Author's note: This is part I of II of the Mock Pokemon Contest arc, which is pretty much shorter than the Tournament Arc. . . . . . .
P.S.: Oh yeah. When Yuki fully introduces herself to Ash and the gang, expect a callback to the third episode of Haruhi where she introduces herself to Kyon.
Chapter 16
Everything's Better With Sparkles I
It was another morning in Cynthia's villa.
"Maho!" yelled a familiar voice in the bedroom where Dawn, Mikuru, Haruhi, Yuki, and Iris just slept.
"Haruhi, you were only waking us up," Iris said as she was awakened by Haruhi's yelling.
"Good morning!" greeted the smiling Haruhi.
"Good morning too, Haruhi," replied Dawn, who was already awake, drying her hair.
When the latter checked out her bag, she said, "Don't touch it!"
When she pulled out a case from Dawn's bag, she wondered, "I wonder what's this?"
"That's my ribbon case."
"Ribbon case?"
"That's where I obviously store the ribbons I earn for winning a Pokemon Contest."
"What are ribbons?" asked Haruhi.
"Ribbons are items earned to winning Pokemon Coordinators," Dawn replied, "But to get them, one must have a contest pass."
"Pokemon Coordinators? Contest passes?" Haruhi thought. She then said, "Can you also explain it to Mikuru, Kyon, Yuki, and Itsuki later? After all, you're going to demonstrate the whole premise of Pokemon Contests today before you leave to Johto."
"Sure. While waiting for the next plane to Johto, I'll be teaching all of you what's like to become a Pokemon Coordinator."
When everyone has gathered for breakfast, Kyon was the last to show up, as usual.
"Kyon, you're late again. Penalty!" Haruhi yelled at Kyon. When she noticed that there was still food left for Kyon to eat, she said, "Lucky for you, it's a good thing there's still some breakfast left for you."
She then stood up and announced, "While Dawn is waiting for the next plane for the Johto region, she will be teaching us today how Pokemon Contests are done, right Dawn?"
Dawn replied, "Sure, at least Iris, Kyon, and the others will get the idea as much as you do, Haruhi."
"Kyon, are you listening?" asked Haruhi, as she noticed Kyon looking at Mikuru, "Now, I want you to get the idea of what Pokemon Contests are like, ya hear me?"
"Uh, ok," replied Kyon as he rubbed his hand at the nape of his neck.
Outside, Brendan, Iris, Cilan, and the five members of the SOS Brigade sat on the center of the battlefield as Dawn and Ash stood in front of them. Jeremy was in the balcony, watching the gang. Meloetta showed up, hiding its presence.
"Ok, let's get down to business," Dawn said, "Here are the basic terms that should be understood when you think of Pokemon Contests."
"To start off, Pokemon Contests are competitions that demonstrate how beautiful and skilled a Coordinator's Pokemon can be," Dawn added, "and to enter them, a Pokemon Coordinator must have a contest pass for a specific region."
Kyon asked, "Then what are Pokemon Coordinators?"
"Pokemon Coordinators like me, are Pokemon trainers that raise Pokemon to compete in Pokemon Contests."
"So that obviously explains why your Piplup showcased its talent when you and Cilan faced off against Haruhi and Kyon the other day," Iris said.
"What are the mechanics of an actual Pokemon Contest?" Kyon asked.
Dawn replied, "It consists of two rounds. In the first round, Pokemon Coordinators have to have their Pokemon perform moves in order to showcase their talents and beauty. The appeals are awarded by three judges, and points are determined depending on how skilled a Pokemon is based on its performance. Those that get the highest scores will proceed to the next round, which is the Contest Battles round."
"That means they have to have a Pokemon battle?" Haruhi, Kyon, Mikuru, Cilan, and Iris all asked.
"Yes, you're all correct. A Coordinator's Pokemon will still have to show their skills and beauty whilst battling at the same time."
"What are the main things to do in the battle ?" Itsuki asked.
"The main objective is to decrease your opponent's points in a five-minute time limit," Dawn replied.
"You mean, I must make sure my Pokemon doesn't lose points right?" Kyon asked. He then thought, "It appears that Koizumi has gone out-of character just to ask anything about Pokemon Contests."
