Part XCII: The New Frontier of Contests
"Sorry to distract you, but we've met before, haven't we?"
Serena heard the slightly timid, feminine, voice next to her and slightly jumped at it as she turned to see the speaker. The Odyssey Village Contest was starting soon, and she needed to focus on her appeal both because it was her debut as a coordinator, and because she had been randomly chosen to go first making her the first person to ever perform an appeal in Kalos.
Serena wasn't an idiot. She knew that there had been no randomness in her selection. The moment she had registered that morning and received her Kalos coordinator card, a beautiful dark pink card with a bright blue ribbon imprinted on it along with her name and coordinator number, she had been identified as the winner of the Master Class Showcase. What better way to start the Kalos Contest circuit then with a native, almost local, girl and the person who most recently challenged Aria for the title of Kalos Queen.
Serena looked at the girl talking to her and instantly recognized her. The girl was about 13 or 14 years old with short brown hair cut in a bob just above her shoulders with the exception of a pair of longer bangs that framed her round, cute, face and fell down to her shoulders. She had wide brown eyes and very rosy cheeks that looked like she was always blushing. Overall, if she wasn't wearing the same formal dress that Serena had seen her wear the one time they had met, the girl would give off a distinct school girl vibe.
Serena herself was dressed up and loving it. She'd gone with something simple and formal for her debut rather than the more decretive and layered styles performers favored. That was because in a Contest it was the Pokémon, who weren't dressed up, and not both the Pokémon and trainer who were on display so Serena couldn't overshadow her Pokémon. Instead, she'd gone with a simple red dress that fell to her knees, hugged her modest bust and had small, poufy, sleeves and shiny red, low healed, shoes to match it.
Serena had accented her look with a few tasteful accessories to look good without overdoing it. Matching red gloves that barely passed her wrists, a white belt, fake pearl necklace with matching stud earrings, and a simple black headband with a red bow on it to hold back her hair. The only flashy thing Serena had were her 3 Princess Keys that she had on special, secure, hooks on her belt on her left hip, her right had her 5 Poke Balls on it.
"It's ok, I was just thinking over my appeal one last time, but I think it's as ready as it can be now." Serena said with a smile at the girl Misty had mentored in Kanto the year before. "And yes, we met once before, at the Kanto Grand Reception before the Grand Festival there that you were in. I'm Serena and you're Emily, right? Misty's friend."
"That's me." Emily said with a smile that made her cheeks even rosier if that was even possible. "I thought I recognized you. You're a performer, right? That special Kalos thing only girls can do here."
"Yes, I am but after I lost to Aria I realized that I was still lacking a certain unquantifiable quality that the Kalos Queen has and Palermo, a former Kalos Queen and producer with an eye for talent, thought Contests could help me find it." Serena said. "May, who you met when you met me, traveled with me last year and mentored me a bit in Contest styles to help my performing. She's still doing that but more intense now that Contests have begun."
"That's great so you're going to be pretty good then." Emily said. "May's a Top Coordinator so you couldn't have asked for a better mentor for your rookie year."
"Well, I've had a little practice." Serena said deciding not to mention her battle with Misty, she had a feeling Misty wanted to surprise her friend when they all visited her after the appeals. "But this is my first Contest so I have no idea how I will do. All the practice in the world can't prepare you for something like this."
"At least you have experience as a performer so know what it's like to have to appeal to a crowd." Emily pointed out. "It's not exactly the same as here you appeal to judges, but the principle is the same from what I've heard."
"May said as much when she saw me in a few Showcases last year." Serena said. "It's the second stage, the freestyle one, that you have to appeal to a crowd and not the first one the way it is in Contests."
"Interesting." Emily said. "Though probably not my scene. I really enjoy battling. I wasn't good at first but after some Contests and some practice I started to like them."
"I don't have much experience with them so I can't say yet." Serena said before she decided to ask a question that would help her. "Seeing as this is my first Contest, what was your first one like?"
"Exhilarating and terrifying at the same time." Emily said. "I was a nervous wreck in Cerulean City when I debuted last year, but I did well and made it all the way to the final on my first attempt. Course I had to come up against one of the most dominant coordinators I've ever seen in that final, but she saw potential in me and became a mentor to me afterwards. She really helped me through some struggles and made me a better coordinator thanks to her confidence in me."
"You faced Misty in your first Contest?" Serena asked amazed knowing that there was no one else Emily could be talking about. "I didn't know that. You really did face one of the best out there. I remember her in the Grand Festival, I couldn't believe she hadn't won one until then."
"Yeah, talk about leaping into the fire to start your career." Emily said with a chuckle. "Misty beat me in less than 2 minutes and didn't break a sweat during it. I lost another final to her by a Battle Off later in the year before managing to avoid a third Battle Off in the semifinals of the Grand Festival but the fact I got that far exceeded my wildest dreams."
"I remember, you upset a favorite in the quarters." Serena said recalling the surprise of the Kanto Grand Festival. "That was impressive to say the least. You're going to be one of the ones to beat here in Kalos."
"I hope so, but I wish I could talk to Misty about handling those expectations when they come." Emily said. "She was the top favorite in Kanto last year and for good reason. Only two people ever seemed to actually be a challenge her. Her boyfriend Ash but that was due to an evolution in the oddest Contest I was in, and Mollie. Now that girl is impressive."
"An evolution is hard to overcome in battle, I would imagine at least." Serena said knowing that Emily would get that moment to talk to Misty soon. "If it comes at the right time it could change the momentum of it. I met Mollie as well, she was a nice, timid, girl who let her talent talk for her."
"That she did, and she beat Misty in their only matchup." Emily said and Serena could hear the respect in Emily's voice at that achievement. "That's why she's so impressive, she can go toe to toe with one of the best coordinators I've ever seen but alas she didn't face Misty in the finals, I really wanted to see that final."
