Chapter 34:
Friends Today, Rivals Tomorrow
The group continued their trek through the Wheatfields for the next couple days, making a stop here and there to rest and train their Pokemon. During the morning of the third day, they finally reached their destination, Vinoville Town. And just in time, given that the contest would take place there that very afternoon.
As usual, a sign welcomed them into the new town:
Welcome to Vinoville Town
A nostalgic paradise where all are welcome! Unless you hate farms or something.
Everybody had the feeling that that last line was aimed at a certain Gym Leader.
"Here we are! Vinoville Town!" Serena excitedly said, as she walked past the sign into the rural town.
Clemont adjusted his glasses as he looked around. "It's... not that different from the Wheatfields..."
Just like Clemont pointed out, Vinoville Town had the exact same look as the route they had traveled to get there: plenty of rural houses and farms, surrounded by fields of fruit trees and field crops of many kinds. The town only had dirt roads, with plenty of bushes and trees growing here and there, and a small river of blue crystaline water crossing it.
"Look! There's the Contest Hall!" Bonnie said, pointing at the colorful building in the middle of the town, which stood out among the smaller houses made of simple wood.
"We still have some time until the contest. We should better go to the Pokemon Center first," Clemont suggested.
"Yeah. I want to make sure all my Pokemon are at their best to win our fourth ribbon!" Serena excitedly said.
They didn't take long to find the Pokemon Center either. While Vinoville was bigger than both Kevlar and Moki it was still easy to traverse, especially after having to deal with the streets of the sprawling metropolis that was Bealbeach City. Once there, they found something outside that they wouldn't expect to see in such a rural place: two dozen motorbikes parked in parallel next to the building.
"Those motorbikes... Does this mean...?" Ash began.
Serena's mouth curved into a wide smile as she rushed towards the center. "It has to be!"
The honey blonde ran past the automatic doors into the lobby of the center, her friends coming behind her. And indeed, sitting on several tables while doing a variety of activities such as reading a magazine, checking their pokegears or having a drink, were a bunch of bikers that the group knew very well, all of them wearing a sleeveless blue jacket with a Dunsparce on its back.
"Whoa, it's the Dunsparce Bikers!" Bonnie excitedly said.
Upon hearing their gang name, said bikers turned towards the newcomers, but quickly smiled once they recognized the group of four.
"Hey, look at that! Ash and his buddies!" Richard said, smiling widely as he got up from his seat, other bikers doing the same. "Long time no see, huh?"
"Serena!" Aisha happily said, as she walked towards her friend and rival. "It's so great to see you!"
"Same!" Serena replied, just as pleased to see the biker girl. "We haven't seen each other since Burole. How have you been doing since then?"
"It couldn't be better! Check this out!" Aisha said, as she reached inside her jacket, and showed Serena her ribbon case, with four ribbons on it. "Four ribbons already! This time I managed to shake off all the rust for good!"
Serena nodded, and showed Aisha her own ribbon case. "I might be lagging behind you, but that's even bigger motivation for me to win and catch up to you."
"I'm afraid that'll have to wait. Because when I win this contest, my place in the Grand Festival will be secured!" Aisha proudly boasted.
"You'll have to go through me first, though," Serena reminded her.
"Is that supposed to be a threat? Ha! The fact that you're here makes it even better!" Aisha confidently said. "I get to win my last ribbon and beat you in a long awaited rematch! What's there not to like?"
"How about the face you're going to make when Jillian announces my name as the winner?" Serena fired back.
The two girls angrily glared at each other, as their respective groups of friends grew uneasy due the building tension. Where did this animosity come from? Was the competition getting the best of them?
Then, Aisha snorted, Serena giggled, and the two of them broke into a fit of laughter. Everybody else quickly relaxed as the tension In the air vanished as quickly as it had formed.
"Heh, it's great to see you back, Serena," Aisha said, slapping the honey blonde on the back. "Though, I stand by what I said. I'm aiming for the win, and to meet you in battle."
"I'd be disappointed otherwise," Serena replied. "Given how much of a hard time you gave me when you returned to the contest scene after who knows how long out of it, I can't wait to see what you can do now that you're back in shape."
"Heh, you should have seen her in her last contest! She was spectacular!" Lou said. "We took so many pictures of her! Look, this is just before she won her fourth ribbon!"
The burly man showed Serena a picture in his Pokegear, with Ash, Clemont and Bonnie moving to see it too. Though, instead of seeing Aisha in her contest outfit commanding her Pokemon, it was the picture of a toddler sucking on a pacifier while riding a toy bike, wearing a pink long shirt with the words "Born to be Wild" stitched on it.
"Heh, is that you, Aisha? You were so cute," Bonnie snickered.
"Whoops! I think I chose the wrong picture folder..." Lou nervously said, as he began to fiddle with his Pokegear.
"Goddamit uncle, I'm going to shove that Pokegear where the sun doesn't shine!" Aisha said, as she angrily pushed Lou backwards.
"Where the sun doesn't shine? Where is that?" Bonnie asked Clemont.
"Eh... you'll know when you're older..." Clemont said, stammering a little.
Once Ash and his friends left their Pokemon with Nurse Joy for a checkup, they took a seat alongside the bikers, and spent the rest of the morning amiably chatting until it was lunchtime.
And once lunchtime was over, it was time for Serena and Aisha to take part in the Vinoville Contest.
…
As usual, Serena and Aisha left their respective group of friends at the queue for spectators, while the two coordinators entered the Contest Hall through a back door. Once inside, they were directed towards the changing rooms. Once Serena changed into her outfit, she was led towards the waiting area, where a few coordinators already were, waiting for the contest to begin.
Oddly enough, Aisha wasn't there, meaning that she was still getting changed. However, Serena was about to find out that Aisha wasn't going to be the only familiar face in the competition.
"Ah look, the Kalosian peasant. Just what I needed," an unpleasant voice said.
Serena turned towards the direction of said voice, and much to her annoyance she saw Sayaka, wearing her usual dark blue kimono with moon and star motifs, and her trademark smug smile adorning her face.
Serena let out a sigh of weariness. "And here I thought that this contest was going to be great..."
