Part CLXXVIII: Wildcard Weekend
"It's almost time." Shauna said as she approached Serena in the waiting room in Lumiose Stadium that had been set aside for coordinators in the Grand Festival in the bowls of Lumiose Stadium. "I'll admit, when I started taking part in Contests to improve as a performer I didn't expect to actually be here with a shot at the Grand Festival but here I am."
"Same though I did know that I wanted to have this shot at least." Serena said as she smiled at her friend. "And after the Master Class last year I'm not so nervous about this as I was back then. I'm just ready to go out, have fun, and do everything I can to advance to the Grand Festival."
Serena meant what she said, she was ready for the Wildcard and prepared for whatever might happen today. Sure, she really wanted to secure a spot in the Grand Festival but if it didn't happen then it didn't happen. Thanks to Misty's views on the Master Class and how she was comfortable after her loss in the finals of it, Serena was ready for this. She was going to give it her all, grow as a person, and just have a good time.
Now all that would be put to the test as it was time for the Wildcard event. The day before the Kalos Grand Festival had been officially opened with a detailed description of the rules that would be in place for the first Grand Festival in Kalos's history followed by a fun exhibition from 4 Top Coordinators including May and Misty. They'd really shown their stuff and inspired those in attendance for what was to come.
Serena and Shauna, as the only two in their group of friends who were in the Wildcard, had been two such people and afterwards they'd gone back to their lodgings, prepared with their chosen Pokémon and gotten a good night's sleep for today. Then, this morning, they'd woken, prepared their outfits, hair, and makeup, both were honoring their pasts and Kalos in general by wearing the same outfits that they'd worn in the Master Class the year before.
It also helped show people how much Kalos had embraced Contests by treating the Grand Festival as being on the same level as the Master Class that they'd been in. Miette would also be wearing her Master Class outfit in the Grand Festival which just added to Serena and Shauna's motivations to qualify for it.
It all now came down to how well their chosen Pokémon could pull of the two moves that they could use in the Wildcard appeals. Serena had registered her Pokémon first followed by Shauna who like Serena was using a Pokémon caught this year so one of her newer ones and then they'd gone to the waiting room to wait and chat about what was to come.
"Yeah, this is all for the experience and to grow." Shauna said with a nod. "I'm ready to give it my all, see what happens, and just enjoy the whole experience."
"No pressure, no issue." Serena said. "Then…"
"Hello Kalos, it's time for the Wildcard!" Jillian's excited voice came through the speakers and interrupted Serena and Shauna's conversation causing them to turn to the TV in the room where Jillian had appeared on the stage as the crowd cheered. "We've waited all year, promoted this for another prior to it, and prepared for a few years before that. Now, at long last, it's here, the first event of the Kalos Grand Festival is on us."
At this the crowd cheered and Jillian paused to allow for it and the cameras panned to show that the stadium was packed. This may be the Wildcard and only 8 would advance to the Grand Festival itself but it was still considered part of the Grand Festival as a whole so many fans had come to watch it and support their friends in it.
Serena knew that Ash, Misty, May, Miette, Tierno, Bonnie, and Trevor had all come to support her in the Wildcard but that was it as far as she knew. Lyra and Khoury had opted to take the day to train each other, Max was off somewhere but had promised to come with Owen to the main thing, and Emily and Adam were likely doing their own thing to prepare the former for the Grand Festival.
She didn't mind that some of the people she knew, and barely knew at that, weren't here, however. This was the Wildcard so those who weren't in it and didn't really know her and Shauna didn't need to be here for it. They'd all be here for the main thing, and that just gave her even more motivation to make the top 8.
"I know that the rules were explained yesterday but for the many who weren't here for the opening ceremony I'll go over them one more time so that you all know what is to come." Jillian said though Serena felt that this was add more hype to the Wildcard than to actually remind people of the rules. "Also, they are simple so easy to understand. Our 27 coordinators who have made it this far will go in the order that they securing their third ribbon and produce a single move appeal that will then be judged by our traditional 3 judges of Mr. Contesta, Sukizo, and the Lumiose City Nurse Joy. To ensure a speedy turnaround there will be no feedback from the judges, just the scores."
At this the camera panned to the show the judges as they were introduced, and the crowd again cheered for them. Serena and Shauna just focused on the order that they were going in as it appeared on the jumbotron in the stadium and on a specific screen set up for it in the waiting room. As both had secured their third ribbons towards the end of the season, both would be going later in the order.
Serena was the first of them to go as her third ribbon came in the Wallace Cup, but she was still the 19th coordinator in the order. Shauna, who secured her 3rd ribbon after the Wallace Cup, was going 23rd so near the end of it. It would be a stressful wait but at least they'd be able to see the competition before them and assess how they were doing, as well as the scores they'd need in the second appeal to advance to the Grand Festival.
"Then we will take a break for lunch and to digest the first round of appeals before resuming for the second round of them." Jillian continued. "In the second round we will go in the same order as the first and the coordinators will use the same Pokémon again, but they have to use a different move. Like the first round it is a one move appeal with no feedback but the scores which will be shown on the board for all to see. The second score will then be added to the first one to produce the final score out of 200. The top 8 scores will advance to the Grand Festival, but they cannot use the Pokémon used in the Wildcard at any point in the Grand Festival."
All this was known, and the crowd cheered to show that they were ready for this to continue as Serena and Shauna set themselves for what was to come. Still, there was actually one more thing to come that both girls had forgotten about, but some other coordinator had clearly brought up since the opening ceremony and which the Committee clearly realized needed to be clarified for those in the Wildcard.
