A Perfect Duo – Part 1

"Lily, use Morning Sun!" May said. Beautifly flew into the air as a pretty beam of light fell from the sky.

"Gwen, use Magical Leaf and Confusion!" Brendan said. Gwen smiled as she sent fifteen rainbow glowing leaves into the air. She used Confusion to control the leaves, making them collide into one another, exploding and creating glittering fireworks that only sparkled more with the addition of the Morning Sun.

"Good Combo!" Lisia said. "But to really wow the judges, you need something a bit bigger than that."

I've got something! Gwen said. Lily, use Silver Wind! Lily did as Gwen asked, sending multiple scythes of shining wind from her wings. Gwen then used Confusion, whipping the wind into a tornado. Okay, now use Morning Sun, aim it at the tornado! Lily once again followed Gwen's lead, sending a beam of light toward the twister, making the entire thing sparkle. Great, now the rest of it! Gwen used Magical Leaf again, sending the leaves into the tornado, making it flash the rainbow. She then used Confusion to break the twister apart, making the air glitter brilliantly.

"That's perfect!" Lisia said. "Do that during the performance and you'll make it to round two!" May and Brendan smiled, while Gwen and Lily started dancing in celebration. "How about we run that a few more times before we call it a night?"

It was midnight before the contest and Gwen couldn't sleep. She had gone out on the balcony of Lisia's penthouse while Brendan slept on the couch, hoping that some fresh air would calm her down. She was worried about the contest today.

Come on, it's not a big deal, she said to herself. It'll be fine. Brendan won't let anything happen to me. If there is a Murkrow or Honchkrow at the contest, it won't be a problem. I need to get over this fear anyway.

That was when the door opened and Brendan walked out. "Hey, is everything alright?"

Right now it is, Gwen said. But I'm freaking out about what will happen tomorrow. What if there is a Murkrow or Honchkrow like there was last time in Petalburg?

"If it's there, then understand that it's not from the flock that killed your mother. It won't have the same disposition, and it won't try to harm you any more than is normal for a contest battle. Besides, you and I both know that neither of them can lay a feather on you," Brendan said as he hugged Gwen closely.

Yeah, true. I guess I could look at it that way, Gwen said.

"After all, the world's strongest Gardevoir can't be held back by a fear of other Pokémon, can she?"

You're right, Gwen said with some slight hesitation, with a slight smile. I need to strengthen my resolve and not be afraid of some stupid crows.

"Exactly," Brendan couldn't help smiling at Gwen's enthusiasm. "Now come on. You need sleep for your performance tomorrow."

Give me a moment, I just want to sit for a little longer to calm my nerves, Gwen said.

"Alright, just don't take too long," Brendan said as he hugged Gwen, hoping it would help. Gwen closed her eyes and enjoyed the contact from her closest friend.

Thanks Goldenrod, Gwen said. This time, she didn't say the nickname to annoy her trainer. Rather, she said it to show that she was truly grateful that Brendan was her trainer.

"Hello everybody and welcome to this Slateport City's annual Pokémon Contest! I'm Vivian Meridian, and I'm happy to be the MC for this wonderful event," Vivian said as she stood in the center of the open ceiling stadium. The sun was shining brightly with a few clouds in the sky. "Before we get the performances underway, allow me to introduce our judges!"

Brendan turned away from the screen in the contestant waiting room and tuned out the announcements as he looked at his new contest outfit. It was a red and suit with a grey tuft of fur on the right shoulder and multiple steel studs throughout, and really large cuffs. He also wore a pair of black jeans with a red belt with gold accessories, and red shoes. From his left pocket came a chain with a steel Pokéball charm and finally a Pokéball in a steel clip keychain. His last item for the outfit was a red and yellow feather accessory in his hair over his left eye (His contest costume from ORAS). He thought he looked pretty eccentric, but stylish nonetheless. "I just hope other people think this isn't too gaudy," he said.

"Oh come on Brendan, you look fine," said a familiar voice. Brendan turned around and saw somebody he hadn't seen since the Petalburg Contest.

"Grace, it's good to see you again," Brendan said as he extended his hand to the woman.

"Likewise, how are Gwen and May?" she asked before looking around. "Actually, where are they?"

"May is still putting on her new outfit from Lisia, and Gwen is looking in that mirror over there. She's making sure she looks presentable for the contest," Brendan said.

And I think I'm done, Gwen said from across the room, earning looks from multiple coordinators. She then walked across the room with a smile directed at both Brendan and Grace, the latter of whom had a surprised look on her face.

"That's Gwen? When did she evolve?"
It was in Rusturf Tunnel, but it's a long story, Gwen said.

"Well you are beautiful as a Kirlia. It just makes me wonder what you'll look like as a Gardevoir," Grace said. Gwen blushed deeply.

Thank you, Gwen said kind of quietly.

"By the way, Brendan, why are you in the contest?"

"I'm doing this for May since it's a tag-team contest," Brendan said.