"Oh, it will be great, once I take the ribbon with me," Sayaka said. "Plus, as an added bonus, I get to stomp you into the ground again. Normally I wouldn't want to see the likes of you here, but after my unfair defeat at the cruise's contest, I need something more than victory to relieve my frustration."
"Unfair? You lost fair and square! The contest rules allow the use of Z-moves!" Serena snapped at her. Of course this girl would be a grudge holder on top of being a sore loser.
Sayaka's smug smile disappeared, and was replaced by a hateful scowl. She took a step towards Serena, getting into her personal space. "Listen here, you foreign hick. Not only was I going to win this year's Grand Festival, but I was going to do so without losing even once. And now, that part of my goal has been trounced. So you better watch your-"
"Is this girl bothering you, Serena?"
Sayaka turned around, and found herself facing Aisha, arms crossed and an expression that dared the ninja girl to try anything. Sayaka wasn't intimidated by the taller girl, and scanned her from head to toe, making a disgusted grimace.
"And who the hell are you supposed to be?" Sayaka asked.
"We're in a contest hall, inside the coordinator's waiting area. Can you take a guess?" Aisha snarked.
Sayaka once again scanned Aisha head to toe. Her grimace disappeared, while her smug smile returned in full force. "Oh, so you know that we're in a contest hall. Given your getup, I thought that you had gotten lost on your way to some punk den."
Aisha merely raised an eyebrow, but didn't seem to pay any mind to the insult. "Listen, girlie, as long as I'm here, you better not bother Serena, or any other coordinator for that matter, understood? Or else you will have to deal with me."
Sayaka narrowed her eyes at the biker. Serena was almost afraid that she might try to provoke Aisha into a fight, but much to her relief, the East Tandorian merely scoffed, turned around, and walked to another part of the waiting area. Serena could feel how the tension in the air dissipated now that the ninja girl wasn't present.
"What a lovely girl," Aisha snarked. "She seemed to know you. Have you met her before?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I had faced her a couple times in the past," Serena said, scowling a little. "And she always bested me."
"Really?" Aisha asked, her voice laced with surprise. She let out a whistle of admiration. "Wow, she has to be quite the tough cookie if you of all people have never been able to beat her."
"Yeah. She might have an attitude problem, but she's an extremely skilled coordinator. If you happen to face her, don't lower your guard for a single moment," Serena advised her.
"I wasn't planning to. Like I said before, I'm planning to leave this contest with my fifth ribbon, and sure as hell a girl with a rod on her butt which has its own rod up its butt isn't going to stop me," she declared, her voice full of resolve.
…
Meanwhile, in the audience, Ash, Clemont, Bonnie and the Dunsparce Gang Bikers had occupied their seats, this time the teens seated a row behind the bikers. Both groups made some small talk as they waited for the spectacle to begin. A few moments later, Jillian walked into the performance area, followed by the three usual judges. The murmurs and humming of the public died down as the spotlight focused on her. While the judges took their seats.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Vinoville Town Pokemon Contest! I'm your host, Jillian Meridian!" she began, and the crowd exploded into loud cheers. "Thank you! Also give a warm welcome to the judges that will evaluate our wonderful coordinators: Vinoville Town's own Nurse Joy, the Venesi City Gym Leader Rosalind, and the S-Class connoisseur Ambrose Reigns!"
As per usual, the Nurse and the Gym Leader got quite the ovation, while all the connoisseur got was booing. Not that the man paid them any mind.
Jillian then went to explain the rules of the Pokemon Contests for those in the public not aware of them, and then showed the ribbon the contest winner would take with him or her.
"Also, our coordinators should be ready for a little surprise, because unlike other contests, this one has a little twist that will be explained right now!"
A cacophony of mutterings came from the audience in response to Jillian's last announcement, clearly intrigued by what it could be. Most people welcomed anything that would spice a contest up, though others were a little worried.
"A surprise? Let's hope Serena can weather whatever it is," Clemont said.
"Don't worry. Serena can handle anything any contest may throw at her," Ash said confidently.
"And our Aisha is no slouch either. Whatever it is, she'll blaze through it!" Amber stated, her voice full of pride for her fellow biker.
…
Meanwhile, at the waiting area, the coordinators were also listening to Jillian with rapt attention.
"Oh, right! They said there was going to be a twist on the second round!" Serena said.
"Eh, whatever it is, I'm not afraid. And you shouldn't be either," Aisha said, patting Serena in the back.
"First of all, we'd like to reveal that, unlike pretty much any other contest, this one won't have just one ribbon as a prize, but TWO ribbons!" Jillian excitedly announced, and the crowd began to hum. "You hear it, folks! This contest will have not one, but two winners!"
"So, the two who make it to the final round will win? Lame," Sayaka said, crossing her arms. She then looked at Serena, and grinned wickedly. "Guess if you're lucky enough not to face me until we reach the finals, you might leave with a ribbon today."
"Don't listen to her, Serena," Aisha advised. "She's trying to get inside your head."
"I know. But sometimes she's hard to ignore," Serena replied.
"But why are we giving two ribbons instead of the usual one? Well, there's the reason!" Jillian said.
Then, the words TAG TEAM BATTLE appeared on the screen in bold, capital letters against a background that flashed with every color.
…
The public began to murmur and chatter upon seeing those three words appearing on the main screen.
"A Tag Team Battle! This contest won't test coordinators individually, but will instead make them show how well they do in a team fight!" Jillian explained. "As for the teams, the eight coordinators themselves can form teams the way they so choose! There will be an hour of intermission after the first round in order to let them time to form teams and discuss strategies. But now, let the Appeal Round begin!"
Coordinators walked in and out of the arena one after the other, their Pokemon doing all sort of tricks, light shows, dances and acrobatics. Some were good, others not so much. Rosalind and Nurse Joy often passed a positive judgment, while Ambrose completely tore down the coordinators' display with brutal verbal beatdowns. Even if the shock value was lost after the first contest, his harsh words drew more than one coordinator to tears.
"Let's welcome with a big applause to our next coordinator! From Tsukinami Village, Sayaka!" Jillian said, as the kimono-wearing girl walked into the performance with a confident stride.
"That girl again? Ugh!" Bonnie groaned, crossing her arms.