"That would have been a good battle to watch but Misty beating that dick with two of the freakiest Pokémon I've ever seen was something else." Serena said. "He deserved it and it felt fitting that that would be the final."
"Oh, he totally did." Emily agreed. "And Misty finally became a Top Coordinator, a title that was long overdue for her, by using two Pokémon I would have never expected from her. Now it's my turn to do that."
"Well, I may be a simple performer, but I am going for the same thing." Serena said with a grin. "And given our respective mentors and their own rivalry I guess that makes us rivals this year."
"I guess it does." Emily said. "Then you'd better advance to the battles so we can face off there. I will make Misty proud by beating May's protégé."
"I intend to." Serena said but before she could finish the TV came on and the MC, a woman called Jillian who was apparently related to the other MCs and looked just like them other than her formal dress for the event, began to address the crowd. "But I should go. I am first up, so I need to be in position to start this Contest. Good luck Emily."
"You too Serena." Emily said with nod before Serena turned and left.
Serena smiled, Misty was going to be surprised to see Emily in this Contest, though she had expected it was a possibility, and Emily was going to be in for the shock of her life when Misty, along with May and Ash, came to talk to her after the appeals. That was going to be worth seeing but first Serena needed to be ready for her appeal. As such, she put the recent conversation out of her mind as she made her way to the wings of the stadium that had been built for Contests and other events that would be held in Odyssey Village.
Serena could hear, through hidden speakers, Jillian's intro about how this was the first ever Contest in Kalos, going over the rules of Kalos Contests, and introducing the judges. All that was nothing new to Serena so she could tune it out as she reached her starting spot in the winds and took some deep breaths to get herself ready. In a few moments it would be time to begin her coordinator journey.
"…and the winner will get this, the Odyssey Contest Ribbon." Jillian said finishing her opening and holding up the ribbon the winner would be awarded. "The first in the history of Kalos. So, are you ready?"
The crowd cheered and Serena looked out knowing that it was almost time. She pulled Pancham's Poke Ball off her belt and got ready for their appeal. They'd practiced this and knew what to do. It was time to show Kalos how a performer could show off her Pokémon.
"That's just what I want to hear, and we have a truly special coordinator to be the first to perform an appeal here in Kalos." Jillian said and Serena rolled her eyes at this. "And perform is the operative word as she is a well-known Pokémon performer. From nearby Vaniville Town here in Kalos, she was the winner of the Master Class Showcase last year before loosing to Aria in the title performance to take the title of Kalos Queen from her, so you will all agree with me that she deserves this nickname. Starting us off, it's the Kalos Princess herself, Serena!"
Serena walked out of the wings to the cheering crowd and towards her starting spot ignoring the nickname she'd just been given. Apparently those were something notable coordinators had to live with as part of the hyping by the MCs.
She knew that May was called the Princess of Hoenn, which would only add to Serena's nickname given her connection to May. Misty was called the Prodigy of Sinnoh and if Serena recalled correctly Emily had been called the Fairy of Mt. Moon, which given the girl seemed to have Pokémon that became fairy types made a lot of sense despite being a coincidence. Anyway, nicknames weren't relevant now, it was time to put on a performance.
"Pancham, let's go!" Serena said tossing her ball out and a little upset that Kalos had opted to not mimic the beautiful ball seals that Sinnoh loved as it burst open and her small fighting type, complete with his ever-present shades, appeared before her. "And start us off with Bulk Up. Show off that cuteness can be fierce and strong as well."
Pancham smiled as he flexed for the crowd and judges showing off that he was more than a cute, cuddly, Pokémon by highlighting the fact that under his immaculate fur he was pure muscle and reminding them that he was a fighting type. The result was a boost to his strength that he would need in a moment.
"Great, now use Stone Edge." Serena called.
"Pancham." Pancham said as he punched forward.
Right in front of him 4 spears of stone shot out of the ground and slammed into each other in a at the points forming a pyramid of stone that would have hit an opponent if it had been a used during battle. This was just what Serena needed to finish the appeal, she just had to hope that she could do it with one attack, but she had a plan just in case that didn't work.
"Now show off that strength and your type Pancham." Serena said. "Arm Thrust. Destroy those spikes."
"Pancham." Pancham said as he ran forward, his arm glowing with fighting type power.
As he reached the first stone he struck and leapt to the side as it shattered in a cloud of dust and rock fragments. They'd worked on this many times to show off his strength and prevent the moves from obscuring him in the process. Pancham was a performer though and he loved the spotlight so he was going to make sure that all could see him and his impressive strength.
He continued his move as he leapt form spike to spike, cartwheeling in the air in the process to show off a little while always landing on his feet in time for another thrust. In short order he'd used four Arm Thrusts, destroyed the spikes, and looked good doing it.
That was the appeal and as the dust settled, he bowed to the judges he was now facing, doing as Serena had taught him, while she curtsied at the same time to show that it was over. With that, Pancham ran over to her and leapt into her arms as Serena waited for her feedback.
"What an appeal to start the season and inaugural circuit on." Jillian said excitedly into her mic. "Now let's see what the judges think of it."
"It is clear that Serena's experience as a performer has transitioned to appeals well with the show that Pancham put on, something we are looking forward to seeing more of from the Kalos performers on the circuit this year." Mr. Contesta said with an approving nod of his head. "And a good blend of cuteness and power proving to us that just because a Pokémon looks good doesn't mean it's not strong."
"Yes, remarkable." Sukizo said as always.
"Pancham was adorable." Nurse Joy said. "Cute and yet powerful at the same time. That appeal reminded me that it is a fighting type."
"There you have it folk, the first appeal in Kalos." Jillian said as Serena bowed to them and left, recalling and thanking Pancham as she did while Jillian began to introduce the next person.
