Part CLXIX: Masterful Performances
"Bonjour Pokémon lovers et welcome." Monsieur Pierre said as the lights went out in the massive auditorium of the Gloire City Pokémon Showcase Theater before an elaborate light show illuminating the stage and a set of large doors in the back on a half landing opened so that Monsieur Pierre could walk out as he continued to speak. "Ze 'our is 'ere. After an exciting year of dazzling performances, we're now at ze moment you've all been waiting for. It's time for ze Gloire City Pokémon Showcase Master Class! Et it's about to begin!"
With that Pierre thrust his staff outwards and indoor fireworks went off to the cheering crowd, including Ash, May, Serena, and Pikachu from their seats in the audience. As the moment had been drawing near they'd been chatting and wishing Misty luck from their seats, though of course she was backstage with her Pokémon fully made up for her performance, before being silenced by Pierre's traditionally dramatic entrance.
At long last, after several months of competing between first seeing a Showcase in Lagoon Town up to her win in the Wallace Showcase in Snowbelle City a few weeks ago where she got her third Princess Key, Misty was ready for her debut Master Class. They'd spent almost a week in Gloire City preparing her for it, along with other engagements May and Serena had had, and after a, for the most part other than Amelia, nice mix and mingle the night before, the Master Class had officially begun. They all couldn't wait.
For Serena though it was an odd sensation watching it from the crowd having performed in, and reached the Kalos Queen title round, the Master Class the year before but she was smiling and ready to cheer for Misty this year. At the same time, she'd be watching all of it closely to ensure that she learned stuff that could help her continue growing as a performer for when she one day returned to this very stage in her next attempt at the title of Kalos Queen.
The stage itself was the same as the year before, a vast behemoth fitting of the Master Class and unique amongst all Showcase Theaters as it was built within the chateau itself giving it a slightly different look to the other indoor Showcase Theaters. Yes the stage was, while large than normal, a standard stage in its own heart shaped style, there was also a full set of stairs at the back with the door at the top of the landing that Pierre had just walked through and side stairs branching off it to the upper balcony at the back of the stage with another set of stairs down to the stage on the sides.
To add to it all, the windows of the chateau were behind all of this looking out over the sprawling beauty of Gloire City below it while two massive, thick, illuminated pillars with a metallic crosshatch design over them went up to the ceiling high above them. The last thing of note was the large structure behind the door that looked like the upper step of a key with a large circular head that was actually the back screen for the Master Class and two curved metal supports to the sides with three ornate orbs at the top and an artistic bracket beneath.
All in all, the stage for the Master Class really set the tone for the top tier Showcase that it was and as the fireworks died down and the crowd cheered Pierre gave them a small bow. Then he continued and the crowd fell silent to listen to the Master of Ceremonies.
"Please allow me to introduce myself." Pierre said even though they all knew who he was, but it was still part of his style to do so. "I am Pierre, your 'ost for zis Master Class alongside my partner Klefki."
"Klefki." Pierre's Klefki said from the top of his cane for emphasis.
"Er now will you please turn your attention to ze stage." Pierre said turning and gesturing to the upper balcony as suddenly a series of 36 identical, hexagonal, gazebo things with artistic metal designs on them came up from within the stage itself one after enough with 18 on each side of the branch down showing just how elaborate the Master Class was. "Prepare to meet our beautiful et talented performers!"
"Woah they're inside those things?" Ash asked amazed at the lengths that the Master Class was going to with their production value.
"Yes, it is a Master Class tradition." Serena said quietly. "It's a way to show how hard we worked to get here and what it takes to be allowed to perform on this stage."
"Et now ladies, if you please." Pierre said thrusting his arms wide and silencing any audience chatter that had arisen from the arrival of the performers. "Take ze Princess Keys you worked so 'ard either zis season or over your career as performers to earn, place zem in ze zree locks et watch as ze door to your future opens up before you!"
Inside one of the gazebos on the left-hand side of the stage Misty stood listening and waiting for this moment. When she'd arrived that morning to check in for the Master Class she'd been asked to show her keys and keep them on her when the day began as she'd need them later, so she did just that.
She kept them out and in sight through her changing, her prepping of her 6 Pokémon in her set changing room should they be needed, and the wait in the large waiting room for the coming Master Class that was slowly approaching her. Now was the time to use them as she looked at the three locks in her assigned gazebo and steeled herself for what was to come while giving her outfit a final once over to make sure that it was good.
Misty was wearing a simple but still fancy blue dress with a high bodice to avoid any cleavage that hugged her chest and waist just right before flaring out into a wider, smooth, skirt that came down to just above her knees. Across her upper chest was an addition to the dress, a pale pink thing that covered her upper shoulders with a large, deep blue and white, feathered like ruffle to hold it in place.
To complete the look, Misty had opted for the same pale pink belt sash that had the ornate key receptacle with a royal blue gem showing her color on one hip, and matching shoes and gloves that came to just below her elbows. To hold the gloves in place she'd added a similar blue and white feathered ruffles around her wrists that were slicked back to rest on her forearms.
Finally, her hair was down with her side bangs looped back and pinned stylistically there by Serena with her enable Pikachu clip she reserved for such situations and placed a pink ribbon in one side that worked with her outfit, helped keep her hair in place, and showed her coordinator background all at the same time. She even had her locker and the white holder for her Ability Symbol on as well to finish her look though both were hidden by her chest piece and more there for the support she drew from them and what they contained.
There was a reason that Misty had opted for such a simple look with the strange feathery appearance to it in places and that was because all performers in the Master Class entered with one of their Pokémon by their side for it and of course Misty was going with Piplup for this as he was her starter and closest Pokémon. The look was to honor him and show just how far Misty had come since starting her journey in Sinnoh so many years ago, as well as to keep up her unpredictable style with how she appeared in Showcases.
