome," Blake finished for her, grinning in surprise.
"Zweeeeeiii!" Dina howled from both her mouths as her song reached its climax. She was bigger now, and bulkier, and most amazingly she had two heads sticking out of her body instead of the one she'd had before the darkness had engulfed her. The light of evolution faded away as the song came to a close.
Darla was shocked. It had gone perfectly, just as she had planned. She knew that Dina would evolve any day now. She had practiced with her, trained with her, and prepared for it, knowing that all she'd need was just one more push.
She had no idea that the push would come while she was onstage. But what else could she do? Melody was in no shape to put on a performance, and while she could have relied on one of her other pokemon, she had a feeling that this would be just what she needed.
She didn't let her anxiety, or even her relief, show on her face. She stood tall with a confident smile, like it had all gone exactly as planned.
Lila was blown away.
She knew that Darla was a genius; an amazing performer, the likes of which had only been matched at their school perhaps by Olivia or herself.
But this? This was beyond description. It was a performance that took Pokemon Contests to the next level, a display that even the Empress herself would be envious of.
Darla had taken evolution, a natural part of pokemon everywhere, and incorporated it into a contest performance, and seamlessly at that! She had shown just how lovely her pokemon was, and evolved her at the same time!
She was so stunned by the performance that she didn't even look to Reed to see how she had taken to it. That wasn't important to her right now.
The only thing she was thinking about was how lovely her beloved partner was, and how much she wanted everyone to love her.
And besides, she didn't have to take a look to know what Reed was thinking, the girl was making it known to everybody who would listen.
"That was amazing!" Reed gushed. She practically climbed onto the stage herself, she was clinging to the edge, staring up in admiration at Darla and her Zweilous. "Look at you, Darla! You're shining! You showed just how amazing your Deino was by evolving her into a Zweilous, on command! Such attunement to Dragon types, just as I would expect from someone like you!"
She held her hands over her heart, and Darla felt her confidence soar as she stared into her cousin's bright eyes.
Reed approved of her. She had managed to get through, showing Reed just how great Pokemon Contests were.
If Darla wasn't in stage mode she would have burst into tears with joy.
She held onto her composure, and took a curtsy, lifting her pokeball up and recalling Dina to her pokeball.
Thank you, Dina. You need to take a nice, long rest now that you've evolved. You did amazingly, it was exactly as we planned. I love you so much, sweetheart!
She kissed Dina's pokeball gently, filled with joy at her pokemon's performance, and smiled at the audience once more.
"Thank you for tonight," she addressed everyone, shooing Lukas away. His time was done now, this was her moment. "I've worked so hard at performing in Pokemon Contests, all of us have. Getting to show how wonderful and lovely our pokemon are, leading everyone to see them for what they are, beautiful and perfect creatures… shining on this stage in front of you, it truly made my night."
She glanced down at Reed, and beamed. She walked across the stage and knelt down, reaching out her hand towards Reed. Reed took it, and Darla helped her onto the stage.
Darla hugged her tightly.
"Thank you for all this, Reed," Darla thanked her. "I wanted you to see just what I was capable of, how wonderful contests really are."
She pulled back, standing proud and tall in preparation for Reed's judgment. Right now, not even Lila was important at the moment, let alone the other four students, who might as well have been complete strangers.
"I think you're wonderful," Reed smiled. She wiped the tears from her eyes. "I can see your love for dragons clearly, Darla. I'm happy you've found something that you can believe in; a way to love dragons in your own way."
They hugged again, and the exhibition contest came to a sweet end. Everyone went their separate directions, but Reed and Darla went off together.
Lila came along as well, even though she watched the cousins from a distance. There were smiles on their faces, and that brought a smile to hers.
Surprisingly, they came to a stop at the beach. The same beach where, hours earlier, Darla and Reed had fought against each other with the power of their dragons.
And now they were smiling like the best of friends.
"Do you really have to go?" Darla asked. It was a stupid question, she knew that better than anyone. Of course Reed had to go, their plan wouldn't work if she didn't. But that didn't mean Darla still didn't wish that her cousin could stay a little longer.
Reed shook her head, and smiled solemnly at her cousin, patting her on the shoulder. "You know I do, sweet cousin. I have to go see the family."
"But can't you stay for just a few more days?" Darla asked. "I have so many more performances I want to show you…"
Reed shook her head. "I'd love to. But you shown me more than enough. I'll write you soon, cousin, in the meantime, you keep shining on that stage of yours, okay?"
Darla sniffled and nodded. The tears she'd been holding back were starting to come out.
Reed raised her head and looked past Darla, waving at Lila. Lila awkwardly waved back.
"And don't forget," Reed reminded her, "that you have a precious friend to watch out for you. You'll be just fine."
Darla glanced over her shoulder and met Lila's eyes, and smiled a little. She nodded. "…Yeah," she agreed, turning back to her cousin. "You're right."
Reed smiled. "Then it's time for me to go. Come on, Alendra!"
With a flourish, Reed tossed her pokeball into the air, releasing her newly-healed Dragonite. She climbed onto the dragon's back and he flapped his wings, blowing away the sand as he took off into the air.
Reed vanished into the night.
So, Reed has officially left! This was quite a long day, but it's finally come to an end. What happens next? We've got a lot to prepare for, the school trip is coming soon!