SZ:*looks at the reviews for the story*...well..was wondering when someone would bring that up…*looks at the readers*basically, someone asked when we'll be bringing in Blazblue elements into the story, because they feel the girls are just...there.
GT: Do not fear! It shall be here!
SZ: Yup, but we won't say when! So please...be patient!
GT: But for now? Enjoy a Pokemon Contest!
SZ: Hai! But first...well, you guys know who we own and don't own. So let's begin! GT, start us off please!
GT: Okay! …*looks at the sign I am holding* ...Nah. Overused. *sends out a Chikorita with a pink bow on its leaf*
Chikorita: Miiistake.
GT: *points at the camera* Headbutt, Ms. Stake.
Chikorita: Miii-STAKE! *tackles the camera, breaking it* Miistake!
RotomDex: *offscreen* SILENCE!
Entry 027: H...hello. I-it's Noel again. I'm...kinda busy preparing for something, so...I-I apologize in advance for rushing this. While we waited for Ash's rematch, we explored Celadon City a bit, with Brock leading us to Sciccor Street, which is known for its spas and salons for Pokemon. I was excited, too, s-since I could have Umi checked on. Though…*sighs*...we saw a sign for a 'Salon Roquet' on the way. I think Kajun and Tsubaki were annoyed because...I-I'll just..save that info for later since we knew who 'Salon Roquet' really was… Eventually, Brock led us to a Pokemon salon managed by a famous Pokemon Breeder by the name of Suzy. It turns out Brock was looking for her to become her apprentice. While he was turned down, Misty and I s-saw another Vulpix aside from Yuki. I was surprised at how different Kantonian and Alolan Vulpix looked...and startled when Suzy's Vulpix was a Fire-Type and not an Ice-Type like Yuki...regardless, she was just as cute...though Misty learned the hard way when she picked up Suzy's Vulpix...only to get burnt by her. Turns out...Suzy's Vulpix doesn't like other people picking her up.
A-After that, we learned that Suzy was feeling bothered. A-Apparently, a fad of outer looks started by 'Salon Roquet' was causing a lot of customers to go to them and lose focus on the inner beauty of Pokemon. Misty tried to defend that outer appearances are just as important, but...she got in an argument with Ash on what's more important; inner or Outer appearance. E-Eventually, she stomped off to prove her point. Brock was the one who suggest Suzy prove otherwise and, with some help, we were able to get a big crowd for a demonstration of Suzy's teachings. It looked like things were looking up for us...but…*sighs* Thanks to Makoto via Honey, we learned something happened with Misty and...and….it was Team Rocket's doing...again. ...I'm worried that Kajun is right about those three...I don't want Yuki or Nymph alone with Meowth at all if it's true…
Th-they tried to make us give up all of our Pokemon in exchange for Misty's life, but agreed to battle us for her...though...I don't know why Jessie dressed as a man while James dressed as a woman… I'm...honestly worried about their mental health...After a bit, Suzy and Vulpix stepped in and, well...I wonder if Yuki could do an snow version of a Fire Gem-enhanced Fire Spin. A-after things were settled and Team Rocket's salon scam (I...f-forgot to mention the Salon Roquet thing was a scam meant for taking people's money and rare Pokemon) was done with, w-we learned Suzy was going to head out to learn more about being a Breeder, and left her Vulpix with Brock…*giggles* Yuki was so happy to hear that. OH! I also learned from Suzy that Umi was close to evolving, only...I didn't have a Pretty Scale to help her evolve...demo, I did learn that Celadon City was going to have a Pokemon Contest that has a Pretty Scale as the prize. I hope I can get it…
"Your Pokemon are all better now," Nurse Joy spoke as Pikachu and Nobel jumped off the desk and onto Ash's shoulder and Mai's arms respectively.
"Thanks again, Nurse Joy," Mai thanked.
"It's no problem," Nurse Joy smiled, "We hope to see you again."
"Um...e-excuse me..." Nurse Joy looked over to see Noel approach her, "D-do you know where to sign up for the Pokemon Contest, and when it begins?"
"The demonstration? Well, it was supposed to be tomorrow, but there's a delay since they forgot to file a form for the location so it's delayed until the day after tomorrow," Nurse Joy explained, "But as for signing up, it can be done here."
"Oh! Th-thank you," Noel nodded, "I-In that case, I'd like to sign up please."
"Wait, what?" Ash blinked at that, "You're trying out for that?"
"I am," Noel nodded as Nurse Joy reached down and pulled out a clipboard with a form on it along with a pamphlet.
"Just fill this form out and bring it back to me. And this pamphlet is to help you understand what Pokemon Contests are and how they're done," Nurse Joy informed.
"Okay," Noel nodded as she took the clipboard and pamphlet before going to the nearest empty table to fill it out.
"Why does she want to compete in that?" Ash blinked, tilting his head.
"Well, why do you want to compete in the Pokemon League?" Mai questioned.
"To be a Pokemon Master of course," Ash replied, "Wait...is there one for Pokemon Contest too?"
"There is," Nurse Joy spoke up, earning his attention, "In order to become a Top Coordinator, one needs to collect five Ribbons and win the yearly Grand Festival within the region. Kanto doesn't have a Grand Festival yet, but crowds are gathering all the time for the Contest demonstrations in many of the towns hosting them."
"Really?"
"You heard that, right?" Jessie asked, the rocket trio dressed in large trench coats while listening to the conversation through a small radio.
"Yeah. A chance t' capture more rare and v..."
"NO!" Jessie snapped, "It means there's a way I can show off my elegance and beauty~!"
"Do you even have a disguise ready for hiding yourself in a public contest?" James asked.
"Of course I do. You'll be amazed once you see me, Jessandra, perform live on stage~!" Jessie replied with a haughty laugh, "Ohohohohoh~!"
"Let's just be lucky Lady Karai had to go back to HQ just to get away from that delivery guy…" James whispered to Meowth.
"Uh-huh," Meowth nodded with a grimace.
"Now then, let's find a field or empty warehouse so I can practice for my stage debut~!" Jessie ordered.
"...Though maybe it wasn't that b-GAH~!" James freaked as Jessie dragged him and Meowth off.
"Almost...done…" Noel whispered as she filled out the paperwork, "Hmm...who should I use to perform for the performance and battle parts?"
"There's a battle part?" Ash blinked, overhearing that as he and the others sat at a nearby table.
"Hmm…" Tsubaki muttered as she looked through the extra pamphlet Nurse Joy gave her, "...There is. Pokemon Contest are separated into two parts; an evaluation round where you perform with your Pokemon, creating as many elegant and flashy moves as possible while trying to stay fresh, and a battle round where you go against one of the final four, having your Pokemon use their moves with as much elegance and coming up with ways to counter and/or block your opponent's moves."
"Huh…" Ash rubbing his chin in thought, "So it's like a normal Pokemon Battle in the second part, but you have to be really creative?"
"That's right. And you can't do the same actions, otherwise you'll end up hurting yourself," Tsubaki added.
"Oh. Now I'm kinda wishing that Butterfree were here. He could've used Stun Spore, Poison Powder, and Sleep Powder with Confusion to do all kinds of shapes for the evaluation part," Ash admitted.
"Kirlia…" Hikari sighed sadly in a corner, a blue aura coming off her as she drew circles on the floor while hugging her and Butterfree's ball.
Koko adopted a deadpan expression and whapped the back of Ash's head with his own hat swiped via Psychic.
"Ow! What did I…oh…" Ash whispered, realizing what he said...before gaining a depressing aura as well, joining the Shiny Kirlia, "...I still miss him…"
"Kirli…" Hikari sighed.
"There there…" Makoto patted Ash's shoulder in comfort, Cherry and Berry doing the same for Hikari.
"We'll need to come up with an emergency training session for Noel," Kajun noted as she wrote in a notebook with a ribbon on the cover, "One for the presentation and one for battling."
