Author's Note: I just realized I screwed up the timeline. It's supposed to be the Pokémon Contest the day after the Pokéathlon, not two days of Pokéathlon and the Contest a few days after that. I could (and probably eventually will) go back and fix it, but for now, I really want to get through the Viridian City arc, so I'll pull in a haphazard reconciliation and move on. In fact, I did the math; if every city in Kanto took up 10 chapters like Viridian nearly has at this point, this story will have exactly eleventy billion chapters in it, and ain't nobody got time for that.
Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the characters and events so far, so please leave me a review with some of what you think of Chris, Rachel, Eric, Nate, David, or anyone else. Who's your favorite? Who's your least favorite? If you were trapped on a desert island with Chris, how many days could you go without strangling him?
Chapter 8
The Eye of the Beheeyem
"How...how does he do that?" Rachel asked with a mixture of disgust and admiration.
Eric shook his head slowly. "I truly have no idea. It's like watching a disgusting ballet."
Chris paid them no attention as he ravenously attacked the tray of food in front of him. The plate that sat atop it was stacked high with pizza, nachos, chicken, a burger, a stack of french fries that had partially fallen onto the tray, and an ice cream sundae. On one plate. And Chris ate them without prejudice, often taking bites of burger and washing them down with the sundae, or dipping his pizza in his root beer.
"Okay, at this point, he's doing it just to mess with us," Rachel concluded.
Eric cocked an eyebrow, then pulled his Pokédex out of his pocket. He pressed a few buttons, then aimed the sensor directly at Chris.
"Trubbish, the trash bag Pokémon, and the base form of Garbodor. Trubbish are believed to be mutated Pokémon born of toxic waste and trash, and as such, they prefer to live in unsanitary areas. Their smell can render a person bedridden for a week, and their bodies can consume anything, making Trubbish not particular about the food they ingest."
For the first time, Chris looked up from his food. He smashed all the food into his left cheek before saying, "Ha ha, very funny." He quickly returned to his ravenous consumption.
Rachel shrugged. "Actually, that was pretty funny. Anyway, are you ready for your contest tomorrow?"
Chris swallowed his food. "Huh? Your contest is tomorrow?"
Eric nodded. "Yeah, I believe that's what Rachel just said."
Chris blinked a few times. "But...wait, they're running the rest of the Pokéathlon on the same day as the contest? That doesn't seem right."
Rachel cocked an eyebrow. "They're not. Rounds two and three of the Pokéathlon are the day after tomorrow, once the contest is finished."
"Huh?" Chris said. "But...Maximo said the rest of the Pokéathlon was tomorrow!"
Eric blinked and paused. "...no he didn't."
Chris was apparently quite sure, however. "Yes, he did."
"No he didn't," Rachel shot back.
Chris was thoroughly confused. "But...but...oh, whatever." He promptly went back to his food.
"Now that we've taken care of that little mix up," Rachel said, returning the conversation back to its intended topic. "Are your Pokémon ready for the contest?"
Eric shook his head. "Don't get your hopes up now. Our first contest, and I'm pretty freaking nervous."
Rachel waved him off. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Besides, Squirtle looks great!" She looked over to Squirtle, who was sitting on the ground eating some of Eric's Pokéblock. "He's the picture of health. And don't even get me started on that Ponyta of yours."
Eric laughed lightly. "I appreciate it. Still, this isn't going to be a Where's Chris?" Eric's sentence abruptly changed topics.
Rachel looked immediately to her left where Chris was sitting. "I-don't know? He was here just a moment ago."
Eric grinned slightly. "Wow. We've managed to tune him out so thoroughly, we didn't even see him leave."
Chris was somewhat angry, but still a bit pleased with himself. Rachel and Eric assumed he was dumb, but there was more to him than meets the eye. He did some research that day, actually, and learned something interesting about the route just north of Viridian City. It contained a really nice Pokémon that Chris really wanted to get his hands on. If he was successful, that would seriously boost his chances of victory at the next gym, and the foresight would get Rachel and Eric to stop underestimating him at every turn. This was a guaranteed win-win for him.
