Hello again, everyone! I'll be introducing the Escargot Contest in this chapter, so watch out for that! I hope you all will enjoy this chapter! I think I can update faster since it's the holidays now. Anyways, enjoy this chapter, and review after reading please! Oh, and I would like to thank an anonymous reviewer for his/her constructive criticism. I'll try to do what she says, but I'm still an amateur, so I may not be as good… On with the chapter!
Ready for the Escargot Contest?
The three girls, Sakura, Hinata, and Ino plopped down on a sofa in the Pokemon Center. They looked around and saw that the boys hadn't returned yet. Sakura asked Hinata, "So, are you excited for your very first contest?"
Hinata fidgeted, then nodded. Sakura replied, "I'm nervous too, and it's not even my first contest!"
"H-How many ribbons h-have you won, Sakura?" asked Hinata.
"Well, I only have one right now," answered Sakura.
"Only one, Billboard Brow? I guess your win at Rustboro was just beginners' luck. I already have three," taunted Ino.
"How in the world did you get three?" asked an astonished Sakura.
"I participated in contests that were held in small towns. I already had one when I competed with you in Rustboro," explained Ino.
"You t-two are amazing. I-I don't think I can win a contest o-on my first try like you, S-Sakura," admitted Hinata.
Sakura patted Hinata's shoulder and said, "I'm guessing me winning was because of luck. Besides, don't be like this. Be happy that you're finally going to be in a contest, Hinata, okay?" Hinata nodded slowly and hugged both Sakura and Ino.
"I have never b-been able to t-talk to anyone l-like this," confessed Hinata. "Y-You two are like m-my closest friends, a-and we haven't even known e-each other for long."
"I'm honored, Hinata. I'm close friends with one of the gym leaders of Mosdeep!" Ino gushed. Sakura lightly punched Ino's arm.
Sakura stood up and suggested, "Why don't we have a little walk? The guys aren't back yet, and I think I could use some walking. I'm so stiff, and I don't know why. Want to join me, girls? Let's have some more girl time."
"I'm in. What about you, Hinata?" asked Ino. Hinata sat in thought for a while, and finally stood up. The three girls walked out of the Pokemon Center, and headed towards Route 110, which was the road that led to Mauville.
"U-Um, why are we w-walking to Route 110?" asked Hinata.
"Get your Pokemon ready, Hinata," warned Sakura.
"H-Huh? What are we d-doing here?" asked a clueless Hinata.
"When Sakura says 'walking', we interpret it as 'training'. Now, get out a couple of your Pokemon, Hinata," warned Ino.
"O-Okay," replied Hinata.
"Let's go, Jigglypuff, Bayleef!" called out Ino. Bayleef and Jigglypuff materialized in front of the trio.
"Cherubi, Combusken, take the stage!" shouted Sakura.
"Spoink, Kirlia, come on out!" said Hinata. The six Pokemon got ready to battle some wild Pokemon.
"Okay, let's split up now. Sakura, go left, Hinata, go straight, and I'll go right," suggested Ino. The other two nodded, but before they could run off, Kirlia sensed something.
"W-What is it, Kirlia?" asked Hinata. She kneeled down to soothe Kirlia, when she understood what Kirlia was saying. "Kirlia senses d-dark presences. S-She's warning us t-to be careful."
"Very clever, little girls," spoke a threatening voice. A sticky string of spider's web shot out at the three girls. All three of them dodged the attack. Sakon, Ukon, and Kidomaru showed themselves. "You dodged Ariados's String Shot. I congratulate you on your agility, girls," snickered Kidomaru.
"Combusken, Fire Spin!" commanded Sakura. Combusken blew out a column of fire towards Ariados, but the spider jumped, and dodged it.
"Kirlia, Spoink, Confusion," whispered Hinata. The two psychic Pokemon took control of Ariados, and flung the Pokemon into the trees.
"Dodrio, use Fury Attack," said Sakon and Ukon. Dodrio swiftly appeared behind Kirlia and Spoint, and started pecking them non-stop. The two psychic Pokemon lost their grip on Confusion, and let Ariados down.
"Bayleef use Razor Leaf, and Jigglypuff, Double-slap!" shouted Ino. Bayleef sent razor sharp leaves towards Dodrio while Jigglypuff ran to slap Ariados. The Razor Leaf attack hit Dodrio, but didn't affect it as much. Ariados used String Shot to wrap up Jigglypuff.
"Spoink, attack with Psybeam!" commanded Hinata. Spoint fired a multicolored ray of light towards Ariados and Dodrio. Ariados repelled it with Night Shade. "Use Psywave!" continued Hinata.
Spoink's body became outlined in blue energy, and it released blue energy rings towards Ariados. This time, it hit Ariados successfully. However, Dodrio snuck up behind Spoink and hit it with Peck. Kirlia got back at Dodrio by hitting it with Psychic.
Meanwhile, Sakura's Cherubi was attacking Ariados with Magical Leaf, along with Combusken using Double Kick on Dodrio. Ariados hit Cherubi with Poison Sting, and since it was a grass type, the attack was very effective, and Cherubi was poisoned.
"Cherubi, hang on," pleaded Sakura. She fumbled around in her fanny pack, looking for an antidote. She spotted a Pecha berry in her bag, so used that instead. Cherubi gradually recovered, and was ready to battle again. Combusken was wrapped in Ariados's String Shot attack, but Bayleef used Razor Leaf to cut the webs.
