Sorry for the wait, everyone, I've been a little sick lately.
Void reader, what is with you?
Our heroes finally arrived at Orbarrow City, where the next Gym, and the next Pokémon Pageant reside. We learned that Vernon's own father, Walter was Orbarrow's Gym Leader, but in a shocking surprise, Vernon asked his father to allow him to be Ash's opponent in his Gym Battle.
Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, Ash was soundly defeated by his friend. Ash now has no choice but to prepare for a rematch, but now, a new challenger has appeared to challenge the Orbarrow Gym!
Ash, Serena, and Vernon all looked in surprise to see none other than Florian walking up to the Gym.
"Is this the Orbarrow City Gym?" he asked. "I'm here for a battle."
"Florian?" said Ash. "When did you get to Orbarrow?"
Florian turned to face him, but squinted in annoyance. "You again? Don't tell me you beat this Gym before I did?!"
Ash sunk back a bit upon hearing that. "Well, no, I didn't beat this Gym..."
Florian raised an eyebrow. "You haven't challenged it yet?"
"Well, actually, I..." Ash struggled to say.
"Wait, you lost?" said Florian, before grinning smugly. "Ha! Well, I can't say I'm surprised."
"Grr, what's that supposed to mean?!" growled Ash.
"I think you know just what it means," said Florian. Turning away from Ash, he said, "Well, is the Gym Leader still in?"
"Well, yes," said Walter, stepping forward. "I am the Gym Leader."
"Then I'd like a Gym Battle, if you don't mind," said Florian.
"Sorry, but my Pokémon are resting over at the Pokémon Center right now," said Walter. "You'll have to come back later."
"Dang it," said Florian. "I've been training all day!"
"Yeah, well, those guys had a pretty tough fight today," said Vernon.
"Well, I doubt this guy could have tired them out too much," said Florian, looking over at Ash.
Annoyed, Ash growled, "Enough! Look, I gave it my all against Vernon! He was just-"
"Vernon?" said Florian, looking over to Vernon. "You mean your friend?" Suddenly, he started snickering, saying, "You can't be serious! You couldn't even beat your own friend? Why were you even fighting him?!"
"My dad's the Gym Leader," Vernon explained. "But I asked him to let me be Ash's opponent for his Gym battle. We're going to be having a rematch soon enough."
"What? Someone like you? You can't just take the place of a Gym Leader. That requires real skill."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Vernon huffed. "I have skill. I did beat Ash, after all."
"You say that like that's hard to do," said Florian. "Look, I need to prepare for a real match with your father, so I don't have time for this."
Vernon growled under his breath. Just who did this guy this he was? Did he think he was better than him and Ash? No, Vernon wasn't just going to let him insult his skill or Ash's.
"Say, Dad, since I'm acting as Gym Leader anyway," he asked Walter, "I have an idea. Can I be Florian's opponent, too?"
"What? You want to fight this kid, too?" said Walter. "What for?"
"Let's just say I think he needs to learn some manners," said Vernon.
Walter looked at his son confused, but shrugged and said, "Well, okay, if you really want to."
"You want to fight me?" said Florian. "Hmph. Alright, fine. But I'm going to give you the thrashing of a lifetime, pal."
"Not a chance," said Vernon.
"Vernon, wait," Serena suddenly spoke up. "What about the Pageant today?"
"Huh? Oh right," said Vernon. "Um, you and Ash can go on without me. I've got to prepare for the Gym Battle."
"Uh, are you sure?" said Serena. "I mean, I was kind of hoping you could help me prepare."
"You'll be fine, Serena. I know you!" said Vernon. "You and Ash go ahead." Vernon then began walking away, leaving Serena and Ash dumbfounded. They looked at each other, but finally walked away.
"Well, I better get ready myself," said Florian. As he began to walk away, he suddenly got a look at Johnny. "Hey, wait a minute, haven't I seen you somewhere before?"
Johnny looked at him surprised, but then he thought-
"Uh, no, I don't think so, my boy," he said. Florian gave him and odd look, but slowly walked away.
Serena and Ash were walking together, trying to find the Pageant Hall. "What the heck was that about?" Ash wondered aloud. "Why does he want to fight Florian?"
