Part CXLV: Beauty and Brains

"Well folks, ze long wait is finally over." Pierre's voice said to the cheering crown in the Anistar Showcase Theater though he himself wasn't present at the moment as a large golden key spun in the center of the stage sending beams of light all over the crowd. "It is time for an enchanting performance as ze Anistar Showcase is about to begin!"

At this the crowd erupted in expectation for it. Ash, May, and Serena were all in the upper level as they joined in with the crowd. Ash was especially excited to see what it was going to be like as he hadn't been to this one before, and the stage was a strange set up that intrigued him, though May and Serena had seen it before as this was what it looked like the year prior when Serena had won the Showcase.

That was because the stage looked like the inside of a giant's classroom complete with oversized shelves, science equipment, books both open and shut with the latter forming a series of platforms leading to the back of the stage where there was a set of doors, a few giant sand hour glasses flanking the main stage, a huge desk lamp, test tubes, and even what looked like math equations on the screens at the back of the stage. The only out of place thing was the large rock formation to the left-hand side of the stage as Ash was looking at it.

As soon as Pierre was finished speaking the doors at the back of the stage opened and a cloud of dry ice or smoke poured out. In the darkness between them stood Monsieur Pierre, visible only because the white on his costume was lit up, as was the top of his cane but there was one difference with him.

Even from here they could see that the host of Kalos's Showcases was wearing a full white facemask with black eyeholes and a black keyhole in the center that made up the nose and mouth part. With the light they could also just make out the announcer's Klefki on the end of his cane which was the first time Ash had seen it there at the start rather than descending from above with the Showcase's Princess Key.

"It is I who will escort you zrough zis lovely dream world, my name…" Pierre said as he walked out, his cane held behind his back before he offered the crowd a bow from the top platform of stacked books. "Monsieur Pierre."

He came up from his bow with a dramatic pose. This was certainly more flair than Pierre had shown in the past, but the crowd was loving it.

"You are about to witness an elegant performance between performers who dream of becoming ze Kalos Queen." Pierre said removing his mask and moving his cane for emphasis before thrusting it up and into the air so that his Klefki jangled on the end before it flew up and off the cane and towards the center of the stage, the Anistar Princess Key dangling from the end of it. "Et ze winner gets zis Princess Key. Magnifique is it not?"

"Klefki." Klefki chimed in agreement as he showed off the key to everyone now that both the spotlight and a camera was on him showing a close up of the key he had on his loop on the screen above the door at the back of the stage.

The Anistar Princess Key was, like the last few, golden though very different at the same time. It had a circular top that appeared to be 3/4ths filled with what looked like turquoise glitter in a semi-circular thing and a small thing to the side. The main body was gold with the end a darker gold and circular teeth. The oddest thing about it though was that in the part that connected the head to the shaft there was a fancy gray moustache for some reason.

"Ze zeme round for zis Pokémon Showcase is…" Pierre said with added effect as a light show of golden light began showing that there were gears in the back of the stage for some reason as the master of ceremonies officially opened the Anistar Showcase. "A Pokémon Quiz!"

"Pika?" Pikachu asked from Ash's lap in surprise.

"I didn't know that a Showcase could have a Pokémon quiz." Ash said surprised by it. "That's pretty different."

"Yes it is what they had last year thus keeping with this repeating the theme round idea." Serena said a little surprised that Anistar was repeating like the last two but with the stage like this it was a given that they'd do it, and it was a good idea she found, she'd liked the concept the year before. "It's a bit more complex et requires Pokémon aid so as to include them making it quite clever."

"It shows that there is more to a performer than looks and grace." May said as Pierre briefly explained that there would be a special Anistar Contest in a few days that he'd be MCing but that the trio in the stands didn't need to listen to as they already knew about it. "That they are clever as well which shows that a performer is much more rounded than one would initially think. Plus, it makes it seem less feminine with this neutral event, so it is actually an aid to the girls who are smarter, utilize Pokémon that aren't good for themes like grooming and styling, or are just not into traditionally female roles. It was a lot of fun to watch."

"They do have others that aren't baking, grooming, or styling." Serena added. "One that was actually perfect for me, especially as I needed to get that Princess Key for my 3rd one, as it was connected to the thing that caused me to leave for my journey, but it showed that to truly be Kalos Queen one must be versatile and not just a pretty face."

"Honestly it is a good idea to include these more intelligent or practical themes as it broadens the appeal of Showcases to a wider audience by giving everyone something they might enjoy and adds to the element of mystery as to what the theme might be." May said. "Plus, it shuts up the small but vocal minority of people who simply call these things misogynistic objectification of women and girls and want it canceled and ended because of it despite the fact that the women and girls who compete chose to be performers and love what they do."

