A/N: Hey, everyone! If any of you haven't been following my profile or my other story updates, then I'll have you know that my family and I have returned from our first-ever cruise! It was actually pretty enjoyable, but I think the rocking of the boat on the seas induced a bit of lasting vertigo that initially hampered my ability to write. Fortunately, it should be mostly gone now, giving me the opportunity to work on this chapter!
Additionally, fall semester at my new (or more like my former) college is about to start tomorrow, as of this writing, and I have quite the packed schedule. We'll see if that will hamper my ability to update this and my other ongoing fics on a monthly basis. On the bright side, it gives me a little more time to brainstorm some ideas. :D
Alright, time to commence this long-awaited chapter! ENJOY!
Laurier Maison
Kiloude City
Serena, Yancy, Shauna, Miette, Nini, Blanche, Kazalie, Shulin, and all of their Pokémon watched the TV set as Monsieur Pierre twirled his staff around in the air. They held their breaths, anticipating the Showcase host's announcement of the Theme Performance. Given the nature of the Exhibition Showcase, it could be anything...
"Now," Pierre announced, "the Theme Performance for this special Exhibition Showcase is..."
A panel suddenly opened up in the floor, right next to him, and a human-sized carnival wheel rose from underneath. At the same time, a gargantuan TV screen lowered itself directly above the stage. Once both the wheel and the TV stopped moving, the TV activated itself, boasting a live, HD feed of the wheel to the audience.
Serena's blue eyes widened at the sight of the wheel. Thanks to the enlarged live feed on the TV screen above the stage, she knew it wasn't just any other carnival wheel. All of the options written on each square were the Theme Performances of past Pokémon Showcases, including all of the ones she participated in. Pokémon Styling. Poké Puff Baking. Pokémon Quiz. Poké Puff Performance. Rhyhorn Herding. There were also a few that she didn't recognize at all, such as Pokémon Rescue and Pokémon Compatibility Test; she hoped she wouldn't have to land any of those ones.
"Absolutely random!"
"WHAT?!" exclaimed more than a few Performers in the dressing room.
"Well, this oughta be interesting..." remarked Miette.
"For every round," continued Pierre as he smiled gleefully, "each trio of Pokémon Performers will compete in a different, randomly selected Theme Performance, all of them taken from the Pokémon Showcases of the past season! And how will each Theme Performance be assigned, you ask? The answer is simple!"
Pierre approached the carnival wheel, placed a gloved hand on it, and spun it, blending the differently colored squares into a fascinating, dizzying mix. The audience gasped collectively with excitement, their eyes entranced by the spinning wheel.
"As you can see, I spin this wheel, and once it stops, there will be an arrow pointing to an individual Theme Performance. Obviously, that will become the assigned Theme Performance for the round!"
Up on their personal upper-floor balcony, Aria and Palermo observed intently as the carnival wheel continued to spin.
"Randomly selected Theme Performances per trio of Performers, huh?" Aria remarked, smiling. "I'm quite impressed."
"I've seen better," Palermo replied dismissively, her voice monotone in its seriousness. "But hopefully this unpredictable format is all that it takes to keep the Performers straight on their toes. This is still a Showcase, after all."
Aria looked at her teacher. "Always the serious one, aren't you, Palermo?"
"Whenever the quality of the Performers and their performances is concerned, then yes."
A few seconds later, the wheel finally slowed to a stop, and the arrow was pointing at a blue square. Pierre took a quick look at it before smiling and glancing back at the audience.
"And the first Theme Performance is...Pokémon Quiz!"
"Pokémon Quiz, huh?" Nini replied, an eyebrow raised. "I remember that one back in Anistar City."
"But before we begin, I must add, mon public!" Pierre declared. "To ensure certain Performers do not have an unfair advantage over others based on past experiences, all the Theme Performances have been tweaked! Therefore, these will not be completely the same Theme Performances that they have competed in for this past season!"
"Huh," Shauna said. "So we're gonna be seeing a couple of new things in our Theme Performances. This should be very interesting..."
At that moment, the door to the dressing room opened, and a woman stuck her head inside.
"Nini?" she called. "Concetta? Odette? You three are up first."
"Okay!" replied Nini, Concetta, and the Performer with the Swanna, all at the same time.
Once the woman withdrew her head and closed the door behind her, Serena chuckled.
"Wow," she remarked. "Looks like you're doing the Pokémon Quiz again, Nini."
"Yeah, I guess so," replied the rotund Performer as she smiled confidently. "But fortunately, I did quite a lot of research in preparation of this moment. I think I'm gonna pass this with flying colors! No more wrong guesses!"
"Remember," Miette piped up, wagging her index finger, "this isn't a formal competition! This is just for fun!"
Nini simply rolled her eyes with sarcasm. "Yes, yes, of course, Mom." Then, she noticed the Swanna Performer, Odette, walking towards the door with her signature Pokémon, followed by Concetta and her Scraggy; the former had just tried unsuccessfully to get Sara Lee to wish her good luck. "Alright, time for me to shine!" She looked down at her Farfetch'd. "You did well in the quiz, dear, so it looks like you're with me on this one again!"
"Farfetch'd!" the Wild Duck Pokémon quacked.
"Good luck, Nini!" called Serena as her friendly rival already started to leave.
"Yeah, good luck, Auntie Nini!" Yancy added with excitement.
Nini stopped, turned around, and did a brief curtsy at the others before following Concetta and Odette out the room. As soon as they were gone, Blanche, Kazalie, and Shulin suddenly glared at Yancy.