Hinata was trying to defeat her opponents, but they were fast, and powerful. "What kind of a gym leader am I? Why am I so weak? Neji nii-san was right. I need more training. I promise, when I get back to Mosdeep, I will take nii-san's training seriously. I promise!" Hinata talked to herself mentally. Hinata shook her head, and reached inside her bag to take out her last Pokemon. Suddenly, there was a flash of light. Hinata looked at her Spoink, which was engulfed in white light. "It can't be," whispered the young Hyuuga.
"Spoink's evolving?" said Ino.
Spoink slowly grew bigger, and when the glowing disappeared, there was a Grumpig standing instead of a little Spoink. Hinata whispered, "You chose to evolve?" Grumpig nodded and turned back to its opponents.
"It's great that your Spoink evolved, girl, but will it help you? Ariados, Bug Bite," shouted Kidomaru. Ariados charged towards Grumpig to use Bug Bite, but Grumpig used Confusion on it instead.
"Why are you crooks back here?" asked Sakura. Her Cherubi used Magical Leaf on Ariados, and hit it successfully.
"Just to do a little examining in Mauville. I wonder how Akatsuki's doing, compared to us," answered Kidomaru. Sakura and Ino snuck inside their bags to call out all of their Pokemon when somebody stopped them.
"That's enough information, Kidomaru," said a voice above them. A Bonemerang attack hit all of the girls' Pokemon, sending them flying into some trees. Sakura, Hinata, and Ino looked up and saw another Team Sound member.
Sakura's eyes widened as she realized who he was. "You! You're the one I saw at Petalburg Forest."
Kimimaro snickered and said, "Bravo, girl. You remembered me. Sakon, Ukon, Kidomaru, what are you three doing, playing around with children? Do you want to get killed by Orochimaru-sama?"
"Sorry, Kimimaro. We just wanted to have some fun," answered Kidomaru.
"Well, play time's over. We have to get a move on," warned Kimimaro.
"Fine. Ariados, Night Shade!" commanded Kidomaru. Ariados fired a stream of black energy towards the three girls, blinding them. "We'll play with you later!" was their parting words.
"W-Who were they?" asked Hinata, once the Night Shade attack had worn off.
"Team Sound. I don't know what they're after. There's another team called Akatsuki. I really don't know why they're causing trouble. Naruto, Sasuke, and I had a little run in with some members of Akatsuki, and it wasn't pleasant. They're really tough," explained Sakura.
"Well, thankfully, we weren't killed here. Let's go back to the Pokemon Center. We can train later," suggested Ino.
"O-Okay," stammered Hinata. The girls returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs and walked back to the Pokemon Center.
On the way back, Ino asked Hinata, "So do you have a dress for the contest?" Hinata nodded.
"Okay, good. I look forward to battling you in the contest, if we have a chance," said Ino.
"Me too. I've never battled against a gym leader before. I would like to battle you in the contest too," stated Sakura.
"I'm just a rookie, but I would want t-to fight you t-two as well," replied Hinata. The three girls walked to the Pokemon Center in silence after that. They saw a very serious looking Neji waiting for them at the Center.
"Hinata-sama, we have to get back to Mosdeep as soon as we can. The elders are waiting for us, and there are many people who want to challenge us," said Neji.
Hinata let out a deep breath and replied, "Neji nii-san, you can go to Mosdeep first. I-I-I would like to stay a-and participate in the E-Escargot Contest here." Then, she braced herself for the lecture that would come.
"Hinata-sama, what are you thinking?" asked Neji.
"It was actually us that registered Hinata in the contest, Hyuuga," defended Ino.
"Why did you do that without asking me first?" asked Neji.
"If we asked you, then you would never let Hinata compete. Please, Neji, just this once. Hinata wants to compete too, so you should let her compete," pleaded Sakura.
Neji ignored her and warned Hinata, "Hinata-sama, this contest will drag on for at least three days. I do not think the elders will appreciate you participating in some worthless contest."
Sakura snapped, "Would you just let Hinata do what she wants for once? It looks to me like she's trying her butt off to be the person you and your whole family wants her to be, but you're not giving her enough credit! Come on, Neji, just let her compete in this one contest."
Neji sighed and replied, "Fine. Hinata-sama, you should come home as soon as you can. I shall fight the challengers by myself for now. Prepare yourself for a harsh training session with the elders." Neji then walked out of the Pokemon Center.
"How's he going to get home?" asked Ino.
"H-He can use Teleport w-with Gallade. I-It's very effective," explained Hinata.
"Well, at least you can participate in the contest! Are you really excited now?" gushed Sakura.
"T-Thank you, Sakura and Ino. I'll never f-forget this contest! I-I'm really grateful," thanked Hinata.
"Hey girls, how was your day?" asked Naruto, who just came in the Pokemon Center. Sasuke was right behind him.
"Uh, not bad, I guess. Did you and Sasuke train together?" Sakura asked.
"Yep. I can't believe he got a cool new Pokemon! That Absol was really powerful," stated Naruto.
Sakura's eyes widened. "An Absol? I thought that Pokemon was dangerous!"
"It's just known as the Disaster Pokemon. Nothing's wrong with Absol," Sasuke reassured her. Sakura didn't look so sure about that. Her expression was one of fear. Naruto didn't understand why she would be scared of Absol.
