Heyyy, everybody. Don't worry, I'm not dead, I just didn't update yesterday because I was trying to work on this dang contest, but it just kept coming out horribly, so I decided to shorten it and throw in a scene that was originally going to take place during Owen's gym battle. Sorry if you were expecting the contest to be better, but it was really giving me a tough time, and this seemed to be the best way to make it. Anyways, last chapter, Owen met and trained with Skyla for his upcoming gym battle, and Tranquill learned a new way to evade attacks. Now, Fate will be competing in her third contest and vying for her second ribbon. However, a rule for the Mistralton Contest will throw every coordinator in for a loop. Now, let's get going!
Owen's team
Snivy, (f), level 26, Tackle, Leech Seed, Grass Pledge, Vine Whip, Leaf Tornado*, Leaf Blade*
Tranquill, (f), level 26, Detect, Air Cutter, Gust, Quick Attack
Heatmor, (m), level 32, Flame Burst, Tackle, Hone Claws, Flame Wheel, Fury Swipes*, Fire Pledge*
Muk, (m), level 37, Sludge, Body Slam, Protect, Poison Jab
Zebstrika, (m), level 30, Quick Attack, Shock Wave, Thunder Wave, Flame Charge
Puff, (f), level 29, Dynamic Punch, Sing, Rollout, Pound, DoubleSlap*
With Professor Juniper
Krokorok, (m), level 33, Bite, Dig, Dragon Claw, Bulldoze
Empoleon, (m), level 36, Water Pledge, Drill Peck, Metal Claw, Whirlpool, Bide*, Brine*
"Are you sure you're not going to go off and train again?" Fate interrogated while adjusting her dress.
"I promise," Owen replied while putting his right hand over his heart. "Right, Snivy?" The grass snake nodded emphatically while putting her right hand over her heart. Fate grinned before walking over to the receptionist sitting behind a desk.
"Hi, I'm here to sign up for the contest," Fate told the young woman politely.
"Do you have a male partner?" the woman asked, causing Fate to giver her a puzzled look. "It's required for all competitors to have a partner of the opposite sex for the contest. If you can't find a partner, you can't compete."
"Okay, I'll be right back," Fate told the woman before walking back to Owen, CJ, and Rebecca. "Wait, where'd CJ go?" Fate asked, noticing the oldest of the group wasn't present.
"Destiny picked him as her partner or something," Rebecca answered while looking down at her phone and texting someone. Fate turned around and saw her hated rival signing up for the contest with CJ by her side. The Kanto native was drooling over the girl, causing Fate to fume.
"Hey, guys!" The three trainers turned to see Brooklyn walking over while wearing her dress from the Castelia Contest. "Have you picked your partner yet, Fate?" Brooklyn quizzed while looking around the room for a boy that could be her partner.
"Not yet. Destiny just chose CJ, so I don't have any other options," Fate replied, offending Owen.
"I'll be your partner if you want," Owen offered Fate. The angered girl shook her head adamantly before storming away and searching for her partner. "I don't think she remembers I was the runner-up in the Castelia City Contest," Owen mumbled, causing Rebecca to laugh at his bruised pride.
"Would you mind being my partner?" Brooklyn asked while rubbing her arm nervously. Owen nodded with a confident grin, and he made his way over to the receptionist with Brooklyn and Rebecca. Fate continued searching for a partner after being rejected several times, but she eventually stopped and slammed her foot on the ground angrily.
"It looks like you could use a partner," a familiar voice stated while walking over to Fate. The girl gasped when she saw JT walk over to her with a devilish grin plastered on his face. "I'd be glad to compete with you for your contest."
000
"Well look who decided to show up," Destiny remarked as Fate and JT walked into the coordinator room. "You better hope that partner of your's is good." JT glared at Destiny, shutting the girl up immediately. CJ glared back at JT, and the two boys growled lowly. Owen, meanwhile, was busy discussing strategy with Brooklyn.
"Puff, come on out!" Owen shouted while releasing the Jigglypuff from her Pokeball. "Puff, since you're the only one that actually has experience with contests, I'm gonna need you to perform. Would you mind?" Owen asked the normal type. Puff sighed before nodding, making Owen beam and Brooklyn have a relieved look on her face.
