~~~Season 9: Johto League Elites~~~
Opening: Pokemon Johto
Chapter 56: The Festival Curtain!
In the building that was similar in build as the Johto League was held, was full of people, as the audience took their seats. Two pathways were involved, each with three judges sitting at the ends. Mr. Contesta was at one table with two Nurse Joys, and Mr. Sukizo was on the other side with two Nurse Joys.
Jillian stood in the area in the middle where there was a cleared spot behind both desks.
"Hello! We finally raise the curtain on this fine day for Coordinators all around as the Grand Festival takes place on the beautiful Juniper Island!" She announced, rousing the crowd. "Today we will see the Coordinators take their course on the grandest stage of them all! The Johto Grand Festival begins right now! These 128 amazing contestants have worked hard and performed with their pokemon to dazzle judges in an attempt to win ribbons that would soon bring them to these two stages! Now, one Coordinator will come out at a time on each side, performing for the judges. One vote comes from each judge, and the ones who get positive votes move on! The first round will include Double Appeals! Let's get started!" Jillian hopped and walked over to the side where there was nothing but floor.
The two first contestants came springing out. Both were girls.
In the back rooms.
Lyra was standing, watching the large TV as the contestants performed beautiful and not-so-beautiful appeals. She clenched her fists. She was wearing a bright red dress with a headdress (which May sent her from the Hoenn Region) and red shoes. Her hair was up in a fluffy ponytail.
"This is it...My one shot!" She thought to herself.
Some time passed, and the contestant on the right was Jim!
Jim came running out, in a tuxedo with green highlights on the shoulders and down the sides. His sleeves had green and yellow on the tops of the arms. He came running out and sent out two pokeballs.
"Starmie, Espeon!" Jim sent out a small blue pokemon with yellow and red at its center, and his Espeon. "All right, show them! Starmie, use Hydro Pump at Espeon!" Espeon jumped to the end of the stage. Starmie span and fired a large pump of water at it. "Espeon, use Psychic and twirl it around you!" Espeon started to control the pump before it touched it, and twisted it in a spacious twirl around it, raising it high into the air. Finally, it tapered and Starmie jumped on top of it. "Both of you, Psychic! make the water a ball around Starmie!" Starmie glowed and helped Espeon turned and churn the water around Starmie and it finally had an orb around it. "Finally, Starmie! Thunderbolt! Swift, Espeon!" Starmie released sparks of energy that surged out of the orb. Espeon fired stars at the bottom of the orb. The stars glittered off of the orb and caused sprays of water to shimmer, and the electricity glimmered even more. Finally, the orb broke and water was scattered throughout the field. Jim raised his hands and smiled. Starmie landed on top of Espeon's raised tails.
The judges talked it over for a moment. A number appeared on the screen below them. A 98 was given.
Jillian beamed. "Wonderful! 98 is a very good passing score! Very good!" She declared.
Jim recalled his pokemon and rushed off stage.
In the back and beamed.
"That was awesome, Jim! Hard to beat!" Lyra complimented.
"Yeah, but it's my turn, so we'll see!" Natalie said as she headed out. She was wearing a purple jacket over a deep fuchsia shirt, a lavender skirt and purple shoes. Her blue hair was down and curly.
She dashed out. The boy on the other side had finished his performance with a bad score.
"Come on out, Ampharos and Nidoqueen!" Natalie sent out her two pokemon in a cloud of bubbles. A large blue pokemon landed on the field, with her Ampharos. "Ampharos, use Thunder!" Ampharos charged electricity on the gem on its head. It fired it at Nidoqueen. Its horn absorbed the electricity and it shined. "Nidoqueen, Flamethrower!" Nidoqueen fired the electricity off of its horn and breathed fire with it. It twisted in the air and became a glowing orb of fire and electricity. "Ampharos, use Power Gem!" Ampharos formed a ball of orange energy and fired it at the moves. It collided and it shined an extremely bright, vibrant hue of different, shimmering colors. "Finally, Light Screen!" Ampharos threw a ball of light and surrounded the move with it. All of the wonderful colors were glimmering and reflecting off the light, creating a large, beautiful glow. The combination put the girl on the other side's appeal to shame. Natalie smiled as the move was used. "Nidoqueen, Poison Jab!" Nidoqueen jumped off of the ground and punched the light with a fist, and it all shattered into sparkling glitter that rained over the audience.
"Wow! THAT WAS AMAZING!" Jillian screamed.
The judges though it over, and gave Natalie a perfect score of 100, ensuring her moving up in the Festival.
Natalie recalled her pokemon and skipped back through the hallway.
In the room, everyone chattered about her, saying how amazing the combination was.
Jim and Lyra ran up to her.
"That was...awe-striking, Natalie!" Lyra said.
Jim nodded.
"Thanks. Well, I'm gonna sit back and watch you try!" Natalie plopped down on a couch.
Lyra smiled. After a few more people, it was her turn and she marched out.
Outside, she came out and sent out her pokemon "Furret, Marill!" She sent out her pokemon in a shower of hearts that exploded around them. "All right, Furret, jump and use Double Team!" Furret hopped into the air and created multiples of itself in a circle high above Marill. "Okay, now Water Pulse! Marill, Rollout!" The Furret all formed a ball of water at their mouths and fired them at Marill. They connected, and the force of Rollout kept them sitting on Marill. Suddenly, they shattered and Marill's shockwaves caused waves of water to wash to the sides of the stage. "Furret, Ice Beam!" All of the Furret turned and fired beams of ice at the water. It all froze up in one big wave of ice. The two pokemon slid down, the Double Team's evaporating, and skated across the ice, creating a cute appeal.
The judges talked it over while the audience cheered. Lyra was given a 96. Lyra cheered.
"Yay!" She hugged her pokemon and recalled them.
In the back room she high-fived Jim.
"Pretty good, Lyra..." Natalie murmured.
Another acute rally of Coordinators later, the judging was finished.
Jillian shone a spotlight on here. She gestured up to a large, four-paneled screen hanging on the ceiling. Four sides showed 16 trainers each, and the results were shown. The faces quickly sprang up on the screen.
"And, here folks...Is your Top 64 moving onto the second round!" Jillian announced. Numerous faces appeared on the screens, some familiar, as the one across from Jim when he performed.
Natalie's face appeared as the fourteenth, Jim's was thiry-fifth. And...Lyra's was fifty-eight!
Lyra cheered. Some sadness was heard in the room they were in, but it was mostly glee. Half of the contestants that participated were eliminated. Most of them either packed and left or headed into the audience.
Lyra, Natalie and Jim turned to each other. They glared in anticipation. All fists were clinched.
"The next round..."
"The next round..."
"The next round..."
They all thought at the same time, "Will be mine!"
The anticipation is breathtaking as the first round of the Grand Festival concludes and all the rivals succeed, Lyra, Jim and Natalie! What will happen next time in the Single Appeal round? Will they fail or keep going to the very end? Stay reading to find out next time, Chapter 57: Divine Beauty!
...
And so the first round concludes :)
Everyone, remember, this story will follow through to the Sinnoh Region after it ends!
