Chapter 48: Coordinated Lesson
"We finally made it to Kamillia Town!" After spending weeks on the road the group finally arrived in Kamillia Town, where Nikki would look to end her losing streak and earn her first Contest ribbon.
"Now that we're here we should hurry up and get you registered for the Contest," Ash said.
"(The town doesn't seem that big, so finding the Contest Hall should be easy,)" Buneary commented. "(In fact I think I see it.)" The buildings weren't very big, consisting of mostly small, one-story homes. Because of this it was easy to spot the Contest Hall, which Buneary had done.
"Well now that we know where to go I say let's get going," Ash suggested.
"And once I'm registered my Pokémon and I will need to come up with a Contest routine," Nikki said.
"(Do you know who you're going to use?)" Pikachu asked.
"I'm thinking of using Ninetails and Persian," she said.
"So they're making their Contest debuts at the same time. They should make a pretty good team," Ash stated.
"And with any luck they'll help me win my first ribbon," Nikki added.
"(Well unless you register they'll never get the chance,)" Buneary said. The group wasted no time as they headed into town on their way to the Contest Hall.
Minutes later Nikki was successfully registered for the upcoming Kamillia Town Pokémon Contest. Upon registering she learned that the Contest was still a few days away. That played in her favor, for it gave her some time to practice with Persian to make sure he would be ready for his Contest debut.
"It's good that I have time to prepare, but the question is how do I prepare?" Nikki wondered.
"Do you have an idea for a routine?" Ash asked.
"Not yet. I guess that should be the first thing I do," Nikki said.
"(At least you know who you want to use,)" Pikachu stated.
"That helps some, but that still leaves a lot of work for me to get done before the Contest," Nikki responded. "Oh man, why didn't I start preparing for this sooner?"
"In your defense things have been real crazy lately," Ash said.
"But I still should have found some way to get some practice in. As things stand now I'm going in with no idea on what to do for a routine, and if I plan on winning I can't do that," Nikki argued.
"(You still have time to come up with one. The Contest is a few days away, remember? That gives you plenty of time,)" Buneary stated.
"I know, but even if I can come up with a routine I still need some time to practice it with Ninetails and Persian," Nikki said.
"We can help with that," Ash offered.
"I appreciate that, but for this I feel like I'm going to need some special help to win," Nikki said.
"What do you mean by 'special help'?" Ash wondered.
"I'd like it to be from another coordinator," Nikki answered. "If things were perfect I'd want to find one who won a Ribbon Cup, but what are the chances of that happening?" At that moment the group walked past a bulletin board, where something caught Buneary's eye.
"(Hey, Nikki. Check that out,)" she said. They stopped so Nikki could see what Buneary saw. Out of all the flyers that had been posted there was one that stood out.
Pokémon Coordinator Lessons now available!
Come and learn the techniques of a Top Coordinator. Sign up at the Contest Hall. Lessons to be given following lecture later today. Available for a limited time only.
"(Ask and you shall receive,)" Pikachu commented.
"(No kidding,)" Buneary agreed. For Nikki this almost seemed too good to be true. It was as if someone somewhere had heard her dilemma and then dropped a golden opportunity right in her lap. She knew she couldn't let this pass her by.
"I have to get some lessons while they're available," she stated.
"Well, you did say you wanted some help from another coordinator. I say this is just what you were looking for," Ash commented.
"Not to mention this is a Top Coordinator, which means they know what it takes to win a Ribbon Cup," Nikki added. "If I can get some tips from them then I know I'll be able to finally get on track and start winning some ribbons."
"In that case we need to find out where those lessons are being taught," Ash said.
"(Maybe it says on the flyer,)" Pikachu suggested. The group took another look at the flyer, checking to see if it mentioned a location for the coordinator lessons. After a few seconds Nikki found what they were looking for.
"It says here that the lessons will be held in the town square," she read.
"So now all we have to do is find the town square. Looks like a job for the maps on our Pokécomms." Ash and Nikki took out their Pokécomms and activated their map functions. Within seconds they had brought up a map of Kamillia Town and began searching for the town square.
"Let's see… we're here, and the town square is… found it." The Contest Hall was situated near the center of town, placing it a short distance to the east of the town square.
"Looks like we don't have that far to walk," Ash commented.
"Good thing, too. That just means we can get there that much sooner, and the sooner I can get there the sooner I can get my lessons," Nikki said. They then left the bulletin board behind and began their short walk to the town square.
