Part CXIII: Showcasing a Performance
"Welcome one and all to ze Lagoon Town Showcase." Monsieur Pierre, the master of ceremonies for the Kalos Showcases said in his thick Kalos accent. "Today we 'ave several beautiful women competing for zis, ze Princess Key."
With that Pierre held out his cane and from above him a jingling sound was heard, and a light fell on a floating Klefki that was gracefully soaring down from above the stage. On its loop, between what looked like a car key and a normal house key, was an ornate, gold, key that shone in the light for all to see. The Klefki continued down and landed atop the cane as Pierre stood in the center of the stage beaming to the crowd.
It was the day after Misty had caught her new Litleo, who she'd call in and sent Furfrou back when they'd reached the Pokémon Center that night so as to start bonding with her, and now they were all at the Lagoon Town Showcase. This would be the first Showcase that Ash and Misty had ever seen, something that they were excited to see, especially Misty as already she could get into the pageantry of it.
Of course, it was started by the Master of Ceremonies, a man called Monsieur Pierre. Misty had to admit, the man seemed to fit the whole spectacle thing with his rather eccentric look and showmanship personality.
He was tall with short blonde hair, thick sideburns in a style that must have been in fashion a century ago, but clearly wasn't today, and a pointed chin beard that had to take a lot to maintain. Misty also noted that he was wearing lilac eyeshadow, likely for the stage, that added to his look. Then there was his clothes, those were something else.
Misty had to admit that she'd never seen a suit like that before and hoped that Ash would not get any ideas, he couldn't pull it off the way Monsieur Pierre could. Pierre had some odd half and half theme going on with the left side of his top hat, popped collar, and pants navy blue, same with the left side of his jacket, while the opposite side of each was black. They were lined with a glowing white material that reflected the light. Add in that the jacket was longer on the left side then the right and it was really a memorable look.
Pierre topped it all off with a large bronze key on a special tie around his neck and the aforementioned cane in his gloved hands. He was clearly a showman who loved his work, something that translated to his passion as the MC, and he really got the crowd going.
"Now before we proceed with ze Theme Round." Pierre said. "Of which we will 'ave 5 with 3 ladies in each, and the winner advancing to ze Freestyle Round, zere is an announcement to make."
This got the crowd buzzing and Misty looked at the man in confusion. There hadn't been any indication that there was to be an announcement so she wondered what it could be. Of course, the deliberate pause that Pierre was doing before announcing it was clearly done to add to the anticipation of what the announcement would be.
"Tomorrow, at ze last minute, ze Competition Committee of Kalos has been able to field a Contest in Lagoon Town to follow ze Showcase as a way to show the similarities of both competitions." Pierre announced once the pause had lasted long enough for his liking and causing the crowd to gasp in shock. "Two past Top Coordinators will be present, so it is worth staying for. As it is last minute, I myself will be ze MC of it as Jillian is not in town right now."
"Did you know that there would be one here May?" Misty whispered to her fellow Top Coordinator as she recovered from her shock at the announcement. "I wasn't told anything about it."
"Neither was." May said frowning. "Which means that it must be Yuma and Robert who he's referring to, unless the last Top Coordinator is around but I don't know where that person is. I think it was more an accident than planned by the Committee. If Pierre can run it and there are available judges then it makes sense that they'd hold it, even though we didn't tell them that we'd be here for the Showcase which we will have to do in future."
"Yeah we probably should do that, they will get a bit annoyed at the lack of judging we are doing." Misty said a little nervously as she had yet to actually judge a Contest despite being contractually obligated to do so when necessary. "I just didn't realize that there was the chance of a snap Contest like this one."
"There were a few potential Contests that have official ribbons but will only be activated if they work out." May said recalling one of the contingencies they Committee had planned to potentially increase the number of Contests in Kalos this year. "Clearly this was one of those locations though I don't recall seeing Lagoon Town on any list of Contest locations."
"What are the others?" Misty asked curiously. "Probably a good idea we familiarize ourselves with them so that we can let the Committee know when we are in town. Between the two of us we can help activate a backup Contest so long as Serena, Emily, or Brianna aren't competing."
"That is a good idea but the only one I can think of is in Dendemille Town." May said before she slapped her forehead the moment she said the town's name and realized why there were backup Contests. "Of course, I'm so stupid."
"What?" Misty asked.
