Pokemon is owned by Gamefreak and all Pokédex entries are from Bulbapedia.
"Butts"- Humans speaking
"Butts"- Pokemon speaking
'Butts'- thoughts
"Butts"-Pokedex entries/TV commentary
"Butts"- Telepathy/Aura speech
Let The Flames Begin
After taking a safe passage through the Johto region after Ash's first Frontier battle, Ash, Serena, Gary, Cobalt, and Green make their way to Olivine City, where the group hopes to hop onto a ferry and head to the Galar region. The group smiles happily as they finally enter the borders of the city with Serena stretching as they walk.
Serena: It feels so good to be back in a town. Nothing beats making it to a nice, beautiful town or city after traveling through a forest, or desert or mountains."
Ash: You can say that again,
Gary: And we've arrived a day earlier than expected, so you have more than enough time to register for the Pokemon contest and practice before We need to get ferry tickets, Serena.
Serena nods in agreement and was honestly really excited. During their travel to Olivine, Serena had been watching old contest recording with Kyuni and Lucky, her new Murkrow. Te contests mostly revolved around a round where you show off a combination of moves to "wow" the crowd, along with the second and final "Battle Round", which basically was what it sounded like.
The girl fantasized about her win in the Contest and even the Grand Festival, but… Her mind wandered to her mother. She had wanted Serena to continue her legacy of Rhyhorn Racing and she hasn't kept up the training. Dont get it wrong, she HATES Rhyhorn Racing, but disappointing her mother… She hated that even worse.
Serena was pulled out of her thoughts when she noticed Ash has stopped walking ahead. She and Gary turn their heads to see that they have reached a giant stadium. The building looked clean and shiny as if it has never been used, and several trainers are entering and exiting the stadium.
Ash: Looks like this is the place to register for your contest pass and to participate in the contest here in Olivine City.
Cobalt: And apparently, the rest of the world while we're at it.
Gary: By the looks of things, this building was recently made just so that they can hold contests here.
Serena: Right. Then let's waste no time. I should get my pass so that I won't have to worry about it later.
As they walk inside and join the line as it starts to move. They continue to wait for ten minutes with the group getting closer and closer to the front desk, making Serena more eager to get her pass. Finally, the person in front of them gets his card, and they approach the front desk where a woman with glasses greets them with a warm smile.
Woman: Good afternoon, how may I help you?
Serena: I would like to register for a pass for the Pokemon Contest World Tour, please.
Woman: I'm sorry, but you'll need the endorsement of an official to-
The woman then gasped as Garu stepped forth, showing her his ID.
Gary: It wouldn't be a problem getting my friend registered, would it, ma'am?
Woman: O-O-Of course not, Mr Oak. *to Serena* Place your Pokedex in the slot in front of you.
Serena happily complies, and an image of her appears on the screen next to the slot. The woman checks Serena's information, and smiles before pressing a button and a golden pass card emerges from the machine next to her computer.
Woman: Alright, Ms Garbena, you are registered to compete in all contests participating in the World Tour, and you're signed up to compete in today's contest. Good luck.
Serena: Great. Thank you,
Serena then takes her Pokedex and pass card and puts them back in her backpack. She then turns to Ash, Gary, Cobalt, and Green as they notice her approaching and smilng.
Serena: I'm in!
Cobalt: Congrats, Serena!
Green: You're gonna do great.
Serena: But I have to admit…. I'm really nervous.
?: Well, you should be.
The group's attention then turned to see a girl around their age appear, a rather snooty looking girl with long purple hair tied up into a bun and blue eyes that just shrieked with brattiness. Her attire was expensive and sickening.
Girl: After all, you're obviously going to lose to me.
Ash instantly didn;t like the girl, she reminded him far too much of a certain blue-haired teen that abandoned one of his strongest team members.
Gary: And you are…?
Girl: Evelyn Rankor, next in line to the Rankor dynasty of vitamin supplements. And soon enough, Contest Queen of the entire world.
