Chapter 4

It had been two days and it was the day of the Perfect Princess contest. That morning had been pretty busy as everyone in the chateau got ready. Cinderella helped Patricia get dressed, groomed her Pokémon, packed her stuff, and fixed her stepfamily a nice lunch for the road. She wished Patricia luck as her stepfamily got into a carriage to take them to the contest.

As soon as they left, Cinderella was already in her room, being cleaned of her ashes and dressed by her Pokémon friends. She was wearing a lovely pastel pink dress of lace which had been modified from one of her mother's old dresses. Rose wore her mother's gold pendant with a pink ribbon to match Cinderella's dress.

Cinderella looked herself over in the mirror and twirled for her Pokémon friends. They all smiled at how beautiful she looked. Over her eyes, she put on a beautiful golden mask adorned with diamonds, which also belonged to her mother. The same mask she had been using as the Masked Maiden.

"You and Rose look beautiful, Cinderella!" said Lil.

"Just like princesses!" said Sparkle.

"Thank you, our friends," said Cinderella.

"I can't even recognize her with the mask on." said one of the Vivillon, "It's like she's a completely different person."

Valiant came into the attic with Ariel, Mikey, Rex, and Bella. Ariel and Bella had two trunks with all of Cinderella's outfits and their gear for the contest. They thought of every performance possibility they could think of. All her Pokémon had been washed up and groomed, ridding them of their cinders and barn Pokémon looks. They were all wearing a blue riband sash, though Valiant wore a star and badge with his. As members of the Order of the Aurum, all Pokémon were required to wear traditional blue ribands at public and formal events even while battling.

Cinderella smiled at her Pokémon.

"Is everyone ready to go?" she asked.

"I'm ready," said Rose, beaming.

"We are all ready." said Valiant, "Let us go now."

"Good luck!" cheered all of Cinderella's friends.

They waved goodbye as Ariel used Teleport to carry them away from their home and just outside the palace where the contest was being held. There was already a line of ten ladies waiting to be registered. They were about to get in the back when a voice shouted out.

"My Lady! Over here!"

Cinderella jumped. That was a Pokémon speaking to her as the other people didn't notice. She saw an Ivysaur dashing towards her and her Pokémon. Cinderella knew who he was. He was a Pokémon belonging to one of her best friends. She knelt down and petted his head, smiling.

"Hello, Peter!" Cinderella said, "How have you been doing?"

"Just evolved two weeks ago, but I'm still the same old me." he said, "Bianca and Katelyn had been saving your spot for you in the front. Follow me."

Cinderella smiled as she and her Pokémon followed Peter to the front of the line. All the girls and Pokémon nearby watched Cinderella in amazement, fascinated by her beauty. She saw her two best friends at the front of the line, Katelyn and Peter's trainer, Bianca. With them was Katelyn's Combusken, Anna and the rest of their Pokémon.

"Who are you?" asked Katelyn.

"Girls, it's me," said Cinderella.

"Be careful," Valiant warned. "No one must know that the Masked Maiden is really Duchess Ella Livingston."

Bianca smiled. "It is you! It's been forever since we've seen each other!"

"Where have you all been?" asked Katelyn.

Cinderella and Valiant told them everything that had happened since Cinderella's father left.

"I knew it!" said Katelyn, "I knew those two were lying when they said you left with your father."

"That's why I'm wearing the mask." said Cinderella, "So Patricia and Stepmother don't recognize me."

"It worked on us." said Katelyn, "I couldn't tell who you were if I didn't know it was you."

"You should meet my newest Pokémon." said Cinderella, "Her name is Rose. She's an Eevee."

Katelyn and Bianca looked and Rose and smiled. Rose blushed and shied away. She wasn't quite used to so much attention.

"What's wrong with Rose?" asked Katelyn.

"This is her first time in the contest." said Cinderella, "She's just a little nervous."

As Cinderella and her friends got registered and caught up on lost time, the Pokémon began to talk among themselves. The conversions went on as they waited for the registration to be completed. Eventually, they got to the subject of Rose's origins.

"Where did you come from, Rose?" asked Peter.

