Chapter 7: Double Performances
Emerald wasn't sure how, but she'd managed to get a goodnight's sleep in spite of everything. She'd been convinced that this would be the longest night of her life but upon getting to bed, she'd fallen asleep pretty much instantly. Maybe she was so drained by the shock and horror of Tony's condition that she'd been too tired to worry about him and that had helped her nod off. In any case, the sweet-natured girl had woken up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.
Despite worrying for Tony, she'd forced herself to eat her breakfast as she didn't want to go into the contest with an empty stomach and after getting dressed up in her contest outfit again, she, Ruby and Dawn made their way back to Hulbury Stadium to begin the next round of the contest. Upon arrival, Nessa greeted them all warmly but she was quick to notice that Tony wasn't with them.
"Where's Tony? Is he running late?" the Gym Leader asked curiously.
Emerald choked back as much tears as possible as she explained what had happened and that Tony's survival depended on them winning the contest so they could use the prize money to pay for his treatment. Nessa took this in with horror.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry to hear that!" she exclaimed, "Oh that poor boy! If it were up to me, I'd give you the prize money right now to save him, but it's not my money to just give away like that! I sincerely hope either of you three win for Tony's sake!"
"We intend to!" Ruby declared, "And I'll be contributing a bit extra too so he'll survive."
"I expect such generosity from our current Champion." Nessa said approvingly, "Good luck girls…and I really do mean good luck!"
"Thanks Nessa." Emerald said appreciatively, "I know Tony would've appreciated that."
The girls made their way into the waiting room with the other coordinators as they waited for the show to begin. People were filing into the stadium to take their places in the audience and the filming crew were setting up the lights and camera to prepare for filming. The judges sat down at their podiums and Nessa was standing by waiting for her cue to come onto the stage and begin the show. Nessa had informed them that Tony wouldn't be competing and had to forfeit his place due to his current condition so they understood why he wasn't here. Ruby, Emerald and Dawn stood together amongst the other coordinators. Somehow, their little group felt considerably emptier without Tony joining them. Some of the coordinators even noticed he wasn't there and asked about it. Emerald grew increasingly uncomfortable having to explain all this and even broke down in tears again, which ignited much sympathy from the other coordinators.
"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I'll let you have the prize money to save your friend!" said one coordinator.
"Same here! He needs it more than any of us!" said another.
"It'd be pretty selfish of us to take the cash prize for ourselves when another coordinator's life depends on it." said another, "If I win, I'll use it to pay for his treatment."
Hearing such kindness from the others made Emerald feel much happier.
"That's so nice of you all!" she said graciously, "I'm so grateful for your kindness! But we're still in a contest so I don't want you all going easy on us. We should still give the audience a show to remember!"
"Too right!" cried another coordinator, "And we're all gonna blow the audience away with our double acts today!"
Everyone cheered in unison. No matter who won the cash prize for Tony, they all agreed they would give everyone a good show and make them work hard to win that contest. Nobody was going to have it easy as that wasn't what contests were about! They would give it their all and show why they were the qualifying coordinators still left in the show!
Meanwhile, the audience seats were filled up and the crew was ready to go. Nessa took the stage and welcomed the crowd to today's show.
"Greetings everyone here at Hulbury Stadium and anyone watching at home!" the Water Specialist declared, "It's Nessa here again to welcome you all to the next round of the Hulbury Pokémon Contest! I hope you're all well rested and rearing to go, because this competition's about to get more exciting!"
She paused for a minute to let the audience cheer in response.
"Oh yes, because for today's show, we have the final round before we move onto our quarter-final matches! We have thirty-two coordinators remaining, but only sixteen will move onto the quarter-final rounds. And we'll find out who's going to make it to the quarter-finals as we go through the ultimate performance round yet…our Double Performance round!"
More cheers rang out in response to this. Nessa could see that everyone watching was really hyped up to watch this part of the show. It was even better for her to know that everyone was enjoying the show so much and keen to get in on the action! She'd hoped for success and here it was!
"And now without further ado, let the show begin!" Nessa cried, feeling as enthusiastic as the audience was.
Backstage, Ruby, Emerald and Dawn waited patiently for their turns as the first coordinator went up to start off the show. Once again, Nessa didn't want all of them to go straight away as she knew they were the stars of the show so she wanted to save them for now. Emerald watched every performance that played out with a stomach full of Butterfree. The contest was going to get really serious now and she would have to do her best if she wanted to win. Even though most of the other coordinators were willing to give her the prize money for Tony's sake, it still felt to Emerald that she had to win at all costs. What if the other coordinators decided to betray her and keep the money for themselves in the end? Nobody else could be allowed to win except her, Ruby or Dawn! That way Tony was guaranteed to get the money!
"I was having so much fun in the contest before, but now I feel it might not be so fun knowing that Tony's life is in my hands…" she mumbled to herself.
Avery was standing nearby, keeping to himself as he didn't want to stir up attention until it was his turn. He couldn't help but smirk at how nervous Emerald looked.