"I don't know," said Serena, but she managed to grin to herself. "Then again, if he's as tough during his battle with him as he was during his battle with you, heh, there's no way he'll win before you!"
"Uh, yeah, I guess..." Ash mumbled under his breath. Right now, he couldn't stop thinking about his loss at the Gym. Just what went wrong? He thought he had this in the bag. After all, it was just Vernon. He knew his friend better than anyone. Just what did he do wrong?
"Look, the Pageant Hall!" said Serena. Ash looked up to see the Pageant Hall, standing tall, covered in pink, with a gold medal sitting on top.
"Hey, guys!" came a familiar voice. The two turned their heads to see Eva running up to them excited.
"Eva? Is that you?" said Serena. "I didn't know you were here."
"I didn't know you were here, Serena!" said Eva. "Are you here for the Pageant, too?"
"Of course!"
"Awesome! For a second I was worried I wouldn't have any real competition today!"
"Sheesh," said Serena. "You sound awfully cocky today, don't you?"
Eva chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, well, it's just I've been working really hard at my techniques lately. Me and my Pokémon are more in sync than we've ever been! I'd like to believe I'm a lot better now."
"Really?" said Serena. "Well, I've been working hard too. So you'd better hit me with your best, okay?"
"You too!" said Eva. However, she looked over to see Ash, who seemed to be looking off into the distance. "Hey, Ash? Is something bothering you?"
"Huh? Oh, i-it's nothing," said Ash.
"He's just a little bummed right now because he lost his latest Gym Battle," Serena explained.
"Oh really?" said Eva.
"Yeah, well, the Gym Leader was Vernon," said Ash. "I just thought for sure I could beat him."
"Vernon?" said Eva. "He's a Gym Leader?"
"Uh, look, it's a long story," said Ash. "L-look, it's not important right now. I'm here to support Serena."
"Wait, where is Vernon right now, anyway?" said Eva.
"He's busy right now," said Serena. "Look, Ash is right, let's just focus on the Pageant right now, okay?"
Eva looked at them both confused, but shrugged and said, "Okay then. It's too bad Vernon isn't here to cheer you on, though, isn't it, Serena?"
"Don't worry, he's in the middle of something really important right now," said Serena. "We can explain later. Let's just get going."
Who's that Pokémon?
It nests on the edge of sharp cliffs. It spends all day bringing food to its awaiting chicks.
Backstage was bustling with a bunch of young girls, all getting ready. Serena and Eva made their way into a dressing room, where all the girls were trying on different outfits and trying to get their Pokémon ready.
"Wow, I've never seen a crowd like this before!" said Eva before she looked at Serena. "Doesn't this ever feel overwhelming to you?"
"Eh, this nothing," said Serena. "You've seen as many Contests and Showcases as I have, you get used to the craziness."
"I don't know," said Eva. "Ever since I started doing Pageants, it's all felt awfully overwhelming to me."
"Heh, what happened to that confidence I saw outside?" said Serena.
"Oh, it's nothing," said Eva. "Don't worry about it."
"So, what kinds of tricks have you come up with since the last time I saw you?" Serena asked.
"Come on, now, you don't want me spoiling the surprise, do you?" said Eva. "But, there is this one routine I've been working on with my Pokémon. We've been working really hard at it, so I hope it works out."
"Well, I'm sure it'll be great!" Serena said. "Can't wait to see it!"
"So, what Pokémon are you gonna use, Serena?" said Eva.
"My two best ones!" Serena said, pulling out her PokéBalls and releasing Braixen and Lunoth.
"Is that a Lunoth?" said Eva. "Oh, so Chrysaluxe evolved? That's awesome! Hey, guess what? My Pokémon evolved too!" She then pulled out her own PokéBall and opened it. Out came a Pokémon that looked like a Charmor, except it stood tall on two legs, looked like a pangolin, a flame was lit at the end of its tail, and there were small spikes on top of its head and in its shoulders.
"Wait a minute, it that... Charmor?" said Serena.
"You bet!" said Eva as she began scratching the head of her Pokémon. It evolved into Shellbur! We've been training together really hard, and I think we're ready to show everyone what it can do!"