Piplup himself stood proudly to her side in a fancy black suit with a ribbon at the base of his throat and cut perfectly for him to look his best, which naturally he knew he did, and move well in it. Misty was going to use him first after all, so he had to look good and be functional at the same time which was easy for Misty.
With a look down at her partner and a nod between them, Misty inserted her first Princess Key into the top lock as soon as she heard Pierre's order and turned it to the side causing the light inside the gazebo to light up before removing it. Then she put her second one in the next lock below it and turned it brightening the lights even more. Finally, she did it with her last key, the special one from the Wallace Showcase which was fitting for her and turned it though the door didn't open.
That seemed to be deliberate though, so Misty just took that moment to think back on all her ups and downs to reach this point in her probably brief career as a performer. She'd enjoy all of it, be it the thrill of competing once again, the dressing up, the Theme events, and the performances she'd put on with her Pokémon. It was a truly unique thing to Kalos, and Misty was happy to have experienced it through to the very end, the Master Class. It was time to enjoy the competition as she returned her Princess Keys to her waist as the wait ended.
Likely the slight delay from the last key being turned to the doors opening was so that all the girls could register their three keys being turned so that the doors of the gazebos could open all at the same time. Then, as one, the performers of the Master Class could walk out to the vast cheering crowd before them.
Misty noted that the theater had three full levels at least, in the largest venue she had ever seen for such an event, but it was fitting for the Master Class after all. Without hesitation she stepped out with Piplup proud by her side his chest puffed out and Misty looked around at the other women in the Master Class this year.
Only Kayleigh of the ones Misty knew was on her side of the balcony in a beautify bright orange, sleeveless, and fully sequined and glittering vest thing complete with polished brash buckles and a bright white bowtie at her throat. Below it she wore a folded, matching skirt that had a sequined hem with thigh high white, high heeled, boots and bicep length white gloves dotted with clear rhinestones that caught the light just right as she walked out of her gazebo.
Kayleigh completed it with a similarly fancy white belt that had her key with an orange gem set into it as the light reciprocal, on her hip. Lastly she had a white top had with an orange sparkling band set at a stylish angle on top of her head though it was slightly smaller than the one she usually wore in Showcases.
It was a look that really suited Kayleigh and with her was of course her expected Furfrou in its Dandy Trim with green dye in its fur. Given the nature of how trims worked with Furfrous it was one of the few Pokémon you didn't need to dress up to look great in a Showcase and Kayleigh's really did look great. Plus, a Dandy Trim meant that the fur on Furfrou's head was styled into a top hat which certainly explained Kayleigh's own penchant for her strange choice in headwear as the matching looks really suited them.
On the other side was Jessilee and Amelia, both in their normal fancy looks of magenta and purple that had become their trademark styles respectively with their Pokémon by their sides. Jessilee had her Meowth in a jester's outfit that fit with Jessilee's own mature air of mystery and trained to walk on its hindlegs while Amelia had her shiny Dragonair with her though all it had was a large lilac bow attached to the ball on its throat and some silver bands on its tail.
All the girls were gathered so it was almost time for the final introductions and rules explanations while all of Kalos, including many of the friends Misty had made over the year, watched from home or various Pokémon Centers that were airing the Master Class right now. It was time for the latest Master Class to begin.
It began with the girls and their Pokémon turning and walking down the stairs at the ends of the balcony, that curved down and provided an alternative way to get to the stage while the gazebos sank back down. Once they reached the stage they formed a straight line on either side of it with a gap in the middle that had Pierre in front of it so that all could be seen by the cheering crowd.
This was what they'd been instructed on, though many already knew from watching, or in a few cases competing, in years past, and they did so as the crowd got really excited for what was to come. For her part, Misty just stood there looking out and smiling waiting for the pomp and ceremony to end so that she knew who she was facing on her path to the final, but she did enjoy this special moment and savored it as she wasn't sure if she'd ever experience it again.
"Zank you all for coming today be it zose in ze audience or watching for 'ome." Pierre said to the cheering crowd. "It is a pleasure to 'ave you 'ere et to complete zis moment let us meet our current Kalos Queen as she makes her grand entrance!"
With that Pierre turned and gestured to the door he'd come through at the back with his cane that Klefki was still on. At that, all the girls turned, and the crowd cheered even louder because they all knew what was to come.
"Please give a warm welcome to Queen Aria, ze reigning Kalos Queen!" Pierre declared as the doors opened to show a bright light and the crowd roared at her arrival.
From within the light a pair of figures walked out, one human and the other a Pokémon to her side. It was of course Aria who emerged smiling at the crowd as she and her Delphox walked out and Misty couldn't help but marvel at her dress, it was really something else.
The Kalos Queen was wearing a sleeveless navy-blue dress a few shades darker than Misty's own dress that was high enough to not show any cleavage but still manage to expose most of her upper chest and highlight the golden + pendant on a beaded chain around her neck. The skirt part of the dress came to just above Aria's knees and had a ruffle design to it but only part of the dress could be seen.
That was because over the simply blue underdress was an elaborate, pale gold, outer dress with a noticeable cut in the center of the chest to show said blue dress and just shorter than it to give the appearance of a blue edging to Aria's upper chest. The rest of the outer dress came to her ankles with a wide skirt part that was perfectly smooth but with a deep cut in the center to show her legs and lower part of the blue underdress. All of it was edged in a traditionally gold border that matched her necklace.
To fully accessorize her outfit, Aria had opted for a white double sash like band around her waist with a giant white bow on the back that rested on her ass and a navy-blue bow at the front that matched the underdress with wide circular parts that went over the hips of the outer dress to disappear on her back. The center of the blue bow had the same golden + design as her necklace to complete the matching style. Lastly, as with many in Kalos, Aria was wearing gloves, but they were a simple white that came to her mid forearms with no adornments on them.
The one odd thing to Misty was that Aria wasn't wearing heels or pumps but formal white boots that came up to few inches below her knees allowing for her long black socks to be seen just over and blue bows with the same golden + on the tops of the boots. It was a strange style but really worked with the outfit, so Misty didn't really question it.