"...Where do you keep getting those notebooks, Kajun?" Mai blinked.
"Always be prepared for any situation," Kajun answered, not once looking up from her notebook.
"...r...right…" Mai muttered with a sweatdrop.
"Mmm...who should I use…?" Noel muttered, looking at Yuki and Nymph while Umi rested in her Pokeball, "Hmm...I've only used Yuki in battles...though not official battles...a-and I've yet to battle with Umi and Nymph…"
"Umi wouldn't be able to participate since there isn't water for her to swim in," Misty noted, overhearing that last bit.
"Actually…" Tsubaki showed Misty the pamphlet, "It seems that the people behind this demonstration are working with Silph Co to hand out a new product that could help with that."
"Really?" Misty asked as she looked at a picture of a Pokeball being put into a semi-clear blue casing made for it with a sticker on it, "What is this?"
"I think they're called Seal Balls. Apparently, you put them over your Pokeball and, when a sticker is put on it, an effect happens when you let the Pokemon out," Tsubaki noted, "And putting a sticker resembling water on it gives Water-Types that can't fight on land a 'hover' effect that lets them 'swim' through the air at a maximum five meter height from the ground."
"Oh...that's a good idea," Misty noted, "...Actually, this Pokemon Contest sounds like fun. Maybe I should try it."
"In that case, you may need to pick out a costume then," Tsubaki stated.
"Costume?" Misty repeated as Noel looked up.
"It's a recent addition," Tsubaki answered as she looked at the pamphlet, "Aside from the Seal Balls, the Coordinator themself need to have a costume to go with the theme of their performance for the evaluation round."
"Yeah...no," Ash shook his head, "The battle portion sold me, but that...no. That seems more in line with Makoto."
"Huh? Wh...It's my ears and tail, isn't it?" Makoto deadpanned.
"Yeah."
"..." Makoto held a finger up as she was about to say something, '...No Makoto. Don't...You're just gonna get interrupted anyway…'
"Hmm...Brock, what would you say about your sewing abilities?"
"Huh?" Brock looked at the lavender-haired girl, "Well, not to brag or anything, but my youngest sister entered a dress I mended for her and I ended up getting second place. I would've been a bit more upset with her over entering me into a sewing competition I didn't even know about, but the second place prize being a portable sewing kit and a lifetime supply of threads and fabrics lowered that to just a bit of annoyance. Why do you ask?"
"We'll need a few costumes set up for the contest," Kajun explained.
"You're going into it, too?" Ash asked.
"Oh heavens no. I refer research," Kajun replied, "But we do know that Noel is going to participate and, possibly, Misty as well."
"Oh…"
"...Noel?" Misty spoke, earning the shy blonde's attention as the tomboy looked over at her, "If we go against each other in the finals...well, I wish you the best of luck."
"...S-same, Misty," Noel smiled, 'Though I really hope I'll win…no no. I can't think of such selfish thoughts...'
"(So who's gonna be performing and who's gonna be fighting?)" Yuki and Nymph looked up from the box with a fluffy thing on a stick they were playing with to look at Pikachu, the Trainers all at the buffet getting plates to eat outside.
"(Eh?)" Yuki and Nymph blinked as they looked at eachother.
"(...w...we're not...sure…)" Yuki answered.
"(I...I've only helped you and the others when it's to protect meema Noel,)" Nymph added.
"(True...We haven't really seen what you can do, Nymph,)" Cherry noted as she flew over, "(What Moves do you have?)"
"(Um...B-Big Brother Eevee taught me the black ball thingy a-and how to dig…)" Nymph replied.
"(Mmm hmm...and you, Yuki?)"
"(Oh...um...Ice Beam, Tail Whip...a...and...what else…?)" Yuki muttered, "(I remember Big Brother Ash's weird toy bring it up...I think...Charm and...Moonblast?)"
"(Well, it seems we'll be doing a bit of training with you both for either event, I suppose,)" Koko noted before using Psychic to bring Nymph over to her to groom.
"(Ah! A-Aunie Koko~!)" Nymph whined.
"(You have a little dirt and soot from the Fire Spin earlier still on you,)" Koko explained.
"(Oh! That was amazing!)" Yuki beamed, her tails wagging as she looked over at Vulpix, who was curled up on a chair near the younger Pokemon of the group.
"(It's all in the technique,)" Vulpix cracked an eye open.
"(Technique?)"
"(She means on how you pull the move off more or less,)" Cherry explained.
"(I'm at a bit of a loss,)" Zubat noted as she flew over and landed on Pikachu's back to look over his shoulder at them, "(Presentation? Battle?)"
"(Noel and Misty entered a Pokemon Contest. From what I understood, there's a part where a Pokemon will perform and a part where another Pokemon will fight,)" Pikachu explained.
"(Ahh...A Pokemon Contest, you say?)" Vulpix giggled in amusement, "(Suzy and I participated in the last one they had here last year. We made it through to the second round, but alas, the opponent was far more experienced in battle than we.)" she hopped down and walked over to Yuki, "(I could give a few pointers since this is your first time.)"
"(Really?!)" Yuki gasped, her tails wagging a bit excitedly.
"(But of course. We Vulpix, regardless of Typing, have to stick together,)" Vulpix winked.
"(Yay~!)"
"(But...what about me?)" Nymph asked before whining once more when Koko groomed her head again, "(Auntie Koko, I'm clean already~)"
"(There's a bit of soot I missed at the back of your head.)"
"(Mm~~)"
"(Oh, we got that covered,)" Booster's voice spoke up.
"(Big Bro~!)"
"(Oh no, not again,)" Pikachu's eyes widened before Ash's Eevee pounced him.
"(B-Big Brother?!)" Nymph exclaimed.
"(A little Teleporting works wonders. Far easier than those computers and the waiting lines at times,)" Hikari explained as she walked over, "(Oh, Gengar and Squirtle say 'hello,' by the way...well...Squirtle started saying that, but then saw Krabby and they were running off with him ranting about his sunglasses.)"
"(Well, it's nice to s...WHAT IN THE NAME OF ARCEUS?!)" Koko's tail shot up as she noticed a cross-shaped scar on Eevee's forehead before using Psychic to switch Nymph with Eevee, "(It scarred?! Oh Arceus, it scarred! My hatchling's scarred~!)"
"(Meema~It's fine,)" Eevee pouted as Koko fussed over him.
"(It is NOT fine, young kit! You...ohohohohoh! Oh when I see that Kadabra again….!)" Koko growled as her tails stood straight.
"(Uh oh...she's getting mad…)" Celsius paled.
"(FLEE! FLEE BEFORE WE ARE CAUGHT IN SPINNING!)" Booster panicked.
"(RUN!)" Astrea explained as the other Eevees ran for it.
"(Wait! Don't leave me!)" Eevee shouted, struggling to get out of Koko's paws.
*BZZZZZZZZZZAP!*
"(...Thank you...for that...Berry…)" Koko coughed up a bit of smoke as Eevee's fur poofed up.
"(That was awesome~)" Eevee giggled in glee...before Koko began grooming him, "(Aww, not again, Meema~!)"
"(Phew…)" Astrea sighed in relief.
"(Um...B-Big Brother Eevee? C-Can you help me learn some n-new moves?)" Nymph asked.
"(...I would love to, but...Meema won't let me go…besides, I learned a few things while recovering thanks to some of the Pokemon at the old man's ranch. Why?)"
"(She's entering a contest…)" Luka answered, looking up from a small book as he sat near Tsubaki.
"(A fighting contest? Hee-hee...Big Bro would blow 'em away,)" Eevee snickered.
"(Not fighting, doing fancy stuff,)" Pikachu explained.
"(Oh~You mean like way the funny talking Furfrou that visited spoke?)" Eevee asked.