As Chris approached the southern terminus of Route 2, he pulled a small device out of his back pocket: Rachel's PokéGear. She probably wouldn't notice that he swiped it, but even if she did, it was easier to ask forgiveness than permission. Besides, she owed him after that violent outburst of hers, and Chris wasn't against guilting her into letting it go.
Chris fumbled with the settings for a few moments as the sun was going down. Twilight had come, but Chris was undaunted. Finally finding what he was looking for, he turned on the radio and navigated the stations.
"-you're listening to Sinnoh Sound, bringing you the best in Sinnoh music. Coming up next is a piece by the famous Sinnoh Composer Marian Tanuki called, 'Requiem for a Spiritomb.'"
Sad music began to emit from the radio, but that wasn't what Chris was after. He'd read online that the radio waves that are emitted from a Pokégear while playing music from a Sinnoh radio station have a tendency to attract certain wild Pokémon that migrated south from Sinnoh. Something about familiar radio waves and ancentral memory and whatever. The science wasn't what he was interested in.
The grass nearby started to rustle, and out jumped a small catlike creature, covered in black, blue, and yellow fur. This is what Chris was looking for, and luckily for him, it was ready to battle. "Charmander, I choose you!" Chris summoned his temperamental, but still faithful partner to battle the small Pokémon before whipping out his Pokédex.
Shinx, the Flash Pokémon, and the base form of Luxio and Luxray. Shinx have quick reflexes, and their fur gleams brightly when in danger, blinding potential threats. It contracts its muscles in order to generate powerful bolts of electricity.
"Charmander, let's do this now! Use Ember!" Charmander quickly complied and soon Shinx was swarmed with little flames that did nominal damage. But Shinx wasn't going to take it lying down, apparently. It charged up with electricity and tackled Charmander pretty hard, electrocuting the lizard Pokémon at the same time.
Charmander stumbled back, but regained balance in time for Chris' next order. "Charmander, smokescreen!" Charmander released a cloud of pitch-black smoke from its mouth, surrounding Shinx and confusing it while it struggled to breathe. "Use Ember again!" As Charmander carried out the attacks, Chris kept the pressure up. "Scratch! Now Ember again! More smoke!" As he yelled out his orders, Chris held a Poké Ball in his right hand behind his back. He rotated it slowly as the battle progressed.
After a few moments, the smoke began to clear, and Shinx looked terrible. It started to back away from Charmander, realizing that it was never going to win this fight. "Not a chance! Poké Ball, go!" Chris lobbed the capsule at Shinx, who was swiftly converted into energy and absorbed into the device. The young trainer watched eagle-eyed as the ball shook slightly. "Stay in there..."
"Well, I'm going out," Eric said, standing up from the booth.
"Looking for Chris?" Rachel asked.
Eric shook his head. "Nope. Gonna work with Squirtle a little bit. We haven't had a lot of time together since I've been working so hard on Ponyta's appeal debut. I need to make sure Squirtle is ready for the appeal battle round, in case we make it that far." Squirtle smiled, his mouth full of Pokéblock. This made Rick chuckle. "You ready to go, buddy?" Squirtle downed the last of his Pokéblock and ran over to Eric.
Rachel considered going out to look for Chris, but decided against it. After last time, it was probably better for her to keep her distance, at least until this awkwardness between everyone ended. "It's getting late, so I think I'll head upstairs and get ready for bed. I don't want to miss the contest."
Eric nodded. "Fair enough. Good night."
As Eric exited the Pokémon Center, he looked around a bit, hoping to see Chris. He wasn't anywhere in sight, and Eric didn't really have time to send out a search party, especially if he might be back in their room anyway. So instead, he pulled out his Pokédex, wanting to check something. He aimed the sensor at Squirtle.
Staravia, the Starling Pokémon, and the evolved form of Starly. Staravia travel in packs that are extremely territorial, engaging in fierce battles over forests where it hunts for food. Staravia are very noisy, creating extremely loud cries when separated from the pack.
"I knew it," Eric said. His Pokédex had been acting oddly for a while. He figured he'd give Damian Redwood a call soon to ask him about it, but in the meantime, he needed to train Squirtle. "Alright, Squirtle, we're going to work on Bubble right now. It has a nifty side-effect in that it can slow your opponent down. Slower enemies mean more time for you to react to attacks. So let's power up this move, okay?" Squirtle nodded, ready for the training.
