Part CL: Judging
"Bienvenu to ze Couriway Contest." Monsieur Pierre said as he rose from the depths as smoke billowed out to obscure his entrance, standing on the outdoor stage at the Couriway Showcase Theater where the Contest was being held, the circular stage bare for it. "I am your 'ost today Monsieur Pierre for zis special, sudden, surprise Contest."
The crowd cheered though Ash and Serena, who were the only ones of their group in the audience, along with Pikachu and Piplup who had to be with them, just clapped normally. They knew that this Contest was coming and were ready to just sit back and enjoy it as Pierre began to go over the rules that Ash and Serena knew well by this point.
The group had reached Couriway a few days back and set up in the Pokémon Center here to get ready for what was to come while they were in the town. For the most part it was helping Misty train for the Showcase that would be in 2 days' time after the Contest, but Ash was doing his own training for the Snowbelle Gym and the Wallace Cup which Serena had joined in for. Only May wasn't training but as she was the head judge for the Contest she was the busiest of them as she had to be on hand to supervise and coordinate the preparations for it.
Unlike in the past few Contests that they had been to where the Contest had shared a venue and city or town with an established Showcase, this one was before. Even in Coumarine City, the only one so far on their trip where the Contest hadn't been a sudden snap one due to the presence of 2 Top Coordinators to be judges, the Contest had been afterwards not before. This was different and there was a reason for it though Serena, who was certain she knew the reason, didn't think it would be revealed until the Showcase and after it at that.
That didn't really bother them and in fact helped them more as they could leave right after the Showcase to make it to their next stop rather than wait around for the Contest that May and Misty would judge. Right now, the two girls were sitting at the Judges' panel at the back of the stage which was likely where judges for a theme round would sit as well for the Showcase. That said, if it was the same as the year prior as they all seemed to be then Serena was certain that it would be decided by an audience vote.
The theater itself was also unique. It was outdoors, the only one Serena had ever competed in last year but apparently Contests were outdoors at times such as the Wallace Cup and at least one that both May and Misty had won in Kanto in different years on one of the islands out there, so they did exist in the Contest world. The fact that the Kanto island Contest was in Brianna's hometown as well was irrelevant to Serena.
As for the theater here in Couriway, it was large with a sprawling set up that played into the waterways of the city. The seating was raised as expected and on the ground but the stage itself was on water of the lake that was on the outskirts of the town with the large falls of the city behind it.
Everything was held up with a series of golden beams and red walkways that would have the coordinators descending steps to reach the circular stage while everyone watched. To complete it there were lights and other things all around it as the sprawling structure opened up around the stage but in a way that drew the eyes to the center of the stage.
All in all, it was a hard venue to describe to anyone who hadn't been there given the vastness of the theater, the amount of additional stuff that others didn't have, and the sheer uniqueness of the venue so Serena and May had just let Ash and Misty marvel at it when they arrived and checked it out for the first time.
The setup did mean one thing though. There were no wings for the coordinators so the next in line would be waiting atop the stares to the right side of the stage as one looked at it during the appeals or to both sides when it came to the battles. That would make things interesting for sure.
"Et now I shall introduce zee judges zat 'ave made zis Contest possible." Pierre said having finished going over the rules after his introduction and moving onto the introduction of the judges and causing Ash and Serena to focus again as this was where May and Misty would be introduced. "First up, we 'ave ze lovely et talented May, ze Princess of 'oenn, who will be ze 'ead judge today et is a Top Coordinator from Petalburg City in the 'oenn region zough 'er Ribbon Cup comes from ze Sinnoh region's Grand Festival two seasons ago."
At this Pierre gestured his Klefki topped cane at May who was sitting in her usual attire, they didn't need to dress up for Contest judging, and waved at the crowd. She was a known face to the fans by this point and they cheered for her but that would be less than for the next judge though that was also due to what Misty did outside of the Contest world for most of the crowd were Showcase fans first who were here to enjoy the surprise Contest.