She'd done well and her nerves were easing but Serena knew that she couldn't rest easy. May had explained to her that she should watch the other appeals so that she could see how they were and judge for herself if she'd done enough to advance. This was apparently the worst time and with 23 coordinators in the Contest competing for 8 spots it was going to be a long wait, but Serena was ready for that. It was time to watch the other appeals.
"Serena was good with that appeal." Misty said from the stands where her, May, Ash, Pikachu and Piplup were watching, and in May's case openly supporting, Serena. "A little flashy with Pancham during the Arm Thrusts but that shouldn't hurt her."
"No that was expected given her past and what they are looking for here in Kalos." May said. "The Committee wants to blend the elegance and grace seen in Showcases here with the way appeals are done. While that was toned down for her debut, Serena showed off the more fluid styles of Kalos performers at the end which will go over well."
"It was an interesting appeal." Ash said not understanding the nuances of it and just enjoying the way Serena used Pancham. "She showed off the strength and type of Pancham, but it reminds me of something."
"Kenny used his Machoke in a similar fashion in his full appeal during the Grand Festival." Misty said restraining her anger she felt for her former friend and how he'd acted towards her. "It's a good way to show off fighting types so many use some variant of that. If you can produce the rocks and then destroy them, you can show off both versatility and the raw power of fighting types."
"Both of which will get high marks." May said as the second appeal ended. "Especially as you are creating the props themselves. Using props won't harm your score, Mollie's style utilizes them almost all the time and she's one of the best out there who doesn't have the title of Top Coordinator but creating them is a bonus."
"That it is." Misty said. "It's why ice and rock type attacks are so useful in appeals as they create what you need to work with but doing it with a different type's move can gain more points. Mollie knows that as well; she used a fire type move in the Grand Festival as a prop."
"Oh yeah I remember that." May said. "It was with her Arcanine. It was really impressive."
"I thought it was the best of the favorites but that's just me." Misty said. "The judges didn't agree though she was still top 4 after the appeals."
"So, Serena should be in a good place then?" Ash asked shifting the conversation back to the main topic at hand. "After that appeal that is."
"Based on how I'd score it yes." May said with a nod. "But that is subjective, and we should watch the other appeals to see how they are. For all we know there will be 8 appeals that are better."
"True, I wonder how they will do." Misty said as they sat back to watch the remaining appeals.
For the most part the appeals were decent but nothing that could be called spectacular by either May or Misty's standards. A few were as good as Serena's, maybe better in one case, but most of them were clear rookie struggles. Only one other rookie, a retired performer who'd only achieved one Princess Key, gave an appeal that was good.
The other ones that stood out came from foreign coordinators who had some more experience. Still, none were truly great until towards the end Jillian's announcement of the next coordinator got their attention as it was a coordinator they were familiar with.
"Next up we have one of the most decorated coordinators in Kalos this year and one of the handful of pre-season favorites competing for the honor of being one of the top four favorites when the Grand Festival rolls around." Jillian said excitedly. "And one I have seen in action before because she was in the last Kanto Grand Festival where she shocked the competition by upsetting a favorite in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals, so she knows what she is doing. From Mt. Moon out in Kanto, it is the Charming Fairy herself, give it up for Emily."
"So, she is in this." Misty said as they cheered for the young Kanto girl who walked out with more confidence than Misty had seen in her last year though Jillian had altered her nickname from what her sister had used in the Grand Festival. "This will be good."
"Between your coaching and her performance in the Grand Festival I don't doubt it." May said as Emily took her spot and pulled out a Poke Ball. "Let's see what her fairy type can do. Now that we know she uses fairy types it will put things in a different light."
Misty just nodded as the crowd fell silent for the appeal. She did notice that there was a green haired boy who had been near them and furiously making notes in a notebook the entire time was now suddenly paying rapt attention to Emily.
"Clefable, fairy lights!" Emily said as she tossed out her ball.
"Clefable, her starter." Misty muttered realizing Emily's strategy. "She's going with security to start off. This is what I did in Cerulean City when I used Piplup."
"Makes sense that she would imitate you." May said as they watched. "And get the confidence boost to start the year."
"Clefable, Sing." Emily said and instantly Clefable began her song.
As expected, she had a lovely voice that filled the stage with notes as the sleep-inducing attack was performed. It was a simple move that Clefable was known for and one of Emily's staples but that meant that she was about to use it in an interesting way.
"Now end those notes with Wake-Up Slap." Emily said. "Do it just as we practiced."
Instantly Clefable stopped and leapt at the notes, her hand glowing with fighting type power of the move that was the second half of Emily's Sing combo as she slapped the notes. It wasn't until the third note that Misty realized that it wasn't a random destruction as Clefable leapt from note to note. She was striking them in a particular order to create a new tune that Misty hadn't heard before, but it was a soft melody that worked really well.
That alone showed training and skill to pull off, something Misty would only expect Nando to be able to pull off given his sound-based style. Emily had just upped her game and Misty had a feeling she was going to end this with something different to what was expected.
"Finish this Clefable." Emily said as Clefable landed in the center of the stage, the last note of her melody dying as she did. "Flamethrower, aim it at the ceiling."
Clefable just lent back, opened her mouth, and belted out a gout of intense flames from her mouth. They soared up and into the air before funneling at the top and falling like a fountain only it was one of fire and not water before they dissipated long before they reached the ground and the move ended.
With that Misty watched as Emily and Clefable bowed to the judges, clearly the girl had no idea how to curtsey in her dress, and Clefable walked back to Emily. The crowd began to cheer louder than Misty had heard them do so all day and she could see why. There was no question who had the best appeal so far.
"She's good." May said as the judges began to give their feedback. "Those were 3 very different kinds of move and used in ways that really showed them off."
"She's used that Sing and Wake-Up Slap combo before as it works well given the juxtaposition of both the attacks and the types involved." Misty said. "But she's improved it. Before Clefable just slapped the notes randomly to show off how the moves are linked, this time she made a tune of them. That will earn her a lot of points. The Flamethrower was flashy but showed off versatility and power in a way that is usually reserved for water type moves."