"I know it was in here," Rachel said to herself, digging through her bag. "How can I lose my Pokégear?! Oh man, Professor Oak's gonna kill me! Eric's gonna kill me!" She frantically emptied her bag onto her bunk. "Oh, man. I hope I didn't leave it in the Pokéathlon Dome. I'm never going to find it. I should probably check the lost and found there. Maybe someone turned it in."
At that moment, with perfect timing, Chris entered the room. "Hi, Rachel."
"Chris! Have you seen my PokéGear?!" She was clearly frantic.
Chris reached into his back pocket. "This?" he asked.
Her eyes widened. "Where did you find that?!" she demanded.
Chris suddenly found himself in an interesting situation. On one hand, he could claim that Rachel left it in the booth where they had dinner and that he just found it on the way up. But that would deprive him of an explanation of how he got his hands on Shinx, something he figured Eric would pick up on, and it would also diminish his chance of showing them how clever he could be. But it would keep Rachel from getting too upset at him for swiping it without her permission.
He made his decision quickly. "I saw it fall out of your bag earlier near the Dome, but you were talking to Eric, so I didn't say anything then. Then I just forgot to give it back to you." He hoped the story would hold. "I remembered I had it while I was out and about, so I did use it for a little bit. Sorry about that."
She took the device back. "That's fine, I'm just glad you noticed I almost lost it. What did you use it for?"
"I saw a guy with a Luxray in the Pokéathlon and I found out that if you set the radio station up on a PokéGear to the Sinnoh Sound, they might appear on Route 2. So I tried it and..." Chris pulled out the Friend Ball she'd given him before. "...voila! I have a Shinx!"
Rachel nodded slowly. "Color me impressed. I didn't know you had it in you."
Chris grinned. "See? I'm not completely dumb."
"Though it is oddly convenient that you would happen to discover this fact on the same day as when I somehow drop my PokéGear."
"Crap," Chris thought.
Rachel turned away and put the device into the charger on the nightstand. "But, if that was the case, I could see it as being a fair trade for kicking you the other day, so I guess we can call it even."
Chris breathed a sigh of relief. "So...where's Eric?"
"Out and about somewhere, training Squirtle."
Chris lit up. "Ooh, do you think he'd have a rematch with me?"
Rachel shook her head. "Nah, I think he's pretty busy with training. I don't think battling him would help, anyway, since he needs to be preparing for a Contest Battle, not a standard Pokémon battle."
"Are Contest Battles really that much more flashy than regular ones?" Chris asked.
Rachel nodded. "Oh, you better believe it. Some of those moves you can see for miles. Fireworks have nothing on some Top Coordinators' Pokémon skills."
Chris looked impressed. "This sounds like it's going to be fun. I actually look forward to seeing it."
"I'm surprised...again," Rachel said. "I thought you'd find Contests boring."
Chris shrugged. "So did I, until today. I learned a whole bunch of cool stuff during the Pokéathlon, like Luxray. Now I want to see more of these Pokémon in action."
Rachel sat down on her bunk, then reclined onto her back. "Well, you'll certainly see plenty of interesting Pokémon in contests. A lot of Pokémon that are unpopular for regular training shine in Contests, and they're used in really unique ways."
Chris climbed up onto his bed and lay with his arms folded behind his head, staring at the ceiling only a couple of feet from his face. "You know, I didn't feel like it would be this awkward to go on a journey," he said.
"What do you mean?" Rachel asked, shifting her eyes to Chris' bed, though the boy himself was out of her view.
"The drama, I guess. I feel like I have to tiptoe around you and you have to tiptoe around me because of the wall thing. I feel like Eric doesn't like either of us, and...I don't know, it doesn't feel like we're really friends, you know?"
Rachel paused a moment. "I guess..give it time." That was the best she could come up with. The conversation stalled until Chris fell asleep, and Rachel turned out the light.