"Well, then I should introduce you to my husband, Francis," Grace said. "He's around here somewhere."

"Well, I'm finally ready!" May said as she entered the waiting room. She was wearing the outfit that Lisia had given her, which consisted of a pink and white tutu and blouse, not unlike Lisia's outfit. The blouse had frilly sleeves, and also showed May's midriff, something that caught Brendan's eye. She also had a pink ribbon in her hair as well as pink high heels with white tall socks accentuated with pink bows.

"Wow, you look like everybody's idol," Grace said with a slight smile.

"Grace! How are you?" May said cheerfully.

"I'm doing very well. I was actually about to introduce Brendan to my husband. Care to join us?" Grace asked.

"Sure, but we may need to keep it brief so we're ready for the contest," May said.

"What are we keeping brief?" said a man who was a bit older than Grace, and his most definitive feature was his bright blue eyes. He wore a very nice tuxedo and a bolo hat

"Oh, Francis, I was just going to introduce you to May, and Brendan. We met at the Petalburg Contest," Grace said with a smile.

And then there's me! Gwen said. Francis smiled.

"Gwen, right? Grace told me about the talking Ralts, but I guess you've evolved," he said. "Anyway, when are you three going on?"

"We're supposed to be the last act, so we have a long time to wait," May said.

"Oh, well, we'll be the fifth act tonight, so we'll get the crowd hyped for you two. Hopefully we'll face each other in the final round," Francis said.

"Oh, is that Drew kid here?" Brendan asked.

"Didn't you hear?" Grace asked. "He was banned from the contest circuit for using a fake trainer's license, and for using a fake city name in the Petalburg Contest. I'm surprised that they didn't catch it before the contest began."

"I was wondering about that, since I'd never heard of LaRousse City before," Brendan said.

"Hey all!" another familiar voice said. A lot of the others in the waiting room were gawking at the speaker.

"Oh, Lisia, what're you doing down here?" Brendan asked.

"Well I had to be here for my new prodigy," Lisia said with a sly wink to May.

"And what a great third performance from Richard Johnson and his sister Hailey," Vivian said, her voice echoing from the television. "They pulled off a great combo with Murkrow and Girafarig!"

Brendan… Gwen said, excluding all others, including May, from their conversation.

It'll be okay. I won't let anything bad happen to you no matter what, understand? Brendan said.

Gwen hesitated. Okay, I trust you.

"Well, Francis and I will need to get to the tunnel for our performance," Grace said. "We'll really impress you with this performance."

"I hope so, because Brendan and I have something incredible for our performance," May said with a confident smile.

"We'll see, won't we," Grace said as she and Francis left for the stage.

When they left, May turned to Gwen. "Hey, will you be okay with Richard and his Murkrow here?"

Yeah, I'll be okay. I need to face this fear sooner or later, and there's no better time to do that than here with my best friends, Gwen said.

"Alright, just let us know if anything happens," May said with a caring, but concerned look.

It wasn't long before the fourth act ended. It was mediocre, with a Mightyena and a Dustox. They had made some fireworks with Shadow Ball and Psybeam together. It was now time for Grace and Francis.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, it's time for some contest veterans to show their skills once again. Please welcome the husband and wife team of Grace and Francis Sinatra!" Vivian said. Now May and Brendan were watching intently as the older couple took the stage.

"Come on out, Arya!" Grace said as she sent out her Beautifly.

"Join her, Alfred!" Francis said. The Pokémon that came out was a gold and black Kricketune.

"It's the classic combination of Arya the Beautifly and Alfred the Kricketune who is occasionally called the Viola

"Now, start things off with Sweet Scent!" Grace said.

"Alfred, use Sing!" Francis said. The combination of the soothing scent and the beautiful melody from the two bug Pokémon made the entire crowd, including the usual trio of judges, relax and almost fall asleep.

"Now, Morning Sun!" Grace said. Arya's wings shimmered lightly as the sun's rays intensified and focused as a natural spotlight on Alfred. The entire audience was on the verge of dozing off.

Francis smiled. "Bug Buzz!" The singing then turned into a sharp shrieking, startling everybody in the contest hall almost out of their seats.

"Now, take a bow!" Grace and Francis both said. Arya landed next to Alfred before bowing to the audience and the judges. After catching their breath, the audience burst into applause.

"Wow, an unexpected combination of soothing, then startling us out of that daze. Let's see what the judges think of that performance!" Vivian said. The screen lit up and showed a score of 29.6 out of 30. "And it's just shy of a perfect score, but it's our highest of the contest. Great job to both Francis and Grace Sinatra!"

The couple walked off the stage and into the tunnel. May and Brendan just smiled to each other. That was a good show, but they knew theirs had it beat. There were only about six more performances from now until their act. "That was good," Lisia said thoughtfully. "But I don't think I would've gone that route of performance, but they pulled it off."