"You know her?" Richard asked.
"She's a rival of Serena. We've encountered her multiple times. Very arrogant and rude, but with the skill to back that up," Clemont explained, as he adjusted his glasses. "So far, Serena has never been able to beat her."
"This will be the day she does," Ash stated.
"Misdreavus, Shrimputy, heed my call!" Sayaka said, tossing two pokeball forward.
From the first pokeball, among dark purple clouds and what appeared to be restless spirits, the Screech Pokemon appeared. From the second ball, among a twister of torrential water, emerged a Pokemon that neither Ash nor the Lumiose siblings have seen before: a small blue shrimp with big yellow eyes, a brown cowboy hat, four red legs, with one arm ending on a claw and the other on a twin-barreled gun.
"So, Sayaka has a new Pokemon," Ash said, pulling out his Pokedex to scan it.
"Shrimputy, the Gunsliger Pokemon. Water/Fire. It is able to fire a barrage of superheated blasts from its cannon. Despite its small size, it is a very capable predator," the Pokedex explained.
"Sounds like a tough Pokemon," Clemont observed.
"Alright Misdreavus, begin shooting Shadow Balls into the air, and Shrimputy, blow them up with Flame Burst!" Sayaka ordered.
"Mis!"
"Shri!"
Misdreavus began to move around the battlefield and shoot Shadow Balls in random directions, while Shrimputy destroyed them with fireballs shot from its organic cannon with pinpoint accuracy, resulting in an explosion of flame and darkness every time a Shadow Ball was destroyed.
"And Sayaka delights us with a clay shot, courtesy of her Shrimputy's flawless accuracy!" Jillian commented, as the public began to cheer on the ninja coordinator. "But is this all she has to offer?"
"The answer to that question is obviously no. Now Misdreavus, create a new Shadow Ball, but keep it close to you! And Shrimputy, Lock-On on the Shadow Ball!"
As the Screech Pokemon created yet another Shadow Ball, Shrimputy aimed at it with one eye closed. A red crosshair appeared on the Ghost-type attack.
"Now Misdreavus, fly around the area with the Shadow Ball! And Shrimputy, alternate between Flame Burst and Octazooka!"
Misdreavus did what it was told, and began to move in circles around the battleground, while Shrimputy fired missiles of water and fire, which chased after Misdreavusand its Shadow Ball as if they were alive. In no time, there was a veritable swarm of globs of water and orbs of fire flying around the arena. To say the public was in awe would be underselling it.
"Now, for the big finale! Misdreavus, stop those attacks and your own Shadow Ball with Psychic, and spread the former around the latter!"
"Miiiiiii...!" Misdreavus chanted as its eyes glowed pink, as an aura of the same color appeared around the Shadow Ball, the Flame Bursts and the Octazookas, freezing them on the spot, before the Screech Pokemon arranged them in the way its trainer requested.
"Now, release!" Sayaka ordered.
Misdreavus complied, and the fire and water missiles, drawn by Lock-On, barreled towards the Shadow Ball. The resulting clash of attacks produced a spectacular display of fireworks that lit the entire stage.
The public went wild with cheers and applause.
"And once again, Sayaka amazes the public with her skilled performances! Now let's see what our judges think!" Jillian said, as the spotlight fell on the judges.
"An amazing performance. I love the clever use of Lock-On to direct those attacks. It shows a lot of imagination on Sayaka's part," Nurse Joy praised.
"That display was eccellente! Not just because of the visual aspect, but all the technique behind it!" Rosalind stated.
"This is like the fifth performance today that has some kind of fireworks on it, and the billionth one I see this contest season. Don't any of you people have any creativity?" Ambrose asked.
This time, Sayaka bit her tongue, recalled her Pokemon, and left the stage with a confident stride.
"Thank you Sayaka for yet another stunning performance!" Jillian said once the Tsukinami Village native was no longer in the scene. "Our next coordinator has quite the high bar to clear, but she isn't somebody to fold in the face of adversity! From Kevlar Town, Aisha of the Dunsparce Gang!"
The public broke into an applause, the members of the Dunsparce Gang cheering so loud they could be heard among the crowd, as their youngest member made her way into the stage, waving at the public.
Aisha unclipped two pokeballs from her belt, and tossed them forward. "Alright, Dunsparce, Chimical, gear up!"
From the first pokeball emerged the one Pokemon all members of her gang owned among a storm of golden stars. A tornado of flames poured from the second pokeball, and from it emerged a Pokemon neither Ash nor his friends had seen before: a cute red feline with a small body and huge, adorable purple eyes. It had a pair of tiny purple wings on its back with a white spot in the middle of them, and a green snake for a tail.
"Whoa! That Pokemon is so cute!" Bonnie gushed.
"So Sayaka isn't the only one with something new," Ash said, as he scanned the new Pokemon with his Pokedex.
"Chimical, the Chimera Pokemon. Fire/Poison. A Pokémon said to be the product of genetic testing. The white spot on its back is its weak point," the Pokedex said.
"Alright Dunsparce, begin with Blizzard!" Aisha ordered.
The Land Snake Pokemon took a deep breath, before releasing a powerful gust of frigid wind towards the center of the stage, forming a rather large block of ice.
"Great! Now comes the difficult part, but we can do it! Remember all the training we've done! Chimical, Flamethrower, and Dunsparce, Thunderbolt!" the biker ordered.
Chimical and Dunsparce began to move around the block of ice and began to pelt it with the ordered attacks. People noticed they weren't just attacking at random, and realized the two Pokemon were actually carving a statue with the ice. A statue of Aisha making a pose, with Dunsparce and Chimical standing beside her.
"Great! Now Chimical, Sunny Day, and Dunsparce, get on top of the statue and fire another Blizzard, this time upwards!" Aisha ordered.
"Chiiiii..." Chimical growled, as its body glowed with an orange light, as it conjured an artificial sun above the stage.
Meanwhile, Dunsparce crawled Aisha's ice statue until it reached the head, and blew a Blizzard into the air, resulting in a slow rain of ice and snow that gleamed with the strong sunlight coming from above.
"And finish!" Aisha said.
Once again the public broke into applause and cheers, those from the Dunsparce Gang members being the loudest and easiest to hear.
