Chapter Thirteen – The Contest
The next morning was a picturesque sunny day without a single cloud in the sky or even the smallest gale in the air. Alexa sat on her hotel bed with her black and green Xtransceiver in her hands; she looked through all of her registered contacts as a pure grey Minccino tied her long smooth golden blonde hair in a neat plait whilst standing on the back of Alexa's brown sleeveless turtleneck. Keenan and Iara sat on the bed opposite Alexa's as they looked through Keenan's blue and orange Xtransceiver.
"And Daniel's?"
"Yep," Keenan nodded.
"That's all of them then. Everyone's registered to each other now, I take it?"
"Yep," Keenan nodded again. "Mum & Dad got everyone's contacts last night from Grandpa."
"Ah, that must've saved a lot of time then," Alexa smiled. "I mean, sure, they had to call everyone with their numbers and your number anyway, but, still..."
"It's okay, I don't mind; at least you can save time by calling three Xtransceivers at once," Keenan said optimistically.
"Actually, Dad only called Aunt Hailey and Uncle Harvey; apparently, they've done the rest," Alexa said sheepishly. "Anyway, what's eating you, mate? You've been hiding resentment since yesterday." Keenan lost his smile.
"We saw her yesterday. Adelina."
"In XCommunications? Was she looking for a Xtransceiver?" Alexa asked.
"No, she just spoke to Dad," Keenan grumbled. "I don't know what her angle was, but I didn't like it."
"What sort of things did she talk about?" Alexa asked as she moved over to her brother's hotel bed. Her Minccino clung to her half-plaited hair during the transfer and resumed her task once Alexa sat down.
"It was odd; she asked if we were going to be at the Contest Hall and if we were going to cheer for Aunt Hailey," Keenan elaborated as Iara carefully walked across Alexa's lap to lie on Keenan's. "He said yes on both counts, but she then said it was fine as long as we don't boo her off the stage."
"Why would she say that? We have no reason to boo her as far as we know."
"That's what Dad kinda said," Keenan said. "I don't have a good feeling about her, Alex."
"Me neither; she's harbouring some sort of grudge. But I don't know why she's holding the grudge or what it's all about."
"I have a bad feeling about this Contest," Keenan said worriedly. "I think something's going to happen."
"You reckon?" Alexa asked with curiosity.
"It's just a feeling I have. I can't really explain it..." Alexa placed her hand gently on Keenan's shoulder.
"Don't worry about it; even if something does happen during today's Contest, all we need to be concerned about is showing our support to Aunt Hailey," she said kindly. "Nothing else matters at this point." Keenan smiled at his elder sister.
"Thanks, Alex! Now I can finally look forward to the Contest!" he said excitedly. With a knock at the door, the two siblings faced the door as Hayden poked his head through it.
"You both ready?" he asked.
"We've been ready for a little while," Keenan answered.
"That was until Isabelle started playing with my hair again," Alexa chuckled as she turned her head slightly, showing off the Minccino plaiting her hair. "She shouldn't be too long."
"It's all right, Lexie, I don't think your mother's ready yet anyway," Hayden smiled timidly. "I'll go and check," he said as he quietly closed the door behind him.
"The Contest isn't until half 10, is it?" Keenan asked.
"No," Alexa laughed. "Sometimes it's annoying being the early birds that we are."
"While we're on the subject, Alex, did you ever participate in a Contest yourself?" Keenan asked with intrigue.
"Um..." Alexa lowered her head in thought.
Hayden entered a different bedroom and saw his wife sitting in front of the mahogany vanity mirror. The room essentially looked identical to Keenan and Alexa's hotel bedroom, but the two beds in the room looked as though they were pushed together intentionally. Hayden approached Lily as she began to apply a clear lip gloss over her lips.
"Alexa and Keenan are practically ready," Hayden said suddenly.
"Hayden, don't worry, the Contest doesn't start until half past 10," Lily laughed.
"I know, I just don't want us to be late," Hayden sighed. Lily glanced at her black and purple Xtransceiver quickly before she continued applying the lip gloss.
"But it's 25 to 10!" she laughed again. Hayden stood behind her and placed both hands on her shoulders.
"I'm very much aware of what the time presently is, my darling," he said playfully as he planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. "And it seems Isabelle was in the mood for plaiting Alexa's hair; maybe you and Alexa should match hairstyles," he added cheekily.