Suddenly, a beeam of light emanate from Evelyn's backpack, releasing a small ottr like Pokemon with a round white head, a light blue body, and a shell on its stomach. The Pokemon happily cheered as it was released, only for the girl to become angry with it.
Evelyn: What have I told you?! Don;t come out of the ball, unless I let you out of the ball!
The otter curled away at the sound of Evelyn's shouting, which made Serena frown as she then scanned the Pokemon.
Pokedex: Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon. A Water type. The shell, called a scalchop, on its stomach is made from the same element as fingernails. Oshawott detaches the scalchop for use as a blade in combat and for cracking open berries.
Gary: Hey, last I checked, Ohawott's one of the starter Pokemon from the Unova region.
Evelyn: Unfortunately, it was the only one available at the lab when I went to pick up my first Pokemon. But this stupid thing is a pain!
Ash: Hey! Don't insult him!
Evelyn: Why shouldn't I? Seriously, it's about as dumb as a rock, weak, and it looks like the mutant retard baby of a Bidoof that screwed a Piplup, or in other words; horrendously ugly!
Oshawott: *saddened* Not ugly….. That one's my least favorite….
Ash was seething mad at the girl, as were his starters. But just before Gary could bite Evelyn's head off, the PA spoke up.
PA: All contestants, please proceed to the waiting room.
Evelyn: Well, looks to be my cue to win. *recalls Oshawott* Have fun, loser!
The snooty girl annoyingly laughed as she walked off, leaving Ash fuming and Serena discouraged. Though this sadness didn't last long as Ash placed a hand on her shoulder.
Ash: Don;t worry about her, Serena. Just give it everything you've got.
Serena: ….*smiles* Right, I won't give up until it's over.
Gary: You got this, Serena.
Ash smiles at the girl while she smiles back before following Evelyn to the backstage.
Cobalt: There's something about that girl with the Oshawott, I SERIOUSLY do not like her.
Green: That's the understatement of the year. Come on, let's go get our seats.
—-
Later on, Ash and the remainder of his group sit with the audience as the how began, a woman with short brunette hair and wearing an ornate kimono is seen speaking at the audience through a microphone.
Woman: Good morning, Olivine City! Welcome to the first Pokemon contest to kick off the Pokemon Contest World Tour, where our contestants will travel the world in order to show off their Pokemon and how they can truly be deemed as the best. I'm your host, Jillian, and I'm excited to see what our contestants today have in store for us!
As the audience cheers, Lillian goes on to introduce the judges, which includes Mr. Contesta from the organizing committee and the creator of the concept of Pokemon Contests, Mr. Sukizo from the Pokémon Fan Club, and the city's resident Nurse Joy. Once she's done, Jillian turns to the side entrance of the stage to introduce the first contestant.
Jillian: Now, without further ado, let's kick things up with our first contestant, Evelyn!
Everyone cheers excitedly as Evelyn comes on to the stage, releasing her only trained Pokemon being Oshawott. The two of them started out fine enough with Evelyn having Oshawott use Water Gun into the air and creating a splash show with Razor Shell…. Only for the otter to trip on the landing and fall over, making the girl lose valuable points.
With a growl and a glare at the Oshawott's Pokeball, she recalled her "starter" and walked off stage, allowing the next contestant to go on. The audience and the judges watched the other acts in awe, each act being diverse from one another before finally, after an hour of other contestants performing, Jillian clears her throat.
Jillian: And now for our final contestant, making her debut all the way from the Kalos region, Serena!
Ash: Yeah! Go, Serena!
Cobalt: Rip the competition apart!
Gary: You got this!
Serena runs to the stage, giving the audience a wave and a cheerful smile. Then, with a graceful twirl, she throws a Pokeball high into the air, and it opens to reveal Lucky, her Murkrow.
Serena: Alright, Lucky, remember the plan. And we'll win for sure.
Lucky: Right, the plan… Got it.