"Aisha's unconventional performance captured the audience's heart! But are the judges just as impresed? Let's hear them out!" Jillian said.
"The beginning might have been a bit slow, but I feel that the payoff made it really worth it!" Nurse Joy said.
"Magnifico! It truly shows the artistic side of Pokemon Contests!" Rosalind praised with her usual gusto.
"So you had your Pokemon make a statue of yourself. Your back must hurt while carrying such a big ego," Ambrose said with his usual overly critical and mocking tone.
Like Sayaka before her, Aisha didn't say anything. She just returned her Pokemon, made a small bow towards the judges, and left the stage without uttering a word, while Jillian announced the next coordinator.
A few more coordinators came and went into the stage before it was Serena's turn.
"Let's give the next coordinator the warm welcome she deserves! Serena from Vaniville Town in Kalos!" Jillian announced.
"Woooooohoooo! Go Serena!" Bonnie cheered.
"Do your best!" Clemont followed.
"Show them how awesome you and your Pokemon are!" Ash shouted.
By the time she reached the edge of the stage, Serena already had her two chosen pokeball in hand, which she tossed them forward.
"Braixen, Minicorn, go!"
The first pokeball unleashed a torrent of roaring red and orange flames, which coalesced into the form of the Fox Pokemon, while the second pokeball generated a pink tornado, revealing Minicorn once it dispelled.
"Alright Braixen, Flamethrower in the form of rings!" Serena commanded. "Minicorn, you know what to do next!"
"Brai!" Braixen nodded, as she began to draw circles in the air with her ignited wand, before letting them float away.
Minicorn neighed, before galloping towards the incoming rings of flame, and jumped through them with skill and grace, not getting a single hair on her mane singed.
"More fire rings, second version! And Minicorn, use Fairy Wind to propel yourself!" Serena ordered.
Braixen continued making more fire rings with Flamethrower, except this time they floated much higher into the air. Meanwhile, Minicorn's horn glowed with a pink light, and waving it like a wand she summoned a gust of sparkly pink wind around her that launched her into the air, expertly passing through the fire hoops.
"Let's wrap this up! Braixen, fire rings, final version! And Minicorn, launch yourself into the air again!" Serena said.
Once again, Minicorn used Fairy Wind to launch herself into the air, while Braixen moved below her, and began to wave her wand in circles, making hoops of fire progressively bigger, almost forming a cone. Once Minicorn reached the highest attitude, she dived back through the increasingly smaller fire rings.
"And Charge Beam into the ground!" Serena said.
Minicorn's horn crackled with yellow electricity, as it fired a single lightning bolt from it downwards. The lightning bolt produced an electric explosion once it touched the ground, which spread electricity towards the rings of fire, making them pop like fireworks.
"And finish!" Serena said.
The public broke into a wild applause.
"A performance being equal parts risk, spectacle, and acrobatics which had the public enthralled until the last second!" Jillian praised. "Now let's see what our judges think!"
"An incredible performance! I was holding my breath the whole time!" Nurse Joy gushed.
"That little puledra was both skilled and adorable, and Braixen's control of her fire was flawless!" Rosalind praised.
"Just because you used an equine doesn't mean you have to stick to such obvious tricks. And I see that your Braixen can't still learn to use more than one move," Ambrose said.
"Thank you," Serena courtly said, before recalling Briaxen and Minicorn, and walked back to the waiting area with both grace and dignity.
…
Once Serena returned to the Coordinator's Room, she and Aisha watched the remaining few Appeal rounds together, until it was time to announce the eight coordinators who would pass to the Contest Battle round.
"And thus the Appeal Round comes to a close! We had an amazing selection of coordinators and Pokemon today, but alas, only eight can make it to the battle round!" Jillian announced. "And these are the eight coordinators with the highest scores!"
Serena held her breath as the pictures of the finalists began to appear one by one on the screen. She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed to see Sayaka's smug smiling face in the first position. Aisha was third, while Serena was sixth. Despite being lower on the scoreboard than usual, the honey blonde was thankful for passing.
"Yes! We did it, Serena! Battle round, here I come!" Aisha said, effusively hugging Serena with one arm.
"As I explained before, the Contest Battle rounds will begin in an hour. The finalists may use this time to choose their partner and discuss strategies!" Jillian said.
Serena already knew whom she wanted to form a team with. She was hoping her teammate didn't prefer beating her either.
"Hey Aisha," Serena said, turning at the taller girl. "Given that we know each other... would you like to team up with me?"
Much to her relief, the biker smiled. "Heh, I'm glad you asked. Sure thing, Serena."
"Really? Because that's a relief!" Serena replied.
"What, did you really think I'd turn you down?" Aisha asked.
"Well... you were really eager to have that rematch against me, so I thought..." Serena sheepishly said, looking at her feet.
Aisha placed a hand on Serena's shoulder. "Sooner or later, we will have that rematch. If not here, then it will be at the Grand Festival. I'm not in a hurry," Aisha said, before taking a furtive look at Sayaka, who was talking to another coordinator. "Right now, I feel more like putting that arrogant, stuck up hussy in her place."
"So we're a team then? Great!" Serena cheered.
"Yeah. Though... now that I think about it... Serena, do you have the jackets we gave you and your friends that time in Kevlar?" Aisha asked.
"Sure. Why?"
"Oh nothing. I just had an idea of getting matching looks. Come on," Aisha then grabbed Serena by the wrist and pulled her back to the changing room. "I only have an hour, but I think I can work something in that time."
"Wait! What are you talking about?"
But Serena got no answer.
…
An hour passed, and the four tag teams were shown on the stage's main screen. The fact that Serena and Aisha had teamed up was of no surprise to either Ash and the Lumiose siblings or the Dunsparce Gang. Sayaka had teamed up with some redheaded girl in a green dress named Lia.
Aside from the Tag Team format, each coordinator had to use a different Pokemon on each round. The first battle of the first round pitted Sayaka and her partner Lia against a pair of coordinators whose names Ash hadn't paid any attention to. Both Sayaka and Lia had used Pokemon that, while he had never seen before, they were familiar with.