"Cinderella found me and my mommy in the woods when I was a baby." said Rose, "I don't remember my mommy much, but I know she was a Flareon. She was wearing this pendant when Cinderella found me."

Peter took a good look at Rose's pendant. He noticed the engravement on the front. "Ruby?"

"Yes, that's my mother's name," said Rose.

"Her mother couldn't have been a wild Pokémon." said Peter, "That pendant looks like something only a person of exceptional wealth could afford."

"Do you think her mother lost her trainer?" asked Anna.

"We don't know much about Rose's mother." said Valiant, "She was plagued by an illness and died soon after."

Sympathy overcame the other Pokémon.

"Our sympathies," said Anna.

Just then they heard an angry woman shouting, "Out of my way, you fool!"

The Pokémon looked to see Cinderella's stepfamily exiting their carriage. They had just arrived barely in time. Several footmen were sent to carry Patricia's mountain of luggage. The stepmother was yelling at everyone and barking orders. Patricia was busy straightening her dress to look presentable with her Pokémon following close to her. They were dressed as obnoxious as her and embarrassed at the stares they were getting.

Cinderella's heart leaped. This was the moment. She hoped that her stepfamily wouldn't recognize her or else who knew what would happen. The stepfamily moved quickly to the registry. When they saw Cinderella the three stared, surprised.

"Who are you?" asked Patricia.

"I've never seen you before." said the stepmother.

Cinderella felt relieved. Her stepmother and Patricia didn't recognize her after all.

"She is the duchess in the Pokémon League known as the Masked Maiden," said Valiant.

Patricia yelped in surprise. "D-Did you just talk to me?"

"It is not uncommon for Pokémon of the Order of the Aurum to speak the tongue of humans." said Valiant, "Surely, you know this very well."

"How do we know that she's a true duchess?" said the Stepmother, suspicious, "How do I know she's not an impostor?"

"Are you questioning my mistress's title?" Valiant countered sternly, "Because you see her as a competitional threat to your daughter?"

The stepmother flinched.

"We know her, my Lady." said Katelyn, "She's a duchess."

"You should hurry." said Cinderella, "You have less than a minute left to get registered."

With that, Patricia and her mother ran for the registry with Patricia's Pokémon, all panicked. The footmen and their Pokémon followed them, carrying the boxes of her stuff. Sabrina smiled at Cinderella.

"Ella? Is that you?" she whispered.

Cinderella shushed her. "Be careful, someone might hear us."

"How did you get here so fast?" asked Sabrina.

"We teleported," said Cinderella.

"We barely got here in time." said Sabrina, "We had to wait for someone to move a sleeping Snorlax off the road. Again."

"That's why we came early." said Valiant, "There's nothing convenient about taking the carriage."

"I almost didn't recognize you with the mask on." Sabrina admitted, "You look beautiful."

Cinderella smiled. "Thank you."

Just then, a man in a suit came through the palace doors. "Alright, everyone, we are ready to begin the contest! All audience members follow the guards and all contestants and their Pokémon please come with me."

"Oh, it's time!" said Cinderella, "I'll talk with you later."

"Good luck," said Sabrina as she ran for her mother.

Cinderella, Patricia, Katelyn, and Bianca followed the man into the palace with their Pokémon and the other girls. The entrance hall was grand. It was made of white marble and covered with gilded embellishments. Red carpets lead up a series of stairs that lead into different hallways and rooms. Black marble and gilded columns supported the ceiling with white Pokémon statues. The while room was light up by gilded lamps and a grand gilded and crystal chandelier.

The girls followed looking around the room, impressed. Cinderella had been here before and knew of the palace's great wonders. She even once accompanied the queen herself. Rose looked around in awe and delight. She had never been inside the palace before.

"It's more beautiful than I thought," she whispered.

The Royal Guards and Pokéguard—the palace's Pokemon guards—stood all around, still as stone and constantly vigilant. They watched as the girls and their Pokémon walked by, but their eyes followed Cinderella the whole way, fascinated by her beauty.

The audience walked up to the grand entrance stairway while the man guiding the contestants stopped and turned to face them. All the girls and their Pokémon looked up as the man spoke with a smile.

