Chapter 19: Taking Center Stage!
Taylor's Beach House- Morning
"Taylor..? Taylor..? Time to wake up, sweetheart." said a voice. I slowly opened up my eyes, woke up from last nights sleep, and saw my Mom and Zoroark looking at me. "Good morning, sweetheart. Today's the big day." said my Mom. "Huh..? It is? Is it the Contest?" I replied tiredly. She nodded her head yes to my question, and my eyes quickly widened in shock. "Oh no! The Contest is today! Aw, man! I've gotta get ready!" I said as I quickly jumped out of my bed and ran to my closet. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Taylor! Easy there, honey! Don't grab anything yet!" my Mom replied as she gently grabbed me and moved me away from my closet. I looked at her and blinked my eyes curiously; wondering why she is doing this. "If you get changed now before the Contest starts... you'll have your friends become suspicious of you." she said. I blinked my eyes again, took her message to heart, and then closed my closet doors.
She breathed a sigh of relief, and then patted my shoulders. "Now that was a close one." she said. "Yeah. It sure was." I replied. We lightly laughed happily together, and then went downstairs to the kitchen; seeing the group there. "There she is." said Celina. "Morning." I replied. "Morning to you too." she replied as I sat down between Zach and Yuya at the table. "Had a good sleep last night?" Yuya asked me. "Mhm. Sure did. I fell asleep an hour after I took a shower, and was knocked out like a light." I replied. "Well... after a day like yesterday... it did knock the wind out of ya." Zach replied. I nodded my head in agreement, and then lightly bumped his arm; surprising him. He turned to me and lightly bumped my arm back. We then looked at each other and smiled happily at each other. After that, we all ate our breakfast together. After we finished, we all went outside and gave our teams their breakfast for the day; while sneaking in their Vitamins and daily supplements without them knowing.
A half hour later, we were getting our teams all cleaned up and ready for the day. As the group was busy, my Mom lightly grabbed my arm, and pulled me away from them. I walked to another part of the backyard and saw Aurasoul, Epona, Scyther, and Zoroark looking at us. "You okay, Mom?" I asked softly. "Yeah. I'm alright. There's just something I would like to ask you. It's Contest related." she replied softly. "Ah... okay... what's up?" I replied softly. She took a deep breath, and then we saw Zoroark approach us. "Will it be okay with you if Zoroark helps you in the Contest?" she asked. I looked at her surprised for a moment, and then I saw Aurasoul and Epona nod their heads yes to me. Once I thought about it and then the theme of Light vs. Dark, I nodded my head yes to her. Zoroark smiled happily to me, and did a little happy dance; making us smile. "He's really excited now, isn't he?" I said. "He sure is. And, just to take some weight off your shoulders... I told Mr. Sakaki and Mr. Boyle about these four and the theme you are going with." she replied.
I breathed a sigh of relief to this; knowing now my secret is still safe. "Okay... that's a relief." I said. "Mhm. But when you get into costume... you need to find a way to change your voice." she replied. "My voice? Like... use my powers to make my voice sound like Red a little bit?" I replied curiously. She nodded her head yes to my question. "I know that you can physically change your appearance with your abilities, as you have shown me on how you changed your face and hairstyle a little bit... but you have to make sure that they don't recognize your voice. They might try to figure it out by your face... but the voice and battle style would be their big indicators that they would know its you." she said. "Ah... okay. Now I getcha." I replied as I nodded my head in agreement. "Mhm." she replied as she nodded her head. After that, we went back to the group, and then we all went to get ready for the Contest.
As we were getting ready, we heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" said my Mom. I turned to her as she went to the door, opened it, and saw Red and his Pikachu outside. "Ah! Red! Hi, sweetheart!" she said happily. "Hi, Mom!" he replied happily as he hugged her. "What are you doing here?" she replied. "The Elite 4 are on their vacations for the week. So, I decided to come back here and spend the rest of the week with you and watch the Contest in person." he replied as their hug ended. "Really? That's incredible, honey!" she replied. "Yeah it is." he replied. I smiled happily at him, and then saw his Pikachu run over to me, jump up on my shoulder, and nuzzle me and Tetrax happily. "Hahaha! Hi, buddy! How've you been?" I said happily. "Pi-Pikachu!" he replied happily. "Pika-chu, Pi!" Tetrax replied happily. They then jumped off my shoulders and began to play with each other. "Haha. Looks like he found his little brother." said Red as he looked at us. "Mhm. He sure did." Mom replied happily. After that, Red and I walked upto each other and shared a hug. "Hi, Red." I said. "Hi, Tay." he replied with a warm smile. We let each other go, and watched our Pikachu's playing together again. "So? How've you been since I was gone? Mom told me about the crazy stuff that happened here and how you handled them." he asked me.
"I've been good. Just been training for Erika's Gym and the Contest. How about you? Any interesting challengers at the League?" I replied. "I've been good. Just been training a lot too. And yeah... there has been a few interesting challengers I faced at the League. There was this one Trainer I faced from the Unova region that almost wiped the floor against my team... but both Pikachu and Charizard helped me out and won the battle. Though I will admit... he was really strong." he replied as we walked to the living room and sat down on the couch. "Really strong, huh? What kind of Pokémon did he use?" I replied. "He used a Samurott, Chandelure, Amoongus, Krookodile, Haxorus, and Beartic." he replied. "Wow... they must've been really strong..." I replied. "They sure were. Their Trainer trained them well." he replied. I nodded my head in agreement, and then we saw Mom and Zoroark walk into the room. "Huh!? Mom..? Who is that?" he said surprised.
"That's Zoroark. Mom caught him after I caught Epona yesterday." I replied. "What!? You serious? Mom caught it?" he replied. We nodded our heads yes to his question. "It's true. When I was waiting at the forest near the library yesterday, I saw Taylor and her friends walk out with Epona now fully evolved to a Galarian Rapidash with her family and friends; making sure that they arrived safely. After that, she and Epona finally fulfilled their promise from a few years ago." said Mom. "Wow... that's amazing." he replied. "Mhm. And after Epona officially joined the family... Zoroark took quite an interest to me and wanted to join me. So when we got back home, Taylor told me how they met and escaped from Team Rocket together alongside Epona and her team. I thanked him for his bravery, and then I caught Zoroark in this Luxury Ball. After I caught him, I asked him to help me protect our home and our family from anyone that would want to harm us." she replied as she showed us the Luxury Ball for the first time. "Whoa..." I replied. "Wait... didn't Dad give you that as a wedding anniversary gift a couple years ago?" he replied. "Mhm." she replied. Zoroark nodded his head too, and then nuzzled Mom happily. "Wow... he really likes you, Mom." said Red.
"He sure does. I guess that when he first saw me and how I was around your sister, it made him feel pretty nostalgic about his mother. It then made me think that he must've had a powerful bond with his mother until he lost her one day. So when I noticed how friendly he was towards me... I couldn't say no to him." she replied. "Really?" he replied curiously. She and Zoroark nodded their heads yes to his question. "I see... so that would explain his behavior. From what I heard about them from the Professor, he said that they are very territorial and will risk their lives to protect their pack." he replied. "Mhm." she replied. "And they can create powerful illusions that can keep intruders away from their nest." he replied. Zoroark nodded his head yes to his response, and then jumped up on me and Red's laps, and layed down on them. "Aww~ He already likes you two!" said Mom happily. Red and I looked at each other in shock to see Zoroark already comfortable on our laps, smiled happily, and then began to pet Zoroark; making him happy. As we did this, Tetrax and Red's Pikachu jumped up on the couch, and then slowly crept into Zoroark's red fur, and then poked their heads out to us and made a couple silly faces; making us laugh happily.
