The modern Pokémon Contest, is there a better example example of how art brings people closer to Pokémon? Probably up for debate. Would humanity thrive without the arts? Probably not. Contests, theatre, music, painting, the arts have always been where the human spirit can truly shine. Passion with practice makes perfect, fate brings fruition, art makes life more lively and beautiful. A world without art would be a world devoid of passion and spirit.

That is Valen's current train of thought, but don't be led astray by his pondering. His eyes still carry an aura of alertness as he stares straight ahead, the tall columns lining the pathway like a representation of the greats who came before him. he anticipation of the crowd can be felt in the hallway, or maybe it's just his own. The frisson is chugging ahead like a freight train, the determination of a conductor commanding the train through a imposing mountain range, he's felt it all before. He'll never grow tired of it. This must be how the earliest performance battlers in the Renaissance felt, especially with the possiblity that great artists would be in attendance for inspiration.

He adjusts his tie and his black suit jacket, the Team Skull logo on the back of the former proudly front and center. He then strides onto the massive stage and into a sea of people. Rosa, Hilda, and the others are smack dab in the front row, like they always are. The crowd roars like a pack of Loudred and Exploud. Lisia's Altaria soars down, and Lisia hops off of him. With her usual passion, her usual bubbly nature, she electrifies the crowd even further. She's a master of her craft, but that's to be expected from a rising global icon.

Leaf has already taken her position on the battle stage, and she's waving at him. She's radiating a strong aura of eagerness, she knew he was going to meet her for the final act of this play. Her contest outfit is a black dress with golden emblems of Zapdos on the front and gold on the end of the sleeves. She's also wearing a black hat with a large plum. It seems that this outfit was heavily inspired by the Victorian era. Rounding it out are black high heels and gloves, both of whch were a gift from Kris.

"Nice attire," Valen compliments with a bright smile. "It suits you perfectly."

"Thank you, I wanted to debut this new outfit during our match!" Leaf clasps her hands, her eyes glittering. "You're one of the coordinators who inspired me to go classy for contests!"

Valen jerks his back, his eyes slightly widen. He regains his calmness quickly, but he still has trouble realizing that he does influence others. In any case, he finally gets to face Leaf in a battle. He wants to see her art. He wants to see her passion, her spirit, and the heart that drives them.

"Time for the show!" Leaf grabs two Poké Balls out of her yellow bag. "Lights, camera, action!"

She gracefully tosses two Poké Balls into the air, and her Machamp and Ninetales make their grand appearance. Ninetales growls and Machamp flexes, both eager to see their opponents. Especially Machamp, there's one Pokémon on Valen's team he really wants to face.

"My turn." Valen grabs two of the Poké Balls attached to his belt. "Phantom of the night, warrior of the skies, arise and demonstrate your great might."

Valen chucks both Poké Balls into the air, and Gengar and Salamence soar out of their respective balls. Gengar sticks his tongue out and Salamence makes the ground tremble with his roar. the latter being sternly eyed by Leaf's Machamp. That's him, Machamp thinks. That's the Pokémon he's been itching to fight. He's heard about this Salamence from Rosa and Hilda's Pokémon, its feats are incredible. Now, he gets to see that power for himself.

Lisia leaps onto the higher platform overlooking the center of the stage. "I hope everybody's ready!" She lifts her left hand. "Ready, set-" She quickly brings it down. "Battle!"

"As a gentleman, I must concede the first announcement to Leaf." Valen closes his eyes and bows. "Please proceed."

"A most humble of moves, but is it worth a Dark Pulse and a Thunder Punch?" Leaf giggles. "Being a gentleman may not pay off!"

"Ah, but Sludge Bomb and Thunder Fang may have a retort." Valen sharply opens his eyes. "Might be a bit toxic, so don't be too shocked."

A stream of black and red circles emerges from Ninetales' mouth. Gengar flops on his back, narrowly avoiding the stream of circles. He then fires off globs of brown sludge covered in a purple glow, bombarding Ninetales like a winter storm pummeling the Arctic regions. The same glow begins to cover Ninetales' body like a cloak of toxicity, inflicting an additional blow. Meanwhile, Salamence's fangs are surrounded by electricity and he chomps down on Machamp's top right hand, which crackles in a similar manner.