Heh, that little brat should quit now. he sneered, If she's this anxious already, she has no hope of winning! It seems that without her precious Tony backing her up, she's not quite so confident. It is a shame he couldn't be here as I would've wanted to defeat him fair and square, not progress further because he couldn't go on anymore. Speaking of, I do have to wonder if Emerald's really being honest about her friend's condition…
A part of him felt that Emerald was making the whole story up to ignite sympathy from the other coordinators in a sly scheme to get the cash prize for herself. But even he had to admit that was a farfetched theory. Emerald didn't seem like the lying type and she seemed deathly serious about the fact Tony could die if he didn't get the money to pay for his treatment. If so…then would it be right for him to take the money if he won? He didn't particularly like Tony, but he wouldn't want him to die. Even he knew it was horrible to wish doom on people. Avery shrugged. He would win the contest first and decide on that later.
A few rounds passed before it was time for one of the girls to go up next. It seemed Dawn would be taking this one as a stagehand called for her.
"Looks like it's me next!" Dawn cried, "I'll give them a double performance that'll really put the stars in their eyes!"
"Knock em' dead Dawn!" Ruby cheered, "You'll nail it!"
"Absolutely you will!" Emerald cried supportively, "We've seen your amazing double-acts during practice so show the audience how amazing you are!"
The Sinnoh teen made her way up onto the stage with a Pokéball in each hand. As Nessa welcomed her, the audience immediately broke into cheers and whistles for one of the show's star coordinators. They all knew the moment Dawn took the stage was when the show was REALLY going to get good! The blue-haired girl just smiled appreciatively. It was like being back at home for her, performing on stage with so many adoring fans watching her acts! She could imagine her mother was watching her now like she had been yesterday. She'd do this not just for the audience, not just for Tony, but for her mother as well.
"Alright, let's get this show on the road!" Dawn hollered, throwing her Pokéball into the air, "Martha, Chomper, spooooooooootlight!"
The Pokéballs opened up and the audience were treated to the sight of a very unexpected double-act with the huge Martha the Mamoswine standing proud and mighty and the tiny Chomper the Pachirisu standing on her back looking cute and cuddly. It was an odd sight for sure, but the audience had a feeling this duo of big and small was going to give a sensational act. If the act was to have a name, David and Goliath would've been perfect! Dawn had chosen Martha and Chomper for pricelessly this reason. They were responsible for her most dazzling double-act and now the people of Galar were going to see it!
"Alright you two, let's show them what you can do!" Dawn yelled excitedly, "Martha, start off with Stone Edge!"
The mammoth/pig Pokémon tensed her body up and gave a powerful roar as she conjured up a bunch of huge, sharp rocks out of nowhere. All eyes were focused on Martha as her Stone Edge began to build up. Once she was done, Martha launched the stones up into the air, creating a volley of stony missiles that threatened to fall down and spear any unfortunate person or Pokémon unlucky enough to be directly underneath them at this moment. But the stones were never going to reach the ground as Dawn gave her next command.
"Now Chomper, jump up and destroy them all with Iron Tail!" she commanded.
Chomper leapt into action, jumping surprisingly high for a small Pokémon while a metal coating formed around his big, bushy tail. Ruby watched the performance unfold on the waiting room's TV screen, not surprised at all that Chomper could do that. After all, she'd seen the little Pachirisu in action for herself and knew it was not only fast, but also a good jumper. The audience cried out in awe as Chomper swiped at the rocks with his tail, smashing each one to pieces effortlessly as if he had a sledgehammer attached to his bottom and was swinging it wildly. It was an awesome scene to be sure, this small, unassuming looking electric squirrel destroying large rocks with ease! As soon as every last Stone Edge was reduced to rubble, Dawn gave out her next command. She knew full well she had the audience in the palm of her hand and she was just warming up!
"Now Martha, use Ice Shard and swallow it!" she ordered.
That made the audience stare at the stage in astonishment. What trainer ordered her own Pokémon to swallow their attacks? This Dawn person was sure full of surprises! Ruby and Emerald just smiled. They knew exactly what was about to happen. As Martha formed the Ice Shard in her mouth, she closed it before the attack was finished and swallowed it like Dawn had said. Then to everyone's amazement, Martha suddenly began to sprout huge spikes of ice that grew from her back! The audience couldn't believe their eyes. How incredible! They never would've thought something like this was possible! This particular move was nicknamed "Ice Armour" and was made possible because Pokémon could get an energy charge if they swallowed a move that was the same type as itself. Martha's back was covered with icicles and they had grown to huge sizes, giving her a fearsome yet impressive appearance. She looked like a powerful ice monster that was going to run down anyone that dared to intrude on her territory. Once the spikes had finished growing, Chomper jumped onto her back and let out a colossal charge of electricity by using Discharge. Of course, it did nothing to Martha as Ground-types like her were immune to Electric attacks, but it had the dazzling effect of making the ice on her back sparkle like a cave full of diamonds. The audience oohed in wonder. That was one of the most spectacularly beautiful things they'd ever seen, and they'd seen plenty of gorgeous performances in this contest!