As we bonded with Zoroark, my group came down the stairs and saw what was going on. "Whoa... looks like we got ourselves a cuddler around here, huh?" said Pat. We all turned to the group and nodded our heads yes to them. "Alright, kids. It's time we get you all to the Contest Stadium. Everyone got their things all set?" said Mom. "Yep! All set!" Zuzu replied happily. "Excellent! Both you and Yuya have your Contest clothes all ready to go?" she replied. "Yep! We sure do!" Yuya replied happily. "Perfect! Alright. Let's get moving, everyone. We gotta make sure these two get to their dressing rooms and us in our seats!" she replied. "Right!" we replied happily. After that, the group made their way outside. Zoroark gently got off of me and Red's laps and let us stand up on our feet. "Taylor? Your costume is in my room. I just finished ironing it out and getting it all cleaned up. When the performances start, you need to head to the dressing room on this card here and get changed there. You're going to perform last in the qualifier round." said Mom. "Okay." I replied. "And hey. Remember to have fun, okay? Just wow the crowd as best as you can. It doesn't matter what place you get. Just as long as you have fun, you'll be fine." Red replied. "Right." I replied as I nodded my head to them. We then walked outside together, and went to the Contest Stadium.
Vermilion Contest Stadium
"Mom! Dad!" said Yuya happily. "Yuya!" Mrs. Sakaki replied happily. Yuya hugged his parents happily, and showed off his iconic smile. "How have you been, Yuya?" Mr. Sakaki asked. "I've been great! I've been practicing and having fun with my team and my friends!" he replied. "That's incredible, sweetie! We're so glad that you've had a good time in the city. Has Taylor's family been treating you well?" Mrs. Sakaki replied. "Yep! They sure have. Tay's Mom has made sure that we all got to bed on time, and ready to train and relax when the sun came up. We've even done some things that you both might find crazy and heroic at the same time! I can't wait to tell you all about it!" he replied. "That's wonderful to hear, Yuya. We can't wait to hear it all." Mr. Sakaki replied as he ruffled Yuya's hair. He smiled happily at them, and then they turned to us as we walked in. "Ah! Yoko! Yusho! There you two are." said Mom. "Maya! You made it!" Mrs. Sakaki replied happily and hugged her. "Of course. I wouldn't miss this for the world! How are you two?" Mom replied.
"We've been doing well. All our boys have been on some crazy journeys, and only see us from time to time." Mr. Sakaki replied. "Except for Yuya. He always made sure that he would spend time with us. Right, Yuya?" Mrs. Sakaki replied. "Yep. I sure have. Hey? Where's Mr. and Mrs. Boyle?" Yuya replied. "Mom! Dad!" Zuzu replied happily. "Zuzu!" her parents replied happily. They ran to each other, and shared an embrace. "Ah... there they are." Yuya replied as we turned and looked at the Boyle family. "You ready for this, Zuzu?" said Mrs. Boyle as they ended the hug. "Mhm. I'm ready. Right now... I'm just focused on how the competition will look like." Zuzu replied. "Really?" Mr. Boyle replied. "Mhm. I'm mostly curious to see what Aura, Sylvio, Reed, Gong, Yuya, and Aaron are going to do." she replied. "Ah... I see. You've already known what your rivals can do... but you are way more curious of Aaron and his strategy?" he replied. "Mhm. Even though I've never seen him before... I bet he must be a very mysterious Trainer." she replied.
"He sure is. When Yusho and I first met him... we learned that he is a descendant of Aura Guardians from the Sinnoh region. They can do many things with Aura, just like a Lucario. They can sense the energy of living things, use it as powerful weapons, and use it to contain explosives to save everyone and everything around them." he replied. "Wow... that's amazing! Now after hearing all of that, I can't wait to meet him!" she replied. "Me either! He is a charming, young fellow." Mrs. Boyle replied. Zuzu smiled happily at them, and then began to think about what Aaron looked like. Once we saw this, Yuya looked down at his right hand, and clutched it into a fist. "Hm? Yuya? You alright?" said Sora. Yuya lightly growled in jealousy, and we all noticed this very quickly. "Yuya. Relax. She doesn't think of Aaron that way." I said as I put my hand on his shoulder. "Huh?" he replied curiously as he turned to me. "She's just curious about him. Just like you and everyone else are about him. From what I heard in the tone of her voice... she doesn't have any romantic feelings for him. Trust me." I replied. We stared at each other silently, and then he finally began to calm down.
"Better?" I asked him. "Yeah... I'm better now. Thanks, Tay." he replied with a light smile. I lightly smiled back and patted his shoulder. "Alright, kids. It's time for you two to get to your dressing rooms. The show is about to start." said Mr. Sakaki. "Right!" Yuya and Zuzu replied. "Good luck, you two. We're rooting for you all the way!" Zach replied. "Thank you, Zach." Zuzu replied happily. "Oh! Zuzu! Wait!" Mrs. Boyle replied. "Hm? What is it, Mom?" she replied. "Here. I forgot you gave me one of your Pokémon to help with the garden a few weeks ago before your journey with your friends started. I think it's time that he shines with you again." Mrs. Boyle replied as she handed Zuzu a PokéBall. Zuzu stared at the PokéBall silently for a moment, and then smiled happily at her. "Mom... you remembered..." she said. "Of course I remembered. How could I ever forget the teamwork that Vulpix and Roserade did together at the Celadon Contest?" Mrs. Boyle replied. "What!?" me, Zach, Pat, Sora, and Celina replied surprised. "Ah! What!? What's the matter, guys?" she replied. "Zuzu? You never told us you had a Roserade? When did you get one?" Celina replied.
"I received him from the Celadon City Gym Leader, Erika, when I performed in the Celadon Contest over five months ago. He first helped me out and win the Celadon Ribbon, and then Erika gave him to me as a gift after seeing how much fun he had in the Contest. And I've used him in Contests ever since the last one before going on the journey with you guys. I sent him to my house to help with my Mom's garden and promised him that I will use him again for this Contest." she replied. "Ah! So that was the Roserade that I've heard about online!" Celina replied. "Yep. That's him. Here. I'll show him off to you guys. Roserade! Come on out!" she replied as she gently threw the PokéBall up in the air, watched it open, and we saw Roserade appear. "Roserade." he said. "Vul-Vulpix!" Vulpix replied happily as she wagged her tails. "Rade? Rade! Rose-Roserade!" he replied happily. Vulpix ran over to Roserade and reunited with him; making each other happy to see one another. "Hi, Roserade!" said Zuzu happily. "Rade! Rose-Roserade!" he replied happily as he saw his Trainer and reunited with her. "Whoa... so that's what a Roserade looks like." said Pat.
"I'll check it out on the PokéDex." Zach replied as he took out his Phone and activated his PokéDex. "Roserade, the Bouquet Pokémon. A Grass and Poison type, and the evolved form of Roselia. Roserade lures prey with its sweet aroma, and then strikes with elegant dancer movements and with its thorny, poisoned whips to defeat it. The poison in its right hand is quick acting. The poison in its left hand is slow acting. Both are life threatening." said Zach's PokéDex. "Whoa... that's deadly." he replied. We nodded our heads in agreement to his response. "Hey there, Roserade. You remember me?" Yuya replied. "Rose! Roserade!" he replied happily. Yuya smiled at Roserade happily, and then we heard the sound of intercoms turn on. "Attention, Coordinators! The Contest starts in 20 minutes! Please head to your dressing rooms and prepare yourselves and your Pokémon before the show begins! Thank you!" said the announcer. Yuya and Zuzu's eyes widened in shock, and then they quickly grabbed their things. "Alright, guys! We gotta go! We'll see you when we get on stage!" said Yuya. "Alright! Good luck! And best wishes to the both of you!" said Mr. Boyle. "Thank you!" Yuya and Zuzu replied happily. After that, they went to their dressing rooms.