"Hey, teme, why don't you show Absol to Sakura? If she sees it, maybe she won't think it's…" Naruto didn't have time to finish his sentence, since Sakura interrupted.
"N-No! It's okay. You don't need to show me Absol. I can manage." Sakura then smiled at her friends to show that she was okay, but they thought otherwise. Naruto quickly changed the subject.
"Hinata, you didn't go with Neji?" asked Naruto. Hinata shook her head slowly. "Why not?"
"Hinata will be entering the contest with us," Ino answered for her.
"That's great, Hinata! I didn't know you were a coordinator too," said Naruto.
"I-I'm not. I just wanted t-to take part in this c-contest," stammered Hinata.
"Well, as long as you're happy. Good luck to all three of you on the contest!" said Naruto, flashing a smile.
"Thanks," replied Sakura and Ino. Hinata just twiddled her fingers and blushed.
"Excuse me, is Naruto Uzumaki here?" asked Nurse Shizune.
"That's me!" exclaimed Naruto, jumping up.
"There's a phone call for you, from your mother," said Shizune.
"Mom? What's she up to?" mumbled the blond teen.
Naruto walked over to the phone and picked up. "Mom, what's up?" he asked.
"Naruto, I heard there was a contest in Mauville City. Is Sakura-san participating?" asked Kushina.
"Yeah, and so are a few other people I know. Why?" Naruto asked back.
"Oh, nothing. I'm just curious. How're you doing? Have you gotten any new Pokemon? I hope you haven't been a burden to your team mates," rambled Kushina.
"I'm doing just fine. I already got two badges! It won't be long until I get my third one. You don't need to worry about me too much, Mom. I'm old enough to survive on my own, dattebayo!" Naruto declared with his grin. Kushina smiled back at him and gave him a thumbs up.
"Good luck on your journey, Naruto! Say hi to your friends for me too!" Kushina waved good-bye then hung up.
"Your mom's really pretty," commented Ino. A surprised Naruto jumped and had a hand on his chest.
"Ino, you could warn me that you were behind me," Naruto said. Sakura and Hinata popped up from behind Ino as well.
"You and Kushina are so similar, Naruto. Both of you have similar smiles, and both of you are happy-go-lucky," commented Sakura. Hinata stayed quiet.
"Well, she is my mom. Sakura, Hinata, Ino, don't you three need to go to the contest arena to get settled in your dorms?" asked Naruto.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about the dorms. Sakura, Hinata, let's go now!" declared Ino, as she grabbed Sakura and Hinata's hands and dragged them off.
"Who'll you be rooting for tomorrow?" asked TenTen, out of the blue.
"When did you get back, TenTen?" asked Naruto.
"A while ago. Now answer my question. I'm curious," pressed TenTen.
"I don't really know. I really want to cheer for Sakura-chan, but I don't want Ino, or Hinata, or you to lose either," mumbled Naruto.
"Well, it's nice to know that you don't want any of us entering to lose. I'm heading off to the dorms now. See ya' tomorrow, Naruto!" TenTen, then walked out of the Pokemon Center. Naruto saw a blur of pink, purple, and yellow dash out of the Pokemon Center after TenTen left.
The blond turned to Sasuke and suggested, "Sasuke, do you want to train some more?" Sasuke slightly grinned and walked out of the Pokemon Center as well. Naruto took that as a sign to continue, so he followed.
With the girls at the Contest Arena dorms
"Whoever suggested that the contest should be a beach side contest is a genius! Some of the dorms have beautiful views of the sea!" gushed TenTen.
"I take that you're a water fan?" asked Sakura.
"All the Pokemon I have now are water Pokemon. I love the water, like you said," continued TenTen.
"TenTen, you and I are roommates. I hope our room has a nice view of the sea!" squealed Ino. She and TenTen swung their bags on their shoulders and went to find their room.
"Well, let's go too, Hinata. You and I are roommates," said Sakura. The rosette took out a card from her fanny pack and went inside the building to find her room, with Hinata. "I can't wait for tomorrow! I'm so psyched, but nervous too. I'll have to be careful of TenTen if I ever end up battling her. She seems to be a tough girl. I also need to watch out for Karin. She was a tough opponent, herself. Okay, Sakura. You can do this. Focus!" Sakura mentally told herself.
Sakura opened the door to her and Hinata's room, and her jaw dropped. The room was huge! There were two single beds and between them was a bedside table with a lamp. There was an enormous window that allowed them to see a great view of the sea.
Hinata opened the bathroom door, and saw that there was a bathtub, and a separate shower. There was also an intricately carved sink with a huge, shining mirror above it, not to mention one toilet.
"This is just too grand. It must have cost a fortune to build this whole building!" exclaimed Sakura.
"My family a-actually gave some money f-for this building," admitted Hinata.
"Wow, I see. This is so cool! I can't believe we get to spend three days here!" squealed Sakura. She lied down on the bed and sighed. "The bed's really comfortable too." Suddenly, the door slammed open, and Ino and TenTen waltzed in. "Ino! How did you know our room?"
"A nice staff man told me. We're only two rooms apart. I love this place! Our room has a seaside view too!" said Ino, excitedly. She pointed at Sakura and continued, "This time, the Escargot Ribbon's mine, Billboard Brow. Your first win was just beginners' luck. I'm going to beat you this time."
Sakura grinned and retorted, "You're on, Ino-pig. I'll definitely not lose this time either. I'll prove to you that it wasn't just beginners' luck."