"Buuurr!" said Shellbur.
Serena smiled and said, "Well, that's great! I can't wait to see what you guys do!"
Inside the Pageant Hall, the newest Pokémon Pageant began in earnest. The crowd was going wild as Fenwick arrived on the stage, bathed in a bright spotlight. Ash was seated near the front, as RotomDex floated above him, recording everything.
"Ah, what a crowd we have here today!" he said. "I am Fenwick, and welcome one and all to the Pokémon Pageant!" As the crowd went wild, Fenwick continued, "Now, we have a fine selection of young ladies competing for their latest medal today, everyone, so please let me hear a warm welcome for all of them!"
First up was Eva. She came out onto the stage wearing an outfit was a bit more dialed back than what you might expect. It was brown, with light plaid, and big brown bow in the middle. Surrounding her was Shellbur, wearing a bow on around its neck, and flames erupting from under its scales. Above them was a Swablu, who was doing a little dance in the air.
"Wow! Look! I think Eva's Charmor evolved!" said RotomDex. He scanned it and read, "Shellbur, the Fire Armor Pokémon. A Fire Type. With fire burning hot underneath its scales, it's armor is not only tough but hot to touch. These scales are shed by Shellbur and are constantly replaced, but they remain hot for long after until they eventually break apart. Evolves from Charmor at level 16 and into Charmadillo at level 36."
The crowd was clapping for Eva. However, as more contestants came out, Eva couldn't help but notice that the crowd seemed to be clapping louder for them than they did for her.
Last but not least was Serena, and she rose up from under the stage. She was decked out in a fancy, orange dress, and had roses in her hair. She had Braixen and Lunoth out, ribbons on their heads, and they rotated around her, Braixen showing off its fire from its stick, and Lunoth reflecting the light of its wings in a mesmerizing way. The crowd saw her, and quickly went wild.
"Doesn't Serena look amazing, Ash?" RotomDex said as he began snapping pictures. However, he quickly noticed that Ash wasn't really paying attention. He looking off to the side for some reason.
"Um, Ash? Are you paying attention?" he said.
"Huh? Oh, sorry," said Ash.
"Is something on your mind?" said RotomDex.
"N-no, it's nothing," said Ash. The truth was he had been thinking about his rematch with Vernon, trying to decide how he could win this time.
"Well, come on! Serena needs our support right now." RotomDex said, facing the stage once more. "Guess she wasn't ready to use Quokkawatt, though, huh?"
"Well, Quokkawatt is still pretty new to her," said Ash.
As the crowd cheered for Serena, Eva looked over at her. Her presentation really was something else, wasn't it? Yet, hearing the cheers, Eva couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
It's Delibird!
"Now then," announced Fenwick, "our first round will be an old favorite, 'Jewel-bilee!' Our contestants must work with their Pokémon to bring three fake gemstones down to them from up on this fake peak!" The spotlight on stage shown down a fake mountain, which was full of fake gemstones at the top. They're Pokémon may bring any gemstones down to their Trainers, and they will be allowed to steal gemstones from each other, but the cannot use moves. They are also not allowed to carry more than one gemstone at a time. The first four contestants to acquire three gemstones will move onto the Performance round!"
Serena and Eva stood lined up by the other girls. "You did a challenge like this in your first Pagaent, right?" Serena asked Eva.
"Yep! And we won with flying colors!"
"Swaaa!" announced Eva's Swablu, as it rose up behind Eva.
"That's right, Swablu!" Eva said. "Now I've got a flying Pokémon on my team, I'll win even faster!"
"Lunoth!" cried Lunoth, flying above Serena.
"I don't think so!" said Serena. "Lunoth is gonna beat this!"
"Alright, is everyone ready?" said Fenwick, as a big countdown began on screen. "On your marks, get set, go!"
And with that, all the girls' Pokémon were off. Lunoth and Swablu quickly surged into the lead. It didn't take long for them both to grab a fake gemstone and fly back down, tossing them to their Trainers.
"Great! Looks like Miss Serena and Miss Eva are off to a great start!" said Fenwick.