"Exactly," Dawn replied to Kyon's question, "Here are the instances when a Coordinator loses points. It could be when a Coordinator's Pokemon get hit by an attack or when its attack fails. Points are also lost when the opponent's Pokemon makes a beautiful contest move or when the opponent Pokemon uses their Pokemon's attack to their advantage."
"That can't be good if the opponent Coordinator's Pokemon makes a lot of beautiful appeals," Kyon muttered.
Itsuki asked, "When does the battle round end?"
Dawn replied, "The battle round ends once the five-minute limit has passed, or when the opponent's Pokemon has been declared unable to battle. In the case of the former, the winner is determined based on the number of points left."
"You mean, the less points lost, the more chances of winning?" Haruhi and Kyon asked curiously.
"Exactly correct. And the winner gets to earn a ribbon." Dawn pulled out a contest ribbon from her case and showed it to Brendan, Haruhi, Kyon, Mikuru, Itsuki, and Yuki.
She added, "Coordinators that earn five ribbons in a specific region will get the chance to participate in that region's Grand Festival."
"Grand Festival? What is it?" Kyon asked, continuing to become inquisitive.
Brendan remarked at Itsuki, "Kyon is starting to become inquisitive at this."
"You're right, Brendan. It appears that he probably wants to continue keeping Haruhi in her happy state."
In response to Kyon's question, Dawn replied, "The Grand Festival is an event that acts as the one last step for every Pokemon Coordinator. The winner of this prestigious event will get to earn the Ribbon Cup as well as be promoted to Top Coordinator status."
"Did you partake on a Grand Festival, Dawn?" Iris asked.
"I participated, though I eventually lost out in the finals. However, my quest to become a Top Coordinator like Mom is never done," Dawn replied, "And, oh. I have one more tip. The way you bring out your Pokemon in a Pokemon Contest is also a factor in making a good contest appeal."
She brought out a medium-sized poster featuring a ball capsule and some seals as well as the steps on how to put a seal in a ball capsule.
"So those are ball capsules? I wonder how they work," thought Haruhi, "And also the seals."
Dawn rolled out the poster and explained, "Ball capsules are items that can be attached to a Poke Ball in order to add special effects once you send out your Pokemon. The said special effects can be attained by putting seals in the ball capsules. That way, you can change the way your Pokemon comes out of its Poke Ball. However, because there are no ball capsules and seals in the Unova region, it won't be necessary to have both of them provided for the upcoming contest."
She looked at Piplup and asked, "Piplup, can you show to the SOS Brigade a demonstration of how a contest appeal is done?"
Piplup was motivated to agree.
"Okay. Piplup, use BubbleBeam!"
Piplup fired BubbleBeams in the air as they floated.
"That wasn't appealing," Kyon remarked.
"That's just the beginning, Kyon," Dawn replied, "Piplup, use Ice Beam!"
Using Ice Beam, Piplup froze the BubbleBeams that were sent out into the air.
"Now use Drill Peck!"
Piplup smashed all the frozen BubbleBeams using Drill Peck, creating a series of glittering sparkles that scattered all over the battlefield. Meloetta was fascinated at Piplup's performance as it landed safely back to the ground.
"And that's how a contest appeal is made," Dawn concluded as she made a curtsy.
"Confound these Pokemon contests, they drive the SOS Brigade to partake in contest appeals," Brendan said.
Kyon remarked, "That was quite an impressive performance."
Dawn replied, "Why thank you, Kyon."
Haruhi suggested, "Brendan, did you just rotate your Pokemon? Because I was wondering if the five of us would each borrow your Pokemon."
Brendan replied, "That would be problematic if all five of my Pokemon would tire out in one day." After doing a thinking pose, he eventually said, "Perhaps Ash, Dawn, Iris, and Cilan should borrow one Pokemon for each member of the SOS Brigade!"
"What?" Ash, Dawn, Iris, and Cilan all gasped.
"No way, Brendan," Ash replied.
When Haruhi glomped Ash's Pikachu, who was on top of Ash's shoulder, the latter remarked, "There's no way this Pikachu won't be this cute! Can I borrow your Pikachu? I want to take it home with me!"
Ash replied, "But Pikachu's my Pokemon."