"Hey, Pinkie..." Shulin said with suspicion, "excuse me for asking, but...why'd you call Nini 'Auntie'?"
"Yeah, what's up with that?" asked Kazalie.
Yancy's face immediately became so pale that she seemed to glow, which automatically reinforced the suspicions of her newfound friends. Realizing her future daughter made a terrible slip-up, Serena struggled to come up with a reasonable excuse. However, as her mind strained to think of a solution, Shauna already seemed to reach one.
"She has an aunt who's also named Nini!" the tan girl blurted out. "Yancy tends to mix 'em up."
"Oh," Blanche replied. At first, she did not seem convinced. But then, her lips curved into her usual bright and optimistic grin. "That makes sense!"
"Must be pretty awkward if both Ninis are in the same room together..." Kazalie commented.
"An aunt also named Nini..." remarked Shulin; she still looked a little unconvinced by Shauna's claim. "If you say so..."
Meanwhile, Miette looked at Serena's direction, the ever-so-familiar glint back in her eye.
"Speaking of family members..." she said slyly. "You still didn't answer my question, Serena."
Serena instantly blushed and replied, "N-N-Not now, Miette! Not in front of..."
Her voice trailed off, but she surreptitiously pointed her head towards Blanche, Kazalie, and Shulin. Though she realized what she meant, Miette continued to smile mischievously.
"Alright, Serena. If you insist. But you can't avoid my question forever." The blue-haired girl then raised a finger. "And if you dawdle for long enough, then I guess I might have to experiment on how to change the future-"
Yancy was quick to catch on to Miette's implication. "DON'T DO THAT, AUNTIE MIETTE!" she squeaked loudly.
Blanche, Kazalie, and Shulin all glared at the pink-haired Performer again.
"Whoa now, why'd you call Miette 'Auntie', Yancy?" Blanche asked curiously.
"Yeah, what's up with that?" added Kazalie.
"W-W-We have an a-aunt who's also named Miette!" Serena blurted out. In her mind, she was hitting herself for making such an unbelievably unoriginal excuse...but then again, if it worked for Shauna's lie, then surely it would work a second time, right?
At the corner of her eye, she could see Shauna face-palming and shaking her head right now.
Blanche, Kazalie, and Shulin all glared at their fellow Performer with suspicion.
"Another aunt with the same name as one of the Performers in this room?" asked Shulin. "Now that's pretty sketchy, if you ask me-"
"M-Mi-Miette and Nini are common names!"
"Really?" Kazalie asked. "I don't think so..."
"Yeah, they are!"
"I think this is the first time I've ever met a person named Miette or Nini..." remarked Blanche.
"They are common names!" Serena glared at Miette with a pleading expression. "Aren't they, Miette?"
Miette blinked slowly. "I don't...think so-" she began hesitantly.
"MIETTE!" Serena, Yancy, and Shauna all squealed simultaneously in disbelief.
But before the conversation could continue, they heard Monsieur Pierre announcing, "And here are our first trio of wonderful Performers!"
"Ooh, Nini's up!" Serena cried, relieved to have the conversation steer away from that awkward topic.
In the auditorium, Ash, Selene, and the others watched as Nini, Concetta, and Odette rose to the stage on their assigned platforms, accompanied by their Pokémon. In front of them were the familiar podiums from the Anistar City Showcase. Ash's auburn eyes lit up as soon as he recognized Nini.
"Hey, there's Nini!" he said with excitement.
"Pika!" Pikachu added.
"Looks like she's going first," remarked Clemont. "Hopefully she does better at the Pokémon Quiz this time around. It'd be a bit embarrassing if she thought Eevee's Fairy-type evolution was Espeon again."
Ash smiled confidently. "I'm sure she did her research before the Showcase. She'll do fine!"
"Hey!" Bonnie suddenly piped up. "Isn't that one of the girls who were being mean to Serena back at the hotel?"
Ash looked at the Performer standing next to Nini on her right and blinked with surprise.
"Yeah, that's her," he replied. "Concetta, I think her name was."
"So that's what you view Showcases as? A way to have fun? HA! Serena, it's that kind of casual behavior that brings about the downfall of someone so promising in any competition. Trust me, think over your Showcases career, and you'll see that I'm right."
Ash's eyes narrowed. "I guess that means Sara Lee's in the same room as Serena..."
"Daddy?" Selene asked, looking up at her father. "I'm curious, who're Sara Lee and Concetta?"
"Oh, just a couple of Performers who gave your mom a hard time earlier this week. I wouldn't worry about it too much, Selene."
"Oh." Selene looked back towards the stage. "Well, I know I won't. Mommy will beat them, no matter what. She's the bestest Pokémon Performer in the whole wide world!"
"Pichu-pi!" Pichu squeaked in agreement.
"Hey, what about Yancy?" Nate asked, giving the little girl a mock-hurt look.
"Well, Yancy's the second-bestest, Natey!"
"Look, guys!" Trevor suddenly exclaimed, pointing towards the stage. "The stage is changing!"
Ash, Selene, Nate, and Bonnie all saw it: two massive panels in the walls right beside the stage were opening up. Once they were fully open, complete mountain sets, consisting of both real and fake stones and precipices of various sizes, were automatically wheeled out of the holes and onto the stage, presumably by a system of cogs and gears. A collective "Whoa!" swept the audience as they watched the realistic-looking set being moved onstage.
Once the mountain sets were fully wheeled in, Monsieur Pierre brought the microphone back to his mouth.