"(She was from Kalos, young kit. That was an accent.)"
"(Still made me laugh.)"
"(And that was why you got put in the corner and couldn't have Snack Time,)" Astrea rolled her eyes.
"(Says the Eevee that has a weakness for Laser Pointers…)" Koko deadpanned.
"(WHERE?!)" All the Eevees there exclaimed as they frantically looked around, their tails shooting straight up, "(Where da shiny dot?!)"
"Any idea what they're talking about?" Makoto pondered, watching the Eevees chirping as they scrambled around looking for something.
"Ri," Luka turned a page in his book.
"I think someone's using a laser pointer or something…" Mai guessed.
"..."
"...No Makoto."
"No what?"
"You know what you were thinking…." Tsubaki frowned.
"Whaaaat?"
"We are not buying a laser pointer," Misty deadpanned.
"...We could use it on Meowth…" Makoto offered.
"Th…..hmm…" Kajun pondered at that thought, "It would save us a headache should we encounter Team Rocket again…"
"Either that or we could get a yarn ball," Brock joked.
"Achoo! ...Why do I feel like someone just mentioned me and brought up a laser pointer and yarn…?" Meowth blinked.
"Sush!" Jessie hushed before turning back to Ekans and Ariados, "Okay, you two. I filled out the form and Ekans will be my evaluation and Ariados will be battling."
"Kans/Ari!"
"...And what if you lose?" James brought up.
"Oh that won't happen," Jessie stated as she looked back at him, "Because you and Meowth will be my 'trump card' if I start losing the second round."
"...And if that fails?"
"Simple: we grab the prize and hightail it out of there."
"Ya know dey ain't givin' out a Ribbon fer dis, right?"
"I know. I also know that first prize is a Pretty Scale. With the rarity of those things, we could sell it for twice as much as Karai spent when we ran Salon Roquet! Maybe even thrice as much!" Jessie grinned.
"Or we could use it on a Feebas," Meowth added.
"...Why?! Why would I waste it on that ugly thing!?" Jessie snapped.
"Dey evolve into Milotic."
"...EXPLAIN!" Jessie demanded, instantly before Meowth as she held him by the scruff of his neck.
"Ah! If a Feebas has Max Beauty and a Pretty Scale, dey evolve into Milotic!" Meowth freaked, "A...and last I checked, da shy twoipette has a Shiny Feebas…"
"...Slight change of plans. If the twerps are there and we lose, we snatch the Pretty Scale and the shy twerpette's Feebas!"
"Uh-uh! No way! I ain't gettin' shot!" Meowth freaked.
"Shot?"
"Dat little girl's packin' heat! Did ya fergit dat Serenade got shot through da Protect?"
"...You were probably acting delirious," Jessie waved off as she tossed Meowth away, "But enough planning! Time to get back to training!"
"I think you triggered something in her, Meowth…" James whispered.
"Why~~~?" Meowth whined into the ground.
A few days had passed, and the time for the demonstration contest drew near as people were lined up outside a large circus tent with stalls set up outside of it, selling souvenirs, food, and even items for Trainers. Inside the tent, inside the changing rooms, various people were prepping up for the contest, dressed in various outfits with one or two of their Pokemon out.
"Calm down, Noel...calm...down…" Noel whispered to herself as she sat in a small mirror booth, dressed in a brown and cream-colored dress with a short skirt ending at her knees with a pair of brown stockings on her legs and white gloves reaching up to just below her shoulders.
"All set for today, Noel?" Misty asked as she walked over, wearing a brown-colored one-piece swimsuit with a gold skirt, brown stockings, and brown gloves that reached up to her elbows with gold stars over the hands with a red hat shaped like a Staryu's gem on the side of her head.
"...Y...yes…." Noel nervously nodded.
"...Stage fright?"
"...Yes…" Noel sighed.
"Oh don't worry, dear. It's not that bad," the person in the booth next to her assured.
"It...it's not?"
"Oh no. Just you'll have millions upon millions of people watching you, judging you on your every move…"
"?!"
"And this will be broadcasted as well, so the entire Pokeworld will be judging you~"
"...Th….th….the...entire...world….?" Noel whispered, now shaking beyond belief.
"And if you make one single mistake, people will know you as a royal screw up."
"...Royal...screw…"
"Hey!" Misty snapped as she glared at the person in the booth next to Noel's, "Leave her alone! Who are you to say something like that?!"
"Who am I? Oh, no one special...just the amazing Jessandra~!" the person declared as she stood up, revealing herself to be a woman with fair skin with her long red hair braided into a ponytail with the end resembling a snake's head wearing a form-fitting purple and red dress with a scale pattern to it and a gold band around her waist, "I know who belongs on this fabulous stage, and this little wall flower here? ...Nuh uh. Someone like her doesn't belong here."
"Mmm…" Noel's head slumped at that.
"Don't listen to her Noel. She's just trying to overcompensate for something," Misty whispered to her friend.
"Contestant number 7!" a stagehand called, poking her head in.
"H-Here!" Noel gulped as she stood up.
"You're up!"
"...C...Coming!" Noel called as she looked at the Pokeball holding Nymph, a clearblue casing covering it with a butterfly sticker on the front, "...I...I can….I can do this...I can do this…"
"I hope she can do this…" Mai whispered as the group sat together in the audience, Pikachu, Berry, Cherry, and Eevee all waving paper fans and cheering on either Ash's shoulders or on Makoto's shoulders.
"I know she can do it!" Makoto beamed quietly, "We helped train her and came up with some pretty good ideas for her performance thanks to Kajun!"
"And the costumes Brock made for both rounds," Kajun added, "Like I said, always be prepared for any situation."
"She does make a…" Brock began.
"Shh. Here she comes," Tsubaki hushed as Noel nervously walked out onto the stage.
=Introducing Contestant 7 for today's Contest; Noel Vermillion!= the announcer called.
"Come on, Noel...remember the method to settle your nerves…" Tsubaki whispered.
"You can do it, Noel!" Ash cheered on.
"Pika/Chipa/Emol/Vui~!"
"..Y...you can do it, Noel….just...calm your nerves...just remember what Tsubaki said…" Noel whispered to herself.
-flashback-
"A...method to calm my nerves?" Noel blinked, a towel over her shoulders as Tsubaki handed her a bottle of water.
"That's correct," Tsubaki nodded as she sat next to Noel, "You're going to be in front of a large crowd and, while I know you've been okay with giving presentations in class back at the academy, this will most likely have hundreds of people there."
"?!...H….hundred…." Noel paled before Tsubaki put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"But I do have a way to help you," Tsubaki assured, "If you're nervous, I want you to think that the audience is just us."
"...Just...you?"
"Yes. Just us."
-flashback end-
'Just..imagine the crowd...as my friends…' Noel thought as she took a calming breath, slowly opening her eyes as she looked at the crowd. As she did, she imagined no one else in the crowd...just her friends, both from her world, and this world, '...I...I can do this…'
=Contestant 7, you may begin!=
"A...alright…" Noel nodded, taking a slow breath before gaining a bright smile, "Greetings, ladies and gentleman~!" she did a quick twirl on one foot as she took out Nymph's Pokeball and tossed it, "Let's go, Nymph! It's...showtime~!"
The Pokeball bounced once off the floor before popping open. The moment Nymph formed, the white energy dispersed into multicolored butterflies.
"Captivate!" Noel called.
"Vuiii~" Nymph mewled, happily playing with the energy-made butterflies and earning quite few coos of affection from the audience.
"Charm and Baby-Doll Eyes!"
"Vee~" Nymph glowed a soft pink as the energy butterflies moved closer to her...well...they actually covered her, leaving just her eyes exposed as they became large and adorable.
"(Too...cute…)" Berry wiggled as Pikachu grabbed her to keep her from jumping at the on-stage Eevee with Ash's Eevee biting Cherry's tail to keep her from going as well.