"Second, we 'ave ze beautiful et gifted Misty, ze Prodigy of Sinnoh." Pierre said gesturing to Misty where she sat in the middle of the judges. "She is ze latest Top Coordinator to come to Kalos 'aving won ze Kanto Grand Festival last season et is from Twinleaf Town in ze Sinnoh Region. She is also a performer on zat circuit zis year with two Princess Keys to 'er name et going for 'er zird in ze Couriway Showcase in two days' time. It is because she et May travel together et are 'ere for zat zat we can 'ave zis Contest zough several coordinators cannot compete due to conflicts of interest but zat just makes zis zat much more open, non?"
At this the crowd roared their approval as they began to get into it. Serena had to admit, despite Pierre mainly being a Showcase MC, he had really adjusted well to running the Contests when he had to which really helped increase their number this year as he could host these snap Contests. It also meant that with him doing so he really brought out the crowds who loved him for how he hosted Showcases thus continuing the furtherance of Contest support in Kalos.
"To complete ze judges we 'ave none other zan Couriway's own Nurse Joy who is as charming et 'elpful as ever." Pierre said gesturing to the last judge, the obligatory location Nurse Joy who just gave the crowd her usual smile which they all loved because who didn't love their local Nurse Joy. "Et with zat, let us get ze Couriway Contest underway with ze first coordinator. 'e is…"
With that the Couriway Contest began in earnest and Ash and Serena began to get into it. Ash was just here to support May and Misty in their judging, and look after Piplup for Misty, while Serena was actually here to watch the Showcase to see if she could pick up anything useful from it. Watching so many different styles and coordinators, especially in these more open Contests where the range of styles was greater due to the knowledge that no favorite or dark horse would be in it thus bringing out more coordinators, was really helpful to her.
Of course, during it she and Ash chatted about the different appeals as they watched them and gave their own assessments of them. Some were pretty good, some had mistakes in them, and some were too flashy or lacking but such was to be expected from a Contest like this.
Overall, it was a good range of Pokémon and talents with most coordinators being rookies having fun with only one so far having a ribbon and a few being foreign trying their hands in Kalos for the year. All that led to a great mix of styles and Pokémon and the crowd was loving it.
So too were the judges who gave good feedback as expected. May's style was to praise the way the coordinator used a Pokémon's moves to their advantage and how it all tied together while Misty went for the Pokémon itself and how the coordinator used it to show it off in various ways. Nurse Joy was just cheerful and helpful as expected.
That made sense with Misty given her own repertoire of unexpected Pokémon that she could use in appeals, and at times did. After all, how many coordinators can use a Pinsir in an appeal and make it beautiful and graceful despite its appearance or show off how a Banette can be playful and fun despite looking so creepy and sinister. Serena knew that Misty had never used Spiritomb in an appeal, and Malamar postdated her time as a coordinator, but Serena didn't doubt that even with those two Misty could pull off a great appeal.
All in all, Serena was really getting into it and making many mental notes, especially when someone used a Pokémon she either had or had the same type or similar physiology, so that she could see how the styles might help her out. It was all really helpful for Serena, and she was smiling and really getting into it when she looked to the walkway for the next coordinator and suddenly she stiffened, the next appeal was going to be different.
That was because next up was a girl in a lot of purple on the walkway and no doubt a smug look on her face as her posture was one of complete and utter confidence. Serena couldn't make out more than purple on pale skin and black hair from her seat, but she had a feeling she knew who the girl was. That was confirmed a moment later when the coordinator before left and it was time for the new girl's introduction.
"Next up we 'ave one of ze many Kalos performers who is trying 'er hand at coordinating to improve et prepare for ze Master Class which she will be in 'aving secured 'er zird key in the very first Showcase of ze year." Pierre said as the girl began to make her way gracefully down the stairs, the coordinators left on the other side during the intro due to the nature of the stairs, her steps confident and fluid as she moved with the effortless grace of a girl who knew she was good. "As such she 'as not met Misty et so is eligible for zis Contest, 'er 5th of ze year zough she 'as yet to win one. Give it up for ze Pride of Fleurrh, Amelia from Fleurrh City."