"In the event of a score tie, however, there will be a special tiebreaker event." Jillian said which really got Serena and Shauna's attention. "The coordinators with the tie, say two tie for the last available spot as that is the most likely outcome as ties above them but not affecting the cutoff aren't an issue, then there will be a third appeal between the tied coordinators."
That wasn't what the girls, or some of the other coordinators now murmuring in the waiting room, expected. Serena had thought that they'd go to the decimal points of the average score as scores were round up or down to the nearest whole number depending on the average.
"The coordinators in the tie will return to the stage, use the same Pokémon once again but use a third move to register a third score." Jillian continued. "The highest of those scores, or whatever number is needed to round out the top 8, will be taken as the winners of the tiebreaker and secure the spot or spots. This will continue should a second tiebreaker be needed with a fourth move. For any tiebreakers needed after the second one the coordinators are free to use any move regardless of when they used it before. This one move tiebreaker will also be in place for the Grand Festival should it be needed there as well."
"Well, that makes sense." Shauna said as the crowd and coordinators in the waiting room processed how a potential tiebreaker would work. "I hadn't thought about if that would happen, but it can of course happen."
"Yeah, pretty clever and adds more to everything rather than just going to decimal points." Serena said with a nod as Jillian began to speak again. "And now we can start preparing for everything so that we can qualify for the Grand Festival."
Shauna just nodded as Jillian officially started the Wildcard and invited the first coordinator, a Johto coordinator who'd apparently decided that the Wildcard was enough for him early on in the Contest Season and not bothered going for two more ribbons, to the stage. The Wildcard had begun, and Serena and Shauna were ready for what was to come.
"Another great move." Jillian said as Serena set herself for her own appeal while the coordinator before her, a man from Sinnoh who'd scored a respectable 85 that should keep him in the running, passed her following his appeal. "Next up we have one of the biggest names in the Wildcard, if not the biggest because of her home region status and what she's already accomplished in Kalos."
Serena could have sighed at this, but she knew it was coming and had to be ready for it. She was after all a big name in Kalos thanks to her successes and the region did need homegrown coordinators to help promote the Grand Festival so between her, Miette, Shauna, Tierno, and any other Kalos natives who made it, they were all going to get this during it. All Serena could do was grin and bear it for the sake of the region and focus on her appeals today.
"She's won the Master Class in the past as a performer before losing to Aria in the title freestyle so to get better she's become a coordinator on Kalos's inaugural circuit." Jillian continued. "As a coordinator she shocked the region by winning the Wallace Cup, the first new winner since Misty won it for the first time in Sinnoh several years ago, and claiming the newly christened Misty Ribbon as her third ribbon thus qualifying her for the Wildcard. However, you know her as the Kalos Princess from Vaniville Town, give it up for Serena!"
At that Serena walked out of the wings and waved to the crowd, smiling as she did to help really get them going. Moving a crowd was key to becoming Kalos Queen so Serena was going to practice that with the Grand Festival which started with the Wildcard.
However, she was mainly focused on producing a good move that really showed off her Pokémon and helped her advance. She'd seen most of the appeals so far and they were as always a mixed bag. Some were clearly from more battle orientated coordinators who likely ended up in the Wildcard because of appeals struggles, some tried too hard and it backfired, while others did really well.
As of right now, the leading score was a 92 with all numbers down to 84 represented and big bunch up in the high 80s that showed how important the second appeal would be in determining the top 8 at the end of the day. It also told Serena that she had to secure a score in that range to remain competitive.
She knew she could do that and had the best Pokémon for that. They'd been practicing all of their moves together for the Wildcard and when it was clear that she'd do two, one move, appeals they focused on two moves to master for it. One was new as her Pokémon didn't have many great moves for such a limited appeal, but they'd found a move that worked, and it would come second. Their first move was going to be an old one of theirs that Serena knew would do well.
Now she was going to show it off as she reached the starting point and pulled out her Poke Ball. Taking a deep breath, Serena set herself as her final obstacle to the Grand Festival began.
"Meowstic, let's go." Serena said tossing her Poke Ball high into the air for it.
As with the Wallace Cup and Laverre Contest, Serena was using her only new Pokémon she'd caught since she'd joined Ash and Misty for their year in Kalos as her appeal Pokémon. The reasoning was simple, Meowstic was a high maintenance Pokémon who loved to show off and be adored by people, and pampered like a queen by Serena, but hated to actually battle. She hated battling so much in fact that if she received one hit in a battle she'd just stop listening to Serena entirely and nothing had managed to change that attitude in her.
However, because appeals weren't battles and everyone was watching the Pokémon making it the center of all attention, Meowstic had fallen in love with them. As such Serena had begun to use her as an appeal specialist similar to how Misty used her Pinsir at times though at least Misty's Pinsir would battle if asked to unlike Meowstic. Still, this was way for Meowstic to show off and Serena could train her to some extent.
Therefore, when Serena learned the day before that the Wildcard Pokémon used couldn't be used in the Grand Festival proper her already near certain choice of Meowstic as her Wildcard Pokémon became certain. This was the best for Meowstic as she got to show off all on her own and didn't have to battle or be a hindrance to Serena should she get to the battle round but still play her part in helping get Serena to the Grand Festival.
"Alright Meowstic, leap up into the air." Serena said the moment that Meowstic landed in front of her. "Then use Shadow Ball. Aim for the center of the stage."