"That happened last year?" Ash asked.

"We ran into some once." Serena said recalling the incident. "But we just ignored them, that's how you handle them as they want a rise so we just didn't give it to them, and the general support for Showcases in Kalos is so large that they will never cancel these things."

"Not only does ze Kalos Queen 'ave to be beautiful." Pierre said as he walked down the steps between the platforms of books and to the center of the stage with Klefki back in the end of his cane thus ending their brief chat to refocus on the MC. "But she must also be intelligent. Beauty et brains, both are necessary to be a Queen. Only zose performers who answer zree questions correctly will advance to ze freestyle performance."

That made sense to Ash even if he was nervous about how hard it might be for Misty as who knows what kind of questions would be asked of the performers. However, this wasn't everything as Pierre continued his explanation for the rules of the theme round.

"But zat is not all." Pierre said. "While it is ze performer who will answer ze question, it is 'er Pokémon who will 'ave to win 'er zat chance. Performer et Pokémon working together to dominate ze stage et to make zis more interesting, each of our five theme rounds of zree performers will have a different task for zeir Pokémon to complete first to win zem ze right to answer ze question."

"Just like last year." May said.

"Yup, I was first up, and our Pokémon had to break into rocks, find a ball, and retrieve it with the first Pokémon back winning." Serena said. "Shauna in the second heat had to have her Ivysaur fill a basket with berries and Nini in the third had to scale the rock face to get a scroll from a balloon."

"Oh, so that's what that is for." Ash said getting why there was a random rock formation to one side of the stage. "I was wondering why there was that rock thing."

"Yup it is useful." Serena said. "And if they keep the same or similar challenges, Misty's choice for this round will be perfect no matter what."

"Well, the berries may be a bit hard more because of how delicate some can be so touch is also important there." May said. "But still not impossible."

"Et now, it's time to give a round of applause to your first group of performers." Pierre said having reached the front of the stage and now there were 3 podiums with hour glasses in the middle behind him and a sound as the first three were raised up from beneath the stage. "Let ze quiz begin!"


Well at least that theme round explained the outfits that Misty and the other coordinators had been told that they had to wear for it. When she'd arrive early to register for the Showcase, apparently last year Serena had overslept and was late, so she made sure that that didn't happen to Misty this time around, she'd been taken to a changing room for where she put her costume if she advanced to the freestyle performance and given the outfit for the theme round. Misty had never been given a theme outfit, but she couldn't deny that it wasn't too bad.

Misty had been given, and instructed to wear which she did, was a cute, charcoal gray, pencil skirt that came to her mid-thigh, white collared blouse, and slip-on shoes with ankle socks, so her legs were bare, as were all the girls'. Over that was where things got a little stranger.

She was wearing a blood red rope that fell to her knees with gold trim on the edging and cuffs and a Poke Ball design on the upper arms all done with a golden clasp at her throat. Over it and her shoulders that came down to just above the design on her arms was an additional, matching, red thing with a gold edge except for center of the chest were it was indented up. She had a similar red hat thing on with a golden tassel to complete the look.

The oddest part was that she was wearing a sash thing between the two parts of the robe done in a knot at the front and flowing down her back. It was dark blue for Misty while the others had different colors which meant that these were the colors randomly assigned to the girls and they matched the receptor keys for voting should they advance to the freestyle performance that they'd received upon registration.

Once Misty was changed and dressed in what was clearly a school girl in full scholar mode outfit she had gone to the waiting room to watch the intro from Pierre which explained what the theme was thus explaining the outfits. However, as he was getting into it she, along with two other coordinators, were told that they were first and had to take their places though the speakers in the area ensured that they heard the rules as Pierre laid them out.

This was new for Misty as she'd not gone first yet this year, but she no longer had any nerves and went with them. The good thing was that Jessilee wasn't in her group, she would go third it would turn out, so Misty and her could still face off in the freestyle for the Princess Key.

She had seen the other performer when she arrived as Jessilee was already in the waiting room, but the older woman kept to herself making sure that her flawless makeup was on point in a mirror in the corner with her Gourgeist and Meowth out to help her. It seemed that the woman was a bit of a loner when she was preparing for a Showcase which Misty could understand and respect, she'd known coordinators who were like that over the years, so she focused on herself and planned how she would win this.

