Episode 4 Part 1

You are about to read the story of a Pokémon-themed reality game show that could take place in the real world. The entire story is a work of parody protected under the First Amendment and all events are entirely fictional. In several cases, the names of famous people or technology involved with Nintendo or The Pokémon Company may be used.

After Team Six was eliminated in the previous episode, only three teams remained in the competition. The remaining six Pokémon Trainers were booked on a first class flight from Japan to the heart of Paris, the capital city of France. The flight was expected to take quite a while, so all of the contestants were told to use their downtime however they saw fit. With each Trainer carrying their New Nintendo 3DS XLs in their pockets, the contestants stowed their bags and sat down for the long flight. Once the plane took off, it became obvious that the second the airplane's flight attendants informed them they were allowed to use electronic devices, they would all be resuming their current games of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire.

The teams were separated throughout First Class, but teammates could choose to sit together if they wanted to, and every contestant decided to sit with their teammate. Trainer Black and Trainer White had been exhausted by the time zone difference and they decided to use the flight time to catch up on some sleep.

Trainer Black turned to the flight attendant and said, "Can we have a blanket and some pillows, please?"

The attendant nodded and handed the members of Team Five some sleeping essentials, including eye shades and ear plugs. The two raised up the armrest separating them, cuddled up close together and before they knew it, the members of Team Five were out like a light.

Over at Team One's seats, the two trainers had really started to get to know each other over the past few days. Once they got onto the plane, they found themselves with a bit of free time where they couldn't resume their game progress, so they started to have a discussion about each other's online videos instead.

Trainer Red turned to his partner and said, "You know, that video you did about the best legendary Pokémon was really good."

Trainer Blue responded to her partner, "Thank you, but I really liked your video on the banned episodes of the Pokémon animated series."

Trainer Gold and Trainer Silver chose not to sleep once the plane made it to a safe altitude. Gold preferred to level up his Pokémon the old fashioned way, by grinding random battles as much as he could during the game's story and by capturing the most powerful legendary Pokémon he could after defeating the Pokémon League Championships. He had defeated the Elite Four the night before and since several of the game's most powerful Pokémon could only be captured during the Delta Episode, he was planning to use the flight time to complete it and capture Rayquaza. In comparison, Trainer Silver wasn't as interested in completing the game's storyline at the moment. She believed that she could produce a better team through selective breeding. She knew which Pokémon would work best at procreating together, and during the plane trip she wanted to breed as many shinies as she could. It would be a time consuming task, but she felt it was well worth it to be prepared for the journey ahead.

Unfortunately, the most important aspect of Pokémon, trading, was not an option during the plane ride. International travel guidelines still prohibited using wireless broadcasts during a flight…for some unknown reason. The remaining trainers would have to wait until the plane landed to do any Pokémon trading.

Trainer Gold, who had been playing Pokémon since Pokémon Yellow was released in the early 2000s, was overwhelmed by the irony of their anti-trading guidelines during the flight. Originally, Two-Player Pokémon trades and battles were not done through wireless communication at all, they were done through a physical cable which could connect two Nintendo Game Boy handhelds together, which was called a Link Cable. Pokémon's developers experimented with offering a wireless trade feature during the lifespan of the Game Boy Advance, but its functionality was limited. By the time the Nintendo DS launched in the mid-2000s, wireless connectivity had become standard practice in handheld devices, and the DS shipped with all of the wireless features it needed inside the handheld itself, making Pokémon's multiplayer features much more accessible to DS players than it was during the Game Boy generations. It was undoubtedly an improvement to have wireless battles, since Gold remembered that back in the day next to none of his friends would even have the necessary Link Cable to use Pokémon's multiplayer functions. However, if Nintendo had decided to host this event a decade and a half earlier, they could have been able to trade on the airplane.