Her Delphox next to her wore a similar style dress to Aria's outer one with long sleeves and a blue sash thing stemming from another golden + that went over her shoulders and upper arms. Lastly there was a simple butterfly style barrette thing Delphox's left ear hair that was clearly decorative but really pulled the whole look together.
Of course, all this paled to the one thing that all the girls on the stage knew was most important, the silver tiara that sat atop Aria's pink, well styled, hair. That was the crown of the Kalos Queen, the item that they all coveted and were competing for the right to take from Aria but for the moment it was out of their reach atop the head of the beaming girl standing on the landing above them.
Aria was the Kalos Queen, she was the ideal that they all strove for and now was that chance to prove that they were better than her and take the crown for themselves. This simple moment allowed them all that final chance to look up at the peak of the mountain and prepare themselves for their own climb to take that peak for themselves.
That would come though as they all looked at Aria and the crowd continued to cheer her arrival. Misty had met Aria twice before, first at Pierre's party and then the day before at the mix and mingle event, even spoken to her because of her friendship and rivalry with Serena but those two times paled in comparison to seeing Aria in this moment.
Misty already knew that Aria possessed the intrinsic factor to make the audience smile that had made her the Kalos Queen and even just standing there it was palpable to all just how strong she was, especially now that Misty could see her on a Showcase stage in the height of her element. One thing was certain, the Master Class would be something else when the final round came about and the Kalos Queen took the stage herself.
All this was taken in just a few moments before Aria offered the crowd a small, graceful, and perfect curtsy from the landing before she and Delphox walked down the stairs at a slow, measured, pace. All the other girls could do was watch as Aria and Delphox descended to their level as the crowd roared and cheered showing just how much she was loved in Kalos.
Once Aria reached the bottom of the stairs she continued forward and past the girls to the front of the stage showing that the bow had white ribbons running down the back of the dress and her long hair curled up at the ends in a stylish forking of it. As soon as she was in position the crowd silenced knowing that she was about to speak.
"Greetings Kalos!" Aria said a wide, genuine, smile on her face as she spoke, the happiness clear in her voice. "Thank you all for coming and watching this Master Class Showcase!"
The crowd cheered at that, and Aria actually bowed to them this time, her posture as always perfectly on point. Misty saw the training she'd had to get to the top and maintain her hold on her crown but even with training that had completed her ascension, there was just something natural and easy about Aria that made her the way she was. It was truly breathtaking to see and really made Misty wonder about Serena's potential if she was considered the closest to usurping Aria one day and even recognized by Aria herself as a legitimate rival to her.
"And greetings also to all the performers who have made it to the Master Class." Aria said turning to address the other girls, her smile still there and genuine showing that she really meant what she was saying and excited for what was to come. "I'm honored to be here sharing the stage and competing with you. So, with the title of Kalos Queen at stake once again, let's compete with everything we've got and to all of you her in person or watching on television, I hope you enjoy the show."
With that Aria turned back to the crowd at the end, though Misty noticed that her gaze lingered a bit on herself, Kayleigh, Jessilee, and Amelia as if Aria knew who the favorites were, which she almost certainly did, and was giving them a fun challenge in her pink eyes as if she was daring them to come and take her crown from her. The girl had to have a serious competitive streak and drive to get here, Misty understood that well as a Top Coordinator, but at the same time the girl just loved what she did and that brought a smile to everyone present.
It was why she was so loved by Kalos, and Aria once again bowed to the crowd at the end of her introduction. The crowd continued to cheer for a few more seconds before Pierre took over once again though Aria never moved from her spot on the stage.
"Zose were lovely words from our lovely Kalos Queen." Pierre said before turning to the crowd once again. "Et now it is time to explain ze rules. 'ere, at ze Master Class zere is no Zeme Round, it consists of only Freestyle Performances!"
With this Pierre thrust his arms wide and paused for a moment to let his words sink in. Had Serena and May not explained it all the other day Ash would have asked about it, but he understood why it was like this so kept his mouth shut as Pierre continued his explanation.
"Furthermore, our performers will face off against each other in ze following tournament format." Pierre said and snapped his fingers which caused the lights to create the bracket for all to see. "Please take a moment to find your picture et see who you are facing first ladies."
The bracket formed from the top down, branching into three levels on one side and ending with the pictures of the 36 performers at the bottom in groups of 3. It showed that the winner advanced to the three-person second round and then the winners of those three performances would advance to the three-person final round before the top level showed Aria on one side of the final bracket with the other indicating the winner of the Master Class. Above it all was a final, empty spot that indicated the overall winner who'd claim the title of Kalos Queen for the coming year be it Aria again or a new Queen.
One thing was clear, and the girls gasped at the images, three of the four favorites very well could end up in that final round before the winner faced Aria. Kayleigh was in the first freestyle it seemed while Jessilee was in the last to bookend the opening round but that wasn't were the intrigue lay.
No, the intrigue was in the heart of the bracket as Misty was in the 4th and Amelia in the 6th Freestyle of the first round meaning that they'd face off in the second round if they won. That was going to be big, and Misty couldn't help but look over and see the glare from Amelia at her and matched it with one of her own. If all went well, they'd have to face off before the final of the performers and both of them were clearly ready for it.
"Ze first et second rounds will feature ze performer et a single Pokémon." Pierre explained getting their attention back as he elaborated on the specifics of the Master Class and showing the challenge as few of them usually performed with one Pokémon with the exception of Kayleigh who's style revolved around a single Pokémon. "Ze semifinals will feature ze performer et two Pokémon. Finally, ze performer who wins ze semifinal, known as ze Master Class winner, will earn ze right to challenge ze Kalos Queen herself!"
This got the crowd to cheer as Aria smiled eager to see who would earn that right this year and the girls set themselves with that goal in mind. That was what they were all aiming for, the challenge to Aria and what came from it which Pierre was about to enthusiastically announce.
