Pokemon Virus Version Chapter 46: Opposite Ends of the Spectrum
Location: Bonitaville Pokemon Center
Another day in the life of a Pokemon Idol, also know as me!. Everyday, I spend under the lights and camera that follow my action.
I often get the question 'what's next for you now that you've reached the top'? Well, that question had inspired me to venture elsewhere in pop culture. That 'elsewhere' was the journey of a Pokemon Coordinator. Last year, I had climbed my way to the top as a Pokemon Coordinator, and won the Grand Festival for the second time in five years. Today, I must defend my title of Top Coordinator when I compete in my first contest since winning the Grand Festival.
Already out of bed and ready, I took one last look in the mirror. Nothing out of the ordinary here. I mean, EVERYBODY knows me just by looking at my signature blue hair.
...
Following my exit from the Pokemon Center, I was immediately greeted by a couple of passerbies. Looking up, the sky was partly cloudy, but the sun was as bright as ever. THIS was just me living the happy life I only dreamed of years ago.
"Oh look," Another passerby pointed toward me, "It's her!"
"Oh my gosh!" As usual, I was beginning to attract a sea of attention without even trying. I guess that's what comes with being famous.
"You're entering the contest here in Bonitaville, right?"
"Can I have your autograph please?"
"Okay, okay. One at a time please." I took a step back and put my hands in front of me, trying to calm the crowd.
After I finished answering everybody's questions, I headed straight for Contest Hall to register for Bonitaville's Pokemon Contest being held this evening.
Location: Contest Hall
"It's been an honor getting to meet you, and I'll be rooting for you tonight!" Even Contest Hall's receptionist knew very well who I was, and couldn't keep her excitement.
Following my registration, I turned around to start outside, only to realize I had been approached by a Meganium. But this Meganium...I knew this one all too well.
"Meeeii!" Meganium smile as I believed HE remembered who I was as well.
"Oh! Long time no see Meganium! Oh you're just as sweet as ever!" I hugged Meganium affectionately before suddenly realizing- "-If YOU'RE here, then where's-"
"-I'm right here!" an excited voice said.
"Oh, hey-yy..." I was approached by a Vincent...wearing a cape? "You DO know I'm over the whole cape thing, right?"
"Um, well." Vincent immediately removed his cape a gave me a smile while letting out a slight laugh. "Of course I knew that. Hehe."
"So what are you doing here?" I asked.
"I'm just passing through here on my second journey through Johto." Vincent replied as he crossed his arms.
"Why Johto again?" I questioned.
"I'm still no match for Jimmy. Now that he's Champion, I'll need to train extra hard if I want to take that title from him." Vincent replied as he put his hands behind his head while asking, "By the way, don't you think it's weird how Jimmy 'technically' isn't Jimmy anymore?"
"The players just keep changing his name whenever her starts a new journey." I replied. "I mean Ethan's okay, but I still think 'Jimmy' is better."
"Well, I digress now." Vincent started outside, gesturing Meganium and I to follow as he said, "It's been too long, Marina. We've got a lot of catching up to do."
Well it WAS nice to meet up with someone I actually knew. Very refreshing from the endless sea of fans I DON'T know.
"We sure do." I replied with a smile as Meganium and I followed.
...
"Sni Snivy..."
As soon as Vincent, Meganium, and I were outside, we came upon a scene of a Snivy with it's arms crossed and head turned away from it's trainer/
"You know, you're really a stuck up snob!" Snivy's long black haired, aqua blue-banged trainer was annoyed. "Why won't you listen to me?"
"It's because you're a sore loser." She was addressed by what appeared to be just a passerby little boy.
The little boy was accompanied by a girl who appeared to be about eleven years old. They shared laughs upon hearing the boy's reply to Snivy's trainer.
The blue banged girl sighed as she looked at the ground, while the Snivy let out a few laughs as well with a haughty smile on it's face.
"...Won't anyone give me a chance?" The girl whispered to herself.
This girl...I've seen her somewhere before, but where? Sure the little boy was making fun of her, but 'sore loser' was an actual nickname given to the her. I don't remember her real name, but I remember that she was a Coordinator. She was the laughingstcok of the Pokemon Contest world at that. Out of pity, I actually walked past the Snivy and approached the girl, without athought as to if Vincent or Meganium followed.
"Don't let these people get you down." I said.
"Huh?" When her eyes met with mine, a generically familiar reaction was shown toward the celebrity in me. "You're Pokemon Idol Marina! I saw you on television the day before I started my journey. It was the Grand Festival, and you became Top Coordinator for the second time in five years."
"Yup, that's me!" I winked at the girl.
"Um, Marina?" I was followed by Vincent and Meganium, who were close behind. "Hey, I know you." Vincent said as he faced the girl. "Everyone calls you a sore loser."