Serena: Lucky, use Dark Pulse!
Lucky opens his beak as he flies around the stage, firing off a swirling beam of darkness above the stage.
Serena: Now, just like we practiced. Speed right into the Dark Pulse with Drill Peck!
Lucky's beak then turned white as it spun like a drill before he charged into the swirling beam, causing the dark energy to explode into small thin purple streams that descend from above like rainfall. The audience "ooo" and "ahh" before applauding happily.
Green: Man, this is her first ever contest and she's doing this like a pro.
Cobalt: Kinda like how Ash acted back with his first gym battle against Brock, huh?
Serena's smile brightens as she and her Murkrow spin and make a final pose with Serena extending her arm for Lucky to land on as the crow then bows to the audience.
Serena: And finish!
The audience continues to applaud while the judges give their compliments to her. After a minute, Serena and Lucky break from their pose and give their audience a bow before heading backstage where on the sideline, Evelyn seemed to glare at th girl.
Evelyn: Lucky little whore….
Serena: Thank you for all you've done, Lucky. Hopefully, it's enough to make it to the next round.
Lucky: Oh yeah. I know we got in no doubt. *points to wall* In fact, it looks like they're going to announce the people who will be moving on,
The girl looked to see a small TV on the wall and watched it, waiting eagerly to find out the results. She waits until the camera focuses on the big screen above the stage, and sixteen images appear. Serena's image appears on the bottom right.
Serena: *sighs* Looks like I just made it.
However, much to Evelyn's displeasure, she didn;t even make it to the very bottom of the ranks. All because of that Oshawott….
Jillian: Well, that certainly was a show from Serena! Who knew Murkrow could be so lucky, after all! But hey, we have our finalists, so let's get ready for the battle round!
Ash had let out the rest of his Pokemon to watch as he and Gary started watching battle after battle for the next hour. Thus lue haired girl that Ash swore seemed familiar crushed her first opponent without a hitch, but everyone is secretly wondering how Serena is going to do on her first contest battle.
Ash: So guys, how do you think Serena's going to do?
Yami: Hard to say. From what you guys told me, she knew what she was doing during the performance round, but the battling is a whole other ballpark.
Cobalt: Don't worry, she's been practicing and studying hard the whole trip here to Olivine. She's going to pull through no matter what.
Psi: Let us hope you are right, Cobalt.
Jillian: And now for our final first-round battle! On the right side, we have Serena, and on the left, we have Russell!
The group cheers for Serena, who smiles and waves against while a scrawny man with gray hair comes from the other side. The two opponents stare at each other before they throw their Pokeballs to reveal Lucky and a Hypno.
Jillian: Battle begin!
Serena: Alright, Lucky, let's get started with Air Cutter!
The Murkrow then flapped its wings to unleash thin blue blades of air toward the Hypno. But the skinny man named Russell smirks, however, and spoke with a monotone voice.
Russel: Dazzling Gleam.
Hypno growls as its eyes glow and unleash a shimmering blast of energy that causes the air blades to explode into multicolored sparkles. The judges gasp in amazement, and Serena's bar on the screen goes down, making her uneasy.
Serena: 'Alright, focus Serena. Focus.' Lucky, use Steel Wing!
Lucky's wings glow metallic as he then charges at Hypno.
Russel: Oh please. Drain Punch.
Hypno's fist glowed blue as it then punched Lucky just as he swooped down, crashing into the ground and causing Serena to lose more points. Serena stares at the scene worriedly until she gets an idea.
Serena: Use Dark Pulse!
Lucky manages to get to his feet and shoots a Dark Pulse right at Hypno. The psychic Pokemon's eyes widen as the attack hits it square on the chest, causing it to stumble back. Serena smiles excitedly as Russell loses a large chunk of his points.
Gary: Good thinking from Serena since Dark-type moves are super effective against Psychic types.
Serena: Alright, use Dark Pulse once more!
Russel: I think not. Disable.
