Author's note: Look at that, a chapter relatively on time! And even longer than the previous one!
Thanks to the following reviewers: PinkiePieParty122894; Pen-Woman; Weebio; SarahNThatcher; jessicachitwood95; leighd1314
Warnings: Contest time! And very minor angst
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto owns it. I also don't own Pokémon, that belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and The Pokémon Company.
I hope you'll like this chapter!
Chapter 20
"A contest?" Naruto repeated blankly.
The woman nodded; her smile widening a notch. "Y-y-yes, the – the G-Gym L-Leader is f-fond of c-contests. She – she sits in – in the jury!"
Ah, that … really didn't explain much. How could a Beauty or Cuteness Contest tie into a challenge for a Gym? Those contests rated Pokémon on their looks and attitude; that didn't really seem fitting for a Gym.
"Do we need to win the contest before we battle her?" he questioned further.
Depending on the competition, they might be stuck in this town then for a while!
Fortunately, the woman shook her head. "N-no, just – just com-competing is – is en-enough. The – the next contest s-starts in t-two hours."
"Okay, where are the contests held?" he asked, trying to think if he had passed a building fit for contests on the way here.
"A – a bit further d-down the s-street," she answered, pointing to her left. "It-it's t-the l-last b-building. T-the o-one c-col-coloured a – a light g-green."
Well, that shouldn't be difficult to find then. He thanked her, which made her redden a bit more, and walked out of the Gym, turning to his left like the woman had indicated. The Contest Hall was indeed hard to miss. Not only was it painted completely in a light green colour, but it also had an arch of bright coloured flowers right in front of the entrance. A silver plaque right next to the arch read 'Celebrating Life's Greatest Aspects! The Home for Cute, Beautiful, Cool, Clever and Tough Pokémon, Celebrating All!'
Clearly he was at the right place.
A bit uncertain, he dawdled in front of the Contest Hall for a little while before he sighed and entered through the large glass doors. Even though it was apparently still two hours before the contests would kick off, the place was already busy; Trainers and Pokémon rushing around. Four desks were set up right across the entrance; each one commandeered by a woman dressed in a light green uniform and a matching green hat. Not knowing where to go or even what to do exactly, Naruto walked up to desk at the furthest right, where the employee was typing something; her dark blue eyes focused on the screen in front of her.
"Erm, hello," he said awkwardly.
She looked up, a bland smile appearing on her face when she looked at him. "Yes?"
"This is my first time at a Contest Hall and I was wondering how all of this … works?" He cleared his throat, smiling a bit sheepishly.
Her smile turned slightly more genuine as she started explaining, "It's easy, really. There are five contests your Pokémon can perform in, depending on their strengths. The five contests are Cuteness, Beauty, Coolness, Cleverness and Toughness and Pokémon are ranked on these qualities."
That actually sounded somewhat horrible and even rude. If your Pokémon ended up last in a Beauty Contest, did this mean they were considered the ugliest of the bunch? That seemed unnecessary harsh and couldn't be good for a Pokémon's self-esteem.
Unaware of Naruto's troubled thoughts, the lady continued almost cheerfully, "The moves your Pokémon will use during the contest itself will partly determine the amount of points they'll get. Usually the more impressive or flashy the move, the higher the marks from the jury. If you plan on entering your Pokémon in the Cuteness or Beauty contest, then you also have the option of dressing up your Pokémon to enhance their charm."
"Dressing up?" He couldn't help but perk up at the mention of that. That actually sounded somewhat fun, being able to dress up his Pokémon. Mimikyu, most likely, would enjoy doing so.
"Yes, we have a large range of costumes your Pokémon can choose from, if you so desire," she said, beaming. "In which contest do you want to enter one of your Pokémon?"
"Erm, the Cuteness one?" He could only choose between the Cuteness and the Beauty one apparently for the Gym Challenge and the Cuteness one sounded like the safest best.