"So, I take it she will advance." Ash said, he had no idea how to judge these things.
"She will and so will Serena." May said as Emily finished getting feedback, bowed again and left the stage. "Even with 4 left, if I had to rank Serena's performance it was 4th so far. Emily and two of the other coordinators from other regions showed better appeals but in the battle stage things are different and Serena's Pokémon, at least two of them that is, are good in battle."
"Well, we will have go and chat to them after the next round is announced." Misty said. "They deserve that much if they both make it, but we need to see the last few to confirm our suspicions that they will advance."
May and Ash nodded as the next appeal began. It had been a good first Contest in Kalos, but it was just the appeals at this stage, it would all change come the battle rounds as the winner of the Odyssey Village Contest was decided.
"That was impressive." Serena said as Emily came to join her after her appeal. "Best I've seen so far."
"I have been practicing that with Clefable for a while." Emily said with a hint of pride in her voice. "I wanted to show it off and secure a spot in the next round so I went with my best bet. One thing I remember from when I first met Misty was to start off the season with a win to build confidence with that first ribbon. She used her best appeal Pokémon and best battle Pokémon at the time to win in Cerulean City. I can't recreate that, but I am going to use my top ones for the moment, and one new one as I only brought 3 Pokémon with me to Kalos."
"I see but you need four." Serena pointed out. "The rules require it. It's why I had to get my mom to give me one of her Pokémon."
"I know which is why I have already caught two." Emily said with a smile. "I have been here for over a month now getting ready and seeing parts of Kalos with my friend so we've both had some captures in that time."
"Ah that makes sense." Serena said. "And I take it that they're fairy types. You seem to favor the type."
"Yes, both Kalos native and reclassified as full or added fairy types since the discovery of the type." Emily confirmed. "I have a natural affinity for the type it seems, and both were easy to catch. One I had to battle as it enjoyed that, the other was an injured Pokémon I cared for and who then joined me afterwards. I have a feeling that one will be an appeals Pokémon and not a battle one."
"I see well you will have the battles to show at least one off." Serena said. "You will get that far at least."
"As will you." Emily said. "Your appeal was easily top 8 and for a rookie it was really good, better than mine were at this stage last year."
"We shall see." Serena said nodding to the screen in the waiting room. "The last appeal is over."
"Ah the worst part." Emily said. "The wait for the results. Thankfully, all this is computerized, so the wait isn't long."
Serena just nodded as the last coordinator got his feedback and left the stage. After that it was a tense waiting period of a few minutes as the judges conferred for a moment over something before nodding. The judging of the appeals was over.
"And it looks like our judges have decided who will advance." Jillian said as the crowd fell silent the moment she began to speak. "The first 8 coordinators to advance to a battle round in Kalos are…"
The screen change and a second later 8 pictures appeared in two rows. It took Serena a panicked moment, but then she found her picture in the second row and breathed a sigh of relief at that. Emily's was in the first so they'd both advanced and a quick scan of the remaining 6 showed 2 more Kalos natives and 3 second- or third-year coordinators who were all going for the hybrid entry approach.
"Congratulations to our successful coordinators, to the others who put on amazing appeals today but didn't make the cut, we hope to see you soon as there will be many more Contests to shine in." Jillian said though the pictures stayed on screen while the losing coordinators left. "And now the random bracket will be made. There will be a short, half hour break before the battles but then we will resume with the Odyssey Village Contest."
A second later the pictures flipped over, fell to the bottom of the screen and a bracket was formed above them. Then they flipped back showing Emily in the first and Serena in the third matches meaning that they would meet in the final if they won their other battles.
"I knew you'd make it through Emily, that was an amazing appeal." An excited voice said from behind them causing Serena to turn to the newcomer though not before she noticed a distinct blush briefly flash on Emily's cheeks. "And first in the battles so starting off strong."
"Adam, thanks, I'm just glad that I could advance." Emily said to the boy who was approaching them. "Going first is fine with me, I know how to battle so nothing to worry about."
The boy, Adam apparently, began to chat to Emily so Serena took a moment to study him. He was a rather plain looking, slightly scrawny, guy around 14 years old with dark green hair, matching eyes, and a few freckles in a diamond pattern on his cheeks. He wore a simple, off white, t-shirt, jeans, and red sneakers so there wasn't much to really judge about him. He was just an average looking guy. That was until Serena noticed his right arm.
The boy had a noticeable scar on the back of his right hand, slightly bent fingers, and a few more scars above his wrist on his lower forearm. That alone was odd as you didn't often see scars on someone but what made it stranger was the black compression sleeve that he wore that poked out of his right sleeve and came down to his elbow indicating that there were more scars up there.
"Interesting bracket." May called from the door interrupting them. "Third up is decent, you don't have the pressure of going first which is good for your first battle round Serena and it gives you time to evaluate your potential final opponent."
Serena noticed that Emily, Adam and all the remaining coordinators turned and gaped as May walking in, followed a moment later by Misty and Ash with their respective starters. Serena could understand why. Anyone competing in Kalos knew who May was after her actions the year before and her role as one of the Top Coordinators who'd promoted Contests in the region. Add in the setting and likely many of them knew Misty as well given her record.
"Misty?" Emily asked breaking the silence her voice a little shaky. "You're here?"
"Hey Emily, yeah I'm here." Misty said with a smile at her friend. "Sorry I didn't tell you I'd be in Kalos this year, kinda wanted it to be a surprise."
"It really is." Emily said as May, Ash and Misty reached their group. "I can't believe you're here. I was expecting to have to message you after this to let you know how it went. I didn't know what region you'd decided to go to after the Indigo Conference."
"It was between Kalos and Galar but Kalos made the most sense." Misty said. "I decided the day of the Committee made me the offer after conferring with Ash about it. We needed a place that had a Pokémon League in case Ash didn't win the Indigo Conference and where he'd never been before, something the offer allowed for. That meant Kalos or Galar and we already knew people coming here so we decided on Kalos."