The two Pokémon quickly flew back up, ready to steal their next gemstones. However, as soon as Lunoth picked one up, it got pounced by a Nickit. The Pokémon chuckled to itself before nabbing the gemstone and running back down.
Uh oh, thought Serena. Fortunately, Lunoth was quick to recover, quickly finding another gemstone and flying back down.
Serena sighed in relief as she caught her second gemstone, but she looked over to see Eva holding two of them, and Swablu pulling out the third. As she saw the bird Pokémon flying down, she thought to herself, Sorry about this Eva... She looked at Lunoth and pointed at Swablu. Lunoth understood what she wanted and nodded before flying off.
"And we have our first winner!" announced Fenwick as the Nickit's Trainer received her third gemstone. Swablu was nearly to the bottom, but suddenly, Lunoth tackled it, knocking the gemstone out of its grasp. It quickly grabbed it before flying back to Serena.
"And that's two!" Fenwick said. "Now who will our final two be?"
Eva gasped in shock, but she quickly shouted to Swablu to go back. Swablu was able to grab another, but as it flew down again, it got pounced by a Nincada. The bug Pokémon quickly grabbed the gemstone and raced back to its Trainer, giving her her third one.
"And that's three! Pressure on for the final winner!"
Eva felt herself getting nervous, and what was worse, she saw a Mareep near the bottom of the peak with its third gemstone in hand. No, this can't... there's no way I can win now!
Suddenly, luck smiled on her. The Mareep tripped and dropped it gemstone. As it tried to recover, Eva quickly called out to her Pokémon. "Swablu! Down there!" Swablu quickly spied the dropped gemstone, but the Mareep couldn't, so it quickly flew down to grab it before the Mareep could see it. It then dropped it into Eva's hands.
"And there you have it, folks! Our four winners! These are our lucky ladies who will be moving on to the next round!"
All four winning girls turned to the crowd, who cheered for them. Eva was sighing in relief, though. Woo, that was lucky. I almost got eliminated there. She looked over to Serena who was waving at the crowd. Guess I underestimated you, huh? Well, that won't happen again!
"Now, use Discharge!" said Vernon. Jelloater unleashed a whole bunch of electricity, which covered the entire field.
On the other end of the field, Walter was commanding Mosqueedle to help his son train. "I don't think so! Dodge it!"
Mosqueedle became rocketing around with the power of Agility, carefully dodging every bolt of electricity.
"Whoa, not bad, Dad!" said Vernon.
"Mosqueedle's biggest strength is its speed, Vernon," said Walter. "Now, use Poison Jab!"
"Not so fast!" said Vernon. "Electro Jab!"
The two attacks collided, before both Pokémon were pushed Bach, still unharmed.
"Alright, that's enough," said Vernon.
"Are you sure?" said Walter.
"Yeah, I think I know how to beat Florian now."
"I wouldn't get ahead of yourself, kid," said Johnny, walking over. "That Florian kid, I don't know, he seems pretty tough."
"Well, I've gotta beat him, okay?" said Vernon. "For Ash's sake."
"Yeah, well, the worst thing if you want to win is underestimate your opponent," said Johnny.
"Relax," said Vernon. "Traveling with Ash, I picked up a couple things from him."
"Then you're in trouble," came a voice. Everyone turned to see Florian now walking into the arena. "Now you're up against a real challenge."
"You're here already?" said Vernon. "Hmph, guess you just couldn't wait to lose."
"I'm not gonna lose," said Florian. "I'm gonna show just what me and my Pokémon are capable of."
"I see," said Vernon. "In that case, why don't we get started right away?"
"Fine by me."
Florian and Vernon prepared to get started, while Johnny looked over them a bit concerned. But especially with Florian.
"Alright, the Performance round is up next you guys," said Serena. She was outside the performance hall, talking to Braixen and Lunoth. "C'mon, let's make sure we're ready."
Suddenly, though, she heard some noise coming from around the corner. She turned her head and could see some small embers blowing around. Curious, she walked over and saw Eva practicing with Shellbur and Swablu.
"C'mon, guys, let's get this right," she said. "Shellbur, use Flame Burst!"
Shellbur spat out a big ball of fire into the air. "Now, Swablu, Aerial Ace!"