"Et zen, ze winner of zat final challenge will receive ze title of Kalos Queen." Pierre said as the bracket twisted and burst in a shower of light to form a replica of the tiara that Aria currently wore. "Along with zis lovely tiara! So best of luck to our performers et let ze Master Class begin!"
With that all the girls left to their respective sides to return to the large waiting room. Meanwhile Aria went back the way she'd come to head back to her own special room from where she'd watch the three rounds before her own, and Pierre remained on the stage.
There was a brief break for the first three, Kayleigh and two others, to get into position underneath the stage and make final adjustments while the others returned to the large waiting room and watched or made their own final preparations for the first round. At last, it was time for the Master Class to begin and Misty couldn't wait as she and Piplup found a space to make the last adjustments, watch Kayleigh's Freestyle Round, and then head out when it was time.
"Et now for ze first group in ze first stage of ze Master Class." Pierre said causing Misty to look up to the screen in the room and watch with Piplup next to her, she was keeping her other Pokémon in their Poke Balls until they were needed and got ready to see how the Master Class went. "Our zree performers will first do a sole performance each et zen we shall have all zree perform at ze same time. Introduction out first trio, Kayleigh…"
Misty was more focused on the performance of the Kayleigh than the other two, she recognized one from her Dendemille final a while back but not the other one, as Kayleigh was supposed to be a major favorite, especially with how the Master Class's first two rounds played to her style. It helped that she was going first so Misty got to enjoy how good Kayleigh was.
The one interesting thing was that the lights went off and then a spotlight appeared above Kayleigh was that she would do her performance while the other two were still on stage as well which only adding to the challenge. Well, that and the surprise that Kayleigh wasn't starting with her Furfrou who'd been with her for the opening of the Master Class but her second Pokémon and the first new one Misty had seen with her, a Delcatty dressed in a stylish white vest, cuffs on its ankles and a specially designed top hat to match Kayleigh's.
Kayleigh continued to surprise Misty in her solo performance where she used Substitute to create a prop effectively and then had Delcatty hit it with Wake-Up Slap to destroy it as Kayleigh danced and mimicked the moves as she was giving her orders. Then she had Delcatty come back to her and use Wake-Up Slap again only this time towards her so that she could match it with her own hands to end her solo performance.
It was impressive and stood out, though the other two were pretty good with their Simisage and Chatot, respectively. However, after the solo Freestyles ended Misty could tell that Kayleigh was the best of the three at it.
That continued in the group performance where Delcatty showed off that it knew Sing, an integral move if you knew Wake-Up Slap as they played well together, and Ice Beam by actually freezing the notes before using Wake-Up Slap on them to explode them in a shower of sparkles while Kayleigh danced beneath them. Misty recalled that she'd seen, or at least thought she'd seen, the use of Wake-Up Slap on Sing before but the Ice Beam addition was definitely new and really added to it.
In the end it wasn't much of a contest as Kayleigh quickly advanced to the next round on the vote by a clear margin of victory over her competitors. The other two were naturally upset but such was a competition and Misty felt for them, but she had to focus and kept watching as the next freestyle performance went and noted that the winner of it, a finalist from the Couriway Contest that Misty had blown herself up in if she recalled correctly, advanced with an impressive and interesting choice in a Garbodor.
After that Misty had to leave with Piplup to take her place on one of the platforms beneath the stage as the third performance of the first round was underway. She'd not know who won until the end and didn't really care as she had to focus on her own advancement to the second round, she'd not face the any of the first three winners until the final challenger round if she made it that far, so she had to focus on her own progress first.
In no time it was her turn and Misty felt her nerves pick up, not that she'd let them get to her after all her other competitions, three Grand Festival finals really helped handle nerves, and she smiled as she and her other challengers ascended to the top of the stage. Misty was alongside a finalist she was sure she'd seen in the Lagoon Town Contest who was competing with a Teddiursa and a girl she'd never seen in a Showcase before but looked vaguely familiar from Pierre's party and who had a Sandslash with her for this round.
Misty was so focused that it wasn't until the lights went out and the first to go, the Sandslash girl, that she realized Pierre had already introduced them. That wasn't good and she set herself for what was to come.
To that end Misty focused on the others and got ready as she'd be the last of the three to go this time around. The Sandslash girl was decent and the Teddiursa one good, but Misty was sure she could do better and steeled herself as the lights went out again before the final spotlight showed up on her.
"Et finally, it's performer Misty." Pierre announced and Misty did a dance forward as Piplup gracefully leapt into her arms to begin their performance that would make use of his smaller size and closeness with Misty to really shine.
"Alright Piplup, start us off with Drill Peck." Misty said spinning as she threw Piplup up into the air.
"Piplup." Piplup said happily as his beak elongated and he spun gracefully as he flew into the air really showing off his move while Misty perfectly matched his spinning beneath him with her arms above her head.
"Now Hydro Pump!" Misty said as she and Piplup finished spinning with the latter also reaching the apex of the toss.
"Piplup!" Piplup roared as he flipped forward and unleashed his Hydro Pump at the stage.
As he did this Misty danced to the side to avoid it and then continued to dance around it and even ducked and weaved to avoid the spray in places as Piplup finished his Hydro Pump that was strong enough to hold him in place up there. Now it was time to bring it all home.
"Drill Peck again, dive thought it." Misty said as the Hydro Pump neared its end.
Piplup just happily cawed once again before he dove down, using his flippers the pull through the air and tore through the dregs of the Hydro Pump with his beak sending a sparkling of water over the stage to the cheering crowd. To cap it all off he flipped forward at the end and Misty caught him with one hand holding him high above her head so that he could be seen by all and bask in the adoration he was receiving and knew he was entitled to before he leapt off and into her arms as Misty backed up to her spot and the lights fell again.
"Fantastique, all trois." Pierre said before the lights came up again showing all three girls on stage. "Et maintenant, all together!"