The first one was a rabbit-like Pokemon with a gray body, green legs, ears, snout and circular marks over his always closed eyes, a massive green tail that curled at the end, and a golden band around its neck.
"Luxor, the Fortune Pokemon, and Luxi'x evolution. Dragon/Fairy. It polishes its jade tail until it glimmers with lustrous sheen. A clipping of this Pokémon's hair is said to bring good luck for 30 days," the Pokedex explained.
Ash remembered Sayaka using a Luxi during the Appeal round at the Kevlar Town Contest. It wasn't odd that after all this time, it had evolved.
Lia's Pokemon, meanwhile reminded Ash of a Marowak, except it had purple skin, and a much terrifying appearance: its right hand and leg were a hook and a peg-leg, respectively, was wearing a ragged red scarf around its neck, and there were bones sticking out of its back.
"Skelerogue, the First Mate Pokemon and Swabone's evolution. Ghost/Fighting. It requires seemingly no sustenance such as food or air. Although it can't swim, it will walk across the bottom of the sea until it makes it to shore." the Pokedex said.
Their opponents sent a Corsoreef and a Trawpint. Despite the fact that Sayaka and Lia's teamwork was less than optimal, the two girls managed to earn a victory when Luxi quickly knocked the Corsoreef out and then ganged up on Trawpint with Skelerogue until it fell as well.
Once Sayaka and Lia were declared the winners, it was Serena and Aisha's turn. And once the two girls stepped onto the stage, the reaction from both Ash's group and the Dunsparce Gang was immediate.
"Is... is that Serena?" Clemont asked.
"Whoa! She looks so cool and badass!" Bonnie gushed.
"Look at that, turns out the little princess can rock a wild look!" Amber laughed.
"Heh, now that girl really looks like one of us!" Richard agreed.
"Whoa..." was all that Ash could say.
Rather than her usual white and pink dress with red ribbons, Serena was wearing fishnet tights, a red and black plaid skirt, the blue sleeveless Dunsparce Gang jacket over a black tube top, a red bandana around her forehead, spiked bracelets on her wrists, while her hair was now spiky and wild.
To match her look, Aisha was wearing the Dunsparce Gang jacket over her usual Contest outfit.
"Wow... look at that folks! It seems like Serena has foregone her usual outfit so she and her partner could get matching looks!" Jillian called to attention. "Now that's some team spirit!"
The public seemed to agree, given that they answered Jillian's observation with a round of cheers and applause, the loudest coming from the Dunsparce Gang members.
After that, Jillian announced that the second battle of the first round was about to begin, and instructed the coordinators to present their Pokemon. Serena had chosen Quetzoral for this battle, while Aisha sent her Tanscure. One of her opponents sent a Palij while the other sent an Aromatisse.
The battle began. Unlike Sayaka and Lia, it seemed like Aisha and Serena were making an effort to battle together, with Tanscure attacking in close distances and Quetzroal supporting it from above and behind. Their opponents proved to be tough nuts to crack, with Aromatisse providing support with Light Screen and Heal Pulse, while Palij attacked with powerful Incinerates and Air Slashes.
Ash worried when Palij used Will-O-Wisp on Aisha's Tanscure, burning it.
"Heh, what a dumbass," Richard chuckled.
"That was a mistake," Amber agreed.
"They already have this in the bag," Lou said, satisfied.
"Huh? Why do you say that?" Bonnie asked, confused. "Her Tanscure got burnt! That's not good!"
"Just watch carefully, girlie, and you'll find out," Richard told her.
Both she and the two boys looked at Aisha's Tanscure, who was shaking in place, growling menacingly, as its eyes began to glow bright red, while an aura of the same color shone around its body. It then let out a bone-chilling howl.
"Is... is Tanscure okay?" Bonnie asked, worried.
"Hey, wait a minute, I saw this before! That's Guts!" Ash said in realization, as memories of Paul's Ursaring came to mind.
"Guts?" Bonnie asked.
"It's an ability that vastly increases a Pokemon's offensive power whenever they're victim of a negative status, such as poison, paralysis, or in this case, burns," Clemont explained.
"Exactly! But that's not all, kid!" Lou said, almost shaking with excitement.
"Tanscure, Facade on Palij!" Aisha yelled.
Tanscure's crimson aura glowed so bright, the Pokemon was hardly visible. Letting out yet another howl, it shot against the Fire and Flying-type Pokemon like a scarlet missile, slamming into the bird and knocking it out instantly. The members of the Dunsparce Gang cheered loudly.
"WHOA! That was so brutal!" Bonnie said, completely shocked. "Guts made Tanscure so strong!"
"It wasn't just Guts. Facade is an attack that becomes twice as powerful if the user is also victim of a negative status," Clemont pointed out. "And combined with Facade..."
"Her Tanscure hits almost as hard as a Legendary Pokemon!" Lou proudly boasted.
And with Palij out, Aromatisse didn't take long to follow. Serena and Aisha were declared the winners, and thus the second finalist team to the cheers of Ash, Clemont, Bonnie and the Dunsparce Gang bikers.
…
As usual, there would be a ten minute intermission before the final round. Serena and Aisha were sitting together in one of the benches of the waiting area, with Lia, the redheaded girl, sitting on a bench alone at the opposite end. Sayaka was nowhere to be seen, though Serena could hear her saying something about going to powder her nose.
"Who's a good boy? Who's a very god boy that took me to the finals?" Aisha asked her Tanscure, while she affectionately rubbed its head with both hands. "Yes, you are! Yes you are!"
"Tan, tans!" Tanscure happily barked, enjoying its trainer's loving caresses.
It was weird. Normally Sayaka would have come to taunt and insult Serena, but the ninja appeared to be hesitant to do so. Perhaps because Aisha was always close to her? Maybe Aisha had scared Sayaka for good earlier, and she didn't want to push her luck with the biker.
"Hey Serena, you okay?" the older girl said, placing a hand on Serena's shoulder.
"Uh? Oh, yes, I'm fine," she replied, noticing that Aisha had returned her Tanscure.
"You kinda zoned out there for a second," Aisha pointed out, before removing the hand. "Nervous?"
"A little," Serena admitted.
"Hey, it's going to be okay. Between the two of us we're going to demolish the competition and walk out with a ribbon," Aisha reassured her.