"Gengar, you seem to be conjuring up a Nasty Plot," Valen remarks. "Salamence shall keep your opponents at bay with Hydro Pump."

Salamence's powerful jet stream of water forces Ninetales and Machamp to stay back. Gengar's body glows and he lets out the eeriest laugh that he's capable of. The spookiness is here to stay, despite Machamp narrowly managing to evade Salamence and striking Gengar with his fists, all four of which are covered in flames.

Gengar remains standing, and Salamence intercepts another round of punches. Gengar returns the favor by intercepting Ninetales and her fiery charge forward. Quite the impressive Flame Wheel, and her pacing is like a dance.

"To Hex or not to Hex?" Valen smirks, his thumb on his chin. "That is the question."

Salamence keeps Ninetales and Machamp on defense with more torrential attacks, while an eerie glow emits from Gengar's eyes. A blood red aura appears above him, taking the form of a pair of giant eyes that can pierce the mightiest of souls. The same aura traps both Ninetales and Machamp, but afflicts Ninetales at a more intense rate. But Ninetales manages to launch a red-orange stream of fire, striking both Salamence and Gengar. A vortex of flames encircle Gengar and singes him further. But it'll take more than one Flamethrower to take him down. This phantom is quite the force, and Salamence can play the same game.

Gengar read Valen's mind correctly, he just called for Phantom Force and Flamethrower. Gengar eerily laughs, then he vanishes into a vortex of blood red energy, while Salamence unleashes a blue stream of fire, scorching Machamp in the chest as Ninetales ducks in the nick of time. The vortex appears behind Machamp and Ninetales, then Gengar rockets out of it. Covered in an aura of the same color, he slams into both Pokémon and sends them reeling.

"Most impressive, but we aren't going down so easily!" Leaf bends her elbows and clenches her fists. "Here comes Psychic and Throat Chop!"

Ninetales' eyes glow, and a powerful red wave of energy sends Gengar and Salamence hurling behind Valen. Machamp swoops in, all four hands covered in a black aura. Salamence manages to tank the flury of blows, but Gengar gets shoved down and battered. He still hasn't gone ghost from this battle yet.

Sludge Wave it is, Valen. He concocts a cyclone of black sludge, and he rides atop it like he's surfing. He saw this on television and thought it was cool, but Ninetales and Machamp would probably disagree. Who wouldn't after getting battered by it?

"Can your Gengar handle another Dark Pulse?"

"I dunno, can your Ninetales handle Gengar's Dark Pulse?"

It's a collision of circles. Almost. The streams barely miss each other, but the respective mark takes a direct blow. Both Ninetales and Gengar are running out of steam due to their status conditions, which continue to chip away at their stamina. Neither may stand a ghost of a chance at hanging in there.

Ninetales' eyes widen at the sudden appearance of Salamence, who fires off another powerful torrent of water that blasts Ninetales into Machamp. Machamp picks himself up quickly, but Ninetales is a different story. Gengar and Ninetales commend each other on their battle prowess, then they proceed to dramatically fall like they're in a Shakespearean tragedy. Oh, how they have been bested by each other!

Salamence's body is surrounded by a blue aura, indicating that Moxie has taken effect. Machamp and him stare each down as their respective teammates are recalled and commended. As a sophiscated Salamence, he wishes to wow the audience the same manner as his favorite play, Pokémon Trainer Hamlet, does when performed. Machamp wants Salamence to show him his full power, but he should be careful what he wishes for when up against a Pokémon of this caliber.

"Salamence isn't one for culinary, but he'll serve a double dose of Dragon Claw!"

Both of Salamence's front claws glow royal blue, and he slashes Machamp multiple times. Salamence has been suspecting that Machamp knows a certain move that would be bad for a normal dragon. But he's not a normal dragon. No normal dragon can achieve what he has over the years. He wanted to be the very best, like no one ever was. Well, more like few.

He's right, Leaf just called for Ice Punch. All four of Machamp's fists are now covered in a frost white glow, but he hasn't worried about Ice-type attacks in a long time. In fact, he's roaring at Machamp to "come get him if he's feeling lucky." Machamp is more than happy to take him up on that offer. Big mistake.