"They all love it!" Dawn cried excitedly, "Now let's give them something to REALLY love with our famous Ice Chandelier finish!"
The duo got straight into it. They'd done this act so many times that they knew it by heart and didn't need Dawn to command any specific attacks to carry it out. Martha used Ice Shard again and aimed it straight at Chomper. The ice formed a large clear sphere around the electric squirrel, almost like he was encased in a frozen hamster ball. After that, Chomper unleashed another powerful Discharge that caused a beautiful sparkling effect to shine out of the ice ball. The audience stared, captivated by the dazzling lights. Then Chomper began to run around inside the ice ball, making the lights dance around like a disco ball glittering in the lights of the stadium. The audience could barely keep their eyes away from the beautiful performance. Then Chomper began to run around and make the ice ball roll across the stage like a runaway tyre that had fallen off a car. He circled around Martha, who just patiently waited for her cue to break the ice and finish the act. To everyone watching, it looked as if the huge Mamoswine was a planet being circled by a beautiful star as Chomper continued to run around and around inside the ice ball. Then the Pachirisu made the ice ball leap into the air and Martha smashed it to pieces with her tusks, freeing Chomper so he could somersault through the air and land on the top of her head. He held out his stubby paws and chirped as if to say "Ta-da!" and the audience cried out with joy. It had been a wonderful double-act and they only wished they could've seen more of it because it was that good. Dawn took a bow as the cheering rang out all around her.
"Thank you, thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!" she said graciously.
"And that was Dawn with Pachirisu and Mamoswine everybody!" Nessa declared, "And wow, was that a performance or what? I'm almost wishing we'd saved you for last as we might've shown the best act too early! I know I had a good time watching that performance but let's see if the judges agree with me…" she added, turning to the judges.
"I know I certainly agree with you, Nessa!" Joe cried, sounding as enthusiastic as ever, "The coordination between those two Pokémon was spot-on! It's clear to everyone watching that Dawn has trained them well because they were a natural double-act! And the performance was so creative too! I don't think any coordinator would've thought of having a Pokémon swallow its own move to enhance its appearance! You easily get my vote to advance to the quarter-finals, Dawn!"
"And mine too." Samuel put in, "You managed to have two Pokémon that seemed ill-suited for one another and somehow make an incredible act with them. That "Ice Chandelier" as you call it was especially marvellous to watch and a very creative use of an ice attack. You strike me as a coordinator with a creative mind when it comes to these performances and that for me is enough to earn a pass. Well done, Dawn."
"I often hear that this routine's one of your most famous and I'm so glad we got to see it for ourselves!" Nurse Joy cried gleefully, "I couldn't possibly have anticipated how pretty that Ice Chandelier would look until I saw it with my own eyes and it didn't disappoint! And you managed to display a variety of toughness, cuteness and beauty into this one act too! I think you'll be tough to beat and I hope to see you progress even further as the show goes on, Dawn!"
The Sinnoh girl beamed with pride. Chomper and Martha looked equally as thrilled that everyone enjoyed their act so much. It was clear that her place in the quarter finals was assured, and that of course meant one step closer to helping out Tony! Dawn returned her Pokémon and made her way back to the waiting room, where she was greeted by an ecstatic Ruby and Emerald.
"Told you you'd nail it Dawn! You looked like such a pro out there!" Ruby cried excitedly.
"Chomper and Martha are awesome together and I loved watching them together!" Emerald exclaimed, "You were great Dawn and I bet you'll be making it to the quarter finals!"
"Given the audience and judge's reactions, I think there's no need to worry about crashing out at this stage!" Dawn giggled, "And of course, you know what a pass means for me and either of you."
"We do." Ruby concurred, "And me and Em will make it past this stage just as you have. As long as all three of us stay in the competition, Tony has more of a chance."
"I hope we'll be great with our double acts too." Emerald said anxiously.
"Oh I think you'll be fine considering your act." Ruby reassured her sister, "You, Thor and Gemstone will smash it out there, you mark my words!"
Emerald nodded. It was always nice to have such faith given to her from her sister. She couldn't bear to think where she'd be without Ruby by her side.
A few more acts went before it was time for Ruby to take the stage. She adjusted the lapels on her tuxedo and breathed out heavily.
"OK, it's time for my Double Dragon Act." she said, sounding tense despite trying her best to stay relaxed, "I sure hope it goes as well as it did during practice…"
"You'll be great Ruby! Show the audience how awesome Soundwave and Shard are together!" Emerald cheered.
"Yeah, you'll knock it outta the park!" Dawn encouraged.
Ruby only hoped that Dawn was right. She'd been working hard on getting this double act right and now was the moment of truth: the moment that would prove if all her hard work was going to pay off or not. She had total faith in Soundwave and Shard that they would succeed with flying colours, but that didn't stop her having any doubts that things would go well. All she could do was just get on that stage and let events unfold to determine victory or defeat for her.
The silver-haired teen made her way on stage to be greeted by a very ecstatic audience. Given her status as Champion, she was always getting cheers and applause from people. Ruby knew they'd be keeping a close eye on her for her brilliant performances yesterday. With such a strong qualifier act and single performance, the hype was real for what her double performance would have. Ruby sighed softly to ease her nerves.
