With the first competition of the Miss Pokemon Academy Contest drawn to a close, we move onto the second round! What event will our lovely ladies compete in next? Will there be a shakeup in the results? Is there ANY event where Olivia and Alcea won't excel? We'll have to find out!

Rowlets and Oshawotts: They're quite good competitors, that's for sure.

Aakareo Kokokuhikari: Blake is only getting better, that's for sure.

Hellraiserphoenix: Gabrielle got less points because in the end she doesn't have the same stage presence as, say, Lila or Ayame, who are used to putting on a good show. Gabrielle is an efficient battler, but sometimes you need a little showmanship; it's not just about going through the correct motions.

KedharS: This chapter is definitely going to be a big surprise.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Definitely some insightful thoughts. One thing you might not have considered, though, is that a Pokemon Contest is about more than just the pokemon, it's about the coordinator, as well, and Gabrielle doesn't have a lot of stage presence compared to the other girls. She only beats out Serefina in that category, really. Remember, the girls are the center of this contest, not just the pokemon. So Ayame and Lila, who integrated themselves into their pokemon's appeals, inched out above her.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 737

It was twilight, but the night was alive and the air crackled with energy. Inside the large mansion, bright lights lit up the sky, countless people inside dancing the night away. It was a party, a time for festivity and celebration. But there was one girl who wasn't feeling like celebrating.

The blonde girl was decked out in a brand new white dress, but she wasn't on the ballroom floor. She sat outside in the garden, perched on the rim of the fountain, staring at the festivities inside. The rushing water at her back helped block out the sounds of the music, but did nothing to quiet the pain in her chest as she stared sadly at a world she wasn't part of.

And then, she wasn't alone anymore. Someone had exited the ballroom, another girl. She descended the steps with elegance that belied her age, entering the garden. The blonde watched her from a distance, intrigued. The girl was so pretty! She was about her age, and had hair the color of roses, and the dress she wore was the same color. She ran her eyes across the rose bushes, her lips pressed into a thin smile.

The blonde didn't know what drew her to the redheaded girl, but she found herself standing up and walking closer. She was just taking a look, honestly, she had no intention of saying anything to distract the cute girl, but the girl clearly recognized her, turning her head and giving her a beaming smile.

"Bonne soiree," the redhead said in a language the blonde didn't recognize. "Comment allez vous?"

The blonde had no idea what the other girl was saying. "Um… hello?" She offered.

The redhead blinked her bright green eyes, and laughed. Her laugh was beautiful, like a bell ringing. "Forgive me. I am not used to speaking English, is it? Good evening."

"N-No, it's fine!" The blonde quickly said, shaking her head frantically. She didn't like the fact that she was making the other girl uncomfortable. "You don't need to use English for my sake or anything?"

"Oh? But then we could not talk, is it?" The redhead asked, raising her eyebrow.

The blonde was surprised. She couldn't imagine that a girl this pretty would want to talk to her.

"H-Hello," she smiled, still not sure what else to say. "Are you… enjoying the party?"

"Oui, mais," the redhead said, nodding her head. She brushed a fringe of hair out of her eyes. "But… I much prefer here. The garden is so soothing, is it?"

In spite of the fact that this girl was the same age as her, maybe even younger, she seemed so mature. She had stepped out of a party filled with famous people to admire the rose bushes all by herself? She couldn't have even been ten years old yet.

"What about you?" The redhead asked, gazing curiously at the other girl. "Are you not enjoying the party?"

The pretty girl's words caused the blonde's heart to sink. She sighed, and shook her head. "I'm… not on the guest list," she admitted. "This is my father's house, but…" She shook her head. How could she explain that her father's real family hadn't wanted her to come?

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I even asked father for a new dress just in case, but in the end, I couldn't…" She sniffled, her hands shaking. She didn't want to cry in front of such a pretty girl.

The redhead looked at her with eyes devoid of judgment.

"That is…" The redhead squinted, looking for the right word. "'Stupid as fuck', is it?" She asked, shocking the other girl. She didn't expect such a noble lady to curse!

"That's-!"

"Shall we, then?" The redhead asked, holding out a hand to her.

The other girl stared at it, confused. She looked up at the redhead, her eyes asking for clarification.

"You want to dance, do you not?" The redhead asked. "I can see it in your eyes."