By the time they arrived at the town square quite a few people had already gathered. A stage had been set up right in the center of the square. A few large screens were positioned towards the back of the stage, presumably so those in the back of the crowd would be able to see what was happening on the stage.
"Whoever is giving those lessons must be real good," Ash commented.
"Well, the flyer did say it was a Top Coordinator. You can't get any better than that," Nikki said.
"(I wonder if it's someone we've heard of,)" Buneary said. Right then the crowd started to get loud.
"Looks like we'll find out soon," Ash stated. Moments later someone walked out onto the stage.
"Is that them?" Nikki wondered. The person was a young red-haired girl who looked no older than her and Ash. She was wearing all white and had two Pokémon with her, a Glameow to her left and a Gallade to her right. Ash and Pikachu recognized her immediately.
"It's Zoey!" Ash exclaimed.
"You know her?" Nikki asked.
"She's a coordinator Pikachu and I befriended when we were in Sinnoh," Ash replied.
"Is she good?" Nikki wondered.
"One of the best I've seen. I was there when she won the Sinnoh Grand Festival," Ash told her. Hearing this left Nikki speechless. Not only was this girl a Top Coordinator but she was also a close friend of Ash and Pikachu. Nikki figured that, if things played out right, she may be able to get more than just some lessons from her. Maybe she'd be willing to share some of her techniques. Nikki was confident she'd be able to win if she used proven strategies.
"How's everyone doing today?" Zoey greeted. "My name is Zoey and I'm the Sinnoh region's Top Coordinator." Many of the people in the crowd were surprised to learn that someone as young as her had the skills and talent to become a Top Coordinator.
"I came here to share some of my coordinator knowledge with you, but before that I thought I'd give you a demonstration." The crowd cheered loudly as they got ready for Zoey's performance.
"This is going to be good," Ash commented. At that moment an idea popped into Nikki's head. She grabbed her Poké Balls and called out all of her Pokémon.
"Pay attention, everyone. We're about to see a performance from a Top Coordinator," Nikki said.
"That's not a bad idea. This gives them a chance to see how a Top Coordinator performs," Ash commented.
"Not only that but it might help me find some inspiration for a routine I can use in the upcoming Contest," Nikki added. She, Ash and their Pokémon then turned their attention to the stage, where Zoey and her Pokémon were ready.
"Okay, Gallade, lest start off with Psycho Cut!" she instructed. The Blade Pokémon held his arms out to his sides as they gave off a pinkish glow.
"Now Glameow, use Iron Tail!" Zoey said. Glameow's tail took on a silvery glow as she activated Iron Tail.
"Now jump!" she called. Gallade jumped into the air and did a front flip before landing on Glameow's tail. Then, in a move that surprised everyone, he was launched high into the air.
"Amazing!"
"Look at that height!"
"That was incredible! Her Gallade used Glameow's Iron Tail like a spring to launch himself into the air!" Nikki gasped.
"Mark the spot, Gallade!" Zoey said. At the peak of his jump Gallade used his Psycho Cut to make an X-shaped cut on the stage. He then began to descend, spinning in the air as he fell. Moments later he landed perfectly in the center of the X, much to the amazement of the crowd.
"Your turn, Glameow!" Zoey called. The Catty Pokémon still had her Iron Tail charged and used it to springboard herself into the air similar to how she had helped Gallade do earlier.
"Now spin and use Shock Wave!" she instructed. Glameow began spinning in air while simultaneously sending out wave after wave of electricity with Shock Wave. The crowd was left speechless as they watched Glameow continuously release one Shock Wave pulse after another with each wave arching out perfectly.
"Time to bring it home!" Zoey shouted. Glameow ceased her Shock Wave and began falling back towards the stage, flipping in the air as she did so. Then, without even looking, Gallade held his hands up. Glameow then landed perfectly on his hands with her front paws. Then, to put the finishing touches on the performance, she let loose one final Shock Wave. As soon as they finished the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Zoey and her Pokémon took a bow, acknowledging their praise.
"That was awesome!" Nikki said.
"I told you she was good," Ash said.
"You weren't kidding," Nikki agreed. For the rest of the lecture Zoey gave out various tips on practicing and preparing for Contests, all of which Nikki paid close attention to. This was followed by a short Q & A session with the crowd. Nearly an hour after it began the lecture came to a close.
"I want to thank everyone for attending and invite everyone to sign up at the Contest Hall for the coordinator lessons I'll be giving later. I hope to see you there," Zoey said. The crowd applauded her as she waved to them.
"I have to sign up for those lessons. They may give me the edge I need to win the Contest," Nikki said.