"The backup ones, they're all in towns that are hosting Showcases this year." May said. "Kalos knows that they will have a large overlap between Showcases and Contests, it's why Kalos was the easiest region to expand to, and if they have reserve Contests in the Showcase Towns then they can do them back-to-back with Pierre acting as MC. Coumarine and Anistar are major cities with gyms, so I didn't think about them but seeing it here and remerging Dendemille brought it all back to me."
"Well, if there is a Contest and you two aren't judging then I'll enter it." Serena said from May's other side having heard their conversation. "We have the time to take tomorrow for a Contest and if this is last minute then Brianna and Emily shouldn't be there. I may have a chance."
"It would be a good way to build your confidence." May said with a nod at the idea of Serena competing in the sudden Lagoon Town Contest. "And a good shot at your first Ribbon when the major players aren't around. I got most of my ribbons in Contests that didn't have my main rivals, other than Harley, so it's not a bad thing to win one that they aren't competing in. Alright, let's do this. Tomorrow Serena will compete in the Contest."
"And now let ze Theme Round, begin." Pierre said cutting their conversation and turning their attention back to the stage, it was time for Ash and Misty to see what a Showcase was like.
Misty instantly found it both unique and appealing. The Theme Round in Lagoon Town was a Pokémon grooming competition in which each performer showed off how well they could groom a Pokémon with fur or feathers as those were the easiest to groom. They had 10 minutes to do so and at the end of it a judge who was a top groomer in the area would inspect each Pokémon and then proclaim a winner who would advance onto the Freestyle Round.
It was just the thing that Misty not only love to do but was good at, though Serena was by far a better groomer than she was. Add in that all the women competing wore beautiful dresses and accessories that reminded Misty of the Contests back in Sinnoh only with more care to appearance as both Pokémon and trainer had to look good, something Misty excelled at, and she was immediately captivated by the Showcase.
The only thing that wasn't what she was expecting was the Pokémon themselves. Serena had said that they were usually dressed up but given the nature of this Theme Round, they weren't dressed up right now though Misty presumed that they would be for the Freestyle Round. This stage was all about the grooming after so no need to dress up when you were showing off a Pokémon's natural coat.
It was clear from the start that the judge was looking for more than just style as one elegant Furfrou trainer didn't advance despite a unique trim that she had given it. No, he was also looking for technique, care, and final appearance as he assessed and made his judgements.
It showed to Misty that there was a lot more to this than met the eye. It was a true challenge of all aspects of the grooming skill, and she could get behind that kind of test as it was the only way to truly gage a performer's ability to groom her Pokémon.
The hour set aside for the Theme Round blew by as they watched all 5 rounds and the judging moments after each round. They only recognized one person, well the girls did at least as Ash had never met her, and that was Jessilee, who was in the 4th round.
The redhead that the girls had accidentally bumped into in Cyllage City wore a sparkling purple dress that hugged her in all the right places to show off her figure perfectly and mask over her visible eye to add to her mysterious persona as she expertly worked on a Meowth. She didn't style it, but that was not necessary, the way the Meowth's fur gleamed and shone in a way that only a groomer who knew her Pokémon on a deep level could produce, was more than enough to secure her advancement.
The other 4 finalists were just as impressive in their own rounds. That made Misty eager to see how the Freestyle Round would go with the 5 women who had advanced to it.
"Alright, we 'ave our finalists." Monsieur said coming out after the final Theme Round performance with his Klefki still on the end of his cane. "We will now take a short break while our finalists get ready for ze Freestyle Round. We will resume in 'alf an 'our."
With that the lights went up and people began chatting to each other or getting up to stretch their legs, use the restroom or get refreshments during the break that they had. Ash did just that, but the girls stayed to discuss the Showcase.
"What did you think Misty?" Serena asked her Sinnoh friend. "This was just the Theme Round and those are always different, but so far how do Showcases look to you?"
"They look fun." Misty said with a smile. "And I can see how they are designed to challenge you to do more than just making your Pokémon look good or show off their moves. It's about all aspects of Pokémon care and showing off that you are a well-rounded trainer. Makes you think more than a Contest does, at least at this stage."
"I don't know about that." Serena said a little surprised by Misty's assessment. "I've found that with Contests I have to think more with appeals and put my trust in my Pokémon rather than letting them flow with me the way a Freestyle will flow. As for the battles, those require a lot of thought as you have to look good and win, and I'm still inexperienced in battle. Here I find it's just more normal things that come naturally to me."