"Now that everything's all set up, I shall review the rules for everyone in the audience and at home!" he announced. "I'm sure many of you remember the Pokémon Quiz Theme Performance from the Anistar City Showcase. But I must remind all those who did not see that Showcase, or who have forgotten it, that this is not your average quiz on Pokémon! For Performers to be able to submit an answer to a question, their Pokémon must complete a task, a trial; in this case, the mountain trial!"
"A mountain trial, huh?" Ash asked. "Whoa..."
"The Performers' Pokémon must climb to the top of that mountain!" Pierre continued. "There, they will find an Easter egg containing a hint to the answer of the question I will ask! There's a possibility at least one of the Performers will already know the answer, but the hint is extra incentive for both Performer and Pokémon. Either way, the first Pokémon to bring that egg back gives the Performer an opportunity to answer the question."
The host then raised a finger in warning. "But if the answer is incorrect, then the Performer whose Pokémon came in second place gets a chance to steal it! If that answer is wrong, the Performer whose Pokémon came in last place gets the chance to steal. And in the unlikely event that all three Performers' answers are wrong, a new question will be asked, and the round will be restarted! Just like in the Anistar City Showcase, the first Performer who answers three questions correctly wins this round! Now then, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, without further ado..." Pierre twirled his staff around. "Let us begin the first round of our Theme Performance! Quiz time!"
NINI VS. CONCETTA VS. ODETTE
"And here's our first question for this Theme Performance! Two Pokémon species native to the Hoenn region have been bitter enemies for many, many generations!" The TV screen above the stage promptly turned 180 degrees so it could face the trio of Performers, and then it displayed the silhouettes of two certain Pokémon. "Name both of them!"
"Two Pokémon species native to the Hoenn region?" repeated Ash in wonder. "Bitter enemies for a long time? That rings a bell, but I can't recall from where..."
"How come?!" Bonnie exclaimed sadly. "All Pokémon should be able to get along! Getting along is way, way better than hating each other forever!"
"Nenene," Dedenne squeaked in agreement.
As for Selene, she had her mouth covered, and she looked like she was about to explode.
"GO!" Nini, Concetta, and Odette ordered simultaneously. Farfetch'd, Scraggy, and Swanna all immediately went into action; not unexpectedly, Swanna lifted off into the air and reached the peak within seconds.
"Look!" Pierre exclaimed, gesturing towards the mountaintop. "Odette's Swanna has already made it to the top!"
"Yeah, Swanna!" cheered Odette, hopping up and down excitedly on her pedestal.
Swanna squawked once in triumph before picking up the Easter egg in its beak. Then, it lifted off into the air again and swept downward towards the finish line. Both Farfetch'd and Scraggy sweat-dropped in disbelief, since they had both just gotten to the foot of the mountain.
"Aaaaaaaaaand Swanna is the first to retrieve the egg!" Pierre cried the moment Swanna landed right across the finish line, eliciting a cheer from the audience. "Thus, Odette gets the chance to answer first!"
Back in the dressing room, Serena, Yancy, and the others watched in surprise as Swanna gave its Trainer the Easter egg.
"Wow. I guess that Swanna gave her a big advantage over Nini..." Serena commented.
"Don't worry, Serena," Shauna replied, looking at her rival. "There's still the question to take care of." She then looked back at the screen with concern. "Hopefully Farfetch'd comes in second place so Nini gets a greater chance to steal the question."
The massive audience watched as Odette suddenly fell silent, staring absentmindedly towards the wall on the opposite end and tapping her chin. She pursed her lips tighter and tighter with each passing second. The only sounds now in the auditorium were Farfetch'd's squawks and Scraggy's grunts as both Pokémon tried to reach the mountaintop first.
After about half of a minute had passed, Pierre said, "Odette, if you can't think of an answer on your own, you still have your Easter egg hint."
Odette's eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, yeah! That's right!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "I forgot all about that!"
An awkward silence filled the auditorium.
"She forgot the Easter egg would be useful...?" Calem deadpanned.
On Ash's lap, Selene was red-faced, and the little girl looked absolutely frustrated with the delay.
A small, soft snap was heard as Odette quickly cracked her egg open. A small piece of paper fell out and landed in her palm, whereupon she unfolded it and read its contents.
"One is also known as the Cat Ferret Pokémon, while the other is also known as the Fang Snake Pokémon..." Blinking in confusion, Odette placed a finger on her chin. "Hmmmmm..."
Meanwhile, Farfetch'd and Scraggy both made it to the mountaintop, at long last. Both Pokémon stared each other down for a brief second before grabbing the closest Easter eggs and clambering down the precipice.
"Come on, Farfetch'd!" Nini called, watching as her Wild Duck Pokémon tried to maintain its footing. "You can do it!"
"Keep up the pace, Scraggy!" called Concetta. "Don't let that Farfetch'd get second place! I need to make Sara Lee proud of me!"
Scraggy landed atop a rock that was jutting out of the precipice, and realized he was still halfway down the mountain. He looked to his side and saw Farfetch'd half-running down the face of the mountain, sweating and panicking as it tried to make sure it didn't trip over itself and painfully tumble down the rest of the way.
Then, the Shedding Pokémon looked down at the very rock he was standing on. Realizing that the Showcase host didn't mention anything about improvising a way to increase one's speed while traveling up or down the mountain, Scraggy promptly used Headbutt on the rock. With just one hit, the rock broke off from the precipice, and Scraggy used it as a makeshift surfboard as he whizzed down the mountain.