The moment she heard of the theme round and that it was with her Pokémon she'd already determined which of hers she'd use for it as he was perfect for it. She'd not revealed the two she was going to use yet and now, as she walked to her starting spot, she let out the one she wanted to help her with the theme round. Misty couldn't help but grin at the gasps from the other two at her Pokémon when he appeared. He wasn't what they were expecting.

Then again, when it came to Misty's Pokémon people should get used to that after the last Showcase she was in even if the only Pokémon she had that might rival Spiritomb was her shiny Espeon. Course a Machamp was still a surprise regardless as he took his position behind Misty on the platform grinning at the chance to help his human out. The other two were still ready though as one had a Lunatone and the other a Doduo to aid them in the theme round. Now it was time to focus as they were raised up to the cheering crowd for the upcoming quiz.

"Et now." Pierre said as he expertly spun his staff in his hand. "Our first trio of performers must win ze chance to answer in ze stone trial."

At that the lights were turned on in the rock area and three gray stones were present that were clearly a different color to the rest of the rock that was in that area as that was brownish in color. Misty was a bit confused but expected some more instructions on it so waited.

"Ze performer's Pokémon must retrieve a ball from inside one of ze zree boulders." Pierre explained. "The Pokémon who returns ze quickest earns its trainer the chance to answer ze question zat 'as been asked."

"Machamp." Machamp said to Misty with a nod, he got this for her, and she knew it. "Ma, Machamp."

"I know, get this done Machamp." Misty said with a smile and a pat on his back as the other two gave their own encouragements to their Pokémon.

"Alright folks let's get our round 1 of ze zeme performance underway." Pierre said as the three Pokémon moved over to a small starting area that had appeared to the right-hand side of the performers so to Misty's immediate right as she was on the right-hand podium and lined up in starting positions behind the white line between two electronic gates that was there. "It is quiz time. Pokémon, wait until I have asked ze question et zen go."

"Machamp."

"Doduo."

"Lunatone."

"Alright ze first question." Pierre said as the screen behind the performers came to life with the image of an Espeon on it. "Eevee's psychic type evolution is Espeon, a lilac-colored Pokémon. What color is its shiny variant?"

Misty had to repress a grin at the question as the Pokémon shot off at a sound that clearly indicated that they could go to the boulders to find a ball for their trainer. Even with is leg strength, Machamp was no match for the speed of Doduo so had to settle for the second rock as the Lunatone went for the high one using the fact that it was floating to do so without an issue.

As soon as he got there though, Machamp powered up a Dual Chop in hands and slashed at the boulder. It shattered a good chunk of rock and the first ball, an orange one for him, was easily in sight and grabbed it in his nearest hand. He then turned and ran back just as the other two burst through their rocks with their own moves.

Machamp didn't have the speed of Doduo, but he had the strength here and that was key. He could break through the boulders faster and thus get the ball first before then rush back to the starting line. That was how he'd win the races and as such was how he won the first one for Misty.

"Et Machamp has finished first, so Misty gets to answer ze question." Pierre said as a sound went off to show that Machamp had won with Doduo coming in second and Lunatone last.

"Green." Misty said confidently. "A shiny Espeon is green."

"Correct." Pierre said as a sound went off to confirm it and the Espeon changed on the screen to show what a shiny Espeon looked like as the crowd cheered while the Pokémon formed up again with more encouragement from their trainers as the screen changed to show a Snorunt on it. "Snorunt has two evolved forms, the female only Froslass and…?"

Again, the Pokémon shot off at the sound and again Machamp easily won though this time it was Lunatone who came second to Doduo. All it took for him was one hit to break into the rock to get the dark pink ball this time and charge back to win. This was a bit tougher for Misty as she knew Froslass well seeing as she'd had a run in with one in Sinnoh and knew that both Paul and Georgia had one. However, as Machamp was running back she recalled Ash's Pokémon from their year in Kanto and it came to her. He did have the other one after all.

"Et again, it is Misty who gets to answer." Pierre said.

"Glalie." Misty said.

"Correct." Pierre said as there was a sound to show that she was right, and the crowd cheered before the screen changed to show a Sableye. "Before ze reveal of fairy types, Pokémon with a dark et ghost type combination like Sableye 'ad no known type weaknesses when it came to attacks. For ze next answer I will accept either ze only combination remaining zat has no weaknesses or one of ze Pokémon from zat evolutionary line. What are zey?"

For the third time the Pokémon shot off and Misty was surprised by the difficulty of the question, but she knew the answer, so it didn't matter to her in the long run. She just needed to get the chance as the Lunatone trainer had a very intelligent look about her and a small grin as if she knew it as well.