Swablu rammed its body through the fireball, causing it to burst into small embers falling to the ground. Shellbur and Swablu looked at their trainer proud, but Wva had a frown on her face.
"Nah, still not enough!" she said. "C'mon! We can do better!"
"Eva, are you okay?" Serena said, startling Eva. She turned to see her friend and said, "Oh, hey, Serena. I'm... just trying to get some last minute practice in."
"Eva, you seem a little worked up. Are you okay?"
Eva didn't say anything at first, but then her shoulders fell, and she said, "Well, to be honest, I'm a little scared."
"Scared?"
"I barely survived the last round. The routine I have planned for the Performance round, well, I've been working on it for so long, but it's still not a great as I hoped. I thought it would be fine for this competition, but after seeing all the other contestants..."
"Eva, come on, you don't have anything to be afraid of," said Serena.
"I'm gonna be up against you, though, aren't I?" Eva responded. "And you done so many this sort of thing for how long now?"
Serena paused at hearing that, but then she looked over at Eva's Pokémon, who looked concerned. "Look, Eva, your Pokémon are trying their best for you. But I think you're starting to push them a little too hard."
Eva looked at her Pokémon, who seemed to be giving her encouraging looks. "Hey, if I can share a piece of advice with you, if you wanna win, you'll wanna make sure you're in complete sync with your Pokémon. After all, you're performing together."
Eva paused at hearing that, before she asked her Pokémon, "What do you guys think? Do you have any ideas for our performance?"
Swablu suddenly smiled and flew up, and then it started to sing.
"Huh?" said Eva. "Swablu, are you saying you wanna sing?" Swablu nodded at her, and suddenly, Eva had an idea. "How would you like to sing and dance?" She then looked at Shellbur. "And Shellbur, your fire..." Shellbur quickly realized what she was saying and excitedly nodded.
"Awesome!" said Eva as she finally smiled and clasped her hands. "I know just what to do!"
Serena smiled and said, "Hey, you want some help to practice?"
"Really? Thanks, Serena!"
"Alright, everyone, it's time!" announced Fenwick. "The Performance round is here! And first up, we have Miss Eva!"
Eva. Swablu, and Shellbur took the stage. She felt a little nervous seeing everyone staring at her, but she took a deep breath as her Pokémon began. Swablu soared up high, and slowly started to sing. Floating back and forth, it slowly rose higher, and higher.
Everyone in the audience murmured, unimpressed, but then, there was a small explosion. A Flame Burst from Shellbur burst like a firework behind Swablu, who began its dance in midair. Then, there were three more fireworks from Shellbur, before Swablu landed in front of Shellbur, who shot flames up out of its back, allowing Swablu to cast a glorious shadow.
At that point, everyone was excited, and began applauding. But then Eva stood in front of Shellbur, and raised up her hands. Shellbur shot another Flame Burst, and positioned it to look like Eva was holding it. Then, Swablu used Aerial Ace to make it burst, scattered tiny embers around the stage like confetti.
Everyone erupted into uproarious applause. Eva smiled as Fenwick said, "And that was Miss Eva, everyone!
Serena was up next. Braixen and Lunoth by her side, she began her own performance. Braixen did a small dance with its staff, lighting it and spinning it to give a display of embers. Lunoth used its wings to blow the embers around.
Then, Lunoth used Silver Wind, launching crescent-shaped attacks towards the stage. Braixen quickly slashed through them with Scratch, and they burst into white glitter.
They audience applauded, but Serena wasn't down yet. Finally, Braixen jumped up and threw a Fire Blast at the ground. When it landed, though, it didn't explode, but then Lunoth flew down and used Dark Pulse on it, pressuring it until the Fire Blast burst into a fiery display. Lunoth and Braixen threw landed by Serena and the three of them bowed.
The audience applauded, and Fenwick said, "What an amazing display by Miss Serena, everyone!"
"Okay, Mosqueedle, you're up first!" Vernon threw his PokéBall, which burst open to reveal the mosquito-like Pokémon.
"Piece of cake," said Florian before he hurled his own PokéBall. "Hawcipiter, I choose you!"
"Haaaaww!" cried out the bird Pokémon as it appeared on the field.