"Well, will you look at that?!" Pierre exclaimed, having just noticed this latest development. "Concetta's Scraggy is now surfing down the mountain! I've never seen anything like it! Fantastique! And now Scraggy has passed Farfetch'd!"
Farfetch'd's eyes widened, ad it squawked in shock when it saw Scraggy zoom past him aboard the rock, grinning and saluting tauntingly at it as he went. Narrowing its eyes, the Wild Duck Pokémon quickened its pace as much as it could.
Noticing Farfetch'd and Scraggy's improved paces, Odette started to panic.
"Oh, no!" she squealed. "I need to answer quickly! I can't let either of them steal it! Ohhhhh, Cat Ferret Pokémon and Fang Snake Pokémon...what could it mean?! Why, oh why did I not go to the Hoenn region?!"
"You must answer quickly, Odette," advised Pierre. "If Nini or Concetta's Pokémon make it to the finish line, they will be given a chance to steal the question!"
At that moment, Scraggy reached the stage floor first, his rock shattering upon impact. Farfetch'd then leaped from the precipice once it was a few feet above the ground, and landed safely on the floor. Both Pokémon promptly made a mad dash towards the finish line, their Easter eggs in hand. They kept each other in their peripheral visions, keeping track of their paces, looking for any exploitable weaknesses.
"Farfetch'd and Scraggy are now neck-to-neck!" Pierre announced. "Will this be the end for Odette?! And which of these two Performers will be able to steal the question?! Nini or Concetta?!"
"Oh, I can't take this anymore!" Odette squealed with fear, feeling as though she were spinning in place. Her knees were buckling from the mental pressure. "The answer is Arbok and Weezing!"
A loud buzzer rang out, causing Odette's heart to drop to the bottom of her stomach. A considerable number of people in the audience were yelling or groaning with disbelief at her botched last-minute answer. Some were face-palming at the utter disregard of certain aspects of the original question, and a couple were even booing. On Ash's lap, Selene looked totally beside herself.
"OHHHHH, HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW THAT, MISS PERFORMER?!" she shrieked angrily as her arms flailed about. "THE ANSWER IS SO, SO SIMPLE! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T ANSWER THAT RIGHT!"
"PI-PI-PI!" Pichu squeaked in agreement, while Celebi simply looked up at Selene with concern.
"Whoa, whoa, settle down there, Selene," Ash said, chuckling as he patted the girl's head consolingly. "So you know the answer?"
"Uh-huh! I would've answered that in less than half of a second!"
"Would you now?"
"Uhhhhh...I'm afraid the answer is incorrect..." Pierre said from the stage. The Showcase host was just as astounded by Odette's answer as the audience.
"Ohhhhh..." Odette groaned, slumping over in disappointment at herself. Her Swanna simply stared at her, overwhelmed with disbelief at its Trainer's lazy answer.
Just then, Scraggy hopped across the finish line, with Farfetch'd just one step behind him.
"And just like that, Scraggy comes in second place!" announced Pierre. "Which means Concetta has the chance to steal!"
"I don't need a hint to help me with my answer!" the orange-haired girl declared confidently. "The answer is obviously Seviper and Zigzagoon!"
The buzzer rang again, and some of the spectators groaned in disappointment, realizing that Concetta was so close in her answer. As for Concetta herself, her jaw dropped open in shock.
"What?!" she squeaked. "I'm sure that was correct! I reviewed that part, like, a hundred times!"
"I'm sorry, Concetta, but you were so close," replied Pierre. He then pointed his staff at Nini's direction. "Since Farfetch'd came in right after Scraggy, that means Nini has the steal! Now, what is your answer, Nini?"
"Simple!" Nini said. "It's Zangoose and Seviper!"
Three consecutive dings were heard and the silhouettes on the screen were colored in, revealing them to be of the gruff Zangoose and the sinister Seviper. The audience cheered loudly and applauded in response.
"Correct! Fabuleux!"
"Alright!" Nini balled up her fist in triumph before looking at an equally pleased Farfetch'd. "Great job, Farfetch'd! Even if you came in last, I knew it'd work out in the end! So great job on all your hard work!"
Farfetch'd nodded and smiled at the praise. "Farfetch'd!" it quacked.
"Alright, Nini!" Ash cheered from the seats.
"Way to go, Auntie Nini!" Selene called.
"We knew you could do it!" Tierno cried happily.
"Alright! Nini did it on her first question!"
"Hooray!"
Serena and Yancy hugged each other at the development, while their Pokémon high-fived or nodded at each other with excitement. As for Shauna, Miette, Blanche, Kazalie, and Shulin, they stared on at the screen in approval.
"Who would've thunk it?" Miette remarked, shrugging. "Then again, I've never been to Hoenn, so..."
"I have," Shulin replied, her voice slightly smug. "I saw those answers coming from a mile away."
"Hoenn, huh?" Serena asked, her interest piqued. "What's it like there?"
"Pretty warm and humid, to the point where it gets uncomfortable, but once you get used to it, there are a lot of sights and sounds that you'll definitely enjoy." Then, Shulin's eyes lit up when she remembered something. "Oh, and they have this thing called Contests! They're a little like Showcases-"
"Oh, Contests?" Serena remembered Selene and Nate's story about her traveling to Hoenn to participate in them, after her travels with Ash were done. "Yeah, I've heard of them."
"I participated in one! They're quite the experience, lemme tell you!"
"Really...?"
Serena felt her interest increasing, but before she could ask for more information, Shauna suddenly said, "Hey, guys! It looks like the second round's begun!"