The crowd was relatively reserved when Chris and Rachel sat down, especially compared to the very energetic Pokéathlon crowd from the day before. But they were in the stands about an hour before the contest started, trying to get better seats. They managed to get into the third row, a little to stage left, which was a great place to see the contest appeals. Chris pulled out his Pokédex and plugged the headset in that Eric let him borrow, and started to browse through various entries.
"What are you doing?" Rachel asked.
"Learning," Chris replied.
Rachel cocked an eyebrow. "That's...it doesn't seem characteristic of you. Not to say you're dumb, but you just don't seem like the studious type."
Chris didn't look up from the Pokédex. "You remember that battle I had with Eric?"
Rachel nodded, but realized he wasn't looking at her. "Yeah."
"Even using the Pokédex, I couldn't avoid Ponyta's aerial attacks. And Eric's use of Double Team with Ditto to keep me from fighting with Starly well only hammered the point home that I don't know enough about Pokémon and what they can do. I need to be learning as well as battling."
"Battling isn't a bad way to learn," Rachel said.
"Maybe," Chris said, "but it doesn't hurt to research a little. I mean, I looked up every Pokémon in the Pokéathlon yesterday, and I learned a ton of neat stuff. That's how I got my Shinx. And it's a lot more fun than I thought it would be. The information's kinda interesting, and it makes me want to try new stuff with my Pokémon. I might not be able to beat Eric in our next battle, but I don't think it'll be nearly as one-sided."
Rachel had to admit she was impressed. They'd only been on their journey for a few days, and Chris was showing signs of growth. She wondered if she was maturing, too.
"Good morning, Eric. It's good to hear from you guys. How's the journey coming along?" Damian Redwood asked over the videophone in the waiting area of the Contest Hall.
"Not too badly. Our group isn't meshing very well at the moment, but I think, given time, we'll all start seeing eye to eye." That was a lie, but he had to sound optimistic somehow. "Anyway, I had a question for you. When I point my Pokédex at a Pokémon, I get the wrong entry. It's happened a few times now. Last night, I tried to get a read on a Hoothoot that was perched in a tree, and the Pokédex told me everything I never wanted to know about Weezing."
Damian looked perplexed. "That's definitely odd. Plug your Pokédex into the phone's USB port, and let me take a look at the internal programming."
Eric did as was asked, and inserted the Pokédex into the reader. Damian told him it would take a few minutes, so Eric sat down in a nearby chair and sorted his Pokéblock into different dispensers.
"Eric?" The coordinator stood up and walked over to the computer, still putting a few more pieces of Pokéblock into one of his dispensers. "The programming on your Pokédex seems fine, but when I call up a specific entry, I get another, like you said. I can't figure out what the problem is remotely. It may have to wait until we can send an Aide out to deliver a new Pokédex to you. I don't know how long that will be, though."
"Don't worry about it too much," Eric said. "Chris and Rachel's Pokédexes seem to be working just fine, so if I really need to, I can borrow one of theirs."
"Alright, then. Don't you have a contest today?"
"Yeah. It starts in about an hour, but between opening ceremonies and the fact that I'm number 43, I've got at least two hours, if not three, before we actually go on stage."
"I see. I watched the Pokéathlon on TV yesterday. Tell Rachel her performance was remarkable. Professor Oak was even impressed."
"Will do," Eric said. "Speaking of Professor Oak, how is he doing?"
"He's fine. He's out tending to the Pokémon in the nature preserve. Speaking of which, I should probably get back out there. Was there anything else you needed?"
Eric shook his head. "No, that's about it. Tell the Professor I said hi."