"Oh, stop it, Hayden," Lily laughed. "Anyway, I don't see why you're so worried about being late; Cheryl can take us to Nimbasa in no time flat, and the audience doesn't sit down until 10 minutes before the Contest begins."
"I know, I know." Hayden sighed. "Sometimes it's annoying being the early birds that we are."
"I did suggest we go to bed later," Lily smirked as she returned the lip gloss want to its tube and returned it to the left hand drawer. "And that we have a lie in until breakfast."
"I know, and you have the right to say "I told you so" if you so wish," Hayden said, grinning a little as he searched his navy blue belt bag.
"I don't really need to, since you've already acknowledged what I told you," Lily smiled as she stood up from the vanity. "What are you doing now?"
"I'm checking I've got everything I need," Hayden replied as he rummaged through his bag.
"For the fourth time?" Lily asked cheekily. "And you don't really need anything; you'll be in the audience watching a Pokémon Contest, not shopping in Join Avenue." Hayden suddenly pulled out a small blue card and began to read it to himself.
"Oh! Alexa's appointment card for tomorrow morning. I know I'll remember, but I'll hold on to that anyway," he said as he returned the card to the bag.
"That reminds me, how was she when you saw her?" Lily asked abruptly.
"She looked fine to me," Hayden smiled as he closed the bag. "She doesn't seem to be in any pain, at least," he added as he clipped the belt bag around his jeans. "How was she yesterday?"
"Apart from having been worried about her relationship problems, she was perfectly fine," Lily replied with a weak smile. "I am worried about her problems, though. I know they're for her to sort out, but-"
"You're concerned. Lily, you're her mother; of course you'd be concerned," Hayden said reassuringly as he took hold of her hands gently. "I'm worried myself, but it's like you said; it's for her – and Keith – to sort out. All we can do is support her when and if she asks and/or needs it from us. I know that's what my parents told me when you and I had our own problems when we were Alexa's age." Lily's smiled warmed up.
"That genuinely made me feel better. Thank you, sweetheart."
"Any time; that's what I'm here for," Hayden smiled lovingly. To his surprise, Lily quickly pecked a delicate kiss on his lips.
"And we all appreciate it, Hayden." Hayden soon smiled.
"I take it you're ready to go?"
"I've been ready for a little while now," Lily winked. "I was just stalling."
"Stalling, huh?" Hayden asked with a cunning grin on his face. "Maybe we can continue playing the waiting game," he suggested, carefully moving a thin strand of Lily's dirty blonde hair from her face. Lily returned Hayden's smirk.
"I don't think so; we'd be here all day otherwise."
"One of these days, Lily, I'll hold you to that," Hayden teased as he made his way out of the room. Lily laughed as she followed him to the main room. At the exact same instance, Alexa and Keenan departed their room, Isabelle clinging to Alexa's plaited hair happily, much to Alexa's frustration.
"Isabelle, let go."
"Cino!" Isabelle giggled.
"Isabelle, I need to put the band on," Alexa said as she showed the joyful Minccino the small green hair tie in her fingers.
"Min!" Isabelle snatched the hair tie from Alexa and used it to secure Alexa's plait, much to her surprise. "Cino!"
"I think Isabelle wanted to do it," Keenan chuckled.
"You think?" Alexa questioned sarcastically as she held a red and white Poké Ball towards her chuckling Minccino. "Thank you, Isabelle; now return." The Poké Ball's red energy beam absorbed Isabelle, returning her to the rounded capsule, which Alexa then placed in the brown belt bag clipped around her jeans.
"Everybody ready?" Hayden asked as Lily released the gentle Gardevoir from her Poké Ball. Alexa and Keenan smiled and nodded at their father.
"All right then. Cheryl, please take us to Nimbasa's Contest Hall," Lily requested politely. Cheryl smiled at her Trainer sweetly.
"Gar," she nodded. She then closed her ruby red eyes softly as she placed her hands together, as if in prayer, and a rainbow aura veiled her entire body's outline. Her blank white eyes opened widely, emitting a flash of white light.
Instantly after the extremely brief flash faded, Hayden, Lily, Alexa and Keenan found themselves outdoors, near a forever moving crowd of happy and excited people and Pokémon in the presence of a large building; the Contest Hall was large dome-like building with a giant flat-screen monitor that currently displayed the time and a countdown for the Contest's commencement. There were various market stalls set up around the courtyard, each selling a different product; one sold extra Poké Ball seals and capsules, one sold refreshments, another sold Nimbasa City related souvenirs and one of the stalls even sold lucky bags! Alexa and Keenan looked around at the many visitors, tourists and locals with intrigue.
