Author's note: This is part II of II of the Mock Pokemon Contest arc. And oh, happy Halloween to everyone who has been reading this fanfic. This is going to be yet another long chapter, an even longer one.
Chapter 17
Everything's Better With Sparkles II
The mock Pokemon Contest has started, with Dawn being the host. Ironically, the only ones consisting of the audience are Ash and Meloetta.
"And now, it's time for the SOS Brigade's first ever Pokemon Contest, the first of its kind ever set up in the Unova region!"
That was when Dawn showed up in the middle of the battlefield.
"I'm the host of the mock Pokemon Contest, and today, we will be witnessing the performances of each of the members of the SOS Brigade, as well as Iris and Cilan!"
Not far from the battlefield, Iris, Cilan, and the five members of the SOS Brigade were standing, preparing for their performances.
Mikuru thought, "I'm feeling kinda nervous."
Haruhi replied, "Now, now, Mikuru. Don't be too nervous for this event. After all, it is a mock Pokemon Contest!"
"Well, yeah. But what if it is the real deal, Haruhi?" Kyon thought to himself.
Dawn announced, "And now, to start the appeals round, we now have our first contestant!"
Ash informed Meloetta, "Meloetta, this is going to be exciting. After all, you would want to watch all those awesome performances."
The first contestant of the mock Pokemon Contest was Iris, who summoned Excadrill.
"Excadrill, use Dig!"
Excadrill dug a hole, forming a hole in the battlefield.
"Now use Focus Blast!"
Excadrill fired a Focus Blast through the hole, sending it upwards.
Kyon was wondering what was Iris up to.
"Now use Drill Run!"
Excadrill went out of the hole, aiming the Drill Run at the Focus Blast, creating a shower of beautiful sparkles. The Subterrene Pokemon then landed back on its feet, and along with its Trainer, the two made a curtsy.
The performance left Meloetta impressed.
Cynthia simply remarked, "Excadrill is doing great."
Jeremy also remarked, saying, "The way Excadrill pulled off the combination of Focus Blast and Drill Run is simply appealing. Well done."
Dawn announced, "And now, let's go check out the performance of our next contestant, Haruhi Suzumiya!"
Haruhi said to Ash's Pikachu, "Let's go and make it an appeal that your Trainer wouldn't forget!"
"You can do it, Haruhi!" Ash yelled.
"Go, Pikachu!"
Haruhi took the stage as Pikachu went out to the battlefield.
"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"
Ash's Pikachu fired an Electro Ball that floated in the air.
"Use Iron Tail!"
Pikachu sliced the Electro Ball with Iron Tail, breaking it into smithereens.
"Now, using the Counter Shield technique, use Thunderbolt for the big finish!"
Pikachu spun on its back, creating whips of electricity that came out from Pikachu's Thunderbolt. The resulting electric whips collided with the smithereens from the sliced Electro Ball, creating a shower of sparkles. Pikachu lands back on its feet as the sparkles showered all over it and Haruhi.
Meloetta was amazed as the two then made a bow.
"Well, what do you think, Ash?" Haruhi asked, looking at him, "After all, I do know that your Pikachu used to know a special technique called Counter Shield, right?"
"But how did you know that?" asked Ash.
Cynthia remarked, "The way Pikachu reenacted the Counter Shield technique that it applied in the Sinnoh League truly amazes me."
Jeremy also did the same, and commented, "Counter Shield is indeed a good combination. Good one."
"And now, we look forward to our next contestant, Brendan!" Dawn announced.
"Go, Blastoise!" Brendan sent out a Blastoise.
This left Iris and Cilan wondering what was that Pokemon Brendan sent out.
Yuki replied, "It is called a Blastoise, the final evolved form of Squirtle, a Water-type starter Pokemon native to the Kanto region."
"So, Brendan summoned a Pokemon from a region far away from Unova," concluded Iris.
"Blastoise, use Hydro Cannon!"
Blastoise fired Hydro Cannon up in the air.
"Now use Ice Beam!"
Ice Beam is fired, freezing the Hydro Cannon.
"For the finisher, use Aqua Jet!"