"Turned out for the best in the end." Ash said. "As I didn't win it all in Kanto so now, I will win in Kalos."
"That was still the most epic a battle I've ever seen." The boy next to Emily, the one with green hair that Misty had noted earlier, suddenly said coming up to them his eyes wide in awe as he looked at Ash. "And that's including your match with Cameron in the quarterfinals that revealed fairy types to the world."
"Yeah I knew what I was planning in that match would reveal the type, but I wasn't expecting the reaction I got." Ash said but the boy wasn't listening to him and kept talking.
"You and Brendan went all for it in a final for the ages that went down to the wire the way a final should." The boy was saying. "Course as I am from Hoenn I wanted Brendan to win but it was still epic to watch. I saw you in Unova and felt you should have beaten Cameron in that quarterfinal, but you got your revenge which was fitting. I can't believe I'm actually meeting Ash Ketchum."
"Pleasure to meet you too." Ash said holding his hand out to the excited boy hoping to quiet him down a bit. "Sorry I didn't catch your name."
"Oh, I'm Adam." Adam said shaking Ash's hand enthusiastically, Ash noted the scars on it but opted to not say anything about them. "I'm a huge Pokémon battle fan, well Pokémon in general but I love battles. Been to a few regions over the last couple of years as I try to get better with fighting types and watching the conferences there. I first came across you in Unova at the Vertress Conference and then again in Kanto, so I know a lot about you. I have so many questions I want to ask."
"Well, I will try and answer them." Ash said a little taken aback by the boy's intensity. "But there isn't much time right now and I only came here to congratulate Serena on advancing and so that Misty could say hi to Emily. How about a battle tomorrow at the Pokémon Center? I can answer any questions then and have some fun in the process."
"Battle you? Of course." Adam said nodding his head frantically. "I can learn so much from you. Do you have a fighting type on you? That's my specialty so if you have one then I'd like to battle it to see how mine stack up against yours. Course you're a talented trainer with a few fighting types if I recall so it could be one of a few."
Ash was about to say something when the boy whipped out a notebook from a back pocket and began flipping through it frantically. All Ash could do was stare blankly at the act as Adam found what he was looking for.
"Here it is, the list of Pokémon you have that I updated after the final." Adam said skimming it. "Let's see, you have a Primeape that is really strong and creative as it used Conway's Lickilicky's tongue to win. You also have a versatile Heracross that showed a lot of resistance against Stephan's Persian in the preliminaries. Then there is that Scraggy I saw in Vertress though I only recall that because I had one at the time though it's now a Scrafty and you didn't use it in Indigo. Any of those could be tough to handle for me, there is so much to learn from them…"
"Woah calm down." Ash said his eyes wide as Adam began mumbling incoherently to himself about Ash's fighting types. "I have one fighting type on me and its none of those, so I'll use it. I intend on using it against Clemont when I face him in Lumiose City so it could do with the battle practice."
"Huh oh sorry I forget when I starting thinking aloud sometimes." Adam said sounding embarrassed at being called out for it. "Ok that's good I'll use one of mine as well, probably Makuhita as he's my starter, so he deserves the honor."
"If you're a fighting expert from Hoenn, why didn't you stay and learn under Brawly?" Ash asked deciding to try and find out more about this guy, he seemed to be Emily's friend and she was Misty's friend so there was a high chance that they'd run into each other again. "He's the fighting type gym leader there."
"Oh, I know Brawly well, I'm from Dewford Town so he was my idol growing up." Adam said. "I even found my Makuhita in the caves on the island before I was old enough to catch him. He was injured and alone, so I brought him to Brawly to care for him and he gave Makuhita to me when I was old enough. After that I left the island to find myself at his suggestion. Brawly's style is too laidback for me to get. I am more of a direct fighter similar to Mylene out in Sinnoh or Bea in Galar though I haven't met either of them yet."
"Yeah, Brawly's style is oddly fluid for a fighting type expert." Ash admitted remembering his time on Dewford Island well. "I tried to bullrush him when I was in Hoenn and lost. It was the only gym I didn't beat first time while there, but I took a few days to train and think on what he said to me after my loss. I figured it out and was able to beat him in the rematch."
"I didn't realize you lost to Brawly." Adam said clearly surprised. "I know he's good, but I've seen you in action, so it is a shock to hear you lost."
"I tend to lose to at least one gym leader per region." Ash said. "At least from Hoenn onwards, I had a worse record in Kanto and Johto. Haven't you experienced that?"
"Oh, I've never faced a gym leader." Adam said shaking his head. "I spent my travels in Hoenn, Unova and Kanto learning all I could about Pokémon in general and fighting types in particular while catching as many fighting types as I could so that I always had a full team. I competed in some Battle Club competitions when I was in Unova. I even won one that got me a Water Stone, which I really needed so now I have a Poliwrath."
"I see well you should consider it." Ash said a little startled by the full explanation he got. "But that's just my advice. What is your current team then?"
"Well, I always have Makuhita with me." Adam said instantly. "And Poliwrath as well. I have to have Scrafty in my party too because of the Pancham I recently caught. The other two are a Hitmonlee and Medicham."
"Why do you need to have Scrafty because of Pancham?" Ash asked confused. "I've never heard of two Pokémon needed to be in a team like that before."
"Oh, that's because Pancham has an odd evolution requirement." Adam said. "It's not as specific as Mantyke needing a Remoraid in your team to evolve but it does require a certain kind of Pokémon to be in your team to evolve. For a Pancham to evolve you have to have a dark type in your party. I'm not sure why but that's the case but Pangoro, Pancham's evolution, gains a dark type upon evolution. Scrafty is a dark type as well as a fighting type so perfect for the job."