The girl sighed as she returned her gaze toward the ground.
"Oh, I apologize. I wasn't rying to offend you, honest. Vincent bowed his head. "So what IS your name?"
Looking at Vincent and I with a fake smile on her face, "My name is Yumi... And I'm on my own journey to become Top Coordinator. I WAS just passing through on my way to Ecruteak to reunite with my friends until I found out there was a Pokemon Contest here in Bonitaville tonight."
"Tonight, you say," I smiled. "Well I'm glad to meet my competition beforehand, if that's the case."
"C-competition?" Yumi questioned.
Yumi's POV
Competition?
"Competition?" Another passerby couldn't help but add more 'commentary' to my current situation. "What competition? You and Marina are total opposites when it comes to Pokemon Contests."
"Shut up!" I was annoyed at the brown haired, passerby teenage boy.
"What? I'm just being honest." The boy started. "I mean, a two time champion versus a sore loser who probably hasn't even won her first contest yet? We all know you won't choke this time because the whole thing will be over before it starts."
Rather than performing my usual routine of mouthing off, I just closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Ever since I encountered 03 in Greenfield, I've learned a lot about myself that even I didn't know about. Like how I should never give up on my friends, and how I shouldn't let people like Alice or this passerby discourage me with words.
"You know..." I opened my eyes and looked at the passerby with much confidence in what I had to say. "Maybe you should wait until AFTER tonight's contest to judge me. I'll admit it: I WAS a sore loser and I WAS choker, but things have changed since then. One thing's for sure, I don't have to listen to a 'waste of time' like you underestimate a person you don't even know."
I was calm and sure for the first time in my life, and actually attracted some distant attention from people passing by.
"My words exactly." Marina added as she and her company nodded in agreement. Snivy turned around and stared at me intently.
"Well if you really want to ignore the-" The passerby stopped as I just turned away with my arms crossed.
"I have nothing to lose, but everything to gain." I smiled as I walked away from the passerby.
"Um, well..." The passerby was out of words to fire at me, and I could hear some people quietly laughing at his embarrassment.
Hmph...
...
Away from Contest Hall, I settled on a bench at a local park in Bonitaville, holding a strawberry ice cream cone in my hand.
"Yumi!"
"Huh?" Taking a break from eating my ice cream, I saw Marina, Meganium, Snivy, and her light brown haired friend catching up to me.
"Snivy..." As soon as Snivy approached me, he used his Vine Whip to grab the ice cream cone out of my hand.
"Hey!" I snapped at Snivy, who took a huge bite out of the cone, which confuses me because Snivy can't even use the move Bite.
"Sni!" Snivy gave me a bright smile.
"Huh? You never smile at me like that..."
"That's because you've probably never asserted yourself the way you did back there.
I looked at Marina confused.
"I would venture to guess that Snivy doesn't accept anything less than a quality, confident human to be it's trainer. I mean, you went from shamelessly begging Snivy just to do what you say, to gaining a sense of dignity against that passerby. Royal pokemon such as Snivy DO tend to settle for nothing less than the highest quality," Marina was certainly able to drag out her 'inner queen' while saying that last sentence.
"The why'd Snivy take my ice cream? I asked.
"Oh that?" Marina started. "Snivy's probably just hungry."
Assert myself, eh? In an attempt to assert myself, I approached Snivy with much confidence and poise and said "Listen, you spoiled snob, you're entering tonight's Pokemon Contest whether you like it or not, you hear?!"
Snivy simply rolled it's eyes, but no worry.
"Oh, so you DO want us to return to Olivine. And you DON'T want to see Chikorita again." Snivy's eyes shot wide open. He immediately dropped the ice cream and ran over to hug my leg, begging me to change my mind. I WAS well aware of Snivy trying to get attached with Chikorita in Bloomingvale(Chapter 31), although the two never really had a chance to get to know each other.
"Sni! Snivy Snivy!"
"Now, will you enter tonight's contest?"
"Vy!" Snivy nodded as he buried his face in my leg.
"Now that's more like it." With a haughty smile, I hel my chin up high and put my hands on my hips.
I think I may have finally gotten Snivy to listen to me...
And so I spent the rest of the day at the center of town with Marina, Meganium, and that boy named Vincent, while training A Snivy a planned on using in the battle round...if I make it that far. Thankfully, I'll be going with Umbreon in the performance round. I had a routine that Umbreon and I never had the chance to showcase back in Bloomingvale, and I thought now was as good as ever for public display.
Later that evening...
Location: Contest Hall
Inside Contest Hall, I got the very stares from other people that I had been expecting all day. Despite standing up for myself earlier today, I still felt embarrassed by the giggles I could hear being held back, and the whispers of 'choker' and 'loser' in the background. I then locked my eyes on the floor and kept it that way, avoiding eyes contact with anyone until I made my way toward the dressing room.