Immensing itself in water, Blastoise charged itself up in the air, destroying the frozen Hydro Cannon. There was shimmering glitter all over the place as Blastoise landed on its feet.
Kyon thought, "Brendan's suspiciously doing the same combination technique as Iris."
After a comment from the judges, Dawn remarked, "The next to enter the stage is. . . . . Kyon!"
Haruhi informed, "Looks like it's your turn, Kyon! Do your best!"
When Brendan returned from the battlefield, he approached Kyon and said, "Remember the correct order of moves to be used in order to complete Exeggutor's contest combination, get it?"
When Kyon went out to take the stage, he summoned Brendan's Exeggutor.
"Exeggutor, use Calm Mind!"
Exeggutor was imbued in a pink aura.
"Now use Energy Ball!"
Energy Ball was fired up in the air.
"Now for the finisher!"
Suddenly, there was a slight gust of wind blowing behind Kyon's back. This made him recall what happened earlier when he was trying to practice the same contest appeal Brendan improvised for him. . . . .
"Sometimes, the combination can be a bit tricky to master especially when you have to take account of the wind."
Suddenly, Kyon had an idea.
"Exeggutor, use Hyper Beam and take advantage of the wind!"
Exeggutor fired its attack as it was redirected by the slight gust of wind, effectively hitting the Energy Ball fired upwards. Like with the other performances before it, it also caused Meloetta to become impressed.
Cynthia remarked, "I liked how Exeggutor took advantage of the wind in order to fire its Hyper Beam and complete the combination. Good work."
Jeremy also commented, saying, "Like Miss Cynthia, I never expected that a combination that would otherwise become a mess would be a perfectly done series of techniques."
"And now, we're on with the show!" announced Dawn.
When it was Yuki's turn to take the stage, she made a contest appeal along with Brendan's Alakazam, which involved levitating and bending both of its spoons in midair.
After that, it was Mikuru's turn. She and Cilan's Pansage performed a great show, with Pansage using Bullet Seed to carve a statue of itself using its Rock Tomb. However, she eventually ended up instructing Pansage to fire SolarBeam at the well-finished rock statue of itself, leaving Cilan and Haruhi unimpressed.
Cilan facepalmed, saying, "Mikuru shouldn't have told Pansage to use SolarBeam while it is carving the Rock Tomb using Bullet Seed."
Kyon thought to himself, "I was impressed on how Pansage carved a statue of itself with Bullet Seed.
Itsuki also did a decent contest appeal using Iris's Emolga. It spun as it used Discharge to destroy all the pink hearts it created using its Attract.
The last contestant of the contest, Cilan, also performed well, with his Stunfisk using Sludge Bomb, Thundershock, and Scald to create a fireworks display.
Dawn concluded, "And that ends the first round of the mock Pokemon Contest. The judges have immediately selected the four contestants who will be moving on to the second round!"
The screen that was behind Cynthia and Jeremy displayed the names of the said contestants. They were Haruhi, Kyon, Iris, and Cilan.
Brendan and Itsuki approached Kyon and congratulated him.
"Kyon, looks like you and Miss Suzumiya have made it to the second round," said Itsuki.
"Too bad Itsuki and I both lost out, so I'll start lending you and Haruhi another Pokemon to use in the battles round," added Brendan.
"Do you know which side are you supporting for?" asked Kyon.
Brendan replied, "Well. . . . . . . it's kinda complicated, since you and Haruhi are both moving on to the next round. I'll support both of you."
After loaning over a Poke Ball to Kyon, he went off to lend Haruhi another one of his Poke Balls.
Kyon thought, "I was wondering why does he have to lend over his Pokemon at a time like this."
"It is possible to use a different Pokemon in the next round, unless if you get eliminated," responded Itsuki.
"It is?"
On the other hand, Ash congratulated Cilan for performing well.
"Your Stunfisk performed very well. No wonder you can also be a Contest Connoisseur, Cilan."
"Well, actually, it is the first time for me to create such an exquisite performance," replied Cilan.
Dawn announced, "And now, we are about to start the second round, which is the battles round, in which the selected four candidates will have to battle it out in five minutes."