"Will do, Eric. Call me again if you need anything." The feed cut as Damian ended the call. Eric, having completed his Pokéblock sorting, exited the waiting area and went into the Coordinator-only courtyard. The place was crowded with trainers throwing frisbees, dancing Pokémon, and other low-level acts that were designed to warm up the competitors. Some trainers were brushing their Pokémon's fur, or flossing their teeth. Eric let Ditto, Ponyta, and Squirtle out of their Poké Balls, and sat himself down in the grass. Ditto, knowing what was to come, jumped up on Eric's head as the Coordinator crossed his legs, sat up straight, and began to meditate. Squirtle was confused, not sure if he wanted to play in the field, or imitate Eric. Ponyta simply sat down nearby and relaxed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first Pokémon Contest of the year, the Viridian Beauty Contest!" The crowd was excited, but Chris noticed they weren't nearly as riled as the people at the Pokéathlon. The woman on stage was rather pretty, with light brown hair and was wearing a black pantsuit. "My name is Lilian Meridian, and I will be your Master of Ceremonies during this year's Kanto Contest Season! For those of you who are new to the event, a Pokémon Contest is where a Coordinator shows of his or her Pokémon's greatest attributes! Style, beauty, toughness, intelligence, everything that makes a Pokémon amazing. The Coordinator that best displays his or her Pokémon in the most profound way will be the winner of the coveted Viridian Ribbon!" Lilian held up a ribbon with a gold diamond-shaped plate on the front, and a dark green bow looped behind it. This was one of the times the crowd really started to get into it.
"The first stage of the Contest is the Appeals round, where Coordinators show off their Pokémon in the most creative of ways. Our judges will award points based on the quality of the appeals! And now, let me introduce today's judges. First, we have the chairman of the Pokémon Contest Association, all the way from Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh, it's Johanna!"
Johanna was a woman in her late 30s, apparently, with poofy dark hair and a smiling face. She leaned forward to speak into the microphone built into the podium where she was sitting. "I'm pleased to be judging here. The first contests of the year are always the most fun, so I can't wait to see what happens."
Lilian began speaking again. "And now to introduce the two guest judges for the Viridian Contest. First up is the Viridian City Gym Leader, Blue!"
Chris looked perplexed. "What the heck kind of name is 'Blue'?"
"Pokémon Contests are the only place I can go lately to see anyone who's actually skilled with Pokémon. These contestants better not disappoint!" He sounded haughty, proud, and stuck-up. Chris already didn't like him.
Lilian looked a bit flustered after that commentary, but she continued. "Thank you, Blue! And finally, we have our Pokémon medical expert from Viridian City, Nurse Joy!"
"Thank you, Lilian. I've gotten to see some of the Pokémon entered in the contest coming up while working in the Center these past few days. I can guarantee that none of you will be disappointed by today's performances."
"Thank you Nurse Joy! Now, without further ado, let's begin the appeal round! Contestant number one, you're up!"
And thus the contest began. Chris leaned over to Rachel. "They didn't say who that coordinator was or where she's from."
Rachel shrugged. "Maybe only the ones who get to round 2 are named."
Eric could hear the noise of the Contest starting, so he slowly began to awaken himself out of his meditation. He opened his eyes to see a pair of green eyes staring right back at him. "Yeeeeagh!" Eric bolted upright, pretty much undoing all of the meditation's calming effects in one fell swoop. Ponyta, Ditto, and Squirtle, who were all nearby, took defensive stances against the creature, which to Eric, looked like a cross between a clay statue and a bag of Skittles.
"Bebe, get back here and quit scaring the fresh meat." The voice was female, and rather grating on Eric's sensibilities. As the fruit snack statue floated away, Eric pulled out his Pokédex.
Beheeyem, the Cerebral Pokémon, a Psychic type, and the evolved form of Elgyem. Beheeyem communicate using flashing lights, and can destroy or rewrite a person's memories, making them believe things they normally wouldn't. Some of Beheeyem's abilities include the ability to read minds and dodge attacks, quickly analyze combat scenarios, and some can even pass its own status ailments back onto the Pokémon that inflicted it upon them.
"Never heard of a Beeheyem before? Wow, you are green," the woman said. She approached, a blonde haired girl, probably about sixteen years old. She walked with an air of confidence, possibly over confidence. Her green eyes reflected behind her glasses, and she wore a beautiful blue dress with knee-high slits along the sides for movement.
Eric regained his composure. "Not really," he said. "Beheeyem aren't native to Hoenn, and few people can recognize all Pokémon on sight. Even I'm not that good." He sighed a bit, annoyed that his meditation time was a failure, and he was just as nervous as before. "Squirtle, Ditto, Ponyta, disengage." He used their individual Poké Balls to recall the three Pokémon that were just starting to calm down from the sudden intrusion of the Beheeyem.