"OK Ruby old girl, let's drive them wild…" she muttered under her breath, "Soundwave, Shard, yooooooooou're up!" she cried, throwing her Pokéballs.
Her two Dragon-type Pokémon materialized onto the stage and gave loud roars to stir up excitement from the audience. They could see that these Pokémon were ready for action and that this was going to be an exciting act. Many audience members also recognized the two from various battles Ruby had had in the past so they were curious to see how they would perform in a Contest compared to their strong track record in Ruby's Pokémon battles.
"Looks like the audience is ready for us!" Ruby acknowledged, "But they haven't seen anything yet, right guys? Let's start off with your combination of Flamethrower and Flash Cannon!"
The Noivern and Duraludon took their positions and unleashed their attacks. Shard stayed down on the stage and blasted his Flash Cannon directly from his mouth straight up into the air while Soundwave flew around the metallic beam as if he was a vulture circling the sky while homing in on its prey. He waited for Shard to start moving his Flash Cannon around before he had his turn, remembering what he and Ruby had practiced last year. Like she'd suggested, their act had been too static at first so they'd tried doing the same thing but this time, moving around while they did it. Shard started to move his upper body around and around in neat circles. His Flash Cannon started to spiral around as he moved, creating a neat waving motion almost like what one would see from a ribbon dancer's ribbon. Soundwave's cue had come and he acted on it instantly. He blasted flames at the steel vortex, still circling around as he used his Flamethrower. The result created a dazzling fiery twister that sparkled brilliantly in the air above the stage. Everyone stared in amazement. Who knew Flash Cannon and Flamethrower could work so well together to create such a spectacular result? Shard and Soundwave kept it up until their attacks had built up a large ball of steel and fire together. They stopped moving for the moment to allow the steel fireball to form a more solid mass above them.
Once the ball was at the adequate size they'd trained for, Shard stopped his Flash Cannon and held up his arms. He blasted the fireball with Thunderbolt and as the huge jolt of electricity hit the steel fireball, it created another dazzling effect that made for a dancing light show that took everyone's breath away. It seemed to have a hypnotic effect on the audience as everyone was just staring in awe at what they were seeing. Even the judges and Nessa couldn't look away at this fantastic light display. Ruby smiled happily. Yes, everything was going perfectly just as she'd hoped! She then commanded Soundwave to use Dark Pulse on the steel fireball. Soundwave flew over the blazing metal sphere and blanketed it with Dark Pulse. The dark energy that resonated from his body coated the fireball, keeping everything trapped together and creating a black blazing fireball that only made the sparkling lights of the steel Flash Cannon and the sizzling Thunderbolt look even brighter against the blackness of the Dark Pulse. Then came the big finish, and that was the part Ruby was the most nervous about. It could backfire horribly and ruin the show or it could end up with Shard and Soundwave getting seriously hurt. Her heart pounded as she gave the final command.
"OK boys, let's wrap it up! Soundwave, Air Slash the fireball and Shard, jump up at it and use Dragon Pulse!"
Shard bent down and then sprang up into the air, earning gasps of astonishment from the audience as they hadn't expected the Steel/Dragon type Pokémon to jump so effortlessly, let alone as high as he was currently going! He reached halfway up towards the steel black fireball before he blasted it with Dragon Pulse. The blue dragon energy hit the combination of moves and added another effect which saw the ball of flames, steel, darkness and lightning glow with draconic power. Flashes of blue coursed through the ball like an electrical current and as it mixed with the fire, steel, dark energy and electricity, it created a beautiful glowing effect with flash of blue swimming through the other colours of the ball. Shard landed back down safely on the stage and looked up anxiously as Soundwave's wings glowed white. It was all down to him whether this would be a success or a disaster! The Noivern homed in on the ball with his wings scything through the air. He braced himself as he flew straight into the mixture of attacks, ploughing through it with his Air Slash. To Ruby and Shard's relief, he had landed the hit perfectly and now the ball was broken up into a mixture of falling sparkles of orange, black, yellow, blue and silver that sprinkled down harmlessly to the ground. Soundwave landed down on the stage and folded up his wings, unharmed by what had happened. Everything had gone perfectly with nobody in danger and none of Ruby's Pokémon harmed by the act. The Champion sighed with relief, glad that it had gone so well and the audience was applauding her spectacular act. Thank goodness that was over!
"We've seen many incredible acts in this show, but this one was easily one of THE most incredible!" Nessa exclaimed, "The teamwork of Ruby's two Pokémon creating that awesome combination of attacks was quite thrilling to watch, wouldn't you agree?! Let's hear it for this spectacular performance everyone!"
The crowd cheered in response. To Ruby, it seemed as if everyone in the audience was screaming for her. She could certainly see that nobody was still in their seat at the moment. She hadn't seen a crowd this full of energy since her battle with Emerald last year! She had a feeling that she was going to be a tough act to follow for all the other coordinators waiting for their turn next. She looked to the judges as they gave their evaluations.