That was when Haruhi and Iris faced off in the battlefield.
"Five minutes on the clock, begin!"
The five minute clock that was displayed on the screen started ticking.
"Electivire, come on out!"
"Excadrill, go!"
Haruhi summoned the same Electivire that Brendan loaned to her before, while Iris once again sent out Excadrill.
Cilan remarked, "Looks like Haruhi is at a disadvantage."
"Well, yeah," responded Kyon.
"Wait . . . . . . what was that?"
"As you can see, it's pretty obvious that an Electric-type like Electivire is weak to the Ground-type moves that Excadrill carries," said Itsuki.
"Oh. . . . . not that again," muttered Kyon.
"Electivire, use ThunderPunch!"
"Dodge it!"
Excadrill avoided Electivire's ThunderPunch, causing Haruhi to lose some points.
"But how come?" Kyon exclaimed to Dawn, who was at the opposite side of the stage.
Dawn replied to Kyon's question, "In a Contest Battle, a Pokemon Coordinator loses points when his or her Pokemon's attack fails. After all, you can't just steal your opponent's points just by hitting them by force."
"I'm starting to lose points," thought Haruhi, "I'll have to make sure Electivire's moves will be more accurate no matter what."
She then commanded, "Electivire, use Psychic!"
Using Psychic, Excadrill was sent up levitating in the air and was put down by force. Iris lost some points.
"Looks like Miss Suzumiya is starting to catch up," Itsuki said to Kyon, "I wonder if this will keep up."
"Yeah. I was hoping that Haruhi wouldn't cause any trouble should she lose this round," responded Kyon.
"Excadrill, use Drill Run!"
"Use Protect!"
Excadrill attempted to penetrate through Electivire's Protect using Drill Run, but it failed. Iris once again lost some points.
"Excadrill, use Dig!"
The Subterrene Pokemon dug a hole and burrowed down the battlefield, leaving Haruhi confused.
"Now use Focus Blast!"
Excadrill emerged from the ground, hitting Electivire from behind. Haruhi was losing points again.
"That was a surprising tactic," Kyon thought.
"Now use Dig again!"
Excadrill created another hole, once again burrowing into the ground.
"Use Metal Claw!"
Once the Subterrene Pokemon emerged from the ground, it hit Electivire with Metal Claw. This left Haruhi frustrated as she was with half the points remaining while Iris lost 1/2 of her points.
"Use Dig one more time!"
With Excadrill digging on the ground once again, Haruhi attempted to think of a plan for Electivire to avoid Excadrill's attack.
"Now use Metal Claw again!"
Excadrill repeated its Dig-Metal Claw combination, causing Haruhi to lose some points.
There were only two minutes remaining.
"If only there was a move that can stop Excadrill in its tracks," thought Haruhi. When Haruhi had an idea, she suddenly muttered, "Of course!"
"What is it, Haruhi?" asked Iris.
"You'll see," replied Haruhi.
Ash cheered, "You can do it, Iris! And you too, Haruhi!" Meloetta was beside him, still fascinated of watching the battle.
"Excadrill, use Focus Blast!"
"Intercept with ThunderPunch!"
Electivire's ThunderPunch collided with Excadrill's Focus Blast. The former managed to pierce through the latter, creating a sparkly glow. Iris was losing points again as she eventually was at half the points left.
"Use Dig!"
Excadrill burrowed through the ground as Iris plans to use the same combination as before.
"Electivire, use Earthquake!"
"That can't be!" Iris exclaimed.
Electivire punched its fist in the ground, creating an earthquake that shook the battlefield. The ground broke down, which caused Excadrill to be sent flying.
"Excadrill, hang in there!"
The Subterrene Pokemon flipped and landed its feet back on the ground.
Kyon remarked, "I would never expect Electivire's Earthquake to be so. . . . . . earth-shaking."
There was only 17 seconds remaining. Iris was now losing more points than Haruhi.
"Excadrill, use Metal Claw!"
"Block it!"
Electivire blocked Excadrill's Metal Claw.
"Time to finish this. Excadrill, use Drill Run!"
"Electivire, counter with ThunderPunch!"