Hawcipiter, huh? Vernon thought. I see what he's doing. A type advantage. But it won't work.
"Now then, battle begin!" said the referee.
BATTLE BEGIN!
"Use Poison Jab!" said Vernon. Mosqueedle's snout turned purple and it charged at Hawcipiter.
"Acrobatics!" Florian said. Quickly, Hawcipiter began flying all over the place at blazing speeds, and Mosqueedle was too slow to keep up.
"That won't stop us! Use Agility!" Mosqueedle quickly started to speed up, getting in close to Hawcipiter. "Now! Use Toxic!"
But Florian, looking at the battle, already knew just what to do. "Acrobatics! Toss it!"
Hawcipiter sped up, quickly tackling Mosqueedle before grabbing it in its talons and throwing it back down to the floor.
"Aerial Ace." Hawcipiter then dived back down towards Mosqueedle, who didn't even have time to move out of the way. Thinking quickly, Vernon said, "U-Turn!" Mosqueedle quickly rammed into Hawcipiter before turning into red light and going back to Vernon.
Dang it, he's good. Vernon thought. But he can't be tougher than Ash.
"You'll have to try harder than that!" he said, throwing his next PokéBall. "Jelloater, you're up!"
Vernon's ace arrived on the field, buzzing with energy, but Florian was nonplussed. "Yeah, I see your game."
"Just you wait!" said Vernon. "Electro Jab!"
Jelloater thrust its tentacle at Hawcipiter, but Florian didn't tell it to move. Vernon felt confused for half a second before suddenly, just as the tentacle reached the bird Pokémon, Florian yelled, "Circle Throw!"
Hawcipiter suddenly grabbed the tentacle in its talons and pulled Jelloater in closer. Before Vernon could even say anything, Hawcipiter turned before throwing Jelloater over its head, flying back towards Vernon. But then, Jelloater turned to red light and went back to to its PokéBall, and then, Mosqueedle was dragged out onto the field.
"What?" said Vernon.
"You thought you had me, didn't you?" said Florian. "Now, use Aerial Ace!"
As Hawcipiter flew towards Mosqueedle, Vernon quickly cried out for a Poison Jab. The two attacks collided, before both Pokémon were thrown back.
Hawcipiter tried to get up, but suddenly, poisonous bubbles erupted from its body. Vernon grinned before he suddenly looked down to see his own Pokémon laying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.
"Mosqueedle's unable to battle!" called the ref.
"No!" Vernon quickly recalled his Pokémon. "Sorry, Mosqueedle. That was my bad."
"You sure you wouldn't rather let your father take over?" Florian taunted from across the field. "Seems like this is too much for you to handle."
Johnny looked at him upset as Vernon growled under his breath. "I'm just getting started!" He then threw Jelloater back out onto the field.
"Hmph," said Florian. "Let's see what this guy's got. Acrobatics!"
As the bird Pokémon got in close, Vernon didn't say anything, but then he yelled, "Acid Armor!" Jelloater's body turned to liquid and Hawcipiter phased through it. "Now use Constrict!"
Jelloater quickly wrapped its tentacles around Hawcipiter, and tying up its legs to prevent another Circle throw. "Thunder!" Jelloater unleashed all its electricity, and when the smoke cleared, it dropped Hawcipiter to the ground.
"Hawcipiter is unable to battle!"
Florin growled before recalling his Pokémon. "You got lucky, but that won't happen again."
"You shouldn't underestimate me!" Vernon said. "I've been traveling for a while now. And I'd like to believe it's all toughened me up."
Florian just growled and pulled out his next PokéBall. "Guess it's time to break out the big guns! Deino! I choose you!"
"Deeiii!" said Deino, appearing in the field.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is time for you to cast your votes!" said Fenwick, as Eva, Serena, and the two other girls stood on the stage. "Please use the devices in front of you vote for who you think deserves to advance to the Battle round!"
The whole audience began inputting their votes, and the girls watched the screen above intensely as the votes were tallied.
The battle between Vernon and Florian is really heating up! But the competition between Serena and Eva is certainly heating up as well! You will win? And who will lose? Find out next time, as the journey continues!
TO BE CONTINUED...