The butterflies flew off of Nymph after another moment, "Now finish with Swift!"
"Eeee~VEE!" Nymph called as she exhaled a wave of stars from her mouth.
The stars flew around, striking all the butterflies. Each time they connected, the stars and butterflies shattered into sparkles. Nymph ran over to Noel and jumped onto her arm before running up it to jump onto the top of her head, the sparkles raining down on the both.
=Ohh~! What an amazing performance from contestant number 7!= the announcer awed as the audience cheered loudly =Judges, what do you think?=
Noel and Nymph looked over at a table set up before the audience. Sittin the center of them was Nurse Joy. To the left was an elderly gentleman in an all brown formal attire with bowler hat and cane. To the right was Erika, wearing a blue business uniform with a flower in the breast pocket.
"What an adorable little Eevee," the gentlemen chuckled, a smile underneath his grey mustache, "You were able to bring out its sheer cuteness and kept it going for the entire time."
"I'm quite surprised at how you were able to incorporate the Seal into the performance. And seeing your Eevee play with them at the beginning was just too cute," Nurse Joy giggled.
"Your Eevee looks to be raised quite well. And that shine to its fur...you used techniques learnt from Suzy if I'm right. And the ending was simply marvelous," Erika complimented.
"Th-thank you," Noel smiled as Nymph hopped into her arms, "To be honest...th-this is the first time I've done something like this."
"Ahh...well if you keep this up, you might find yourself a Top Pokemon Coordinator," the gentleman chuckled.
"Th-thank you sir…" Noel bowed as she returned to the changing room...giving out a relieved sigh as she fell to her knees, "I...I did it…I didn't faint..."
"Noel, that was amazing!" Misty beamed as she ran over, holding out a hand to help her friend up.
"Th-thank you, Misty…" Noel whispered, accepting Misty's hand as she stood up, wobbling a bit, "To be honest...I was REALLY nervous out there. But...I remembered the advice Tsubaki gave me."
"Oh? And that is?"
"I…"
"Is it just give up and make yourself look like a buffoon?" Jessandra smirked as she poked her head between the two, "Because that's how it looked out there to me."
"What th-?! Get out of here!" Misty barked, "Nobody asked for your opinion!"
"Contestant Number 8!"
"Here~" Jessandra waved, "Let me show you how a real star acts."
"Where? I don't see one..." Misty retorted with a scoff.
"Like I care what you think, little girl…" Jessandra waved off as she walked out onto the stage.
=Please welcome Contestant 8; Jessandra Repiv!= the announcer called as Jessandra walked on stage.
Jessandra pulled out a Pokeball with a Seal Ball over it, a purple cloud sticker on the top, "Ekans, dazzle with a Glare!"
The ball bounced twice before opening, releasing a purple mist over the stage. A pair of gold eyes shined through the mist as a slow, menacing hiss erupted from it. Ekans slithered out slowly and as intimidating as it could. It proceeded to go through a series of strikes around it, its tail glowing a venomous purple or snapping at the air with poison-coated fangs.
"Acid in the air!" Jessandra commanded.
"Ekans~" Ekans hissed before firing a sphere of acid into the air.
"Now Poison Sting!"
Ekans swung its head before releasing a volley of purple needles at the sphere. The sphere turned a glowing purple before blowing up into a dark cloud, releasing a rain of acid upon the stage. The smoke from the acid hitting it mixed with the remaining mist, turning it a venomous shade of green. Ekans gave another Glare mixed with a Scary Face as it slithered backwards into the mist, the golden eyes and a pair of venomous fangs being the last to fade away into the tainted mists. Jessandra bowed and, as she stood and turned her back to the audience, Ekans was revealed to be intertwined with her hair, fangs bared at the 'snake head' on the end of her brained hair.
=Brr~ That...that was both amazing and scary at the same time…= the announcer shivered =Judges?=
"I haven't felt that intimidated by an Ekans since my late wife's Ekans when I stepped on its tail," the Gentlemen admitted.
"The strikes with the Poison Fang and Poison Tail seemed random, yet I noticed it was actually 'making' and 'tracing' something. Was it the Seviper Constellation?" Nurse Joy asked, earning a nod from Jessandra, "Ooh~ Very fitting for a chilling performance."
"While I was a bit put off by the repeated uses of Poison Fang after the opening, the use of Glare at the beginning and then combining it with a Scary Face at the end was intimidating. If I were a Pokemon, I'd swear I was paralyzed," Erika admitted.
"Well of course! When I perform with my Pokemon, I like to bring my A-game! Ohohohoho~!" Jessandra laughed as she walked away.
"...Grrr…." Kajun's eye twitched, rapidly squeezing a stress ball as she eyed Jessandra.
"Are you okay, Kajun?" Ash asked.
"...It's Jessie."
"Huh?"
"It's Jessie from Team Rocket…" Kajun answered.
"Wait...really?"
"Yeah...I saw that a mile away too…" Makoto deadpanned, "I mean seriously? Jessandra? The 'Jess' part was a major give away."
"...If that's true...What's Team Rocket up to…?" Brock pondered with a frown.
"..." Koko tapped her chin with a paw before using Psychic to grab a pen and write in a notebook with her face on it -She could be vain and wants to prove herself the best in a contest meant for showing off-
"...Kajun, I am worried you're rubbing off on your Pokemon with these notebooks," Tsubaki admitted.
"Same…" Mai added before flinching at the glare Kajun gave her, her stress ball popping, "...I'll...just...uh...go get you another stress ball."
"Wait up. I'll help," Ash quickly followed, Pikachu and Eevee hiding in his backpack to not be glared at as well.
"Hmph! Top that, peasants," Jessandra smirked as she walked past Noel and Misty, "Or just give up. No way will you be able to top that performance."
"...I really don't like her," Misty frowned.
"H-Hai…" Noel agreed.
=Contestant Number 9!=
"Oh! That's me!" Misty beamed.
"G-Good luck, Misty," Noel smiled.
"Thank you," Misty nodded as she ran out on stage.
=And now, our final contestant! Please welcome Contestant Number 9; Misty Waterflower!=
"Alright...here goes nothing…" Misty whispered, pulling out Staryu's Pokeball as it had a blue casing with a star sticker on it, giving it a small kiss, "Misty calls, Staryu!"
"Hyah!" Staryu called out as he appeared in a flurry of stars.
"Use Rapid Spin and combine it with Bubble Beam!" Misty called.
"Hyah!" Staryu complied.
The starfish spun around like a frisbee and began to fire glowing bubbles all over. The bubbles collided with the flurry of stars, creating a series of watery sprinkles. Staryu spun around, shooting through the sprinkles.
"Flash!"
Staryu's gem lit up upon reaching the center of the sprinkles. The light reflected off the sprinkles, creating a large burst of light.
"Gh!" Misty covered her eyes as did many of the crowd, 'Darn it! We got it right last night! How did it fail now?!'
"It seems Misty forgot she practiced outside when she was performing this with Staryu," Kajun noted, wearing sunglasses, "With it being indoors, the light will be more focused and not as dispersed as outdoors. There's also the matter that there's still a bit of mist from the previous performance on the field, only adding more reflective surfaces."
"In short...it's gonna hurt her score…" Tsubaki whispered as the Flash ended.
Misty shook the spots out of her eyes, "Use Light Screen and Water Gun!"
Staryu shot up into the air, creating five clear sheets of light around it. Water shot out of the end of each point on its body, hitting the screens. The screens bounced the water off and sent it back at Staryu.
"Psywave!" Misty called.
Staryu spun like a top and released a purple/pink wave of psychic energy. The wave struck the incoming water and dispersed it into a light rain that Staryu landed in the center of. As the rain stopped, the puddle on the stage left behind was shaped like a Staryu with the gem in the center being the sole dry place of the puddle.