Vermilion Contest Stage
A few moments after they left, we went to or seats and saw that we had a great view of the stage. "Whoa... the place is packed." said Pat. "Indeed. The Vermilion Contest is packed every year, and it only happens when you have 1 or 2 Ribbons left to collect in order to get to the region's Masters competition." my Mom replied as we all sat down. I looked around anxiously for a moment after Mom said that; knowing that I have no Ribbons at all. Red noticed my reaction, and then patted my shoulder. "Hm?" I said curiously. "Don't worry about it. Remember the stories of our aunt in Sinnoh that did Contests?" he whispered.
I nodded my head yes to his question. "Well... once Mom told her about what you're doing... she sent over a few of her Kanto Ribbons to her by Dad's Alakazam and gave them to us to borrow for a bit. Mom showed Mr. Sakaki and Mr. Boyle the Ribbons, and put them in for Aaron's entry." he whispered. "Really?" I whispered. He nodded his head yes to my response. I breathed a sigh of relief for that one. "But... aren't the Ribbons engraved with the winner's names?" I whispered. "Nope. Whenever you win a Contest... they just give you the Ribbon. The ceremony for these are very quick." he whispered. "Ah." I whispered. He smiled warmly and patted my shoulder again, and then we turned to the stage; seeing Mr. Sakaki and Mr. Boyle sit down at the judge's table. "Hm? Hey? Who's that judge over them with them?" I asked curiously. "Who?" Mom replied curiously. "That guy over there. He's got gray hair and a top hat like Mr. Sakaki." I replied. "Oh... him. He's the President of the Pokémon Fan Club. He always appears at Contests and enjoys Pokémon competing in events like this more than Gym battles." she replied. "But... can Pokémon sometimes get hurt during Contests too?" I replied.
"They can. But that's if only they are not careful of what they're doing or where they're landing." she replied. I nodded my head in understanding, and then I saw her put my anxiety medication in my hand. "Hm?" I said curiously. "Something you forgot to take this morning?" she replied. "Ah... I'm sorry. I guess it just slipped my mind." I replied. "It's alright, honey. Besides... I think the trauma of yesterday made you suppress your feelings and lose your memories a little bit." she replied. I blinked my eyes and nodded my head yes to her, and then took my medication. "There you go, kiddo." said Red as he patted my back. "Thanks." I replied. He gave me a side hug, and then we saw Yuya's Mom and Zuzu's Mom walk to our row and sit with us next to Mom. "Taylor?" said Mrs. Sakaki. "Yes?" I replied curiously as I turned to her. "Yuya and Zuzu will have their performances first, that way you can see them before you run to the dressing room and get changed. Once after the judges show give their praises, that's when we leave and get you there." she whispered. "Okay. And hey... thank you guys for everything today." I whispered.
"No problem, kiddo." she whispered with a smile. I smiled back at her, and then we looked at the stage; seeing the lights turn off and hearing the crowd cheer. "Here we go." I said to myself. After that, the stage lights turned on in different colors, moved around the stage, and then a big spotlight shined on the middle of the stage; revealing a female announcer. "Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Children of all ages! Welcome, one and all! To the annual Vermilion City Contest! My name is Joy Jeever, and I will be your host for this event! On behalf of the mayor of Vermilion City and everyone of the Kanto Contest League Association, we are so excited that you all have come here to this lovely stadium to watch many Coordinators who have come here from far and wide all over the world and see them and their Pokémon show off their skills to you in hopes to inspire you many Trainers and future Coordinators out there to try out something new with your Pokémon, and put smiles on people's faces and enlighten their day! Now! Are you all ready for the show?" she said.
The crowd cheered excitedly to her; answering her question. "Alright! And now, let the Contest officially... begin!" she said. Indoor fireworks went off and the crowd went wild. I was completely overstimulated by the sounds of the crowd, and tried to cover my ears, but Mom and Red quickly took my hands and helped me relax a little bit. I looked at them and saw them trying to comfort my senses. "Hehe... I guess we should've bought some earplugs?" I said shyly and nervously. We sheepishly laughed at each other for a moment, and then we saw the stage fully lit up. "Now. Before the contestants begin their performances, allow me to introduce to you the judges of the event! First up, we have the President of the Pokémon Fan Club: Mr. Sukizo!" said Joy. "Greetings and salutations, everyone!" Mr. Sukizo replied happily. The crowd cheered for him happily after he greeted everyone. "Next up! We have two Contest legends that hail from Pallet Town and are well known from far and wide as two of the greatest Coordinators of all time! Give it up for: Skip Boyle and Yusho Sakaki!" said Joy. The crowd cheered excitedly for them as they waved to the crowd, and then sat down at their seats.
"And now... our final judge for the competition! She is well known as one of the strongest Trainers in the region, and is one of the members of the Elite 4! Coming all the way from the Sevii Islands, it's Lorelei!" said Joy as Lorelei appeared on the stage, and waved to the crowd. My group and I were completely shocked to see Lorelei here; wondering what she was doing here. Lorelei then sat down next to Mr. Sakaki. "What the..? What is Lorelei doing here?" I asked curiously. "Red? Do you know anything about this?" Mom replied. "No... not anything at all. I never talked to her about this event at all." he replied. "Are you sure?" she replied. "Positive. Cross my heart, Mom." he replied. She stared at him silently, and then turned to the stage. Lorelei smiled warmly, and then turned to the crowd; seeing me, Red, and Mom in the crowd. She winked her eye and waved to us. We waved back to her, and then turned to the VIP section of the stadium; seeing the Akaba family there. "Huh..? Looks like the Akaba family is here to watch the show too." said Red. I nodded my head in agreement, and then we saw the big spotlight touch on the main curtains.
"And now! It is time for our first round of the Contest! The Performance Round! This round is where you the audience will get to know of our Coordinators and their Pokémon as they perform. Once after the judges give their opinions of them, their performance points will be tallied up and then reveal at the end of the round to see if they advance to the second round: the Battles Round!" said Joy. The crowd cheered and applauded to this. "Hey. At least they're saving the best for last, right Sis?" Red replied in a hushed tone as he lightly nudged me. "Yep." I replied in a hushed tone. After that, we saw the curtains open up and saw Yuya appear from them; wearing a red suit with a orange tie, a fiery dragon cape, and black shoes that had little lightning bolts on them. "First up, we have a Coordinator, hailing from Pallet Town. A Trainer that knows how to bring the heat in competition, and is one of the son's of the great Yusho Sakaki! Ladies and gentlemen! I introduce to you: Yuya Sakaki!" said Joy as Yuya took center stage. The crowd cheered for him happily as he stood tall and looked at the crowd.
"Yuya! Show them the power of fire! You can do it!" Sora cheered as we cheered alongside him. Yuya turned to us, smiled warmly, and then saw me in the crowd. We locked eyes with each other and showed a smile. He then turned to the judges, and took out four sealed PokéBalls from his belt. "Ladies and Gentlemen! I, Yuya Sakaki, am here today, to show you a powerful performance that is filled with fire, water, thunder, and draconian energy in a way that have never been seen before! And now, it's time to swing into action with the main stars of the show! Come on out, everyone! It's time to show the world and the people of Vermilion City what you can do!" he said as he threw up the sealed PokéBalls in the air. The first Ball opened and revealed his Charizard as he was surrounded in flames. He let out a mighty roar, flew around the stage, and then landed by his Trainer's side. The second one opened and revealed a Pokémon that was surrounded by bubbles, glided through the air, and shot the bubbles with water fired from its finger. It then landed down on the ground and stood by Yuya on the other side of him. "Inteleon." it said.