"...odd; nobody's noticed our unorthodox arrival," Alexa noted.
"That's the city for you," Hayden laughed. "Every man for himself."
"Seems a bit unusual to me, that's all," Alexa said quietly. Keenan nodded in agreement.
"We're not city folk, Alexa, so it would be," Hayden smiled.
"Hayden!" called a sunny voice. Hayden's grin grew as Hailey, Harvey and Troy all ran over to him, Lily, Alexa and Keenan. "You're a bit early, aren't you? It's not even 10am!"
"I know, Hailey; I had this conversation with my wife," Hayden replied playfully.
"It's a good thing you're early; this place is gonna be packed," Harvey presumed, looking around at the crowded market. "Colin's inside with the kids; he said something about finding the best seats for us."
"That's very kind of him," Lily smiled. "Hailey, are you feeling all right? About the Contest, I mean."
"I feel pretty good about it," Hailey said cheerfully. "Especially considering Adelina's competing as well!"
"Why would you feel good about that?" Alexa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because I haven't seen her compete in six years! I get giddy thinking about what she's been planning for this Contest; her displays are always so breath-taking!"
"Earth to Hailey; she's your rival, you shouldn't give her such high praise," Harvey laughed.
"I know, I know, but there's nothing significant at stake in these Contests," Hailey beamed. "It's all good fun!"
"Not a lot of people would agree," Troy chuckled. "You'd be surprised at how competitive people can get, even in the most benign of competitions."
"I know, Troy, but I know Adelina; she wouldn't do anything to ruin someone else's appeal," Hailey said faithfully. "Anyway, shall we go inside? I need to change into something more appropriate for the Contest and give Eric the usual pre-Contest pep talk."
"I can agree to that," Hayden nodded as he, Lily and Keenan followed Hailey and Harvey towards the grand Contest Hall. Troy approached Alexa.
"You doing okay?" Troy asked.
"Yes, I'm feeling a lot better," Alexa smiled. "That spa thing yesterday really helped me get some things off of my chest." Troy smiled back at Alexa.
"Glad to hear it. Feel a bit more prepared to take on Spikeball?"
"Are you going to keep calling him that?" Alexa asked crossly.
"Yep," Troy replied with a cheeky grin on his face.
"...his hair's not that spiky," Alexa mumbled quietly.
"Well, it puts Starmie to shame at any rate," Troy laughed as he began to walk towards the Contest Hall. "I'd like to see that hair completely drenched; see what it looks like!"
"It's not that different to what it normally looks like when it's dry," Alexa laughed as she began to follow her eldest cousin.
"So you've seen it soaked to the bone then?" Troy asked teasingly. However, he wasn't looking where he was going and bumped into another Trainer's Pokémon. The large rounded blue head turned to look up at Troy with its small and soulless red eyes in confusion; Troy, however, upon meeting its gaze, panicked and backed away hastily, lightly bumping into Alexa, who was already running towards him.
"Troy!" Alexa held onto the hyperventilating boy comfortingly as the Jellicent merely looked at Troy in even more confusion. That was until its attention turned to the black haired teenager approached it.
"There you are, Fancis!" he sighed with relief. "I told you not to wonder off." The boy looked at Troy and Alexa, Troy's state of shock failing to reach the boy's notice. "Sorry about that. You okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine, just move on, please," Alexa said quickly as she helped Troy to stand up properly. The boy shrugged at his Jellicent as they both moved away from Alexa's line of sight. "It's okay now, he's gone." Troy took deep breaths as he released his grip on Alexa's arms.
"R-Right...thanks..."
"Are you going to be okay?" Alexa asked worriedly. "You're still-"
"I-It's okay...thanks for being there," Troy said with shaky reassurance.
"It's a good thing I was," Alexa said gently, taking his hand in hers. She and Troy continued making their way to the Contest Hall together.
The pearl white cruise ship gradually moored at one of Castelia City's numerous piers and ground to a gentle halt. The vessel's doors opened and released the long dark grey ramp, which ended up resting neatly and securely on the pier below. Keith was the first to exit the vessel, dragging his wheeled suitcase with him, closely followed by Robbie, with Reese holding onto one of the Sawsbuck's antlers, taking care not to crush any of the small pink flowers with his paws. As other passengers started to depart from the Sea Bus, Keith checked the contents of his rucksack; the egg was sitting snugly in the glass case. He closed the rucksack and placed it on his back before climbing on Robbie's back, placing the suitcase in front of him as Robbie stood up properly. With Keith safely on his back and Reese holding on to his antlers tightly, Robbie galloped off of the pier and further into the city, passing many different types of people, some even watching the galloping Sawsbuck in awe and/or confusion.