=Wow...talk about a splashing experience! To make up for the mistake from earlier, contestant 9 makes up for it in spades!= the announcer shouted =Judges?=
"My eyes are still a bit blurry from the Flash, so I couldn't fully see the end; but the lead up to it was wonderful," the gentleman admitted.
"I will admit, the attempt with Flash was a let down, but you've certainly made up for it with your follow up," Nurse Joy added.
"Were we battling and you had sunglasses on, you could've easily taken advantage with that maneuver…" Erika admitted, "But considering it's a contest, I'm thinking you might have practiced outdoors with that instead of indoors. It was a bit of a bother to the eyes, but I was able to see the last bit of the performance. I'd rather enjoy to have a Staryu at the Gym to use that to help water the plants I use for perfumes, medicine, and other products…"
Misty nodded as she walked off stage, but not before giving one last bow to the crowd before returning to the changing room, "Hoo...thought I messed up for a moment there…"
"Looked like it to me," Jessandra grinned in a mocking manner.
"Grr…" Misty shot a glare at her.
=Okay! The judges have decided and now we will have our final four contestants who will move on to the Battle Round!= the announcer declared as the screen hung above the stage showed four cards =The first…= the first card flipped over, showing Jessandra =Jessandra Repiv!=
"Ohohohoho~! I knew I'd be number one!" Jessandra laughed as she smirked at a glaring Misty and Noel, "Best turn away now, iron board an pathetic wallflower. I..."
=The second...Noel Vermillion!=
"What?!" Jessandra exclaimed.
"You did it!" Misty cheered, hugging Noel.
"I did it!" Noel beamed.
"...W...well...maybe it was a fluke! You…!"
=Number 3 is Misty!=
"WHAT?!" Jessandra gawked.
"What was that about a fluke?" Misty smirked as the announcer called out the next Coordinator to move on.
"...Oh shut up, Tw-I MEAN!...Little iron board," Jessandra huffed.
"Grr…" Misty's eye twitched.
"..." Noel looked down at her chest and slumped, waterfall tears going down her cheeks, 'I need that Pretty Scale~'
=And now let us use the randomizer to see who goes against who in the next round!= the announcer called out as the pictures of the four contestants were shuffled around =First is...Jessandra Vs Misty, followed by Noel Vs Bloom. Whichever two remain will battle for the first place prize!=
"Oh look. I get to put you in your place," Jessandra noted as she grinned at Misty and Noel, "Bad luck to both of you."
"Don't you mean g-"
"No, because neither of you deserve it."
"Oh screw you, lady!" Makoto snapped from the audience.
"Huh? Why did you shout that, Makoto?" Ash asked.
"Oh! Well…"
"Makoto's hearing is almost like my sense of taste," Mai quickly explained.
"Oh…" Brock cringed, "Sorry for all those times I had Onix use Screech near you, Makoto…"
"It's cool," Makoto assured before glaring at Jessandra as she and the other contestants walked off the stage, "Seriously though, screw her. Who does she think she is?"
"What did she say?"
"She said 'bad luck' to both Misty and Noel, followed by that neither of them deserve good luck."
"...Oh, I hope Misty beats that jerk good," Ash scowled.
"Pika…" Pikachu agreed, cheeks sparking.
=And we're back!=- the announcer called out as both Jessandra and Misty stood across fmo each other, the former dressed in a form-fitting scarlet dress without anything over her shoulders, a black band around her waist, and her hair styled into a leg of an Ariados while the latter was dressed in a one piece pearl swimsuit with golden-orange trim around the chest and a skirt resembling a Goldeen's fins with a pair of pearl colored stockings and shoulder-length gloves to complete it =For the Battle Round, both contestants will use a second Pokemon and have them battle it out, using a different strategy to not only block the opposing Pokemon's attacks, but also counter them in the most stylish way possible. Keep in mind though…= the screen changed to show both Jessandra and Misty, a circle with a yellow bar in it under each picture =If they mess up or if a move is countered, that Coordinator will lose points. Whoever has the lowest points before the time runs out, or if one of the Coordinators' point bar runs out, we will declare a victor, and they will move onto the final battle=
"Ariados, dazzle!" Jessandra declared as she sent out an Ariados.
"Ari~!" Ariados called out, performing a flip while dispersing the energy-made demonic eyes that formed with it.
'Okay...Time to see if these actually work…' Misty thought, holding up a Seal Ball-encased Pokeball, "Misty calls...Goldeen!"
Misty tossed the ball out and it opened in the air. A surge of water erupted from it before dispersing once Goldeen formed. Instead of ending up flopping on the stage, Goldeen was hovering above it on a layer of blue sparkles.
"Oh! It worked!" Brock awed.
=Okay contestants, you may now...begin!= the announcer declared as a timer appeared on the screen between Jessandra and Misty's pictures.
"Huh? Only 5 minutes?" Mai blinked as she looked at the timer.
"Perhaps it adds a bit of pressure to the performances of the two," Kajun suggested.
"Most likely…" Tsubaki nodded.
"Alright, Ariados…" Jessandra began before tossing out a flurry of rose petals, "Dazzling Electroweb!"
Ariados inhaled before releasing an Electroweb. Goldeen was about to dodge before Ariados fired a barrage of Poison Sting at the Electroweb. The added speed from the second attack allowed the attack to ensnared Goldeen while stabbing the goldfish-like Pokemon with the Poison-Type attack.
=And Jessandra opens up with a devastating combo of Electroweb and Poison Sting!= the announcer shouted as Misty's bar shrank a bit =Can Misty make a comeback?=
"Goldeen, Aqua Pulse!"
"Aqua what?" Jessandra blinked.
Despite the electrocution from the Electroweb, Goldeen began to glow blue before releasing a pulse of water from her body. The pulse slammed into Ariados, knocking it away, as a sphere of water formed around Goldeen.
=Quite the comeback with a named Combination Move!= the announcer beamed as Jessandra's bar shrunk a bit.
"Why you…!" Jessandra growled, "Ariados, String Shot into Poison Sting!"
"Counter with Icy Wind!"
"Goldeen~!" Goldeen complied.
Ariados fired a String Shot from its mandibles while it was surrounded by a barrage of venomous needles. Goldeen spun around and swiped at Ariados with her tail, releasing a blast of icy winds. The wind not only froze over the string and needles, but crashed into Ariados as snow and bits of ice formed on it.
=And a nice counter from Misty!= the announcer called out as Jessandra's bar shrunk further.
"Why you little…" Jessandra bit her thumb a bit.
"Awesome, Goldeen!" Misty cheered.
"I'm still impressed with Goldeen actually being a good fighter," Mai admitted.
"Yeah...First impressions were not good between us and Goldeen," Ash nodded, trying to compare the flopping fish from back in Viridian to the floating on that was keeping Misty in the lead now.
"Well Goldeen fare better in the water," Kajun answered, "But given the cases used for the Pokeballs, it makes Pokemon not able to fight on land, such as most sea based Water Pokemon, fare a bit better."
=What a stunning counter! Can Jessandra recover from this?= the announcer questioned.
"Okay Goldeen, let's go with a Horn Drill, but with a watery twist!" Misty commanded.
"?! Horn Drill…" Jessandra whispered as Goldeen reeled back,water forming around her, 'I should be worried...and yet I'm not…'
"Hmm?" Makoto's ear twitched as she looked at the others, "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"That hissing noise."
"Hissing n-" Tsubaki began as Goldeen charged, only to end up freezing as she skidded to a halt, her horn mere inches away from Ariados.
=What's this? Misty's Goldeen has suddenly stopped=
"Goldeen? Goldeen, what's wrong?" Misty asked in concern.
"...Oh Ariados~ Point Blank Night Shade~"
"Ari..." Ariados' eyes flashed a ghostly purple before unleashing a blast of black energy that slammed into Goldeen, knocking her away.