"All right, not a problem!" she smiled and her fingers hovered expectantly above her keyboard. "What's your name?"
"Uzumaki Naruto," he answered and watched her enter the information.
"Uzumaki Naruto, Cuteness contest," she muttered to herself, followed by a couple of more clicks of the mouse. "And which Pokémon do you want to enter?"
"Erm." Naruto was a bit stumped. Which Pokémon could he enter?
Toxtricity fitted the Toughness or Coolness contest more, so he was out. Pidgeotto fitted the Cleverness one more, so he wasn't an option either. That left him with either Mimikyu, Vaporeon, Riolu or Vulpix. Vaporeon could probably be considered more beautiful than cute? That still left him with three options, damn it.
"Well, you still have around two hours," the lady spoke up when he remained silent for too long. "How about this? I'll bring you to one of the dressing rooms and perhaps the costumes there might make it easier for you to decide who should enter the contest?"
"That sounds like a good idea, yeah, thanks," he smiled relieved.
She inclined her head, typed a couple of more things before standing up and lifting up the divider between the two desks.
"Please follow me, I'll bring you to an available dressing room now."
He followed her through a set of deep brown doors, right into a hallway where a white carpet covered the entire floor from view. There were several rooms here, all with their doors closed, and as she led him deeper into the hallway, he cast glances at the portraits on both walls. Each one featured a different Pokémon, from an elegant looking Gardevoir to a mischievous looking Jigglypuff to a solemn Cinderace. Each portrait came with a golden plaque carrying both the Pokémon's name and a year number, followed by the names of the contests.
Those must be the winners then, he realised. Perhaps even the ultimate winners, having won multiple contests in a row probably.
"Here you go; you can use this dressing room," the lady said chipperly, opening a door on the right.
Naruto inclined his head in thanks and entered the room, curiously looking around. The walls were painted a soft yellow; there was no carpet covering the wooden floor here, so the yellow walls with the dark wooden floor made for a nice contrast. There was a single couch in dark blue, one large mirror spanning from the floor to right below the ceiling, and seven clothing racks, containing clothes of various sizes, fitted for every Pokémon no matter how small or large they were.
He walked over to the clothing racks, running his hand across the various costumes. He couldn't help but grin when he took a better look at the clothes. There were pink glittery wings with an added shiny black hat; small fluffy dresses in all kinds of colours; dragon and witches' costumes; suits with fake flames; flower costumes with big petals; actual suits with ties and a top hat …
Something on the fourth clothing rack caught his attention and he made a beeline for it, his grin widening when he got a good look at the costume. It was a purple cape with silver stars and moons stitched all over it. It came with a matching purple hat and even better had a cute plastic pumpkin bag! All at once he knew which Pokémon he wanted to enter into the Cuteness Contest.
He plucked the costume from the rack and laid it out on the couch before grabbing a Pokéball and throwing it up in the air.
"Mimikyu?" Mimikyu glanced around curiously, obviously taken aback by his strange surroundings.
Naruto smiled and sat down on his haunches. "So apparently in order to take on the Gym Leader of this town, we first need to compete in either a Cuteness or a Beauty Contest."
Mimikyu's fake head bobbed slowly back and forth as he listened carefully.
"I decided we should try out for the Cuteness Contest and one of the employees here brought me to a dressing room to pick out a costume. What do you think of this one, Mimikyu?" he asked, pointing at the purple cape and hat.
Mimikyu shuffled closer to the couch, wriggling back and forth before jumping on top of it. His small eyes took in the costume and some shadowy tendrils slipped from underneath his own costume, tentatively touching the cape.
"Mimikyu!" Very pretty!
"It is, isn't it?" Naruto agreed, grinning. "I think it's a pretty cute costume, fitting for the cutest Pokémon!"
Mimikyu seemed to pause, slightly hunching in on himself. "Mimikyu?" Vulpix?
"No, silly, you!" Naruto corrected him immediately. "What do you think? You want to compete in the contest and wear this costume?"