Both attacks collided with each other. The two Pokemon eventually fall back as the five-minute mark came to a close.
"Time's up!" Dawn exclaimed, "The winner of this battle is. . . . . . . Haruhi Suzumiya!"
Haruhi approached and congratulated Iris for having a great battle.
Iris said to Haruhi, "I congratulate you for doing a great job."
"What are you talking about? You did great too," replied the latter.
Kyon sighed in relief. He thought, "Even though Haruhi was at a type disadvantage, she managed to turn the tables and defeat Iris."
"Well, I guess you're up next," Itsuki said, "You'll have to defeat Cilan if you want to face off against Miss Suzumiya."
"I'll just have to hit you again for saying that."
"Well, it's for the best. Now, go and make the next battle a good one," said Itsuki as Kyon set off to the battlefield to face off against Cilan.
The five-minute mark has started as Cilan and Kyon summoned Crustle and Yanmega, respectively.
"Yanmega, use Air Slash!"
"Counter with X-Scissor!"
Air Slash was destroyed by Crustle's X-Scissor, creating a shower of sparkling particles. Kyon lost the first 1/2 of his points.
Haruhi cheered, "Go, Kyon! Don't throw in the towel just yet!"
Yanmega's Speed Boost was activated, causing the Ogre Darner Pokemon to accumulate some speed.
"Yanmega, Aerial Ace!"
"Crustle, Protect!"
Using Protect, Crustle successfully blocked Yanmega's Aerial Ace, causing Kyon to lose more points.
This caused Haruhi to become very frustrated.
"If only there was a way to get past that Pokemon of his," Kyon thought, referring to Cilan's Crustle, "But how?"
He suddenly had an idea.
"Yanmega, use Hidden Power!"
"Use X-Scissor!"
Just before Crustle could destroy Hidden Power using its X-Scissor, Kyon commanded, "Use Air Slash!"
The combination of Hidden Power and Air Slash caused an explosion that left the Stone Home Pokemon unfazed. Cilan eventually lost the first 1/4 of his points.
Yanmega's Speed Boost accumulated again, causing it to raise its speed.
"You can do it, Cilan! And you too, Kyon!" Ash cheered. Meloetta was still fascinated to watch the battle.
"Crustle, use Shell Smash!"
Red cracks formed around Crustle's body as it jumped from its shell. It was then imbued in a crimson aura.
Kyon wondered, "What is that move?"
Before Cilan could reply, he noticed the screen, and it was only two minutes and 30 seconds remaining. He then continued and said, "To make it brief, Shell Smash is a Normal-type move that raises Crustle's Attack, Special Attack, and Speed, although it sacrifices its huge defenses in exchange for improving its offensive power."
"So that's how Shell Smash works?" asked Kyon.
"In that case, you'll see why Crustle is now stronger. Crustle, use Rock Slide!"
Several rocks emerged from above as Kyon thought of a way for Yanmega to dodge all of them.
"Dodge all the rocks and use Air Slash!"
Thanks to its Speed Boost, Yanmega avoided Rock Slide and successfully hit Crustle with Air Slash. Cilan lost some points.
"Now that's one fast Yanmega," remarked Cilan, "Crustle, Shell Smash one more time!"
Itsuki thought to himself, "Looks like Crustle is attempting to catch up after Yanmega in terms of speed. I wonder how this will end."
"Use Aerial Ace!"
"Block it!"
Crustle blocked Yanmega's Aerial Ace, causing Kyon to lose points.
"Crustle, X-Scissor!"
"Aerial Ace, Yanmega. Let's go!"
Crustle and Yanmega both clashed their attacks, resulting in Kyon and Cilan both lost the same amount of points.
There was only 1 minute remaining.
"Crustle, use Rock Slide!"
"Counter it with Air Slash!"
Yanmega spun itself, firing a barrage of Air Slashes that sliced several boulders into smithereens. Cilan now had lesser points than Kyon.
As the time went with only 10 seconds remaining, Cilan instructed, "Use X-Scissor!"
"It's time to say goodnight! Yanmega, counter it with Aerial Ace, one more time!"