=Oh my! Could the Electroweb at the beginning have caused a Paralysis Status in Goldeen?=
"Come on, Goldeen! Use…" Misty began before seeing a faint spark come off of Goldeen, "?! Oh no..."
"Now finish it off! Electroweb with a hint of Night Shade!"
"Aria…" Ariados inhaled before sitting out an Electroweb engulfed in dark energy taking the appearance of a sinister specter, "DOS~!"
The 'specter' cackled as it 'ate' Goldeen, creating an explosion with bolts of electricity mixed into it. After a few moments, the smoke settled to reveal Goldeen floating upside down with swirls replacing its eyes.
=Goldeen is unable to battle! Ariados is the winner, and Jessandra will move onto the next round!= the announcer called out as an X appeared over Misty's picture.
"Ohohohoho! I told I'd show you your place, little iron board!" Jessandra laughed before grinning, "And the wallflower is next...that is, if she's lucky enough to make it to the next round~"
"You….!" Misty growled as she returned Goldeen.
"...She cheated," Makoto frowned.
"Cheated? Cheated h-" Tsubaki began before Makoto whispered to her, "...Excuse us. We need to step out for a moment."
"Huh?" Ash blinekd as Makoto and Tsubaki stood up and walked off, "Wh-"
"Don't, Ash," Brock put a hand on his shoulder, "Let them handle it."
"...Huh?"
"Vee~!" Nymph mewled as she pounced on a red dot on the floor before noticing it was on top of her paw, "..." she pawed it with her other one, only for the dot to appear on top of that one, "Ee?!" the dot zipped off to a wall, "Vee~!" she pounced at the dot, trying to paw at it, only for it to move away.
"You're good at that," Misty, in her normal clothes, noted while looking at Umi, floating around on a bed of blue sparkles with a laser pointer in her mouth.
"Fee…" Umi replied before they heard the crowd applauding.
"Seems like Noel's match is over," Misty noted before a few minutes passed and Noel ran in, wearing a snow-white dress with silver strands mixed into it with a cloud-like motif to it all with a red bow in her hair.
"We won!" Noel beamed, Yuki in her arms.
"Vul~!" Yuki chirped, wearing a red scarf.
"That's great, Noel," Misty smiled before frowning, "But that means you'll be going against her…"
"...Jessandra…" Noel whispered as she looked at a nearby booth, seeing the woman admiring herself in the mirror.
"Just be careful. That Ariados of hers is a tricky opponent," Misty warned.
"Hai," Noel nodded, shivering a little at having to fight a big 'bug.'
"You are just jealous you didn't make it to the finals," Jessandra mocked with a grin, "And you little wallflower...you better get those tissues ready, because my beauty will send you and your little runt crying home to mommy."
"...Runt?" Noel frowned at that.
"Well, of course. With how small it is, it's clear its mother abandoned it," Jessandra added.
"Yuki is a girl," Noel narrowed her eyes.
"An ugly one then…" Jessandra countered as she stood up, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to freshen up…"
"...Misty."
"Yes, Noel?"
"I think I just figured out how to get over my phobia," Noel replied, strangely calm.
"Really? What is it?"
"You'll see…"
=And welcome to the finals, people!= the announcer shouted as both Jessandra and Noel stood across from each other, a strangely calm expression on the latter's face =We've had some pretty good tricks shown to use, but only one and these Coordinators will be the winner and take home the prize!=
"Ariados, dazzle!" Jessandra declared, sending out Ariados.
"Let's go, Yuki!" Noel called, throwing out Yuki's PokeBall, which had a pink top with a heart printed on it.
The ball bounced once before opening up. Yuki let out a cry as she came out. She shook herself a bit, letting some icy dust come out of her fur.
"Huh...She didn't use a Seal Ball," Brock noted.
"Is it just me...or does Noel look different?" Ash asked.
"Huh?" Mai blinked as she and Kajun looked at the strangely calm blonde.
'Her expression...it's in the same state as when she uses Bolverk,' Kajun observed.
=Now l...e-excuse me? Oh...I see...ahem. It seems before coming to the stage, contestant Noel Vermillion requested a song for this battle= the announcer explained as some music began to play.
(Cue: Love so Blue (Noel's theme))
"You think music can help you win?" Jessandra questioned in amusement, 'I know all about the twerpette's fear of Bug-Types…'
"I have to thank you, Jessandra," Noel noted, "Because of you, I figured out a way to get over my fear of bugs."
"Eh?" Jessandra blinked at that, "How...so?"
"By focusing all my anger on someone who pushed all the wrong buttons on me involving Yuki," Noel replied as Jessandra froze a bit, seeing a cold look passing over Noel's eyes.
=Now then...let the final round begin!=
"Electro-String!" Jessandra ordered.
"Ari…"
"Ice Moonblast…"
Yuki's eyes flashed pink before she inhaled deeply. A pink and ice-blue light shined in her mouth before a pink beam with shards of ice inside of it erupted from it. Ariados fired its Electroweb with the added acceleration of the Poison Sting needles in it. The moment the beam collided with the webbing, it pierced right through and crashed right into Ariados, causing it to skid back as it nearly crashed into the wall.
"What?!" Jessandra gawked as her bar shrunk, "How did you do that?! Fairy-Type moves don't affect Poison Types!"
"That's why I combined it with a Type that hurts Bug-Types," Noel explained, "To be precise...Ice-Type in the form of the attack Ice Shard."
"?!" Jessandra tensed at that, 'Wh...what's going on?! She's supposed to be the weakest of the twerps!'
"Ice Shard?" Ash pondered as he pulled out Dexter.
=Ice Shard, a Physical Ice-Type move with a base of 40 attack. The user flash-freezes chunks of ice and hurls them at the target. Due to the flash-freeze, this attack is fast enough to be made before others attacks can be used. Moves such as Detect, Protect, and First Impression can be used to avoid the speed of Ice Shard= Dexter explained as the screen displayed an Alolan Vulpix firing a barrage of shards of ice.
"I've never seen Noel like this," Brock noted, "It's like she's a completely different person."
"No kidding," Ash agreed as he put Dexter away, all while Pikachu cheered loudly for Noel while waving a flag with her and Yuki's face on it.
"Ariados, Sludge Stinger!" Jessandra ordered.
Ariados' eyes flashed before inhaling deeply. It spat out a stinger made of a Sludge Bomb, heading right for Yuki. Noel looked at the oncoming attack to see something moving in the shadow.
"Jump above it and use Powder Snow," Noel ordered.
Yuki crouched down and jumped up, the strand of String Shot hitting where she had been just before the Sludge Bomb-empowered Fell Stinger hit where she had been. Yuki exhaled a blast of snow at the ground, freezing the splash of the attack solid and used it as a slide, giving a playful cheer as she slid down to land on all four of her paws.
=And Noel counters it with a playful, yet beautiful, display of Powder Snow!= the announcer gasped as Jessandra's bar shrank further.
'What is going on?! She...She's supposed to be the weakest! The only one with hatchlings and a Feebas that can't do anything!' Jessandra thought before looking up, 'Those two better help out, or else I'm going to lose!'
"I think dats our cue!" Meowth hissed to James.
"Who knew that little girl was so dangerous?" James pondered as Ekans slithered around his neck when he tapped the snake on the head twice.
"I did!" Meowth replied, "And she hasn't even whipped out da transforming guns!"
"Not now with the crazy talk, Meowth. Ekans, Glare," James ordered.
"Ekans~" Ekans hissed as his eyes flashed gold...and nothing happened to Yuki, "Ek?"
"Why didn't dat work?" Meowth asked.
"Because I bought her a Cheri Scarf for the contest," a voice explained and the two froze, "It's a scarf that's been soaked in the juice of Cheri Berries...which cure the Paralyze Status." they slowly turned around on the balcony to reveal an angry Makoto, Booster and Ash's Eevee snarling on her shoulders...and all three wearing the same red scarf Yuki had on her neck, "Noellie's wearing one, too, in her hair."