"I knew I recognized her, and why do I feel like she made up that nickname herself." Serena said as the crowd cheered and the girl reached the starting space now visible to all. "Yeah, it is her for sure, Amelia, been almost a year since I met her."
"You do?" Ash asked as he looked at the new coordinator who pulled out a Poke Ball for her appeal. "How?"
The girl in question was certainly one who didn't lack confidence and knew that she looked good. An attractive girl of average heigh and around Serena's own age, Amelia had long, straight black hair that fell to just past her waist and flared out around her a bit naturally though she kept a pair of strands to frame her face as they fell in front of her ears thus hiding them and lightly touching her exposed shoulders.
It also helped draw people to her striking purple eyes that were more slanted than most in Kalos giving the impression that she had ancestry not from this region and adding a certain allure to her that really helped her stand out. Then there was her outfit.
Serena recalled Amelia from the year before and how she knew how to sparkle, something she was doing again as she wore what she'd worn in the Fleurrh Showcase back then. It had looked good then and it still looked good on her now.
Amelia had on a sleeveless and strapless royal purple dress that hugged her ample bosom, something that was clearly larger than Serena's own modest bust, and slender waist well before flaring out into a standard skirt with no ruffles and a lighter purple overlay around it. There was also a tasteful teardrop opening in the center of her chest that showed off just a hint of cleavage, enough to tantalize people while being modest at the same time.
Amelia completed the look with purple heels that were low enough to be manageable and a golden orb at the center of each that seemed to add to her sparkle, purple tights a different shade to everything else but that still worked. She kept up the style with a lilac belt with a gold ball clasp on one hip and a pair of white wings on either side and a purple ribbon in her hair with a strange design and another gold ball to hold it.
As with almost all Kalos women when dressed up she had on a pair of white gloves to complete the looks that were held with a purple bracelet on each wrist and the ends flared more than the standard Kalos glove which helped Amelia stand out even more. The only thing she didn't have was a key receptacle for fan votes on her otherwise she was the same as Serena recalled.
"She was in the final Showcase I entered last year where I won my final Princess Key out in Fleurrh City which is where she is from and very well known there." Serena said as Amelia sent out her appeals Pokémon, a normal Espeon that spun on release and landed with a mewl before launching into it's first move which turned out to be Rain Dance though it was done in such a way that it didn't get Amelia, or the judges wet, only Espeon and it really helped show off Espeon's fur and how well-groomed it was. "And she certainly had that Espeon last time and if I recall she has a rather unique and interesting Pokémon as well, one that is very rare."
"Really how so?" Ash asked instantly interested in the news of a rare Pokémon making an appearance.
"It's a shiny variant, at least according to May it is as I'd never seen it before, but May had though of course that one was a normal and not shiny variant." Serena said recalling it and knew that one that May had seen before was in fact Ash's. "And from what I've been told it's a strong Pokémon so likely she's saving it for the battles though why she's using her Espeon now I'm not sure."
"Probably to start off strong and ensure advancement." Ash said as Espeon used a Hyper Voice to cut through the rain before dancing in the wake of it in a graceful manner that showed its Showcase pedigree and with no rain it really stood out for the crowd. "It is an open field and if she is as confident and serious as you say she'll do just that. She'll start with a Pokémon she knows can secure her advancement and likely has 2 Pokémon she trusts to get her to the final where she'll use this strong one that she has."
"Oh, she is, she was technically flawless in the Showcase we were in together, easily better than me." Serena admitted as suddenly Espeon used psychic on the rain itself causing it to stop much to the crowd's amazement. "Skilled, well trained, and well liked. However, she has one weakness and that is why she lost the Showcase to me thus preventing her from getting her 3rd Princess Key and as such she didn't make the Master Class last year. No wonder she went for the first of the year to get her 3rd and is likely now using Contests to practice though with her who knows."