"You all should get some rest. Tomorrow is the appeals round. I may have a hard time on that one. I'm not really good at the appeals section," said TenTen, sheepishly. "Hinata, this is your first time, isn't it?"
"U-Um, yes. I hope I can put up a-a good show," stammered Hinata.
"You two will do fine! Don't worry too much. I was really nervous during my first contest, but I got through the first round. You'll be okay," assured Sakura, patting TenTen and Hinata's backs.
"Thanks. I'm going to go outside and train. Bye, girls." TenTen strolled out of the room. Ino followed suit.
"Hinata, why don't you and I train together? I can help you if you want," offered Sakura.
"Thank you, Sakura. I-I appreciate it," replied Hinata. Hinata went out of the room first. Sakura was about to follow Hinata, when she saw a blue spot outside. Curious, Sakura walked over to the window and searched for the person. Her eyes widened when she saw Konan at the beach.
"Is she going to enter too? She's too tough! No, I can't get de-motivated. Chin up, Sakura!" the rosette encouraged herself. She ran out of the room, locking the door behind her.
Sakura and Hinata
"Oh, there you are, Hinata. Sorry I lagged behind," apologized Sakura.
"There's n-no need to apologize, Sakura. I-I just appreciate you helping me o-out," said Hinata.
"Okay. Hinata, which Pokemon do you plan to use for the appeals round?" asked Sakura.
"I-I'm thinking of using Grumpig for the appeals. Then I'll use m-my Grumpig and my other two Pokemon i-in the battle round," said Hinata.
"Alright then. Can you show me an appeal with your Grumpig right now?" asked Sakura. Hinata nodded. First, she took out her Pokeball and a ball capsule. Then, she put the Pokeball inside the capsule, and stuck a heart seal on the capsule.
"Grumpig, you're up!" said Hinata, not stuttering. Grumpig somersaulted in the air as small hearts spread out around it. It bounced on its tail once, then landed on its feet. "Use Hidden Power!" commanded Hinata. Grumpig summoned lots of small energy balls, and made a ring with them around itself.
"Now, Confusion," said Hinata. Grumpig used the energy balls to create a pillar that concealed it. "Psywave!" Grumpig unleashed rings of energy to the sky. The rings could be seen, glowing, from the outside, as well as Grumpig's eyes and black pearls. "Finish with Psychic!" Grumpig spun on its tail, and unleashed a wave of psychic energy to destroy the energy pillar. Hinata and Grumpig bowed after their appeal.
Sakura gaped at Hinata's appeal. "That… was… awesome, Hinata! You performed like you were a pro!" praised Sakura.
Hinata lightly blushed and said, "Thank you S-Sakura, but tomorrow, it'll b-be the real thing. Do you think m-my appeal will get me t-to the second round?"
"No doubt you'll get to the second round if you put up another show like this one. You're like a natural at this, Hinata. The battle round may be easier for you since you're a Gym Leader, but don't forget that beauty counts. Don't let your Pokemon miss a lot of attacks either. You're good to go! I think you're even better than me," rambled Sakura.
"I-I'm just a rookie coordinator, and this is my first contest. I don't deserve such high praise," whispered Hinata.
"Nonsense, Hinata! You're really good! You'll make it to the second round for sure! You also commanded your Grumpig without stuttering, and that's great!" gushed Sakura. "Can I train with you for the battle round?" the rosette asked, changing the subject. Hinata blinked a few times, then nodded.
The Hyuuga asked, "Do you want t-to go up against K-Kirlia?"
"Any Pokemon is okay, Hinata. I want to let my Cherubi get used to battling," said Sakura.
Hinata reminded, "Psychic Pokemon have a-an advantage o-over grass types. A-Are you sure you w-want your Cherubi t-to fight Kirlia?" Sakura nodded, with a determined look in her eyes.
"I need Cherubi to get stronger, so if I battle your psychic Pokemon, it will be more aware of the advantages and disadvantages, right?" said Sakura. Hinata just nodded and took out another Pokeball. She returned Grumpig to its Pokeball. Hinata put Kirlia's Pokeball in a capsule as well, and stuck a seal on it.
"Hinata, you're already sticking seals on your capsules?" asked Sakura.
Hinata got ready to call out Kirlia. "Y-Yes. I want them t-to get used to it. Now, Kirlia, you're on!" Kirlia twirled in the air, as yellow music notes surrounded her. She landed lightly on the ground, and sent a determined look towards Sakura.
Sakura took out her Pokeball and put it in a capsule, and stuck a seal on it as well. "Cherubi, the stage is yours!" Cherubi floated in the air for a while, as pink petals came out of the Pokeball with it. Then, the grass type Pokemon landed.
"Kirlia, Double Team," said Hinata. Kirlia created copies of herself and surrounded Cherubi. Cherubi frantically looked at all the Kirlia clones.
"Use Stun Spore," commanded Sakura. Cherubi spun and released some spores, which hit all the Kirlias.
"Kirlia, now! Psychic!" said Hinata. All the Kirlia clones disappeared, but the real one wasn't among them. Suddenly, Cherubi was hit with a wave of psychic energy from above.
Sakura looked up and saw Kirlia floating in the air. "When did Kirlia get up there? I can't give up now," a determined Sakura thought. "Cherubi, Sunny Day!" Cherubi sent a ball of energy towards the sun, making it shine brighter. Kirlia was blinded by the sun, and tried to shield her eyes. "Use Mega Drain!" Cherubi sent a spiraling column of energy towards Kirlia, and surrounded her. Kirlia was then drained of her energy, which interrupted her levitation, and sent her hurling to the ground.