Honestly, Mimikyu would look so darn adorable in the purple cape and hat whilst carrying the little pumpkin bag! The mental image alone was already nearly enough to have Naruto grinning like a loon. He couldn't help it; Mimikyu would look so adorable!
"Mimi, Mimikyu?" Me in a Cuteness Contest? For some reason Mimikyu sounded incredibly troubled and Naruto's excitement dwindled, replaced by worry.
"Don't you want to compete in the contest?" If so, he could perhaps ask Vulpix? Riolu would also look pretty cute in the costume.
One shadowy tendril started tracing unrecognisable patterns on the couch. "Mimi, Mimi, Mimikyu," Mimikyu muttered, almost inaudible. Mimikyu not made for cuteness.
Naruto's heart felt like it was going to break. After spending so much time together, it was stupidly easy to forget that there were a lot of people and Pokémon out there who completely misunderstood Mimikyu, who thought them creepy and strange and horrifying. They were all idiots for that, because Mimikyu was one of the most adorable Pokémon Naruto had ever met, but years of being taunted clearly had left their marks behind. He wished he could find every single person and Pokémon who had ever made fun of Mimikyu and make them pay. What was wrong with them that they had thought it justified to bully an innocent Pokémon?
He sat down next to Mimikyu, pulling the lightweight Pokémon onto his lap. Some of Mimikyu's shadows wrapped cautiously around his wrists; the touch cool and faint as always.
"Whoever made you believe that are idiots," he told his Pokémon strongly. "They were nothing but miserable bullies. Mimikyu is one of the most adorable Pokémon I have ever seen and I'm so happy that you became my partner. I think you'll look incredibly cute in this costume and I'm sure the jury will also see that!"
"But," he patted Mimikyu's fake head, "if you really don't want to participate in the contest, that's okay too. I just don't want you to refuse because of something idiots told you in the past. You're an incredibly cute Pokémon, Mimikyu, don't ever believe otherwise."
Mimikyu bent both his real and his fake head and Naruto pretended he didn't feel something wet dripping on his hand. Instead he simply hugged the little Ghost Pokémon, patting his small back.
They were quiet for a moment, Mimikyu remaining snuggled in his embrace, leaning against his chest. After a while, he looked up at Naruto and nodded decisively.
"Mimikyu, Mimi!" Want to compete!
"Yeah? That's great to hear!" Naruto grinned and squeezed him into a hug once more before placing him back on the couch. "All right, let's see if this costume will fit you!"
The costume fit perfectly.
It was absolutely ridiculous and it should be highly illegal for Mimikyu to look so damn adorable. Naruto just couldn't get over how cute Mimikyu looked with his little purple cape securely fastened around his fake neck, the purple hat carefully balanced on top of his stuffed head and the small pumpkin bag he held up with one shadow tendril. It was insane just how freaking adorable Mimikyu looked like and Naruto could no longer hold back the urge to just squeeze.
So squeeze he did, hugging Mimikyu as tightly as he dared. "You are so cute! So cute!"
"… Mimi?" Really?
"Absolutely!" Naruto swore, brushing over the cape. "I can't believe how adorable you are! This costume is the perfect fit!"
Mimikyu appeared too shy to reply, looking down instead.
"I bet you're going to get a lot of points!" Naruto stated. "There is nobody cuter than you for sure!"
If the fake Pikachu costume was capable of turning colours, no doubt Mimikyu's would look rather red by now.
"Come on," Naruto picked him up, finding it easier to carry Mimikyu, "let's finish the registration process and find out where the contest is being held!"
He left the dressing room, closing the door behind him, and walked back to the front, seeking out the same employee from before. Her eyes lit up with recognition when he showed up in front of her desk, before she visibly looked taken aback by Mimikyu sitting primly in Naruto's arms.
"I've decided to choose Mimikyu for the Cuteness Contest!" Naruto announced, grinning, feeling ridiculously pleased with how cute Mimikyu was in his little costume. Maybe the Contest wasn't going to be such a drag after all!