She wouldn't get the chance as again Machamp got the ball first, though he was still slower than Doduo to get there and burst through the rock to grab a blue ball this time. He turned and ran it back to the finish line, barely making it in time as the Doduo was hot on his heels for the right to answer the question.

"Et once again Misty has ze chance to answer et get to ze next round." Pierre said as her podium lit up.

"Eelektrik is one of the three Pokémon in the evolutionary line that doesn't have a type weakness and it doesn't because it is a pure electric type with the Levitate ability." Misty said confidently as the lights went off on her podium for the answer.

"Correct on both fronts." Pierre said amazed. "Misty 'as answered zree question correctly et will advance to ze freestyle performance."

The crowd cheered as the performers congratulated their Pokémon while they sank down into the ground to keep things moving along smoothly. The next 3 and their Pokémon were already waiting so they quickly changed over as Misty and Machamp prepared to get ready for the freestyle as Machamp would need time to get dressed in his own outfit.

"Hey, Misty was it." A voice called out and Misty turned to see the Lunatone performer staring at her behind a pair of horn rim glasses that she was wearing though it wasn't anger or hate but rather with a curious look on her face. "How'd you get that last one right? It's a hard question and I only know it because I have a Tynamo."

"I have a Spiritomb." Misty said simply realizing that the performer likely didn't know who she was or else she may have at least seen the possible connection. "It's the other Pokémon with a ghost and dark type combination, so I knew of it's lack of weaknesses until the fairy type reveal, something I also know well. I found out about the lack of a weakness in the Tynamo evolutionary line when I faced a trainer who wanted to battle my Spiritomb during which she used her Eelektross against me and explained its type and ability combination. I also saw an Eelektrik in battle the other day which reminded me of the uniqueness of it."

"That would do it." The girl said with a nod before leaving and giving Misty a few parting words. "Good luck, I've faced Jessilee in a freestyle, she's the real deal."

Misty just nodded back before she headed back to her dressing room with Machamp to change. She had to be ready for it and there was a TV there so she could see how the other quiz rounds went.

They were interesting to say the least. The second round of the quiz featured berry picking as the challenge, the Pokémon had to fill a basket with one of each berry from their assigned pile of berries to get a chance to answer. That alone was a lot and caused at least 3 winners to fail as they'd not gotten all of them though on two of those occasions there were incorrect answers giving the answer choice to the second-place performer in the Pokémon challenge round.

It was also extremely even between the three coordinators as their Pokémon, a Plusle, Tangela, and Linoone, were all decent at the task. In the end the round went on longer as all 3 got 2 questions right and then in the first of the winner take all for the 3rd correct answer all 3 got the question wrong causing a second go for it. On the second time around the winning Pokémon's trainer, the Linoone, managed to get it right and thus advanced.

By that point the crowd was on edge and Misty was fully dressed in her costume and getting zipped up by Machamp. She was now in a floor length, sleeveless, white ball gown with a little ruffle in the dress part and the push up bra showing a hint of cleavage at her bust where the dress was held up.

She was also wearing matching low heel shoes, gloves that came up to just above her elbows, a special white holder for her Ability Symbol, white pearl earrings, and a white choker that mixed well with her locket that was now very clear as it rested on her chest. The last thing she added was the special key for votes that had been given to her at registration which she clipped to her hip as that was the best place for the gold key with a dark blue receptor in the head.

It might seem like a bit much but with her freestyle it was perfect, and she'd already gotten Machamp into his outfit while taking out her other Pokémon and pitting the bow on her head. After some talks and trying a few things out it was deemed to be the only accessory that her second Pokémon would need.

She still had to fix her hair, an elaborate bun with some hair down in the back and her bangs pinned to it in a white scrunchy thing that really showed off her earrings and kept her hair from getting in the way when she was performing. She did as she watched the third round of the quiz go.

The third one was like the first, only in this time the dominance was done by Jessilee. She surprised Misty by not even having her Meowth out but rather using her Frillish, a Pokémon Misty didn't realize she had, and the pink indicated that it was a female Frillish, and it turned out to be the right choice.

The ghost and water type could float, and the challenge was to scale the cliff face of the rock formation and get a scroll hanging from a balloon, which made Frillish perfect for the task and ensured that Jessilee got the chance to answer first each time. The woman proceeded to answer the first three questions correctly finishing with a question that's answer was Confuse Ray and thus advanced to the next round just as fast as Misty had.

There were two more quiz rounds after using different challenges that rounded out the 5-performer final, but both were pretty straight forward, and Misty was fully ready by then and had returned to the main waiting area with her Pokémon. The winners won with a 3-1-1 and a 3-0-1 pattern of correct answers respectively with 5 incorrect answers across both remaining rounds.