"Beartic, go!" After throwing her Pokeball in the air, Brooklyn's Beartic appeared and gave a friendly wave to Owen. The teen waved back at the gigantic polar bear, causing Brooklyn to laugh lightly. "Okay, here's the plan…"
"Destiny, we should probably strategize instead of smack talking," CJ suggested while looking at Fate. The girl nodded thankfully, but soon turned red when Destiny replied to CJ.
"You're right. Let's go," she said while putting CJ's arm over her shoulder. Fate glared daggers at the older girl before feeling a hand on her back.
"Forget about them. I'm sure we'll win," JT told his partner with a sly grin on his face. Fate was too annoyed to realize the sly look, but she nodded and they walked away. After a few minutes, the TV's in the coordinator room turned on and Julia, the announcer from the Castelia Contest, appeared on the screen.
"Welcome, one and all, to the Mistralton City Couples Contest!"
"Couples?" Owen asked while making a disgusted face. Snivy and Puff laughed at their trainer's expression, but Brooklyn glared at him.
"What's wrong with me?" she interrogated while jabbing Owen in the chest. The teen immediately backed away and grabbed the spot Brooklyn hit while bending over in pain. "Sorry! Are you okay?" she asked with concern.
"I'm fine," Owen lied while coughing slightly. He then stood up and masked the pain with an emotionless look on his face.
"For our opening round, eight pairs of boys and girls will be performing for our three judges!" Julia announced as the camera shifted over to the three podiums. The same three judges from the last two contests were present and they waved to the cheering crowd. "The top two performances will then move on to the battle rounds and compete for the Mistralton City Ribbon!" Julia told the camera while holding a small piece of gold with two strands of blue ribbon.
"Now let's welcome our first group: Jack and Jill!"
000
"Our fourth duo performing will be Brooklyn and Owen!" Julia shouted into the microphone she was holding. Owen and Brooklyn made their way onto the stage and waved to the crowd before nodding at one another. Snivy continued to sit on Owen's shoulder as he and she threw two Pokeballs into the air, which released Puff and Beartic. The performing Pokemon received a wave of applause, which Puff basked in before turning to Beartic and nodding. The bipedal bear nodded back, and Julia put her hands in the air.
"Begin!"
"Beartic, cover the ground with Blizzard!" Brooklyn shouted while pointing at the ground. Beartic quickly fired a horizontal tornado of snow at the ground, and snow began to pile up. After a few seconds the snow had reached a height of four inches, prompting Owen to give Puff her order.
"Puff, use Rollout like we planned!" Owen yelled while referring to the plan he and Brooklyn had thought of while Fate and Destiny were arguing. Puff nodded and inflated before rolling around the battlefield. A large indent in the snow appeared behind Puff and followed her everywhere she went, which turned into a design.
Meanwhile, in the coordinator room, Fate and JT watched closely.
"What are they trying to do?" Fate asked aloud while watching the strange performance.
"Now Sing!" Owen shouted once the design had been completed. Puff began to sing and release a series of music notes into the air, which made everyone in the audience yawn tiredly. Even the judges and Beartic began to yawn, but that stopped when Brooklyn continued the performance with her second command.
"Freeze all of the notes with Ice Beam!" she told Beartic while spinning elegantly. Beartic stopped yawning and fired a thin, zigzagging, light blue beam of freezing cold energy at the colorful music notes. Each note was frozen solid and hung in the air, causing the audience to gasp in awe. Beartic bowed to the crowd, but stopped when Owen screamed to Puff.
"Follow that up with Dynamic Punch on all of the frozen notes!" The pink ball of air inflated and her crimson fists punched through each of the notes, releasing a harmonious tune while a flurry of bright lights flew the air.
"Use Earthquake to catch Puff, Beartic!" Brooklyn ordered as Puff punched through the last notes. Beartic slammed its gigantic paws against the snow-covered ground and the stage began to shake furiously. Once Puff landed on the ground, Beartic ran over to her and roared as a pillar of snow shot up from underneath them and flew through the air before stopping after reaching thirty feet in the air. Puff then crossed her arms along with Beartic before the two leaned against each other. The crowd began to roar, and the two Pokemon walked back to their trainers after the column of snow returned back into the ground.
"What a wonderful performance! Creating a setting like winter and adding your own twist is impressive." The man in the red suit then bowed at Owen and Brooklyn, causing the two to cheer to themselves.
"Remarkable!" The man with squinty eyes screamed, causing everyone to sweat drop at his annoying and repetitive response.