"...How…." Meowth began nervously.
"That's not for you to know," another voice spoke, making them tense as they slowly turned, seeing a glaring Tsubaki and Luca, and Soren growling at the two, "Just know that we do not take kindly to cheaters...especially stalkers that cheat."
"...We…" James began before he and Meowth heard Makoto cracking her knuckles, "...Uh….parlay?"
"Again, that only works with pirates…"Makoto frowned, "Booster, you and the boys have Meowth...and me and Tsubaki have James."
"...What?" James squeaked.
"Did we mention that we both attended a military academy...one without Pokemon involved?" Tsubaki questioned.
"...what?"
"In the words of a very scary demon ninja…" Makoto spoke as her hand shot out and grabbed the back of James' shirt, "GET OVER HERE!"
"Not the face!" James pleaded.
*CRUNCH!*
"Okay the face!" James squeaked out.
"...Every Pokemon for h-" Meowth began before he was surrounded by Eevee, Booster, Luca, and Soren, "...Not da charm!"
"(How about the whiskers and tail instead?)" Eevee growled.
"(Ooh! Maybe we can follow Makoto's example!)" Soren beamed.
"Huh? What ex…" Meowth began before Soren used Rock Throw and threw a summoned rock...right between Meowth's legs, "?!" he gagged out before collapsing, holding himself, "Ah...ahaha~…"
"(...Please don't do that again,)" Luca cringed, a paw going down between his legs as Eevee whimpered, covering between his legs with his tail.
"(I wasn't even hit and I felt it…)" Eevee shuddered.
"(Sorry...but my message got across….part of it.)"
"?! P...part...of it?" Meowth paled.
"(In terms you can understand…)" Luca began as he formed an Aura Sphere in his paw, "(You're screwed.)"
"...AHHHH~!"
"Yuki...Time to finish this with the new attack Koko taught you," Noel informed.
"N...new...attack?" Jessandra nervously gulped as Ariados was covered in ice and snow, her bar almost completely empty.
"Oh yes. Normally, it'd take a lot of experience for her to learn it on her own, but Koko knew the move already," Noel explained, "Yuki...Extrasensory."
"?!"
"Vul~" Yuki whispered, her tails fanning out as her eyes shined gold.
"What's that move?" Mai asked.
"Oh, it's actually a peculiar move. One thing that's constant is the eyes glow gold and a beam or wave of rainbow-colored energy," Kajun explained, "It's classified as a Psychic-type move, but the energy itself is still being debated on what it is exactly."
"Vulpix…" Yuki's five tails glowed in a rainbow colored energy before she opened her mouth and fired the energy as a laser, "VUL~!"
"Ari?!" Ariados tensed.
Jessandra opened her mouth to command Ariados to counter it or dodge. Yet...when she blinked...she froze. In place of Noel was a woman wearing a skin-colored bodysuit with bits of blue, white, gold, and metal pieces of armor akin to a two-piece swimsuit. Her legs were encased in armor that made it looks as if her legs were actually flexible swords while 'wings' made of eight smaller blades floated behind her. Her long flowing golden locks of hair were let free while it was held back from her face by a blue and white piece of metal framing the top and sides of her face. And yet...it was the face itself that made her freeze. There was nothing in the facial expressions aside from a neutral mouth...yet the eyes...the eyes were the purest of azure...and filled with contempt and final judgement upon those in her path. She snapped out of it by an explosion caused when Extrasensory hit Ariados, sending him out of it and right into her, knocking the redhead over.
"Ari…" Ariados groaned, his eyes replaced with swirls.
=Ariados is unable to battle, which means the winner of our Pokemon Contest demonstration is Noel Vermillion~!=
"Vulpix~!" Yuki cheered, running over to Noel and jumped into her arms.
As Yuki nuzzled into her, Noel blinked and her calm expression faded. She giggled as she cuddled her Starter.
"W….what….was….that….?" Jessandra whispered with wide eyes, 'What...did I just...see…?'
"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAHHHH!" a pair of screams was heard before James and Meowth crashed into Jessandra from above, followed by a tangled up Ekans.
=What the?!= the announcer exclaimed before Jessandra's hair twitched and popped into a familiar shape.
"...I knew it. I knew it was them…." Kajun facepalmed.
"You three again?" Erika frowned, causing Team Rocket to tense up.
"At least da Lurantis ain't h…" Meowth began before Erika put two fingers in her mouth and whistled, "?"
"(You three again?)" the trio paled as they looked to see Erika's Lurantis behind them, a hole shaped exactly like the praying mantis-like Pokemon made in the wall below the screen.
"Did he seriously cut a hole in the wall again?" Nurse Joy sighed.
"(The place moves on its own, dammit!)" Lurantis snapped before stabbing its arm in the path Team Rocket was crawling away to, "(Where do you think you three are going?)"
"GH?!" Team Rocket tensed as they shot up.
"Now...would you three mind telling me why you're here?" Erika demanded with a frown.
"That's simple…" Tsubaki's voice answered as she and Makoto landed next to her, "They were cheating, using an almost identical method a certain former temporary Gym Leader used in Saffron City."
"WHAT?!" Misty's voice snapped as she ran out from backstage, followed by Nymph and Umi, "You mean I lost because they cheated?!"
"Eeyup," Makoto nodded, "But enough talk...how about we send these stalking cheaters blasting off?"
"Stalkers as well?" Erika frowned, "Lurantis, if you'd please."
"(With pleasure, milady,)" Lurantis replied before holding up the arm it had kept behind its back...revealing it had been charging up Solar Blade the entire time.
"...MERCY!" Team Rocket begged.
"(No,)" Lurantis replied instantly before slashing them.
The Trio screamed as they were sent flying once more...with their clothes in shreds and completely bald for them all. Nurse Joy and the gentleman looked up at the clean cut through the top of the tent...and the sky above as well.
"You cut the sky again," Erika noted.
"(Tch...more meditation…)" Lurantis muttered as it walked through the hole in the wall.
"And this is a reason why I don't let him use Solar Blade in Gym Battles," Erika sighed, "Just send the repair bill…"
"Yo, sis! I am back!" Karai shouted as she kicked the door down.
"...Why do you always do that…?" Aoiro sighed, putting a page marker down in the book she was reading while Serenade slept in a small basket next to her.
"Hey. I want to make myself known," Karai smirked, "Now...my Pokemon if you pl-what's that screaming?"
"aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAHH!" Team Rocket's voices screamed as they came in crashing through an opened window and into the wall, causing an ornate vase to fall over and shatter.
"..." the two sisters looked at the trio and then at each other and then the trio again.
"...What did they run into?" Karai asked, "I mean...they're all shaved and...wow."
"By my guess, based on the way their clothes are cut up...a Luranits," Aoiro replied before looking at the shattered vase...a scowl growing on her face, "And that was a rare vase forged in ancient Sinnoh…"
"Welp...I'm taking it out of their pay for the rest of the year," Karai snorted.
"And I'll be putting them through my own personal training camp…" Aoiro paused, grabbing a nearby sheathed katana before slowly drawing it, "Starting...Now."
"GH?!" the trio tensed, awakening at feeling the massive killing intent set on them as they shot up and ran out of their.
"GET BACK HERE!" Aoiro snapped as she chased after them, "Do you idiots know how long it took me to find such a rare vase like that?!"
"We're sorry~!"
"...Welp. They are screwed," Karai blinked as she sat down, "Meh. No skin off my back."
"Wha's goin' on…?" Serenade mumbled, half-awake before curling back up and falling asleep.
"I still can't believe they let Noel keep the first place prize," Ash noted as Noel was massaging Umi.