"Hello and welcome to this year's Perfect Princess contest. I will be your host for today. For those who don't know, the contest is a performance where many young ladies and their Pokémon perform before the royal court in a show of beauty, etiquette, and skill. You will be judged by a series of judges as well as the Archduke, and Their Royal Highnesses, King Charles and Queen Elizabeth."

Cinderella and her Pokémon looked up in surprise. They hoped the Archduke wouldn't recognize them.

The host continued. "There shall be five rounds today. Each of them will be different and have different rules. Contestants and their Pokémon will be eliminated or move on based on their performance. In the end, only five contestants and their Pokémon will remain to perform the final round where the winner will be chosen. In the end, the young lady who does their best shall be declared the winner. They will be rewarded with 10,000 Poké and a luncheon with one of the members of the royal court. Any questions before we start?"

"I have one question, sir." said a girl in a yellow dress, "Who is this person the winner will meet?"

"Well, that's the surprise, isn't it?" said the host, "He personally requested that I keep his identity a secret to all but the winner."

Several girls were surprised by this. Cinderella noticed that Patricia was fidgeting her hands. She seemed to be very nervous. Cinderella didn't have time to worry about her stepsister. She knew what she had to do. Rose looked up at her, a look of nervousness on her face. Cinderella just smiled at her. Valiant also saw her and knelt to hold her shoulder assuring.

"It's alright, my Lady." he whispered, "We're here for you."

Rose calmed down a bit. The host looked around.

"Any more questions?" he asked, "No? Alright, then, it is time for the first round, ladies. It is a tea party for both you and your Pokémon."

Patricia and several of the other girls got excited. This was something they were looking forward to.

"This will test etiquette and obedience, meaning how well your Pokémon can follow your instructions. You will be judged on how well your Pokémon execute your commands, etiquette and manners, and grooming and appearance. First, you will have twenty minutes to get dressed and groom your Pokémon. Then you and your Pokémon will walk around the table in front of the judges. This will allow them to make their grooming and dressing assessment and see your Pokémon execute the command 'heel'. The top fifteen ladies with the best performances will go to the next round. Head into the dressing room, ladies, and we'll see you when you come out."

The girls all walked down the halls to the wing where the spare ladies' rooms where. Cinderella walked to her assigned room, the second room at the end hall on the left-hand side. Her Pokémon followed close behind with Valiant acting as her escort. A footman was already there with her luggage of clothes.

Just as she was about to enter her room, Rex let out a warning chuff.

"She's here!"

Cinderella spun around to see Patricia standing in the middle of the hallway, giving Cinderella and her Pokémon and annoyed look. Her Pokémon were standing behind her along with several footmen carrying her massive luggage of clothes. It almost seemed like she was moving in.

"Do you mind?" Patricia said rudely, "You're in my way."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Cinderella.

She quickly moved aside and asked for her Pokémon to do the same thing. Patricia moved indignantly past Cinderella and into the end room on the right-hand side across from Cinderella. Her Pokémon and the footmen followed her inside.

Leaving her stepsister to her own business, Cinderella and her Pokémon entered their dressing room. Four maids were already waiting with two Lopunny and two Espeon.

"Good day to you, my Lady." said one of the maids, "I will be your lady-in-waiting for today and we will be serving and tend to whatever you and your Pokémon need."

"Thank you." said Cinderella, "All my clothes are in my trunk and may need to be ironed again. My Pokémon's things are already separated from mine. Please take care of them. They were my mother's and mean so much to me."

"Of course, my Lady." said the first maid, "How may we address you?"

"Just 'My lady' will be fine," said Cinderella, smiling.

With that, the maids got to work.


It took Cinderella and her Pokémon only ten minutes to get ready. She wore a simple blue dress with a matching hair bow and all her Pokémon were groomed with their ribands removed. Rose was given the same blue bow on her neck to replace the pink ribbon and Ariel and Bella had hair bows the same as Cinderella.

With dressing and grooming done, Cinderella and her friends went out to wait in line. Their number was one. Patricia wore her obnoxious green and pink dress with white gloves, a pearl necklace, and a large hat. Emerald was dressed in a matching suit, Buttons was given a Debutante clip, and the rest of Patricia's Pokémon wore matching dresses and accessories. Valiant shook his head. They were supposed to be groomed, not dressed up.