The blonde girl's eyes widened in disbelief and she shook her head, unable to comprehend what the other girl was saying. She was… what? She was asking her to dance?

"Y-Yes, but I can't!" She cried. She averted her eyes from the bright girl, who was shining so brilliantly. "I-I don't… I don't know how…"

"Nonsense," the other girl laughed, shaking her head. "Then I shall teach you."

The blonde looked hopefully at her. Was it… could she really dance with the girl?

"Let's start with the greeting then," the redhead said, retracting her hand. She brought her fingers to the hem of her skirt and raised it in a curtsy. "Curtsy like this."

"Um…" The blonde girl tried, but she nearly fell over. She wasn't any good at all!

"It's okay," the redhead chuckled, staring at her with eyes devoid of judgment. "You'll get better. Now, shall we?"

She held out her hand again, her bright green eyes urging the other girl take it. This time she did, her heart racing in her chest as she took the other girl's hand.

And they danced.

Olivia stared at Alcea with a look of pure loathing, masked behind the polite smile that would be the only suitable expression for a girl of her standing in this situation. Alcea didn't seem to mind, gazing back at her with a tight smile, equally loathsome as it was beautiful.

The girls laughed it off and congratulated each other on a job well done, as was their responsibility as "friendly competitors".

"Now!" Lukas called, drawing the attention back to him. "We've taken a look at our lady's scores! So it's time to move onto the next round of the Miss Pokemon Academy Contest! What will our next competition be? Let's take a look at our wheel!"

The screen flashed, and the wheel returned to the screen. All five categories were showing brightly, and then the color of the blue one faded away, leaving a black space and four other colors. The wheel began to spin again.

The girls watched in anticipation, wondering which event would be the next.

Sango was particularly intrigued. This was the kind of contest she wasn't suited for, and yet somehow she'd managed to squeeze out five points in the beauty section. What other events would there be? Clearly, this was meant to take on an appearance similar to a beauty pageant, so she couldn't imagine that she would do well.

The needle pulled to a stop on the green section of the circle.

"…And it's the Cleverness Contest!" Lukas declared. "And what will our competitors be doing? Well, this contest is a simple one, and one that, thankfully, we can accomplish without the help of our judges! So let's give them a round of applause as they earn a much-needed break!" Lukas said, and everyone applauded. "Now, they'll just be watching the performance from their seats, like the rest of us!"

Sango was surprised. She had thought that the purpose of having judges was, well, to judge the contest. But apparently this was a competition that didn't need any judging? What sort of bizarre event could it be?

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for…!" Lukas said, throwing his hands towards the screen as it changed once again to reveal a board that everyone had seen at one point or another. It was an array, with five rows of boxes and ten boxes in each row. Above the boxes were another row of boxes, blacked out.

"Our ladies will be participating in Jeopardy! The Pokemon Edition!" Lukas said, the girls at a loss for words. "And remember, ladies, your answers must be in the form of a question!"

A QUIZ SHOW?! Sango wanted to scream, but the words just wouldn't leave her throat.

Cynthia doubled over laughing, and she was far from the only one. Claire was howling and Nikita snickered, even Blake found it amusing.

Olivia's smile was shining beneath glazed-over eyes. Why had she delegated Lukas to choosing the events for the categories of the contest?

Across the stage, a set of bleachers divided into two rows was pushed out, four seats in each row. The girls went to their labeled positions and sat down, there was a buzzer to declare their answers.

"Now, for those unfamiliar with the rules of the game, here's how it's going to work! You ladies aren't playing for money, of course, you're playing for points. There are ten categories in all, and each category has an answer with a score from 1-5 points. Each answer you successfully give the question for, you get that many points. At the end of the game, we'll tally the points, and rank you girls in order from first to last, and assign that many points to you! Now then, let's take a look at our categories!"

The categories were displayed next.

"Pokemon Moves"

"Pokemon Species"

"The Pokemon World"

"Pokemon Fashion"

"Pokemon Health"

"Pokemon Battles"

"Evolution"

"The Pokedex Says…"

"Pokemon Myths and Legends"

"Economics"

Sango shook her head in disbelief. This was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard of, even if it was supposed to be the Cleverness Contest.

"Alright! Our first category, Pokemon Moves for 1 Point!" Lukas said, gesturing to the board. It flashed up.