"Whirlpool." Misty yelled tossing Piplup high into the air.
For this part she had to keep and eye on the others and their moves and moved to her side of the stage for it as Piplup tilted his head back and let off his Whirlpool high above him as he was still in the air. To her side the Sandslash was showing off its claws with a dance with its trainer and the Teddiursa was going for maximum cuteness, but Misty just needed to keep and eye on them in case any of their moves accidentally came her way so she and Piplup could react to them if necessary.
"Now, Drill Peck, into the Whirlpool." Misty said. "And finish with Hydro Pump!"
Piplup didn't say anything as he ended the Whirlpool, though the nature of the move kept it going, before he activated Drill Peck and spun with the direction of the Whirlpool to use it to spin him even faster and shoot up through the Whirlpool, cutting a visible trail through it, before exiting at the top. The mix of the Whirlpool and Drill Peck ensured that he shot up higher than before, still spinning as the Whirlpool began to fall down to Misty underneath it.
This was all planned however, and a bit of a risk but with Piplup's training this was what would work best. Misty fully trusted her partner to do his part and for their climactic ending that she was certain would ensure they advanced to the second round.
Naturally Piplup didn't let her down as he spun his body in the air to face down and then as the Drill Peck ended and still rising in the air thanks to the added momentum of the Whirlpool he unleashed his Hydro Pump down and into the heart of the Whirlpool. The two water type attacks collided and exploded in a shower of improvised rain that Misty danced in while Piplup fell through the air, doing acrobatic flips as he matched Misty's movements on the way down, to land on Misty's head on his feet with her looking up once.
It was all choreographed to the final moment and could only be pulled off thanks to their years together and the unbreakable trust that they had with each other. That and what Misty had just done was more akin to how a coordinator worked an appeal by timing the moves to intersect at the right moments but with herself placed in the center of it at the bottom to dance along with Piplup, constantly mirroring him from below in an impressive display of teamwork and ending smoothy to the cheering crowd.
"Excellent et now, please use zose glow casters or your devices at 'ome to vote for which performer you wish to advance to ze second round!" Pierre said as the Freestyle came to an end as Misty stood there a little damp and in need of sorting her hair out with the other performers awaiting the results.
As with Kayleigh, this was no contest as the sea of blue orbs coming to Misty showed she had the majority of the in-person audience despite the chaotic nature of how the glow caster voting worked. The speed of her keyhole filling above her head helped showed that she had a good portion of viewer support as well as it was already visible when the first orbs reached her key reciprocal. It really wasn't close and when the voting ended it was clear who'd won.
"Et ze winner is..." Pierre said looking to the results to confirm. "Performer Misty!"
The crowd cheered and Misty smiled though she felt for the other two who'd just been knocked out as they descended into the stage while the crowd got ready for the next round. She thanked Piplup and picked him up before hurrying back to the waiting area to fix her hair and watch the rest of the first round to see if what she expected came to pass.
Despite her growing dislike for Amelia, Misty was glad when she watched the raven-haired girl easily win the 6th freestyle of the first round. Misty had missed the end of the 5th one fixing her hair, but she did check the bracket and didn't know the girl who advanced at all as she'd not seen her in any Showcases or at Pierre's party this year, so she had no idea what to expect from her in the next round.
As for Amelia, she'd advanced with her Dragonair showing off an Attract and Dragon Rush in a strong combo where she used the Dragon Rush to destroy the Attract hearts in her solo appeal before mixing in an Ice Beam and a really elaborate Dragon Dance for the second Freestyle performance of her round. Her over technical skill pushed her over the edge, but Misty noted that the final vote was clearly closer than Amelia would have liked and significantly closer than either Misty's or Kayleigh's had been in their rounds.
"Well, she made it, that was to be expected." Kayleigh said as she approached Misty with her Furfrou by her side showing that it was her next Pokémon and now carrying an orange cane with a white top for some reason that Misty figured had to be part of her planned second round Freestyle. "Though closer than it should have been."
"I'm not sure." Misty said thinking on it as Amelia smiled and waved to the crowd while descending into the stage at the end of her round and noting that the smile did not reach Amelia's eyes. "Amelia is talented, no one can deny that her technical skill is arguably the best here and could even rival Aria's though as I've never actually seen Aria perform I can't comment on that report. However, there was no warmth to that performance, no way for the crowd to really feel it."
"True, and I have seen Aria perform, that was almost at her level and clearly above Serena's from last year." Kayleigh said thinking on it. "But that's all I got from it. She was technically great and clearly got enough votes from that to win but, I don't know, it just doesn't inspire me or make me smile the way Aria's performing does."
"As I've never seen Aria or even Serena perform I can't comment on that aspect of a Freestyle but if I had to guess I'd say that Amelia's personality and attitude holds her back." Misty said. "I think a performer has to have fun in the process for it to transfer over, but I don't get that from Amelia's work. Instead, I see the technical skill there, that I respect, but it's as if she knows that she's the best and expects to win because of that which actually causes her to not connect to the audience. At least that's how I interpret it from the one Freestyle of Amelia's that I just saw."
"Yeah I love having fun with my Pokémon and doing all sorts of moves and tricks with them." Kayleigh said as Amelia entered a smug look on her face and her Dragonair and Espeon at her sides as she strode purposefully over towards them. "But let's see, I expected this from Amelia after she won her round."
"Best to get this over with, plus I'm ready, I've dealt with a lot worse than her." Misty said as she smiled at Amelia as the girl reached them. "Congrats Amelia, looks like we will meet in the next round."
"Just as I wanted, of all the performers you're the one I wanted to beat before the final round." Amelia said her tone a sickly sweet. "The one who's been trained by the false performer Serena, beating you before the shot at Aria will really show people that I am better than you."