After several hours of sleeping, many rounds of random battles, and lots of breeding time, the plane finally landed at Charles de Galle Airport. The three teams had no trouble getting through customs by showing their Pokémon Trainer identification to France's immigration officers. The show had quietly talked to French Immigration beforehand and passed the authorities their proper credentials in advance. Seeing six oddly dressed young people walk through the airport carrying only their small travel bags and waving around their Nintendo handhelds as if they were their real identification was too good of a visual for the TV crew to miss. As the six walked into the main terminal, Bill from Nintendo was ready to greet them.

Bill smiled at all of the trainers and said, "I'd like to welcome the three remaining teams here to Paris, France. One of the reasons why France was chosen as the backdrop for the sixth generation Pokémon games was because of its appreciation for art, fashion and beauty, and as you know, that love of art and beauty carried over into Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. Because of that for the rest of the day we're going to be calling this place Lumiose City!"

The three teams all let out a cheer as Bill continued his address, "As you may know, a Pokémon Trainer's journey can be long and involve plenty of walking, running, biking and rollerblading across great distances as they travel across the land trying to become the very best like no one ever was. But as players saw in Pokémon X and Pokémon Y who says you shouldn't look fashionable while doing it?"

Trainer Blue turned to her partner and gave a huge smile. She had studied fashion in college but was never able to get any of her ideas into production before she became a YouTube star. She was giddy thinking of the chance to flex her creative muscles after all this time.

Bill continued providing background while the teams listened closely, "Today, we're going to be headed into the heart of Paris's elite fashion district. Some of the world's top clothing designers are going to be attending a special fashion show, something that none of them have ever seen before. This will be a show where you will design, assemble, and model your own brand-new Pokémon Trainer clothing!"

The three teams let out a big cheer. They were going to be fashion trendsetters for the day!

Once the cheers concluded, Bill continued with his instructions, "When we all leave here we will be taking a bus to our destination, the heart of the city's fashion district. When you get on the bus, each of you will be issued drawing pads and other creative implements, like color pencils, markers and pens, perfect tools for sketching out ideas for new clothing designs. The bus trip will take exactly one hour, so I suggest you use the time you have to plan out what you want your outfits to look like. Once we've reached our destination you will be paired up with some of the best seamstresses in the country, and they will help you make your drawings into real clothing."

This was shaping up to be a really exciting immunity challenge, and hardly a foreign one to the Pokémon franchise. While the option for trainers to change their clothing was not available until Pokémon X and Pokémon Y were released in 2013, you couldn't forget the use of Pokémon Contests in several of the earlier games. These Pokémon Contests were major events where Pokémon were judged based on their appearance and the aesthetic quality of their attacks. In fact, Pokémon Contests were shown in the animated series too, and many episodes revolved around trainers who tried to win them.

Bill took a deep breath as he gave his final instructions, "Each team must complete two distinct outfits, one for a male trainer, and one for a female trainer. From there you will model your designs in front of a panel of judges. Each outfit will be graded on three criteria, and those criteria are practicality, durability, and of course, style. The team who wins this challenge will be granted immunity and guaranteed a spot in the final episode!"

The six contestants silently nodded in agreement as the bus started to pull away from the airport.

Trainer Blue was in heaven. She was sketching clothing designs within seconds. Having played many of the Pokémon titles over the years, she knew what the most basic designs were for any Pokémon Trainer. They would need clothes that looked like they could work in any environment, but most importantly, she wanted to design a unique hat for herself that would not only be practical, but be sure to catch the eye of the judges.

Blue's partner, Trainer Red, was completely lost. His sketchpad was pretty blank, with only a vague outline of a human form on it, but he had no specific clothing drawn yet.

Blue looked over at Red's work and said, "Don't worry, I got this."

Trainer Red nodded at his partner, and then went to get Blue some more color pencils.

The members of Team Two had decided to split their work evenly. Trainer Gold was focused specifically on the male trainer's design, where Silver was working specifically on the design for the female trainer's outfit. Thankfully, the creative implements they were given were pretty varied, and allowed for a lot of different colors in their sketches. Trainer Gold wanted a small hint of a gold trim in his design for the male trainer, and he was hoping they could replicate that when they created the finished product.