"Well, zere you 'ave it folks." Pierre said looking out at the crowd as Misty turned to the TV to see that the quizzes had ended which meant that the theme round was over. "Ze five who 'ave advanced are determined et we will now take a break before ze freestyle performance."

With that the TV cut off and Misty turned to her Pokémon, Piplup was with Ash to watch from there as he wasn't going to be used this time, so he wasn't here to help, and went over the performance with them one last time. They had it down now and as they'd advanced they could focus on the final prep before the performance and with how the quizzes had gone Misty was going to be the first performer in the final.

As she was getting ready the attendant came to her and confirmed her different entrance style which Misty affirmed. In the registration, which had included a stage layout, for the Showcase that morning she had to submit a request to enter differently with an affect, and it had been approved so with 10 minutes to go she went to her spot with her second Pokémon while Machamp went to his own starting spot as they'd start in different places on the stage. She was up first so she could do this with ease.

"Welcome back folks." Misty heard Pierre say from the stage. "It is time for ze freestyle performance et first up it is ze lovely and unpredictable Misty."

Misty just smiled as the doors in the back of the stage opened and she strode out with dry ice flowing around her as she'd requested and her Furfrou at her side. At the same time the center rise with Machamp on it. He was now dressed now in a full black, specially made, tuxedo with a white shirt and reddish bowtie in the color often associated with fighting types. The big difference though was that he was only wearing the vest part and not a jacket to allow for his arms to be visible and move freely and he had no shoes on.

The crowd let out a gasp at the stark difference Misty had to her last performance as she walked down the steps, her dress slightly raised in her right hand to make it easier for her to move without hesitation, as Machamp turned to her. He then bowed slightly, his left hands on his chest as he offered his upper right hand to Misty which she took, and he helped her down the last flight of steps just as Misty's chosen music began.

Once Misty was on the ground she took Machamp's lower right hand as she let go of her dress and he led her out to the center of the stage as if introducing her while Furfrou barked and ran around them in time to the music. Then, as she reached the center she turned to Machamp to put her left hand on his chest, his lower left taking her waist as his upper ones were raised for moves.

"Machamp, Dual Chop." Misty said. "Start this off. Furfrou, Echoed Voice, time it to the music."

The moves Misty had wanted to use were Mist, Sing, and Misty Terrain as they were best for this kind of performance. However, they were not ones that Furfrou could learn and the only one that any of Misty's Pokémon could learn as far as she was aware was Mist.

On that front only Piplup and Mamoswine could learn it, and the former lacked the needed grace for this freestyle that Furfrou had as a quadriplegic Pokémon while the latter was too big though the stage was larger than anticipated but still Misty didn't think she could use him seeing it now. Anyway, she'd worked hard to perfect this, so it was time to show it off.

Machamp raised his upper hands above his head as they filled with dragon type power. He them stuck them together at the precise moment that Furfrou let out the first of the series of Echoed Voices that would come because of the nature of that move. The timing needed to be right, and it was as the music picked up and the traditional Kalos waltz began.

Misty had had this idea way back in Laverre when she began planning out a few freestyle ideas for future Showcases. She had wanted to do her Dance of Death with Banette and Spiritomb first because of it's shock value but this was her next planned freestyle because it was the perfect follow up. That and Machamp was possible one of the best for it due to his body type as he took the lead in the dance and began to properly waltz across the stage with Misty as she followed his lead.

This had been the hardest part, teaching Machamp to waltz. Misty had to learn it all herself, then use Ash to show it to Machamp for what he had to do as the one who led the dance. Well, that and as an excuse to have a date day with Ash and waltz around a Pokémon Center battlefield with him while May and Serena were out.

It had taken a while and some gentle touches to get it right, but Machamp had picked it up and now he was, not expertly but passably, waltzing over the stage with Misty as her dress flared and the crowd watched in amazement at how she blended the traditional dance with the bond that a Pokémon and its trainer shared. All this had been what she'd been training so hard for to make it so fluid, and it was what May and Serena had been helping with.

As this was happening, Furfrou prancing around with the music as she showed off, her barks timed with the music and her Echoed Voice added to the dance and punctuated moments where Machamp spun Misty or dipped her or let go as she spun around so that Furfrou could cut between them at the same time or even dance around her as Machamp followed her up. Of course, this wasn't near the end as she kept it up.

"Now Machamp, Seismic Toss." Misty said as she returned to him, and he spun her at the right moment. "Furfrou, Rain Dance. You know the right moment."