"Well, I'm a coordinator by trade so you're not beating a full performer and besides Serena only ever gave me pointers, she never actually trained me as she understood that my style was too different from her own for that." Misty said though she was unaware of Jessilee's double life, so she didn't know of her own coordinator talents. "But I'll still best you just like Serena did, the only difference is that I'll do it in a Showcase which is your domain. Serena's done it twice, in a Showcase and a Contest, now it's my turn."
"Serena got lucky the other week and I'm perfect so I can beat you there as well if I want." Amelia said her eyes hardening, the slight she felt from Misty mentioning her hometown loss to that bitch the year before was something Amelia couldn't ignore. "Top Coordinator or not I'd still best you in a Contest battle Misty."
"Bold statement." Kayleigh said calmly from the side. "Though with your skills I'm sure you could be a great coordinator Amelia. Why not just focus on that and become the best Kalos coordinator, that's a great honor in its own right."
"Because I am the rightful Kalos Queen." Amelia said as if it was obvious, which to her it was. "And I'll show that in the coming rounds. Best be ready Misty, my Espeon will show up any surprise you might have for us. That Piplup was good, better than it was in Coumarine, but even your reputation can't best me when we face off."
"Oh, I don't know, I've got just the Pokémon to face you." Misty said with a grin at Amelia's confirmation of who she was going to use against Misty as she pulled out a Poke Ball. "I brought her in just for you Amelia and only if you were using your Espeon in our Freestyle Round. Espeon is such a fine Pokémon, how can I not face it with this one. It's not the first time I've faced an Espeon with her so let me show you what you're in for."
With that Misty opened the Poke Ball in her hand with a few stars coming out as she did which caused Amelia's eyes to widen as she knew exactly what that meant owning a shiny Pokémon herself. Then the light shot out from the Poke Ball and formed a Pokémon before Misty that mewled as she appeared.
As she did, she blinked before glaring at the human woman opposite her, she sensed her trainer's hostility to this woman and already knew that this human didn't have a good heart. That also meant that her brethren by her side didn't either as she focused on it hoping she'd get to face it in this Showcase thing Misty had called her back for.
"Beautiful, isn't she." Misty said as she gently stroked the side of her own Espeon's head causing her to mewl happily and nuzzle into her palm. "You're not the only one with an Espeon here and none can compare to mine. As you can tell, I've never used her in a Showcase but for you, I just had to."
"Oh my, she is absolutely gorgeous." Kayleigh said her eyes wide and her Furfrou nodded, the vibrantly green Espeon in a stylish, specially cut, lilac dress that Misty had suddenly produced was a stunning Pokémon. "And that outfit, you went with the traditional Espeon color to contrast the shiny variant you have. I must say, of all the shiny evolutions of Eevee, Espeon's is the best."
"It is but I was going to be happy with whatever she chose, she just ended up this way when she evolved last year in a mock Contest battle with my mother and her Umbreon." Misty said smiling. "I've already used her against a rival's Espeon in the past but that was a battle not a Freestyle performance. Now it's your turn Amelia and this time she won't lose."
Espeon nodded at that. She'd lost that battle back in the day though that Espeon was a battle-hardened warrior unlike this preening and pompous one currently standing before her but still she had to regain some honor from that. She'd been surprised but thrilled when Misty had called her back to her side and more so when she'd been told she'd be learning to perform for the big Showcase she was about to compete in. This was her human's new passion and she'd heard from Banette and Spiritomb about how much fun it was so how could she not want to do it and help Misty win it like her teammates had before her.
Now she got her chance to do just that. Misty had made it clear that she'd only be used in one specific situation, part of Misty's strategy and her now traditional surprise factor. She'd actually planned on using one of the others in the second round if she'd not faced off with Amelia and her Espeon, but that situation had come to pass and now Misty's own Espeon was ready to really show off.
"A fancy and rare Espeon won't win it." Amelia said her anger clear though it was obviously masking her annoyance and surprise as Misty had once again showed her unpredictability by again producing a Pokémon no one would have seen coming. "I'll still best you. See you on stage Misty, get ready to go home and watch the ascension of the true Kalos Queen."
With that Amelia turned and walked away to prepare in a corner of the room clearly not in a good mood after Misty's little revelation. Misty just smiled, while she doubted that she'd successfully rattled Amelia, that girl's stage professionalism was second to none, she'd still managed to surprise her which was good. Next up it was Kalos's turn to once again be surprised by Misty.
"Well that went about as well as expected." Kayleigh said with a sigh. "This is only the second time I've spoken to her, but I can tell, she's got issues."
"Yeah I've noticed them a bit, but Serena and the others know first hand from the Wallace Cup as Amelia really showed her true colors there." Misty said. "If I had to guess it's a mix of narcissism and arrogance that has caused her to be like this. She knows she's the best technically and believes that's enough to win a Showcase. She has to have some sort of personality issue where she can't accept her own flaws and faults and blames others for them which has led her to become this way. It's almost certainly what prevents her from connecting to the hearts of the crowd the way she's supposed to."
"A shame really, her talent is undeniable." Kayleigh said. "She really could challenge Aria if she had that intrinsic ability, but she doesn't and without it, well, she'll likely never become Kalos Queen."
"It might be an either/or thing though." Misty theorized. "But that's well beyond any psychoanalysis I can do though I have a friend who might be able to understand more if she actually met Amelia, but I don't think even she can help Amelia at this point. One thing I can tell though from both speaking to her and seeing it up close, her talents would make her a strong coordinator."
"I thought so but you're the expert there." Kayleigh said. "You really think that she's that good?"
"Better, if I had to guess Amelia has Top Coordinator talent." Misty said, she may find Amelia annoying, and her personality was shit but objectively Misty could assess her well and on this front she'd seen Amelia's talents first hand in the Wallace Cup. "Few have that on a natural level, but she does, she wouldn't have made the Wallace Cup semifinals without it even with the relatively easy path she had to get there. If she properly focused and trained at it she could become the first Kalos native Top Coordinator unless we see a surprise this year at the Grand Festival."
"She's got that much potential?" Kayleigh asked surprised.