"Huh I never heard of an evolution requiring that." Ash said thinking on that. "I guess it is possible though, evolution keeps getting stranger and stranger the more places I visit so I shouldn't be too surprised."
"Yeah it's one of those odd ones." Adam said. "Some Pokémon require stones, certain times of day, specific items mixed with transfer energy, two can only evolve if traded with each other and so on. I've even heard of one Pokémon that can only evolve if it is being rained on, but I don't know what that one is."
"I know of the traded special ones; I saw that happen in Unova when Professor Juniper and my friend Bianca traded them." Ash said. "It was interesting to see. Something about shell transfers and trade energy. The science was beyond me, but it was interesting to see."
"Wow really? That's awesome." Adam said amazed. "You seem to be everywhere at just the right time for these kinds of things."
"You don't know the half of it." Ash said with a chuckle. "But that would take too long to explain even one of those happenings let alone all of them."
"Still, you've been all over according to my research on you before the Indigo final." Adam said startling Ash again with his in-depth research. "Almost all regions at this point other than Alola and Galar. What's it like in Johto and Sinnoh? They have fighting gyms so how did you fair at them? What…"
Misty just sidled up to Emily as Adam began to pester Ash with a series of questions that clearly surprised Ash as he tried to answer them as best he could. It was a surprising sight to see for sure as Ash was starting to get flustered by the flurry of questions he had no hope of answering before the next one was asked.
"So, this is your friend." Misty said to the Kanto girl. "Quite the character."
"Yeah, he's one of a kind in his devotion to becoming better with his type and learning all he can about Pokémon and those who are top level trainers." Emily said with a smile at the boy. "His ability to research and prepare is something I've not seen before; it was what made me curious about him when we met because of his research on the four favorite coordinators despite never seeing a Contest before. I got the full blast of it during the Indigo Conference. He was fully into it and the fairy type reveal, especially as I have fairy types, was big for him."
"I bet." Misty said not doubting Emily as she watched the intensity of her friend's passion. "And he was the one who wanted to come to Kalos that made you decide to travel with him."
"Yup, the Shalour Gym is a noted fighting type gym and one of the few places with a rich understanding of Mega Evolution, which he wants to know more about because of his Medicham, so he was going to come here after Kanto." Emily explained. "I wanted to hit one of the expansion regions and travel with someone as you had suggested to me, so it worked."
"And he's always like this?" Misty asked. "It could be a little much at times."
"For the most part." Emily said with a nod. "He gets flustered sometimes around me, but I think that's just cos he's never traveled with someone before. I can help him tone it down a bit when I need to but for the most part I like it. I admire the passion and drive he has, it's something I want to learn to emulate."
"It will be good for the both of you." Misty said a little taken aback by Emily's words as they would describe how she felt about Ash. "And Ash and he will have a battle tomorrow so we can discuss your performance then while watching it."
"Sounds good." Emily said just as a bell rang.
"That's the 10-minute bell." May said from where her and Serena had let the other conversations go on as they discussed her strategy for the upcoming battles and how her appeal had gone. "Ash, Misty, we should get going to get back to our seats."
"You too Adam, I need to get in the zone." Emily said. "I'll see you after and tell you of the time I beat Ash in a Contest battle in Chrysanthemum Town."
"Right of course." Adam said before Misty had to suppress a snort at his bug-eyed look he gave her at her words. "Wait what? You knew Ash last year?"
"Through Misty, we went one and one in Contest battles." Emily said as if that explained everything. "But later."
Misty watched as Adam spluttered in shock before he nodded and left. A few seconds later Misty took Ash's hand and walked out with him, May right behind her leaving Serena with Emily and 6 other coordinators who were now eyeing them closely with clear envy.
"Well looks like we've just put a nice target on our backs." Emily said to her as if it was nothing. "You more than me though but we're both marked."
"Huh?" Serena asked confused. "Why?"
"You are traveling with two Top Coordinators and judges." Emily reminded her. "They will recuse themselves for you and Misty will for me but that is still a threat to other coordinators. Few on the circuit have a mentor, though there are some here who do, and none have the pedigree you have access to. I don't know May well but she's good for sure and Misty, well she's one of the best I've ever seen and certainly the best I've ever faced but I am biased in her favor. Both are now able to advise and train you year-round. That's big."
"I never really thought about it like that." Serena said swallowing hard. "I was more focused on them recusing themselves so that I could compete and not what image me traveling with them would set. That is a big target. I'll just have to live up to expectations then."
"You have people with you who know that so that will help." Emily said. "Misty was that last year. If I didn't know her personally I wouldn't have been able to talk to her, her presence was so intimidating to everyone that they wanted to beat her but feared her skill. Only Mollie was able to approach her apparently but that makes sense. When I become one of the favorites, I will get Misty's help on dealing with it."
"She'll help, that's just who she is." Serena said knowing that Misty would. "She'll help anyone in need unless they give her a reason not to."
"That she is." Emily said as another bell rang indicating 5 minutes until the end of the break. "But I have to go and wait for my battle. I'll see you in the final Serena."
Serena just nodded in agreement as Emily walked off thinking on what the girl had said. May had effectively declared Serena her protégé with her arrival and their discussion during the break. That would make her someone to beat. Add in Misty's presence on her journey, which would be somewhat mitigated by Emily being her protégé, and Serena now had to contend with that.
However, for the moment she'd have to put that to the back of her mind. She would deal with it later. She had battles to watch and win so she shifted her focus to that and got ready for her first official Contest battle.
The battles themselves seemed to breeze by to Serena. She watched Emily comfortably handle a third-year coordinator with two ribbons from Hoenn with her Eevee and win on points before Serena went to get ready for her first battle nervous but ready. She was starting off with Rhyhorn and against a fellow Kalos rookie, so she had a good chance in this battle.