Meanwhile, Team Five was completely focused on their work, and weren't paying much attention to the beautiful sights all around them. As Trainer Black continued with his sketches, the bus made its way through downtown Paris. As the bus made its way to the Arc d'Triumphe, the group could see the Eiffel Tower off in the distance. While everyone else on the bus was marveling at the Arc in front of them, Trainer Black saw something odd flash in the corner of his eye. Black had traveled to France over a decade earlier during a foreign exchange program, and because of that he knew the layout of Paris pretty well. The Eiffel Tower looked like a marvel to all of the contestants able to see it from their seats, but from Trainer Black's perspective, something looked a bit different about the tower. Workmen were busy doing construction work all around it, and Black could see they were installing new lighting systems all around the tower's metal framework. Typically the tower would be lit up like a Christmas Tree during the summer time to celebrate Bastile Day, the anniversary of France's independence, but that had already passed. Black had no idea what was going on.

The bus finally reached their destination and the trainers began to file out. They were lead into a massive warehouse outfitted with various high quality fabrics and textiles of every color imaginable. Each work desk was outfitted with sewing machines and several manufacturers were standing at attention around each desk.

As the teams walked into their studio space, Bill began to give the final instructions for today's immunity challenge, "Now that we're all here, we can get started manufacturing your designs. You each have six hours to complete your task. You may use any of the tools and resources we've provided here. We know that even with all the resources here, six hours isn't a lot of time to make two complete outfits from scratch, so we have some of the best clothing manufacturers in the world here to assist you. They will be able to help you take your designs and make them real. Don't forget, you'll be modeling your own designs, so make sure to take your own measurements to make sure your clothes will fit you."

The remaining six trainers held their collective breath as they waited for Bill to start the challenge, "This challenge begins in three, two…one. Go!"

A horn blasted and the three teams headed to their workstations. At each position they were greeted by several assistants who were hired to help them get their designs completed in a timely manner. Each assistant was hired from the local fashion college, and while none of them had their degrees yet, they all had experience working in high pressure environments and could produce quality clothing quickly. They were certainly going to need people with those kinds of skills if they wanted any chance of finishing this challenge on time.

As Trainer White tried to explain her designs to one of her assistants, another assistant was quickly taking Trainer Black's measurements, much to his embarrassment.

The members of Team Two were showing their sketches to their assistants, who immediately started presenting them potential fabrics. As Trainer Gold looked at the options being presented to him, he started to shake his head in disappointment at his choices, but Trainer Silver saw something that she liked a lot and wanted as much of it as she could get.

Over at Team One's table, Trainer Blue had taken complete charge of the process. She was running this challenge like a drill sergeant, and personally assigned each assistant to a particular task. Her partner's head was spinning just watching how quickly she was able to get things done.

As they continued to work, Trainer Blue looked at Trainer Red and said, "Can you tell I'm used to this? I've had a lot of experience manufacturing custom clothing from when I was at school. Can you do me a favor, and get our measurements taken?"

Trainer Red nodded and went over to grab a tape measure off of one of the desks. When he came back, he realized he had never taken someone's measurement before, and had no idea where to measure. As he stood there, puzzled by what to do with the tape, Blue looked up from her designs and knew she needed to help her befuddled partner.

Trainer Blue looked at Trainer Red and said, "You need to measure at three places in a person's body. Hold the tape around each of the three sections and write down each of the measurements. Here, I'll show you."

Blue grabbed the measuring tape out of Red's hand and quickly started to measure him. Red was a little embarrassed since Blue had to get pretty close to him to measure his body, but Blue acted completely professionally, and it made him feel a bit better after she finished her work.

After she finished writing down her partner's measurements, she handed him back the tape and said, "There, now measure me."

Within no time, every team had the basic outlines for the clothing they planned to wear and their assistants were hard at work presenting each of the contestants with every possible fabric and pattern they had in storage.