"Then we need to get back to the Contest Hall," Ash stated. Nikki quickly recalled her Pokémon before she and Ash hurried towards the Contest Hall.
By the time they reached the Contest Hall there was already a crowd. It seemed as though everyone who had attended Zoey's lecture was there signing up for her lessons.
"I wasn't expecting it to get this crowded," Ash commented.
"With this many people signing up there's no way I'll be able to learn from her before the Contest," Nikki groaned. "Looks like my idea just went down the drain."
"Don't say that. There may be another way," Ash said.
"Like what? I mean it's not like we can just go up to her and ask her ourselves," Nikki replied. Right then a light bulb went off in Ash's head.
"Maybe we can," he said.
"Huh?" Nikki questioned.
"If I ask her I'm sure she'll agree to give you a private lesson," Ash explained.
"You really think she would?" Nikki asked.
"I'm positive she would. That's just the kind of person she is," Ash replied. This gave Nikki a bit of hope. If Ash was right she'd be able to learn from a Top Coordinator yet.
"(So now all we have to do is find her and ask her,)" Buneary assumed. "(Where do you suppose she is?)"
"My guess is the Pokémon Center," Ash replied.
"Well then, let's go." With Nikki leading the way they left the Contest Hall and headed for the Pokémon Center.
"With any luck it won't be that crowded, what with everyone signing up for coordinator lessons at the Contest Hall," Ash commented.
"I hope you're right about that," Nikki responded. After a few minutes the Pokémon Center came into view. As they got closer they looked in through the glass double doors. It appeared mostly empty save for a lone trainer at the front desk with Nurse Joy.
"Looks like we lucked out. It doesn't look like there are many trainers there," Nikki commented.
"Hopefully that'll make finding Zoey easier," Ash said. They entered the Pokémon Center and were about to head to the front desk to ask Nurse Joy if she had seen Zoey when the trainer at the front desk turned around, revealing the very person they were looking for.
"(There she is,)" Pikachu said.
"I see her," Ash replied. "Hey, Zoey!" Upon hearing her name called Zoey turned around and smiled when she saw who was calling her.
"Ash!" The two trainers approached each other and gave each other a hi-five.
"It's good to see you again," Ash greeted.
"You too," Zoey reciprocated. "Pikachu's looking as strong as ever."
"(Thanks,)" the Mouse Pokémon replied.
"So, what brings you here? I doubt if you're going to compete in the Contest they're having in a few days," Zoey said.
"Well you're right about one thing. I'm not competing, but I have a friend who is." Ash then stepped to the side so Nikki could introduce herself.
"I don't believe we've ever met before," Zoey stated.
"We haven't. I joined Ash when he first arrived in Legenda," Nikki explained. "I'm Nikki, and this is my partner Buneary."
"(Hi there,)" Buneary greeted.
"It's nice to meet both of you," Zoey replied. "Ash says you're competing in the Contest. Is this your first one?"
"No. I've been in two so far, but I lost them both. I would have entered a third but I got hurt and couldn't compete," Nikki said. "I was hoping that you'd be able to help me prepare for the upcoming Contest. I can't afford to lose this one if I want to compete in the Grand Festival."
"Well, I am giving lessons. All you have to do is sign up at the Contest Hall," Zoey said.
"We went there, but the line was super long when we arrived," Ash told her. "Do you think you could give her a private lesson as a favor for me?"
"Please, Zoey?" Nikki pleaded. As Zoey looked at Nikki behind her pleading eyes she could tell the young coordinator was serious. It didn't take Zoey long after that to come to a decision.
"Alright. As a favor for Ash I'll do it," she agreed. As soon as she said that Nikki's eyes lit up and a huge smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, thank you, Zoey! Thank you so much!" she said.
"Don't mention it," Zoey replied. "Now if what you guys said is true then it looks like I'm going to be busy for the rest of the day."
"Believe us, you are," Ash confirmed.
"In that case I say we do this first thing tomorrow morning," Zoey suggested. "There's a field to the east of the town that'll be a perfect spot for us to use. Meet me there in the morning and I'll see what I can do for you."
"Sounds good to me," Nikki agreed. She could barely contain her excitement. She truly believed that, with Zoey's help, she would finally be able to come up with a winning Contest performance and get herself on the right track.
Nikki was up bright and early the next morning. Once Ash woke and the two of them and their Pokémon had a good breakfast they headed out to the field that Zoey told them to meet her at the day before. Just as Zoey said the field looked like the perfect place to practice, but so far only the two of them were there. Zoey was nowhere to be seen.