"Needless to say, getting two Dragon-type Pokémon together was a great idea for an awesome act and you carried it out perfectly with the two!" Joe complimented, "I had no idea what you were gonna have them do and as the act went on, I couldn't believe what I was watching! Seeing them constantly add more and more attacks to make that giant ball of power and then having them break it up was a great display of power and teamwork between your Pokémon! In short, this act was simply FAB-U-LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUS!" he hollered.
"What I liked about the act was that you went above and beyond and made for a performance that was compelling to watch, as well as adding a bit of excitement and danger to the act." Samuel evaluated, "It had the potential to go catastrophically wrong, yet it went perfectly which shows that you and your Pokémon have practiced very hard to get the act right. That finish was especially incredible with the various attacks all forged together in that one sphere and being broken up to make for an eye-catching shower to close off. It was a wonderful performance overall."
"Yes, quite simply amazing and breath-taking!" Nurse Joy concurred, "The two dragons were working so well together and they not once got in each other's way, showing fantastic teamwork and coordination with their performance! I don't know how much practicing you had to do to get it right, but it paid of incredibly! I had a great time watching and I can't wait to see you in the quarter finals, Ruby! You definitely have my vote to make it to that stage!"
Ruby, Soundwave and Shard all took bows together in appreciation. Their hard work had paid off and had been rewarded with applause and glowing praise, just as they'd hoped for! Now they'd be another step closer to saving Tony like Dawn was! Ruby returned her Pokémon and made her way back to the waiting room. Upon arrival, she was grasped into a big hug from Emerald. Her little sister was practically screaming herself hoarse with joy at Ruby's success.
"Well done Ruby! That was amazing!" she screeched, "Your training paid off so well that I couldn't believe my eyes! Shard and Soundwave were so epic together!"
"Thanks Emerald, but you're going to give my ribs an epic cracking if you don't ease up on the hug!" Ruby wheezed helplessly, "Sapphire's bad enough for that!"
"Oh, sorry!" Emerald said sheepishly, loosening the hug a little so she wasn't squeezing Ruby so tightly, "Still, I bet you and Dawn will be making it to the quarter finals no problem!"
"Oh absolutely!" Dawn agreed, "Now we just gotta see how you do Emerald and having seen your double-act with Thor and Gemstone during training, I think you've got this in the bag!"
"Ditto." Ruby agreed, "I can't wait to see you in action, Em."
"I only wish Tony could watch me too." Emerald said solemnly, "But I like to think he's watching in spirit at least. I'll do great for everyone out there, you just watch!"
Ruby and Dawn gave Emerald the thumbs up in agreement. They knew just as well as her that she would be fantastic out there and would earn her spot in the quarter finals. But they had to wait for a few more coordinators to go up next before it was time for her to do just that. There were only 12 coordinators left to go and Emerald was now next to go. She adjusted the bow in her hair and looked back at Ruby and Dawn.
"It's my turn now! Wish me luck!" she said, trying not to sound anxious.
"You know we will sis." Ruby insisted, "Just get out there and blow them away."
Emerald smiled appreciatively and hugged Ruby one last time before leaving the waiting room to take her place on the stage. She could hear other coordinators cheering for her, wishing her luck in this performance. It was nice to hear that they wanted her to win as much as she did. Maybe these other coordinators were as genuine in their generosity as she'd hoped.
As soon as Emerald reached the stage, the audience welcomed her warmly with cheers and whistles. With the wonderful performances she'd given in yesterday's show, they were naturally excited to see what she was going to do for this one. Emerald looked over to Nessa, who was standing nearby with her fingers crossed for the young teen. Emerald nodded understandingly. The host of this contest wanted her to win as much as she did, and Emerald was going to do just that! She whipped out both her Pokéballs.
"This one's for you Tony…I won't let you down." she swore, "OK Thor and Gemstone, let the fun begin!" she cried out loud, throwing both balls.
Her Pokéballs opened and her faithful Raichu and Starmie materialized onto the stage, both looking as excited as the audience felt to get the show on the road. Ruby and Dawn watched the TV screen intently, praying with all their might that Emerald's performance would be a success. They didn't want to progress without her. Emerald sighed softly, trying to ignore the knots in her stomach, and began her act.
"This is a show you won't forget, any of you!" she declared, "Gemstone, use Surf and Thor, ride along the wave!"
Gemstone flexed its appendages and the gem in its centre glowed brightly as it conjured up a huge ocean wave seemingly from nowhere. Nessa stared with interest. Of course, the Water Pokémon were the ones she liked to watch the most in this show and she could see this Starmie was going to be great to watch in action. The wave reached up to about five times the height of Gemstone and at the moment, Thor used his tail to spring up into the air, somersault three times and then land on top of the wave. The impressive acrobatics and the perfect landing atop the wave made everyone cry out in amazement. They cried out even louder with astonishment as Thor effortlessly rode the huge wave, perfectly balanced despite not having a surfboard at this moment. He was making it look so easy! Emerald clenched her fists excitedly. This was going just as they'd practiced! Also, in this very moment, Emerald felt as if all her worries about Tony were gone. This was just her, in the now, having the time of her life up on stage with her Pokémon and she was going to make the most of it!