"Weakness?" Ash asked as the rain started to actually dance in the air under Espeon's control showing how strong it was with its own type. "What is it?"
"Her arrogance prevents her from having the special factor needed to sway the crowd." Serena said simply. "She walked into Fleurrh like she owned the place, it was her hometown Showcase so that made sense, but she had an air of almost complete entitlement to her."
"That's not a good attitude to have." Ash said. "Confidence is one thing, but arrogance is what can cost you. I know that as I've made that mistake a time or two in the past."
"Yeah and that's what happened to Amelia in the Fleurrh Showcase." Serena said. "She expected to win, which is all good, and she had the talent to do so, but you have to convince a crowd and she lacked the it factor or whatever to sway their hearts. It's what I apparently have hence why Palermo offered me a chance to learn under her and what won me the Fleurrh Showcase over Amelia despite her being technically perfect and better than me. I swayed the crowd with my intangible factor, something that Aria has in spades, and beat Amelia."
"I see that does make sense." Ash said as the Psychic was used to dispel the Rain Dance entirely and a second Hyper Voice used to hit the remainder in a great and sparkly explosion that really highlighted the stage and Espeon who was now in the middle of it. "She does have the moves and everything down but there is something missing, and I don't know what."
"It's what will hold her back in a Showcase, but I don't know if she will ever understand it." Serena said as Espeon turned to the crowd to wink at it with an Attract to officially end the appeal before turning to bow to the judges as Amelia offered them a perfect curtsy. "But in a Contest, all she needs to do is be good enough to advance and three trained judges are much less subjective than a large crowd of people. Honestly, I think she will be good at these and could rise as one of the best in Kalos in time, they are more suited to her strengths than Showcases that rely on winning over a plurality or at times a majority, of the crowd to win."
"True and that was a good appeal." Ash said as it ended. "So, let's see how it went and what Misty and May thought of it"
"Très magnifique." Pierre said as the crowd cheered the end of the appeal. "A graceful appeal from a performer showing ze new Kalos style of appeals zat blends ze graceful dancing of our own theme performances with ze Pokémon et move focus of a Contest appeal in a way only a performer can. Do ze judges agree?"
"Amelia used Espeon's moves well there to both show off the power of its own type, the versatility a normal type has from its Eevee stage, and a good range of moves." May said with a nod. "A well-done appeal with a few twists in it that only the move Psychic can do."
"Yes Espeon really showed the range that it and other evolutions of Eevee can have." Misty agreed and Serena could tell that she was doing all she could to not reference her own Espeon as it might cause issues in judging ethics. "They all worked together to show off Espeon's strength and skill while also highlighting its fur and what a Pokémon with that physique can do."
"Espeon really looked great out there and the rain showed off just how well-groomed it was." Nurse Joy said with a smile. "Amelia really showed how the softness of Espeon's fur can sparkle in the rain."
"A good report from ze judges but only time will tell if Amelia or any other coordinator advances to ze battle round." Pierre said as Amelia bowed again before recalling Espeon and taking her leave of the stage. "Next up we 'ave a coordinator all ze way from Johto…"
Serena toned out Pierre's introduction of the next coordinator, a male from Johto who seemed to have 2 ribbons from his home region so was likely after the hybrid qualification route in Kalos and thought on Amelia's appeal. It was certainly a good one and she had done well in it with how she showed off Espeon's appearance, body type, moves, and abilities.
Based off what she'd seen so far, and there had been a total of 18 by the time of Amelia's appeal with 10 more after her, Serena would have personally ranked it as the second best so short of a run of really strong appeals it was easily a qualifying one. Of course, she wasn't a judge so she didn't know but she was sure that Amelia would advance to the battles.
That much was confirmed with the rest of the appeals having only two, the one right after Amelia and the final appeal of the day, being better while most of the ones in between weren't good enough to advance in Serena's mind so her one time rival would likely advance. That would also avoid any issues of Amelia causing a fuss as May would have seen her once last year at the Showcase in Fleurrh so if she didn't advance Amelia could have used that to complain though Serena doubted that May remembered Amelia.