"Well, you are obviously green, so maybe you should learn a thing or two about contests from someone who knows what they're doing. You ready to take notes?" she asked. Her obvious ego was starting to really grate on Eric's nerves, but he was determined to remain calm.
"No thank you," Eric said. "I would rather win on my own volition, not under the tutelage of another."
"What?!" the woman demanded. "This is grade-A advice! You should be grateful!"
Eric sighed. "I am grateful, but must respectfully decline. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed for the contest." Eric walked away, but he could feel the woman's angry glare on the back of his neck. This wasn't the last he'd see of her.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have seen some amazing appeals today! Time to move on to our next contestant! Number 42, come on out!"
Out from behind the curtain sauntered a girl in a blue floor-length dress with blonde hair. Chris was already drooling, causing Rachel to roll her eyes. She walked with an air of confidence and flair that many of the contestants before her had not. Wordlessly, she threw a capsuled Poké Ball out in front of her. The ball exploded with energy that took the form of the letters BEBE that then dissipated, revealing a small brown Pokémon with multicolored fingers.
"What is that?" Rachel asked Chris. She'd never seen such an odd Pokémon.
"Beheeyem...evolved form of Elgyem...psychic type that can...rewrite memories?! Wow," Chris said, looking back at the small Pokémon. "That thing is creepy."
Rachel nodded in agreement. There were few Pokémon she didn't like, but this one really did give her the creeps, even before she knew it could screw with a person's memories.
"Wow, ladies and gentlemen! We have a Beheeyem on the field! This extraterrestrial Pokémon has a unique vibe to it that is permeating the stadium! Let's see if Contestant number 42 can make it shine!" Lilian looked as excited as ever.
The woman simply pointed a finger, and Beheeyem obeyed. The lights on its body began to flash. What is it doing? Rachel wondered. But she would soon get her answer. Beheeyem began to emanate a powerful psychic energy that enveloped the judges, Lilian, and the audience. Rachel yelped and moved to jump up, but soon found herself blinded by a bright light.
"Ms. Rachel, would you like a drink refill?" asked the young man with the tray. Rachel opened her eyes beneath her sunglasses. The seagulls were quiet today, but the waves crashed loudly as the tide began to go out. She could feel the warm sand on her fingers as she laid out, getting her perfect tan for the summer.
"Yes, Chris," she said, placing her empty cup on the tray. "Another cherry limeade. And please don't skimp on the cherries this time."
"Of course, ma'am," Chris said, walking away.
Rachel turned to her left to see Nate sunbathing not far from her. "Nate, didn't you want anything to drink?"
"No, I'm fine," he said. "I'm actually about to go into the water. Would you like to join me?"
"What is going on out there?" one coordinator asked from the waiting room.
"I don't know. It looks like she has everyone hypnotized," responded another.
"That thing is so creepy," said yet another.
Eric looked on as he checked his tie one last time. Whatever she was doing, it was either going to be horrible for her, or impossible for him to beat.
Lilian fanned herself for a few moments. "Goodness, that was amazing. I really felt like I was on the beach!" The rest of the crowd, Rachel included, were recovering from the vision. It was like Beheeyem had tapped into their actual desires rather than just projecting an image, Rachel figured. She didn't think everyone saw Nate in their fantasies.
Rachel wiped the sweat from her brow and vowed never to tell anyone about her vision.
"Are the judges ready to award their points?" Lilian asked.
The judges nodded and began to type on their pads.
"And the scores are... nine, nine, and ten! Ladies and gentlemen, Contestant number 42 just scored 28 points out of 30! That's the highest score so far this competition! Congratulations number 42! Blue, would you be willing to explain your rating?"
Blue happily replied. "Beheeyem may not have shown off its OWN beauty in this beauty contest, but it projected images of beauty into our minds. A beautiful beach, beautiful girl, all of that. That was a really nice performance!" Somehow, even while praising the girl, he still sounded snotty.
The girl graciously took a bow before recalling Beheeyem and exiting the stage.
"That is going to be one tough act to follow," Rachel said. Chris nodded in agreement.
"I feel bad for whoever's next," Chris added.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, time for Contestant 43!" With unprecedented calmness, Eric walked out onto the stage.
"Oh, crap," Chris and Rachel said in unison.