Cilan's Crustle, still imbued in a red aura due to continuous use of Shell Smash, charged at Yanmega, who attempted to counter its X-Scissor using Aerial Ace.
The collision created an explosion that knocked both Pokemon back as the five-minute mark was passed.
"Time's up!" Dawn exclaimed, "We will now find out to see who among the two will move on to the final round!"
When the smoke from the explosion cleared, it is shown on the screen that Cilan had the lesser amount of points.
"And it's Kyon! He is now eligible to move on to the final round."
Cilan approached Crustle and said to it, "Crustle, you did very well. Thanks." He then recalled Crustle and approached Kyon to congratulate him.
"Kyon, you did a great job. You and Haruhi are definitely going to become future Pokemon Coordinators, at least I was saying that."
"Thank you too, Cilan," answered Kyon, "If you didn't explain any further about Shell Smash, I would have lost to you."
"Well, of course." That was when Cilan laughed and said, "I sometimes have a flaw in which I easily explain some advice to gym challengers. Nevertheless, it was a battle fought fair and square. Best of luck to you in the final round, Kyon."
Brendan asked Kyon, "Can you call Haruhi for me?"
"Why me?"
"I left to the nearest Pokemon Center to switch Pokemon that I have right now, and I will lend two Poke Balls to both of you."
"Why two Poke Balls?"
"Prior to the contest proper, Dawn has made a last-minute decision that the final round will be a double battle instead."
"Why is that?"
"Dawn wanted the five of you, as well as Iris and Cilan, to experience double battles in Pokemon Contests as well."
"Is that even possible? Double battles in Pokemon Contests?"
"From what Dawn just said, yes."
Brendan then handed Kyon two Poke Balls.
"I'll leave the other two for Haruhi," he said as he went off to Haruhi.
Kyon went out to the battlefield as he was about to set his respective position.
Dawn announced, "And now, the Pokemon Contest that is currently being held today is now in its final round. As a slight modification to the guidelines, it is decided that the final round will instead be a double battle. We represent our two novice coordinators. On my left, it's Kyon, and on my right, it's Haruhi!"
Brendan cheered, yelling, "Both of you, battle like you want to win!"
"Five minutes on the clock, begin!"
"Hydreigon and Magmortar, Fumoffu!" Kyon sent out the two Pokemon.
"Salamence and Electivire, go!" Haruhi summoned the aforementioned two Pokemon Brendan also lent to her.
"And it looks like it's Hydreigon and Magmortar versus Salamence and Electivire. One Pokemon is fiery, while the other is electrifying. But who will win it?" announced Dawn.
"Hydreigon, use Dragon Pulse! Magmortar, Thunderbolt!"
Dragon Pulse fused with Thunderbolt to create a meteorite of some sort. The combination caused Haruhi to lose the first 1/2 of her points.
"It looks like Kyon's starting the show with a good contest appeal!"
"Hey, no fair!" yelled Haruhi, "Salamence, counter it with Dragon Claw! Electivire, use Psychic to levitate Magmortar in the air!"
Salamence sliced the fusion move with Dragon Claw, creating a sparkle of rainbow sparks. A portion of Kyon's points were lost.
Magmortar on the other hand, was being levitated upward by Electivire's Psychic and was subsequently being sent down.
"Magmortar, counter with Thunderbolt!"
Magmortar attempted to hit Electivire with Thunderbolt, but it was obviously no use; it only raised Electivire's Speed thanks to its Motor Drive. Once again, Kyon lost some points.
"How do you like that?" Haruhi bragged at Kyon.
"Hydreigon, use Draco Meteor! Magmortar, use Flamethrower!"
Flamethrower is fused with Draco Meteor, resulting in several flaming spheres of energy raining down on both Salamence and Electivire, causing Haruhi to lose points again.
Cilan remarked, "The combination of Draco Meteor and Flamethrower surely reminds me of shooting stars."
The fusion move also caused Ash and Meloetta to become fascinated.
"And it looks like Kyon is at it again with another fusion move!"
"Time for a counter-attack. Salamence, use Flamethrower! Electivire, use Psychic to control the Flamethrower!"