Work was moving quickly over at Team Two's table. Trainer Silver and one of her assistants was almost done selecting all the fabric they were going to need for their female trainer outfit, however her partner was still not happy with the options that he was being presented for his male trainer outfit.

Gold turned to his assistants and said, "I want some gold trim for my jacket! I think it would make for a good accent that would catch the judge's eyes without being too flashy."

The assistant nodded their head and went to select some gold fabrics.

Back over at Team One's table, Blue knew simple clothing was not enough to wow the judges. Their clothes would need a special statement piece, and she had decided early on that would mean a special hat. She had been doing sketches since they were on the bus, and she was going to use every minute they had to produce the best possible clothes she could.

Hours passed as the teams continued to work, and time was quickly ticking down. The six hours they had been allotted was nearly up, and only a few of the teams had their work ready to go.

Trainer Gold was satisfied with his finished work, and smiled as he got a good look at the sliver of golden trim he sewed into the bottom section of his jacket.

Trainer Blue was just exhausted. She not only had successfully constructed two complete outfits from scratch, she had done all of that work nearly by herself. As the clock continued to tick down, she had just started to put the finishing touches on her female trainer's hat.

Bill checked his watch as he counted down the final seconds of the immunity challenge, "Three, two…one. Time!"

The buzzer loudly rang out, and all of the teams backed away from their workstations.

Bill stood in front of the exhausted teams and gave them his final instructions, "Congratulations everyone on a hard fought immunity challenge. Now, I'm going to advise all of you to take your new clothes and get dressed for the judges. Oh, and we won't be having the judging here in this warehouse, this challenge's judging is going to be taking place somewhere very special."

The teams grabbed their newly designed trainer clothes and scrambled into their provided changing rooms. Knowing the details of their judging, each of the trainers saw fit to include pockets or an accessory bag with their outfit, so they could keep their New Nintendo 3DS systems and any extra essentials they needed on them.

With their newest fashionable creations on, the remaining six trainers filed out of the warehouse and went back into their provided coach bus. Once everyone was on board, the bus took off and headed back into the city and within no time the bus had reached their destination.

As the trainers got out of the bus, a beacon of light in the the unmistakable night sky beckoned them. The Eiffel Tower, outfitted with beautiful lights all along its exposed metal frame, lay before the six trainers.

The teams walked the long path up to the Eiffel Tower, and each trainer noticed a huge stage had been set up for the event. However, this stage was different than the ones they had previously seen, it was equipped with a runway overlooking the beautifully lit tower behind them. Bill from Nintendo stood at the front of the runway, behind his usual podium. On the side of Bill's podium stood a long desk with three empty chairs behind it and three small tablet computers on top of it. With each trainer wearing their fashion creations, the three teams walked up to the front of the stage to listen to Bill's instructions.

Bill looked at the remaining three teams with pride and said, "Trainers, I see all of you have gotten dressed, and let me assure you that you have all dressed for a very special occasion. Behind me stands the majestic Eiffel Tower, but you know it better as the Lumiose City Gym. Your fashion show will be happening right here, under the lights of this beautiful city!"

A cheer rang out among the crowd.

Trainer Black shouted, "Viva la France!"

After the cheering died down, Bill continued with his instructions, "Here's how you will be scored for this challenge. Each outfit will be judged on three criteria, practicality, durability, and style. Each criteria will be given a point value based on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest possible number. Each judges' score will be combined, making for a maximum of thirty possible points for each criteria. When added amongst the three possible criteria, that makes for a total of ninety points for each outfit, all for a maximum of one hundred and eighty total points for both outfits. The team with the highest combined point value at the end of judging will be declared the winner of the immunity challenge, and guaranteed a spot in the finals. A reminder, each judge has been instructed on the ways of Pokémon fashion, but their decisions are their own, and they are final."

The three teams applauded and cheered in unison.

Bill waited for the applause to die down, and then continued his speech, "I see you're all ready for this challenge. So let's introduce today's judges, shall we?"

