Lisia is every performer's dream, but a nightmare for those with stage fright.
They said goodbye to the captain, leaving the Goods with him, and left for the Pokémon Center in silence.
"Did you get any new ideas yet?" Brendan asked, ending the moment, as May put her Marshtomp's ball on the counter for the nurse to take with Brendan's Combusken.
"Not really," was the short answer. "Team Aqua doesn't seem like a competent organization to me. Besides, what kind of crime is loving water?"
"They still attempted to steal things."
"So did you, once. And they weren't particularly competent at theft, either. They got squashed by twelve-year-olds just starting their journey." Once Jerry and Adam were handed back to their trainers, she started on her way, only to find people leaving the building in a large group.
"...and Lisia's back in Slateport for the first time since her uncle dropped off the radar," one boy was saying, getting May's attention. "I'm not sure if she's going to enter the Master Rank contest yet, but if she is, I'd love to see her and Chaz go after each other again."
"Chaz hasn't even made it to the Master Rank yet," a girl pointed out. "And Lisia doesn't do rivalries, she said so in a magazine interview."
Another girl waved that away. "Yeah, but once he stops trying to put a Machoke in Cuteness contests, he'll be in the Top 5 Coordinators list for sure."
Brendan glanced at his companion, hoping for answers. "Lisia?" he mouthed, uncertain.
"A contest star," May whispered back. "I forgot, Johto doesn't do those."
"Yeah, we're pretty action-oriented back there." Brendan watched as more people swarmed for the exit, all of them getting excited. The group that had announced Lisia's presence, not wanting to miss their chance at meeting their idol, started pushing for the door, too. "Well, where are we going next? Mauville City, right?"
They couldn't even get out of Slateport. It wasn't that they didn't try, but the crowd to meet Lisia was too big to escape. So, when somebody decided to drag them into it, they had no choice but to get involved.
"Good afternoon, everybody!" a female voice cheered, and the entire crowd roared with excitement. Brendan peeked through the crowd to see a girl only a little older than he was, dressed like she crawled out of a magical girl anime.
This was Lisia? He'd expected a grown woman from how the crowd had talked about her. A grown woman with a lot of experience, and more Pokémon than just one Altaria.
"I'm not here to perform," Lisia continued when the enthusiasm died. "Instead, it's time for Lisia's Miraculous Contest Scouting!"
More cheers went up, and Brendan looked over at May for answers. She held up a hand, silently telling him that the answers would come.
And they did, only a few moments later, when Lisia began wandering through the crowd. Every now and then she would stop in front of a fan, look them over, and then decide that they didn't have whatever she was looking for. Then, passing one of the girls that had come to the Pokémon Center, she stopped in front of Brendan.
There was something uncomfortable in her stare, as if she was trying to find the right words for the situation. She turned to May, and the look vanished, to be replaced by something resembling determination.
"You two look like you have no idea what you're doing here," she said with a bright, dazzling smile. Brendan suddenly realized exactly why she was so popular. "That makes you two perfect for Scouting. You'll do great in Pokémon Contests."
"What's a Pokémon Contest?" Brendan asked, faking complete ignorance on the topic. Maybe then this pretty girl would want to 'clear things up' for him.
There was no luck in that move. Lisia's smile turned wicked. "That," she whispered, leaning in close, "is exactly what I wanted to hear." She spun around, taking both heroes with her, and rushed back to the front of the crowd, towing them along. "I've decided! This is something I have never done before - I have scouted two trainers for Contest participation! Why don't you two introduce yourselves?"
Brendan decided he might as well, since he was stuck. "I'm Brendan, from Johto. I just moved to Hoenn the day I started my journey." The crowd whispered with hushed theories. "I'm...only vaguely aware of what a Contest actually is. I'd like to decline Lisia's offer, though I'm sure she means well."
Lisia was taken by surprise at this development. She clearly wasn't used to being turned down.
May, on the other hand, was more in line with what Lisia had been thinking. "I'm May. I've lived in Hoenn my whole life, and am very aware of what a Contest is, though I've never followed them that closely. I'd like to take the chance to participate."
Lisia turned smug. "Come with me, May. You and I look like we could be about the same clothes size. I've got a personal costumer making me a new outfit, but pink really isn't my color..."
"You look gorgeous!" Lisia squealed as May stepped out of the changing room, dressed in a cotton-candy pink costume very similar to Lisia's. The second magical girl on the squad.
"She looks like a fairy princess," Brendan commented, though the girls weren't sure if he meant that as a compliment or not. "What happened to my friend?"
"She's ready for the stage, that's what happened." Lisia hadn't taken her eyes off of May, the pride of a mentor already in her eyes. "Which Pokémon are you going to use?"
"Surskit," May answered at once. "She's got Fell Stinger and Quick Attack...that's good enough for our first Cool contest, right?"
"Of course," Lisia agreed. "Could you let her out so my Ali can meet her? He's been dying to make some new friends."
Well, introducing the tiny water spider to the comparatively huge Altaria was a bit of a disaster, but May brought out Jerry to be the mediator. Even Brendan released Adam, Shroomish and Aron to play, and the six Pokémon instantly started a discussion of whatever Pokémon think about. Ali even gave them all contest tips.
"The Marshtomp and Combusken came from Professor Birch, didn't they?" Lisia asked, watching as Ali let Surskit climb on his back before flying her around the room. When Brendan confirmed it, she pulled at her fluffy wing-sleeves, a nervous habit. "They're obviously well cared for. Not to say the others aren't, but there's just some kind of aura around a lab Pokémon that can't be duplicated."
"Dad does make sure each Pokémon is properly trained before sending them out into the world." May smiled and waved at her Surskit, who lifted a single leg in response.