"Her natural talent and ability to train to perfection is clear from what I've seen of her in the two Contests I've seen her compete in." Misty said. "And in a Contest, well you just have to impress professional judges who don't look to personality or vote based on how well you can move them the way an audience would but rather assess her skill based on a scoring system. If she'd been born in my part of the world, any of those 4 regions, then she'd likely be a Top Coordinator already but as it stands she's become a performer and seeks the top of this world but doesn't know what it takes to get there."
"Well soon she'll see if she can make it." Kayleigh said. "Though I'm rooting for you Misty, I'd rather face you than her in the last round before I face Aria. Then I can say I bested a Top Coordinator to reach Aria."
"Or lost to one." Misty said with a smile. "But yes I'll give it my all, she won't best me."
Kayleigh just nodded at that as they heard Pierre announce the final freestyle of the first round. This was the one with Jessilee in it and both Misty and Kayleigh turned to it and without a moment to spare as Pierre announced Jessilee as the first up.
As Misty looked at the screen she saw Jessilee begin to show off with her Gourgeist and show off she did. Gourgeist used Shadow Ball to great effect both in the solo and the group performances including a massively powerful one in the latter that covered the stage in smoke before it was dispersed by a Dark Pulse to show them dancing there. From then it was just a matter of showing off the grass type moves that Gourgeist knew and another big Shadow Ball at the end to tip Jessilee over the edge and advance to the second round.
There wasn't much time to relax though, only a short 15-minute break which the 9 remaining performers spent on their own prepping for the second round before that began, Misty noting that Jessilee was clearly opting for her Meowth confirming that all four of them had switched up their Pokémon for the second round. Misty and Amelia were using their Espeons for it so their matchup in the middle was going to be something else for sure.
Soon enough though Kayleigh and the other two in her round left and Misty got to watch their introduction before she, Amelia, and the third girl in their round left for their starting spots beneath the stage. They had to be in position for a smooth change over after all.
As such Misty wasn't able to see how Kayleigh and her Furfrou did but she did hear the end when Pierre announced that Kayleigh had won becoming the first of the three to reach the final round before the challenge to Aria. That really helped motivate Misty to get that far as well as she got ready and got on the assigned platform after it had descended with Kayleigh and the others in her round on them. Then Misty, Amelia, and the other girl ascended to the stage.
"Maintenant, it is ze second Freestyle of ze second round." Pierre said as Misty, Amelia, and the other girl came into place and the crowd cheered before the lights went off as there was no need to introduce the 3 winners from the 4th, 5th, and 6th first round Freestyles as they'd already been introduced once so to do so again would be redundant though there would be an intro for the final round as the challenge to Aria was on the line then. "First up its performer Misty."
"Espeon, Psybeam." Misty said as the light fell on her and she leapt forward, her arm up and prepared.
Espeon just mewled as she leapt up and landed expertly on Misty's outstretched arm before she launched herself into the air with a flip with Misty's aid. As she rose she let off a Psybeam from her forehead orb thing, sweeping her head in a wide arch as the crowd cheered at the peculiar beam of psychic power that came out of it and continued in a graceful pattern until Espeon landed. Well, that and all but Ash, May, and Serena were stunned at the sudden appearance of a shiny Espeon in the second round.
"And Shadow Ball." Misty said as Espeon landed. "Attract it."
Espeon knew exactly what Misty meant as she opened her mouth and sent out a series of Shadow Balls from her mouth. Then, as they rose, Misty danced forward and around Espeon so that she could kneel on the stage so that Espeon could dance leap onto her back and then jump off Misty to wink at the Shadow Balls.
As expected hearts shot out of Espeon's eye and towards the Shadow Balls, mixing with them but not destroying them due to the types of the moves at play resulting in a pretty mix of normal type hearts and balls of ghost type power. It was all there for the grand finale.
"Psybeam." Misty called out to finish it off.
Before Espeon landed she looked at the mix and sent out the peculiar beam of psychic power right at it. The beam mixed with the other two attacks, and they blew up in a shower of pretty sparks right as Espeon landed before Misty to mewl to the crowd, Misty smiling at them behind her with her arms wide and still on one knee.
Once that was over and the lights fell again, Misty backed up to her spot and ignored the fuming Amelia on the other side of the stage. She'd done her part and now it was time to wait to see Amelia's solo and then the group one but first was the other person in their round with her Ducklet. It was a good performance, she'd reached this round after all, but Misty was more focused on Amelia in this round.
"Fantastique." Pierre said. "Et finally, performer Amelia."
Amelia rushed forward a smile on her face the moment the spotlight was on her as she and her Espeon danced together knowing that the peons out there would understand that she was the best. Misty's performance had been flashy for sure, but Amelia was going to put it to shame with her perfection.
"Attract." Amelia ordered. "And then grab it with Psychic and make it dance."
Amelia's Espeon mewled in agreement and winked at the crowd sending out the hearts and then as the hearts flew over the crowd Espeon glowed blue to grab them with its Psychic and cause them to dance in the air. Around it Amelia did her own dance, occasionally letting a heart hit her to explode in a pretty light while other hearts were moved out into the crowd by Espeon to explode on the audience. It would really get them on her side, the simple-minded fools who rightfully worshiped her, and Amelia enjoyed showing it off.
"Finish this with Rain Dance but don't let a drop hit the stage." Amelia said.
Espeon again mewled as it shot a ball of water into the air from its mouth that soon exploded at the apex causing rain to fall down towards them. However not a drop touched the stage or the performers as Espeon then used Psychic again, this time to stop it and raise the drops up. Then with a final mewl it used the Psychic to cause the cloud and the water to explode outwards and disperse in a pretty, glistening, mist that had the crowd cheering.
Amelia laughed, her arms wide as the move ended knowing that she'd won it with ease. Once again she'd been perfect, and she and Espeon showed that before heading back to their spots for the group performance that she was going to win as well and thus advance to the final one of these pointless rounds that stood in the way of her impending victory over Aria.