With that Machamp activated his move, grabbed Misty around the waist and tossed her right up into the air as the crowd gasped at that as she went pretty high given the move and Machamp's raw strength. She moved her body as she spun in the air and Furfrou let out the ball of water at her that shot past Misty as she spun before it burst, and the rain poured down onto the stage. Misty's dress was thick enough to not become see-through as she and Machamp, and Furfrou, got soaked. It was all still part of it though.

Misty ended her spin and came down chest first with no fear in her face or body showing the complete trust that she had in her Pokémon. A trust that was well placed as Machamp caught her waist in his upper hands, easily holding his trainer aloft as Misty spread her limbs and Machamp spun around slowly before he put her down as the song began to come to an end. There was still one more thing to do though.

"Furfrou, Charge Beam into Attract." Misty said as she was in the air.

Furfrou was already in position as she reached one end of the stage, raised her head and sent a concentrated bundle of electricity into the air over their heads. The electricity mixed with the rain for a series of sparking, small, explosions for them all to see as Furfrou ran to the other side behind Machamp and face them. Then, as Machamp set Misty on her feet, she winked up and sent a series of hearts into the air above them just as Machamp dipped Misty to end the routine on the last notes of the musical piece that was being used.

That was it, the song was over, and they held the position as the crowd cheered and Furfrou ran back so that she was with them as the rain ended and they disappeared into the ground. Misty just smiled at her Pokémon as they vanished, not hearing Pierre's words as the stage was dried and prepared for the next performer who was also doing a unique entrance with her Linoone and Poochyena.

Misty didn't care about that as Machamp helped her to her feet and she thanked her Pokémon for the amazing job that they'd done. They had done well, the crowd had clearly liked it, but there were still four finalists to go. All Misty could do now was dry off and go to the waiting room to wait with her Pokémon and see how the others did. It was in the hands of the crowd now.


"That was impressive." Ash said as Misty finished her performance and the stage began to be dried, clearly they had the tech or Pokémon to ensure that this was a quick and easy process. "And better than my practice with her."

"Well Misty explained that that was just to get Machamp used to what it will be, the rest was perfected with us watching them." Serena said. "Though it will be useful to you in the future."

"It will be?" Ash asked.

"Yes." Serena said though she didn't elaborate. "As for the Misty's performance itself, it was better than practice. Misty's really loosened up with it."

"She has and the timing of the moves with Furfrou really added to it." May said with a nod. "Making sure they fit the music while she danced around and barked really worked while also showing off the nature of Echoed Voice well. Machamp could have done more move wise though."

"Yes we had to cut it down a bit to fit with the dance style, the music chosen, and the length allowed for a freestyle." Serena said. "There are other styles where it would have worked better with Machamp's moves but this one was good for it as well. The rain was a nice touch and a good idea to change where it was done."

"Well, the accidents in training showed that Misty couldn't dance in it." May said. "Still worked and the Charge Beam and Attract added to it nicely."

"So will it win?" Ash asked as the next performer began with some upbeat, energetic number with a Linoone and Poochyena.

"There are still 4 more so we won't know until the end." Serena said. "Misty was first this time so she's at a bit of a disadvantage as she's the one who sets the standard, and we can't predict how it stands to what went before. Instead, we have to compare the rest to it, but the crowd liked it."

"The big challenge will be Jessilee who is third up I believe." May said. "She's going to be a good for sure."

"And she's never used that Frillish before." Serena said. "It's the fourth one we've seen from her this year which is interesting and only serves to add to the mysterious air that Jessilee appears to have cultivated for herself. 4 tends to be the max a performer will show. Misty is an exception as she's now shown 7 but that's also going to help her."

"It is?" Ash asked confused.

"Between the use of multiple Pokémon, many unexpected given her personal style or at least rare in Kalos as was the case with Vulpix back in Coumarine, and her varying styles she's becoming unpredictable just as Pierre noted." Serena said. "She still has Helioptile, Pyroar and Dragalge at least to show off and her Vulpix has since evolved which will also help as Ninetales is a beautiful that will be a real surprise here. There's a lot going on and now people are going to be eager to see what she can do."

"Some performers have set styles that they combine with their natural charisma and that spark that they seem to have to win." May said. "The best example is of course Aria but both Serena and Shauna showed that they have similar ways of doing it but need to kindle their sparks. Other good ones like Nini and Miette are more varied with their styles, especially Nini as Miette tends to show off her skills through her confidence and force of personality as much as mixing it up. So far this year it's been a bit different."