When everyone was ready, the host led the contestants and their Pokémon down the hall. They stopped outside a room with a curtain covering the doorway. The host walked through the curtain alone and the girls waited for a few minutes.

"The first contestant please walk out." the host called.

Cinderella walked through the curtain with her Pokémon. They found themselves inside the grand dining room. There five small round tables that people sat at with white linen tablecloths, silver candelabras, and flowers. There were fifteen smaller tables where Pokémon sat at. Both places were all set up for a tea party with silver tea trays, china, and gold silverware. At a long table were twenty judges along with King Charles, Queen Elizabeth, and the Archduke as the main judges.

Cinderella smiled as she daintily walked around the tables in front of the judges with Valiant escorting her. Rose, Ariel, Mikey, Rex, and Bella walked with her, smiling. They naturally kept their heads and posture straight and made it around the tables without falling. The King, Queen, and Archduke smiled along with the rest of the judges. Cinderella took her spot at her assigned table. Her Pokémon went to their assigned table and took their spots as well.

Bianca came next. Her dress was lavender and pink. Besides Peter, she had her Azumarril, Splash, her Furret, Fuzz, and her two Skitty, Poppy and Daisy. She and her Pokémon walked around the table and to their seats. Patricia came out next with her Pokémon. The judges all stared awkwardly at her and her Pokémon's clothes. Some shook their heads, frowning. It was hard for Buttons and Blair to walk in their dresses. Patricia smiled awkwardly as she walked to her chair. Katelyn and Anna went next with her Ponyta, Flash, her Vivillon, Pinky, her Plusle, Cherry, and her Minun, Sky. The judges were more approved of her Pokémon's grooming and Katelyn's red dress and hat.

One-by-one, the rest of the contestants and their Pokémon walked before the judges. Some were good and some had issues, but overall, it was pretty good.

With everyone seated, the host sat at the end of the table and spoke again.

"Well done, ladies, now you and your Pokémon will be served tea. This will allow the judges to assess your etiquette and manners as well as your Pokémon's. Staff, please serve our guests."

A group of servants and their Pokémon came out with curates and platers of goods. Cinderella made out fruit, tea sandwiches, bread, scones, sorbet, cake, cookies, and various tarts. There were also platers with butter, various jams, and marmalade. They brought the goods to the girls' tables, but not the Pokémon's. Then the cups, plates, silverware, and napkins were set out.

The servants and their Pokémon began to serve the tea. Cinderella politely asked for a light tea with cream and two lumps of sugar. Cinderella had excellent manners. She placed her napkin on her lap, took small bites and sips, kept her mouth closed while chewing, said "please" and "thank you", and spoke with the other girls in a light and cheerful manner. Her Pokémon's manners were also the same. Patricia opened her mouth once while chewing and ate a little too fast.

After ten minutes, the host spoke up. "Excellent, ladies, we will now have a test to see how well your Pokémon can execute the command 'leave it'. They are about to tempted with their favorite treats. You must command them to leave them alone for a minute. Ladies, please go to your Pokémons' table."

The contestants did as they were told. Cinderella stood in front of the table where her Pokémon were, still smiling.

"Waiters, please serve our guests." said the host.

The Purrloin, Wobbuffet, and Sneasel waiters came forward with platters covered in lids. They set them down in the middle of the small tables. Many Pokémon could smell the goodies under them. The Pokémon waiters took hold of the handles, waiting to take the lids off.

The host spoke again. "And you may remove the lids… now."

At once, the lids were removed, showing an array of Pokémon treats. There were cakes, fruit, tea sandwiches, and small tarts. Rose, Mikey, Ariel, Bella, and Rex smelled the goodies on the table, which Valiant left alone like the wise and disciplined duke he was.

"Wait." said Cinderella gently, "Leave them."

Ariel, Bella, and Rose did as they were asked. Rex and Mikey were almost tempted, but they managed to control their impulse to eat. Valiant nodded in approval. Cinderella rewarded them with a smile, making them smile back.

"Yes, that's it." she said, "You're all being very good."