The third Ball opened, and revealed Boltund as he was surround with lightning bolts. The fourth Ball opened and revealed Flygon surrounded with dragon energy. They went to their Trainer's side and struck a pose alongside Charizard and Inteleon. Our eyes widened in shock to see Inteleon; wondering how he kept this one a secret. "Whoa... what is that?" said Zach. "I don't know... but it looks cool!" Sora replied happily. Celina took out her Phone and activated her PokéDex. "Inteleon, the Secret Agent Pokémon. A Water type. It has many hidden capabilities, such as fingertips that can shoot water at Mach 3 speed, a sharp knife hidden in its tail, and a membrane on its back that it can use to glide through the air. Inteleon is highly intelligent, carefully thinking out strategies before entering combat to ensure a swift and decisive victory. It is also known to be quite chivalrous and is completely loyal to Trainers it sees as worthy." said Celina's PokéDex. "Wow... that's an interesting Pokémon." Pat replied. "Yeah. After the Contest is over... I wanna battle that Pokémon." she replied. "What!? Are you serious!?" he replied in a surprised, hushed tone. "Yeah. I wanna see how powerful Inteleon's hidden capabilities are in battle. I'm sure he has seen them in Contests... but in battle? It would be something very different." she replied. "Ran." Nidoran replied.
Pat nodded his head in agreement to her response, and then they looked at Yuya and his team. Yuya smiled warmly at the crowd, snapped his fingers, and began his performance. Charizard and Flygon flew up into the air, watched rings that were surrounded by fire slowly descend from above the stage, and then flew through them. They flew back down, saw their Trainer dance with Boltund and Inteleon, spun around in the air as they descended, and watched all three of them jump over them with ease. "Whoa!" said Pat. "That was so cool!" Sora replied. "Okay! Flygon! Use Draco Meteor! Boltund! Surround the meteors with Rising Voltage! Inteleon! Hop on Charizard's back, and show the crowd your powerful Snipe Shot on the meteors as they descend!" Yuya replied. Flygon made a happy sound, and then used Draco Meteor. Boltund barked happily, and then used Rising Voltage for the first time; letting his electricity surround the meteors as they began to fall from the ceiling.
"Intel! Teleon! In-tel-eon! Inteleon!" said Inteleon as it hopped up on Charizard's back, flew to the meteors, and then used Snipe Shot on them; hitting and turning them into beautiful fireworks. It then gently jumped off his back and glided through the air. "And now! It's time to turn up the heat! Charizard! Surround yourself with Fire Spin by using your tail!" said Yuya. Charizard roared and did what Yuya asked of him to do. "Whoa! Check it out! He's using the same strategy that Tay did against him in their battle!" said Celina. "Yeah! That's awesome!" Pat replied happily. "Inteleon! Do the same thing as Charizard by using Aqua Jet!" Yuya replied. "Intel! In-tel-eon!" Inteleon replied as it used Aqua Jet and spun around in a water like tornado; copying Charizard's movement. After spinning around, they jumped up in the air for a moment, descended, and then began their paths towards each other. "Flygon! Use Stone Edge to help them get back up in the air!" said Yuya.
Flygon made a sound, and then made giant blue glowing stones to help guide them up to the air. "Boltund! Jump upto the top of the stone and surround them with Swift!" Yuya replied. Boltund barked happily, jumped all the way upto the top of the giant stone, and used Swift around Charizard and Inteleon; making the stars spin around the two of them. After that, they made their elemental tornadoes disappear, and looked at the stars around them. "Charizard! Inteleon! Send the stars down to Flygon!" said Yuya. They made confident sounds and sent the stars to Flygon with their tails. "Flygon! Surround the stars with Dragon Pulse!" said Yuya. Flygon made a sound, and used Dragon Pulse to surround the stars; making them brighter. "And now for the grand finale! Boltund! Use Discharge!" said Yuya. Boltund barked, surrounded himself in electricity, and used Discharge on the Dragon Pulse-Swift combo; turning them into bright fireworks. After that, the crowd cheered loudly for his performance, and watched them bow together. "Wow! Incredible! That was a performance to remember, folks! The beauty and grace from Inteleon, the strong and passionate flames of Charizard, the majestic draconian power of Flygon, and the electrifying speed and elegance of Boltund! That was a spectacular performance! Now, let's hear on what our judges think of this performance." said Joy as she turned to the judges table.
"Yuya. That was a beautiful performance. The way you balanced the elements you've chosen, and how you and your Pokémon were completely in sync with each other... I could tell from the audience on how much you and your Pokémon trust each other. You all were spectacular!" said Mr. Sukizo. Yuya smiled happily to him, and nodded his head in thanks. "Yuya. The bond and power of your team here today was something truly special. The way your Charizard controlled its Fire Spin was something that I have never seen before. May I ask you on how your got your Charizard to do that?" Lorelei replied. "Yeah. We've learned that technique from a very good friend ours during a friendly battle a few days ago. The skills that she and her Charizard used to control the powerful flames that all Charizard had... it inspired us to do the technique that we have shown here today." Yuya replied as he and Charizard looked out to me in the crowd. I couldn't help but smile at them and tear up a little bit after their acknowledgement. They smiled back at me, and then looked at his Dad and Mr. Boyle.
"Yuya. You and your team's personality fully shined in this performance. The way how you made Charizard and Inteleon control both fire and water was excellent! And how you made sure that Flygon and Boltund checked on them and watch their every move was perfectly flawless! With a powerful bond like that, you will be a great Coordinator one day!" said Mr. Boyle. "I agree with you on that one, Skip. Yuya, you have grown so much since your Coordinator journey started. You have learned from so many people that you have met on how you and your team can form the perfect bond, and how you show the audience and people all over the world the beautiful display of you and your Pokémon while making everyone smile. To me, that is what makes a true Coordinator. Well done, Yuya." Yusho replied. Yuya smiled happily at his Dad, bowed one more time, and then went backstage; hearing the crowd cheer. As he walked backstage, he saw Zuzu appear in her Contest uniform: a pink princess dress with music notes and flower petals on it, and a tiara with blue gems in it.
Backstage
"Yuya! You were amazing out there!" she said. "Thank you, Zuzu." he replied happily. After that, he looked at her outfit and began to blush. "Yuya? What's wrong?" Zuzu asked him. He blinked his eyes in shock, and then cleared his throat. "Nothing. I'm fine. It's just that... seeing you like this... it made my eyes look at you in awe. It feels like that I am looking at a real life Princess." he said. "Huh? Yuya? What are you talking about?" she replied curiously. "I'm saying... that you look beautiful." he replied sheepishly. Her eyes widened in shock to hear him say that, and she felt her heart began to beat faster than usual. "...Thank you, Yuya. And you... you look handsome in your outfit." she replied as she began to blush. "...Thank you, Zuzu." he replied as he blushed again. They smiled warmly at each other, and then saw the stage begin to open up on the floor from one of the TV screens. "Zuzu Boyle? You're up next." said a stage manager. Zuzu's eyes widened in surprise, and then began to head for the stage. "Zuzu! Have a good time out there! I'm rooting for you!" said Yuya. She turned back to him, smiled happily, ran over to him, and then hugged him; surprising him. "Thank you, Yuya. I'll give it my all out there. And once I pass this round, I hope to challenge you for that Ribbon!" she said.
Yuya was surprised of what she said, smiled confidently at her, and then ended the hug. "I know we will. I promise you that 100%. But now its time to show the world what you can really do." he said. "Right." she replied with a confident smiled. They then shared a high five, and then Zuzu left the room, and stood behind the curtains. She took a deep breath, cleared out her mind, and then looked at the curtains as they began to open. She saw the pool and its platforms for the first time up close, and then walked onto the stage; hearing the crowd cheer and clap for her. "Next up is a Coordinator who also hails from Pallet Town! With skill and grace like a Jigglypuff, this young Coordinator is not afraid of the big stage and the competition! Ladies and Gentlemen! Here is: Zuzu Boyle!" said Joy. "Ah! There she is!" Celina replied happily. "Alright! Go, Zuzu! You can do it!" Sora cheered. "You got this, Zuzu!" Pat cheered. "Go, Zuzu! You got this, honey!" Mrs. Boyle cheered. Zach and I whistled happily, and then saw her looking at all of us.