Meowstic just mewled at that before she leapt as high as she could, that way all the human peons around her could see her stunning coat and bask in her unrivaled glory for a few seconds before she reached her apex and opened her mouth. The moment she was at the height of her leap, she looked to the battlefield and sent out a blackish purple ball of ghost type power that was large and powerful. She did have to show off for her legions of servants after all.
The Shadow Ball shot from her mouth and flew true, impacting the stage in the dead center with a boom that showed how strong it had been. It did so before Meowstic landed and when she did she turned to the three humans who were supposed to heap praise upon her and held her head high as she awaited their recognition of her excellence while Serena offered them a proper curtsy.
Serena would have to give the praise herself as Jillian had confirmed that there would be no commentary for the moves which might annoy Meowstic's colossal ego. This was done both to speed things up and because it was hard to do so with one move but still Serena had to appease her prima donna Pokémon.
Thanks to the lack of feedback, the whole scoring was very quick so that by the time Serena rose from her curtsy she had her score on the big screen. It was an 88, a little lower than what she would have wanted but it slotted her in at as part of a 4-way tie for 8th at the moment. It was a good score, one that she could build on, which she knew she would, as it kept her in the running for the second move later in the day.
"A strong appeal from one of Kalos's own." Jillian said as Serena curtsied again, recalled Meowstic who was starting to get confused at the lack of praise, and left. "Next up…"
Serena wasn't focused on what Jillian was saying as she hurried back while whispering praise on Meowstic for her work and how her next move would be even better. With that done, Serena put her Poke Ball away as she needed to get back to the waiting room to watch Shauna's appeal and get a sense of what she had to do going into the break. Things were really heating up as the first round of the Wildcard continued.
"Next up we have another one of the performers who have turned to coordinating to improve their repertoire and show us what Kalos ladies bring to Contests." Jillian said as the coordinator before Shauna left her head shaking as she'd scored a 73 so was all but out at this point but it was her own fault for trying a risky move that could have paid off but didn't. "She's also one of the few performers this year who's made it to the Master Class final, the same one that Serena won and where she was the runner up. However, throughout this Contest seasons she's shown her skills as an appeal expert that should help her going forward. From Vaniville Town, it's Shauna!"
Shauna smiled and waived to the crowd as she walked out to their cheers, cheers that were almost as loud as they were for Serena showing just how much support she had as one of the home region competitors. She was ready though and right now she was going to best Serena and really stamp her mark on the Wildcard.
So far the top score was now a 93, set by the coordinator who had gone right after Serena, and that was what Shauna was going for. She had the perfect Pokémon in her mind for a one move appeal and it knew the right moves for it. She'd caught it almost immediately after the Wallace Cup as she headed west along route 21 making it her 6th and most recent Pokémon but it's very nature lent it to being a great appeal and freestyle Pokémon.
As such, Shauna had been training it with the right moves that worked with its nature to show it off as much as possible. Now she was going to get that chance to prove how much her hard work had paid off. It was too new to risk in the Grand Festival Shauna felt as it wasn't great at a full appeal or in battle but that made it perfect for the Wildcard. She'd debated which Pokémon to use when she learned of the limiting factor but in the end she'd gone with it for the Wildcard because it made the most sense.
Now, as she reached the starting point and pulled out her Poke Ball, it was time to debut a Pokémon that she knew in time would be one of her best in freestyles to come. Grinning, Shauna tossed the ball high into the air.
"Spinda, let's perform." Shauna said. "And show off that movement with Flail!"
Shauna's Spinda burst forth and flipped in the air before it landed in front of her and began to stagger and sway. Spindas were known for this odd movement that was natural for them, along with how their patterns always differed so that no two had the same spot pattern and they always looked dazed given their swirled eyes.
All this was what Shauna played to as she taught it the right moves and Flail wasn't even the best one she had for it, that would be the second move she used today. Still, it was a good move and the moment Spinda landed it used it just as it had been trained to do so.
Spinda began to flail around aimlessly in the nature of the move, that was to be expected. What wasn't was that it would do so with an odd but clear grace, flailing in time with its own swaying and movements for all to see so that everything came off natural for it. It was just as Shauna planned and really showed off the move, its type, and Spinda's very nature all in one.
It didn't last too long but then again most one move appeals didn't and when it was over Spinda was facing the judges and bowed as best it could while Shauna curtsied. That showed that the move was over, and the vote happened right away so that when Shauna rose she heard the gasp from the crowd and her eyes went wide at the screen. Her score was a 95, the highest of the day by far and a great starting point for the next round.
Of course, Shauna wouldn't get complacent and curtsied again before recalling Spinda and leaving the stage as Jillian praised her and began introducing the next coordinator, her surprise cutting out whatever Jillian's words were. Shauna had ensured that she'd have one of the top scores, if not the top, going into the second round and she intended to keep that up so that she'd make it to the Grand Festival.
Plus, with a score like that Serena would be really motivated now to improve on it and secure her qualification as well. All that was needed now was to wait and see how they stacked up going into the second move as the first round of Wildcard appeals drew to a close.
"Interesting." May said as Shauna left, and they could now chat quietly about their friends that were in the Wildcard as the final few first round appeals went. "That was a clever way to use a Spinda, really showed it off in many different aspects."
"Yes it is no wonder that Shauna is leading." Misty agreed though she didn't know Spindas as a Pokémon species that well. "And Serena is still clearly in it."