Serena's first battle was underwhelming for her. Her opponent had a Joltik, a rare Pokémon in Kalos but one that was no match for her Rhyhorn. It couldn't use electric attacks against her, and Serena was able to use a Rock Blast and Drill Run combo to win by Battle Off in the 3rd minute. It was onto the semis and Braixen's debut next.
Serena then watched from the wings as Emily followed up her quarterfinal win with a semifinal win in another mismatch. She had a Spritzee, one of the formerly normal turned fairy types native to Kalos and used it against a Vullaby that relied heavily on ineffective dark type moves that Spritzee turned out to be resistant to. Emily won by a large number of points at the end earning a spot in the final.
After that Serena entered her own semifinal against a coordinator from Johto with two ribbons so it was a tough match. She had Braixen, her best, but it would be tough against someone with experience. In the end it didn't matter as she landed a devastating Fire Blast in the last minute on her opponent's Stantler to reduce his points just enough to win and advance to the finals in what was the upset of the Contest so far.
As she was the other finalist, Serena just waited on her side as her opponent left, thanking Braixen after recalling her as Emily came out of her side and made her way to the starting spot. It was time for the final and Serena knew that she was about to fight fairy with fairy in the first Kalos Contest final.
"Glad to see you made it." Emily said producing a Poke Ball from Arceus knew where as Serena couldn't tell where the girl kept them. "I wanted to face you and beat you in the final. Misty and May's students going at it to make their mentors proud."
"Same." Serena said pulling Sylveon's ball off her belt. "You are one of the favorites and close to Misty, beating you will be great for me on many levels beyond just her and May being Top Coordinators. Let's see who makes their mentor proud and who needs more work."
"I get the favorite part but what do you mean by beyond their status?" Emily asked. "Other than the relation between her and May I don't see a connection between you and Misty."
"What has Misty told you of her rivals." Serena said containing her pain at her loss of Ash before she even got a chance. "And I'm not talking the Contest ones."
"Oh, the ones who crush on Ash as well that she keeps having to put in their place by beating them." Emily said. "She's mentioned there's a few. I can't see it but I've also never had a crush on someone so I wouldn't know what jealousy is like."
"It's not the best emotion to fall deep into." Serena admitted. "And I am sure that someday, maybe someday soon, you will experience it."
"Wait? You're one of the rivals aren't you." Emily said her eyes wide and not picking up on what Serena was implying. "You like Ash the way she likes him."
"Her most recent one." Serena confirmed hoping Ash's density didn't realize what was going on. "And I lost a Contest style battle to her so beating you will give me and my Pokémon some redemption for that loss."
"Then bring it." Emily said with a grin. "I'm not going to let that ribbon elude me and I will uphold Misty's honor in the process."
"Alright ladies settle down, let the Pokémon do the talking." Jillian said with a grin at the clear rivalry that the blogs would eat up as she began to announce the final. "Because this is the first Contest final in Kalos so one of these two women will win the Odyssey Village Ribbon."
The ribbon appeared on screen as the crowd cheered. Serena studied it for the first time as that was what she was after and she was now within reach of it. It was a gray ribbon the same color as a Rhyhorn done in the classic bow ribbon style similar to May's Hoenn ribbons that she'd shown Serena the year before. The only differences were that this ribbon was pure gray with no trim and the gold seal in the center was a profile relief of a Rhyhorn's head, clearly a nod to what the village was known for.
"So, let's introduce our first finalists of the year." Jillian said gesturing to Serena's side first as the crowd cheered. "And we will start with the local girl who has some pedigree in Rhyhorn racing, a pastime in Odyssey Village, as she's the daughter of a champion racer. From Vaniville Town, the Kalos Princess herself, Serena!"
The crowd cheered even louder, and Serena had a feeling it was due to her being from Kalos rather than them knowing her or her mother but that could be the case as they were pretty close to Vaniville. Of course, it could also be because of her performance in the Master Class a few months back which had gained her region wide attention and notoriety. Regardless she was not going to let them down.
"And facing her is one of the pre-season favorites looking to start her second season as a coordinator with a bang." Jillian said sweeping her arm to Emily's side. "She's from Mt. Moon out in Kanto and has come a long way since her debut out there. She certainly knows how to win a Contest as she's been to a Grand Festival before. it's the Charming Fairy, Emily!"
The crowd continued to cheer but it was slightly less than it had been for Serena, but she could tell that it didn't seem to faze Emily at all. She had a look of determination in her brown eyes, a look that Serena matched as they prepared for the final.
"Begin!" Jillian declared as the timer for the final began.
"Whimsicott, fairy lights." Emily said as she threw out her Poke Ball.
"Sylveon, let's go!" Serena said throwing out her own Poke Ball.
"What a treat folks." Jillian said gleefully as the two Pokémon appeared on the battlefield and Serena got a good look at the small brown Pokémon with a lot of fluff on it that she'd never seen before but figured had to be Cottonee's evolved form as Emily had used one of those in the Grand Festival. "Our first final is a battle of newly classified fairy types with the adorable grass and fairy type Whimsicott that gained the type up against the beautiful, now pure fairy type, Sylveon. This will be memorable."
"Oh, I expect it." Emily said with a grin. "Start this off with Dazzling Gleam Whimsicott."
"Sylveon, close your eyes and use Swift." Serena said recalling how the reclassified fairy type move worked. "Remember where it is."
Alas Whimsicott was a lot faster than Serena had expected and the flash of light blinded her and Sylveon as the opening attack landed causing Serena to lose points. However, Sylveon still had her senses and opened her mouth to send out the start Swift.
"Leap over it and get in close." Emily said. "We need to be up close for the next thing."
Whimsicott leapt up and used its light body to leap over the Swift that Sylveon had sent out, avoiding it as she floated towards Sylveon costing her more points with the miss. It wasn't fast and Serena tried to capitalize on it.
"Fairy Wind." Serena ordered.
"Slow it down with Cotton Spore." Emily called out as Sylveon opened her mouth. "You may take it but push through it."