However, she did advance as the 8 coordinators who had made it to the battles were announced by their names appearing in lights over the middle of the stage using a feature unique to Kalos and only available in the Showcase Theaters a few minutes after the final appeal. There had been a little conferring with the judges to confirm it and a moment to make sure that the system was working beforehand but it was certainly and interesting way to announce who was going to advance
The coordinators themselves would see it on a screen backstage and know who was going to advance as well so all was set and after a break the battles would begin, the bracket forming just as the names had and showing Amelia in the second battle and staying high in the air for all to see. Serena knew that things were about to get good as she and Ash settled in to enjoy the Contest battles that would determine the winner of the Couriway Contest.
Serena was not disappointed when the battles began half an hour later. Due to the size of the venue and the nature of it, they hadn't bothered to leave their seats and just dissected the appeals though Ash wasn't as good with them as the girls were, so it was more Serena's analysis and Ash's observations of what had happened. She'd talk more about it that night with May and Misty as they'd know more and could help her out with what she liked from the appeals but for now it was time for the battles.
The main focus of them for Serena was how would Amelia do in the battles. She wasn't sure how a trained performer as skilled as she was would do in battles but with her personality Serena was sure that Amelia could easily adjust to them, and she did though not exactly as Serena was expecting.
Amelia's first round fight wasn't even close. She had a Swirlix and was up against a Hitmonchan being used by a male Kanto trainer in Kalos to see how the Contests here were and get some experience before a second crack at Kanto. It was a mismatch in Amelia's favor on paper and it only got worse for the Kanto trainer from there.
That was because it turned out that the Swirlix that Amelia had was female and knew Attract. It was a move that Serena knew Amelia liked as the two Pokémon with her last year in Fleurrh had known it with at least the Espeon retaining it, and as Hitmonchan was a male only species it was quickly overwhelmed by a barrage of Attract attacks to accomplish that goal.
From there Amelia's strategy was clear, use the advantage that Attract gave her to knock out Hitmonchan with super effective fairy type attacks. Swirlix was after all one of the many pure normal types that had become a fairy type overnight whenever that shift happened and was quickly discovered when the data was being sought making it one of the original 40 or so to be reclassified in the first paper announcing the discovery of the new type.
Amelia hadn't been shy about ensuring that Swirlix was in line with her type showing it to know the moves Draining Kiss and Dazzling Gleam. With those moves Amelia was able to greatly weaken Hitmonchan as fairy type attacks were super effective against fighting types before she finished it off with a Psychic that was just as super effective.
That move however had to be a counter move for dealing with poison types, one of the two types that were super effective against fairy types, which just happened to have the added bonus of also working really well against fighting types like Hitmonchan. Well, that and it was fitting with Amelia's apparent style of having the same move for multiple Pokémon in her roster.
"She's not too bad at this." Ash said as the Battle Off was declared following the Psychic attack and the fainting of Hitmonchan with just under half the time left. "That was a good battle even if it was pretty quick."
"It lacked grace, but I think that was deliberate." Serena said rubbing her chin as she thought on it. "Swirlix isn't the most mobile or fluid Pokémon and an odd choice for a battle in my opinion. She didn't use it as a coordinator would in a graceful manner. More she went with the overwhelming attack to get an advantage and then struck while she could."
"True but I think that was a battlefield adjustment." Ash said as the next battle of the quarterfinals began. "She likely had a graceful plan but threw it out the moment she saw her opponent."
"How so?" Serena asked, Ash may not be great with appeals but with battles he knew his stuff even if he didn't understand the grace of a Contest battle.
"Well think of it, the way Kalos does Contests means that you won't know who you are facing until the moment they send out their Pokémon." Ash said. "Unless you know who you are facing and can predict like how Emily did so against Brianna in Laverre. However, only the notable coordinators on the circuit, the ones who win or enter a lot, are that well known so after that it's more whether or not you personally know your opponent and that isn't common. As this is a snap Contest that has many debuts and few with experience or visibility the coordinators present, and their Pokémon aren't widely known if at all."