Robbie sped his way through Join Avenue, causing many a shopper to quickly avoid getting trampled under the hooves of such a swift Pokémon. Keith and Reese tried to ignore the stares they attracted by keeping their heads fairly low. Robbie raced on, head held high; he wasn't ashamed of rushing passed total strangers. That and he had to see where he was going.
The visit to Nimbasa City was incredibly brief; Robbie pranced across the bridge and towards the city's western exit. Keith recognised the bridge Robbie crossed, being the exact same one he and Alexa were on when they collided. With the event fresh in his mind, Keith began to gather his thoughts regarding how to find Alexa and what to say to her.
Route 5 felt like a ridiculously short route at Robbie's high speed; Keith found himself travelling along the Driftveil Drawbridge in no time flat. He looked around at the sturdy iron bridge as Robbie darted across as fast as his legs could carry him.
Soon enough, Robbie's racing slowed to a gentle trot before finally returning to his walking speed as he finally entered Driftveil City. There were several different buildings, most of them residential houses, that all looked as though they were perfectly organised in terms of how they were placed; they were arranged in different lines, creating a road of sorts to let potential vehicles travel through the city without hassle. There was a Pokémon Centre near where Robbie stood idly as the Sawsbuck caught his breath, as well as a market building directly in his line of sight, but what caught Keith's attention was a large building with a big yellow star as part of its sign; the name "Driftveil Star" was engraved on the sign, along with the star in question, in bold black font that looked somewhat suave and cursive. Keith climbed off of Robbie's back, taking his suitcase with him and began to approach his destination, dragging the suitcase with him. Robbie snorted with relief as he began to follow Keith inside.
As they walked through the revolving doors, Keith and Robbie absorbed the ambiance of the hotel they just entered; several black leather sofas and armchairs were neatly placed in a decently sized area of the main lobby, with several glass coffee tables carefully positioned among them, some having updated magazines and newspapers underneath them. Hotel staff walked all around the lobby, each doing his or her own individual task, such as transporting fresh towels and bed linen to different hotel rooms or sending used towels and bedclothes to wash. Several hotel guests were in the lobby as well, some even occupying the leather seating nearby with a newspaper in hand. Keith soon made his way to the reception desk, where the receptionist looked up from her paperwork to meet his gaze; Keith noticed the tag on the receptionist's bolo tie was in the shape of a yellow star, closely resembling the star on the hotel's sign. The receptionist smiled sweetly at the potential guest.
"Hello there, may I help you?"
"Uh, yeah, I booked a room here under the name of Keith Clarke," Keith replied tensely. The receptionist began typing quickly into the computer in front of her.
"Yes, we do have a reservation under that name," the receptionist confirmed. "Single room with a double bed and en suite; is that accurate?"
"Yeah," Keith answered.
"All right then, Mr Clarke, the room is on...um...dammit..."
"What's wrong?" Keith asked worriedly.
"Sorry, I'm not used to this program yet," the receptionist replied bashfully. A black haired woman conveniently entered the room just in time to see the receptionist struggle with the computer. She sighed and approached the struggling ginger haired girl. Keith noticed that, while the black haired woman wore the exact same bolo tie as the receptionist, her uniform consisted of a slate grey suit with matching skirt, black tights and black heeled shoes.
"Is there a problem here, Rhonda?" the senior lady asked impatiently.
"Oh! I-I'm so sorry, I-I can't find the room's location on this program!" Rhonda panicked. The woman sighed as she looked at the monitor herself.
"Sixth floor, room 109," she said quietly. "Find that room's key while I finish the booking."
"Yes, Mrs Thorndyke, sorry, Mrs Thorndyke!" Rhonda apologised quickly. Keith recognised the surname all too well. The black haired woman sighed as she faced Keith directly.
"I do apologise for this-"
"Your name's Thorndyke?" Keith questioned. "You're not related to an Alexa Thorndyke, are you?" The lady's eyes widened in shock.
"Yes, she's one of my nieces. How do you know her?"
"Y-yeah, I'm...uh...i-it's complicated... M-My name's Keith; Keith Clarke."
"My name's Naomi Thorndyke and I'm the hotel manager," Naomi said on a much more friendly tone.