"It will motivate Serena to do better and improve on her first score, but I'm not surprised that Shauna is leading it." Miette said from May's other side. "She's always been best of us at appeals."
"Huh?" Ash, who was naturally next to Misty, asked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"One of the biggest things I've noticed this year competing against them in Contests, and I know that Shauna and Serena have as well, is how each of us is slightly different on a deeper level." Miette said. "When performing we couldn't really see it as things are routine and down to our individual styles and interpretations of freestyles but Contests with the stark contrast of appeals and battles have shown us where our talents lie and thus what to work on."
"How so?" Trevor asked as he snapped another picture for his collection.
"They've shown us what we can and can't do." Miette said simply. "Shauna, she's the best of us at Contest appeals because she has a grace and flair to her style but she's the worst of us in battle. Remember, she had to use obfuscation and hit and run tactics to best Khoury in the first battle round of the Wallace Cup and that only really worked due to his Pokémon only knowing physical moves I think. As for myself, I'm overall the better battler as I have that edge."
"Weren't you the first of the three Master Class finalists to get knocked out of the Wallace Cup?" Bonnie asked a little confused. "You didn't make it past the first battle, Shauna won her first one before losing and Serena won it all."
"That was because I was up against someone who was focused on battle to prove she was better and who was the first to employ freestyle techniques into a Contest battle." Miette said. "I lost to that little bitch in the Wallace Cup because of that and Shauna's loss to her was even faster but when I saw how to truly adapt my style to Contest battles from watching her, and mainly Serena's, wins in the Wallace Cup I significantly improved. My own nature makes me a little sharper thus better at battles."
"Serena really was beautiful and graceful against me in the Wallace Cup." Tierno admitted as the appeal after Shauna's, the 24th, scored an 86, his crush on Serena coming out loud and clear to all but Ash who was as always clueless to it. "She showed me a level of battling I hadn't seen before."
"That's because even with your style you are still too direct in battle, and I think that's what allowed Serena to have her epiphany that she needed to take her Contest battles to the next level." May pointed out. "Serena treated that battle more like a freestyle while employing battle elements when necessary. It was a little overly flowy for a Contest battle and I look forward to seeing her face a more traditional coordinator like Jessilina, Emily, or even Brianna, in the Grand Festival to see how it stacks up against them but still works well overall."
"Exactly and I adapted to that but I'm still lagging in appeals which is part of why I focused on doing enough to get to the battles where I'd do well as I wasn't sure I could qualify via the Wildcard should it be appeals based." Miette said. "I managed that and got the needed 5 ribbons to qualify and managed that with a win over Serena."
"That was a good battle." May said. "It really showed your improvement Miette."
"Thank you." Miette said with a smile.
"What about Serena though?" Bonnie asked. "She did best you and Shauna in the Master Class, how does she differ from you two."
"That's simple, she's the best when you average it out." Miette said. "Second in both but better than the other in their weaker style and she puts all that together amazingly which is what elevates her to being above us. Add in that Serena can move hearts the best, though nowhere near Aria's level, as proved by her win over a technical perfectionist in the Fleur Showcase, and that's why she's the best of the three of us. Beating her gave me so much confidence but I know a rematch will be different."
"Huh I never really thought about it like that." Ash admitted.
"That's because this stuff really isn't your style." Misty said squeezing his hand as she spoke. "Which isn't a bad thing, you learn a lot from it Ash just as we learn from you but there are subtle nuances we can see as coordinators and performers that you can't just as you understand the flow of a battle in ways that we can never truly get. It's why you're a threat in any Contest battle and requires a coordinator to be on his or her game to beat you using a full Contest style battle."
"Or a one hit KO that required freestyle timing to pull off." Miette said as the 25th appeal ended with a 91, the first one higher than Serena's current score since Shauna. "But yes, Misty is very much right there."
"So how does all this play out in the long run?" Ash asked as he looked at the scoreboard. "Especially with the Grand Festival on the line."
"And can Serena do better?" Bonnie added a little worried as she did some counting based on the posted scores. "She's currently in what, 11th place. Right?"
"She is but there is a big bunch up that makes it a lot closer than it looks." May said as she assessed the scoreboard. "Shauna leads with a 95, then there is one at 93 and one at 92 to round out the top three. A tie for fourth after that 91 was the second coordinator to get that score and two more 90s to tie at 6th. Finally, there are three 89s for a tie at 8th leaving Serena and two others tied at 88 in 11th."
"Make that three." Misty said as the penultimate appeal scored an 88 as well. "But that's not a bad thing really."
"It's not?" Bonnie asked.
"No because it gives a baseline of what they have to improve on." May said. "Now Serena knows what she has to do to get a better score with her second move and can focus on that. Shauna just needs a score in the high 80s to advance but after what I saw with that Spinda I think she's going to top the Wildcard if she can replicate that 95. Serena, she can focus on the other scores and go for a good one that ensures she's in the top 8 as well."
"Isn't her other move solid?" Misty asked. "I saw the training, it's a good one."
"She may lose a point or two for lack of type matching but overall, it's a good move if she opts to use it." May said with a nod as she knew the move Misty was referencing. "She can easily replicate and improve her score with it."
"And once more scores come in it will be more spread out." Miette said understanding it. "You need consistency to advance."
"Exactly and it will be like that in the Grand Festival itself." May said. "So good practice for them and a good thing for you and Tierno to note going forward."