While I was getting changed into my contest clothes, I could hear the contest's mater of ceremonies from a nearby, high volume television.
"Hello ladies and gentlemen. I'm sure most of you already know who I am, but if not, my name is Lillian Meridian and I'll be the MC of Bonitaville's contest of Pokemon," Lillian introduced herself with her unique enthusiasm. "Now before I introduce you all to our judges, I would like for all of you to give a round of applause to a very special participant tonight. Competing for the first time since becoming Top Coordinator for the second time in five years, we have our defending Champion: Pokemon Idol, Marina!"
That crowd...Once I believed Marina appeared on stage, that crowd cheered like there was no tomorrow. She was, without a doubt, the favorite in this nationally televised contest. While everybody else, including myself, were just there to serve as lowly background character. Do the rest of us even stand a chance against Marina?
"Thank you, thank you, and thank you!" I believed Marina was bowing her head as received a monster amount of applause.
"She's so pretty." I heard a guy say.
"Sometimes I wish I could just be her for a day," I heard a girl say.
After I was done with my preparations, I looked in the mirror to see my long black hair now wavy, and my two aqua bangs were now combed into one bang that covered my left eye. I wore purple eye shadow and black eyeliner. My clothes included a powder blue dress with a black skirt, black heels, and long white gloves.
As soon as I exited the dressing room, the introductions on the television were finished, and I was immediately greeted by Vincent and Megainum.
"Yumi-" Vincent looked at me, stopping in his tracks. "Y-you look..."
"Vincent here thinks you look very lovely." We were approached by a Marina wearing a white short skirted dress, black legging and gloves, and black tennis shoes, she even had her hat removed.
Vincent's face went red. "T-that's not true." Vincent's face turned even redder when he got a glimpse of Marina's face. "Marina..."
I stared at Vincent, as did a smiling Meganium. and I couldn't help but put my hands on my hips and say, "If only I could get Seth to blush like that...Oh well." I simply shrugged off what I was thinking about out loud.
"Okay, they're about to announce the order or the performances." One of the fellow coordinator's announced.
Marina and I looked at each other before turning our attention toward the television screen.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the order in which tonight's coordinators are performing will now be displayed!" Lillian said before the screen displayed sixteen faces.
"I'm last?" Marina questioned as she found her own picture almost immediately.
"They WOULD save the best for last." Vincent added.
"Meeii!" Meganium cried in agreement.
"Hmm, then where am I-..." I stopped as I suddenly became nervous, "I'm first up..."
"Oh look," A female coordinator started ,"The sore loser's in this contest."
"She doesn't stand a chance. Not with Top Coordinator Marina competing. I heard the sore loser's never even won a ribbon."
Before I could speak up, Marina put on an annoyed expression as she spoke. "What good are you guys to-"
"Marina!" I called as she turned toward me. "I don't need you to fight my battle. Please just let me go out ther and prove everyone wrong myself."
"Yumi..."
"When I first started my journey, I was overconfident, and arrogant, and I never really backed up my words. I wanted to be just like you in the beginning, Marina. I called myself a 'Princess of Pokemon' who wanted to be nothing mire than a celebrity or and idol. But things have changed since then. "I clenched my fist as I gave Marina a determined look. "Marina, you are amy idol, but I will defeat you tonight!"
Without staying to hear any backlash from my competition, I quickly started toward the stage.
In the hallway was quite empty, only because Seth was here to personally escort me this time(Chapter 13).
I looked at the ground one more time and thought about what I said to Marina.
"But CAN I defeat her?"
I was the ultimate underdog. And it was the winless rookie in me versus the two time champion veteran in Marina. With everyone cheering for Marina, the world was my enemy, and I had to prove everyone wrong about TONIGHT.
"Althaea,,,Seth...I hope you're both watching." I said to myself. "Oh, and Alice too. She'll be extremely jealous when she sees me upset the champion." I grinned at the thought a speechless Alice's jaw dropping.
Taking center stage, it was now my time to shine...
To Be Continued...
So like I said: A generically light hearted chapter to drown out the cannibalism that happened last chapter. Yumi STILL has to keep up appearances so that you guys don't forget about her, and Marina and Vincent won't be minor characters, they'll have PLANTY of recurring appearances to serve as friendly rivals for Seth, Yumi, and other characters from this chapter onward. I'm still debating on whether Ethan will make any appearance at all, it just depends on how necessary he could be to the story, orfar people like Vincent go, since Vincent has stated that he considers Ethan a rival. And I've been planning to put ALOT more canon characters in this story, but I do like to surprise you guys so I won't tell who will be featured...yet. But they won't all be Johto characters, I have minor Kanto, Sinnoh, and Unova trainers already mapped out as well. So please review and stayed tuned for next chapter.