"I-It's nice to meet you," Keith said nervously as he handed Naomi several 20 dollar bills as payment for his hotel room. Rhonda returned with a blue slab of plastic attached to a sterling silver key and collected Keith's payment. Naomi looked at Rhonda, her green eyes looking softer than previously.
"You can take your break in five minutes, Rhonda. Afterwards, I'll find someone to talk you through the software."
"Yes, Mrs Thorndyke. Thank you," Rhonda smiled with relief and gratitude. Naomi looked at Keith again.
"Would you like me to escort you and your Pokémon to your room?" she asked. Keith didn't really need an escort, but he also didn't want to turn down a charitable offer.
"Okay, thanks," he said kindly. Naomi nodded and led Keith into the nearby elevator.
Inside the elevator, Naomi pressed the #6 button and the doors closed slowly. Once closed, the elevator began to move upwards. Robbie nearly lost his balance.
"So...you're Alexa's aunt?" Keith asked awkwardly.
"One of them," Naomi replied. "Actually, I don't see her very often."
"How come?" Keith asked curiously.
"No real reason. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate her; it's just that we've never properly interacted," Naomi said sheepishly. "Do you know if she's all right?"
"Not a clue; I haven't really seen her since-uh...I haven't seen her for a few days," Keith answered cryptically.
"I see."
"W-we're not exactly on good terms right now, though," Keith added quickly.
"I know the feeling," Naomi sighed quietly as the elevator doors opened. She led Keith and Robbie down the cream coloured corridor and passed several identical birch doors, each with a gold plated number on the door. Robbie appreciated the soft red carpet under his hooves as he walked. "So, have you stayed in a hotel before?"
"Actually, this is my first time," Keith replied. "I'm not entirely sure what to expect."
"You can expect to be treated as a guest," Naomi explained. "While you're a guest here at the Driftveil Star, my staff are willing to do anything they can to make your stay a comfortable one," she added as she unlocked the door with the number "109" on it. Keith looked away from her and sighed silently.
"Except turn back time..." Naomi snuck a quick glance of confusion at Keith before finally opening the door. She smiled kindly at him.
"There we go. The en suite's through that door," she continued, indicating a cream coloured door inside the room. "And there's a phone next to the bed; feel free to call room service if you require anything."
"Thank you," Keith said nicely. Naomi nodded.
"I hope you enjoy your stay," she said courteously as she handed Keith the hotel room key. As she walked towards the elevator again, Keith and Robbie made their way inside the room.
The room itself looked more impressive than Keith had anticipated; there was a double bed on one side of the room, with fresh red and gold bedclothes on the duvet and pillows, next to a beautifully crafted birch wood side table with an ivory white slimline telephone resting on it. A large plasma screen television sat opposite the bed, close to the en suite door, on top of a black glass television stand with a television box on one shelf and a DVD player on the lowest shelf. There was also a matching birch desk and chair near the television in the far corner of the room, with a small white porcelain pot on the table top, containing numerous complimentary sachets of sugar, coffee and teabags. Next to this pot was an ebony black electric kettle and a stainless steel mug holder that held four identical white porcelain mugs, all of which were perfectly clean and ready for use. Underneath the table was a waste bin that was completely fresh and empty. Keith closed the door behind Robbie and saw the large wardrobe behind the door, which, as he looked inside it, only contained half a dozen grey coat hangers and a plastic 'do not disturb' door hanger on the shelf above the rail. Robbie lay down on the soft red carpet and relaxed as Keith closed the wardrobe door and turned the television on. As the television activated, Keith took the remote control, removed the egg case from his rucksack and turned the television box on with the control in his hand. The television displayed a stadium of sorts with a pack of applauding spectators.
"Welcome to the Nimbasa Contest Hall for this year's Nimbasa Contest!" greeted an enthusiastic young girl with long bleach blonde pigtails. "I'm your host, Gloria, and I'm looking forward to seeing the many wonderful displays these Co-ordinators have to offer! How about you guys?!"
The crowd roared with applause, but Keith showed no interest. He was about to change the channel when he happened to see something that caught his attention; the camera had somehow panned over to some of the audience members, and Keith saw that a handful of them weren't applauding. Among them, one of them in particular caught his attention and he smiled.