The others refocused their sights on the TV.
"Question number two!" Pierre announced. "Tyrogue has a total of three different evolved forms!" The screen promptly showed images of Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan, along with another silhouette. "They are Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, and what else?!"
Within seconds, Swanna reached the finish line first with the Easter egg. After reading the hint, Odette cried, "Drilbur!"
The buzzer rang, and the audience, especially Selene, groaned in disbelief, while Pierre himself was completely befuddled by the answer.
"S-Sorry, that was incorrect..."
"HUH?!"
A couple of minutes later, Farfetch'd crossed the finish line next, since Scraggy tripped on his loose skin. After reading the hint for herself, Nini answered, "Hitmontop!"
Three dings sounded. "Correct!" Pierre declared.
"Darn it!" Concetta snapped glumly.
"Now, on to the third question, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" The screen displayed images of Pidgeot, Noctowl, Swellow, Staraptor, and Talonflame. "Which of these Flying-type Pokémon have a primary type that is not Normal?!"
Once again, Swanna reached the finish line. Without reading the hint, Odette cried, "Noctowl!"
The buzzer rang, and Selene face-palmed while Pierre replied, "Sorry, that was incorrect, Odette. ...Again."
"But I'm sure it was Noctowl!"
Moments later, Scraggy crossed the finish line. Concetta read her hint and answered, "Talonflame!"
Three dings sounded. "Correct!" Pierre declared.
"YES!" Concetta bent down, picked up Scraggy, and hugged him. "We did it, Scraggy! Only two more to go!"
"On to the fourth question, everyone!" The screen showed a Bulbasaur at the left, and a column consisting of Squirtle, Charmander, Pikachu, and Sandshrew. "As a Grass-type, Bulbasaur is weak to which of the following Pokémon? Squirtle, Charmander, Pikachu, or Sandshrew?"
Yet again, Swanna was the first to reach the finish line. "Looks like Swanna comes first once again!" Pierre announced, sweat-dropping. "Hopefully we see a different result from Odette!"
Odette read her hint, double-read it, and then cried, "Bulbasaur is weak to Squirtle!"
The buzzer rang, and this time, both Ash and Selene were struggling to contain their outrage at the outlandish answer. As for Pierre, he replied with a slightly irritated voice, "Sorry, Odette, that was incorrect...once again..."
"That can't BE!"
"Farfetch'd!" Farfetch'd quacked as soon as it crossed the finish line next.
Without reading her hint, Nini absentmindedly replied, "Sandshrew." Then, her eyes widened. "No, no, wait a m-"
It was too late; the buzzer rang again. Pierre shook his head sympathetically and said, "Sorry, Nini. That was incorrect."
"No, that answer was a mistake! I'm sorry, I got distracted!"
"A potential Kalos Queen should not be distracted on and off the stage. Sorry again, Nini, but there are no do-overs, no exceptions. You can only make one answer, so you must think it over every time. With that, Concetta gets the steal!"
"Simple," replied Concetta. "The answer is Charmander."
Three dings sounded. "Correct!"
"YES!" Concetta bent down, picked up Scraggy, and hugged him again. "Only one more to go, Scraggy! I know you can do it!"
As for Nini, she slumped over in defeat. "Aw, why'd I have to be distracted by that Odette girl's silly answer?" she asked herself as Farfetch'd sympathetically patted her leg.
"Fifth question!" The screen next showed images of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. "Which of these Legendary Pokémon found in the Sinnoh region is known as 'The Being of Emotion'?"
Not unexpectedly, Swanna reached the finish line. The entire audience groaned with exasperation, and even Pierre had to move his microphone away so he could say, "Oh, for the love of..." But then, he recomposed himself and announced, "Swanna is first yet again!"
Odette read her hint, double-read it, tripled-read it, and then cried, "Mesprit-" The entire audience gasped with surprise. "-beats Uxie!"
"THAT'S NOT EVEN-!" Pierre began furiously, but he was suddenly interrupted by the buzzer and the collective groans of the audience. The host quickly recomposed himself again and said quickly, "Tha-That's incorrect. Who will steal, Nini or Concetta?"
"How did I even...?" Odette asked, her voice trailing off as she read her hint again.
"How could this girl be so dumb?!" Selene snapped from the seats.
"Selene, that's not a very nice thing to say!" Nate exclaimed. Then, he whispered to himself, "She sure is not that bright, though..."
Farfetch'd quickly crossed the finish line with Nini's hint. The Wild Duck Pokémon waddled over to its Trainer and handed her the egg, whereupon Nini snapped it open, took out the piece of paper, and unfolded it.
"The Being of Emotion is found at Lake Verity," Nini read, her voice hushed. Her eyes then widened with worry. "Oh, no! I didn't study up on my Sinnoh geography! Ohhhhh, where is Lake Verity in Sinnoh? I know there are three major lakes there, but I don't know which is which!"
"It's Mesprit, it's Mesprit, it's Mesprit," Selene chanted in a whisper, over and over again to herself.
"Come on, Nini," Ash said. "You can do it. We believe in you."
"You've got this, Nini," whispered Clemont, his eyes totally focused on the rotund Performer.
"Go, Nini!" Tierno suddenly called, a clenched fist raised. "Go, Nini! Go, Nini!"
"Come on, Nini!" Serena shouted determinedly as she watched the TV. "You can do it! I believe in you!"
"Go, Aun- Nini!" cried Yancy, her fists clenched.