Hypno shoots several blue rings at the Murkrow just as he's about to fire another Dark Pulse, but Lucky looks on in shock as the attack fizzles and disappears from his beak, causing Serena to lose more points.
Jillian: Uh, oh. It looks like Hypno has prevented Murkrow from using Dark Pulse.
Russel: Use Drain Punch one more time.
Once again, Hypno's fist glows blue and punches Lucky again, repeatedly punching him to prevent him from taking off.
Serena: 'Oh no, what do I do now? With Dark Pulse disabled, Lucky only has Air Cutter, Drill Peck, and Steel Wing left, and we can't do any of those unless he's in the air.'
But as she thinks about it, a loud ding is heard, and Serena's heart drops, realizing the worst.
Jillian: Time's up, and it looks like Russell wins!
The crowd cheers while Serena frowns sadly. Hypno stops its assault on Lucky before Russell returns it in its Pokeball and leaves with a smirk. Lucky drops his head as he hops over to Serena, who gets down on her knees and scratches his chin.
Serena: It's okay, Lucky. You were great. We'll get them next time. I promise.
The Murkrow sighs and gives Serena his own sad smile before she puts him back in his Pokeball and leaves the stage. After exiting backstage, Ash, Gary, and Ash's Pokemon head over to comfort her, but lose her in the crowd. The group leaves the building to find Serena sitting down on her knees in the cement while talking to Kyubi and Lucky with a sad smile on her face. She turns her head, noticing that she and her Pokemon are not alone and smiles at her friends.
Serena: Hey, guys. What's going on?
Gary: We were just about to ask you the same thing. Are you gonna be okay?
Serena: Oh, I'm fine. I mean… I'm a little down about the loss, but I learned a lot about contest battles, so I'm just going to practice some more.
Cobalt: Are you sure?
Serena: Absolutely. No sense in beating myself up when I can start getting ready for the next time. Right, Ash?
Ash: *smiles* Right. And I want you to know that you two did amazing out there.
Green: Yeah, Serena. If you did that during the courting season of our tribe and you were a Grovyle, everyone would be fighting over you.
Lucky: Aw, thanks….. I guess.
Serena: Thank you, Green. Now, if you'll excuse us, I'd like to practice right now.
Gary: Of course. But before we go, I should give you something.
The young Oak reaches into his pocket, pulling out a data card similar to the one Scott gave Ash.
Gary: The woman at the desk forgot to give you this… This card has the map data for the rest of the World Tour contests. I suggest while you practice, you check them out.
Serena nodded as the others left, saying they'll be waiting at the Pokemon Center where Gary will also be ordering their ferry tickets. As Serena inserted the card into her PokeNav, she decided to talk to her team as the data downloaded.
Serena: Alright, as I was saying, I think we should work on more creative performances for you two. Lucky did great on the performance round, but I think we should take the fact that I barely made it into the next round as a sign to be more creative so that we can breeze through the round, no problem.
Both Pokemon nod in agreement, which makes Serena smile until she hears footsteps coming from the side behind and turns around to find Evelyn walking out of the building with a glare. With this same glare, she opens a Pokeball to let out Oshawott, who looks around confused.
Oshawott: Huh? Wha…
Evelyn: …You made me lose the performance round. I'm done with you.
Oshawott: What?! No, wait, please! Just give me another chance!
Serena: Evelyn! *runs up to her* What do you think you're doing?!
Evelyn: Getting rid of the garbage, of course.
Serena: So you're just giving up Oshawott?! You're a monster!
Evelyn: If I want to truly be Contest Queen, I'll just get Daddy to buy me a better starter. And as for him….
She then throws the otter's Pokeball onto the ground and stomps on it, shattering it right in front of him.
Oshawott: I don't get it…I'm not ugly, stupid, or useless…or lazy…but why can't anyone see that?
Serena: Oshawott, wait!
The otter then stops, looking back to see Serena, Lucky, and Kyubi running towards him.