"They'll both advance." Tierno said. "Shauna's already got this, and I know that Serena will as well, she's always lovely so she won't mess up her next move."
"She's got a good chance." May said as the final appeal, a low 77, was scored and Jillian took to the stage. "But let's discuss more over lunch and let the girls focus on it in the waiting room."
The others nodded as Jillian kicked off the lunch break before the second round of appeals and they got up to head to the concessions in the stadium to get some food. There they could talk some more about the first round of appeals they'd seen.
The first moves had been interesting and shown the range that they were dealing with, but it would all come down to the second moves. That was what would make or break the top 8 and they all knew that Serena and Shauna could make it. They had one more move to give to qualify for the Grand Festival and their friends had their backs the entire way.
"Well looks like we're both in a good position." Serena said as the final appeal ended, and she noted where she was in the standings. "You better than me though. That was a really impressive appeal Shauna."
"I was always good at the appeals though." Shauna pointed out. "You were the one with better battle skills than me."
"True, you were the best freestyle performer early on and know how to get the most out of your Pokémon." Serena admitted, Shauna had been the one to introduce her to Showcases and had been her first rival to chase back in her early days as a performer before she finally bested Shauna at the Anistar Showcase. "And when we moved to Contests to grow you had the appeals down."
"Yeah but you had the stronger spark of inspiration when it counted which is why you beat me in the Master Class." Shauna admitted. "I've been really focused on appeals this year because I'm trying to try and improve that part of my performing and not so much the battles which is the main reason why I'm in the Wildcard. Miette's a much better battler and you figured out how to properly battle in the Wallace Cup."
"Yeah that I did but it was thanks to finally understanding how it all worked and being forced to adapt to beat a more traditional trainer like Tierno." Serena said as they grabbed some of the lunch that was provided for the coordinators and moved to a corner of the room to chat. "Miette's done that now as well and is really showing her edge in battles. At the moment I'd say that she's the best of us in them as you do need to win battles to win ribbons and unlike us she got the 5 needed to directly qualify for the Grand Festival."
"That's clear to all of us." Shauna said. "But the big thing with Contests is that it's not an audience vote, it's a judges' one which adds to everything as you're not inspiring people but playing to specialists. I really want to do another Showcase when all this is over to see how well I've started to win hearts."
"Same." Serena said with a nod. "As Amelia proved, you can be technically brilliant but lacking though with her skills I am sure she'll be a great coordinator if she actually focused on Contests, but her pride is too great to do that I fear. In Showcases it's that unseen ability to move hearts and bring a smile to the audience that Aria has, and we are seeking, that is key to going from great to Kalos Queen. Contests are just one way to try and improve it by rounding ourselves out. It's why I'm going to leave Kalos next year no matter what happens with the Grand Festival."
"That's a good idea." Shauna said thinking on it. "I know that Tierno and Trevor are going to travel, potentially together or to the same region at the very least as both are thinking of going to Kanto but I think I may want to go my own way. Perhaps I'll see Johto, it's right next to Kanto anyway, so we can meet up every now and then if we plan accordingly."
"Not a bad idea and I believe that Miette might also be in Kanto, so she'll be around as well." Serena said. "I've got a place in mind but as I've been to Kanto it won't be there as I want to go somewhere new. I'll discuss it more with May once this is all over and before the Lumiose Conference as that will be the right time for such a discussion. For now, though, we should still keep our focus on this. I've got to really up my score next round and you've got to maintain yours."
"I think I've got it." Shauna said with a smile. "Spinda and I have another move to really blow the judges' minds, we saved the best for last so I'm confident. It's a great appeal Pokémon."
"Yeah about that." Serena said. "How did you get a Spinda? I didn't see it on your list at the Wallace Cup, you had a 5th but it wasn't a Spinda, I'm sure of that."
"Well yeah, I caught it after the Wallace Cup." Shauna said. "Pretty much right after actually. I was heading west to Santalune along route 21 for the Contests out that way and I ran into it on the road. It was looking for something so I helped it and saw it's potential as an appeal specialist so after I helped I showed it what some of my Pokémon could do and then asked it to join me. It liked the idea of Contest appeals and freestyles, so it agreed. Since then, I've been training Spinda with all that in mind."
"Clever to work it like that." Serena said with a nod. "The way you used it's natural movements with that Flail, no wonder you got such a high score."
"Precisely, that is why I opted to use Spinda in such a manner." Shauna said "It's movements are great for that if coordinated correctly. Really it was through working with Spinda that I was able to truly understand how an appeal worked and improve from there. I've done 3 Contests since the Wallace Cup as I tried to get at least one ribbon to qualify for this. I managed that as I won one of the two where Spinda was my appeal Pokémon."
"That is a good way to practice." Serena agreed. "And the third Contest you entered?"
"I didn't use it in that one as it was right after I caught it." Shauna said. "I wanted Spinda to watch and learn from it which really helped. Course I would lose in the final to Tierno, he earned his 5th ribbon that day. After that Spinda would be my appeal Pokémon in the next Contest that I won to qualify for the Wildcard and then in the last one I entered but I lost in the semifinals of it so opted to focus on the Wildcard instead."
"That was the same for me with the Aquacorde Contest." Serena said. "If I won it I'd go for a 5th ribbon in one of the final Contests of the year, if I lost it I'd focus on qualifying via the Wildcard. I lost to Miette in the final, that was where she really showed how much better at battles she's become as she was going for her 5th ribbon in that Contest, so she showed me that she'd really upped her game since the Wallace Cup. Not that I didn't expect that, Miette was always good and rising to match me, it's what makes our rivalry so great."