Salamence used Flamethrower to create several flaming wheels that were being controlled by Electivire's Psychic.
"Now, go!"
The flaming wheels charged at Magmortar and Hydreigon, hitting them. Kyon was losing points.
"And it looks like Haruhi responded with a combination of her own. Several flaming wheels controlled by Electivire's Psychic attack!"
Only 3 minutes were left.
"Hydreigon, use Dragon Pulse! Magmortar, Flamethrower!"
"Salamence, counter it with your own Dragon Pulse! Electivire, use ThunderPunch!"
The Dragon Pulse-Flamethrower combination collided with the fusion of Salamence's own Dragon Pulse and Electivire's ThunderPunch, creating yet another sparkle of fireworks. Both Haruhi and Kyon lose points, with the former having only half the points left from her full score.
Suddenly, Electivire was accumulating some electricity, causing Haruhi to wonder curiously.
"Brendan, is Electivire learning a new move?" she asked, tilting her head at Brendan.
Brendan replied, "I think so, and it's Thunderbolt."
"Looks like we're going to turn the tables with my newest technique," thought Haruhi, "Salamence, Stone Edge! Electivire, Thunderbolt!"
Stone Edge was electrified by Thunderbolt as it surrounded all over Hydreigon and Magmortar.
Unable to find a good spot to dodge, they both took damage. Kyon was starting to lose points as he is now tied with Haruhi.
"Kyon is now tied with Haruhi! Who among both of them could possibly win this?"
Only 1 minute and 30 seconds were left.
Hydreigon and Salamence both soared up in the air, while Magmortar and Electivire remained on the ground.
"Salamence, use Dragon Pulse!"
"Hydreigon, counter it with Acrobatics!"
"But how?"
Haruhi was surprised when she said those words.
Salamence's Dragon Pulse collided with Hydreigon's Acrobatics. However, Hydreigon managed to disperse Dragon Pulse and strike a hit on Salamence. A decent amount of Haruhi's points were lost.
"Magmortar, use Flamethrower!"
"Electivire, block it with ThunderPunch!"
Electivire punched through Magmortar's Flamethrower with ThunderPunch and landed a hit on Magmortar. Kyon was also losing a decent amount of points.
However, Haruhi and Kyon are still tied with only 56 seconds remaining.
"Only 56 seconds remaining and still both Haruhi and Kyon are in the verge of tying with each other! Who could possibly win this?"
This caused Mikuru and Ash to become very nervous.
"Electivire, use ThunderPunch again!"
"Magmortar, counter with Fire Punch!"
Electivire and Magmortar collide attacks with each other, but neither are giving in an inch.
Iris asked Itsuki, "I was wondering why is Kyon suddenly tying with Haruhi."
"Probably, he is trying to think of a good way to make sure this battle will be a great one for Miss Suzumiya."
"Salamence, use Dragon Claw!"
"Hydreigon, Acrobatics!"
Hydreigon dodged Dragon Claw as it soared high up in the sky whilst it was about to strike Salamence using Acrobatics. The latter avoided the former's attack.
Only 20 minutes were left, but Haruhi and Kyon are still at a tie, with only 1/4 of the points remaining from their full score.
"Magmortar, Flamethrower on Hydreigon!"
Haruhi thought, "It looks like Kyon is trying to lose his own points by letting Flamethrower hit Hydreigon."
Kyon responded, "Time to make this a memorable one. Hydreigon, use Acrobatics!"
Haruhi eventually found out that Kyon let Magmortar use Flamethrower on Hydreigon just to give Acrobatics a fiery look.
Hydreigon then charged at Salamence, causing Haruhi to lose points.
She then had an idea.
"Electivire, use Thunderbolt! Salamence, Giga Impact!"
Just as Salamence was about to initiate Giga Impact, Electivire used Thunderbolt. Applying a variation of Kyon's combination, Electivire gave Giga Impact an electric charge.
"Now go!" Haruhi yelled.
The orange spiraling streaks of light that formed Salamence's Giga Impact turned into electrifying yellow, as the Menace Pokemon charged its attack at Hydreigon.