Vermilion Contest Stage
She smiled happily at us, waved at us, turned back to the judges table, and then was ready to perform. She took a deep breath, and then took out four sealed PokéBalls from her dress pocket. "Alright, everyone. It's show time. Come on out!" she said as she threw the PokéBalls in the air. The first Ball opened and revealed Vulpix surrounded by some hearts. "Vul-Vulpix!" she said happily. The second Ball opened and revealed her Pikachu surrounded by stars. "Pi-Pikachu!" she said happily. She gently landed on the platform alongside Vulpix, and watched the third Ball open; revealing Roserade surrounded by pink petals. "Roserade!" he said happily. He landed gracefully in front of Zuzu, and then they all saw the fourth Ball open, and reveal Milotic as she sparkled brightly. She made a happy sound, dived into the water, swam around, and then leaped over her friends; showing off her glowing scales. The crowd gasped in awe of Milotic's appearance; making Zuzu, her team, and us smile happily.
Milotic then swam over to her part of the stage, and then Zuzu began her performance. Once they heard cheerful music being played, she and her team began to dance happily; staying in complete rhythm and sync with each other. As they danced; Yuya, Gong, Aura, Reed, and Sylvio were watching from backstage, and Yuya smirked at Sylvio and Aura as they looked at Milotic. He watched this silently, and then looked back at the screen. "Roserade! Use Petal Dance! Milotic! Disarming Voice!" said Zuzu. "Rose! Rose-rade!" he replied as he used Petal Dance around himself. Milotic made a sound and used Disarming Voice to help lift Zuzu up in the air. She smiled at this, and then watched Milotic catch her. They then surfed around the pool and watched their friends run and jump gracefully to the music. After circled around the stage, Milotic helped her gently get back onto the platform, and then swam around again. "Now, Milotic! Combine both Aqua Tail and Ice Beam to make a spiral platform! Vulpix! Use Mystical Fire to help solidify the ice!" said Zuzu.
Milotic jumped out of the water gracefully, made her tail be surrounded in a whirlpool of water. landed in in the right spot of the platform, and then used Ice Beam on the spinning water. She moved her tail away, watched the ice pillar stick and form on the platform, and then saw Vulpix run upto her, She helped her get up in the air, and watched her use Mystical Fire on the sculpture. "Vulpix! Vul-pix! Vul!" she said as she used the attack right in the middle of the sculpture, melted the middle, and made a sliding spiral platform. As she began to land onto the spiral platform, Roserade and Pikachu joined her, and they slid down the slide together. When Zuzu watched this, she knew what to do next. "Milotic! Use Whirlpool in front of the stage!" she said. Milotic nodded her head in understanding and used Whirlpool in front of the stage. Pikachu saw the Whirlpool in her line of sight, and then smirked at it; knowing what to do. As the slide ended, the three Pokémon jumped up high in the air, and Pikachu dived into the Whirlpool; shocking the crowd.
"What!? What is she doing!?" said Mrs. Boyle surprised. "You'll see." I replied. She was confused at first, and then turned to the stage. "Roserade! Use Energy Ball over the Whirlpool! Vulpix! Surround them with Fire Spin!" said Zuzu. "Rose! Rose-Roserade!" Roserade replied as he fired multiple Energy Balls above the Whirlpool. "Vul! Vul-pix!" Vulpix replied as she surrounded the Energy Balls with Fire Spin. "Now! Pikachu! Use your electricity on the Whirlpool, escape with Volt Tackle, and then use Thunderbolt on the attacks above you!" Zuzu replied. "Pi-ka!" Pikachu replied confidently. She let out a good shock of electricity onto the Whirlpool, saw the lines of it on it, smirked, and then used Volt Tackle to jump on the lines and escape the Whirlpool. After the attack ended, she looked at the attacks below her, and smiled. "Pika! Pika-chu!" she said as she used Thunderbolt on the attacks below her, and made a beautiful display of fireworks; making the crowd clap and cheer in awe. After that, they all returned to the stage, and struck their final pose. The crowd cheered happily to them, and they bowed to the positive applause around the room.
"Wow! Now that was an amazing performance, ladies and gentlemen! The way Zuzu and her team combined the elements of Grass, Fire, Water, Electric, Fairy, and Ice! That was an outstanding performance from a young Coordinator at her age! Now, let's hear what our judges think of this performance!" said Joy. Zuzu smiled at the crowd, and then looked at the judges. "Zuzu, that was a beautiful performance! You and your Pokémon were moving around so elegantly, and you all were in complete sync with the music! And they all look so beautiful! I can tell how much you have taken care of them. Well done, young lady. You should be very proud of yourself." Mr. Sukizo replied. "Agreed, Mr. Sukizo. Zuzu, you and your Pokémon were just perfection on that stage. I haven't seen any Coordinators that mastered the water around them like you did in a very long time. It felt like you truly belonged on that stage. With a performance like that, I can't wait to see what you can do in the future." Lorelei replied.
"I agree with everything you said, Lorelei. The beautiful balance of elegance and power truly was shown in spectacular fashion with your performance, Zuzu. The way you commanded your Pokémon when making the spiral ice slide and the finale was marvelous. You have shown us that you have the true heart of a Coordinator." Yusho replied. "You got that right, Yusho! Zuzu. Not only do I want to say this to you as a judge... I want to say this as your father... I am so proud of you." Skip replied. Once Zuzu heard him say that, she smiled and began to tear up. "You have grown up so beautifully in your Coordinator career, and you have gotten so much better since your first performance. The way you connect with your Pokémon and the audience as you perform, it makes my heart so warm and happy to see you shine on that stage. You have made your mother and I so proud of you, Zuzu." he said. Zuzu wiped off her tears, and smiled happily at her father. We smiled at her happily, cheered for her, and then watched her head backstage.
"Wow... Zuzu and Yuya were amazing to watch live in person. It felt a lot more magical than seeing them on TV." said Pat. We nodded our heads in agreement, and then I felt someone poke my shoulder. "Hm?" I said curiously. I turned to my left and saw Mrs. Sakaki and my Mom looking at me. Once I saw the look in their eyes... I knew that it was time. "Ready, Tay?" my Mom whispered. "Ready." I whispered back. After that, the three of us stood up, left our row as everyone was watching the stage, and then left the room.
Backstage- Dressing Room Area
"Whoa... this room is nice." I said as I walked into my dressing room. "You like it, sweetheart?" Mom replied. I nodded my head yes to her response. "Alright. Now get changed and focused into your persona. After you get changed, you can watch the show until the stage manager knocks on your door and tells you that it is time. Right now, just try to have a little snack and drink to calm your mind a little bit." Mrs. Sakaki replied. I nodded my head in understanding. "Have fun, honey. Make the crowd go wild for you." Mom replied. "I'll try my best." I replied with a warm smile. They smiled back, and then left the room. I closed the door and locked it. I looked back to room, and took a deep breath. "Okay... let's do this." I said. I turned on the little TV in my room, and then began getting changed into my costume. After about ten minutes, I was fully in my costume and did my face disguises from before; this time with my hair down straight and spiked a little bit. I looked at my stuff that I brought with me, and then teleported them to my Mom; knowing that she will keep them safe.