"Well, we are both going all out to qualify this way just as it should be I feel." Shauna said. "It's why I've gone with Spinda. It's the best for this as I know that it isn't not a good battler, and thanks to studying how I've done with it in appeals I am confident for the Grand Festival appeals."
"Same to some extent with Meowstic." Serena admitted as they finished their lunches and put the containers in the trash. "She hates battling and doesn't do well at listening to me in them, especially after taking a hit when she just stops listening altogether, but she loves to show off, so I started to focus on appeals with her. This is the perfect situation to use her in."
"How did you catch her?" Shauna asked. "She's new this year, right? I hadn't seen her before you used her in the Wallace Cup."
"Correct." Serena confirmed. "When Kalos announced that one of their rules was a 4 Pokémon minimum requirement I got my 4th from my mother as she had a Rhyhorn that didn't want to race so gave him to me to use in Contests which he's really taken to and even evolved to help me win my second ribbon. I caught a Scatterbug shortly afterwards to have 5 to choose from which allowed for variety and an element of unpredictability that I really needed given the rules Kalos put in place for Contests."
"And as Aria has shown a Vivillon is a useful Pokémon to have." Shauna said. "I hear Viola's is really strong as well which shows how they can be good in battles and Showcases."
"True and it's thanks to seeing the ones that Viola and Aria have that I was able to work with mine to be both an appeals and battle Pokémon." Serena said. "As for Meowstic, that was more just a lucky encounter that led to her capture. She used Psychic to steal some Poke Puffs from me back when we were making our way to Laverre and then just let me catch her as she napped after stealing them. I've tried to battle with her, but she as I said she's not a fan of them. I wasn't sure what to do with her until I learned how to maximize her potential as an appeals Pokémon based on her vain personality."
"I see you've grown a lot this year." Shauna said with a smile. "You're going to make our Master Class rematch really good one day."
"Well so have you Shauna so I can't wait for that day." Serena said smiling back at her. "And we'll start with a battle in the Grand Festival because we're both going to make it."
"That we are." Shauna said nodding at that. "Let's give it our all one more time Serena and show what we Kalos ladies can do."
Serena nodded to that, and they devolved into more idle chatter as the lunch break continued. The first appeal was over, Shauna had set the standard and now Serena was ready to rise to it so that both of them could go to the Grand Festival. One more move, one more score, and they'd know. They were ready, bring on the second round of the Wildcard.
"And there's the 18th final score." Jillian said as Serena stood in the wings and watched a dejected coordinator leave the stage, he'd managed and 80 which wasn't enough to make the cut when added to his first-round score of 85 and prepared mentally for it herself. "Next up to give her second appeal of the Wildcard it's the Kalos Princess herself, from Vaniville Town, it's Serena!"
Serena walked out smiling and waving a bit to the crowd as she made her way to the starting point for her appeal. As they'd all been introduced before the was no need for another big one, though Jillian would likely do one for each round in the Grand Festival to really hype up the crowd like she always did, but that wasn't needed right now as it was already hyped up for the final few appeals of the Wildcard. That was at least good as it allowed her to focus on her appeal.
She'd been keeping a close eye on the scores and the leaderboard to know what she needed to get to advance. The second round had really sorted the wheat from the chaff so to speak and produced a wide range of scores. Right now, the cut off was around 170 or so which meant that Serena needed to match or improve her score, she wanted the latter to be safe, from the first round to really have a chance.
It was a good thing that she was going to use a better move for this appeal then as she reached the starting point and pulled out her Poke Ball. This would put her over the top, she knew it.
"Meowstic, let's go." Serena said throwing out her Poke Ball. "And as soon as you land, use Disarming Voice."
This was Meowstic's newest move and one Serena and her had worked on hard to be good for appeals to show off her skills and to work as a backdrop in freestyles going forward as it could really add to them if used correctly. It was the best move that Serena could teach Meowstic for such a necessity and now they'd get to demonstrate why it was the right choice.
Meowstic for her part knew what to do as she spun and flipped upon emerging from her Poke Ball and landed on the stage before Serena. Then she opened her mouth and unleashed her Disarming Voice. The charming cry that was one of the handful of former normal type moves that had, along with several previously normal type Pokémon, turned to fairy type after the still unexplained change that had occurred in the world around about 2 years ago, was unleashed for all to hear.
As trained, it was loud, clear, and strong putting Meowstic at the center of it as she let off the attack for all to hear and enjoy. It really played to her vanity and desire to be admired and that was how Serena had worked it so that it would go off well. In a one move appeal, it was Meowstic's best hence why Serena had saved it for now.
The Disarming Voice only lasted a few moments before it ended. When it did, Serena turned to the judges and gave them a curtsy to show that it was over though Meowstic just glared at them as she wasn't happy at being ignored by them. That had actually worked for Serena as it wounded Meowstic's pride and made her try harder to get the praise she deserved but alas it still wouldn't come.
That was because, as before, there was no commentary on notes on the appeal, just a quick vote and score from the judges so that when Serena rose from her curtsy she saw what it was. She had to repress a smile at the 92 that showed up and then changed to her full score of 180 out of a possible 200. It was the current 3rd place score and one of only two scores over 90 in the second appeal.