The two Dragon-type Pokemon collided at each other, creating a bright flash and causing an explosion that stumbled both of them backwards. Haruhi and Kyon try to stand on their feet as the force of the explosion pushed both of them back.
Hydreigon and Salamence both soared down as the smoke cleared, both appearing to have been bruised from the collision but still able to get up.
Haruhi and Kyon both lost points as the time went past the five-minute mark.
"Time's up! Who's the winner of this Pokemon Contest?"
Suddenly, there was a moment of silence. Haruhi and Kyon stared at each other, then they both looked at the screen.
Mikuru asked Cilan, "Um, Cilan, who is winning?"
It is revealed that Haruhi had two points more than Kyon.
"And the winner of the mock Pokemon Contest is. . . . . . Haruhi Suzumiya!"
Haruhi jumped for joy as she was revealed to be the winner of the mock Pokemon Contest.
Kyon slightly frowned and sighed. He thought, "I guess Haruhi defeated me again. Oh well, at least I managed to master and get the hang of it."
On the battlefield, Haruhi is presented by Cynthia the same poster that Dawn displayed when she was demonstrating to Cilan, Iris, and the SOS Brigade the rules and mechanics of Pokemon Contests.
Haruhi asked Dawn, "Why is Cynthia presenting to me a poster and not a ribbon?"
"Remember that it is a mock Pokemon Contest; after all, if it were the real deal, you would have gotten a ribbon instead."
Ash, Iris, Cilan, Kyon, Itsuki, Yuki, Brendan, and Mikuru clapped their hands as they also congratulated Haruhi.
"Meloetta, what do you think of the contest battles. Weren't they great?" Dawn asked Meloetta.
Meloetta went all over the battlefield as Piplup tried to catch up after it. However, Ash's Oshawott suddenly came out of its Poke Ball and started arguing with Piplup, causing almost everyone to laugh.
Suddenly, Dawn realized that it was indeed late in the afternoon. She screamed, "Oh no. I'm gonna be late for the afternoon trip to Johto!"
"What?" Ash, Iris, and Cilan were all surprised.
The gang, including Meloetta, Cynthia, and Jeremy headed off to the pier. Fortunately for Dawn, the plane was still on the docks.
She then made a sigh of relief.
"I guess this is the time to say goodbye," said Dawn, with a frowning look in her face, "I'm gonna miss all of you."
Ash responded, "You made sure that Meloetta will smile with all those performances."
Iris added, "And because of Haruhi, you brought out the idea of Pokemon Contests in the Unova region."
Haruhi added, "Well, it's nothing. Besides, I was easily very curious to know what Pokemon Contests really are."
Ash said, "And oh. Dawn, do your best in the Wallace Cup. We'll be rooting for you."
Dawn replied, "There's no need to worry. Ash, best of luck to you in the Unova League."
"I'll do my best."
Dawn said to Iris, "More hopes to your mutual relationship with your Dragonite."
"Thanks, Dawn," responded Iris, "I'm doing my best to become a Dragon Master."
"I'll contact all of you what are the results in the Wallace Cup once it ends."
Ash said, "We'll look forward to it, Dawn."
Dawn thanked Cynthia, saying, "Thanks for everything. Let's meet again in Sinnoh."
The latter replied, "Please say hi to Wallace for me."
Haruhi added, "Don't forget to do the same for me, Kyon, and the rest of the SOS Brigade as well. I just wanted to meet Wallace, but I couldn't."
"It's a deal. Oh, by the way. I was wondering where Meloetta just went," Dawn wondered. That was when Meloetta showed up.
"Meloetta, take care of yourself," Dawn said.
Suddenly, Piplup was shedding its tear because it would be saying goodbye to Meloetta. That was when Ash's Oshawott popped out by itself from its Poke Ball.
The two Pokemon were about to make yet another contempt, that is, until it was turned into sadness as the two hug each other.
Now boarding the plane, Dawn and Piplup waved at Ash, Iris, Brendan, Cilan, and the five members of the SOS Brigade as the plane was about to leave.
"Dawn, let's meet again someday!" exclaimed Ash and Haruhi, both waving their hands.
Meloetta also waved its hand as the plane already flew away from the shore, now heading to the Johto region.