"Do you have an answer for us, Nini?" Pierre asked, approaching Nini's podium. "Or should Concetta steal?"
Nini first looked at Concetta, who was fidgeting impatiently, hoping to get a shot at stealing the question. Both of them were neck-to-neck, with two correct answers each. Whoever answered this question correctly would be the winner of this Theme Performance. Nini didn't want to take her chances on both of them answering incorrectly, so she knew she had to submit the correct answer...
Nini then glared at the images of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. They seemed to look back at her, taunting her.
"Alright," she thought. "I definitely remember studying these three a while back...but my memory's hazy! I...I remember associating their colors with what they were said to have taught humans... Uxie's yellow... So that's like, uh...uhhhhh...like Arceus's rings! And the Book of Alpha's yellow too, and it is said to be the ancient book of knowledge! So that leaves out Uxie..." She started to sweat with concern. "Oh, no...I...I don't remember what my connotations for Mesprit and Azelf were!"
"Well, alright!" Pierre exclaimed, while Concetta beamed with hope. "If you do not have the answer, Nini, then I guess-"
Nini reacted on impulse. "No, I do have an answer!" she proclaimed.
"Really?" Pierre raised an eyebrow with curiosity. "So, what is it?"
"Ohhhhh, why'd I have to say that?!" Nini exclaimed in her mind. More and more beads of sweat were dripping down her forehead and temples by the minute. But she knew there was no turning back. She HAD to answer this! She felt that she had humiliated herself back at the Anistar City Showcase, and she had been burying her face in Pokémon research books ever since. All of her hard work and effort HAD to pay off here!
"GO, NINI, GO!"
Nini gasped and looked up at the middle of the audience. She could make out all of Serena, Shauna, and Miette's friends sitting there, watching her proudly. For some reason, Tierno was the most energetic and supportive of them all, but their faces told her everything: they knew she could do it, and even if she couldn't, they'd still be there for her. And she knew the same thing applied to Serena, Shauna, and Miette themselves...
Nini smiled and felt a little euphoric in all the support. Without an ounce of hesitation, she answered, "Mesprit."
...
Three particularly wonderful dings sounded, and the audience erupted into a tremendous, thunderous cheer, drowning out Pierre's voice as the host declared excitedly, "CORRECT!"
"YES!" Nini squealed, overwhelmed with astonishment. She then picked up Farfetch'd and hugged it as tightly as she could. "WE DID IT, FARFETCH'D! WE DID IT!"
"Farfetch'd, far!" Farfetch'd replied excitedly.
"Darn it!" Concetta snapped glumly.
"And this makes Nini the winner of this Theme Performance round, the Pokémon Quiz!" Pierre cried mightily. "Everyone, give a big round of applause for these three wonderful Performers!"
The auditorium was filled with nothing but the sound of clapping, with Ash, Selene, and the rest of their group being the ones to clap hardest. Nini, Concetta, Odette, and their Pokémon all turned towards the audience and bowed politely.
"Congratulations, Nini!" Serena cried as she hugged her rival. "You did great out there!"
"Yeah, I sure showed the audience my intellect!" Nini replied, proudly jabbing a thumb at her chest. "Even if there wasn't a prize for winning these Theme Performances, I was definitely on edge!"
"Yeah, I could see that on the TV," said Yancy. "I guess Showcases can be tense even if they're Exhibition Showcases..."
"Flo, flo," Florges added, nodding in agreement.
"Quill!" Quilladin chirped.
Serena and Yancy then watched as Shauna, Miette, Blanche, Kazalie, and Shulin all hugged Nini and congratulated her as well. While the others were preoccupied with that, the mother and daughter looked at each other.
"So tell me, is this your first time in an Exhibition Showcase, Yancy?" Serena asked.
Yancy nodded. "Mm-hm. I've been to a couple before, but they're held every few years back in my timeline. And you're always participating in them, so...I try to stay clear of that." The girl blushed nervously and started twiddling her fingers. "But now...I'm gonna have to compete against you..."
Serena was quick to realize Yancy's concerns. "Hey, don't you worry, Yancy." She placed her hands on Yancy's shoulders, startling her future daughter. "Remember, this is all just for fun. Think all about that and nothing else. Not even me. That way, you and your Pokémon will have the time of your life. Okay?"
Yancy's blush increased as she stared at her mother with astonishment. Then, she smiled and nodded.
"Okay, M-" She quickly remembered that Blanche, Kazalie, and Shulin were still earshot. "S-Serena!"
Both girls giggled at one another before Shauna spoke up.
"Guys, Monsieur Pierre's spinning the wheel again!"
All of the Performers in the room glued their eyes to the TV, watching as Pierre's carnival wheel was a blur once again. It didn't take long for it to stop, and this time, the arrow was pointing a conspicuously gray square.
"And the second Theme Performance is...Rhyhorn Herding!"
"Rhyhorn Herding?" repeated Grace, her eyes suddenly lighting up. "Now this should be interesting..."
Meyer looked at the former jockey with curiosity. "You like Rhyhorn?" he asked.
"She made a living off of Rhyhorn," Layla replied, staring at her older sister mockingly. "It's a shame her mother never approved of it in the first place. The two of them made quite a scene back then..."
Grace narrowed her eyes. "Must you remind me of that, Layle...?" she snarled menacingly.
Suddenly, a new voice piped up, "Can I interest you guys in some hot dogs and Pokémon food?"