"Alexa!" Robbie and Reese looked up at the television in shock and, sure enough, they saw Alexa sitting in the audience among her family; rather than applauding the overexcited host, they were laughing among themselves. Keith sighed heavily with relief. "She's still here...! Thank Arceus I haven't wasted my time..." He paid close attention to Alexa before the camera shifted back to Gloria. "If Alexa's there, one of her family members is participating. Probably."
"Bui-bui," Reese nodded.
"Maybe it's worth a watch after all," Keith smiled.
"You're all keen to see some action and the judges are eager to judge; let's get this show on the road!" Gloria declared excitedly. The audience applauded and cheered loudly, much to Daniel's frustration; he groaned as he leaned back in his seat.
"Just get on with it already," he complained quietly. "She's just wasting time."
"The Pokémon League commentators do the same thing," Alexa sighed. Keenan nodded in agreement.
Many Pokémon Co-ordinators took to the stage with their Pokémon, dressed in highly fashionable clothing. All of the Pokémon displayed their moves in uniquely elegant ways; among them were a Golduck that rode on a tidal wave that it controlled with its golden psychic energy, a Marowak who created a block of ice with Ice Beam and carved an imperfect statue of a Milotic with its skilful use of Bone Rush, a Luxray that surrounded itself with rings of thin yellow lightning bolts as it levitated itself with its combined usage of Thunder Wave and Magnet Rise, a Talonflame performing many aerial somersaults with only its wings veiled in bright orange flames and a Mienshao who demolished several rocks, which were no larger than cannon balls, and used its blinding speed to knock the debris around the arena, forming a shape that closely resembled a Flame Orb. All of the Pokémon received praise for their appeals, some gaining more than others.
Hailey stood backstage with a green eyed Swampert standing behind her, slowly running a soft brush down her light blonde hair. Hailey carried three different coloured hair ties in one hand – one was red and the other two were blue – and held a heart shaped locket in her other hand.
"Are you done yet, Joshie?" she asked. The Swampert smiled as he took a step back, admiring his Trainer's tangle-free hair.
"Swamp!" he nodded.
"Thanks, Josh," Hailey smiled as she clipped the locket around her neck. Adelina approached Hailey as she began to tie her hair in a high ponytail with the red hair tie.
"Really, Hailey, I would have thought you'd be more organised," Adelina teased.
"I am organised; if you want to look your best for a Contest, prepare yourself before your turn," Hailey explained as she securely tied her hair in place. She looked at Adelina and noticed her dress; it was a dark blue pencil dress with thick black straps around the neck area. The only thing Adelina wore on her feet were black ankle-high heeled boots. Adelina wore her usual accessories along with the questionable clothes; her gold loop earrings, her heart hair clip on her fringe and two identical pearl bracelets on either wrist. "Uh, I don't mean to be a fashion critic, but isn't that a little...skimpy for a Pokémon Contest?"
"This coming from a woman wearing a dress that looks like it's been ripped apart?" Adelina questioned, hinting the clearly different lengths between the front of Hailey's pearl pink dress and the back, which hung down to her ankles with a grape silk lining. Hailey looked at her dress in confusion before facing Adelina.
"I can see why you'd think that. To be honest, I thought that as well when I saw it in the boutique," Hailey laughed. "Hey, it's your turn next; good luck!"
"Thank you, Hailey," Adelina smiled sweetly as she passed her friend. "Not that I need it," she muttered inaudibly, bearing an extremely tiny smirk on her face.
"Coming up next is Adelina Cross from Saffron City in Kanto!" Gloria declared keenly as Adelina calmly walked onto the stage, holding a Poké Ball in one hand; the Poké Ball looked oddly coloured and had two pink and grey seals that were shaped like a four pointed star. "Adelina is another veteran Co-ordinator, so I don't doubt her performance will be a feast for the eyes!" Gloria added as she practically skipped off of the stage. Adelina expanded the Poké Ball and tossed it into the air.
"Francesca, honey! Time to shine!" she called. The Poké Ball opened, releasing a stream of white energy that sparkled all over it as it formed into the Gothitelle summoned from the Poké Ball. Francesca almost floated down to the ground delicately and landed just in time for the sparkling to end.
"Gothitelle..."
"Oh wow, that was a BEAUTIFUL entrance!" Gloria cried in awe. "And from such a beautiful Pokémon...such a perfect mix!" All three of the faraway judges nodded in unified agreement.
"Okay, honey; Psyshock," Adelina instructed calmly. Francesca held her hands together as a ring of spheres, made from red, blue and purple psychic energy, formed around her.