Serena: I'm really sorry that happened, Oshawott. You really don;t deserve it.
Kyubi: "Contest Queen". More like Contest Hag!
Lucky: Who does she think she is talking to you like that?
Oshawott: Well… She;s not the first one to say stuff like that. Most trainers, sometimes even the other starters talk about me like that. But when the Professor gave me to her… I thought I found the one… But I guess it wasn;t meant to be. Can you guys tell your trainer I say thanks for trying to cheer me up?
Serena: They don;t need to, Oshawott. I can understand you. But you don;t have to go…. Hey, I have an idea. Why don;t you come with us?
After getting over the initial shock of the girl understanding him, Oshawott let the question she asked settle in before responding.
Oshawott: Are… Are you sure you want me?
Serena: Of course. I bet we can become the winners of the World Tour, if we try.
The otter looked up to the girl, surprised at her offer for him to join them, but he wasn't just going to turn the offer down.
Oshawott: 'No human has treated me the way he's treated me in a while…besides the Professor. Maybe she was the one meant to be my trainer?'
As Serena got up, Oshawott suddenly ran up to Serena and grabbed onto her leg.
Oshawott: Pleeeeaaaasee take me with you! I'm sick of being rejected and insulted…
Serena: *smiles* We'll be happy to have you.
The girl then pressed a Pokeball against Oshawott's head, sucking him in as it then immediately locked. Smiling, Serena let the otter out, who happily jumped up to signal he wanted to be picked up. Serena was more than happy to comply as Ash approached.
Ash: Hey, Serena. I just wanted to te-... Hey, isn't that Evelyn's Oshawott?
Serena: Not any more. Now he's a part of my team.
Confused at first, Ash looked down to see the broken Pokeball on the ground and immediately understood what happened.
Ash: Ah, I get it… Well, welcome to the team, Oshawott.
Serena: Oshawott? Do you have a real name?
Oshawott shook his head in response.
Serena: Well…. Do you mind if I give you a nickname? *Oshawott shakes his head again, happily* Alright…. I know. I'll call you Oliver, I think it's a cute name for a cute Pokemon.
Oshawott: Oliver…. I love it!
Kyubi: Welcome to the team, Oliver! *to Ash* So Ash, what'd you need to tell us?
Oliver: You can understand us too?
Ash: Yah. And I came to tell Serena Gary got the ferry tickets. It won;t be leaving until late at night, but he said we can head over their and get into our rooms. By the way, did you find out where your next contest is?
Serena: The data must be done downloading. Let me check.
She then checks her PokeNav, which indeed had the map data for the Contest World Tour downloaded onto it.
Serena: Hey, look at this! My next contst is actually in Galar!
Ash: Really? *looks at PokeNav* Huh, says here it's in a place called Circhester. We still have time toi train for your contest. Hope you have a plan, Serena.
Serena: I do. And with Oliver with us, I just know we can win and prove Evelyn wrong.
And so, Serena had trained and thought of new contest techniques with her team before Gary came up to them, telling them it was about time to head for the ferry. That night as everyone slept, Oliver was seen cuddling with Serena, but he awoke as he felt movement. Walking over to the window, the otter noticed the port was getting farther and farther away as it headed towards Galar.
The Oshawott smiled as he grew farther from Olivine… Farther from Evelyn, but still closer to his new trainer. He could just tell this was going to be a fun trip.
TO BE CONTINUED…..
—-
Ash's Team
Lucario: Cobalt
Sceptile: Green
Alakazam: Psi
Gengar: Yami
Charizard: Aidan
Inteleon: Azula
Togetic: Kestrel
Lycanroc *Dusk form*: Hunter
Marowak: Kabu
Rotom: Sparky (at Oak's lab)
Umbreon *shiny*: Blacky (at home)
Serena's Team
Fennekin: Kyubi
Murkrow: Lucky
Oshawott: Olive
Gary's Team
Blastoise
Jolteon