"Et now, all together." Pierre said as the lights came up.
"Future sight." Amelia said the moment the group Freestyle began. "Then Attract the audience."
Misty saw the Future Sight attack out of the corner of her eye, it was a good idea for the crescendo at the end, but she wasn't going to focus on that as she and Espeon had their own plan. It was time to show off her own skills.
"Dart forward with Quick Attack and then turn to me to fire Shadow Balls." Misty said using her side of the stage to her advantage.
Her Espeon just mewled as she did just that, shooting forward with a Quick Attack in a zigzag pattern that took her to the far side of the stage before turning to face Misty and opening her mouth as she slid to a stop, the first Shadow Ball coming out before she'd finished moving. That was shortly followed by several more that Misty danced into, moving between them without any touching her as Espeon did the same.
From there they danced together and around each other without Espeon using any moves for the moment but rather showing off their coordination within the field of attacks that would hurt Misty if she touched one and really hurt Espeon. It was designed to show off how well they worked and moved together within such confines, but they pulled it off thanks to all their practice for such a performance.
Meanwhile Amelia wasn't being idle as she couldn't lose. She'd used another Rain Dance and Psychic combo only this time it was so that she and Espeon could move in the rain without being hit while the hearts of Attract found various audience members who were loving that she was making them part of her performance. She kept this up waiting for the Future Sight knowing that that would be her Freestyle climax.
Misty too was keeping an eye out for it and the moment the air above the stage opened she was ready. She had to time this just right, she hadn't with the Shadow Balls as they'd ended a little earlier than expected but she'd compensated with a dance with Espeon on her hind legs, paws in Misty's hands, as she waited. Now she had her chance.
"Attract into the air." Misty said as she used her position to lift Espeon up by her front legs while Espeon used her hindlegs to leap with it to ensure that it worked. "And then Psybeam."
"Stop and burst that with Psychic." Amelia said from the other side of the stage.
It wasn't exactly in synch, but it was pretty close as the Future Sight was stopped by Amelia's Espeon using Psychic the moment Misty's Espeon winked to send hearts above her and Misty as she flipped backwards from the toss her eyes on her hearts the entire time. Then the Future Sight was torn apart in a shower of light above Amelia a second or so before Misty's Espeon hit the hearts with her Psybeam to blow them up in a pretty pink explosion as she turned and landed on the stage next to Misty.
This was all followed by an explosion of a water and flying type mixing in the middle from the last performer and her Ducklet to end the freestyle. It was certainly an explosive ending and one that looked really good to the cheering audience who was loving it.
"Exquisite!" Pierre said happily as the girls and their Pokémon held their poses for a moment before standing up and moving to form the usual line and await the vote. "Et now, please cast your votes!"
Misty and Amelia panted slightly, it had been quite an exerting freestyle for them, as they waited and watched the orbs come down. Misty's were a bright blue, Amelia's a dark purple, and the third girl's blood red. It was easy to see the colors in all this and Misty couldn't tell who had more between her and Amelia so just looked up to the keyholes of light above their heads as they filled her nerves on edge.
It took a moment as the keyholes filled with both hers and Amelia's reaching the head part but the other girl's not showing that she was out of it. Still, they waited until all the lights were in and an extra few seconds for the last of the viewer votes to come in before they stopped, and Pierre annoyed the winner of the second Freestyle performance of the second round and who was advancing to join Kayleigh in the last of the challenger rounds.
"Et ze winner is…" Pierre said as they all looked at the results and the close scores between Misty and Amelia for the win, but it was still visible who'd won. "Performer Misty."
Misty smiled and hugged Espeon as she won, the other girl accepting her defeat gracefully and Amelia composed as much as possible as they descended into the depths once more before the final second round performance. Thankfully, Misty didn't get to deal with a confrontation with Amelia because the girl stormed off the moment she was down, and Misty was ushered to a different, special spot as the last three would appear from other entrances.
That was good and it helped Misty get in the zone and bring out the two she was going to use for this round while recalling Espeon as she was taken there, greeting and congratulating Kayleigh who was already waiting and preparing as they watched on a special TV the final second round freestyle. Misty had won against Amelia and now it was time to get ready for the last round before Aria, the final of the Master Class.
What Misty didn't know was that Amelia naturally didn't accept her loss and added Misty to her list to crush. Amelia was going to do so differently to the others, however. Misty had humiliated her with an undeserved win in Amelia's own profession, so she was going to Misty with a deserving win in Misty's profession. Yup, Amelia was going to one day show Misty up in Contests by beating her at her own game in response for Misty's humiliation and undeserved win over her in a Showcase, Amelia swore it as she left the chateau furry in her eyes.
Misty of course was unaware of this as she went over final preparations with Machamp and Malamar, her choices for the last round if she made it, and made sure that Machamp's tux and Malamar's white dress were on point. This was a two Pokémon round so Misty had planned to go big for it and use her unique protector and chaperone and their relationship to her advantage in it.
They were known Pokémon of hers, so it wasn't a surprise and Kayleigh just nodded at it as she made her own final preparations with her Furfrou and Delcatty as they waited for the last of the second round Freestyles to end. It would soon and then they'd know who the last finalist in the Freestyle to face Aria would be.
Of course, it went as expected as Jessilee and Meowth easily advanced as well, their support clear from the crowd and Jessilee's personal marketing over the year carrying her to this point. That meant that it was just a matter of waiting as Jessilee joined them with her Meowth and Gourgeist and assume their poses for the final that would commence any moment.
All three were prepared for what was to come and at last that moment came as Pierre began to speak and they ascended to the cheering crowds with their Pokémon, a little cramped in Misty's case as she'd gone with Machamp and Malamar, to stand in their poses on the half landing. It was time, the semifinal of the Master Class was about to begin and soon either Misty, Kayleigh, or Jessilee would earn the right to challenge Aria for the title of Kalos Queen.