"This move, usually taught using TM 39, is a Rock type move that may reduce the speed of the pokemon hit by it!" Lukas read.

The response was instantaneous, but who had struck the buzzer was a surprise. Lila had snapped it up quick as whip, much to her own chagrin. Her need to win had caused her to instinctively press the button when she knew the answer, even though she shouldn't have.

"Lila! What a surprise!" Lukas said, smiling at the idol.

It was rock tomb, of course it was rock tomb, every girl there knew it. But Lila couldn't just give the right answer, the personality she'd cultivated onstage was supposed to be a ditz.

"Um…" Lila said, tapping her chin, pretending to think. "What is… Tombstoney?"

A loud "BZZZZT" informed everyone that Lila's answer was wrong, as though they didn't know that already.

"Uh… I'm sorry, but that's wrong," Lukas said, shaking his head. Darla, seated next to Lila, rang the buzzer immediately next.

"What is rock tomb?" She asked.

"That's correct!" Lukas said, nodding his head. "Darla is our first competitor on the board!"

"Wow, Darla! That's amazing! You got the first question right! That one was sooooo difficult, too!" Lila said, turning to her partner with a look of awe on her face.

"Lila, you really need to study more about pokemon moves," Darla said, even though she knew Lila was quite well-informed on the subject in truth (though not as much as she was.)

"Okay, Darla, the board is yours, what category do you want next?" Lukas asked.

Darla shrugged. "Let's keep going, Lukas, Pokemon Moves for 2 Points!"

Lukas nodded, turning to the screen as the question flashed up. "Despite not being an Ice type move, this move has the greatest chance of freezing a pokemon, at 30%."

Everyone looked confused, with the exception of Gabrielle, who snapped the buzzer before Sango could even begin to think of an answer.

"Yes, Gabrielle?" Lukas asked.

"What is secret power?" Gabrielle asked.

The answer flashed up, displaying that she was correct. "Yes! Secret power!" Lukas nodded. "Other pokemon moves only have a 10% chance of freezing, but when used in the snow or ice, secret power inflicts its status with the same 30% as any of its other types, in this case that status being freeze!"

2 points flashed on Gabrielle's screen, displaying she had taken the lead. Sango tensed. This contest was going to be a difficult one.

"Now, Gabrielle, what category do you want?" Lukas asked.

"Pokemon Battles for 5," Gabrielle said. Lukas let out a whistle. It was a bold play, that was the highest the categories went.

Lukas read the question. "This battle style, popularized in the Unova Region, involves both trainers sending out three pokemon, who shift their positions at the trainer's command so that only one pokemon is actively fighting at a time!"

The girls went silent. Alcea and Gabrielle were the only dedicated battlers among them, and they clearly had no idea.

And then, Sango had a burst of inspiration. She'd heard of this one before. Right, she'd done a battle like this, in her handheld games!

She slammed her hand down on the buzzer, hoping she had the right name.

"And it's Sango Akana! Can our aspiring ranger give us the question?" Lukas asked, turning to her with an excited gleam in his eye.

"What are… Rotation Battles?" Sango offered hopefully.

Lukas checked the card. "CORRECT!" He declared.

And just like that, Sango pulled into a commanding lead with 5 points. She was gobsmacked.

"Way to go, Sango!" Ayame cheered from behind her. "I've never even heard of that sort of battle before!" Sango glanced up at her friend and smiled.

"W-Well, I'm from the Unova Region, so I played the games from there a lot," she admitted. "But I've never been in one myself."

"We've got a gamer girl, it seems, how nice!" Lukas laughed. "Now, gamer girl, answers on the board, which do you want?"

"Um…" Sango scanned the categories. Unfortunately, there weren't any she felt particularly confident in. Where was the "Pokemon Ranger" category?

"Pokemon Health?" She asked. Lukas looked expectantly at her. She gasped in realization. "Oh! For 1 point, please."

Lukas smiled and nodded. "For 1 point! This status condition includes burns, freezing, sleep, poison, and paralysis!"

Oh! Sango new this! It was-

But she was too slow to the buzzer, Serefina had snatched that right up. "What are non-volatile status conditions, Lukas?"

"Correct!" Lukas nodded. "Now, Serefina, what answer do you want next?"

"Pokemon Health for 2 points," she said, letting it continue.

"This refreshing drink that improves a pokemon's physical performance is made with this Johto delicacy," Lukas declared.