"I guess it does come down to what you know, and our backgrounds are different in that regard." Misty said thinking on what Serena was saying. "But take the grooming here, it wasn't just about style but how well you cared for the Pokémon and showing off your bond with your Pokémon. I am sure that there are other themes like that."
"The baking ones are." May said. "I remember watching Serena in them, both baking and presentation came down to more than just the baking but the ingredients you put into them as well. Well, that and how they fit with the Pokémon in question."
"True they did do that." Serena said with a nod at the memory of her past Theme Rounds. "This grooming one is not one I've done before so I can't fully speak to what was desired in it the way I would be able to had I competed in it. The Themes are always different though and hard to predict. Some are more detailed, the fashion one that I failed at for example is testing your ability to style your Pokémon to look good by working with the Pokémon to bring out the best in it."
"That isn't a problem for me should I face a styling theme." Misty said dismissively. "I won a pretty prestigious style competition in Sinnoh once and was even a professional stylist for a few months during my second year as a trainer."
"You were?" Serena asked surprised, she hadn't heard about that part of Misty's past.
"Yeah it was all out of the blue as I wasn't expecting or planning on it." Misty said remembering the painful and yet joyous memory. "It was after we got back to Twinleaf Town after the Lily of the Valley Conference. We were at my home there when I got a call from one of the top stylists in Sinnoh, the one who had suggested and then was one of the judges of the competition I won. She wanted to hire me as a stylist and my Buneary as a model."
"That sounds like a great offer." Serena said. "And at the right time it seems."
"It was too good an offer to refuse." Misty said. "And it came right at the end of my journey with Ash and Brock so I could take it without reservations as our Sinnoh journey had ended. Brock had found his calling, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next, so I was going to follow Ash to Kanto when the call came. I couldn't pass up the job and Ash being Ash encouraged me to take it, so I did even though it meant saying goodbye as he and Brock were returning to Kanto."
"I see." Serena said, that explained why they'd been separated after their time together in Sinnoh, something Serena had never asked about she realized. "But it wasn't a long-term gig."
"Not only 6 months." Misty confirmed. "Just for the main fashion season really. I liked it and all and it's a good freelance thing for me to do if I ever feel like it, but Contests were my true calling, so I had to get back into them. I decided that the Wallace Cup would be my return to the scene when it was held in Johto that year and took some time off to see Unova before it. I, er, didn't know that Ash was there. All that was a coincidence thanks to him running into Cynthia in Virbank City."
"A nice coincidence." Serena said calmly, she had to fight the pain in her chest at that as she knew what had come of that meeting, she had been doomed before she had a chance to win Ash's heart. "I am sure you are glad for Cynthia being there."
"Arceus smiled upon me that day to allow for Ash and Cynthia to meet on the other side of Unova while I was staying in her villa there." Misty said before remembering who she was with and quickly moving on to avoid upsetting either Serena or May as they all knew what happened after Misty and Ash met again in Unova. "But anyway, as you can see, a styling round wouldn't be a problem for me. It's the more esoteric ones that you mentioned that would be tough."
"Well, the quiz wasn't hard." Serena said glad for the return to the topic of Showcases and not Misty's time in Unova. "And that type of round I can understand because a trainer has to be smart as well as beautiful to be able to truly care for their Pokémon. It was certainly different, but it taught me that a theme could be literally anything."
"Yeah even something you were perfect for." May said, she'd been quiet as Misty told her story because of the pain it brought her at how it had ruined her own plans to land Ash and was grateful that Misty hadn't lingered on it. "Your last Showcase couldn't have been more perfectly suited for you."
"It was almost fitting in a way." Serena said with a chuckle. "A reminder that my old life that I had gone on an adventure with no direction or plan because I desperately wanted to avoid it was still relevant to my new one as a performer. It showed me that my upbringing and mother's dreams for me were still useful. It was a mix of both and reminded me of how much my mom loves me despite our glaring differences."
"Huh?" Misty asked confused. "What did you have to do?"
"The Theme Round in my 5th Showcase was a Rhyhorn rustling round." Serena said with a smile at how she'd reacted to learning that was what she'd have to do to advance in the Fleurrh City Showcase. "I grew up doing that for my mother, as well as being trained to ride them in competition, so I knew how to handle them. It was poetic that I would advance to win my final Princess Key with that as the Theme."