I looked at my blue eyes in the mirror, and lightly smiled at myself. "There we go. Perfect." I said in a slight version of Red's voice. Once I heard myself talk like that, I felt a little awkward at first... but then got used to it. "Heh. It does sound like my brother a little bit. Got his voice down perfectly. All that matters now is making sure the surprise goes well until I get eliminated." I said. I unlocked my door, sat down on my chair, and looked at the TV; watching the performers in silence. The first performance after Zuzu was none other than Sylvio. "Sylvio is up next? Why am I not surprised?" I said to myself. I looked at the screen and saw him with his Tyranitar, Glaceon, and two more Pokémon. "Hm? Who are those two?" I said. I took out my Phone and activated my PokéDex. "Quaquaval, the Dancer Pokémon. A Water and Fighting type. A single kick from a Quaquaval can send a truck rolling. This Pokémon uses its powerful legs to perform striking dances from far-off lands. Flourishes of its decorative water feathers slice into its foes. Tsareena, the Fruit Pokémon. A Grass type. This feared Pokémon has long, slender legs and a cruel heart. It shows no mercy as it stomps on its opponents. A kick from the hardened tips of this Pokémon's legs leaves a wound in the opponent's body and soul that will never heal." said my PokéDex.
"Huh... interesting. But... apparently it also shows that they are rivals? Oh. Only in Tsareena's point of view. Ah... now it makes sense." I replied. I put my Phone down, and watched Sylvio's performance. He did a performance of making Tyranitar the villain, Glaceon the damsel in distress, and both Quaquaval and Tsareena as rival heroes who fought each other at first, and then work together to save Glaceon. After watching it play out... I lightly clapped my hands at the performance. After that, I heard my Phone vibrate on my desk, I picked it up and saw it was a text from Zach.
Zach: Hey. Where did you go? You missed Sylvio's performance. The group and I noticed that you left after Zuzu performed. Everything okay?
I lightly panicked at first, but then I decided to text him back.
Me: I'm backstage right now. But before I tell you why... can you promise to keep this discussion a secret between us?
I shook my head for a moment, and then saw my text notification appear; knowing that he responded.
Zach: Sure. Your secret is safe with me. Don't worry. I'm making sure that no one is looking.
I breathed a huge sigh of relief; knowing that I have someone in the group I can trust with keeping secrets.
Me: Okay... so a couple weeks ago, when we were in Cerulean City. I received a package from Yuya's parents; containing a costume and letter. They asked me personally to do the Contest to surprise both him and Zuzu. I said yes to it and was signed up as "Aaron" to do it.
Zach: No way!? Really!? Is that why you're backstage? You're actually doing the Contest?
Me: Yep. I'm doing it ;)
Zach: *sent a YES Gif*
Once I saw the Gif, I couldn't help but smile and laugh a little bit.
Zach: Wait... wouldn't they know if its you by your voice?
Me: Yeah. They would know by my voice. So I used my powers to disguise my voice a little bit and make it sound like my brother's voice.
Zach: Ah... I getcha now. Playing sneaky with this one big time, huh bud? ;)
Me: Yep ;). But just remember not to tell anyone about it. We don't want the group to act suspicious of this.
Zach: Got it. Like I said before... your secret is safe with me. And hey, if you hear a loud cheer out in the crowd for you... that'll be me rooting for you. Good luck, Tay!
Me: Aww! Thanks, Zach. I'll do my best for you and everyone!
I smiled happily at the text and put my Phone down on the desk. After that, I saw Sylvio walk to backstage from the TV screen. "Okay... so who is next?" I said. After I said that, I saw the next Coordinator. "And next up, we have a lovely Coordinator from Domino City in the Johto region. She is a beautiful dancer who wishes to inspire the crowd to dance their hearts out while performing! Introducing: Téa Gardner!" said Joy. Téa waved to the crowd, and then threw four sealed PokéBalls up in the air; revealing a Ludicolo, Bellossom, Wigglytuff, and a Shiny Dragonair. Once I saw the Dragonair... I was interested. It then gave me little flashbacks of Lance using a couple Dragonair during my days visiting the League. "Wow... I've never seen one in pink before. Good for her on finding it." I said. After that, I watched them perform in their theme of dance. As I watched he performance end, I heard a knock on my door.
"Come in." I said. The door opened and I saw both Yuya and Zuzu enter the room. My eyes widened in shock for a moment, and then I snapped back into reality. "Hello. You must be Aaron. The mysterious guy from Sinnoh the judges have been talking about?" Zuzu replied. "Uh... yes? That would be me." I replied. "I knew it. I knew that you would be the guy they were talking about. I'm Zuzu, and this is my best friend, Yuya." she replied. "Nice to meet you." he replied. "Nice to meet you both as well. I've heard great things about you two." I replied as I shook their hands. "You have? Did our Dads talk about us?" he replied. "A little bit. But I mostly heard that you both have a friend who was born in my region that speaks high praises about you two." I replied. "Huh? Who do you mean by that?" he replied. "Oh! You mean our friend, Taylor, right?" she replied. "Yes. That was the name I heard them say a few times. You both must be really lucky to have a friend like her." I replied.
"Yeah. We are very lucky. She would always give us good luck messages everytime before we performed. Those messages always encouraged us to push our limits and fully see what Coordinators can do." she replied. Yuya nodded his head in agreement to her response. "And today, she actually got to see us perform in person! It made us so much more confident in ourselves and let us do what we believe was the best performance round we have ever done." he said. I couldn't help but smile to their responses. "I see. That's what I call a true friend. A friend that will always cheer you on and be at your side when you are in trouble... helping you out no matter what." I said. They nodded their heads in agreement, and then we saw both Vulpix and Boltund looking at me curiously. They walked upto me and began sniffing me. "Vulpix..? What are you doing?" said Zuzu curiously. Vulpix then jumped up on my lap, sat down, and stared into my eyes curiously. Boltund gently stood up, put his front paws on my knee, and looked into my eyes as well.
Shit... if they caught my scent already... I'm in huge trouble. "Boltund! Hey! Get down, boy!" said Yuya as he snapped his fingers. Boltund turned to him, listened to his command, and then walked over to him. Zuzu then picked up Vulpix, and saw her still staring at me. "Vulpix. Stop staring. You know it's rude to stare." she said. "No, no... it's alright. They were just curious about me. That's all." I replied as I nervously chuckled. "You sure? We've never seen them act like that before..." Yuya replied. "I'm sure. If they thought I was suspicious, they would've jumped me and try to rip all of this apart." I replied. They nodded their heads in agreement. "Hey! What's going on over here?" said a voice. We looked out to the door, and saw Aura walk over. "Aura? What are you doing over here? Aren't you up next?" Zuzu asked. "I am. But I'm more curious of what's going on in here..." she replied as she turned to me and stared at me in complete shock. Once I saw the look in her eyes, my eyes began to widen in fear. "Wow... and who is this handsome diamond in the rough?" she said.
"That's Aaron. He came all the way from the Sinnoh region to perform in the Contest." Yuya replied. "Ah! So you came all the way from Sinnoh, huh? Tell me. Which part of Sinnoh did you come from, darling?" she replied as she got closer to me. My eyes widened in fear as I saw her get close to my face, and I tried to get away. "Aura! You're scaring him!" said Zuzu. She then pulled her away, and then we saw the stage manager looking at us. "Sorry for the intrusion. Are you alright, Aaron?" she asked me. "Yeah... I'm fine..." I replied. She noticed the nervous look on my face, and then motioned my guests to step back from the door. "Come on, Aura. You're up next." she said. "Alright. As for the three of you... I will see you all later. Hope I get to face all of you in the second round." Aura replied. After that, she left the room, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. "You okay?" Yuya asked me. "...I think so." I replied. "Don't worry about her. She's done that to me before. You just gotta put your foot down and tell her that you're not interested in her. That's how I stopped her from getting to me like that." he replied.