Ash's entire group looked towards the aisle to their left, and saw a teenage boy standing there, facing their row of seats. He had dark-blue hair and blue eyes; and he wore a dark-blue shirt, blue jeans, and a clean green-and-white apron with a half-Poké Ball symbol in the middle. He was carrying a tray of nothing but freshly-made hot dogs; the steam was still emanating from the buns and meat, spreading a lovely aroma across the seats.
"YES, PLEASE!" Ash and Selene shouted at the same time; their eyes literally turned into hearts, and their postures were now rigid and at attention.
"Well, looks like someone's hungry," the boy replied, chuckling at the pair's enthusiasm.
"Tell me about it, man," Tierno said, chuckling as well. "I think I'll take a hot dog as well."
"Me too, me too!" Bonnie chirped.
"Nenene!" Dedenne squeaked, while Squishy just chirped nonchalantly.
"Me three!" Calem cried.
"Settle down, settle down!" the boy exclaimed, laughing as he started passing hot dogs down the row. "Don't you worry, everyone's getting a hot dog..."
Within a minute, everyone in Ash's group were chewing on a savory hot dog. To the surprise of no one but the teenage server, Ash and Selene shared a dozen hot dogs between each other; they were all arranged in a pile, inside a box. As for Pikachu, Pichu, Dedenne, and Celebi, they were given small bowls of special Pokémon food...plus half a dozen bottles of ketchup, given at Pikachu's request.
"Whew!" the server exclaimed. "Well then, I guess my job here is finally done. Man, you guys took everything that I had in that tray. And that was a new tray, might I add!"
"Blame them," Clemont said, pointing at Ash and Selene as they devoured one hot dog each in a single bite. "They both have exceptional appetites."
The boy sweat-dropped as he watched Ash and Selene finish their hot dogs already and devour the next ones.
"I see..." he replied.
"I'll pay for the food," Meyer said. The electrician reached for his pocket. "How much?"
"Oh, don't worry about it, sir. Everything's free, courtesy of Palermo and the Pokémon Showcase Committee!"
"Palermo?" Ash said in recognition, even though his mouth was still full. After gulping down his hot dog, he asked with curiosity, "Is she here?"
"W-Well, I definitely haven't seen her." However, the boy looked away and scratched his nose in a conspicuous manner. "But, knowing her, I bet that she is. She's gotta look out for her star Kalos Queen, after all..."
The young server suddenly became silent, to the point where it became unbearably awkward, prompting Meyer to say, "Well, uh, thank you for your service, uhhhhhhh..." He saw the name-tag pinned to the boy's apron and quickly read it. "Foster."
The boy cleared his throat and recomposed himself. "You're very welcome, sir." He flashed the entire group a kind smile. "If any of you need anything else, just be on the lookout for the guys with the green aprons. We'll be happy to provide you all the services that you need!"
"Thanks, Foster!" Ash replied. "We'll be-" He took another bite of hot dog in mid-sentence. "-sure to remember that!"
"A-Alright..." Foster sweat-dropped, but he gave the group a kind wave as he walked back toward the exit. "Enjoy your food, guys!"
"Alouette, Elma, and Lily? You three are up."
"Right!"
Yancy, Serena, and the others watched as the second trio of Performers walked out of the room, followed by Alouette's Furfrou, Elma's Roserade, and Lily's Solrock. As she watched them go, something caught Yancy's attention, something happening at the corner of her eye. She looked towards Sara Lee and Concetta, and was quite surprised to see Concetta on her knees, clutching Sara Lee's arm as the other Performer seemed to be preoccupied with grooming her Glaceon.
"Look, I'm sorry, Sara Lee!" Concetta was saying. "I promise, I'll do better next time!"
"Yeah, yeah..." Sara Lee replied nonchalantly as she brushed Glaceon's fur.
"Please listen to me, Sara Lee! I didn't mean to say you should take it so seriously! I swear!" When Sara Lee remained silent, Concetta buried her face in her friend's shoulder; she tragically looked close to tears. "Sara Lee..."
Yancy narrowed her eyes with absolute disgust at Sara Lee's cold behavior. She never recalled her mother telling her all about the Performers beyond her main rivals, not that she was interested, anyway. But now, she could tell why. Pokémon Showcases back then seemed to have a lot of tension and bitterness weighing down on them, hence the aggressive and highly competitive nature of these Performers. Perhaps it had something to do with Aria's tenure as Kalos Queen; after all, everyone knew it was the longest in Showcase history.
"Maybe that's why," Yancy thought in conclusion. "Perhaps everyone got sick of losing to Auntie Aria in the Master Class. So sick that it affected their attitudes towards Showcases..."
"Hey, Serena!" a bright, cheerful voice piped up.
"Well, probably not everyone..."
"Hi, Blanche," Yancy replied, smiling at her newfound friend. "What's up?"
"I'm just wondering, how come I never saw you in any Showcases before? On TV and in person?"
"I told you, Blanche, I just so happened to be performing on the other side of the region! And you probably just missed all the Showcase reports showing me. Somehow."
"Are you sure? I keep track of all the Showcase reports on Pokévision. I never miss a single one. And you're never in any of the Showcases that were held this past season."
Yancy started to sweat nervously. When she first encountered Blanche, Kazalie, and Shulin and learned they were going to Kiloude City, she knew that accompanying them was her best chance at searching for Selene, Nate, and Evelyn. But one thing led to another, and she told the trio that she was a Pokémon Performer from the present day in order to gain their full trust. None of the girls seemed to question it, and they warmly welcomed her into their circle, something that she was eternally grateful for.