"Yes," Serena agreed, thankful for Aisha's optimism.
"Soooo... anything I should know about that Sayaka girl?" Aisha asked. "You told me that she's quite badass despite the attitude problem."
"Well..." Serena started to recall the other times she had faced the raven haired girl, or even the times she fought somebody else. "She likes to make you think you're winning, only to turn the tide of the battle once you lower your guard. Her strategies are often risky, but she makes it play in her favor by using them to lure you into a trap."
"So if it feels like she's biting more than she can chew..."
"She probably can. And she will end up chewing you instead," Serena said.
"Lovely," Aisha said. "Though, given what she said, she isn't invincible. She had lost at least once before, right?"
"Yeah, but that was because her opponent used a Z-move," Serena explained.
Aisha raised an eyebrow. "A Z what?"
"I'll explain later," Serena said.
That moment, Sayaka returned from the bathroom, and a few seconds later, the screen on the waiting area announced that the final match was about to begin. Aisha got up from the bench, and stretched her arms.
"Alright, time to win those ribbons," the biker stated. "And don't worry about the ninja girl, okay? Just do your best, and victory will come to us."
Serena nodded, before getting up and following Aisha into the stage.
…
"Now, the moment you've been waiting for!" Jillian excitedly announced. "The Vinoville Town Contest final battle! On one side we have Aisha, from Kevlar Town, and Serena, from Vaniville Town in Kalos!"
The public cheered, the members of the Dunsparce Gang the loudest.
"And on the other side, we have Sayaka from Tsukinami Village, and Lia from Legen Town!"
And as expected, the public also cheered for the second pair of finalists.
"Coordinators, present your Pokemon!"
"Pancham, go!"
"Arbok, gear up!"
"To battle, Sheebit!"
"Glaceon, heed my call!"
Ash had seen every Pokemon present so far except one: Lia's choice, who looked like a rabbit with brown fur, light brown feet, a pair of short tails, and a pair of horns that curled around its round head.
"Sheebit, the Horned Pokemon. Ground. These Pokémon live in packs in mountainous regions. They will often headbutt each other in order to improve their strength," the Pokedex droned.
Sheebit looked cute, and some might judge it as harmless, but Ash knew better than to judge a Pokemon based on their appearance, and had the feeling that that Pokemon could cause more than one headache to Serena and Aisha.
"Five minutes on the clock, begin!" Jillian shouted.
~Serena (Pancham) & Aisha (Arbok) VS Sayaka (Glaceon) & Lia (Sheebit)~
"Let's get this going! Serena, cover me! Arbok, get close to Glaceon and use Thunder Fang!" Aisha stated.
"Yes! Pancham, Dark Pulse at Sheebit!" Serena ordered.
"Glaceon, begin with Hail!" Sayaka ordered.
"Sheebit, counter that Dark Pulse with Mud Bomb- hey, wait a minute!" Lia said, suddenly realizing what Sayaka had ordered.
As Arbok launched itself at Glaceon, jaws wide open with its fangs crackling with electricity and Pancham fired a beam of darkness from his cupped paws, Glaceon summoned a snowstorm above the battlefield, while Sheebit fired a glob of brown mud at Pancham's attack. The Ground and Dark-type moves met in the middle, producing an explosion, as the hail began to pelt the stage. Just as Arbok was about to sink its fangs into the Fresh Snow Pokemon, this moved out of the way so fast, it almost looked like it vanished.
Serena and Sayaka's joint score dropped.
"Whoa! That Glaceon has some speed!" Aisha said, genuinely impressed.
"That's Glaceon's ability, Snow Cloak! It makes it much faster under hailstorm," Serena explained.
"Huh. That explains why she called for one as her first move," Aisha said, looking at the grey artificial clouds above them.
"Still... calling for a weather effect that only benefits her Pokemon while harming her partner's..." Serena began.
"Hey, why did you do that!? Sheebit is going to suffer under that hailstorm!" Lia hotly complained, validating Serena's suspicions.
Far from listening to her grievances, Sayaka rolled her eyes. "The benefit my Glaceon gets from hail outweighs the negligible harm your Sheebit will take. Now shut up and keep fighting! Keep my Glaceon covered, and I'll win this battle for the two of us! Glaceon, Icy Wind!"
Glaceon took a deep breath, before exhaling a cold gust of air, covering the ground with an expanding sheet of ice. "Glaaaaaaaa...!"
"Pancham, counter with Stone Edge! Get on top of them, and Aisha, have Arbok do the same!" Serena commanded.
"Got it! You heard her, Arbok!" Aisha agreed.
Pancham slammed his paws into the ground, creating a row of rising stone pillars towards Glaceon and Sheebit. Pancham jumped on top of one of them as it rose into the air, while Arbok coiled itself around another and crawled upwards. The Icy Wind, its power magnified by the hail, was able to freeze the lower third of said pillars as it moved, leaving the two Pokemon untouched.
This caused Sayaka and Lia to lose a few points, putting them equal to Serena and Aisha again.
"Sheebit, destroy those pillars with Drill Run!" Lia commanded
"She, shee!" Sheebit cried, as it ran forward, before jumping while spinning horizontally, turning itself into a living drill.
"Pancham, get close to Glaceon and use Thunder Punch!" Serena ordered.
"Arbok, get off from that pillar and cover Pancham with Seed Bomb!" Aisha commanded.
"Cham, pancham!"
"Shaabak!"
As Pancham jumped from one crumbling pillar to another while curling his paw into a fist that crackled with yellow electricity, Arbok slithered back to ground level, opened its jaws, and fired a salvo of watermelon-sized explosive seeds at Glaceon. The Fresh Snow Pokemon was able to gracefully dodge the projectiles, which exploded upon hitting the ground. Unfortunately, this left it wide open for Pancham, who slammed his tiny, lightning-coated fist into its face, sending it rolling backwards.
Sayaka growled as her and Lia's points dropped below Serena and Aisha's.
"Aw yeah, right in the face!" Aisha cheered.
"Sheebit, quickly, Dragon Tail on Arbok!" Lia called.
"Bit, shee!" the Horned Pokemon cried.