I nodded my head in agreement, and then we heard some backstage talk. "Hm? What's going on?" I asked. "It's all the Coordinators in the main backroom talking. You wanna come and join us?" Zuzu replied. "Yeah. Sure." I replied. After that, we left my dressing room, and went to the backroom; seeing all the Coordinators there. The three of us sat down together, and watched Aura on TV as she walked onto the stage. "Huh... I wonder what trick does she have under her sleeve?" said Sylvio as he and his Quaquaval looked at the screen together. "Looks like we'll find out ourselves." Gong replied. Aura smiled confidently and threw up four sealed PokéBalls, and watched her Pokémon appear. "Kirlia!" said Kirlia. She spun around like a ballerina and then stood by Aura as her three allies appeared: Kadabra, Xatu, and Mawile. Their theme was showing off both fierce power and cuteness. "Wow. Look at them go." said Reed. "Stout." Stoutland replied. After he said that, he, Gong, and Sylvio turned to me and saw me for the first time.
"Huh? Who is this guy with the strange staff?" said Sylvio. "I'm Aaron. A Aura Guardian from the Sinnoh region." I replied. "A Aura Guardian, huh? I've never heard of them before... what exactly do Aura Guardians do?" he replied. "We are people who can sense and use Aura in multiple ways. Whether it is to battle or protect others. Our people will always travel with a Lucario at our side as our main partners." I replied. "Wow. That's amazing." Gong replied. I nodded my head in agreement to his response. "Say? You said you have a Lucario, right?" he said. "I do. He's resting in his PokéBall right now." I replied. "Ah. Gong sees that you are using Lucario for the Contest, correct?" he replied. "Yes, sir." I replied. "Wow... so formal." Reed replied. "Indeed. You do sound way too formal for a guy around our age." Sylvio replied. "I do?" I replied curiously.
Sylvio nodded his head yes to my response, and then we saw Aura come back to the room. As she looked around, she saw Mai Valentine looking at her. "Good job, kid." she said. "Thank you, Mai." Aura replied. "Yeah. Good job, Aura. Your Kirlia was an amazing dancer." Téa replied. "Thank you, Téa." she replied. She nodded her head, and then we saw the stage manager appear. "Alexis Rhodes? You're up next." she said. "Okay." Alexis replied with a smile. "Good luck, Alexis." Mai replied. "Break a leg, girl." Akiza replied. "Thank you, Mai, Aki." Alexis replied with a smile. After that she went to the stage. "Reed? You're up next after her." said the stage manager. "Okay. Thank you." he replied. "No problem." she replied. "So, Reed? What theme are you doing for this one?" Sylvio asked him. "I'm doing a cooking theme. I'm showing the world the Pokémon that represent food alongside Stoutland, who has a great sense of smell." he replied. "Stoutland." Stoutland replied. "I see. So were finally going to see all the other Pokémon you have?" Sylvio replied.
Reed nodded his head yes to his question, and then we saw Alexis on the screen; revealing her four Pokémon: Froslass, Lilligant, Lopunny, and Nidoqueen. "Heh. There's that Nidoqueen. The ace of her team." Akiza replied. "Yeah. She may look calm... but her attacks can hit like a truck." Kari replied. Most of the contestants nodded their heads in agreement, and then we watched Alexis's performance in silence. She and her team's theme was power and gentleness. After that, her performance ended and returned the backroom. "Congrats, girl." said Kari. "Thank you, Kari." she replied as she sat down next to her. After that, Reed then went to the stage. He showed off his Stoutland, and then revealed three more Pokémon: Scovillain, Vanilluxe, and Alcremie. "Whoa... so that's the rest of his team." said Sylvio. "Indeed it is." replied a voice.
We turned to my right, and saw Dennis appear from the corner. "Oh! Hey, Dennis. You and Mr. Mime are ready to go?" said Zuzu. "Yep. We sure are. Our magic theme will dazzle the audience and make them smile for days to come." he replied. "Wow. That's awesome, Dennis! I wish you luck in the Contest." Yuya replied. "Thank you, Yuya. I wish both you and Zuzu the best of luck as well." he replied. "Thank you, Dennis." he and Zuzu replied happily. After that, we saw Reed return to the room. "Good job, Reed." said Gong. "Thank you, Gong." he replied. Gong nodded his head, and then we saw Dennis walk upto the stage. "You're up next?" I asked him. "Mhm." he replied as he turned to me and nodded his head yes to me. "Alright, then. I wish you good luck." I replied. "Thank you. And... you are?" he replied. "Aaron." I replied. "Aaron. That's a nice name." he replied. "Thank you." I replied. He smiled warmly, and then went to the stage. We listened to him talk for a moment, and then reveal his Pokémon: Mr. Mime, Grumpig, Dusknoir, and Gothitelle.
"Wow... that's a group." I said. "Mhm. They sure are." Zuzu replied. She then looked down at her lap and saw Vulpix staring at me again. "Vulpix? Why are you staring at him?" she asked her. Vulpix blinked her eyes, went over to my lap again, and stared at my face. Once I saw the look in her eyes... I knew she was trying to figure out it was me in this disguise. I blinked my eyes, and gently petted her head; making her happy. "Vul~" she said happily while wagging her tails. I lightly smiled at her, and then stopped petting her. She looked at me all confused, smelt my clothes a bot, and then her eyes widened in surprise. I gave her the silent shush sign, and she understood it, I then smirked and winked my eye at her; making her happy. She then jumped back onto Zuzu's lap, and showed her a smile. She was confused at first, and then smiled back at her. After that, Dennis walked back into the room. "Congrats on the performance." said Sylvio. "Thank you, Sylvio." he replied.
After that: Gong, Mai, Kari, and Akiza went through their performances. Gong used his Samurott, Hariyama, Machamp, and Medicham. Mai used Salazzle, Gardevoir, Lopunny, and Mandibuzz. Kari used Primarina, Blaziken, Metagross, and Salamence. Akiza used Sceptile, Vileplume, Carnvine, and Roserade. After their performances were done, the stage manager looked at me, and motioned me to walk over to her. "Looks like it's time." I said. "The last one of the round, eh? Well... do your best, Aaron." Sylvio replied. "Thank you, Sylvio." I replied. "Good luck, Aaron. Show the crowd what a Trainer from Sinnoh can do." Zuzu replied. I nodded my head in thanks, and then went to the curtains. I shook my head, took a deep breath, and then saw the curtains open up. "And... Here. We. Go." I said to myself. After that, I walked onto the stage.
Vermilion Contest Stage
"And now! It is time for our final performance of the first round! Coming all the way from the Sinnoh region, is a Trainer who is know to sense and use Aura in many ways that people like you and me have never seen before! Please! Give a warm welcome to: Aaron!" said Joy. The crowd cheered for me for a moment, and then I looked at the judges table silently. "Guys, look! There he is!" said Pat. The group looked at me in surprise for the first time. "Wow... what is that outfit? Is it something connected to his theme?" Sora asked. "Yeah... I think so? But let's see what he can do." Pat replied. They nodded their heads in agreement, and watched me silently. As they looked at me, Zach secretly took out his Phone and began to record me. He blinked his eyes and lightly smiled at me; ready to see me perform on a different kind of stage.
I took a deep breath, and then spun my staff around and made the gem inside glow; making a rainbow like arch above my head. The crowd was impressed of what I just did, and then I took out four sealed PokéBalls. "Alright, everyone! Come on out!" I said as I threw them up in the air. The first Ball opened and revealed Epona surrounded by rainbow and sparkles; wearing some armor. The second Ball opened and revealed Scyther; surrounded by slash stickers and wearing a Ranger like outfit *(A/N: Scyther's outfit is based on Scizor's Ranger Holowear outfit from Pokémon UNITE)*. The third Ball revealed Zoroark in his Ghost Holowear costume; surrounded by ghost flames and dark stickers. The fourth Ball revealed Aurasoul in his costume; surrounded by blue Aura flame stickers.