"Professor Birch is your father?" Lisia focused more on Jerry now, who was watching carefully in case Ali attempted sabotage. "And yet you choose to do contests. I forgot that not everybody follows in the footsteps of famous relatives."
Brendan suddenly remembered hearing about an uncle that disappeared from the spotlight only recently. "So, you decided to be like your uncle, right?"
"In part," Lisia answered cryptically. "His talent pool is a bit wider than mine. As good as he is at Contests, he's even more impressive in battle."
"Have you ever tried a regular battle?" Brendan asked curiously. "Ali evolved, so you must have had practice..."
Lisia shook her head. "Ali was a gift from my parents. I got him as a Swablu, but even when my uncle went easy on us, we hardly ever won." She looked up at the clock and jumped to her feet. "May! Surskit! It's almost time for your big performance! Get ready, we're on to the first exciting episode of your series - 'The Big Beginning! Heart-Pounding Contest Debut!' That, um..." she pulled at her sleeves again, "that's what I call it, anyway."
She even titled her apprentices' performances like an anime episode. Just how much TV did she watch in her free time?
"...Entry #4! May and Surskit!"
May felt a little uncomfortable as the spotlight settled on them. She was the only competitor who hadn't named her performing Pokémon, and she was wondering if she should have gone with Jerry instead. She wasn't sure what category his moveset would have fit, though. Besides, 'Jerry' was a human name he'd liked, there was no connection between that and Marshtomp or even Mudkip.
Well, too late to think about that.
"May is one of the newcomers scouted by Lisia herself," the announcer went on, "and it says that Surskit is the first Pokémon she ever caught. These two have been working together in battle for some time, but can they transfer that bond to the stage?"
The crowd went wild for the fourth time. Brendan, seated next to Lisia in the front row, noticed the star leaning back in her seat. "Is she winning?"
Lisia shrugged. "This is just the popularity round," she explained. "And the proper question is, are they winning. Surskit is even more important than May in the long run, but they're a team. My answer to that question is, yes, so far, they are."
"But that can change?"
"Easily," was the instant reply. "I remember Chaz - another Contest star, you'll meet him eventually - coming in first in the popularity round but third overall. He's good at what he does, but his brain works in a way that's beyond human comprehension."
Brendan smothered a laugh. "I know people like that," he admitted. "Ask May what it was that I saved her dad from. I'll give you a hint - it was my Torchic's first battle."
Lisia's look of confusion, dimly illuminated by the bright lights of the Contest stage as the move round began, just made his day.
One Contest later, as May accepted her first Coolness ribbon, Brendan and Lisia retreated to the dressing room. When May arrived with her Surskit sliding behind her, the two immediately jumped her with congratulations.
"I told you, you can do this," Lisia said happily, looking like she wanted to give May a friendly hug but wasn't sure how that would be received. "I'm never wrong about these things."
"As she's been saying since we left the hall," Brendan added, ignoring the annoyed glance from the celebrity. "I'll bet that got your creative juices going."
"It certainly got mine," Lisia's costumer added from the corner. "I already have outfits planned out for Lisia's next demonstration...though I don't know why I bother, she insists on keeping her look the same for every competition."
"I told you, Laura, this one makes me feel closer to Ali."
Laura rolled her eyes theatrically. "Come on, Lisia. After your uncle -"
"My uncle told you to work with me because he's too nice to fire you," Lisia corrected. "Besides, you made me this and I love it. Why don't you just show May her prize and get it over with?"
Laura laughed, getting the teen to smile back, showing that their friendship was still going. "As you wish, Your Highness."
She pulled back the dressing room curtain to show a Pikachu, dressed in a replica of May's costume, heart-tipped tail swishing. The Pikachu took a good look around the room and cheered when she saw May, doing a little twirl herself.
"She was inspired by you," Laura said, as May struggled to keep from making a noise at the cuteness of it all. "Lisia got her interested in Contests, but she insisted on a copy of your costume. Luckily, she's been asking for it for weeks, only now wanting to wear it."
"That's adorable." May got down on her knees and tapped the Pikachu on the nose. "You really like playing dress-up, don't you?"
Pikachu squeaked her agreement. Lisia laughed.
"Why don't you take Pikachu along for the ride?" she suggested. "There's secondhand shops all over Hoenn, I'm sure somebody's donated a frilly dress that their daughter outgrew. Besides, she and Surskit can be Contest buddies!"
May looked down at Pikachu again. "I can't promise we'll be in Contests," she told her seriously. "I'm Brendan's sidekick and a writer above all else. I'd only use Contest fame to get the recognition necessary to get published. But shopping and sightseeing? I'm all for that kind of stuff."
Pikachu looked back at Lisia, then at Laura. Then, with a hum of indifference, she jumped into an empty ball in May's bag.
It was the easiest capture Brendan had ever witnessed. May, apparently used to these kinds of things, just put the ball with those holding Jerry and Surskit. "Thank you both for the Pikachu, and the great opportunity," she said, looking from Laura to Lisia. "I can't promise I'll use this power for good instead of evil, but I'll try."
"I'm more of a 'whichever gets me out of here faster' type, myself," Lisia said, reaching for an unopened water bottle. "I want all of you to try your best, ok?" She turned another bright smile on Brendan, letting him know that he and his Pokémon were included despite not choosing to go into Contests.
Brendan promised before he even knew what was happening. This girl must have been a witch.
Pokémon Teams:
Brendan: Adam (male Combusken) Shroomish (male) Aron (female)
May: Jerry (male Marshtomp) Surskit (female) Cosplay Pikachu (female)