"Gothi...telle!" Pushing her hands up into the air sent the entire ring upwards, causing it to erupt, scattering the spheres across the entire stadium. Most of the audience members looked worried.
"Catch."
"Telle." Francesca's eyes shone bright red, causing all of the psychic spheres to halt in mid air as they were veiled in the same glow.
"Oh my gosh, that is so cool! Psyshock just...stopped! That is just amazing!" Gloria squealed with delight. The judges spoke amongst themselves before writing some notes on the desks in front of them.
"We're not finished yet. Are we, my darling?"
"Goth," Francesca nodded. She placed her hands together as they began to shine in the same red aura. The psychic spheres travelled towards the arena and formed a ring once more; the ring began to spin and compress until all of the spheres merged to form the full-sized figure of a Togekiss. The audience were at a loss for words at the marvel, including Daniel.
"Oh. My. Gosh! That is just the cutest thing I have ever seen! I really love Togekiss!" Gloria cried in ecstasy. Francesca strategically moved her hands around in front of her, controlling the movement of her Psyshock Togekiss, flying it above the audience members and making it perform various low-key somersaults, such as small barrel rolls and back flips. The red glow around the Togekiss intensified until the entire display exploded lightly, releasing many sparkles that soon fell to the ground like autumn leaves. The audience cheered wildly at the display; Adelina and Francesca bowed courteously before calmly walking away from the arena.
"Oh, man...Aunt Hailey's gonna have to compete with that," Alexa said worriedly. "That's a hard act to top."
"I'm sure Mum can handle it," Daphne said confidently. "She always has done."
"What do you mean?" Keenan asked curiously.
"Adelina's never won against Mum," Daphne explained.
"Technically, that's only in the Battle phase of the Contest," Daniel corrected. "Both Mum and Adelina advance to the Battle phase, but Mum always defeated her." Alexa and Keenan exchanged looks of suspicion.
"Speaking of Mummy, here she is!" Peggy exclaimed excitedly.
"Blu, Blu!" Piper cooed happily from the top of Peggy's head. The audience watched as Hailey made her way onto the stage, wearing a cheerful and confident smile on her face.
"They say the best is last, but will Nacrene City's Hailey Hawkstone prove the saying true?! Personally, I'm dead keen to find out! This has been a great Contest so far! Then again, I say that for every Contest I host, but I just love Pokémon Contests so much!" Gloria rambled gleefully. Daniel rolled his eyes at the over-enthusiastic teen host, but Colin kept his eyes on his wife, smiling lovingly.
"Go get 'em, Honeybee," he said quietly. Hailey expanded a Poké Ball in her hand, which had two seals depicting three pieces of blue confetti on the Ball Capsule, and threw it into the air.
"Okay, Eric, it's all you, little guy!" she called as the Poké Ball opened. The little Bellossom was released in a light burst of blue glittery confetti, which erupted from him as he was released from the Poké Ball.
"Bellossom~!" Eric sang merrily.
"Yay Eric!" Daphne applauded.
"Eric, use Petal Dance!" Hailey commanded. Eric closed his eyes softly as the two red flowers on his head shone bright pink. He began to spin around slowly, releasing many waves of shining pink petals from the glowing flowers.
"Awww, that's so cute! Using a usually fast-paced attack slowly...that's something you don't see every day!" Gloria cried joyfully. As the judges made notes regarding the display, Hailey smiled slightly more confidently.
"Okay, Time for Hidden Power!" she declared.
"Bellossom!" Eric's whole body shone in a burning red glow, causing any petals to escape his head flowers to burn in an artificial red flame.
"Oh, what?! That is so cool! The best part is those petals remain intact! Clever thinking from such a clever Co-ordinator!" Gloria praised delightfully.
"I see what she's done there!" Harvey grinned. "She's combining the beauty of a Grass type attack with the beauty of a Fire type attack while eliminating the dangers of fire!" Hayden smiled.
"Very clever indeed," he agreed. Suddenly, the glow around Eric's body intensified, as did the flames around the newly released petals, much to Eric's shock and terror; the Flower Pokémon panicked as he began to feel incredibly hot and sweaty. The audience members began to panic.
"Uh oh! What's going on?! It looks like that Hidden Power is spiralling out of control!" Gloria cried fearfully. The arena underneath Eric and Hailey's feet began to deform from the overwhelming heat of the fake flames.
"Bellossom!" Eric cried in fear; he covered his eyes and stopped spinning around, quivering in fear. Hailey panicked, which concerned her family.