This time, neither Serefina nor Sango made it to the buzzer.

"What are Apricorns?" Ayame asked.

"Yes, leave it to our resident Pokeathlete!" Lukas nodded. "Now, Ayame-"

"Pokemon Health for 3 points," Ayame said, shooting a competitive look at Sango and Serefina.

Lukas nodded. "This bitter berry will restore roughly an eighth of a pokemon's HP, but has a chance of inflicting confusion!"

Another one Sango knew! She slapped the buzzer down, but…

"Ooh, just a moment too late!" Lukas said. "By a fraction of a second, Olivia, what is the question?"

Sango was surprised. Olivia had beaten her to the punch?

Olivia smiled politely, brushing her hair behind her ear and batted her eyelashes. "What are aguav berries?"

Sango was stunned. She hadn't expected that Olivia of all people would know the correct answer to that question.

"Correct!" Lukas declared, nodding. Even he looked a little surprised.

"Of course," Olivia said, smiling confidently as her three points flashed onto the screen. "I'm a Pokemon Coordinator, you know. Of course I know my berries."

That was fair. Sango owed Olivia an apology. She had assumed that the other girl wouldn't know anything about pokemon health, at least nowhere near as much as she or Serefina or Ayame. But Olivia was right, she was a master coordinator, and any coordinator should know the qualities of the berries they were blending into pokeblocks.

"Okay, Olivia, which category do you want?" Lukas asked.

Olivia snorted like the answer was obvious. "Pokemon Fashion, of course," she said. "For 5 points."

That was a declaration of war right there. If she got the question right, then she would have seized a hard to overcome 8 points.

Lukas read the answer. "A list of all themes for the Dress-Up category of a Pokemon Super Contest."

Sango wouldn't even know where to start, but of course Olivia did. She slapped the buzzer with confidence, her lips pulling back into a confident grin. "What is 'The Colorful', 'The Natural', 'The Created', 'The Shapely', 'The Sharp', 'The Solid', 'The Bright', 'The Gaudy', 'The Flexible', 'The Festive', 'The Intangible', and 'The Relaxed'?"

Sango's head sort of short-circuited.

"If you like, I can also tell you which rank each of those themes is in," Olivia boasted.

"Correct!" Lukas said, his expression a little shaky. As a coordinator himself, even he was amazed that Olivia had memorized all the contest themes.

A bright "8" flashed on Olivia's screen, putting her ahead of Sango's 5 points. She had taken the lead!

Olivia looked smugly at Alcea, who still hadn't answered a single question, and smiled. Alcea didn't seem fazed.

"So, Olivia, what category would you like next?" Lukas asked, already knowing the answer.

"Pokemon Fashion for 4 points, obviously," Olivia smiled, batting her eyelashes at him. Lukas read off the question.

"This pokemon is notorious for its naturally soft and fluffy fur that can be trimmed into a variety of styles to improve its performance. Many pokemon stylists in the Kalos Region specialize in their care and upkeep!" Lukas declared.

With a sharp strike that stunned Sango, Alcea slapped the buzzer, the loud ding shaking Olivia, who looked at her competitor in disbelief.

"What is Furfrou?" Alcea coolly asked, not sparing Olivia a glance. Lukas checked his card, and nodded.

"That's right, Furfrou! With nine different styles!"

And like that, Alcea shot ahead to third with 4 points.

"Of course," Alcea said proudly, glancing Olivia's way. "After all, the Kalos Region is my home, so of course I would be aware of the fashion styles of that region, is it?"

Olivia fumed some more, but refused to let her displeasure show. She smiled, taking relief in the fact that she was still in the lead. Alcea wasn't going to beat her again! There was absolutely no way that she would allow that to happen!

Every other girl onstage could feel the tension in the front row. Whoever had had the bright idea to sit Olivia and Alcea beside each other was clearly a sick mind. Gabrielle, who sat next to Alcea, didn't seem to mind, but Sango, sitting next to Olivia, absolutely did. She felt like she was going to throw up this was so stressful.

God, why? She asked herself. Why do I have to put up with something like this?

The Miss Pokemon Academy Contest Cleverness Competition was just getting started, but already Sango wanted it to be over with.

So, who expected the next competition would be a quiz show? Who will make it to the end? And who will end up… in jeopardy?