The crowd was awed by their costumes, and then the spotlight shined on us. "Ready, guys?" I said. They nodded their heads to me, and then we got to our positions on the stage. I then used my staff to tap the ground a couple times, and then we began our performance. Epona let Aurasoul ride on her back and acted like a knight and steed; ready for battle. Scyther then lifted up Zoroark in the air, flew towards Aurasoul and Epona, and then clashed a couple times. "Scyther! Combine Air Slash and Silver Wind! Zoroark! Dark Pulse!" I said. "Scy! Scy-ther! Scyther!" Scyther replied as he used both moves. Zoroark made a couple sounds, and used Dark Pulse. "Lucario! Bone Rush on Dark Pulse! Rapidash! Psycho Cut!" I replied. Aurasoul and Epona made a few sounds and used the attacks to block the Dark Pulse and Air Slash attacks. As the attacks collided, Aurasoul's bone began to light up in blue-green flames. He then lit the ground with the flames, and showed the flames as they surrounded us on the floor; shocking the crowd.
Aurasoul jumped off Epona's back and then he and Zoroark did a friendly clash. As they did this, I jumped up on Epona's back, and then we did friendly clashes with Scyther. We then gave each other space, and I raised my staff into the air; making the gem glow. "Zoroark, use Night Daze, and then Shadow Claw! Scyther! Jump behind Zoroark and use X-Scissor as you fly up and towards us!" I said. They nodded their heads, and used their attacks. "Rapidash! Dazzling Gleam! Lucario! Combine Meteor Mash and Aura Sphere on Zoroark!" I said. They made sounds and used their attacks; clashed with each other and made many multicolored sparkles around us. Epona then jumped behind Zoroark and Scyther, and healed them with Heal Pulse. They thanked her happily, and then we got ready for our final act. "Lucario! Create a giant Aura Sphere! Zoroark! Create a giant Shadow Ball! Scyther! X-Scissor! Rapidash! Megahorn!" I said.
They all made confident sounds, and then both Aurasoul and Zoroark began to charge up their attacks. Scyther and Epona used their attacks, pushed each other away, and then saw the giant spheres being formed above their heads. They then nodded their heads and used Dazzling Gleam and Silver Wind around the spheres, and then we watched them collide and make the biggest set of fireworks above us. The crowd gasped in shock in awe as the bright lights shined for a moment, and then saw multicolored sparkles fall to the ground; putting out the flames around us. The crowd cheered loudly for us after the performance ended, and then we bowed together. As I lifted myself up, I saw Zach in the crowd cheering for me. We locked eyes a few seconds later and winked at each other. "Huh?" said Celina curiously. "Zach? What was that about?" Pat replied. "Nothing. I'll tell you guys after the event is over." Zach replied. He then turned to me, and then saw me look at the judges silently. The rest of the group looked at each other curiously, and then back to me; wondering what just happened.
"Aaron... that was a spectacular performance! You've shown us the theme of Light vs. Dark in a way that had only been seen in fairytale movies, but made it a lot better! The way your Pokémon executed their moves and checked on each other's conditions while the performance went on! It clearly showed how much your Pokémon truly care about each other. Well done, my boy!" said Mr. Sukizo. "You said it, Mr. Sukizo! Aaron! You and your Pokémon were flawless! Not only was your team in complete sync, but the way you commanded them with that staff in your hand! I may have no idea how you made that gem inside of it glow, but it showed you in the theming of your performance as a heroic commander! Guiding your team with the light as you conquered the dark! Incredible work!" Mr. Boyle replied. "Agreed, Skip. What a outstanding performance, Aaron. The synchronicity between you and your team was absolutely perfect. I can tell by that performance that many great things will be coming for you. Well done." Mr. Sakaki replied.
I nodded my head in thanks, and then looked at Lorelei. When we locked eyes... we instantly recognized each other. Yusho then whispered in her ear about me, and her eyes widened in shock. She then regained her composure, and looked at me again. "Wow... Aaron... that performance... it was something that I haven't seen in a long time. The passion that you put into this, and even joining your Pokémon in battle... that is something Coordinators call taking a huge risk. But you... you executed it perfectly! Well done, Aaron." she said. I smiled and nodded my head yes to her in thanks, and heard the applause again. After that, I saw all the Contestants walk onto the stage, and stand by me. "Great job, Aaron! You were awesome!" said Yuya. "Thank you, Yuya." I replied. "Yeah! You were amazing! You've gotta teach us on how you pulled off a performance like that!" Zuzu replied. I lightly laughed happily to her response, and then nodded my head to her; making her smile.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! The results of all the performances have been tallied and are now ready to be revealed!" said Joy. The audience cheered excitedly to the news, and then me, Yuya, Zuzu, and the other Contestants looked to the giant screen behind us. "And, now! It is time to reveal who will advance to the second round!" said Joy as we saw our pictures up on the screen. The pictures moved around for a few moments, stopped, went to different parts of the screen, and then the pictures that were lit up revealed who was advancing: Yuya, Zuzu, Sylvio, Aura, Alexis, Mai, Dennis, Gong, Akiza, and I. "And there you have it, folks! Here are your second round Contestants!" said Joy. The crowd cheered for us for a few moments, and then we saw our pictures move again. "And now, let's reveal who will be facing who in the second round!" she said.
The pictures moved around again for a moment, and then we saw who we were facing: Yuya vs. Gong, Zuzu vs. Aura, Sylvio vs. Alexis, Mai vs. Akiza, and Dennis vs. I. Once I saw Dennis's picture next to mine... I knew that this battle will be tough. I turned to him, and saw him turn to me. "Well, well... looks like you and I will be facing each other?" he said. "Yeah." I replied. He chuckled to my response, and then extended his hand to me. "Well then. Aaron. I wish you luck in this battle. I look forward to see what you and your team can do." he said as we shook hands. "You too." I replied. We ended the handshake, and then I walked back to my dressing room. I locked the doors, quickly changed back into my regular clothes, and then went back to the group. Red and Mom saw me sneak through the crowd, and sat down with them.
"Everything okay?" Red asked me. "Yeah... I'm alright." I replied in my normal voice. He nodded his head in understanding, and then patted my back. "Nice job out there, sis. You were great." he whispered. "Thank you." I whispered. We smiled at each other, and then I turned to Zach; seeing him looking at me. "Congrats on the win, bud." he whispered. "Thank you." I whispered. We shared an arm bump, and then we saw the group turn and see me. "Hey! There she is!" said Sora. "Hey, guys." I replied. "Tay! Where did you go? You left the room as Sylvio was about to walk on stage. Did something happen?" Celina replied. "I had to go to the bathroom, and the line was very long." I replied. They were confused at first, and then nodded their heads in understanding. I lightly smiled at them, and then looked at the screen; seeing myself as Aaron next to Dennis's picture. As I stared at it... I knew that I had to think of a strategy to outsmart him. But the question was... how? How can I compete against someone like him? I blinked my eyes, and then looked down to my hands. I clutched them into fists, and then looked at the stage silently; knowing that the real test has just begun.
Thank you so much for reading Chapter 19 of the story! And, here we go! We're finally doing the Contest segment! This... I have to admit... was very hard to write. Contest Performance writing is not my forte. I wished I could've written out all of the performances. Trust me... I wanted too... but it would've been a hard one because so many of them have similar themes in their performances. And I didn't want them to copy each other when I was writing them. So... I had to cut and mostly focus on the main three performances. But I promise that when it comes to the battles... I'm going to show every single one of them.
Anyways, thank you so much for reading Chapter 19, and have yourselves an awesome day!
Next time, Chapter 20: Dazzling Flames! It is time for the second round of the Contest! Who will make it to the semi-finals and finals? Find out in Chapter 20!