The flash of a camera momentarily blinded the young girl as she was dragged down the red carpet of the illustrious ceremony- not that she could even understand as much at such a young age. No older than four, she had been dolled up in the must expensive dress and jewelry money could buy, none of which particularly fit her both in terms of size and in how appropriate it was. It all just felt so uncanny when wrapped around such a small thing, so innocent to the world at large, yet left trapped amongst such shallow depravities.

None of this escaped the knowledge of her parents, a large flower-like woman and a mass of tentacles respectively, but just as much they didn't seem to care much. Her whining at their feet went unnoticed in their presence, even outside such an event- and the cameras were still snapping pictures, especially as they forced her out in front of them while they waved to their fans.

Which each picture she tried to cover her eyes with her hands, each flash of light burning that little bit more. It hurt- more than she could possibly bare. She could feel tears starting to rise up, the voices screaming at her getting louder and louder. So loud, so bright- it hurt. Everything hurt! And when she looked up to her parents for aid, they didn't even notice.

"How could they not care?" she may have thought, but she couldn't think like this, especially at her age. It wasn't even the words that mattered though, it was the feeling- this horrid suffocation of her personal space and this overwhelming accumulation of sources all focused on her. She couldn't describe it, how was she even floating right now?

S-She needed to get away- away from these people. She had to- if she didn't she'd die, or at least that's what her body told her!

The young girl took off into flight, escaping as fast as she could down the carpet in her vain attempt to escape the attention of the masses. She heard her parents call out but she didn't stop, she needed to leave, get away from them- from everyone! It still hurt, everything hurts!

The cameras weren't going away, they only singed her skin evermore, each and every snap of the button tightening the rope around her neck pinning her to the ground. She could barely float on her own let alone fly, how was she making it this far-

And in that moment of instinct loss, she lost her grip- her body fell through the air.

She hit the ground- hard. Cradled up across the carpet, that horrible dress imprinting itself into her flesh as the lights kept coming down onto her, she couldn't breathe. She wept with tears, running down her face as she kept trying to hold out her hands to stop the constant waves of attention, those voices screaming at her all the while. She could hear her parents but their tone spoke more of displeasure than sympathy.

So she cried. And cried. And cried some more. Each flash of the camera hurting that little bit more. Everything hurt. Everything was gone. It flashed again-

And she was back in the present, shaking away the thoughts that had begun to come up as she refocused herself.

"Beautiful. Alright, let's get her in for last looks."

What was once a young girl so many years ago had grown into the woman she was today. Well into her twenties and looking fantastic for her age, Florges found herself ushered out onto camera. She looked lost in thought in the moment, though she was exactly where they needed her- every time.

"Great, lock it up."

A hand stuck out, brushing her face with make-up and another lining her head in place to where it needed to be. As soon as they stepped away she could only breathe, still locked in place. Exactly where they needed her to be- every time.

"Camera ready? Let's roll the camera. Roll sound."

A pair of hands stuck out once more, film board at the ready. "Scene one, take one; marker." It snapped down, and left sight.

Florges didn't notice as much. She still just floated there. Empty minded. Locked in place. Exactly-

"Florges?"

"Hmmm?" she sounded, looking up.

"You ready?"

"Oh...Yes, I'm all good to go." she nodded and smiled, and recentered. She'd have to congratulate herself on her professional handling later. She double-checked herself, and, as always...

She was locked in. Exactly where she needed to be: every time.

"Move to camera one. And...Playback."

"The people's champion...So lays the claim of fame of one Garchomp of the Sinnoh region. And yet, she's so eager to leave her post, is she not?"

Florges stepped into frame, the green screen behind her portraying a brilliant void as she offered up a smile and gave the camera a wave.

"Hi, I'm Florges; you likely know me from my various social media platforms," she gestured to her left, and several logos flashed onto screen with links to said accounts, "and today, I'm here to pitch to you why I should be the next champion of Sinnoh."

The screen transitioned to a new shot of her walking down the streets of downtown Jubilife City, passing by citizens as she smiled at the camera. "I care deeply about enhancing, and displaying the full extent of the Sinnoh experience to the rest of the world. From its rich culture to the vibrant life of the smallest towns to the biggest cities, I feel it deserves a champion willing to carry it forward into the modern day."

She took a moment to pose with a passerby- a Jinx and her child, a Smoochum. Though one couldn't help but notice her immediate discomfort with the former, turning a side eye as if to not directly face them.

Moments later the scene had transitioned again, back to the white void with a close-up on her face, as she explained, "If I were to become the region's next champion, I promise- not only will I make the most of the experience, but I will never abandon you. Your best interest is my best interest."

She smiled warmly again, as the scene faded into simple text; #FlorgesForChampion.

"Yes! You go, girl!" Wept the gigantic, titanic beast of a man known as Bastiodon, his entire lower half slumped onto a broken couch as he cheered at the screen. "Tell them who's boss!" He cried into his massive stumped appendages, "God she's just like the daughter I always wanted!"

Rampardos peaked into the room moments later, glancing at the screen, then at the man, "Uh…Need anything, dad-"

"Get out of here, you big disappointment! I'm crying over what could've been!"

"And that's a wrap!"

A bell rang out and the crew quickly got to work tearing down the set. Smeargle stepped out, clapping excitedly as he approached Florges. "Brilliant job! You nailed it."