"True I didn't think of it like that." Serena admitted as she digested Ash's words. "The only Contest I was in like that was Odyssey Village as I didn't know what to expect from Emily other than fairy type and at the time I couldn't counter them, still can't really but I can plan better for her should I face her again, but the others I knew by then. Brianna I went with power though and that backfired, but the others were better planned."
"Exactly and your experience and history has really paid off there." Ash said. "Think of the other Contests you've been in and when you've faced notable names or friends and how you won those matchups. You had a plan that didn't need to change too much after first contact, right?"
"Correct, I've always been able to prepare for them on some level." Serena said realizing it now. "I expected Ivysaur from Shauna because she hadn't used it and countered with Braixen who had multiple advantages not just with fire but with a new psychic type move I'd taught her that was super effective against Ivysaur's poison type. I expected Meowstic from Miette so went with Vivillon to counter it and while I wasn't sure with Jessilina, but she's known to favor poison and ghost types, so I went with Rhyhorn for power and a potential chance that really paid off though the evolution helped a lot and then in a rematch with Emily I went with Sylveon to fight fairy with fairy."
"But the matches before against unknown opponents were more hit and miss." Ash said. "And because of your training you adjusted to them."
"True I did do that." Serena said as the third battle raged on with neither coordinator getting an upper hand in it. "Sometimes I was at a disadvantage and in those cases I relied more on evasion and counters to make up for that. When it was even I went for grace and style to balance things out and if I had an advantage I played to it."
"And that is what I think Amelia just did." Ash said. "At least from my view of it that is. She used Attract to start out because it is a very good move to use for status conditions if you know the genders. Given her use of it before with Espeon, and the fact that Espeons have an 88% chance of being male, I theorize that she already knew that Swirlix was female. Any trainer who relies on Attract like that would also know the Pokémon's gender and which opponents it would be best to use it on be it the ones that are exclusively male or female, have a high gender ration one way, or a marked gender difference."
"Pikachu." Pikachu said thrusting is tail up helpfully to show that off as his species had such a distinction that could be noticed in a Pikachu's tail. "Pi, Pikachu."
"Yes that does make sense." Serena said as the third battle ended with one of the trainers, the only one so far with a Kalos ribbon in fact, winning on points due to a pair of last-minute hits that tipped the score in his favor. "Someone as meticulous as Amelia would know that Hitmonchan is a male only species and use that to her advantage the moment she realized that Attract would work. That would explain her barrage of Attracts despite losing points for missing some of them, she knew it would work once it hit and when it did the victory was hers."
"Correct." Ash said with a nod. "The only way to reliably defend against an Attract if you are of the opposite gender is through an ability such as Oblivious which renders the Pokémon immune to infatuation or Shed Skin which decreases the time an Attract is active. Neither of those are abilities I think a Hitmonchan can have."
"Amelia would have either assumed that or already known it." Serena said as the final battle of the quarterfinals began. "And as Swirlix is a fairy type and Hitmonchan a fighting she'd have at least one fairy type move for it which paid off as she had two. The Psychic seems more to deal with poison types as a way to protect Swirlix in a battle against one but does the same thing in this situation so once she had Hitmonchan infatuated she could win by Battle Off and secure advancement."
"My thoughts exactly." Ash said. "The way Kalos does Contests means you have to be more flexible and able to adjust the moment you see your opponent and during when they reveal their moves almost like a normal battle. It's what I'll be looking at in preparation for the Wallace Cup so I can adapt on the fly should I make it to the battles there."
"True, I'll keep all this in mind." Serena said as she pondered what Ash had said. "But for now, let's continue watching."
Ash just nodded as the 4th battle began to heat up, literally as it was two fire types going at it. In the end though one prevailed as it knew a ground type attack and thus landed a devastating hit that the other coordinator didn't recover from before the time limit ran out. While it did go down to points, the winner was never in doubt after that, and he advanced. Serena did note that it was the same Johto trainer who'd followed Amelia in the appeals, so he was clearly doing well.