"You don't think she forgot, do you," Nikki wondered.
"Not likely. Zoey's not one to break promises," Ash said. "She'll be here. Trust me." True to his word after a short five minute wait Zoey finally arrived.
"I hope you guys weren't waiting long," she said.
"We actually just got here about five minutes ago," Ash told her. "Nikki was afraid you'd forgotten to show up, even though I told her you'd be here."
"I'm just eager to get started. The only other Top Coordinator I know is my mom, so getting the chance to learn from another is an opportunity I can't let pass me by," Nikki explained.
"I didn't know your mother's a Top Coordinator," Zoey stated.
"She's retired now, but when she competed she was one of the best. Almost no one could defeat her," Nikki boasted.
"She's starting to sound a lot like Dawn," Zoey mused. "Come to think of it, Ash hasn't mentioned her at all. I wonder why."
"So, what do we do first?" Nikki asked.
"Well, before we begin, I'd like to get a look at all your Pokémon," Zoey said. Nikki nodded and sent out all her Pokémon. One by one Shinx, Swablu, Ninetails and Persian appeared. Once Nikki's Pokémon appeared Ash felt one of his own Poké Balls begin to shake. Moments later Arcanine burst forth. At first Ash wondered why he had appeared, but it soon became clear once he and Ninetails ran to each other and began to affectionately nuzzle one another.
"Those two sure are close," Zoey commented.
"That they are," Ash agreed. "Seeing as how they haven't seen each other in a while we should have expected this."
"Sorry we didn't warn you ahead of time," Nikki apologized.
"That's okay. I don't mind at all," Zoey responded.
"(You know, since Arcanine is already out why don't you let everyone else out as well,)" Pikachu suggested.
"That's not a bad idea, buddy," Ash agreed. He grabbed his Poké Balls and called out Torterra, Swellow, Crawdaunt and Pupitar.
"Man… Ash's Pokémon never fail to impress," Zoey mused. After taking a moment to admire Ash's Pokémon she got back to the task at hand.
"Okay, Nikki, which Pokémon do you plan on using for the Contest?" Zoey inquired.
"Well, I thought about it and I want to use Ninetails and Persian," Nikki said. Upon hearing their names called the two Pokémon stepped forward.
"Do either of them have prior Contest experience?" Zoey asked.
"No. This will be their debut," Nikki answered.
"So they're both untested," Zoey commented.
"I just recently caught Persian and haven't had a chance to use him in a Contest before, and as I said I got hurt before my last Contest and never got a chance to have Ninetails compete," Nikki explained.
"Don't get me wrong. Just because they haven't competed yet doesn't mean they can't win. If they're prepared properly they'll win you your first ribbon for sure," Zoey said. "Now, which part of the Contest are you having trouble with?"
"Well, I can get through the appeals round easily enough, but in the battle round nothing I do works. My opponents always seem to have a counter for everything I do," Nikki explained.
"I see… Well, let's see if we can fix that," Zoey said.
"How?" Nikki wondered.
"With a battle, of course," Zoey answered.
"A battle?" Nikki questioned.
"Not a traditional battle. We'll use Contest rules for our battle, two Pokémon each with a five minute time limit," Zoey said. "Does that sound okay to you?"
"Yeah, that's fine with me," Nikki agreed. Zoey reached into her pocket and took out a stop watch. She then walked over to Ash and handed it to him.
"Could you keep time for us?" she asked.
"Sure," Ash agreed as he took the watch from her. Now all that was left was to choose the participating Pokémon.
"So, I take it you're going to use Persian and Ninetails," Zoey assumed. Nikki nodded.
"I want to see how well they work together before they compete in the Contest," she explained.
"That makes sense," Zoey said. With Nikki having chosen her Pokémon Zoey took out a pair of Poké Balls and called out their occupants.
"Glameow! Gallade! Curtain!" Zoey's Pokémon took their places in front of her.
"Is everyone ready?" Ash asked. Both Zoey and Nikki nodded.
"Alright then… begin!" he announced as he started the stop watch.
"Let's start off with Psycho Cut, Gallade!" Zoey called. The Blade Pokémon charged, his arms glowing pink.
"Stop him with Fake Out!" Nikki countered. Persian quickly jumped in front of Gallade with is left paw drawn back for an attack. Gallade instantly focused on that paw, which meant he wasn't prepared when Persian struck him with is right paw. Gallade immediately halted his attack and retreated.
"Not a bad starting move. She used Fake Out to cancel my own attack," Zoey mused.