"Using Dynamic Punch on the notes was an incredible idea. You two are natural partners!" Nurse Joy exclaimed, causing the two trainers to blush at the comment while the crowd 'oohed' while staring at them. The two then walked off the stage with Puff and Beartic following close behind while the crowd chanted Brooklyn's and Owen's names.
000
"For our sixth group, please welcome Fate and JT!" Julia yelled while Fate and JT walked onto the stage. The aforementioned trainer's appeared on the stage to a wave of cheers, which Fate responded to with a wave. JT, on the other hand, kept his head down and had an awkward stage presence.
"Rose, it's time to steal the show!" Fate shouted while throwing her Pokeball in the air. Her Trubbish appeared and let out a friendly cry, but the audience collectively covered their noses at the rancid odor.
"Hydreigon, appear!" The familiar dragon and dark type bursted out of his Pokeball and roared at the crowd after seeing they hurt Rose's feelings. Clearly intimidated by the pseudo legendary, the crowd began to cheer for the Trubbish, making the poison type smile happily while thanking Hydreigon. The three headed dragon smiled back at Rose and nodded kindly before turning to JT and waiting for the contest to begin.
"This is gonna be interesting," Owen said to himself. Snivy and Puff both nodded in agreement and continued watching the TV intently. Before the performance began, JT snickered slightly and gave the camera a bright smile while he held up a piece sign with his fingers. All of the female coordinators swooned over his surfer boy look, and even one of the male's did too.
"I doubt they'll do well," CJ opined while standing next to Owen and Snivy. Destiny was to his left, and Brooklyn was to Owen's right, and the two girls nodded in agreement. Julia then looked into the camera and put the microphone close to her face.
"Begin!"
000
"Are you ready?" the blonde woman asked the brunette. The brunette nodded back at her blonde partner and the two threw four Pokeballs each. Two Haxorus appeared at their sides along with two Rampardos, two Garchomp, and two Tyranitar.
"Let's do this." The two women walked into a large museum as their Pokemon slammed through the doors and began terrorizing everyone inside. The two women strolled through the doors and looked around before seeing a large white stone that was protected by a glass case. Without saying a word, one of the Tyranitar smashed the glass and picked up the stone before walking it over to the two women in yellow.
"Hey, give that back!" a dark skinned woman shouted at the two younger girls. "Watchog, get out here!" she cried while throwing a Pokeball into the air. Her trusty Watchog appeared in front of her, but gaped at the eight Pokemon that were destroying the museum.
"Lenora, it's best if you let us leave. If you don't we can't guarantee anyone in this building surviving," the brunette spat while looking around at the dozens of terrified people who didn't have any Pokemon. Lenora looked around too before reluctantly nodding and allowing the two women and their Pokemon to escape. After they left, Lenora ran over to the shattered container and gasped in horror after realizing what artifact the robbers had taken. The large gym leader frantically took out her phone and dialed a long number.
"This is Lenora. Yes, it's an emergency!" she screamed to the other end of the line. Everyone in the museum watched the gym leader pace nervously while biting the neck of her shirt. "Call the league for backup. I will try to find somewhere to hide the Dark Stone." With that, Lenora hung up the phone and dialed another number.
"Hello?" the voice at the other end of the conversation answered.
"Auria? This is Lenora, I need you at the museum now."
000
"Now let's welcome Destiny and CJ!"
"Jolteon, action!" Destiny cried as she walked onto the stage. Fate, who was watching from the coordinator room, gasped in shock as the electric eeveelution appeared in front of Destiny. She had planned on evolving Daisy at some point, and Jolteon was her top choice, but she felt the option was now off the table because of her rival.
"Leaf, come on out!" CJ yelled as he flung his Pokeball. His trusty partner, Leaf, appeared alongside Jolteon, and the two Pokemon smiled at each other before looking at Julia and waiting for her to begin the performance.
"Begin!"
"Leaf, use Sunny Day!" CJ shouted. Leaf grunted loudly before firing a large ball of fire out of the bulb on his back and into the air, which illuminated the stage and hurt everyone's eyes.
"Jolteon, fire a Pin Missile through the light!" Destiny commanded while pointing at the ball of fire. Jolteon slammed his front two feet on the ground and unleashed dozens of white arrows through the fire, and they began to crash towards the ground while being surrounded by dancing flames.