"Well, considering they owed Tsubaki and I for outing those cheaters, we kinda asked for it," Makoto replied.
"Oh...well I guess that makes sense…" Ash nodded.
"Okay...How's that, Umi?" Noel asked as the floating Feebas moved away from her hands as she removed them, the setting sun shining off her scales.
"Bas~!" Umi beamed.
"I glad you like it," Noel smiled, 'Please let it work...'
Digging in her satchel, Noel pulled out the prize. It was a pure light-blue scale that faded to red at the tip. She placed the scale on Umi's forehead and her body lit up in a blue light. Umi's body began to stretch out, becoming larger and more serpentine in appearance. Umi's eyes closed before opening up, revealing they had become a brilliant sapphire in color as the fat lips shrunk into a tiny mouth as her face became more pointed with a pair of red antennae growing out of its head in front of two long locks of powder-blue hair growing out above its eyes and around the back of its head. Three black dots grew along both sides of her neck as the lower half of its body broke out into a black, gold, and red scale pattern. The back fin twitched before it split into four large gold fins with a red inside. The blue 'bed' faded as Umi stretched, revealing her to be taller than three of Noel standing on top of each other.
"Mi~lo~tic~" the evolved Pokemon sang out before nuzzling Noel.
=Milotic, the Tender Pokemon, and the evolved form of Feebas. Milotic is said to be the most beautiful of all the Pokémon. It has the power to becalm such emotions as anger and hostility to quell bitter feuding= Dexter informed.
"It..it worked...it really worked…" Noel whispered, a bright smile on her face, "I...I have Milotic and...and...o...oh my…" she whispered, starting to feel a bit dazed, "Ohh…"
"And down she goes," Makoto blinked twice as Umi caught the fainted blonde in her tail.
"Vul/Vuii?!" Yuki and Nymph exclaimed as they jumped onto Umi's tail and looked at Noel in worry.
"...maybe she fainted from all the stress," Mai guessed.
"Maybe..but we better get her someplace to rest just in case," Tsubaki advised.
"Back to the Pokemon Center!" Ash declared.
"Ugh...Well...I hope that they weren't bitten by this thing," a figure noted, looking at his hands.
The figure was tall, standing just under eight feet in height, and bulky in muscles. Their skin was a vivid shade of crimson with two fangs sticking out of their lower jaw. He had spiky black hair with a pair of orange-tinted goggles completely hiding his eyes. He wore a red, white, and metal uniform with a sleeveless top and massive metal lower arms and hands with a red gem in the palm of both hands. Said hands currently had the crushed remains of a large spider in them. He flicked the remains off them and put a finger to the side of his head.
"Kokonoe, are you sure that this is where Kajun's tracker last had her?" the man asked.
=I'm positive= a woman's voice answered =I was going to contact her before her tracker disappeared=
"...And you said there was a spatial distortion seen around here?"
=The readings on the distortion were highly unusual. It just appeared instantly unlike the momentary startup of other spatial distortions like the ones I use to teleport you= Kokonoe explained =You're about twenty five meters away from where the tracker was last seen=
"Understood," the man nodded before lowering his finger from his head and continued down the misty path, 'It's been four days since Kajun Feycott's tracker went offline.' he looked over his shoulder at the small green bag tied to it, 'At least the hotel they checked into didn't throw out their belongings, but...did Kajun have to have me as the main contact on her list of contacts?'
His thoughts were taken out of him when an explosion went off ahead. Hurrying the pace, he came out of a large set of bushes in time to see a sphere of green energy slam into a wolf, blasting it over the trees, before a purple blur shot into another wolf and sent it crashing through a tree, actually shattering the tree to bits. The blur stopped, revealing a creature Tager had never seen before.
The creature appeared to be a hybrid of both insectoid and dragonic. The top half of its body was slender with thin arms and fuchsia tipped claws. Both shoulders had grey spikes. Its purple, dragon-like wings flapped as fast as a wasp's wings to keep it hovering in place. Tager could barely make out a single fuchsia claw at the joint and darker purple membranes on each wing. At the end of its long neck was its head, which had a large spiked crest and grey face spikes which acted as mandibles when it opened its mouth while tilting it, looking at Tager. Its glowing cyan eyes were conjoined, giving the appearance of a visor. The lower half of its body was an abdomen that resembled a wasp's abdomen. There were three grey spikes on the end of the abdomen, with the middle one being the largest and resembling a hypodermic needle or a wasp's stinger.
"...Kokonoe, you may want to see this."
=Ugh..what, Tager? Can't you see I-what the hell is that?=
"There may be a large concentration of Seithr nearby if it could mutate a wasp like this...well...either a wasp or a small lizard...maybe fused both together?" Tager pondered.
=...Hmm...that's not too far out there...= Kokonoe admitted
"Stinger, what is taking so long, darling?" a voice with a subtle French accent to it spoke out.
Tager leaned a bit to the side. Walking up behind the creature was a young woman in her mid/late twenties in appearance. Her shapely, fit body had its curves shown off due to the form-fitting white jumpsuit with dark-blue plating and detailing on bits of it that was worn over it. A fluffy cream-colored tail poked out above her behind while her long, flowing white/silver hair was done in two braided ponytails going down the sides of her head with the top part of her hair shaped into a large sun hat and a cream-colored bow. She noticed Tager looking at him and blinked twice, her blue nose on her dark-grey skin twitching a little.
"Well now...I say that is a valid reason for why it's taking so long," the woman admitted.
"Naganadel," the insect(?) spoke before flying over to her.
"A Beastkin?"
"I beg your pardon?" the woman asked, "I am not a beast. Hmph!" she tilted her nose up and away from Tager in a huff, "I am a married woman, thank you very much."
"...No, no. I...was referring to your race," Tager explained.
"Fifi!" a voice called before a pair of figures ran over.
The two wore the same attire as the woman, but the shorter wore one with a baggier pants part. Both wore blue and white helmets that reminded Tager of bike racing helmets with blue masks over the upper halves of their faces, letting the taller's shoulder-length purple hair and the shorter's long orange braided ponytails to poke out.
"Ah, Darling!" the woman exclaimed as she bounced over and hugged the taller male, "I must say that this dimension houses some rude beings. The creatures all kept repeating 'consume, devour, feast' and then this one has the gall to call me a beast. Hmph. Must we stay here?"
"Aw come on, Big Sis," the shorter figure grinned, her voice revealing her to be a young girl as 'Stinger' flew behind her and let its head be petted by her, "He looks so awesome! Especially how big he is, too! Right, Dulse?"
"We haven't finished tracing where the Ultra Beast that came here went to, Fifi," the taller sighed, his voice exposing him as a male around the woman's age, "But it seems we've made contact with a local." he and the girl proceeded to bring their hands together and then traced a box shape with them while Fifi made a rainbow motion with her hands, "Greetings and apologies for any accidents involving Fifi taking something too far. We are the Ultra Recon Squad."
'...WHAT DID YOU GET ME INTO NOW, KOKONOE?!' Tager mentally screamed to the heavens.
GT: Well...seems that Kajun's gonna have something to talk about in the next chapter we have the Pokemon Study in…
SZ: Mm hmm
GT: And Noel's got a strong Pokemon now…
Yuki and Nymph: Vul/Vee?
GT: ...A strong evolved Pokemon now…
SZ: Oh yeah...in the form of Milotic...and she hasn't even battled ONCE yet.
GT: Well...Noel seems to be more pacifistic compared to the others...unless you press her buttons.
SZ: Like what Jessie did when she insulted Yuki.
GT: Yeah...Do not make fun of her Pokemon is one of those buttons...And we said we'd bring more BlazBlue into this at the end of the chapter, and we have.
SZ: Eeyup. As for how it'll tie in with the story...well, you'll just have to wait and see folks!
GT: So until next time, Read and Review!
SZ: Later, and have a good day!