"Excellent, excellent!" she cheered, "Now Thor, use Brick Break to break up the wave!"
Thor obeyed instantly. He leapt up off the wave and came plummeting straight down with his tail aimed ahead of him. He ploughed down through the wave like a sword slicing through wood, making it part in the centre and cure away. He looked as if he was commanding the sea itself to let him pass like Moses as he led the Hebrews to safety through the Red Sea. The wave was gone and Thor was left standing triumphant, his arms raised and his tail waving with joy. The audience clapped but not for long as they quickly saw the act wasn't over yet. Thor and Gemstone then simultaneously used Thunderbolt and Dazzling Gleam, aiming directly above them. The crackle of electricity and the sparkling fairy energy converged together to make for a spectacular cloud of energy that radiated pure beauty with its many colours. Once again this was an act with an incredible light show in play and this lightshow was proving to be a very beautiful display that nobody could turn away from. Emerald swore that the audience looked almost hypnotized by what was happening. Now was time for the best part.
"Jump into the electric fairy cloud!" she commanded.
Thor and Gemstone did so. They ploughed straight through the fairy cloud and came out coated in the glistening fairy energy of Dazzling Gleam. It was as if they had transformed into magical creatures out of a fairy tale. Then to finish off, Emerald told Gemstone to spin through the air and Thor to use Quick Attack to move swiftly across the stage. Both Pokémon moved around very quickly while continuing to shine with the fairy energy glowing brightly in the lights of the stadium. Gemstone's spinning body made for a truly beautiful display, almost like it had become a swirling rainbow of colours, and Thor's Quick Attack movements made for an impressive light show as he shone brightly while moving around faster than anyone could follow. They kept this up for half a minute before the fairy energy eventually wore off and Thor and Gemstone took their places back in the centre of the arena, both looking very pleased with themselves and punching the air with glee. They'd had a blast up on stage with this act and the audience could see that these Pokémon had really had fun out there. They cheered for the amazing double act. Emerald curtsied graciously. At least the audience had enjoyed watching the show!
"Wasn't that beautiful?" Nessa cried, feeling the excitement of the audience, "I don't think I've ever seen such a dazzling display from two Pokémon working together in perfect harmony! Give it up for Emerald and her Raichu and Starmie everyone!"
The audience cheered once again.
"I know we all had a great time, but what do our judges think?" the Gym Leader asked.
"I think that it was simply FAB-U-LOOOOOOOOOOOOOUS!" Joe exclaimed happily, "I really have no other words to describe it! Emerald, you showed such brilliant coordination with your Pokémon out there. Your Raichu and Starmie were so perfectly in sync that I don't think we could've separated them with a crowbar! Getting Raichu to ride that wave and then have the two coat themselves in the fairy energy of Dazzling Gleam to make them shine was a gorgeous sight to behold. I can't imagine how hard you practiced to get it right, but I personally think it paid off!"
"While it may not be the most original act ever, it was still an act that shows brilliant coordination and teamwork between your Pokémon and was also very impressive to watch. Samuel evaluated, "I think watching your Raichu ride that Surf was especially incredible to watch, and he did it all without a surfboard or anything to balance on. And having your Starmie spin around while coated in fairy energy made for a mesmerizing display with all those colours spinning around and around as it sparkled in the lights. You certainly pass with flying colours, no pun intended, in my books."
"As you do with me. I was so fixated on your Pokémon throughout that show because they were so fantastic to watch!" Nurse Joy said excitedly, "You managed to give us a beautiful and tough act to watch with the use of beautiful fairy lights and breaking up an ocean wave all in the same performance. And your Pokémon looked as if they were having as much fun, if not more so, as you were during that act Emerald! I think you deserve a spot in the quarter-finals!"
"Aww, thank you so much everyone!" Emerald cried gratefully, "I hope to be there too! Thanks for enjoying the show!"
She waved to the audience and Thor and Gemstone waved with her as the audience clapped and cheered for her. Then she returned her Pokémon and made her way backstage. Most of the coordinators were cheering and congratulating her as she returned and Ruby and Dawn embraced her happily.
"We knew you'd be brilliant out there, Em!" Ruby cried, "I even think that was the most confident I've seen you so far in this contest!"
"That act was as great as it was during practice!" Dawn complimented, "I bet that all three of us have a guaranteed place in the next round now!"
"I bet too!" Emerald cried gleefully, "As much as I wish Tony could've seen it too, I was still having such a great time out there! And everyone loved it so made it even better!"
"Ditto." Ruby agreed, "Now we just have to wait for the remaining coordinators to go and then we'll see who's staying and who's going."
Emerald nodded. As confident as she was that she, Ruby and Dawn had their places secured, it didn't mean the contest was over by a long shot. There was two quarter-final matches, then the semi-finals and then the final itself to win and she knew that whoever else would progress to the quarter finals would be a tough opponent to beat. This was no time to relax, she would have to stay at the top of her game until the very end.