"Kayleigh, the one who beat Misty in Coumarine and is the other big favorite is a standard style one from what I've seen of her." Serena said. "She's actually one of only two performers I saw last year who didn't make it to the Master Class. After Pancham, back before I caught him, ruined her performance the one time I watched her she seems to have taken her time to perfect her style and maximize the use of her Furfrou. That is also odd as she's reliant on mainly one Pokémon though it does allow her to stand out. Jessilee has been a bit unpredictable except for the fact that she always has this air of mystery to her that is clearly part of her personality and appeal."

"She really does like to play that up." May said as the second performer finished and left. "And we should pay attention now as it is her turn and she'll be the one most likely to perform better than Misty."

"Right." Ash said as Pierre announced Jessilee and she appeared on stage, but the lights were now down. "Let's see how she does."


"Et now prepare yourselves for ze beautiful et talented Jessilee." Pierre announced from offstage as Jessie arrived on the darkened stage for her freestyle performance.

Jessie just grinned as she stood there in her opening pose. She knew she looked beautiful in her full-length purple dress that perfectly hugged her hourglass figure and showed off the curves a real woman had, not the girls who'd gone before her. She accentuated it with a dark purple corset with red edging on her upper chest. To add to her tantalizing mystery, she had a lilac, slightly puffy, shall over her shoulders to cover her bust that was accentuated by the corset and done out with a string, her receptor key with it's light green collector serving to pin it.

She completed her look with a thick gold bracelet on her left wrist complete with emeralds and a small black one on her right and she wasn't wearing gloves, something she never wore which made her stand out as no other notable performer went without a pair in their freestyle performances. She also had a dark purple, flower like, hair pin with a lilac back thing and purple strands from it in her hair at her left temple and right at the end of the half mask that she wore over her exposed left eye, her bangs hiding the right one.

Her arm was up as well so that when the light from her Gourgeist above her light up to show her to the crowd all they saw of her face was her exposed eye which really played to her mystery. This was how she sold herself to the crowd, the air of mature, tantalizing, sensual beauty that really highlighted her sex appeal without being slutty or anything like that but rather left the viewer wanting more when she was done.

It was an elegant class that had made Jessilee the household name that Jessie had wanted and was now milking for all that it was worth. With Jessilina filling a different niche Jessie had cornered two markets but right now it was Jessilee's moment, and she was fully in it with her Pokémon.

Above her, in her usually spectacular get up, was her Gourgeist looking great and in a matching get up on Jessie's other side in the air was her Frillish in her Showcase debut. Lastly Wobbuffet was to her side in a jester outfit that complemented her own one.

"Let's do this." Jessie said as the spotlight from Gourgeist hit her and she began to dance to it.

Jessie was a good dancer and with her dress accentuating it, the ruffled lilac hem that it had really showing it off as she spun and danced in the spotlight, taking Frillish's arm things to do so and show how she interacted with her Pokémon. This was going to really be good.

"Seed Bomb." Jessie called up as she danced and Gourgeist responded with a happy cry as she let out the attack.

The seeds burst out and exploded above them in a set of fireworks-like display for the crowd as Jessie threw Frillish to one side where she backflipped to position just as Gourgeist did it on her side. As this was happening Jessie spun back to the middle where Wobbuffet was.

"Shadow Ball." Jessie said as she reached the middle. "Both of you. Wobbuffet, Counter."

"Wobbuffet." Wobbuffet said as both ghost types let off their Shadow Balls.

The balls came to Jessie but at the last minute Wobbuffet leapt up and activated Counter to deflect the balls back. With grace the Pokémon dodged them as Jessie dance really getting into it and timing her moves with the explosions of the Shadow Balls.

The rest of her freestyle was similar to that, a series of graceful moves with her at the center as her ghost types flew around creating explosions or using Wobbuffet to counter them while intermingling her dance with each of her Pokémon. That was until the end.

"Seed Bomb." Jessie ordered. "Mist."

Gourgeist unleashed her Seed Bomb and it exploded in the same fireworks style that had been used at the start as Jessie danced with Wobbuffet in it. Then, above all of them, Frillish unleashed her mist that fell down over them as Jessie finished and gave the audience a perfect curtsy, Wobbuffet bowing at her side as the mist covered her and the lights went off.

Jessie just grinned as the crowd cheered and she sank into to ground to head back to the waiting room and see how the last two had done. She knew she was better than the performer before her but the Sinnoh twerpette had annoyingly been just as good. It would come down to the crowd and that was where Jessie knew she had it. The crowd loved Jessilee and soon she'd be confirmed when she got her third Princess Key and qualified for the Master Class without losing a single Showcase.