"Now grab the Pin Missile with Vine whip and throw them straight in the air, Leaf!" Two vines shot out of Leaf's back, and he caught the Pin Missile arrows before launching them back into the air.
"Use Thunder Wave to cover them in electricity!" Destiny yelled as the white arrows continued to ascend close together. Jolteon grunted before sending a net of lighting into the air, which surrounded each and all of the arrows, which was a captivating sight. The audience moved to the edge of their seats and stared at the arrows that were covered in a combination of fire and lightning.
"Now fire a Solarbeam!" CJ screamed. Thanks to the Sunny Day he had used at the beginning of the performance, Leaf was able to shoot a gigantic ray of white light towards the Pin Missile. The two attacks collided, and the Pin Missile exploded like fire works on the fourth of July, which led the audience to clap in unison.
"Flash!" Destiny roared over the claps. Jolteon's body was covered in bright white light before the electric type launched it into the air along with the sparkling explosions. Everyone stared in awe as the incredible spectacle of lights flashed in the air. After the lights faded, the two Pokemon and their trainers waved to the crowd, signaling the end of their routine. They then turned their attention to the judges and waited for their comments.
"What a wonderful array of moves. The contrasting styles of your Bulbasaur and Jolteon was fun to watch!" the man in a red suit complimented with a smile.
"Remarkable!" the short man iterated, causing the audience to boo at him.
"The use of Flash while the Pin Missile was acting like fireworks was brilliant! Great job!" Nurse Joy told the two teens while bowing.
"Thank you, Destiny and CJ!" Julia told the last performers as they walked off the stage. Fate and JT had performed just before and set the bar astronomically high, but CJ and Destiny surpassed it. The camera then focused on the exiting competitors and Fate gasped in shock when she saw CJ and Destiny hug each other. What stung even worse was the smile on CJ's face, which caused Fate to turn red.
"What's wrong with Fate?" Brooklyn whispered as she watched Owen slowly move away from her.
"Just between you and me, she really likes CJ and hates Destiny, so I guess her seeing them hug really bothered her," Owen replied quietly.
"Wow, that must be tough." A moment of silence passed before Brooklyn spoke again. "Well, at least this round is over. We're definitely getting to the finals." Owen nodded in agreement, and then turned his attention to the TV.
"We will now be announcing the two pairs that will be competing in the championship round!" Julia shouted into the camera while holding the microphone up to her face. "The first duo will be Fate and JT!" Destiny turned to face her rival and glared. Her performance was clearly better, so why was Fate being announced first? "And the second pair will be Destiny and CJ!"
"Yes!" Destiny shouted while hugging CJ for a second time. Fate watched bitterly before turning away from the disgusting sight, causing CJ to sweat drop nervously. Brooklyn and Owen both looked at the TV screen in shock before sighing sadly.
"At least we did our best," Owen stated, trying to find a silver lining. Brooklyn nodded and withdrew her dejected Beartic. Owen patted Puff on the head before doing the same and waiting for the final round to begin.
"Would both pairs please report to the stage?" Julia asked while looking into the camera. Fate and Destiny exchanged glares before walking away with their partners, who were also glaring at each other.
"This is going to be interesting."
000
"Lenora, I came as fast as I could. What happened?" Professor Juniper quizzed while looking around at the destroyed museum and stepping around pieces of glass.
"These two trainers in yellow suits came in with tons of Pokemon and they stole the Light Stone!" Lenora shouted while sitting on the steps that led to her gym. A worried expression spread across Professor Juniper's face and she ran over to Lenora quickly. "Here, take the Dark Stone." Lenora walked over to a glass case with a large black rock and she handed it over to Professor Juniper.
"What do you want me to do with this?" the professor asked.
"Give it to a trainer that you feel is extraordinary, like one you've never met before," Lenora replied with a solemn tone. The professor o the Unova region held the rock in her hands while giving Lenora a puzzled look. then, she nodded and hurried out of the museum while hiding the Dark Stone in her purse. Lenora shook her head and looked at the destroyed glass container that had held the Light Stone. She didn't know who had the Light Stone, but she knew who would have the Dark Stone.
000
"Keep going, Sawk!" Fate ordered while Sawk continued to use Brick Break on Destiny's Servine. The grass snake was pummeled by the vicious fighting type attacks, but Leaf and CJ came to the rescue.