"Yeah, it was certainly attention grabbing. Let's just hope that nobody in the audience had a heart attack from the shock," Brendan said with a slight laugh. May just smiled too.

"Well, I hope so too, Francis and I don't have the money to pay for a lawsuit of that size," Grace said, having heard what Brendan had just said as they entered the waiting room again.

"But we made sure the timing was perfect so it didn't cause anything more harmful than an accelerated heart rate," Francis said with a charming smile. "But we'll just have to see how things go with you two. Grace told me that May has a very distinct style, so I look forward to your performance."

For the remainder of the appeals round, Brendan and May watched eagerly. There were very few routines that really stood out from the crowd, except for one routine that involved a Numel and a Shuppet, where they created shadowy fireworks with a Shadow Ball and Ember combination.

Now, however, it was time for Brendan and May to take the stage. Gwen, with a lot of protest, had gone into her Pokéball, but only to make an entrance. Unfortunately, Brendan knew this would earn him some nagging from the sassy psychic type later on. "Well, you ready for this?" he asked May.

"As ready as I'll ever be," May said with a grin.

Luckily they didn't have much longer to wait, as Vivian began to introduce them. "For our final duo, we have a couple of relatively new faces on the contest circuit. Please welcome May Birch and Brendan Maple!" The audience applauded politely as the two entered the stadium, while some gave cheers as they remembered May's Petalburg performance.

"Well, let's give them a show," Brendan said as he took out Gwen's Pokéball. "Gwen, come on out!"

"Lily, take the stage!" May called out. Both Gwen and Lily appeared in pretty poses.

"Now, you two know what to do!" Brendan said.

Right, Lily, the Silver Wind and Morning Sun! Gwen said, making sure to not speak to everybody in the audience. Lily flew into the air and began to beat her wings, sending out sickles of glowing silver air. At the same time, Gwen's Confusion spun the Silver Wind into a tornado. Then she timed her Magical Leaf with Lily's Morning Sun perfectly so the tornado began to swirl with the colors of the rainbow. And now for the secret finale!

"Wait, what?" Brendan whispered. Gwen then sent another Magical Leaf attack into the sky, making them crash together and explode like fireworks. Brendan smiled. Of course Gwen would do something like this. Anything different would be weird for her. That was when Gwen broke the tornado with Confusion, making the air sparkle colorfully. Lily flew down and landed on Gwen's head, as Gwen curtsied. Then there was stunned silence for a few seconds, before it gave way to a massive roar and cheer from the audience. Gwen and Lily both turned to their trainers, Gwen was smiling, while Lily just made a really happy expression (one can only do so much without a mouth).

"What a way to finish off the appeals round. That looked like something that would be in a Grand Festival routine. Now, let's see what the judges thought of the performance," Vivian said as she looked up at the screen, only to see that the score was already up. "And we have our only perfect score of the night. Great job to both Brendan and May, and good luck in the battle round. There will now be a ten minute intermission while the judges determine who will be in the next round."

Brendan had Gwen riding on his shoulder as he entered the waiting room, with May by his side. That was when the applause from the other coordinators. Grace, Lisia, and Francis all looked very impressed. "Looks like you guys managed to keep your word. That was a spectacular performance," Grace said.

"Yeah, and that little addition at the end there, nice touch there Gwen," Lisia said.

"Wait, the fireworks weren't planned?" Francis asked.

"That's Gwen for you," Brendan said with a look at the little Pokémon, who simply stuck out her tongue at him.

They talked for a little bit longer before Vivian got on the mic again. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. We have our four pairs second round qualifiers and the match-ups. They are up on the screen right…now!"

Everybody went in front of the screen, seeing that the teams that had moved on were the Sinatras who were facing the Numel and Shuppet team, and Brendan and May, who were facing Richard and Hailey Johnson

Brendan, Gwen said uneasily, only addressing Brendan, and also May.

I know, Brendan said. I know it'll be tough, but you have to face this fear sooner or later.

But in front of so many people, Gwen said.

Gwen, you know that I will not let anything happen to you. I know you can do this, Brendan said, putting as much confidence in his mental voice as he could. Gwen seemed to calm down a lot after he said that.

Okay, I'm trusting you, Gwen said.

Brendan took her off his shoulder and hugged her. I'm glad to hear it. Now, we have a contest to win! he said.

Gwen looked at Brendan, a fire in her eyes. Alright, let's do this, she said with newfound confidence. May just smiled as she once again saw the bond between Brendan and Gwen grow stronger. It made her think that they could truly achieve their dreams. But that was a thought for further in the future. Right now, they needed to focus on winning the second round of this contest.

Hey everybody, thanks for reading and for your patience with my slower writing. Although I was expecting to be writing a lot this summer, it seems that there have been a lot of things that are taking that time away, like work, gym membership, a few new books (these are usually where I get my ideas for how I can work a storyline), and watching Game of Thrones.

Look forward to the next chapter (which will hopefully be done in two weeks at the latest). But until then, have some fun because it's summer!

- jmoul18