When Haruhi tightly glomped Pikachu, Kyon remarked, "And if you're hugging Pikachu tight, don't you remember that it's an Electric-type?"
"Electric-type? You mean-"
Haruhi was suddenly shocked as Pikachu discharged its electricity at her.
"I think you're right, Kyon," Haruhi replied in broken tone as she eventually dropped down to the ground.
A few minutes later, Dawn, Cilan, Iris, and Brendan each handed one of their Poke Balls to each of the three members of the SOS Brigade, with Cilan handing one to Mikuru, Iris to Itsuki, and Brendan to Yuki. Unbeknownst to Brendan, only Kyon wasn't lent over a Poke Ball.
Pikachu was beside a sitting Haruhi, patting its head.
Dawn explained, "Okay, send out the Pokemon from the Poke Balls that are being handed over to you."
Itsuki sent out Iris's Emolga, while Yuki brought out Brendan's Alakazam.
Mikuru attempted to send out the Poke Ball handed over to her by Cilan, but she failed.
"No, Mikuru. You should throw the Poke Ball like this!" Haruhi said as she sent out Cilan's Pansage for her.
She then sat down, approached Ash's Pikachu and asked it, "Pikachu, can you help me practice on my first contest appeal?" Pikachu nodded.
"Okay, guys. Let's start creating a new appeal using the Pokemon you have on hand!" Dawn exclaimed, "I have an idea. We should hold a mock Pokemon Contest. Of course, all of you already know what happens in the first and second rounds, so Jeremy should be the judge."
Iris approached Itsuki and said, "Emolga knows the moves Electro Ball, Volt Switch, Discharge, and Attract."
She then talked to Emolga, saying, "Emolga, when you train with Itsuki, don't use Volt Switch until he tells you to use it." Emolga frowned, but it agreed anyways.
Cilan did the same to Mikuru and said, "Mikuru, Pansage's moves are Dig, Bullet Seed, Rock Tomb, and SolarBeam. You must not forget these moves if you want to make a good appeal just like Dawn."
Mikuru muttered, "Uh, ok."
Brendan approached Yuki, saying, "Alakazam still knows the same moves. Good luck on creating a good appeal."
And so, almost everyone was practicing in the battlefield. Haruhi and Ash's Pikachu were developing on a combination technique consisting of Electro Ball and Thunderbolt. Cilan and Stunfisk were developing a technique consisting of Mud Bomb and Thunderbolt.
Yuki and Brendan's Alakazam practiced on a combination involving the use of Psychic to bend both of Alakazam's spoons in midair. Itsuki and Iris's Emolga were working on a combination consisting of Attract and Discharge. Ash and Krookodile were practicing on a combination that involved slashing Stone Edge using Dragon Claw.
Mikuru was nervous and shy about making a contest appeal using Cilan's Pansage, but Haruhi showed up and helped her out.
"Mikuru, I will help you out," she said, "Pansage, use Rock Tomb!"
A boulder appeared on Pansage's hands and lifted it down to the ground.
"Now you finish the contest appeal using another move, Mikuru."
"Alright," Mikuru replied, "Pansage, use SolarBeam!"
Cilan's Pansage fired its attack, aiming for the boulder. However, SolarBeam only smashed it into smaller rocks with little to no appeal at all.
Cilan sweatdropped and muttered, "The way Mikuru instructed my Pansage to use SolarBeam was just a bitter taste."
Meanwhile, Kyon was wondering why didn't Brendan lend him a Pokemon.
"Why didn't you lend me a Pokemon?" Kyon asked Brendan, approaching.
"Well, I was actually thinking of another Pokemon to lend over to you for the Pokemon Contest," replied the latter. Suddenly he had an idea.
"Exeggutor, unlock," Brendan spouted, just when he brought out a Poke Ball. Twisting his hands with the Poke Ball in the middle of it, he summoned an Exeggutor.
Kyon facepalmed.
"Now there goes the obligatory Shugo Chara reference. I would never expect such reference to sink that low."
"Well, yes, you're right. This is obviously obligatory, since Exeggutor is the evolved form of Exeggcute, a Pokemon that resembles a bunch of eggs."
"It is?" Kyon asked.