"Oh, erm, all right," the lady said flustered and started typing something. "So that's Uzumaki Naruto with Mimikyu entered for the Cuteness Contest. The contest will start in ten minutes, so I'll bring you to the judging hall now."
It would start in ten minutes already? Naruto was startled. Had they spent that long in the dressing room? It felt like he hadn't even spent half an hour in there!
He followed the woman to the right side of the building, ignoring the curious glances some of the Trainers threw them. There were two doors on this side, one painted a midnight blue colour, while the other was a soft purple that faintly glimmered in the light. She led him to this door, opening it for him.
"This is where the judging for the entry level Cuteness Contest takes place," she told him. "Best of luck to you and your Mimikyu!"
"Thank you," he said and stepped inside, his eyes widening when he got a good look at the room.
There was a lit up stage right in the middle of the room where he presumed he and the other contestants would have to stand. A path from the door led straight to the stage while on each side of the path rows of chairs were placed. Around half of these seats were currently occupied, the spectators spread out across the various rows, chattering quietly with each other as they waited for the contest to start.
As Naruto walked up to the stage, he got a better look at the smaller podium right behind it. Four people, two women and two men, were already seated there – the judges' table maybe? The first woman on the left had short dark blue hair of which the left side was pinned back with a flower hairpin. Her light coloured eyes were painted purple and she had a sophisticated look with her beautiful off the shoulder dark blue dress. Next to her a younger woman with long blonde hair sat, her bright blue eyes shining like diamonds as she animatedly talked to the guy next to her, whose face was turned away, letting Naruto only see the back of his head. The last person at the table was reading a document of sorts, occasionally brushing his half long red hair back.
Stepping onto the stage, Naruto also got a good look at his fellow contestants. There was a young woman with short brown hair and brown eyes who was sitting down on the provided stools, with a Sylveon twirling in front of her. A purple bow had been affixed to Sylveon's head; the ends of it dancing through the air every time the pink and white coloured Fairy Type spun around. It figured that a Sylveon would take part in a Cuteness Contest.
The second woman was rather fair-skinned with a slender build that was further accentuated by her black dress. In contrast to the first woman, her hair was long, easily reaching her lower back and was dark pink, nearly red. She was hunched in front of a Toxel and Naruto's mind flashed to his own Toxtricity, who had been abandoned for evolving. He hoped this wasn't the Trainer who had abandoned his Toxtricity, but he could hardly go up to her and ask her.
The third woman had her back first turned towards him, but when she turned around, he froze. Pink hair and green eyes – she herself froze up when her eyes landed on him. The Yamper next to her stopped his soft yipping, looking up curiously at his Trainer.
"You! What are you doing here?" she demanded shrilly, pointing at him.
That attracted the attention of the other two women, who eyed them curiously.
Naruto scoffed, holding Mimikyu higher up as if he hadn't already been visible from the start. "I'm joining the contest, of course, what else does it look like?" he asked frostily.
He had always been taught to be nice to other people, but how could he be nice to the Trainer who had abandoned Vaporeon when he had needed her the most? To think that she was actually here! Was she attending the contest because of the Gym Challenge as well or was this something she did in her spare time? He hoped for her Pokémon's sake that she treated them nicer than she had ever treated Vaporeon. It was tempting to actually call out Vaporeon now to show her what she was missing out on, but this was Mimikyu's turn to shine and Naruto hoped that this contest could act as some sort of boost for Mimikyu's self-esteem.
"With that thing?" she asked aghast.
"I'm attending it with Mimikyu, yes," he replied coldly. "It's a good thing this contest is for our Pokémon, because I have no idea what you would be doing here otherwise."
She gaped, which frankly really didn't improve her features at all. "Excuse me?"
"Man, he got you good there," the red haired woman snickered. "Old rivals?"
"No, an unfortunate meeting," Naruto said clipped.