After that came the first of the semifinals and again it was time to watch Amelia as she faced off against a local from Couriway who had the crowd's support and was in his debut Contest showing that he had a lot of potential if he could make it this far in his debut. That potential did not match up to Amelia in the end, however.
This match was very different to the last one as the trainer was using a Lombre which held a significant advantage over Amelia's Gorebyss due to its grass type and multiple resistances to water type attacks. However, this was where Amelia showed her performer skills by having Gorebyss go more evasive, using its body to it's advantage to avoid the attacks and counter with solid hits to lower her opponent's points though the apparent obligatory Attract failed when it landed showing both to be of the same gender.
That didn't seem to upset Amelia, though Serena did note that it clearly annoyed her, and she ramped it up with her style of avoiding and striking when an opening presented itself. The coordinator she was facing showed his rookie status as he wasn't as fluid with Lombre and in the end lost on points by a decent margin though he did hold out until the end which was a good sign for his future development.
"So, she can change it up." Serena noted as Amelia left to wait for the finals. "That was much more like a performance, a dance with a serpentine or eel-like Pokémon and one that I know she understands."
"It was more to what I'd expect." Ash said as the coordinators left and the second semi final began. "A little over the top at times though, which seemed unnecessary to me."
"That's because you fight like a trainer who faces gyms would which is to be expected." Serena pointed out. "That is why you will be a big challenge at the Wallace Cup because the others won't know how to handle your more direct approach that will go for the knockout rather than a stylish win on points. You would have adjusted to that and gone more direct. The coordinator here didn't, he let Amelia dictate the battle and her superior skills from her performance experience won out. That and she clearly has a skill with that body style of Pokémon. The other one she used last year was also serpentine and I bet she's using it in the final."
"If it is as good as you say then I can't wait to see it." Ash said as the crowd roared at a decisive and super effective blow being landed in the battle below. "And soon I think, that really hit hard."
Ash was right, it was a move that was super effective against both types of the other Pokémon thus making it twice as strong as it already was while also being boosted by the fact that it was a move with the same type as the Pokémon using it. The result was a massive shift in the battle and the coordinator, the same Johto one from before, pressed his advantage to win by Battle Off. It was quick and efficient but showed how just one move could really shift the dynamic of a battle no matter the style of the battle.
Neither Ash nor Serena said anything as the battle ended and the winner remained while his opponent crossed the battlefield to exit behind him and Amelia came down the opposite stairs for the final. It was time to see who'd win and so far these two had been clearly the best so far which thus made for a good final.
"It should be coming now." Serena muttered as Pierre gave the introductions and the order to commence the final of the Couriway Contest. "Yup there it is."
All Ash could do was gasp as the Poke Ball that Amelia tossed out burst open in a shower of sparks. That alone was rare, and Ash had only seen it a handful of times in his life, mainly when he used his Noctowl but also with Misty's Espeon and a few other instances and knew what it meant. The Pokémon was a shiny variant and what shiny it was turned out to be even more amazing to Ash.
From the Poke Ball burst forth a pink Dragonair that let out a cry as it landed and faced off against a Lanturn which was a relatively even matchup if the Lanturn knew an ice type move. The Dragonair also explained the wing designs on Amelia's waist and the gold balls she had in various places as the balls and markings on a shiny Dragonair were indeed gold and not blue like Ash's had been. This was a rare Pokémon and clearly the ace of Amelia's roster, something to really stand out and win it all for her.
"I can see why she saved it for last." Ash said as again Amelia started off with Attract. "That's a shiny Dragonair, the normal ones alone are rare but that is up there with Misty's Espeon for rarity though as Misty's Espeon is female it's probably rarer given Espeon's gender ratio."