A young woman walked onto stage and Bill introduced her, "Here's our first judge. This woman is a high concept fashion designer who was born in France but operates boutiques across the world. There is nothing she will not do and nowhere she will not go."

The first judge took the stage to thunderous applause, and quietly sat at the judge's table.

Bill continued introducing the judges as a middle aged man walked onto stage, "Here's our second judge. This man is known as one of the greatest clothing designers in the United States. You've seen his clothes in high end retail stores and boutiques all across the world. How do you know they're his clothes? Just look for his name, it will be written all over them!"

The second judge stepped off the stage and quietly sat down next to the first judge as Bill prepared to introduce the final judge.

After the second judge took his seat, Bill took a quick look at the empty chair set at the judges' desk, and then continued to address the contestants, "Last but not least is our special guest judge. You know him for his films, television appearances, and activism! Please welcome, the irrepressible John Waters!"

Suddenly John Waters stepped onto the stage and smiled big. There was no mistaking his clever mustache and outgoing personality, this was John Waters, and everyone was surprised to see him. A deafening cheer broke out among the trainers, cast and crew for the third judge. John Waters especially enjoyed the attention and took a little bow.

Before taking his seat, Mr. Waters looked at the trainers and said, "Pokémon asked me to come in for this little event. They said they liked my judging style and the fact that I've overseen fashion challenges like this in the past. I told them it would be no problem, and who am I to pass up the chance to visit Paris? I wish you all the best of luck!"

When Mr. Waters took his seat, Bill nodded and decided to say something off script to the three judges, "I just want all of you to know, I want to thank the three of you for your commitment to the arts."

The judges blushed slightly, but waved and nodded their thanks for the kind words. After the applause died down, several stagehands lead the six contestants backstage, so each trainer would have the chance to walk down the runway with their partner.

Once all the trainers were backstage, Bill began the challenge by saying, "The stage is set and the judges are seated. Let's get this immunity challenge started shall we? First up are the members of Team One. Trainer Blue, please come out."

Trainer Blue walked onto the runway wearing a beautiful royal blue sundress. The color was so striking it could clearly be seen by anyone even remotely near the stage, exactly what Blue wanted. She decided to opt for a skirt length which would stop just a few inches above her knees, which was actually intended to me more of a practical choice than an aesthetic one, but even she couldn't deny how good she looked wearing it. While her dress had no pockets, she had a black tote bag close to her side to hold her essential equipment. For weather protection her outfit had an enormous white hat with a wide brim, which would provide excellent protection from the sun and rain, and instead of sandals, wedges or pumps, she chose to wear top of the line hiking boots, so her feet would walk in any road or weather condition.

The three judges looked at each other and started to nod while they continued to take notes. They decided that John Waters should speak first.

John Waters chose to be pretty clear with his words when he said to Trainer Blue, "I just love this outfit. Girl you look so hot."

Blue blushed at the complement and nodded at the judges.

After John Waters finished speaking, the first judge decided to give her thoughts, "While I don't know if I would choose to wear a sundress for a cross country journey, like the ones you would be required to go on if you were on your way to becoming a Pokémon master, the fact that you're wearing practical shoes makes up for a lot of that. And I know that you must prepare for every weather condition, including heat and sun exposure, but I think that hat of yours not only works well for that, but it really makes a statement."

The second judge spoke up after hearing his peer's comments, "I agree, that hat just speaks volumes."

Once Bill saw that the judges had concluded their comments, he turned and said, "Thank you judges, now let's bring Trainer Blue's partner out here shall we? Trainer Red, please take the runway."