Sheebit, a few meters behind Arbok, quickly dashed towards the Cobra Pokemon and jumped into the air towards it, as its two tails glowed with a deep green light, while tripling in size.
"Arbok, defend yourself with Iron Tail!" Aisha ordered.
"Shaabak!" Arbok hissed as its tail began to glow with a silvery sheen, rising it just in time to parry Sheebit's blow. It didn't end there, as Sheebit and Arbok continued trading blows and parries.
"Pancham, Dark Pulse!"
Before Lia could react, Sheebit was blasted away by a stream of dark power, freeing Arbok from the relentless assault. Sayaka and Lia's points dropped even further.
"Could you stop fooling around? Look how many points you made us lose!" Sayaka chastised Lia.
"I'M the one costing us points!? You're the one who refuses to cooperate!" Lia protested, throwing her arms in the air.
"Sayaka and Lia don't seem to have a very good sense of teamwork. If this battle follows as it is, in no time Serena and Aisha will be the winners!" Jillian announced.
Sayaka snarled at the announcer for agreeing with her redheaded partner.
"Like hell they will! You, tell your Pokemon to regroup with mine, this is where we counterattack!" Sayaka ordered.
"Sheebit, fall back!" Lia said, before turning to Sayaka. "I guess you aren't going to ask me for my opinion on what we should do to beat them, right?"
"Your guess is right," Sayaka said in an acidic tone. "First we open with a ranged move, the two of us at once. Then, we'll move in tandem and gang upon one of their Pokemon. Let's go for the Arbok, your Sheebit should be able to take it down, given the type advantage."
"Fine," Lia agreed. "Sheebit, Mud Bomb again!"
"Glaceon, Shadow Ball, rapid fire!" Sayaka ordered.
Sheebit took a deep breath, before expelling a barrage of brown globs of mud, just as Glaceon fired a multitude of orbs of darkness as fast as it was able to.
"Arbok, counter it with Sludge Wave! Make it as big as possible!" Aisha ordered.
"Dark Pulse, Pancham! Try to make it wide!" Serena followed. "Aisha, you know that when the two attacks clash, they will use the explosion as a cover to get close to our Pokemon and strike in close combat, right?"
"Yeah. Though I have an idea to use that little tactic of theirs against them," Aisha said, watching the four attacks collide, resulting in a rather large explosion. "Quickly, have Pancham hide behind Arbok! Trust me, I know what I'm doing!"
"Now! Glaceon, get close with Quick Attack!" Sayaka ordered.
"Sheebit, Drill Run again!" Lia ordered.
Serena decided not to argue and follow her partner's plan. "Pancham, jump behind Arbok!"
While Pancham hesitated for a bit, in the end he followed the seemingly cowardly tactic and hid behind the larger Poison type. Glaceon was the first one to appear, slamming into Arbok at high speed while leaving a trail of white light behind, followed by Sheebit, spinning as if it was a living drill.
"Shaaaaaa...!" Arbok hissed in pain as it suffered the super effective attack.
This made Aisha and Serena lose points, which were now just barely above Sayaka and Lia's. Aisha, however, wasn't worried, and smirked the moment Sheebit's rotation began to slow down, signifying the end of the attack.
"Arbok, now! Bind on Sheebit!" Aisha said.
Lia gasped in horror as Arbok coiled its large body around Sheebit's smaller one, leaving the horned Pokemon completely immobilized.
"Sheebit, no!" Lia cried.
"And look at that! Aisha took a big gamble, but it paid off!" Jillian said, as Sayaka and Lia's points dropped a little. "With Sheebit hostage, Glaceon will have it much harder to battle against Aisha and Serena's Pokemon!"
As Jillian said this, the redhead turned to Sayaka. "Come on, you have to save it!"
Sayaka rolled her eyes dismissively. "Glaceon, Icy Wind at Arbok!"
"Wait, no! That attack will harm Sheebit too!" Lia protested.
Once again, Glaceon took a deep breath, and exhaled a powerful wind of freezing air towards both Arbok and Sheebit. That moment, Pancham stopped hiding and jumped in front of his partner.
"Pancham, Dark Pulse again!"
"Cham, pan!"
Pancham fired yet another stream of dark power, the attack clashing with the Ice-type move in an explosion of snowflakes and bits of shadowy flame.
"Glaceon now! Get close to Arbok with Quick Attack and smack its ugly face with Iron Tail!" Sayaka ordered.
"Hey! Whose Pokemon's face are you calling ugly!?" Aisha roared.
With its Hail-enhanced speed, Glaceon dashed forward, moving so fast it was little more than a light blue blur for those watching, and once it reached Arbok, it jumped and slapped the Cobra Pokemon with its tail glowing with a silver light. The hit made Arbok recoil, releasing Sheebit in the process, the Horned Pokemon quickly scurrying away from the Poison-type serpent.
Serena and Aisha's points dropped, though they still remained above their rivals' points.
"Yes! Sheebit is free! Good job!" Lia thanked her partner. However, Sayaka merely rolled her eyes again.
"Pancham, Arm Thrust, now! Serena ordered.
"It won't work, dodge it!" Sayaka shouted.
As Pancham tried to punch Glaceon with a glowing white fist, Snow Cloak allowed Glaceon to quickly move aside and avoid the potential super effective attack. However, in its new position it was facing Arbok directly.
"Try dodging this, then! Arbok, Glare!" Aisha ordered, much to Sayaka's surprise.
"Glaceon, don't look at-"
Too late.
"Shaa, shabak!" Arbok hissed, as it locked its eyes, which began to flash with every color of the Rainbow, with Glaceon's. The Fresh Snow Pokemon began to shiver, ironically, as the paralysis set in.
"YES! Ha, try to dodge anything now!" Aisha shouted, throwing a punch into the air.
"No, no, NO! This has to be some kind of sick joke!" Sayaka shouted, grabbing her head.
"Arbok, Iron Tail!" Aisha ordered.
Arbok raised its only appendage, glowing once again with a metallic sheen, using it as a lash against Glaceon. The Fresh Snow Pokemon tried to move, but it wasn't allowed by the paralysis, and the attack connected with a resounding SMACK that sent the poor Ice-type rolling backwards. Sayaka and Lia's points dropped.