With Patricia, her Pokémon were getting ready to try the treats. However, Patricia pointed a finger at them and said sharply, "No. Leave it."

Blair, Emerald, Buttons, Gloria, Jewel, and Princess were startled, but they did as they were told. Peter, Anna, and their parties also obeyed their trainer's commands. Other Pokémon tried to sniff the food. Some were almost tempted but resisted the urge to eat. A Munchlax couldn't hold back its ravenous appetite and took a bite at the last second.

"Time." said the host, "Nicely done. Let us finish our tea."

With that, the contestants all went back to their chairs and continued their tea and chats. The Pokémon were also allowed to eat. Throughout the rest of the tea party, Cinderella and her Pokémon continued to display good manners and etiquette. After tea was done and the dishes were cleared, the host spoke again.

"Now for your final task, we'll be evaluating the commands 'sit' and 'stay'. Your Pokémon will be sitting on a pedestal in a 'sit-stay' and I want each of you to take a position behind your chair."

Cinderella got up from her chair. "Everyone, sit. Stay."

Rose, Valiant, Ariel, Mikey, Rex, and Bella all went to their pedestal and sat down. Cinderella smiled and praised them. Patricia ordered her Pokémon to do the same thing, using hand signals. The contestants all got up and stood behind their chairs as instructed.

"Now I want you to all walk completely around the room ending in your exact marks."

One by one, in single file, the contestants walked around the room. Cinderella knew her Pokémon would stay and smiled as she walked around the table. Patricia constantly told her Pokémon to stay with verbal commands and hand signals. Some Pokémon moved slightly and some wanted to get off the pedestal. Cinderella's Pokémon smiled as she and everyone managed to make it back without any Pokémon getting of the pedestals.

"Nicely done everyone." said the host. "The round is done."

The Pokémon were allowed to get off the pedestals and return to their trainer's side. Cinderella praised her Pokémon and they smiled back. Patricia smiled to herself. It only took the judges a few minutes to debate. They talked with each contestant, pointing all the good things and issues. After a while, they came to Cinderella.

The King spoke first. "My Lady, you and your Pokémon have the best manners we have ever seen. It's almost like you're a princess. I was very surprised by the etiquette of your Pokémon, especially from your Charizard and Absol. It's something we don't see very often."

The Archduke spoke next. "I love how gentle and kind you were to your Pokémon, my Lady. You talk to your Pokémon. You praised and smiled at them. You got them very animated and they responded well to your commands. This is the best obedience I have ever seen and it was perfect."

The Queen came next. "I love how beautiful you and your Pokémon look. I love how you kept it simple and I love your Pokémon's ribbons. Of all the contestants, your show was perfect. You will move to the next round without question."

Cinderella smiled and curtsied. "Thank you, Your Majesties. YourGrace."

Patricia was last and was smiling expectantly. However, the King, Queen, and Archduke had mixed expressions.

"Miss Patricia Livingston," said the King, "You and your Pokémon have good manners and etiquette and I like your Furfrou's clip, but I'm not a big fan of putting clothes on Pokémon. It kept me from evaluating their grooming."

Patricia frowned.

"You had good obedience with your Pokémon," said the Archduke, "But I think you were relying a little too much on hand signals. That was very distracting to the judges. You also sounded stiff and demanding. I just think you need to relax and lighten up a bit, it was a little rigid. I also didn't like the clothes you put on your Pokémon. In fact, the clothing made it more difficult for your Braixen and Furfrou to walk during the heel."

"I love your Furfrou's clip," said the Queen, "But I agree that dressing your Pokémon in full clothing was inappropriate and it kept us from judging their grooming. Also, why are you wearing that dress and giant hat for a tea party? They look ridiculous on you. I just think you would make a better impression if you wore something simple with pastel colors and just put collars or a ribbon on your Pokémon."

Patricia looked at her feet, very embarrassed. She didn't say anything.

"Besides that, your performance was okay and we decided to give you another chance in the next round." said the Queen.

Patricia breathed a sigh of relief. Her Pokémon looked a little worried, though. They knew someone was going to have a fit afterward and they would be caught in the middle. Cinderella felt sorry for them, but she couldn't help them right now. Not when they had two more rounds to go.