"Kirlia, get your concentration back. Confusion!" commanded Hinata. Kirlia suddenly opened her eyes and, just before she hit the ground, used Confusion to float for a while, then land lightly. "Use a combination of Confusion and Psychic."
Using Confusion, Kirlia lifted Cherubi into the air, and unleashed a wave of psychic energy towards it. Cherubi was hit critically, since it couldn't do anything against Psychic. The small Pokemon was sent flying.
"Sakura, I-I think we should stop," suggested Hinata.
"I knew you were really strong, Hinata! No wonder you're a gym leader!" praised Sakura. Hinata was stunned. She thought Sakura would be a little mad at her for beating up her Cherubi, but she wasn't.
"Y-You're not a-angry with me f-for injuring your C-Cherubi?" asked Hinata.
Sakura shook her head. "Why would I be angry, Hinata? Battles are supposed to be like this. I know that you're a gym leader too, so, I expected you to be pretty strong." Sakura returned Cherubi to its Pokeball and put it away. "I'm going to go back to the room. Are you coming?" Hinata nodded. She and Sakura walked back to the building.
At night, when Hinata had already fallen asleep, Sakura lay on the bed, deep in thought. She got up, reached for her bag, and dumped all her Pokeballs on her bed. Then, she picked up Cherubi's Pokeball. "I wonder if you're going to be okay tomorrow," wondered the rosette. She gathered all her Pokeballs in her hands and looked intently at every one of them.
"You all have been great companions, and I appreciate it. We have been training in our free time, and I hope you all are ready for tomorrow. I know I am!" whispered Sakura. She looked at the Pokeballs as if anticipating a response from them. The rosette sighed and got out of bed. She took her Pokeballs with her. Sakura walked out of the building and to the seaside.
"Come on out, guys," said Sakura, as she threw all her Pokeballs in the air. All her Pokemon materialized in front of her, looking sleepy. "Hey, are you all ready for tomorrow? It'll be our second ribbon if we win it," she whispered. All her Pokemon uttered sounds that showed they were ready.
"I knew you would enter this contest too." Sakura became alert, and frantically searched around her to see who it was. Out of the blue, Konan appeared. Sakura jumped in surprise, but calmed herself a little later.
"Konan? Are you entering too?" asked Sakura, suddenly becoming nervous.
The blue headed woman shook her head. "Not this time. I don't have time to enter a lot of contests. I would have liked to go up against you again, though."
"Oh, I see. Why are you here then?" Sakura asked.
"I just wanted to watch as much of this contest as I can. The legendary coordinator, Tsunade, acts as a judge in many contests, but this is a much newer contest, and it drags on for three days, so I'm surprised that she's here," answered Konan.
"I heard Tsunade-sama was going to be here too. No one could talk with her after contests, since she disappears so quickly. I wanted to have a chance to talk to her, since this is a three day contest," said Sakura.
"You're here to relax too aren't you; to ease your tension?" asked Konan. Sakura slowly nodded. "The seaside is a great place to relax. The breeze is cool, and the ocean just calls out to you. Setting up this contest at the beach was a great idea, don't you think?"
"Yeah. Somehow, I feel better after talking to you, Konan. I don't know why. Even though you're from Akatsuki, you seem like a really nice person; a motherly figure," rambled Sakura.
"You interest me, Sakura; your determination as well as love for your Pokemon. Your other two team mates are intriguing in their own ways as well," praised Konan.
Sakura lightly blushed at Konan's praise. "Being praised by a great coordinator like you is an honor, Konan."
Konan walked towards Sakura's Pokemon and kneeled down. "Your Pokemon are all well trained and raised. Do you mind if I give them some custom made Pokeblocks?" Sakura shook her head. Konan fished out a small contraption from her cloak and opened it. She gave each one of Sakura's Pokemon a different Pokeblock.
All the Pokemon ate the Pokeblocks and looked more energized. Sakura was a little surprised. Konan faced her and said, "Don't look surprised. All coordinators should know that feeding Pokeblocks to their Pokemon is healthy. I'll give you a Pokeblock case so that you can make your own Pokeblocks for your Pokemon." She handed Sakura the little contraption that she fished out.
Before Sakura could say anything, or thank her, Konan patted the rosette's head and said, "I have to go now. Good luck tomorrow. I'll be watching from the sidelines." As fast as she came, Konan disappeared mysteriously. Sakura looked around for her, but couldn't find her anywhere. Somehow, she felt calmer. Sakura returned all her Pokemon to their Pokeballs and headed back to her room. When she laid her head on her pillow, she went to sleep immediately.
"Sakura, S-Sakura, wake up. I-It's time," muttered Hinata, shaking Sakura awake. The rosette fluttered her eyelids open and groaned.
"Can't I sleep more, Hinata?" asked Sakura, groaning into her pillow.
"N-No, you musn't, S-Sakura. W-We can't be late!" said Hinata, frantically. The rosette sat up in bed, and groggily walked to the bathroom to get ready. Hinata was already dressed up. The young Hyuuga was wearing a light purple, strapless gown, that starts with satin flowing down the dress, until it's lifted by a rose detail to show flowing chiffon at the feet. The dress outlined her curves in all the right places.