The woman stifled a giggle, nodding along and saying, "Tell me something I don't know, darling." She noticeably was refraining from meeting the director's eye, not wanting to stare at his ungodly figure. Even forcing these niceties was edging her further out of her comfort zone than she liked.

"Yeah, you did great!" A Dolliv complimented, though she noticeably looked more worried. "Though…I was wondering…Is this really what you're going to do, Miss Florges? Champion is…A big step-"

"And I deserve that kind of position, my dearie," Florges eased those worries of the girl, leaning down and pinching her cheek lovingly. She immediately seemed so much more welcoming and pleasant to the smaller, far cuter figure than the beagle beside them.

"I have big plans for Sinnoh- and myself, for that matter," Florges carried on, placing some stylish shades over her eyes and fluffing up her flowers, "you'll see soon enough."

She floated away from the two, leaving them only bewildered at what she could possibly mean. Smeargle eventually spoke up again, "Wait, Florges- want me to call your guards? There's a lot of people outside Pokestar today. You might get a bit crowded."

"Perfect~" She grinned, throwing open the doors to the back stage-

And indeed, crowded all outside the back gate of the studio was hundreds of her adoring fans. Snapping pictures, calling her name- the bright lights and attention.

It was invigorating.

"I live for the applause, darling."

Player #6: Florges
Created by: Slimeboisss
Represented Type: Fairy

Age: 27
Gender: Female
Hometown: Virbank City, Unova
Received Recommendation from: Bastiodon (Gym Leader - Canalave City)

"She is beauty, she is grace, she is everything you aren't and that you may well hate. But hate is such a strong word- especially when Florges is the type of gal to not tolerate such disrespect. With an eye for the finer things in life and a strong sense of fashion, Florges is a walking embodiment of privilege. Even from a young age she was spoiled rotten, richer than some kings on account of her celebrity parents (not that she'd ever want to be associated with them). And like most of such status, she certainly knows how to work a crowd- she's got a smile that can flatter thousands and a strong sense of what a crowd is looking for."

"Despite that, it's not all falsities with her; behind this image of diamonds actually lies quite the keen mind. Florges is a genuine genius- she can read people like a book while barely even trying, which has made negotiating her many book and make-up deals that little bit easier, and even beyond that, she has plenty of tricks up her sleeve just in case things prove to be more difficult than anticipated. Though possibly more surprising than that is the presence of a heart- of sorts. While it can be hard to see past that allure of perfection, she can be quite the sweetheart if she lets you in- even being described as sisterly."

"Though, such a soft side only makes her ugly side that bit worse. Namely…The girl is fake as fuck. She's so blatantly superficial it hurts. Beauty, riches, status- those are the big three in her book. Anything beyond them just isn't a priority in her mind, and really, why should anything be more important than that? They've gotten her this far. But worse than that is how while she can certainly be kind, she can be equally as vile, and oftentimes you'd struggle to find a real reason for why she acts the way she does toward you- until you start to realize that all her friends seem to portray those same traits she values. Ouch."

"And so, here Florges is, still on track to higher heights and ready to take on the world with a new goal- become champion, and reach the greatest potential for stardom one could. But will her high expectations carry her beyond her current limitations, or has she found her Olympus to fall from?"

So I'll keep this kind of brief; I went through a serious writer's block and just didn't wanna do anything these last few days. Yeah my bad, but hey, it's done now! Decided to not have this be a huge chapter lore-wise but hey, we met Florges, our oldest contestant so far, and our resident social media gal. Admittedly I kept her intro short since I want to do some research on specific character traits of hers before I start writing them in full. In spite of that she's actually one of the characters I'm the most excited to write for.

With every slot that gets filled the competition for spots gets more tense, especially with 6/18 contestants filled up- that's a freaking third! So keep freaking at it, submitting characters if you wanna have a chance to get in!

Alright, later.

Chosen Characters
Eiscue (Zealous Thaumaturge) - Ice Type
Florges (Slimeboisss) - Fairy Type
Infernape (InfernoMaster64) - Fire Type
Lucario (TPReboot) - Fighting Type
Maractus (ShinyRedExp) - Grass Type
Tandemaus (Dark Arcanine 33) - Normal Type

Considered Characters
Barbaracle (Velvet Yamirami) - Rock / Water
Corsola (Litini) - Water / Rock
Dedenne (LunetteArk) - Electric
Drampa (Tricky Magic) - Dragon
Gengar (Enkiddu) - Ghost / Poison
Golurk (Arcade Rabbit) - Ground / Ghost
Hakamo-o (kitkatwithabat) - Dragon
Indeedee (Litini) - Psychic / Normal
Joltik (Miss Leafea) - Electric
Klefki (Nihilego Fanatic) - Steel
Kommo-o (zetsunaflames) - Dragon
Lycanroc (Spyrorocks389) - Rock
Malamar (Jeyko) - Dark / Psychic
Polteageist (Soul of the Witch) - Ghost
Quaquaval (Souldra) - Water
Togekiss (Jalengu) - Flying
Tropius (Plumfadoodle) - Flying
Turtonator (kitkatwithabat) -Dragon
Wormadam (WryterWarrior) - Bug
Zorua (Miss Leafea) - Dark
Zorua (Tricky Magic) - Dark

Knocked Out
Hitmontop (Litini)