"Leaf, grab Sawk with Vine Whip and throw him at Durant!" CJ shouted while pointing at JT's Durant. Leaf fired two vines from his back and they wrapped around both of Sawk's arms, stopping the Brick Break barrage. Leaf then chucked Sawk into the injured bug and steel type.
"One minute remains!" Julia shouted.
"Durant, use Flash Cannon!"
"Sawk, put your leg in front of the Flash Cannon and use Blaze Kick on Servine!" Fate commanded while staring at Destiny angrily. Sawk put his flaming foot in front of the Flash Cannon, causing his fiery leg to also glow silver. Sawk then ran towards his target before jumping in the air and swinging his leg at Servine. The evolution of Snivy was crushed by the attack and flew into the wall behind Destiny. Servine's eyes were shut tight, leaving Leaf as the lone Pokemon standing in front of Destiny and CJ.
"Leaf, dodge the Flash Cannon and then use Sunny Day!" Leaf quickly jumped over the silver blast of energy and shot a ball of fire into the air. "Now use Vine Whip and hit Sawk in front of Durant!" Leaf fired two vines towards Sawk and tossed him in front of the bug and steel type, causing CJ to grin victoriously. "Solarbeam!" In the blink of an eye Leaf shot an enormous ray of white light at Sawk and Durant, and it struck both Pokemon. Durant was knocked out by the attack immediately, and CJ roared while pumping his fist in the air.
"Durant is unable to battle! Only five seconds remain!" Julia yelled to the finalists.
"Sawk, use Mega Punch!" Fate screamed to the fighting type. Sawk hopped off the ground and sprinted towards Leaf, who had thought he won. Sawk then threw his glowing white fist forwards and it clobbered the Bulbasaur, causing the grass and poison type to fly into his trainer. The buzzer rang throughout the stadium as Leaf got back up, and the two pairs looked at the scoreboard.
"Fate and JT are the winners of the Mistralton City Couples Contest!" Julia shouted while pointing to the aforementioned competitors. Fate began cheering excitedly before hugging JT, causing CJ to scowl from the other end of the battlefield. He then patted Leaf on the back for a great performance, and he walked over to Fate and Sawk.
"Congrats. You guys deserved to win," CJ complimented while bowing respectfully. Leaf bowed to Sawk, and the fighting type reciprocated.
"Thanks, CJ," Fate told the older boy while blushing. "You were great too." CJ grinned at the compliment, but frowned when JT walked over and put his arm around Fate.
"So close, CJ. It looks like I've got your number," the obnoxious teen stated before laughing. "I didn't even have to use Hydreigon, and we still beat you." Before CJ could argue, Fate and JT were whisked away and Fate was presented her ribbon.
"Finally. Now I can have my gym battle tomorrow!" Owen exclaimed while giving Snivy a high five. The grass type starter hopped off her trainer's shoulder excitedly and began punching the air while her stomach began to glow green. Rebecca's Oshawott, Deino, and Deerling all hopped up and began talking to Owen's starter.
"And you even stayed the entire contest!" Rebecca joked, making Owen and Brooklyn laugh. After they stopped CJ, Fate, JT, and Destiny walked into the room. "Nice job, Fate and JT!" Rebecca exclaimed along with her Pokemon.
"Thanks," the two replied in unison while Fate placed her second ribbon in her ribbon case. "Now you can go have your gym battle," Fate told Owen. The boy nodded at the previously discussed topic, and he stood up to leave the coordinator room.
"Hey, it turns out there's a masquerade party tonight for everyone that competed!" Destiny shouted while looking down at her phone. "I'm totally going, and so are you," she told CJ while looking at him cutely. CJ stared at the attractive girl before nodding like an idiot, causing Destiny to giggle before walking out of the coordinator room.
"We should go too," Owen told his three friends and contest partner, all of whom nodded except Fate. "Oh come on, Fate. You know you don't want to stay at the Pokemon Center by yourself." The girl sighed before nodding reluctantly, and the group turned to JT, but he had disappeared.
"That's weird," Brooklyn opined before turning to leave. "I'll see you guys at the Pokemon Center," she added while walking away and waving.
"This seems like it could be pretty fun," CJ started while looking at the note for the party, which was on a wall in the coordinator room. "What could go wrong?"
Oh, CJ, you're making this too easy for me. So, Fate won her second contest with Sawk and Rose, and the group will be going to a masquerade party! There won't be any battles happening next chapter, but drama bombs will be dropped all over the place. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: The Face Behind the Masquerade