"Okay Persian, use Power Gem and send it towards Ninetails!" Nikki instructed. Despite how odd her request sounded Persian obeyed and formed a Power Gem orb. He then launched the attack at Ninetails.
"Catch it, Ninetails!" Nikki called. As soon as the attack was close enough the Fox Pokémon caught it with one of her tails.
"Good! Now send a few more her way!" Nikki said. By now both Persian and Ninetails knew what she had planned. The Classy Cat Pokémon quickly formed more Power Gem orbs and sent them at Ninetails, who caught them with tails. Pretty soon she had a Power Gem held in each of her nine tails.
"Fire when ready, Ninetails!" Nikki shouted. With a few flicks of her tails Ninetails sent a Power Gem barrage towards Gallade and Glameow.
"Close Combat!" Zoey called. Gallade jumped in front of the incoming attacks and used his Close Combat to strike and destroy each of them.
"Give them one more, Persian!" Nikki said. The Classy Cat Pokémon quickly formed one final Power Gem and shot it at Gallade.
"Use Iron Tail, Glameow!" Zoey instructed. Both Nikki and her Pokémon were expecting Glameow to strike down the Power Gem just as Gallade had done earlier. Instead they were caught by surprise when she used her tail as a spring to send the Rock type attack rocketing back at them.
"Quick, Ninetails! Use your Iron Tail to block that!" Nikki shouted in a panic. As the Power Gem bore down on them Ninetails leapt in front of Persian and curled her Steel-powered tails in front of the two of them, creating a makeshift shield that effectively blocked the redirected attack.
"Oh man, that was too close," Nikki sighed, relieved that Ninetails was able to defend against the attack. But now she had to think of a counter-attack.
"Come on, Nikki, think. There's got to be something you can do to turn this in your favor." While she thought Zoey was busy analyzing the battle thus far.
"She's got skill, I'll give her that. But from what I can tell she has trouble thinking on her feet. That's what's getting her in trouble," she mused.
"Okay, let's try an Energy Ball, Ninetails!" Nikki called. The Fox Pokémon quickly formed the ball of Grass type energy and fired it.
"Send it back, Glameow!" Zoey instructed. Just as she had done with Persian's Power Gem the Catty Pokémon used her tail as a spring and bounced Ninetails's attack back at her.
"Now use your Iron Tail and send it back at them, Persian!" Nikki said. Her Classy Cat Pokémon charged up an iron Tail and struck the Energy Ball, sending it back at Zoey's Pokémon.
"Psycho Cut!" Zoey said. As the attack closed in Gallade swung down with a Psycho Cut, slicing the Energy Ball in two halves that harmlessly sailed past both him and Glameow.
"No way!" Nikki gasped upon seeing her strategy fail. She knew facing Zoey would be difficult given her past success, but she had no idea she would be this tough.
"Okay, let's try…"
"Time! That's been five minutes!" Ash's sudden announcement surprised Nikki. It hadn't felt as though five minutes had passed since they began. However, if that was the case then their battle had officially come to an end.
"Oh boy, that was rough," she said. "I had no idea going against a Top Coordinator would such a tough task."
"Believe me, it's even harder to win when the title is on the line," Zoey commented.
"I can imagine," Nikki said. "So, how did I do?"
"Well, your combinations were solid and the execution was real good," Zoey started. "That aside I did notice that you seemed to hesitate whenever one of your combinations didn't work." Nikki knew just what she was talking about.
"I was trying to think of a counter to what you did, but by the time I came up with something we ran out of time," she explained.
"Well I think that's where the issue lies. Unlike a traditional battle where there is no time limit you only have a short amount of time to outdo your opponent in a Contest battle. Because of that you need to spend less time thinking and more time acting. Otherwise you'll only make it more difficult for yourself," Zoey advised. Nikki let out a sigh, for she knew Zoey was right.
"Do you think I'll be able to improve on that in just a few days?" she asked.
"I'm sure you will, and if you need it I'll be here to help you with it," Zoey said. Knowing that Zoey would be there to offer assistance made Nikki feel much better.
"Thanks, Zoey," Nikki said.
"And don't forget about us," Ash stated.
"(That's right. We'll be here to help in any way we can,)" Pikachu added.
"Thanks, everyone. With your help I know we'll win that Contest," Nikki declared. Now that she knew what she needed to work on Nikki was ready to get to work preparing for the Contest. This time she was confident that she would leave with her first Contest ribbon.
A chance meeting with Zoey has given Nikki a chance to improve as a coordinator. With the Contest in a few days will she be able to improve enough to win? Find out in the next chapter of Search for Power!
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