After Sakura washed her face, she became more alert. The rosette ran to her bed to get her Poketch and checked the time. Her eyes widened and she immediately got out her dress and ran into the bathroom to change.
Hinata complimented Sakura when she came out of the bathroom. "Y-Your dress really suits y-you, Sakura."
Sakura lightly touched the red headband she was wearing to adjust it and replied, "Thanks Hinata. Your dress looks good on you too. Let's go. Like you said, I really don't want to be late." The two girls rushed downstairs to the contest arena.
When they got to the contestants' lounge, they gaped at all the other contestants who were there. It looked like there were hundreds of people participating in the event. "This is almost like the Grand Festival," mumbled Sakura. Hinata agreed, one hundred percent.
"Sakura, Hinata, over here!" called Ino. She was dressed in her new gown and was waving vigorously at Hinata and Sakura. The two girls walked over to Ino. Ino looked dazzling in her new dress.
"I-Ino, you look really p-pretty," complimented Hinata.
Ino slapped Hinata's back and replied, "Thanks Hinata. Your dress looks awesome too. Here comes TenTen now. Even though she's not wearing a dress, suits go well with her as well." TenTen came running towards them. She was wearing
"Hey, TenTen! You look great in a suit. Dresses aren't your thing?" asked Sakura.
"Nope. I prefer tomboyish suits, thank you," replied TenTen.
Ino interrupted, "Hey girls, there's Tsunami! The appeals round is starting!"
All the contestants watched as Tsunami ran up on stage and introduced herself. "Good morning everyone! I hope you all are ready for a great, and long, contest!" Her introduction was followed by cheers from the audience. The camera swept across the audience once to show that it was a full house. The seats were all filled, and the stadium was jam packed.
"Today, all the contestants will be showing off their Pokemon in the appeals round, and sixteen lucky competitors will go on to the second round! Even though she's a judge in other contests, she came all the way to Mauville City to judge in a much newer, and lengthier contest. She's also a legendary coordinator; ladies and gentlemen, welcome Tsunade-sama! " announced Tsunami. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. Tsunade stood up and waved at everyone. The camera got a close up of her so that the coordinators in the lounge could see her.
"Tsunade-sama is my idol. I really look up to her!" gushed TenTen. The other three girls sighed. They already knew TenTen was a huge fan of Tsunade.
Tsunami continued, "Now, let's welcome our other two judges!" As Tsunami kept talking, Sakura started to tense slightly. She started to shake slightly.
Ino noticed this and whispered, "Hey, come on, Billboard Brow. You can't get nervous this easily. This isn't your first contest. Chin up! You'll do great." Sakura smiled at her friend's encouragement. She looked at the screen once more to see a person already performing.
A few more people went, and after that, Tsunami announced, "Let's welcome our next contestant, one of the gym leaders of Mosdeep City, Hinata Hyuuga!" Hinata let out a deep breath and rushed outside.
"Good luck, Hinata!" the other three girls shouted. Hinata turned her head and smiled at them, then she kept running outside. The girls turned back to the screen to see Hinata appear.
In the audience, Naruto was shouting, "Whoo! Hinata, go for it!" The purple haired girl seemed to have noticed his voice, since she searched the audience for him. In the audience, Naruto grinned. He seemed pretty happy to be watching this contest.
"Hello, Naruto. It's nice to see you here," greeted a female voice. Naruto turned around to see…
"MOM? What are you doing here?" Naruto almost fell off his seat. Sasuke, who was sitting beside him, sighed, "Idiot."
Kushina smiled. "I just wanted to see Sakura-san's performance, live. It's not a crime, is it? Sorry if I almost gave you a heart attack." Naruto climbed back on his seat and smiled at his mom. Kushina returned the smile as well.
On stage, Hinata closed her eyes and concentrated. She opened them, and threw out her Pokeball, encased with its capsule. "Grumpig, go for it!" Her Grumpig somersaulted in the air, bounced on its tail once, and landed lightly on its feet. Hearts swirled around it as it made its entrance. "Use Bounce!" commanded Hinata.
Grumpig bounced around, all over the stage. The audience was glued to the graceful movements it was making in the air. "Hidden Power!" Grumpig summoned many small energy balls in a line. As it bounced around, it danced with the line of energy balls as a ribbon. Grumpig used Confusion to keep them all together.
Kushina commented, "That Grumpig must be concentrating a lot. Using Confusion to hold the Hidden Power energy balls together, and using Bounce is hard for a Pokemon to do. That girl sure lives up to the name of Mosdeep's Gym Leader." Naruto looked at his mom and wondered how she became so observant. She wasn't like that at home. The blond boy shook it off though.
"Finish it with Iron Tail," said Hinata. Grumpig bounced high in the air once, twirling as it did so, and spiraling the energy ribbon around it. Then, it threw the energy ribbon away, and used Iron Tail to destroy it. Grumpig, then, lightly landed on its feet, sparks of energy showering it and Hinata. The two of them bowed and ran off stage.
"Will you look at how well trained that Grumpig is, ladies and gentlemen? What can we expect from Mosdeep's gym leader? Let's see what the judges think!" said Tsunami.
"The way Grumpig was bouncing around reminds me of a gymnast. My eyes are glued to it!" commented Nurse Shizune.
"That Pokemon really knows how to dance. As expected from the gym leader of Mosdeep," said Anko.
"I know it's Hinata Hyuuga's first time in a contest, but she handled it really well. Her Pokemon is very well trained as well," said Tsunade.