Salamence takes a couple of blows, but he smirks at Machamp's shocked expression over his ability to tank the punches. He's quickly able to start weaving around, his wings slicing through the air. He even does a backflip while flying. Machamp keeps punching as fast as he can, but no luck. Salamence is too agile, too quick, perhaps more powerful than Machamp thought.

"Iron Tail is the appetizer, Hydro Pump is the main course!"

Salamence's tail glows metallic silver. He swings around, knocking away Machamp's last attempt at landing a blow. Salamence then slams his tail into Machamp, hurling the muscular Pokémon behind Leaf. He follows it up by blasting Machamp with another jet stream of water. He really rained on Machamp's parade, didn't he?

"Oh dear, my Machamp needs to knock those unruly mannerisms away with Stone Edge!"

Glowing gray rock pillars materialize around Machamp, and he launches them as fast as he can. Once more, Salamence performs a series of acrobatic maneuvers. Up, down, left, right, backflip, he's done this so many times that it's now secondhand nature. Two pillars graze him, but he retains flight. The rest of the pillars are shattered by the force of his Iron Tail, which strikes Machamp a second time.

"Goodness, what is that Salamence made of?!" Leaf's gaping mouth morphs into a grin. "Good sir, you really do have a true warrior of the skies!"

"Your compliment is much appreciated," Valen says, his eyes narrowing. "But we know you've got more in store for us."

"Alas, I am afraid that Machamp's Darkest Lariat won't be appreciated, nor will Dual Chop!"

Darkness enshrouds Machamp, and he whirls around like a cyclone. Salamence attempts to hold Machamp at bay, but loses his footing and is sent hurling back. Machamp's upper hands glow green and he lays into Salamence, pushing the tri-colored dragon onto the ground. But Machamp has realized that there's not enough time to defeat Salamence, all he can do is by time so Leaf wins through points. Even if there was unlimited time, there wouldn't be a guarantee.

Another Dual Chop, another double blow. It appears that Machamp's tactics are working, but Salamence is already charging in with another Dragon Claw. Machamp crosses his arms and tries to hold Salamence back. If he fails, Leaf might lose. If he doesn't, Leaf wins. But what a worthy opponent Salamence is, he wouldn't change the outcome regardless.

Salamence eventually prevails, landing a blow and forcing Machamp to kneel. But Salamence stops and falls back, for he doesn't have enough time to finish this battle. He came very close to victory, but he'll fight again another day.

Ding!

Machamp blinks. So occupied he was that he didn't realize the timer was running out. Machamp laughs upon seeing Valen shrug and Salamence wanting head pats. But he bows out of respect for such a worthy opponent. He's also a little saddened with himself—winning isn't what matters the most in a contest battle. It's about the show, just the way Leaf likes it. He couldn't help himself against such an opponent, much like he couldn't help himself against Pokémon like Sabrina's Alakazam and Lance's Dragonite. He loves having a type disadvantage because of the extra challenge. Salamence appears to be the same way.

The crowd cheers as Leaf happily waves to everybody. Machamp and her glance at each other, their thoughts similar. There's no denying that had the timer not run out, the outcome might've been different. Valen's Pokémon are strong overall, but that Salamence is on another level. She's heard that Salamence once managed to defeat Red's Charizard. Red won said battle, but that's still an impressive feat. She especially wishes that she was in Hoenn's Battle Frontier when this Salamence took down Noland's Articuno and Brandon's Regirock.

Upon returning her gaze towards Valen and Salamence, she giggles at what might be the most nonchalant reaction she's ever seen. Contest aren't really about winning as it is about putting on a show, but who goes from this to remarking about what to eat for lunch? Nevertheless, he's a good sport. He's a great coordinator, and an awesome performer. She's thankful somebody with such a huge, passionate heart was her opponent.

"Will this contest battle leave me sore?" Valen holds up a rose in front of his mouth. "Quote the Murkrow, nevermore."

"I like that one!" Leaf runs towards Valen. " That was a close match, you almost had me there!"

"I'm glad that I got to face somebody so incredible." Valen gives Leaf a thumbs up. "Keep it up and you'll shine even brighter."

"Thank you!" Leaf makes a peace sign. "Hee hee, I always shine!"

"Hey hey, don't act like you weren't amazing too!" Lisia darts towards Valen, handing him a silver ribbon. "Both of you were so so so SO incredible!"