"This is our chance! Pancham, follow up with Thunder Punch!" Serena ordered.
"Intercept it, Sheebit!" Lia shouted.
Pancham leaped towards the hurt Glaceon, struggling to get back to its feet, as the Playful Pokemon readied a lightning-enhanced punch. Sheebit, however, got in the way before the attack could connect, shrugging the electricity and taking minimal damage from the fist's motion.
"Yes, now Dragon Tail!" Lia followed.
"She, sheebit!" Sheebit cried, as its tails glowed with green, draconic energy while tripling in size, as its body twisted mid air in order to slap Pancham away from Glaceon.
This made Serena and Aisha lose a few points.
"I guess some thanks are in order," Sayaka begrudgingly said. "However, this-"
BZZZZZZZZ!
The buzzer rang, signaling that the five minutes of the match had expired. Both teams of coordinators looked at the screen, and could see that Serena and Aisha had a noticeable point advantage over Aisha and Lia.
"No..." Sayaka said in a whisper, while her partner merely groaned.
"And time's out! The winners of the Vinoville Town's contest are Aisha and Serena!" Jillian announced, as she waved towards the duo, while the main screen of the stage changed to show their pictures and those of their Pokemon with the word WINNERS written in big, colorful capital letters.
The public quickly broke into cheers and applause.
"Yes! Yes! Praise the Twin Gods, we won, Serena!" Aisha said, pulling Serena into a bone-crushing hug, lifting her off the ground.
"Aisha! Can't...! Breathe...!" Serena wheezed. Once Aisha finally put her down, she looked towards Sayaka and Lia. She wanted to congratulate her opponents for a good fight, but perhaps unsurprisingly, Sayaka was already on her way out of the stage, leaving the redhead alone. Stll, it was better than nothing. "Hey, Lia, is it?"
"Yeah," Lia said, a bit crestfallen. "Congratulations for your victory."
"Thank you. Though, you gave us quite the challenging fight. You should feel proud," Serena earnestly said. "In fact, I have the feeling that, had Sayaka been more cooperative, you might have defeated us."
"A part of me wants to agree with you, but solely blaming my teammate for our defeat feels wrong," Lia admitted.
"It's not wrong if it's the truth. She got a little better at the end, but I'm sure you would have done much better if ninja girl was less of an ass to you from the beginning," Aisha said, walking towards them.
Lia didn't say anything.
…
A few minutes later, both Serena, Aisha and their Pokemon were on a podium, with the three judges and Jillian next to her. This time, it was Nurse Joy who handed the winners their respective ribbons.
"It was thanks to both your effort and teamwork that you were able to win. The Vinoville Ribbon is yours!" the blue haired nurse said, as Aisha and Serena picked their prizes.
"Hell yeah, I won another ribbon!" Aisha shouted, as she held the ribbon above her head. The members of the Dunsparce Gang began to cheer wildly.
"Ta-dah! I won the Vinoville Ribbon!" Serena happily cried, mimicking Aisha.
"So, I take this is your fifth ribbon, right, Ms. Aisha?" Rosalind asked. The biker nodded, and the woman said: "In that case, I'll be looking forward to seeing you in the Grand Festival!"
"And thus, the Vinoville Town Contest comes to a close! I hope you had a great time, and see you next time!" Jillian said, officially ending the contest.
…
About half an hour later, Serena had rejoined her friends, and they were in front of the Dunsparce Gang members, already on their bikes.
"So, you have all your five ribbons now, Aisha," Serena asked. "What are you going to do now?"
"Well, first of all, we're going to celebrate it," Aisha said, making some of the other bikers cheer and holler.
"Though somewhere else," Richard added, as he looked around at the rural scenery around him. "I doubt this quaint little town could survive one of our parties."
"And then... well, guess I'll head to East Tandor and train like crazy," Aisha said. "I also heard about a Mega Evolution Master somewhere there, so given that I have time I might pay him a visit and see what he has to offer."
"That sounds good. Hope the next time we meet, it will be at the Grand Festival," Serena said.
"You better be there! I still need that rematch against you. We might be more than halfway into the season, but there should be more than enough time left to win one measly ribbon, right?" Aisha asked.
"Of course! You can count on seeing me during the Grand Festival," Serena assured her.
"Good! That's what I wanted to hear," Aisha said.
"Dunsparce, time to leave!" Richard said, as he and the rest of his bikers turned their bikes around, and drove out of the town, rising no small amount of dust clouds behind as their bikes' engines roared loudly, until they couldn't be heard anymore.
And thus, after bidding their unusual friends a goodbye, the group returned to the Pokemon Center. Now that Serena had won her fourth ribbon, it was Ash's turn to win his fourth badge.
Author's Note: And thus, Serena gets her fourth ribbon! Yay!
I hope you liked the little twist of the battle round being a tag team battle. Contest battles never had more than one coordinator at each side of the battlefield, so I thought it would be a neat little idea to make this contest stand out more from the rest.
I bet you guys forgot about those Dunsparce Gang jackets Ash and co. got at the end of chapter 9. Well, I didn't! I had plan for them all along! Like I said many times before, I'm a veeeeeeeery long-term planner. There are many elements that I introduced in the earlier chapters that won't come into play until later ones.
It's been a while since Aisha made an appearance, isn't it? And I loved to write her again, especially her team up with Serena. Plus, the fact that she appeared alongside Sayaka allowed me a rare opportunity to directly contrast a friendly rival against a mean one. Though, since Aisha has won her final ribbon, she won't be appearing again until the Grand Festival.
Speaking of Sayaka, she returns again after her defeat at the hands of Leona at the Luxury Cruise, though rather than nursing her bruised ego, this second defeat in a row only hurt it even more. The next time she appears, she's going to be even more cutthroat.
Thanks a lot to cricketlaxwolvesbandy, MegaSalamence64, Fox McCloude, berb12335435, hirowriter and Viroro-kun for reviewing the last chapter, as well as special thanks to Viroro-kun for his awesome job as a betareader, whose edits and suggestions made this chapter so much better.
Next chapter, Ash will face Sheldon for his fourth badge. Will he rise victorious? Who knows (well, I do). Also, don't forget to drop a review for this chapter. Until next time!