As for the very end, Avery once again was the last coordinator to go to finish off. The Psychic-type trainer sighed in annoyance but made his way onto the stage anyway. At least he had a double act that was guaranteed to impress the judges!
"Hey Avery, don't trip over your ego again!" Emerald taunted.
"I'll give you something to trip over you little brat…" Avery muttered to himself.
He arrived on the stage to very little applause from the audience. That irked him even more. How was it he gave off a spectacular show yesterday, yet the audience still didn't seem to be taking him all that seriously? What did Avery have to do to impress these people? Make the stage disappear?! Well hopefully his double act would finally get them to see what an impressive coordinator he was!
"Alright Slowking and Alakazam, teleport into action and show the audience what a double act you are!" Avery called out as he levitated two Pokéballs ahead of himself and called out his Pokémon.
They materialized onto the stage, drawing huge attention from the crowd as they appeared. Both of these were Pokémon not commonly seen in mainland Galar as Alakazam lived on the Isle of Armour and Slowking could only be evolved by giving a Slowpoke, which also lived on the Isle of Armour, an item that could only be found in the Crown Tundra. Slowking was an alternative evolution for Slowpoke. A Galarica Wreath was the item a trainer needed in order to evolve a Galarian Slowpoke into Galarian Slowking. Slowking looked very much like Slowbro, only it had a huge shell on the top of its head and had a purple and black collar around its neck. The shell covered its eyes and nostrils while sporting actual eyes of its own so it could still see. Like Slowbro, Galarian Slowking were Poison/Psychic types instead of Psychic/Water types like their Johtonian counterparts. They were also known to gather together to chant mysterious spells and incantations together with what they're trying to say still a mystery to even the most studious of Pokémon Professors. Ruby and Emerald stared at Avery's Slowking with interest whereas Dawn was taken aback by its appearance. She recognized Slowking as she'd been in a tag-team battle with a boy named Conway a while back and he'd used a Slowking too, but this one looked very different to her.
"Whoa, I've never seen a Slowking like that before! They don't look like that back in Sinnoh!" she exclaimed.
"That's because it's a Galarian Slowking." Ruby explained, "Here in Galar, Slowpoke are different to what they usually are in other regions and their evolutions are no different. Sapph tells me that she went up against a student during her Isle of Armour trials that used a Galarian Slowbro and now here we are with someone using a Galarian Slowking."
"It looks really cool!" Emerald exclaimed, "Too bad a jerk like Avery has to have one. It deserves better!"
Ruby nodded agreeably. She turned back to the screen to see what Avery's act was going to be. With two Psychic-types like Slowking and Slowbro, it was going to be quite a show, she was sure of that.
"Now let us leave the audience speechless with a double-act to end all double-acts!" Avery crowed, "Slowking, use Eerie Spell and Alakazam, use Energy Ball!"
Slowking held out its arms and a vortex of purple and black energy began to swirl underneath its feet. As it conjured up its spell, its eyes closed and it began to mutter a mysterious incantation. It was like watching a wizard about to perform an amazing magic trick. Most people even felt Galarian Slowking somewhat resembled a wizard thanks to the shell on its head kind of looking like a pointy hat and the collar around its neck somewhat looking like a wizard's cape. As Slowking continued chanting, pink pulsating blobs of psychic energy formed around Slowking and began to circle it like the moon orbiting around Earth. Once that was done, Alakazam aimed its spoons and formed a green sphere of energy between them. The Energy Ball grew to about the size of a basketball, much bigger than the pink psychic blobs Slowking had made. Then it fired the Energy Ball at Slowking's Eerie Spell and the pink and green spheres collided with one another. Then using their psychic energies together, they formed the spheres to make one big ball of pink and green energy. The sphere pulsated with great power, the green and pink energies dancing together to make for an almost hypnotic scene to watch.
The act continued with Slowking and Alakazam using their psychic powers to make the pink and green ball move around through the air. They passed it from one to another in what looked like a game of volleyball, only nobody used their hands to catch or throw it. As they passed the ball back and forth, it started to change shape. It morphed into a shapeless blob of energy that the two Pokémon then used to create a long green and pink trial of energy that snaked through the air in a slithering dance. It circled around them, then performed a figure of eight and then made squiggle shapes above the stage. It was like watching a ribbon dance, only this ribbon could move anywhere it wanted thanks to psychic energy. The audience oohed in awe. It was a graceful performance to watch. As the energy trial did its dances, Avery gestured with his hands as if he was conducting the entire performance himself.
"Let's add a little more, shall we?" he purred, "Slowking, use Sludge Bomb and Alakazam, hold it in place with Psychic!"