Before the pink haired woman could snap at him – and the way her eyes were narrowed, it was clear she wasn't about to have a civil talk with him – a bell rang high and fine; the sound immediately quietening down the rest of the room.
The blonde haired woman at the judges' table rose up, looking around the room with a preppy smile.
"Hello everyone, it's nice to have you all here for our new Cuteness Contest! As you might have noticed, today we have a special guest to replace jury member May: please welcome Uchiha Sasuke, who has graced us with his presence today!"
Instantly the room exploded with several exclamations of surprise, each one drowning and blending in with the other one. Naruto didn't get the reaction until the man in question turned to face them with a face like he was suffering through the worst pain imaginable. That face alone was surprising given the setting, but a shock went through Naruto when he realised he recognised him.
This was the man he had met right after that confrontation with the pink haired Trainer!
He thought his mind was playing tricks on him, but no, how could he ever forget that particular face? He was one of the most handsome men Naruto had met so far and now he finally had a name to attach to his face.
Uchiha Sasuke.
Wait …
His eyes widened until they felt like they were going to pop right out of their sockets. Uchiha?! Did this mean this man was family of that Detective Uchiha? That had to be right? How many Uchiha could there be?
As Naruto marvelled how much coincidences there could be in the world, the blond woman started talking again.
"Most of you will already be familiar with us, but for the newcomers, my name is Yamanaka Ino and I'm this town's Gym Leader."
That snatched Naruto's attention instantly and he studied her more closely this time. So this was the Gym Leader he would have to fight after competing in this contest? Were all her Pokémon the cute type then? That might mean there was a chance he would have to end up battling Fairy Types perhaps. That was going to be a tough one.
"This is Konan, our famous fashion designer and this is her husband, Nagato, who is in charge of this Contest Hall," Yamanaka continued to introduce the others.
Naruto was a bit puzzled why someone in charge of the entire Contest Hall would judge in an entry level contest, but what did he know about this business? He was just here to compete, perhaps win something, all so he could then battle the Gym Leader.
"We have four contestants eager to show off their cute Pokémon!" Yamanaka announced happily and suddenly a spotlight was trained right on the brown haired woman with her Sylveon. "We have Nohara Rin with her elegant Sylveon!"
Applause rose up from the rows behind them.
The spotlight dimmed above Nohara and lit up stronger above the dark pink haired woman. "Tayuya with her lovely Toxel!"
The applause was a bit louder this time from the left side of the room and Naruto raised an eyebrow when he saw some banners lifted in the air. The writing was illegible from this distance, but it was clear this Tayuya woman had her own fans already. She must do these contests a lot then.
The spotlight turned onto the pink haired woman next. "Our third contestant is Haruno Sakura with her beloved Yamper!"
So her name was Haruno Sakura. Too bad her first name was the only lovely part about her. She bowed with a coquettish smile as Yamper next to her yipped and spun around once.
"Last but not least, we have Uzumaki Naruto with his cute Mimikyu!"
Naruto paid no mind to the scattered applause. Instead his attention was pulled by someone at the judges' table, who leant forwards suddenly.
It was Uchiha Sasuke and Naruto saw the moment the other man recognised him. His previously impassive face was broken up by a small smirk and he appeared somewhat entertained. Well, good to know the man had found his entertainment already, though Naruto didn't understand what was so funny about him standing here.
"The rules of the contest are simple," Yamanaka said. "First up, each Pokémon will get their turn to walk around the stage to show off their cute looks! Next up they are permitted to use two moves that will show off their cute side the most! Points will be given on both their looks and the appeal of their moves!"
That seemed rather convoluted; how could moves even be considered cute? But no matter, they just had to do this contest and then they could go back to what they actually came for: beating the Gym Leader.
Sylveon held her head high up in the air as she strutted all across the stage, letting the ends of her bow twist and dance through the air with every twirl and graceful jump she made. She had the audience clapping enthusiastically and cheering loudly by the time she completely her round and walked back over to Nohara, who smiled and murmured something that made Sylveon preen.