"Oh, crap! The plane has already left!"
Ash, Haruhi, Brendan, Cilan, and Iris noticed a familiar voice coming from behind them. It was Kotetsu.
The same Pokemon Trainer with a Riolu that the gang encountered the other day stopped to meet up again with Ash and the gang.
"Kotetsu?" Ash wondered.
"What do we have here, it's the same Trainer who realized that he was already late for the Junior Cup," said Kyon.
"It's you guys again," said Kotetsu, "Can I ask your names again? As you can see, I actually forgot them."
Ash, Kyon, Haruhi, Iris, and Cilan were all exasperated by Kotetsu's question.
"The name's Ash!" Ash responded angrily.
Cilan asked, "Uh, are you heading off to the Johto region as well?"
"Yes, and speaking of the Johto region, the Unova League is gonna take place there!"
Kyon responded, "This has got to be the craziest line you ever spoke. If it's the Unova League you've been talking about, it would obviously take place inside the Unova region, right?"
"Well, yes, you're right," replied Ash, "But why in Johto?"
Kotetsu responded, "I don't even know! I'm just bringing in my wild mass guessing!"
Ash informed, "I also wanted to join in the Unova League, but I don't know just yet where it will take place."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, I really am."
"Why so serious? You should've told me that in the first place, and it's a good thing I was this close to leaving to Johto!"
Kotetsu added, "If you're participating, did you get all the badges? That's right, because I got all seven."
He brought out his badge case and displayed it to the gang.
"Seven? You've got to be kidding me, Kotetsu. You're wrong, because you need one more badge to enter," said Ash, displaying his own badge case, with all 8 badges still intact.
"What, that means I have to battle one more Gym just to move on to the Unova League? I thought that the last slot should've been the memorable badge, for the Unova League."
Kotetsu then sat down and thought to himself.
"If I am missing my eighth badge, where is the nearest Gym to get one?"
Jeremy replied, "The nearest Gym is in Humilau City."
"In Humilau City? Alright, Riolu, let's go!"
Haruhi convinced Kotetsu, "Should we go and watch your Gym Battle?"
Her question surprised Kyon.
"But why are we going to watch his gym battle?" asked the latter.
Haruhi replied, "We're finished with Pokemon Contests. The next stop? Let's go watch an actual Gym battle like he was demonstrating it!"
Kyon facepalmed.
Cynthia advised, "Let's call it a day for now. Kotetsu, you should spend the night with Ash and his friends."
The gang returned to Cynthia's villa that night, eating dinner then proceeded to their respective bedrooms.
That was when Kyon asked Kotetsu in the bedroom about tomorrow's gym battle.
"Kotetsu, what is that Gym battle you've been talking about just earlier."
Kotetsu replied, whispering, "You simply have a battle with a Gym Leader and in order to get a badge, you must defeat him or her in a Pokemon battle. Perhaps your friend already knows that, doesn't she?" He was referring to Haruhi.
The two then went back to sleep.
Even though Kyon lost out to Haruhi in the mock Pokemon Contest, he is still improving very well in the art of Pokemon battling.
However, there is yet another big challenge waiting for him. . . . . .
END OF MOCK POKEMON CONTEST ARC
On the next chapter:
Kotetsu partakes on his quest to take on the Humilau Gym and successfully defeats the Gym Leader of the said gym, Marlon. As a result, Haruhi convinces Kyon to participate on the same challenge as well. Will Kyon defeat Marlon in the same way as Kotetsu? Find out in the next chapter of The Best Wishes of Haruhi Suzumiya!
References: The reference list for this chapter is pretty small, so don't expect a lot of them to pop up.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Full Metal Panic Fumoffu
TV Tropes
The Dark Knight
Author's note #2: "Both of you, battle like you want to win!" It is a callback to the subtitle of a certain chapter of the Tournament Arc. In turn, it is a reference to an episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion entitled "Both of you, dance like you want to win!".
Wild mass guessing is mentioned in this chapter. Good luck finding where it is.
In case you've been wondering why Brendan's Blastoise used Aqua Jet, it can actually learn the move by breeding as a Squirtle.