Slowking coughed up a pile of filthy poisonous sludge from its mouth and Alakazam used Psychic to stop it from landing anywhere. Then they used their psychic powers to make the green and pink energy trial form around the Sludge Bomb attack as if they were wrapping it up in a cocoon. Then they threw the covered Sludge Bomb into the air and with a gesture of their hands, caused it to explode right on cue. The Sludge Bomb blew up, destroying the energy trial and creating a shower of pink, green and purple lights to shower down all over the stage and the two Pokémon. The result gave Slowking and Alakazam a sparkling appearance like they were fairies that had flown out of a magical garden. For a moment, there was silence as the audience was spellbound by what had happened. And then the cheering came. To Avery's delight, it was the loudest applause he'd ever received since the show had started. It looked as if he'd actually managed to impress everyone for once!
"And that was Slowking and Alakazam giving us a mesmerizing performance!" Nessa complimented, "Avery showed promise and it seems he's hit his stride at last!"
"How kind of you to finally appreciate my talents." Avery sneered.
Nessa ignored him as she called to the judges to give their opinions.
"I have to agree, it feels as if you've delivered on what you promised at last." Joe explained, "At first you made it too much about yourself and not your Pokémon, then you gave us an act that felt lacking. For this performance, I have little to criticize honestly. Slowking and Alakazam worked so well together and make great use of their psychic powers to give us quite a show to watch. The clever use of Sludge Bomb was the cherry on the cake for me and I'm glad you've finally given us a show that brings out your Pokémon's best potential."
"I would agree it's your best act so far." Samuel muttered, "But I feel you could've done more to make it more original and to add something more creative to the show. The Sludge Bomb finale was cool, I agree with Joe on that, but if you'd given us more than just a colourful energy trial beforehand, it could've been a more impressive and unique act. Still, the execution makes up for the lack of originality and ultimately, it's execution that is most important in making for a solid act, and your execution was indeed solid."
"I really liked the great use of your Pokémon's psychic energy to give us those pretty shapes to look at." Nurse Joy complimented, "It was wonderful to watch and seeing how they can use their psychic powers to manipulate their attacks into something like that. And I agree with Joe that the use of Sludge Bomb to make that explosive finish was really remarkable! We knew you had potential Avery and I feel you've truly brought it out."
Avery wished he could've had total praise for his performance but he wasn't going to be ungrateful about it. He was just glad the judges actually liked what he'd done for once, even if Samuel was still playing hard to please. Nevertheless, he was sure to make it to the quarter-finals now! He returned his Pokémon and swaggered back into the waiting room, looking more smug and arrogant than ever. Ruby, Emerald and Dawn weren't at all impressed with him as he made his way back.
"What can I say? I knew the judges would finally see me for the spectacular coordinator I am." Avery sneered.
"Big deal, you managed to deliver one good act in the entire show whereas most of us have nailed it all three times." Ruby muttered sarcastically, "You're lucky to even be here, or is your ego so big you conveniently forgot about that?"
"Fie, it would take using Amnesia on me to forget anything!" Avery snapped, "It doesn't matter anyway as my place is assured in the quarter finals with that fine performance and then I'll go on to win the contest as a whole!"
"With how well we've been doing compared to you? I think we're likelier to see the sun freeze than see you win against us." Ruby taunted, "You haven't a hope against any of us."
"And we'll send you out of the tournament before you know it!" Emerald declared, "We won't let you stand in our way of saving Tony's life!"
"Well we'll just have to see, won't we?" Avery purred, "This contest is far from over…"
Emerald nodded agreeably. Oh yes, it was far from over but it'd be over for Avery once she, Ruby or Dawn went up against him! They'd send him packing and make their way to the finals!
And it seemed that that opportunity would come for Nessa announced the 16 coordinators who would be advancing into the quarter-finals. To everyone's relief, Ruby, Emerald and Dawn were of course among those that would be going on, as was Avery. The 16 coordinators that didn't make the count didn't mind as they were in support of Emerald. They wanted her to win for Tony's sake and were glad that she was still in the show. Emerald beamed in appreciation, glad that there were such kind people in this show. She lacked back to the TV screen as it displayed those that were advancing further into the show. The performances were over. From here on out, it was Contest Battles. Now was the time to really show what her Pokémon were made of.
This is it…we're getting into the big battles now. Emerald thought, No matter what happens, I'll win and Tony will be saved!
It was all going to depend on who was going to make it to the finals as the show continued…
So far, so good. Our heroes have made it past the double performances and have made it all the way to the quarter finals! They'll get through them quickly enough and then it'll be the semi-finals next to go. We'll see who makes it to the final with "Ruby vs. Dawn" first next time...
Trivia: Avery having a Galarian Slowking of course is a reference to the Crown Tundra DLC in where after you beat the Galarian Star Tournament, he switches his Slowbro for a Slowking as his personal ace that he uses and Dynamaxes in all rematches and Galarian Star Tournament battles he has from then on. Personally, I feel he should've started off with Slowking in the first place to differentiate him from Klara but that's another story.
I also can only apologize for how long it's been since the last chapter came out. I got caught up playing Pokemon Legends Arceus (which is awesome and you should play it like RIGHT NOW!) and since completing it, it's been a bit of a slow drive getting back into continuing the story. That and working on my blog has kept me busy lately but hopefully things should get back on track now that I've finished Legends Arceus and such. :)