Serena had done well, made a statement and while she wasn't safe just yet, she was sure that she was close to it as she curtsied again and recalled Meowstic to heap praise on her before leaving as Jillian began to speak but not listening to her. She needed to get back and watch closely as the last 7 coordinators went to see where she stood. She was sure she'd only lose two or 3 spots, but she had to make sure, and it would be a nervous time as she awaited the results to see if she'd made it into the field for the first ever Kalos Grand Festival.
"Well, there was the 22nd coordinator of the day which means that we only have 5 more to go." Jillian said as Shauna set herself for her second and final appeal of the day while the coordinator before her just walked off her second score not strong enough to overcome her bad first score. "Now up is the leader after the first round and needing an 85 or higher to secure a spot in the Grand Festival, from Vaniville Town, it's Shauna!"
Shauna walked out smiling and waving to the crowd as they cheered for her. Jillian was right, with 4 more coordinators to go after her, Shauna needed a score that would put her in the top 4 to guarantee a spot in the Grand Festival.
Incidentally, the cut off score that Shauna needed to reach was 180 points and that currently held by Serena. Her friend had done well, Shauna had seen her score 92 to move her score to third and only the coordinator right after her had gotten a combined score above that to push her down to 4th overall with only a few more left in the Wildcard.
The top 3 scores so far that Shauna was aiming to best were 186 that led the field, a 183, and a 181. Shauna had the cushion from the first round but of course she wanted to really make a statement heading into the Grand Festival, so she needed a high score. She had just the move for it and pulled out her Poke Ball as she reached her starting point, mind set and ready to qualify for the Grand Festival.
"Spinda, let's perform." Shauna said tossing out her Poke Ball. "And right into Teeter Dance."
Spinda burst from the Poke Ball and flipped in the air before it landed in front of Shauna already swaying due to its natural movements. It then used the landing to go straight into the wobbly dance that was Teeter Dance with such a smooth transition that it was hard to tell what was the move and what was the actual movements of Spinda.
That was just what Shauna was going for and she was instinctively matched Spinda as it wobbled and danced using its own movements to make the Teeter Dance as natural as possible. Of course, Shauna didn't need to dance, she just did that naturally and it was good practice for future freestyles, but all the attention was currently on Spinda as it danced on the stage.
This was her ace move for an appeal, a move that was by its very nature just like Spinda's natural movements so Shauna and Spinda had trained a lot to make it work as seamlessly as possible so that it looked like it was just part of Spinda's movements. It all came together now as the move played it's course and came to an end with Spinda facing the judges and bowing as best it could while Shauna curtsied at the same time.
The addition of this was to confirm that the move was over, and the crowd cheered at that while the judges entered their scores. That cheer grew louder when the score was projected on the board and even Shauna went a little wide eyed at it because her score was a 97, the highest of the day and she had the second highest back in the first round so she was leagues ahead of second now. That gave her a score of 192, she'd qualified for the Grand Festival but more it gave her the highest score of the Wildcard as no one else left could top it.
Shauna just curtsied again before she recalled Spinda and left, her shock causing her not to hear what Jillian was saying as she hurried off to get back and watch the next appeal with Serena. Serena was now in 5th with 4 to go, she just needed one of them to get below 180 in their total score and she'd be in as well. Shauna new that she'd do it as things began to really look up for both of them making the Grand Festival.
Serena had been nervously watching the scores since her own appeal, not speaking with Shauna as they went especially because she'd come back to learn that the coordinator after her had scored a second 93 as she was returning to the waiting room to get a cumulative score of 186 to secure qualification and push Serena down by one spot to fourth. Thankfully the next few were below her overall score keeping her in 4th until Shauna's second appeal, which as expected gave her a higher cumulative score than Serena, pushing her down one more spot.
She knew that Shauna would best her, she'd shown that in the first round and said she had something better for the second one with her Spinda. That was proven with the Teeter Dance that Serena had to admit was really impressive to say the least, even the likes of May and Misty might be hard pressed to top a single move appeal that was that good. In fact, Misty hadn't scored that high in Kanto's single move the year before so Shauna more than earned her spot in the Grand Festival with the top single round and overall scores of the day.
Now, as the next coordinator went, Serena was really nervous as she was 5th with 4 remaining so she was just one lower score than her 180 to qualify for the Grand Festival. The next one up had scored 86 in the first round so needed a 94 to tie Serena and 95 to surpass her which was going to be a tall order for that coordinator.
That lead to a tense moment as Serena watch the coordinator use a strong move that looked good but of course Serena didn't have the trained eye the judges had so it was up to them to score it as Serena waited. Shauna was still one her way back when it ended, and Serena was holding her breath as the score came out.
She let out that breath in a sigh of relief as Shauna returned to the waiting room because the score was a 90 giving that coordinator 176 and putting him in a 3-way tie for 7th. Serena's name and score on the board turned from white to gold, joining the 4 names above hers, to show that she'd made it to the Grand Festival as Shauna came up to her with a smile on her face.
"You made it." Shauna said still smiling. "And just as I got back so that's a huge relief to us."
"Yeah and so did you with a really good score." Serena said as the 25th of 27 coordinators went. "No more worrying, well about this as the Grand Festival is still to come."
"I went all out for it so I don't know how I will do going forward." Shauna admitted. "But we're in and that's all that matters."
"Very true." Serena said though she was still watching the scores as the only one who could realistically move her down was the current coordinator going so she wanted to get a sense of where she stood in the Wildcard when it was all said and done. "And it's a clean slate, all previous results mean nothing in the Grand Festival."