Sheepishly, Trainer Red walked onto the runway wearing a very sharp looking outfit. Blue had been heavily inspired by the first generation games as well as current fashion trends when she designed his outfit. She decided he would wear several layers of clothing on his top section, starting with a short sleeved red t-shirt with a Charizard on it. Over that t-shirt was a longer sleeved black button shirt, which was left open for the runway, but could be buttoned up if weather conditions got colder. On top of all of that was a black fleece vest, perfect for keeping his core warm in extreme cold. His outfit did not have too many spare pockets, so, just like Ash Ketchum had in the animated series, he had a very stylish red backpack with him to carry his 3DS and other essential items. For shoes, Blue picked out some very trendy black cross trainers, which were comfortable in any conditions, if not entirely robust.

John Waters looked like he needed a few minutes to collect his thoughts, so judge number one spoke first, "I like where you're going with this. Your outfit is simple yet aesthetically pleasing. Minimal but practical."

The second judge nodded in agreement and said, "By adding several layers in your top section and including a backpack, you can simply choose which layers you want to wear for any particular environment. I can just imagine several of my customers deciding to pick up several pieces of my clothing designs, and layering them on top of each other depending on the day's weather. That would work for me because it would mean there would be more places for people to see my name."

After Bill saw that the judges were finished giving their thoughts to Trainer Red's outfit, he decided to move things along and said, "Thank you to all of the judges, we are computing the scores for Team One right now. Team One please take your seats, because it's time to bring out the members of Team Two. Trainer Gold, please come out."

Trainer Gold smiled as he walked onto the stage. His outfit looked very much like something you would wear when training for an athletic event. He chose to wear stretchable black nylon pants which could run the risk of ripping during a journey, but would be more comfortable to walk long distances in than denim jeans. For his top, he chose to wear a fully customized zip up hooded jacket, which provided plenty of pockets on both its interior and exterior, perfect for holding his 3DS and other supplies he'd need on a Pokémon Journey. Because of all the pockets on his jacket, there was no need for him to include a backpack or tote bag with his costume. Finally for his choice of footwear he decided on high quality tennis shoes. The shoes were very similar in design to the running shoes that Pokémon Trainers would change into during the later generation Pokémon games.

Judge number one was the first to speak, "Gold, your outfit is well made but it looks very basic to me. Other than the gold trim on the jacket there's nothing here that really screams to me that you are trying to be a Pokémon Master."

John Waters nodded in agreement and said, "I agree, other than the gold trim, I think its kinda plain."

Bill nodded compliance once the judges finished their comments, raised his microphone back up to his mouth and said, "Trainer Silver, please come out."

Upon hearing her name called out, Trainer Silver walked onto the stage to join her partner. Her outfit was drastically different than any of the outfits the other trainers would be showing. Instead of opting for a dress like Trainer Blue did, Silver designed herself a fashionable black vest and matching black skirt that could survive different weather conditions. Inspired by the trekking they had been doing through the urban streets and tropical islands, she wanted to make a look which would be durable in any environment, so she opted to make her outfit out of leather. Since her clothing had no pockets, she made sure to include a matching purse so she could carry her gear close to her during a long challenge. Since the outfit was completely black, the only nod to her name would be the silver earrings she was wearing to complete her look.

John Waters spoke up first and said, "Damn girl, are you carrying a whip with that outfit?"

This comment made Trainer Silver blush slightly, but she could totally understand what he was talking about and wasn't offended by the comment. She had to admit, even to herself, that she felt a bit like she was dressed in something Catwoman would wear.

After John Waters finished his comments, the second judge spoke up, "I like your outfit very much and I must say that you look great in it. Leather is very durable, but it can't be that easy to move around in that material."

The first judge offered her thoughts on the outfit as well, "As a woman I could totally understand why you chose to wear a skirt with this outfit. The other judge was right when he mentioned that leather is very durable, but also very difficult to wear. It doesn't stretch. In certain conditions it can be too stiff, and in others too soft. If you had chosen to wear matching pants, I would have had to deduct you points since they would have been very uncomfortable to move in, but since you're wearing a skirt instead I have to give you full props. However, I have noticed you're not wearing a hat or any other type of head protection, and that might be an issue in extremely sunny or rainy conditions."