Next up was Tayuya's Toxel, who performed a couple of rolls before sucking one of his paw in his mouth, staring sullenly at the spectators. That didn't seem to diminish his appeal at all, because the audience still clapped enthusiastically for him, even as he returned scowling to Tayuya.
Haruno's Yamper ran all around the stage, jumping and tip-tapping while panting happily. It had several people cooing and Yamper yipped happily, jumping up and down three more times before he ran back to Haruno.
Mimikyu's body felt tense when Naruto lowered him onto the floor, but Naruto whispered, "It's okay, just show off your cute costume and pumpkin bag! You're adorable!"
While Mimikyu still appeared rather doubtful, nevertheless he shuffled across the stage; his hat bobbing back and forth while he waved his little pumpkin bag around. He threw it in the air a couple of times, catching it nearly every time, and Naruto couldn't help but grin at that. There were some whispers in the audience, but several of them still clapped regardless when Mimikyu completed his round.
The second Mimikyu finished his round, he rushed back over to Naruto, more shadowy tendrils waving in the air before they clutched at Naruto's legs. Naruto thought he could hear someone coo behind him. He wasn't sure.
He also had no idea what exactly the judges were thinking. When he glanced at them, they were discussing something quietly amongst themselves before writing something down. The sight of their solemn faces had his stomach turning slightly, but he forced himself to remain calm for Mimikyu's sake. Even if they didn't win, that didn't matter. To Naruto, Mimikyu would still be the cutest Pokémon.
Sylveon's choices of attack were Charm – not really surprising there – and Baby-Doll Eyes, which had the audience positively whooping. It had Sylveon preening even more, prancing around before returning to Nohara, who chuckled and patted Sylveon's head.
Toxel looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here, but he still rolled dutifully to the middle of the stage when Tayuya encouraged him. His Nuzzle had some people cooing, while his Acid attack startled both Sylveon and several of the spectators, making them shout out in surprise. Toxel appeared particularly pleased with that, crawling back to Tayuya, who rolled her eyes good-naturedly.
Yamper's first attack turned out to be Nuzzle as well, which had Toxel jumping nearly three feet in the air when the sparks lit up the stage briefly. Yamper danced around for a moment, jumping from one paw to the other, before launching his second attack. That one also turned out to be Charm, which had at result that Sylveon was briefly startled, her eyes widening as her tail came straight up in the air.
Naruto wasn't certain whether it was a smart idea to use two moves that had already been used, but clearly it wasn't forbidden either. He assumed the judges would have said something if that had been the case.
Haruno looked rather smug, though, for someone whose Pokémon had used the same moves as the Pokémon before them.
"All right, just do your best with your two moves," Naruto instructed Mimikyu, who peered up at him with large eyes. "Use the ones we agreed on, you'll do amazing!"
Perhaps emboldened by the fact that nobody had reacted nastily so far, Mimikyu approached the centre of the stage with a lot more confidence than when they had arrived here. He halted right in the middle, paused for a moment, before launching his Shadow Sneak attack; the shadows dancing across the floor before rearing up briefly into the air. They waved back and forth as if greeting someone before retreating quickly. It had some people muttering approvingly, but Mimikyu's next move had people actually gasping aloud.
His Dazzling Gleam made the whole stage sparkle brightly, the multicoloured shards of light floating around like petals in the wind before Mimikyu somehow managed to direct some of the sparkles into his little pumpkin bowl, which he held up proudly in the air as the last remains of his Dazzling Gleam faded away.
There was a pause before applause, louder than before, broke out and some people even cheered!
They were cheering for Mimikyu!
Mimikyu definitely hadn't expected that, because the little Ghost/Fairy Pokémon stood stumped for a moment before his shadowy tendrils shivered slightly and he rushed over to Naruto, jumping into his arms.