"I see." Misty said amazed at the coincidence that that was what Serena had to deal with as Ash returned from whatever he was doing during the break. "It goes show that these themes can be anything and really tests all that one might have to do as a trainer as well as a performer."
"It does." Serena agreed as the lights dimmed. "But we should focus now, the Freestyle round is about to begin, and you want to focus on this. This is what I think you'll love about Showcases Misty."
Misty just nodded as the lights died and the stage was lit up showing Pierre and his Klefki standing in the center having appeared from beneath the stage it seemed. The man really knew how to make an entrance.
"Welcome back to ze final part of ze Lagoon Town Showcase, ze Freestyle Round." Pierre said to the crowd as it cheered for what was to come. "Each of our 5 finalists will 'ave 5 minutes to show off a routine with up to 3 Pokémon and at ze end you will be ze judges for who shall receive ze Princess Key. So, without further ado, let's begin."
Misty remembered Serena telling her that they were the judges, but it was still odd to have that kind of power in a competition like this. Still, she was going to watch each of the performances closely and cast her vote for who she thought was the best in terms of style and work with her Pokémon, the things that Serena had told her to look for. That was her focus as smoke billowed up from the center and the first finalist rose up to the stage.
From that moment on it was all about the finalists as they gave their performances for the crowd. Misty had to admit, seeing a freestyle was something else and didn't do Serena's explanations of its justice. It really was a true melding of trainer and Pokémon as they danced and performed together using their moves on each other and their trainer in ways that Misty had never thought about doing.
It was truly different from an appeal. In an appeal, even a double one, you never did things like this, it was all about showing off the Pokémon and moves, not combining them with the trainer in the center who was dancing with her Pokémon and their moves. It was truly impressive and something that Misty wanted to learn more about, as well as try to do it herself.
For the first time she truly understood why Serena felt that Contests would complete her performance skills. It also brought something else to Misty's mind. Serena was considered one of the best at this in Kalos and she needed to improve then just how good was Aria? Misty was looking forward to finding out as she watched the freestyles intently.
The first to go was a woman who looked to be in her early 20s who went for a fiery number filled with passion and utilizing two fire types, a Simisear and a Talonflame, with a heavy reliance on flames and the latter's aerial mobility. Misty felt that it was too much on the dazzle of fire while mixing in a few flying type moves to try and show off. It was overall too limiting for Misty to consider voting for her unless the others were worse.
The second was a younger performer, likely a rooking based on her age but with enough confidence to show that she'd had some experience or grown up with performance. She was also the first to use two new Pokémon going with a Starmie and a Spoink in her performance, neither of whom she'd used in the Theme Round.
This one was too reliant on a single move though for Misty to grade it high as the performer used Psychic a lot to fly around and make her other moves look good. Not enough range for Misty to really get a sense of her skills.
That changed with the third performer, a woman around Misty's own age who clearly had experience in freestyles. She had gone for a two-toned outfit of pink and black and each of her Pokémon were in clashing colors that worked for her somehow. She'd also gone with 3 very different Pokémon to show off a range of moves and types in her freestyle by using a Swirlix, a Skuntank, and a Spinda.
It was good but this time Misty felt there was a sense of overcompensating with an abundance of moves and types from the performer. Best so far but there were still two more to go and the next one up was Jessilee, the woman Misty had met in Cyllage City by accident and who she knew had won a Showcase already, so she was certainly one to watch.
That experience was on clear display as Jessilee appeared with the Meowth from before, along with a Gourgeist and a Wobbuffet. It was an odd mix, but Jessilee showed it off with the grace that was what Misty had been expecting from a freestyle based on how Serena had described them.
Rather than rely on range or an abundance of moves, all of Jessilee's Pokémon knew their role in the performance and executed them as if they were a well-oiled machine. Gourgeist was the main performer while Wobbuffet, using its odd reflection-based moves, played off what Gourgeist gave it and Meowth stepped in when necessary to add precision with her claws, Misty remembered Jessilee saying that her Meowth was female. It all worked well and showed that her Pokémon knew and trusted each other implicitly.
Add in that Jessilee was clearly a fan of the spotlight and you had someone who knew how to appeal to a crowd. The woman seemed to live for it and knew how to not only make herself the center of attention but bring it out with her Pokémon as well. It was good, though that was the only major knock on her for Misty was that Jessilee seemed to focus more on herself than her Pokémon which did have a slight drawback on how she was perceived. Still, it wasn't enough to stop her being the best of the day so far though.