"Protect!" Hailey suddenly cried. Complying immediately, Eric pulled his arms away from his eyes and crossed them together as a dome of translucent green energy formed around him. He then pushed his arms out, causing the dome to expand, which, in turn, extinguished the false fire once and for all. The petals were all blown away by the force of the expanding shield, all completely unscathed. Hailey and Eric sighed with relief, but quickly left the arena without so much as a quick bow. Concerned, Colin instantly stood up and made his way out of the main arena, heading straight for backstage. Harvey, Hayden and the rest of the family soon followed Colin.
"Uh...w-well, um...this hasn't happened before..." Gloria laughed nervously until she saw the deformed arena. "Oh, no, the arena's damaged! We'll have to make sure it's safe before the judges can decide who's advanced!"
Backstage, Hailey sat down on a bench and rested her head in her hands, sighing heavily. Eric looked up at her worriedly until Colin ran over to her.
"Hailey! What happened, are you and Eric all right?!" he asked quickly as he sat down next to her. Hailey lowered her arms and faced her husband; she looked anxious and perplexed.
"I-I don't know what happened!" she panicked. "I didn't realise anything like that could even happen!" Colin placed an arm around Hailey's shoulders and held one of her hands with his free hand.
"It's okay, you managed to recover from it quite quickly," Colin said, smiling timidly. "I'm sure everything will work out just fine!"
"I dunno, Collie...I'm really nervous about the results for the first time in over 20 years!" Harvey and Hayden were the first to arrive backstage, Lily close behind them with Troy and Alexa. Keenan and Peggy and the twins were the last to enter the room, Peggy running straight into Hailey's arms.
"Hailey, are you and Eric all right?" Harvey asked.
"Yes, we're fine, considering," Hailey replied shakily. "I-It was just a bit of a scare, that's all."
"Do you know what happened?" Hayden asked worriedly.
"N-No, I don't...this is the first time Eric's lost control over his attacks..."
"B-Bellossom!" Eric cried sadly.
"Oh, honey, I know you didn't mean to," Hailey said gently. "It was probably just one of those things..."
"What's going to happen now?" Lily asked with concern.
"First off, they'll be seeing if the arena is safe enough to use for the next phase of the Contest," Daniel replied. "Then again, no matter what the arena's fate is, I can't say I'm sure about what the results will be..."
"Oh, real nice, Daniel, way to show your mother your support," Troy complimented sarcastically. Daniel glared at his eldest cousin angrily.
"No, Troy, h-he's right. Even I'm not sure about the results..."
"I-I was just saying that Eric recovered from the whole thing rather quickly," Colin said suddenly.
"That's right, he did," Hayden smiled kindly. "I'm sure the judges will take that into consideration when they're choosing the Co-ordinators that will advance to the next round."
"Yeah, it's too soon to throw in the towel," Harvey said encouragingly. "If anything, you can at least take pride in the fact that you were able to rise above an unexpected turn of events!"
"Even if it's not enough to make you advance to the next round, we're all proud of you, Hailey," Hayden said sweetly.
"I wish I shared your sentiment," Hailey sighed. "I really do."
"I know it's knocked your self-confidence, Aunt Hailey, but you're around the one group of people who will support you no matter what happens; your family," Alexa said thoughtfully.
"She's right; it won't matter to us if you advance or not because we'll be there for you regardless," Keenan agreed wholeheartedly.
"Because we love you!" Peggy added sweetly. Hailey smiled a little as she looked into her daughter's loving lavender eyes.
"Thanks, baby," Hailey said quietly. She looked around at the rest of her family. "Thanks, everyone, I really appreciate it."
Adelina surveyed the family intervention from afar, wearing a tiny smile on her face. However, she looked up at the speaker in the room as she heard it turning on.
"Attention, Co-ordinators and viewers. Attention, Co-ordinators and viewers. Due to the damage afflicted to the stage, this Pokémon Contest is postponed indefinitely. Under the circumstances, it is with regret that the current Pokémon Contest cannot continue; therefore, I must inform everyone that the Contest will start anew once repairs are complete. That is all."
"Indefinitely postponed?!" Daphne exclaimed in disbelief.
"They can't do that, surely!" Alexa protested.
"I think, Alexa, they just did," Daniel said pessimistically.
"What does indefinitely mean?" Peggy asked. Colin sighed silently as Hailey began to panic.
"It's another word for...forever," he explained solemnly. Adelina growled under her breath and bit her lip.
To be continued...