A woman closest to the stage could be heard saying, "I can't believe that Mimikyu knew such a beautiful move! I don't think I've ever seen it that brightly before!"
"Told you," Naruto murmured to Mimikyu, "that they would love you."
Next to him Haruno's face darkened slightly before she hmphed and ostensibly turned away. It wasn't as if he wanted to look at her face anyway.
Yamanaka rose up from her seat again, looking strangely stunned. "Ahem, give a big round of applause for all our contestants! We will announce the results shortly, please give us a moment!"
As applause once more echoed through the room, Naruto sat down on the chair, placing Mimikyu on his lap.
"Mimi, Mimikyu?" Did I do good? Mimikyu looked up at him anxiously.
"You did absolutely amazing!" Naruto reassured him.
Mimikyu perked up and nuzzled his chest; some of his shadowy tendrils wrapping around Naruto's wrists once more.
The three other contestants ignored him, which suited him just fine. He peeked at the judges' table instead. For someone who had looked like he hadn't wanted to be here at all, that Uchiha guy seemed to be arguing something fierce. He was even gesticulating wildly; his jaw clenched. Who knew Cuteness Contests could call up such an ire in a jury member?
True to her word, it didn't take long before Yamanaka stood up once more, silencing the room immediately.
"After deliberation, we have the final results!" she announced cheerfully.
Konan had a faint smile playing around her red painted mouth while Nagato sat there resigned. Uchiha looked oddly smug; a smirk dancing across his face as he idly toyed with a pen.
"We all had a very enjoyable time watching your cute Pokémon perform! Alas, someone has to be in the fourth place and today that is Haruno-san's Yamper! Good job, Yamper, practice a bit more and you'll be more successful in the future!" Yamanaka consoled the downtrodden Yamper.
Haruno meanwhile looked like she had sucked a lemon dry and Naruto hid his grin behind Mimikyu's hat. That was what she got for being such a nasty piece of work! He did feel sorry for Yamper, though. The poor thing really was quite adorable.
"In third place, we have Tayuya-san's Toxel!" Yamanaka continued. "You just have to work a bit more on how you look at others, Toxel, we don't want to scare away the audience!"
Toxel merely huffed, butting his face against Tayuya's leg.
Naruto, for his part, tensed up slightly. Wait, if Yamper was in fourth place and Toxel in third … That meant that Mimikyu was either second or first?! His heart started to beat quicker and all his attention was focused on Yamanaka.
"That leaves us with the first and second places still to be announced," she said, smiling. "Second place goes to … Nohara-san's Sylveon! Very pretty dancing you did there, Sylveon!"
Wait, Sylveon was second. That meant that –
Naruto's ears seemed to ring when Yamanaka looked at him and announced, "That means that the cutest Pokémon this contest is none other than Uzumaki-san's Mimikyu! Congratulations on winning, Mimikyu, you were absolutely adorable up there and you have a bright future ahead of you with that beautiful Dazzling Gleam of yours!"
She started talking about price money and ribbons, but Naruto had already shut out her voice.
First place.
The winner.
Mimikyu had actually won.
Mimikyu had won!
"Mimikyu?" Mimikyu asked baffled. I won?
Mimikyu's incredulous tone broke Naruto straight out of his stupor and he laughed, embracing Mimikyu tightly. "Yes, you did, Mimikyu! You won! You're the cutest!"
"Mimikyu …" Mimikyu said dazed. The cutest …
A shadow falling over them startled them both and Naruto looked up, surprised to see Uchiha standing right in front of him.
He was holding a pink, glittery ribbon in one hand and an closed envelope in the other.
His eyes glittered and his smirk deepened when he said, "Congratulations on winning. It seems I'm in for quite some entertainment every time you show up."
AN2: How many of you did see these characters coming, hm? :3
If you could choose one new thing to be added to the games, what would it be? For me, it would be the ability to actually hug your Pokémon. I want to hug my Mimikyu, damn it!
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
Cuddles
Melissa
P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.