Then came the last performer, another rookie and one that Misty saw had talent but clearly lacked experience. She had also gone for two new Pokémon in a Barbacle and a Bellsprout and tried to show off contrasting types and how despite advantages or disadvantages Pokémon could work well together under a skilled performer.
It wasn't a bad idea, but Misty felt that she had gotten too ambitious without more experience and Bellsprout wasn't strong enough yet with the Vine Whip and it showed. She wasn't the best but if Misty had to guess, she had the biggest room to improve out of all of the finalists.
With that, the freestyle round was done, and it was time to move onto the audience vote. All 5 performers, some nervous, some calm, and Jessilee confident, came out and stood in a line with their Pokémon in the order in which they had gone as they awaited the vote. Once they were there Monsieur Pierre came out of the wings.
"Well, zat concludes ze Freestyle Round." Pierre said with a smile to crowd. "You 'ave seen 'ow skilled and beautiful our finalists were with zere Pokémon and now it is time for you to cast your votes. So, take out ze glow rod, choose ze color zat corresponds to ze performer zat you wish to vote for, and cast it. Our system will catch ze votes and tally. So, it is time to vote."
Misty looked a little confused but pulled out the rod that was under her seat and saw that there were 5 colors on it: blue, red, pink, green, and orange. You then pushed the button for the color you wanted and flicked it forward to cast your vote in the strange system that Kalos had for this. Misty had already decided that Jessilee was the best and her color was pink, so she turned it and copied what May and Serena did to cast her vote, noting that both of them also voted for Jessilee, as did Ash next to her.
All Misty could do was watch in amazement as balls of each color shot across the Showcase Hall and towards the performers as they stood on the stage. They were then absorbed by a heart shaped gem of that color at the top of a key-shaped broach that each girl wore on their outfits, something that Misty had been wondering about, and glowed with each recorded vote. The whole process lasted a minute before the voting ended.
"Pretty high tech." Misty said as it ended. "And quite elaborate."
"Yeah Pierre has always had a flair of the dramatic to him." Serena said. "But it works so I'm not complaining."
Misty just nodded as the votes began to be tallied and the women on stage stood nervously. Pierre then took his place to the side for the announcement of the winner.
"Ze votes are in and ze winner is." Pierre said as colored thermometer of light appeared above each of the performers and began to fill up with their votes. "Performer Jessilee."
The crowd cheered as Jessilee smiled graciously, waving to the crowd her thanks as the other performers on stage applauded her in a sign of good sportsmanship. Above her head, Jessilee's thermometer was by far the fullest denoting her win.
"Jessilee step forward." Pierre said as Jessilee did and Klefki flew down towards her, unfurling his loop and holding out the Princess Key to her. "And take your Princess Key, your second of ze year. Only one more and you will qualify for ze Master Class."
Jessilee just took the key and held it high as her Pokémon and the crowd cheered at her victory. Misty had to admit, Jessilee knew her stuff and would be tough to beat but now she'd seen the standard, it was going to be interesting to see how she compared to it when she tried her hand at performing.
"So, are you going to enter in Coumarine?" Serena asked Misty as they clapped for Jessilee and all the other women who'd competed today. "Now that you know what a Showcase is like."
"Oh yes." Misty said with a grin. "This is just what I was missing this year, that sense of competition and the pageantry really appeals to me. I'll need to train and learn how to properly perform of course but I don't see why I shouldn't try for the Master Class now that we are here."
"Good then I will help as best I can." Serena said with a smile at her friend and rival. "As you are doing with my Contests so this way I will be able to repay you for what you are doing for me. I know you will do well in these Misty."
Misty just smiled and nodded in agreement with Serena. Showcases while different from Contests were just what she liked, and she couldn't deny she loved the style of them.
It would be an adjustment to get used to them, likely a loss or two before she got her footing, but they had time and she didn't see why she shouldn't compete. It would give her something to do this year as an outlet and who knows, it could perfect her coordinating the way Serena was using coordinating to perfect her performing.
Of course, all that would come in time, first though they had to get back to the Pokémon Center and do some emergency planning for Serena. She suddenly had a Contest the next day and needed to be ready for it because this time they all wanted Serena to earn her first ribbon. After what they'd recently been through, she deserved it.