"There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Now, let's welcome our next coordinator!" announced Tsunade.
Back at the contestants' lounge, Sakura, Ino, and TenTen all tackled Hinata when she got back. "Hinata, you did great!" praised Sakura.
"Your Grumpig could hold three attacks at the same time! That's hard to do!" exclaimed Ino.
"Neji may look down on you, but you're certainly strong in your own way. You didn't stutter at all up there either! Great job on that," commented TenTen.
Hinata blushed and replied, "T-Thank you, girls. I'll be cheering f-for you three now."
A couple more entrants performed their appeals. Then, it was Ino's turn. "Good luck out there, Ino," said Sakura. Ino gave her a thumbs up and ran out to the stage.
" Jigglypuff, you're up!" shouted Ino, throwing her Pokeball. As Jigglypuff floated down, multi-colored confetti rained down on it. "Safeguard, then sing," commanded Ino.
Jigglypuff became outlined in blue, opened its mouth and started to sing a beautiful lullaby. It also released colorful musical notes from its mouth. "Folks, Jigglypuff is not only appeasing our ears, but our eyes too. Look at the glow of that Safeguard! Even the notes are outlined in blue!" commented Tsunami. The musical notes were floating around, as Jigglypuff kept singing and using Safeguard.
"Now, Ice Beam!" shouted Ino. Jigglypuff abruptly stopped singing, and spun around, releasing beams of ice from its mouth. The Ice Beam attack froze all the musical notes, but they still had the blue glow to them. "Wow, the notes look beautiful encased in that ice!" commented Tsunami.
"Finish with Thunderbolt," said Ino. Jigglypuff spun on its feet and released bolts of electricity, shattering every one of the ice-encased musical notes. Jigglypuff, then, stopped spinning, and posed cutely, winking at the audience, as sparks of electricity and small, sparkling, shards of ice came raining down on it and Ino. The audience erupted into cheers.
"Thunderbolt is only supposed to release one bolt of lightening, but Jigglypuff's spinning multiplied the amount of lightening bolts released! Ladies and gentlemen, that was one wonderful appeal! Let's ask what the judges thought," said Tsunami.
"That appeal was so great! The abrupt change from listening calmly to being drawn in by the colorful moves was really effective," commented Nurse Shizune.
"That Jigglypuff is hardcore! It must have taken a lot of time to learn those electric and ice type moves," said Anko.
"Ino has trained her Jigglypuff well, like Anko said. I enjoyed her performance," commented Tsunade.
"Now that the judges have commented, let's go on!" said Tsunami.
"Ino, your Jigglypuff knows electric and ice type moves? That's so cool! You can teach moves to Pokemon, right?" asked Sakura.
"Only certain types that the Pokemon can handle. Wild Pokemon that have learned moves that don't suit their types appear too. Jigglypuff knew Thunderbolt when I first met it. Thanks for the compliment, by the way, Sakura. You're going after a few more performances, aren't you?" asked Ino.
"Yeah. The last entry's TenTen. I hope I can put up a good show," mumbled Sakura.
"You'll do fine. Just cool it," suggested TenTen, slapping Sakura's back. After some performances, Sakura got ready to go. She fixed her headband and checked her Pokeball. Then, she ran out.
On stage, Tsunami was already introducing the next contestant, Sakura. Sakura walked out on stage and threw her Pokeball. "Cherubi, the stage is yours!" she exclaimed. Cherry blossom petals appeared first, then got together to form a large cherry blossom. Then, the flower dispersed, and Cherubi appeared.
"Cherubi, use Sunny Day," said Sakura. Cherubi formed two bright balls of light, and sent them up. They collided with each other, producing a blinding light. "Now use Magical Leaf." Cherubi flipped a lot of times and released a lot of glowing yellow-green leaves from its body. The leaves flew up to the glowing ball of light, and encircled it.
"This looks a lot like the planet Saturn, doesn't it? The blinding ball of light being surrounded by glowing leaves. Not to mention the leaves are coloring the ball of light green and yellow!" announced Tsunami, shielding her eyes from the bright light.
"Cherubi, Bullet Seed!" exclaimed Sakura. Cherubi released multiple, glowing, yellow seeds towards the ball of light. The seeds destroyed the ball of light, but both the seeds and leaves fell with a very shiny glow to them. The audience cheered once again.
"Isn't that a dazzling sight? What do our judges think?" asked Tsunami.
"It really is a dazzling sight. I liked how she used fire and grass moves to show off Cherubi's attacks," said Nurse Shizune.
"The girl has talent. I've heard Cherubi don't have a lot of moves that are very 'dazzling'. She picked good moves and put them to good use," commented Anko.
Tsunade sat in thought for a while. Then, she said, "Sakura has done a good job of using Cherubi's moves to show it off. I do think she could've done better. From what I saw, she has talent. I've watched her since her debut, and I do think she's improved." Sakura smiled politely and bowed. Then, she took her leave.
"Well, thank you, judges. Let's move on to our next contestant!" shouted Tsunami. As the performances went on, the Sakura chatted with her friends for a while. Soon, it was the last entry, which was TenTen's. The Chinese girl rushed on stage, ready for some action.
"Go, Staryu!" shouted TenTen. Staryu appeared, accompanied by a lot of bubbles. "Use Rapid Spin, then Swift!" Staryu spun and sprayed bubbles. Since it was spinning, and traveling around in the air, it left rings of stars all over.