When the three judges ended their deliberations, Bill got a thumbs up from the show's producers and continued to move the event along by saying, "Thank you Team Two, please take your seats."

The members of Team Two walked off of stage. Both trainers were proud of the work they had accomplished, but a little scared of how the judges would score them.

Once the members of Team Two vacated the stage, Bill called out for Team Five, "Next we'll be seeing what Team Five has in store for us. Trainer Black, please come out."

Trainer Black walked on stage with a purpose. He chose to design some of his outfit after Trainer Black's clothing from the fifth generation games, Pokémon Black and Pokémon White, and because of that, he had decided to create an all-weather zip up jacket for himself that would be able to protect his arms from extreme cold, but also block extreme sunlight. The jacket was a light blue color, just like in the game, but Trainer Black decided to wear distinctive black fingerless gloves to complement the blue jacket, and put a little bit of his own spin on the outfit's color scheme by adding a touch of his own personal namesake and adding black trim to certain sections of the jacket. On his head he wore a baseball cap with a custom logo on it that could immediately invoke memories of any of the Pokémon games or animated series. However, his design was not a complete copy of previous trainer outfits because he chose to wear more practical hiking boots instead of sneakers on his feet since he knew trainers would have to walk on all sorts of terrain. He also added some very stylish sunglasses to complete his look, something else that was not included with the generation five male trainer's design.

Ever irrepressible, John Waters was the first to comment, "Son, you're looking cool in those sunglasses. Never change them."

Trainer Black nodded and thanked John Waters for the complement.

The second Judge decided to comment on Trainer Black's jacket, "The detail on this jacket's construction is quite impressive. I would love to see your designs for it because I would love to have it for sale in several of my boutique stores by the fall, provided my name was written all over it of course."

The first judge nodded her agreement with her peer's judgment on Black's jacket.

"Thank you, judges. Now, let's get his partner out here. Trainer White, please come out."

An overwhelming glare of light flashed through all of the spectator's eyes as Trainer White took to the stage. Not content with simply designing simple clothes with simple logos on them, White had decided her clothing was going to shine the second she took stage. On paper, Trainer White's outfit was both practical and durable. She designed some very durable custom denim shorts which fit her perfectly. But what really stood out for her was her custom shirt. She decided a long sleeved white shirt would be very practical for a Pokémon Journey, but that wouldn't be enough to impress the judges. So she and her assistant painstakingly sewed reflective silver sequins into her shirt and hat to perfectly match the pink logo design from Trainer White's hat in the fifth generation games. For her choice of footwear, she decided to wear similar running shoes to Gym Leader Misty from Pokémon: The Animated Series, only Misty's sneakers were red, and Trainer White made sure her shoes were white.

John Waters was the first judge to comment on Trainer White's outfit, "Girl, I'm going to need to borrow Trainer Black's sunglasses just so I can get a good look at you. Do you mind, son?"

Upon hearing the request, Trainer Black took off his sunglasses and handed them to the judge. He didn't mention out loud that part of the reason he chose to wear sunglasses with his trainer outfit was because he knew that White was going to be wearing all of these sequins, and he didn't want to be blinded when he took the stage next to her either.

As John Waters tried to get his bearings while putting on Trainer Black's sunglasses, the first judge gave her comments, "I like what you've done with the custom logos on your shirt and hat. Your shorts are very practical given the hot weather you've been competing in. It's easier to walk long distances in shorts like that then it is to wear longer pants."

Once John Waters could have a clear look at Trainer White's outfit, he gave his thoughts on it, "Girl, that shirt of yours really makes a statement, but I don't see any handbag or tote bag included with your outfit. I know your shorts have some pockets, but really, can you fit anything in them?"

Trainer White hadn't thought about that, her pockets were big enough to hold her New Nintendo 3DS XL, but that was all she thought to bring with her when she was designing her costume.

Once Bill noticed that the judges had concluded their comments, he decided the time was right to begin wrapping things up and said, "Thank you Team Five, please take your seats at this time."