Brendan pulled out his own Pokedex and showed it to Kyon. The Pokedex said, "Exeggcute, the Egg Pokemon. Exeggcute is mistaken by many to be a group of eggs. It uses telepathy as a form of communication."
Brendan scrolled the Pokedex and it said, "Exeggutor, the Coconut Pokemon, and the evolved form of Exeggcute. It is described by many to be the walking tropical rain forest. If one of the heads fall off, it reverts back to becoming an Exeggcute."
Kyon muttered, "It doesn't make sense if one of the heads devolves back to its basic form."
"Alright, Kyon. I can teach you Exeggutor's special combination." Brendan whispered to Kyon, causing the latter to make a reaction.
"But how can I make use of that combination?"
"Don't worry. I can teach you how."
*Scene transition*
While the rest were practicing on their combinations with the Pokemon borrowed to them, Kyon sat on the ground as Brendan demonstrated Exeggutor's special contest combination.
"This combination is not difficult," spouted Brendan, "Let Exeggutor concentrate using Calm Mind."
Exeggutor's body was imbued in a pink glow.
"Whisper the instruction to use Energy Ball tenderly."
Exeggutor fired an Energy Ball upwards.
"Now aim the Hyper Beam at the target that you don't like, or in this case, the Energy Ball. . . . . "
Exeggutor prepared to charge its Hyper Beam.
". . . . . . . . .and using that attack, unleash the annihilation of love!"
Hyper Beam was fired upwards, causing the Energy Ball to explode in a shower of fireworks and beautiful sparkles.
Kyon was impressed. Exeggutor's combination managed to catch the attention of Dawn, Haruhi, Cilan, Ash, Iris, Itsuki, Mikuru, Yuki, and Meloetta.
Approaching Brendan, she remarked, "That was a good contest move you just did. I wonder if you were inclined to contests too."
"Well, that was a contest combination I improvised just for Kyon," replied Brendan, "Ironically, I'm not that much of a participant in Pokemon Contests as much as you do, Dawn."
"I wonder if Kyon will fare well with that one," thought Haruhi.
Dawn asked, "Did you think up of a good name for that combination?"
Kyon thought, "You're not going to call that combination as Master Spark, are you, Brendan?"
"Now you try it, Kyon," said Brendan, "Just command Exeggutor to use the moves in the exact order as I demonstrated earlier, and you will correctly get the combination."
"Ok," thought Kyon as he sighed, "Would it be fine if I borrow your Exeggutor for the contest?"
Brendan responded, "I don't think it would be a problem to borrow it on the contest proper."
Thinking to himself, he instructed, "Exeggutor, use Calm Mind."
Exeggutor imbued itself in a pink aura.
"Now use Energy Ball and send it upward."
Exeggutor fired Energy Ball up in the air.
"Use Hyper Beam!"
Exeggutor fired a Hyper Beam upward, but due to a gust of wind, it missed. The Energy Ball then fell right down, hitting Brendan's head and knocking him out.
When Kyon approached Brendan, he asked, "Are you alright?"
The latter yelled, "Stupid Kyon! You made me look bad!"
"I'm sorry, I would never expect Hyper Beam to fail to hit that Energy Ball."
"That's fine though," replied Brendan, "Sometimes, the combination can be a bit tricky to master especially when you have to take account of the wind." He was then lifted back up by Kyon, grabbing his hand.
Suddenly, Haruhi said, "I'll be right back. I'll go request Jeremy to provide the snacks." She then left off and went back to the mansion.
That was when Kyon thought, "Miss Nagato, if you want to introduce your background and identity to Ash and his friends, should you do it right now?"
Ash asked, "What is it?"
"I will fully explain about my identity," said Yuki.
Cilan asked, "Explain it fully. We want to know."
"Haruhi Suzumiya and I are not ordinary humans."
Iris said, "We already know that Haruhi isn't ordinary. But I don't think you show a lot of emotions, which explains the fact that you're not indeed ordinary."
Yuki said, "That is not what I actually mean. I am not referring to the absence of personality traits. I am referring to the fact that Haruhi Suzumiya and I are different from the majority of humans like yourself."
"I don't get the slightest idea," said Dawn and Ash in unison.
"To explain clearly, I am a humanoid interface created to make contact with ordinary lifeforms."