"Bubblebeam, then Surf!" said TenTen. Staryu kept spinning, but it blew out bubbles this time. The bubbles encased the stars. Then, Staryu stopped spinning, glowed blue, and created a huge wave, which engulfed the bubbles and stars. Staryu dove in the wave as well, swimming towards the bubble encased stars.
"Those stars from the Swift attack look brilliant in the water! Staryu looks just like the other stars in the water. What a way to show off its unique appearance," said Tsunami.
Suddenly, the stars vanished, the bubbles popped, and the wave dispersed. Staryu landed in front of TenTen and posed victoriously. The crowd cheered for her loudly as well. "Now wasn't that an interesting appeal? What do you think, judges?" asked Tsunami.
"This appeal does show off Staryu's unique traits. For a girl who's more interested in battles, this is a really good appeal!" praised Nurse Shizune.
"She looks like a tough girl. I like her style," said Anko.
"She has done a great job on the appeal. I'm sure she could have done more to improve it, but nevertheless, her appeal was still really good," commented Tsunade.
"Well, now that we've heard from the judges, we're done with the appeals round! Please wait patiently for the results of this round to come out!" announced Tsunami.
"Mom, don't you think the girls are putting up a good show?" asked Naruto, who was anxiously waiting for the results of the appeals round.
"They're all pretty good in their own way. Hinata looked confident, but shy and nervous at the same time. I can tell TenTen's a tough girl, and so are Sakura and Ino. Is Cherubi a brand new Pokemon that Sakura got?" asked Kushina.
"Yeah, she just caught it on our way to Mauville," answered Naruto.
"I see. Well, her performance wasn't bad. It was actually good, considering the fact that Cherubi's new on her team. I really admire Ino's Jigglypuff. It has cute looks, but tough attacks," ranted Kushina.
Tsunami suddenly announce, "Ladies and gentlemen, the judges have all talked it over, and these sixteen contestants will be the ones to go on to the next round!" Sixteen pictures appeared on the huge screen behind Tsunami and the judges. Naruto frantically scanned the pictures.
The blond spotted Ino first. "Ino's in," he mumbled. He kept going and said, "So is Hinata. Then, Sakura, and TenTen. They're all in! They all made it! I knew they could do it, -ttebayo!" Naruto hugged his mom, bursting with excitement. Sasuke smirked and leaned back on his chair, resuming his 'cool' pose.
The girls were jumping up and down, back in the lounge as well. "All of us made it! We all made it!" squealed Ino.
"All of us and an extra person. Karin made it too. She's going to be tough to beat. She must have gotten much stronger," thought Sakura.
The girls turned their attention back on the screen. Tsunami said, "Now, these sixteen contestants will be randomly shuffled, and will be facing off against each other." The pictures turned over, like cards, and they were shuffled. Once they were all shuffled, the pictures were revealed again. There were two rows of contestants who were to face off against each other. In the first row were Sakura and Ino, while TenTen, Hinata, and Karin were in the second row. Thankfully, none of them has to face off against each other, yet.
"It looks like my match is second," said Sakura.
"Mine's right after yours, Sakura," continued Ino.
"T-TenTen, I have to f-fight against you i-if we both win our first m-match," pointed out Hinata.
"I won't go easy on you, Hinata," promised TenTen.
Tsunami announced, "Tomorrow, we will hold these matches right here, in this arena. Contestants and spectators, have a great day! We hope to see you again tomorrow!"
All four girls had changed into their casual clothes, and were greeted by Naruto and Sasuke at the entrance. "So what did you think?" asked Ino.
"All of you were great! I'm glad you all made it in the next round!" congratulated Naruto. Sasuke didn't even utter a word.
"Once we face off against each other, who'll you two cheer for?" asked Sakura, teasingly. Naruto started fumbling around.
"Uh, well, um, I-I'll just cheer for both sides?" he answered.
Sakura lightly punched his head and said, "Naruto's still Naruto. You're a great friend." She turned to Sasuke and continued, "Well, Sasuke-kun, I need your opinion too."
"Hn, to be honest, you could do a better appeal than that. It may be the lack of attacks Cherubi has, but you can certainly put up a better appeal. Today's performance was a little rusty," commented Sasuke.
"Well, thanks for telling me what you think, Sasuke-kun," thanked Sakura.
"Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds, but we're heading back now," shouted TenTen, who was already walking away with Ino and Hinata.
"Hey! Come on, TenTen!" Sakura shouted back. She ran and caught up to her, Ino, and Hinata. Naruto and Sasuke still stood where they were.
"Teme, are you up for some training?" challenged Naruto.
Sasuke smirked his infamous smirk and answered, "I thought you'd never ask." The two boys searched for a place where they could train some more.
Sakura was laughing along with her friends, but when she looked back, she said Naruto and Sasuke rush off somewhere. "They're probably going to train again. I hope they're not overworking their Pokemon. Sasuk-kun may be more laid back than Naruto, but he sure gets fired up when it comes to fights and getting stronger," thought Sakura.
Okay, I wanted to fit all the appeals in once chapter, so it turned out to be a really long chapter. I wanted Tsunade to criticize a little bit more, so I did. The next chapter will be the battles. Oh, if you're wondering where Kushina went after the girls came out, she already took off to the Pokemon Center. Please review! More constructive criticism is welcome. I feel like I really need to improve on my writing.