"Yup I knew you'd know it, May said that you had one when she saw you in Hoenn last year for the Wallace Cup." Serena said as the Lantern trainer defended against the Attract with a Surf that easily swept up the hearts and prevented the attack from landing. "That's what she said at least after we saw this one in Fleurrh."
"Yeah mine had recently evolved in fact during the HopHopHop Town Contest were I beat Misty because of that evolution." Ash said as the Attract turned out to be a distraction for a Dragon Dance boost to speed and attack that Amelia used. "And has since evolved into a Dragonite which occurred during the Indigo Conference final. She clearly knows how to use hers, that was really clever what she did."
"What did she do?" Serena asked in confusion as the wave crashed down on Dragonair causing some minor damage and loss of points but out of which Dragonair shot forward and into Lanturn with a Dragon Rush attack before it could react, and it struck Serena what must have happened. "She used some boost attack, didn't she?"
"Dragon Dance, it increases speed and attack power." Ash said as Lanturn countered with an electric type attack, but Dragonair used its lithe body to avoid and get height with it's weird head wings showing the mobile versatility it had. "She used the Attract as a distraction this time to give her the moment to use Dragon Dance while it was defended against though I don't think she expected Surf. Regardless it worked and she let the attack hit so as to be able to counter. Dragon types are resistant to water type attacks so she knew she could take it and inflict more damage. From here she has the advantage in mobility and that is what will win it for her."
All Serena could do was nod as Dragonair unleashed and Ice Beam that also landed and took off more points from her opponent. Amelia had the advantage in speed, types, and attack power and she used it. She'd set the tone at the start and from there it was all hers. There was no doubt to Serena now, Amelia was going to be a good coordinator if she applied herself to it.
The Johto trainer did a good job and held in until the end showing that he had skill, he did apparently have 2 Johto ribbons, but in the end he just couldn't keep up even with a successful Ice Beam of his own landing. That was the only thing that was super effective however and in the end their dodging skills were enough to last the full 5 minutes. However, it was clear that the superior aerial agility of Dragonair was the decisive factor as Ash had stated and in the end Amelia won it all on points.
"Et zat is it." Pierre said as the bell rang to end the battle and the crowd cheered, the lights showing the points that were above the heads of the coordinators while they battled in a health bar style showed that Amelia was the clear winner on points though it was closer than the girl probably would have liked. "We 'ave a winner et it is coordinator Amelia who 'as now won 'er first Kalos ribbon."
The crowd continued to cheer as the coordinators recalled their Pokémon and walked out to shake hands in the center as was expected of them. They did so, appeared to exchange a few words that neither Ash nor Serena could hear over the crowd, and then the male left to give Amelia her moment.
"Et now May shall present Amelia with ze Couriway Ribbon." Pierre said as they watched May walk towards Amelia, smiling at her as she held a tray in her hands with the Couriway Ribbon in it.
The ribbon itself was in the style of all Kalos ribbons with the seal of the town in silver in the center not gold like most were and the color of the ribbon that of churning water, a pale bluish white like to honor the falls behind them while also alluding to how the town was on the water. It was a pretty ribbon and May congratulated Amelia as she held it out to her for her to take.
Amelia for her part seemed to thank May and took it before she turned to the crowd and raised the ribbon over her head, beaming at her victory and the crowd cheered for her as she did. Ash and Serena clapped with them, but Serena knew that this was just the beginning for someone like Amelia, she was going to show up again what with the Master Class coming up but there was more. It was clear Amelia had a taste for Contests and would no doubt keep doing them. It looked like Serena had another rival, one she hoped to face in battle someday.
All that would wait though, the Contest was over, and it was time to leave while Amelia had her moment with Pierre and the judges as all winners did. Ash and Serena would head back to the Pokémon Center and wait for them as they'd done before in Dendemille and Anistar when the other girls had judged before.
When May and Misty returned they'd break the Contest down before they got ready for Misty's Showcase in a few days. That would be the first of their groups hopefully few attempts to secure their respective qualification requirements as their journey in Kalos entered it's final regular season phase.