"That was flashy but good." Serena said as the fourth performer using a Vespiquen and Skiploom began in an aerial based freestyle performance. "Different from Misty as she went with smooth elegance compared to the flash and poise that Jessilee had. Both stood out and will get a good chunk of votes."

"Yes it should be close." May said. "Though there was a bit too much flash for Jessilee and she didn't use that Wobbuffet as much as she could have. It would have been better with just the two ghost types."

"Which is a balance to Machamp not using many moves and Misty not really interacting with Furfrou as much as she probably could have." Serena said as the fourth freestyle really got into it using a lot of flying type attacks. "Both are better than the second and fourth ones as they used the performer at the center so who knows as this will be determined by the crowd. I know that I won my 3rd Princess Key, in my 5th Showcase, because I had won the crowd though I was technically only the second best in it, but the crowd still preferred me."

"There's still the 5th so we don't know until then." May said. "So, let's watch."

Serena just nodded, Ash was already into it, so the girls just focused on the remaining freestyle performances. The fourth continued and she was decent but her overuse of one type of moves that lacked the ability to really control her and caused her to rely a lot on Vespiquen to help her didn't look good. She was clearly talented and would make the Master Class but in this field she wasn't going to win.

Then came the last one, a girl using Loudred and Golbat and went with a sound-based performance. Serena had to give the girl credit, it was rather unique for sure, and it had a lot of potential, but it didn't really work, and her Pokémon lacked the necessary power to pull it off. Likely an Exploud and Noivern would be the best pairing for this as they had the strength for it. Still, it was a good attempt even if it wouldn't win and Serena would keep an eye on her as well.

With that though, the Anistar Showcase was over. A moment later all 5 finalists were on the stage in their order with their Pokémon. It was time to vote.


"Well folks, zat is zat." Pierre said as the performers appeared on the stage with their Pokémon. "We 'ave seen 5 beautiful et intelligent performs in ze freestyle round et now it is time to vote. So, grab zose glow sticks, light them up in ze color of your vote et cast them for who you zink was ze best performer today."

Misty stood nervously at the end as she looked out into the crowd ready to try and predict how well she did when the dark blue votes that would be for her were cast. She had watched the other freestyle performances and was sure that only Jessilee was as good as her, but it was going to be hard to tell how the crowd felt. Now was the moment of truth and the votes began to be cast.

With the votes coming in that didn't change anything as it was clear from the amount of dark blue and Jessilee's light green, compared to the bright yellow, purple, and ice blue that were the other 3 colors, that were coming towards them showed that it was between Misty and Jessilee. That was as good as confirmed as the hologram keyholes that were the design for the filler of votes for this Showcase, not a thermometer like before, began to fill.

One look showed that Misty and Jessilee were going to finish with over 30% of the vote each. Of the remaining 3 the second performer to go was hovering around 15% while remaining two split the last part of the vote with neither looking like they'd hit 10% of the vote. Then, as quickly as it began, it ended, and the results were in.

"Zat was close but we 'ave a winner in ze closest vote of ze year." Pierre said when the votes were done, and percentages appeared above the top two vote getters to show how close it was. "With 37% of ze vote to 35% for ze runner up, ze winner of ze Anistar Showcase is…performer Misty!"

Misty just blinked at that as the crowd cheered and the other finalists clapped for her though Jessie had to really restrain her rage at losing by such a close margin as she maintained her poise and grace in defeat that would help her image. Misty hadn't expect her to be the one who had the most votes, but it was just visible and all she could do was step forward as Furfrou barked and Machamp raised his fists in triumph finally winning something for Misty unlike that fighting tournament that he'd lost in. He'd redeemed himself to her in his eyes.

"With zis Princess Key Misty now 'as two." Pierre said to the cheering crowd as Klefki came up to Misty, unfurled his loop, and handed her the key. "She is now one away from ze Master Class. Folks, zat is it for ze Anistar Showcase et it's winner, Misty."

Misty just took the key and raised it above her head as the crowd cheered for her before she brought it down and smiled at it as she held it in her hands. She now had two keys and she had beaten a favorite to solidify her status on the same level as Jessilee.

Now she was one away from the Master Class and she was determined to make it and see how far she could get in it, maybe even win it and get the chance to challenge Aria for the title of Kalos Queen. First though she had to celebrate this win with her Pokémon, friends and Ash. The gym battle was coming but right now this was her moment as Misty smiled at the crowd and waved at them with the key in her hand as the Anistar Showcase came to a close.