"I don't get the idea what Yuki just said," Iris said.
Kyon replied, "If you listen any further, you'll eventually get the hang of it. I was even confused at first when she introduced herself to me."
Iris asked Yuki, "If you're a humanoid interface, what do you do?"
"My task is to observe Haruhi Suzumiya and send all obtained data to the Data Integration Thought Entity."
Cilan asked, "When did you start your observations on Haruhi?"
Yuki replied, "It started a few years ago, when we observed a data flare, an explosion of data from the world Kyon and I live in."
"Then what just happened?"
"Everything was peaceful, until there were irregularities, those coming from Haruhi Suzumiya."
"This leaves me asking another question. What can you describe about the Data Integration Thought Entity?"
"The Data Integration Thought Entity is an organization that consists of data organisms that supervise a portion of the galaxy in which the planet Earth is a part of. Because the faction is incapable of communicating with humans, it has created interfaces such as myself."
This caused Cilan to become curious. He asked, "Would that be a problem should Haruhi find out about her powers? Itsuki was telling us that it would cause a lot of problems should she manage to find out about this."
Yuki replied, "Yes. The Data Integration Thought Entity has confirmed that if Haruhi Suzumiya is aware of the situation regarding her own ability, this results in the potential for possible unpredictable risks."
Ash asked, "Are you the only one in your faction?"
"I am not the only one assigned on Earth by the Data Integration Thought Entity."
Cilan thought, whilst in a thinking pose, "Let me guess. Mikuru is a time traveler, Itsuki is an esper, and what is Yuki like, Kyon? After all, you had a meet-and-greet with all three of them."
Kyon responded, "To make all of it simpler, an alien."
"You mean, an alien in human form?"
Dawn and Iris gasped, saying those words in shock.
"Yes," replied Yuki.
Dawn thought, "I was wondering how did Haruhi get those powers of hers."
Koizumi replied, "For now, it is a mystery to how did Miss Suzumiya get her godlike powers."
"This left me wondering all along," thought Iris, "I was wondering, Kyon, why did you get to meet up with a time traveler, an esper, and an alien in human form."
"The truth is, Haruhi sought to look for them, and so, there they are, right with us," replied Kyon.
"I'm going to agree with you, but what do we do when Haruhi's powers activate?" asked Ash.
Just before Kyon could reply, Haruhi returned, with Jeremy bringing out a tray full of treats.
Without Haruhi hearing him, Itsuki said, "It looks like she has returned. We should resume this conversation later."
"We're back! Kyon, I asked Cynthia's butler to prepare some lunch whilst preparing for the contest. After all, we can't simply be energized without a round of lunch, can we?"
The gang chowed down on a hearty lunch at the folding table beside the battlefield, set up by Jeremy.
After lunch, the table was left to be used as the judges' table. Jeremy, Kyon, and Itsuki carried a wide TV screen behind the table.
Kyon asked, "I was wondering why is there a screen that we need to set up for the Pokemon Contest."
"According to Dawn during the lunch break, the screen serves as a form of scoreboard in the battles round where the winner is determined based on the points remaining in a given time limit," replied Itsuki.
"I hope this isn't too tricky, Koizumi," thought Kyon.
Itsuki added, "The appeals round also happens to be the elimination round, so you might be a little worried about being eliminated early."
"I hope this all goes very well."
When Kyon said those words, he was wondering if he will perform very well in the mock Pokemon Contest. Only time will tell though if he is right or not or even both. . . . .
To be continued. . . . . . . .
On the next chapter:
The mock Pokemon Contest has finally started. Will Kyon be able to brush up on his contest skills and win it? Find out on the next chapter of The Best Wishes of Haruhi Suzumiya!
References:
Pani Poni Dash
Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (Oreimo)
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Shugo Chara
Touhou Project
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Author's note #2:
"This combination is not difficult." The steps in setting up Exeggutor's contest combination is a reference to the steps on how Marisa Kirisame casts her Master Spark in Touhou Project.
"Exeggutor, unlock." This is a variant of the phrase spoken by Amu Hinamori in her transformation sequence in Shugo Chara.
"Stupid Kyon! You made me look bad!" It is a reference to a certain line spoken by Eustace Bagge in Courage the Cowardly Dog.