Eric was dressed in black pants, a dark red button-up shirt, a black vest, and a silver tie and pocketwatch. His sleeves were rolled up just below his elbows, and his black shoes were polished to an almost reflective shine. "Eric certainly cleans up nice," Rachel said. Chris only nodded in agreement once again.
"Ponyta, front and center!"
Eric was beyond nervous. He was surprised he was still standing. So many people staring at him, and that cocky woman from before had managed to score higher than anyone. As the capsuled Premier Ball left his fingertips he felt very vulnerable. But he knew that Chris and Rachel were somewhere in the crowd cheering him on, so he managed to maintain his air of calmness and collection.
In a burst of flame, Ponyta appeared on stage, poised and ready.
"Oh, wow!" Lilian said. "Look at that sheen! That poise! That coat! Everything about this Ponyta screams that its coordinator has taken amazing care of it with hours of brushing and preening!"
That was all Eric needed to get his confidence back fully. "Ponyta, Ember!" His voice was commanding and firm. His finger was outstretched to the sky, indicating the direction. Ponyta, without hesitation, fired several small flames into the air. "Stomp now!" Again, without hesitation, Ponyta leapt into the air, even higher than it had during its battle with Chris, and slammed down onto the rising flames. As it fell, the flames collected on its hooves, and once it landed on the stage, there was an explosion of flame outwards and upwards. When the flames dissipated, Ponyta stood proudly, its own mane augmented by the additional flame.
"That was impressive!" Lilian said. "That massive outpouring of flame not only showed Ponyta's power, but enhanced the flames on its own body, really showing off its beauty!"
"End with Flame Wheel!" Ponyta's mane and tail connected, and began to swirl around her slowly at first, then faster and faster. Soon, the Pokémon was completely enveloped by the dancing flames and began to roll around stage in a large circle that slowly got smaller and smaller, until Ponyta was practically spinning in place. She spun faster and faster, then abruptly stopped, the flames exploding around her, but quickly vanishing, leaving only Ponyta.
The crowd cheered as the appeal ended, and the judges posted their scores. "Ladies and gentlement, the final scores are eight, seven, and eight! The final score is 23 out of 30! Congratulations!" Eric bowed, recalled Ponyta, and walked off stage calmly and collectedly, even though he felt like he was about to explode.
The fiftieth and final appeal had finished, and Chris sat back in his chair. "I wonder of Eric made it to the second round," he mused. "How do they determine that?"
Rachel pulled out the program they'd received at the door. "The top 16 Coordinators move on to the battle round which is done in tournament style. If the top sixteen can not be determined due to a tie, the judges will make the final decision with majority ruling."
Chris scratched his head. "I didn't keep track of the scores, did you?"
Rachel shook her head. "Nope. I guess we'll just have to wait for the ruling."
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Lilian said loudly, right on cue. "The results are tabulated. Please turn your attention to the big screen where we will be announcing the sixteen Coordinators moving on to the preliminary battle round!"
Pictures began to appear on the screen. The girl in the blue dress was the first one up, since no one managed to beat her score. Every half-second, another picture was revealed, but it felt like forever between each one. The top ten had been announced, but no sign of Eric so far, and Chris started to worry a bit. He'd hoped Eric would make it...
The last few faces were starting to appear and in 15th place...Eric! Chris breathed a sigh of relief. Rachel hadn't made it past her prelim round, but at least Eric was able to. And he deserved it, too! All that training, and hair brushing, and the suit, and the way he battles...Chris really needed to learn to work as hard as Eric.
"Congratulations," came a snotty voice from behind Eric. "You actually made it without my help. Of course, you only made 15th place, so you really were just lucky."
Eric stood up. "Congratulations," he said, and simply walked away. He could see her visibly getting angry as he walked out the door of the waiting room toward the Coordinators' courtyard. This girl was clearly very hungry for attention, but Eric wasn't going to be the one to reinforce that kind of behavior.
Once Eric got outside, he looked up at the monitor as Lilian announced that the computer would be making the random matchups for Round 2. Soon, the graph appeared, and Eric sighed heavily. He was matched up against the annoying girl in the blue dress.
This was going to be a very long tournament.