The pink mist that was Fairy Wind shot out of Sylveon's mouth and hit the airborne Whimsicott just as it began to through the spores that were Cotton Spore. Whimsicott didn't seem to be resistant to as it wailed in pain, but it pushed through the attack and landed the speed reducing Cotton Spore while Sylveon was focused on her attack dropping both of them an equal number of points thus keeping Emily in the lead.
Whimsicott landed near enough to Sylveon to avoid a miss for either Pokémon which meant that it was too close for comfort for Serena. She knew it was a grass type and that meant it likely knew a poison type move, a fairy type specialist like Emily would be aware of their biggest weakness, so she had to be careful. Fortunately, she had a defensive move that would allow her to turn the tides on Emily.
"Protect." Serena said glad for the move that would give her an edge.
"Poison Powder." Emily said. "I hope Adam was right about this but after what happened with Cotton Spore I think he is."
Serena was confused by Emily's words. That confusion deepened as the protective barrier of Protect was erected but suddenly Whimsicott was through it and winked at a shocked Sylveon before it spewed a dark purple powder right into Sylveon's face poisoning her and staggering her back as she coughed and shook her head.
"Swift." Serena called out still trying to figure out what had happened but going with her tactic anyway. "Send it back."
"Oh, and what a great use of the Infiltrator ability that some Whimsicott have." Jillian said as Sylveon opened her mouth and blasted out the golden stars of Swift for a second time. "That's an ability that allows a Pokémon gets past barriers like Protect."
"Damn that's annoying." Serena muttered as the stars slammed into Whimsicott and sent it flying back with a wail and a drop of Emily's points, but Serena doubted it put her in the lead after that Poison Powder. "But not the end of it. Sylveon, Double Team."
"Negate it with Dazzling Gleam again." Emily said. "You have the speed in this now so let's press that advantage."
Sylveon wailed in pain as a wave of poisoning, worse thanks to her type, rocked her before she could get off her Double Team. Whimsicott didn't waste this and while still in the air it erupted in light for a second time in the battle doing damage to Sylveon again and blinding everyone in the process.
When the Serena could see again Whimsicott was on its side looking battered but still in it as it slowly got up and grinned at them. Sylveon on the other hand looked worse for wear as she grit her teeth and again prepared a Double Team. However, at that moment a second wave of poison hit her, and she wailed as her limits were exceeded.
Slowly Sylveon fell to the side and hit the ground with a soft thump. Her eyes were clearly swirls and as soon as that was seen the judges instantly hit the Battle Off buttons and the three Xs appeared on their podiums indicating that the battle was over.
"Oh, and there it is, in the 4th minute of the battle Emily has won by Battle Off." Jillian said as the crowd began to cheer, and Serena blinked at her loss. "What a battle to kick this off. This will be a good season for sure."
"Sylveon return." Serena said with a sad smile and looked at the ball in her hand. "That was tough, but we were out classed the entire time. I take the blame for that loss girl, you did amazing. Next time you will get the appeal, that is where you will shine, and you won't have to battle. We will train and be better, I promise."
"Your Sylveon was really good." Emily said and Serena looked up, instinctively putting the ball away, to see Emily walking out to the middle of the battlefield and realized she should do the same. "Whimsicott has been training for this so don't feel hard. Plus, I wasn't sure if she had the Prankster or Infiltrator ability though either would have been useful. If it had been the former your Protect would have worked and I wouldn't have landed that Poison Powder. That was what gave me the win, otherwise it might have come down to points."
"Damn, I'd never even heard of that ability." Serena said. "Though I don't know abilities well to begin with so that's something I really need to work on."
"Few have as few realize their Pokémon's abilities." Emily said as they met in the middle of the battlefield and shook hands the way good sports would. "I began to learn more on them after realizing Clefable has the Cute Charm ability which infatuates the other gender if physical contact from an attack is made. I learned that in my first match against Misty but by the time her Mamoswine was infatuated Clefairy, as it was still that at the time, had fainted."
"Huh I will have to learn more about my Pokémon's abilities." Serena said. "I wonder what they have."
"I think Sylveon has Cute Charm as well." Emily said helpfully. "It's a really useful one to have in battle."
"How do you know?" Serena asked.
"It's the Pokémon I want my Eevee to evolve into, so I know a lot about it." Emily said simply. "I have ask, how did yours evolve into one?"
"Honestly, I don't know." Serena said with a shrug. "She was injured in a tag battle at some party for performers Monsieur Pierre hosted at his place last year. I was encouraging her to do her best and next thing I know I feel a ribbon thing holding my hand and I see she's evolving. It was nighttime so she could have become an Umbreon but didn't. Sylveon requires a deep bond of trust similar to how Espeon and Umbreon require it but those are limited to specific times of day. I know because Misty has an Espeon. I think there is something extra for Sylveon."
"Huh well I will have to do some more research." Emily said. "Because given my preference Sylveon is the best for us."
"First I suggest you celebrate your first ribbon." Serena said nodding as Mr. Contesta approached holding a tray with it on it. "I'll see you around Emily, I won't lose to you next time we meet."
"I look forward to seeing you in future Contests Serena." Emily said with a smile.
Serena just smiled back before she turned and walked away from the battle stage as Emily was being congratulated on winning the first ever Kalos ribbon. It had been a tough loss, but Serena was no longer the emotional girl who broke down after her disastrous Showcase debut. She had grown a lot in the last year and was going to use this win to get better. Contests were fun and she intended to win at least 3 this year.
First though she had to get out and debrief with her friends about how her Contest debut had gone. May and Misty would help her figure out how to improve and she would do so because Serena swore that the next Contest, she entered she would win. Nothing would stop her.
Little did she know that she was being watched by some figures high in the crowd who would make that hard for her when the time came. Of course, Serena was oblivious to this as she headed out to rejoin her friends as the first ever Kalos Contest ended.