But now, it seemed like Blanche was starting to find holes in her story. And there was no way Yancy could risk letting her know the truth! No matter how nice she was!
Before Yancy could say anything, Blanche suddenly whispered, "Look, if you're crashing this Showcase, Yancy, I promise I'll keep quiet about it."
...
"Crashing this Showcase?!" Yancy repeated, dumbstruck but also relieved. "Wh-What're you talking about-?"
"It must be hard, living under the shadow of your sister." Blanche made a surreptitious glance towards Serena, who was chatting with the others. "She's a first-timer, and all of a sudden she's a big star in the Showcase world, even if she was beaten by Aria in the Master Class. It's a good thing you've got family and friends who are willing to let you have a piece of that glory-"
"I-It's not like that, Blanche!" squeaked Yancy.
"Really?" Blanche raised an eyebrow with suspicion. "Then what is it, Yancy? But don't you dare lie to me again. You're a good friend, but I don't like friends who lie to your face. That's worse than having the worst of enemies."
Yancy tried her best to disguise her gulp. Then, she replied, "Y-Y-You're right. I'm crashing."
"Oh...?"
"I'm sorry, Blanche. I...I was going to lie to you again, but then you said all of that stuff about lying friends being worse than the worst enemies and it just...got to me. Y-Yeah." Yancy pursed her lips and fidgeted with her feet. "I'm crashing this Showcase right now. I...I really want to feel what Serena felt onstage and-and I couldn't wait till next year! A-A-And since this Showcase is just for fun and all that stuff, I didn't think anyone would be paying attention if a newbie entered the scene a little too early-"
"Alright, alright, I think I've heard enough!" Blanche interrupted, chuckling. "I'm glad that we get to understand each other better now, Yancy." She gave the pink-haired girl her trademark bubbly smile. "I'm so glad!"
"Y-Y-Yeah...I-I'm glad too, Blanche... So, so glad! Heh heh heh..."
Immediately did Yancy feel extremely guilty for her newest lie. But she didn't know what else to do! It was either that or jeopardize her future. She could tell she was already teeter-tottering on a fine line, with the past versions of her whole family being in on the secret. She couldn't let anyone else know, not when so much was at stake!
Then, she noticed Sara Lee and Concetta at the corner of her eye again and suddenly remembered something...
"If you or your sisters are still having problems with Sara Lee, just come to me, okay? We go waaaaay back, so I can handle her just fine."
"Blanche sure has a strong opinion about friends who lie to one another," Yancy thought, "and apparently she goes way back with Sara Lee. Could these two have been friends once, but then one of them lied and it ended the friendship?" She blinked in shock as she looked back and forth between Blanche and Sara Lee. "Is that what happened between them...?"
A/N: Aaaaannnnnd fin! I hope everyone enjoyed my first shot at writing a Theme Performance sequence! I did a lot of episode-watching for reference, so I think I did good. Tell me if there's anything I need to improve on!
Just to remind you folks, Odette is my original name for the unnamed background Performer with the Swanna; it's taken from The Swan Princess, which I only heard about from a YouTube review, probably by the Nostalgia Critic. As for my lil' running gag with her astoundingly wrong answers, it's supposed to be a reference to the fact that, if you pay very close attention, you'll see she never made it past the Theme Performance rounds during the Coumarine City and Dendemille Town Showcases, and she was never seen during the Master Class Showcase. In other words, she's such a failure at Showcases that it's actually become a little meme in certain circles. I learned this piece of trivia from a DeviantArt user named DaDonYordel, who makes pretty great artwork, so I highly recommend checking them out.
Alright, onto the reviews! I'd like to thank the following:
-RougeClyde:
1) There's actually more than three professionals; it's an entire (failed) construction crew. But don't worry, you'll only be paying attention to five names.
2) Oh, there'll be a lot of laughs to be expected from this alliance, lemme tell you!
3) Parker asks Nick when he meets him, "I'm sorry, are you giving out free tickets or something?"
-Amourshipper35: That sure is a lot to be concerned about! :O
-xMystic-Artisticx: I'm not sure why it took you this long to hop aboard the hype train, but nevertheless, I am glad to have you onboard! Hope you enjoy this story!
-Rajiv A. Rajaram: Well, I'll try to dish out my own unique appeal in getting Meyer and Grace together.
-Ooobserver:
1) Not to mention the fact that Parker's planning to back-stab his new allies as soon as they outlived their usefulness. It shows how cold and calculated he is in getting the job done, not to mention loyal to certain parties and not others.
2) Nick and his cronies like to think they're this and that, but they're just incompetent, incapable douchebags in real life. Lemme tell you, it'll cost them in the future. ;)
-Shoz999:
1) I am well aware that Calem and Serena are not cousins in "Pokémon Adventures", but trust me, this isn't "Pokémon Adventures". This is a completely separate canon, and since Calem's constantly written as another childhood friend of Serena's and a potential rival for Ash, I decided to turn things around a little and make them cousins instead. That way, it's unique and avoids certain cliches.
2) Well, it's a common word for Ash's inability to realize Serena's feelings. Plus, I've still got that old "Phineas and Ferb" spark within me. *sighs longingly*
3) Actually, if you've been paying close attention to the chapters, the Exhibition Showcase doesn't have any prizes up for grabs. Therefore, Serena's not going to become Kalos Queen by winning this Showcase. No one is, actually. It's all just for fun and games...till someone gets hurt, that is.
I seem to have less reviewers than usual, but that's alright. I guess it's because the chapter was shorter and confirmed a lot of people's assumptions.
Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!