Team Five walked off stage to join the other trainers who had already modeled their new fashion in front of the judges, and like the other teams, waited for the judges to finish computing their scores.

The judges recorded their scores onto their provided tablets and those scores had been submitted electronically to a central computer every time a new team took the stage. The numbers coming in were being crunched by a panel of at least three math experts so they could be absolutely certain the scores were being recorded properly. After five minutes of checking and rechecking their scores, the three computer experts raised their hands in a thumbs up gesture, indicating they were certain of the winner. A printout was quickly made, sealed in a golden envelope, and passed to one of the producers.

Bill looked over and saw his producer give him a thumbs up, and knew exactly what that meant. He looked at the six trainers and said, "It seems that the scores are in."

The three teams stood up as a supermodel dressed as a sixth generation Pokémon Beauty walked on stage with the golden envelope in her hand and passed it to Bill.

Bill accepted the envelope from the Pokémon Beauty, opened it up, and read the information inside it aloud, "The judge's scores are in, but before I tell you who won I want you all to know that you will be allowed to keep your completed clothes and bring them home with you at the end of this competition."

That information surprised several of the trainers, they figured that Nintendo or The Pokémon Company would be keeping whatever they had worked on. Trainer Blue was especially happy to hear this news, since it meant she could bring the clothes she had worked so hard on back home with her.

After Bill finished seeing the teams congratulate each other he asked them, "Do you want to know who won this challenge now?"

The trainers nodded in unison. Each team was terrified and excited at the same time. They knew that none of them would be eliminated with this challenge, but if any of them were to win, they would not need to compete in the next challenge, and would be guaranteed a spot in the finale. Trainer White especially was holding her breath, because she knew that the prize money she could win from this challenge would guarantee her the wedding of her dreams.

Bill pulled the next card out of the golden envelope and read it aloud, "With a combined score of 165, we have determined that Team One is the winner of this immunity challenge! Congratulations Team One, you have won the right to immunity and you will be guaranteed a spot in the finals."

Trainer Blue turned to Trainer Red and gave him a huge hug. Red was surprised by the gesture at first, but returned the hug and started to cheer as Blue began to laugh. They would be going to the finals, and nothing was going to be standing in their way! Now that they had won, Trainer Blue was very interested in talking to one of the judges about selling her dress design once the challenge was over.

As Team One walked over to celebrate with the judges, Bill continued his instructions to the two remaining teams, "Teams Two and Five, stand forward."

The two teams stood forward as they were called.

Bill looked at them with pride and said, "You've both accomplished so much in the time you've spent on your Pokémon journey, but only one team will be able to go to the finals. We've got one heck of an elimination challenge in store to see which team it is going to be."

The two teams began to hold their breath in anticipation as White turned to Black and asked, "Do you think they're going to let us into the tower?"

It wasn't long until Bill answered their question by saying, "The Lumiose City Gym, which stands right behind me, has been taken over by a criminal group known only as Team Flare. They are holding the Gym's Leader, the ingenious inventor Clemont, as well as his little sister Bonnie against their will on the very top of the Gym. Your objective is enter the Gym, defeat the members of Team Flare hiding inside, and rescue the gym's leader along with his sister."

Gold started to smile as Silver nodded her head and said, "So this is going to be a straight up Pokémon Battle Royale. I'm totally ready for this."

"That is correct Trainer Gold, but this will not be an easy Pokémon Battle Royale. We're in the heart of Lumiose City, and as you know there is no Pokémon Safari here. Because of that there will be no opportunity for any of you to capture any new Pokémon, nor will we be offering any new Pokémon to either team as gifts. For this challenge, you will be completely reliant on the Pokémon you've already captured, traded or bred up to this point."

The teams nodded after Bill finished his instructions, and then Bill turned to face the camera and said, "We know Team One will be going to the finals, but who will be joining them? Find out next week on the conclusion to this thrilling two-part episode of The Amazing Pokémon Race!"