"Precisely." Shauna said as the score came up to be an 88, enough to secure a spot with 179 total placing the coordinator in 6th for the Wildcard but not to move Serena down a spot so she was locked in at 5th. "It's a fresh competition in a few days where anything can happen."
"I can't wait." Serena said with a smile. "We're all in it, all going for the Ribbon Cup just as we did last year with the Master Class only this time there is a negative rival, some more qualified coordinators, and a few boys to really broaden how tough it will be."
"And we will all give it our all." Shauna said with a nod. "All that's left is for us to wait this out and hear that confirmation of our advancement."
"That might take a while." Serena said looking at the scoreboard. "There's a tie in 8th."
"Huh?" Shauna asked as she looked at the scoreboard just as the next score, an 85 to give a total of 163, appeared. "So, there is and if I'm not mistaken, the final coordinator needs a 99 or higher to break into it and I don't think that will happen."
"Well, that will just add to the hype people will have for the Grand Festival." Serena said. "The Wildcard was, well, wild and unpredictable, which will really get the crowd going for what is to come. We've made it, so we'll be right in the thick of it."
"That we will be." Shauna said as the last coordinator began. "I can't wait."
Serena just nodded as she watched and waited for the official declaration that they'd made it into the Grand Festival. It hadn't been as smooth as Serena would have liked it to be this year, she'd have preferred to get 5 ribbons, but she'd qualified for the Grand Festival in the end. Regardless of how she got there, she'd give it her all to win the Grand Festival now that she'd made it.
"All you have to do is make it which both of them have managed to do." May said as the final score went up, an 80 so nowhere near where that person had to get to make it, so the final scores were all confirmed with a three-way tie for the final spot in the Grand Festival. "Now it's a new slate for the Grand Festival appeals before once again getting a fresh start if you make it to the battles. It's why you see some with lower appeals scores who make the battles go deep. That is the fun and intrigue of Contests."
"Very true." Misty said as Jillian announced the tiebreaker so they had to stay for that before they could leave and congratulate Serena and Shauna for making it. "Emily was in the lower half of the top 16 last year but made it to the semifinals despite that, in fact the three other quarterfinalists were also lower on the scores if I recall correctly."
"Such is the nature of Contests." May said as the first of the tiebreakers went. "The battle specialists who are able to challenge for the Ribbon Cup just need to make the cut in the appeals and then they have the edge but that is harder for them if they're too focused on battles. On the flip side, however, you can't be an appeals specialist or else you'll faulter in the battles. That's why those who make Top Coordinator are top half in appeals and able to battle with the grace and elegance needed to win a Contest battle on points, for the most part at least."
"That's what Shauna is, she's an appeal specialist and really showed it." Miette said. "So, she should get to the battles despite being a Wildcard, but she'll struggle there."
"Yeah but I'm the opposite." Tierno said as the first tiebreaker score was recorded at an 87. "I struggled to get through the appeals early on as my style took a bit to convey well in an appeals setting but when I managed it I won the battles with ease which was what led to me pushing for the 5 ribbons."
"True though I think you're actually a bit of an anomaly to all this Tierno." May said as the second tiebreaker coordinator began. "You're a battle specialist because you're a normal trainer who's natural style is more in line with what to expect from a Contest battle only you know how to finish a battle at the same time. That gives you a huge advantage in Contest battles to the point that you can win with ease against competition who aren't top tier talents that understand the intricacies of Contes battles, so long as you can get past the appeals that is."
"And in all my time I've only know of one person who's truly a dual specialist in Contests and gym battles." Misty said. "Nando, he could do both and has been doing so for a while though he's better at Contests in my opinion."
"He is?" May asked. "I know he has a semifinal, final, and quarterfinal in his three years as a coordinator but what's his Conference record?"
"I beat him first and second rounds in Sinnoh and Kanto respectively." Ash said as the second score, an 84, was posted so it was down to the last tiebreaker candidate to try and make it. "I don't know how well he did in Hoenn the year between those, however."
"I doubt he did too well if those are his other results." Misty said. "That was the year he made the finals, through Brianna if I heard correctly, in the Grand Festival but who knows. He should win it this year in Johto, he's the favorite there I believe."
"He is but as well all know anything can happen." May said as the final move went off. "And I think we will see that in the Grand Festival this year."
"I hope Serena does well." Bonnie said showing her loyalties in it. "She deserves it."
"We're all going to give it our all." Miette said as the final score, a 90, went up showing that it would be the final of the three in the tiebreak that would make it. "And now it's time for that because the Wildcard is over."
"Well, there you have it." Jillian said before anyone could respond to Miette as she took the center of the stage. "After an exciting Wildcard with the added bonus of a three-way tiebreaker at the end to truly prepare us for what is to come we have our 8 coordinators who will round out the Grand Festival. Congratulations to them and to all who participated today, we hope to see all of you in future Grand Festivals to come."
With that the 8 images of the 8 coordinators to advance to the Grand Festival as wildcards, including Serena and Shauna's images, appeared on the screen as fireworks went off and the crowd cheered at the conclusion of the Wildcard. Ash and his friends joined them before they all rose and headed to the exit. They had to meet up with Serena and Shauna to celebrate their success and prepare for what was to come.
They had a day off and then it was right into the Grand Festival were several of them were now rivals for the first ever Ribbon Cup in Kalos history. No one could wait for what the inaugural Kalos Grand Festival had in store for them.