"Eh, I suppose you're right." Valen tosses the rose into a crowd of his fans. "We both made this a great show." Good, somebody caught the rose. "And I've still got it."

"Do you always act so casual, even after acting formal for your contest persona?" Leaf giggles. "You're something else."

"Pretty much." Valen shrugs. "We aren't fighting against some loony trying to take over the region or bring doomsday to the world." His gaze moves from left to right. " I also don't see any cranky Legendary Pokémon in sight."

Lisia also seems amused by his overly casual nature. They would be even more amused if they saw how chill he was after his league conference wins. Sure, he could be a tad more expressive outside of the contest hall and the battle arena, but it's cooler this way. Maybe.

He may have fallen short this time, but the next contest won't have the same result. But regardless, he put on a good performance. That's more than enough for him.


A city of this size keeps on moving, the area's even busier than it was before the contest. A chorus of Pidgey and Tailow chirp atop the trees and several buildings. Despite being daytime, a group of Haunter that live in the attic of an antique shop cause mischief, such as scaring a young couple and poking random people. It's a common sight in older districts of urban centers. A Glaceon demands attention from its trainer this instant, even though he's waiting to cross the street within a river of foot traffic. The Glaceon won't let him cross without petting it. Exactly like Aunt Marie's Glaceon. Typical Glaceon behavior, gotta love it. Props to the trainer for that sick Guzmani jacket with the Team Skull logo on the back.

A farmer in a pickup truck is heading towards the city's historic market square to sell his fruits. But an odd scene makes him stop—a swarm of wild Paras apparently read too much about the infamous Paras of Hisui. Scaring young children and trying to pick a fight with the police isn't exactly good for their reputation, but they aren't exactly the brighest of Pokémon. It kinda reminds him of when he first learned that Voltaire dubbed Paras and Veluza "the world's stupidest Pokémon" out of sheer annoyance three centuries ago.

That chaos aside, looking around the area also reveals a Ragulian supercar at a local car meet, it has aggressive, wedge-shaped styling, and it's finished in all black. It's modified with Lugia Walk widebody kits, meaning that they took a trip to Johto and back. There's also a classic Kantonian car with the same body kit, and a blacked out lowrider. Stock sport sedans with sleek styling, old muscle cars that are solely meant to make you feel like a badass, charging Aggron, a dazzling black convertible from the late 1940s to pick up your crush in for a classy date, it's a nice variety overall.

What's especially cool is that the owners of these rides also have their Pokémon out. It's like they're proudly showing off both their family and their ride. The muscle car guys have Pokémon like Aggron, Exploud, and Garchomp, the eloquent gentlemen with the convertible has a Gardevoir and a Galade, it's interesting to see such preferences intertwine. But of course, nobody can overlook the buff muscle car driver with a Lillipup sitting on his head. Truly, that's the meanest and loudest Pokémon of them all.

"Hehe, the car guy in him leaked out." Hilda clasps her hands. "Goofball."

"I used Mind Reader." Rosa bops Valen's forehead. "Something's on his mind."

"Well…yeah." Valen shrugs. "I know I said I never felt the need to own a car, but I'll have to make a choice eventually." Valen rubs the top of his head. "There are two classic cars that mom would like me to have, and Jacques doesn't have room for any more cars at the moment. So, I-"

"Even if I did have room, I would still want you to have both," Jacques says. "One was the car your mother picked up your father in on their first date."

"And both are cool rides," Melanie adds, nudging him with her right elbow. "I know you've got enough room in the garage."

"Heh, points taken."

Wait, what do you even keep in the garage?" Silver cocks a brow. "Beyond the bikes, I've never seen what's in there."

"Finally taking more of an interest in others?" Kris laughs over Silver trying to walk away. "You can't escape."

"Humph, don't get your hopes up." Silver faintly smirks and glances back. "You're not exactly my type."

"Real smooth move, Casanova," Valen quips with a lopsided grin. "You learn that from inside a cereal box?"

Silver rolls his eyes. "Very funny."

"Thank you, I'll be here all week."

"Just answer the question."

"Alright." Valen laughs. "The motorcycles have company in the form of the kitten photos that Luxray is most embarrassed by, manuals on taking care of old furniture, and a bunch of other doodads." he shrugs. "That's all I can remember right now."

"….There are kitten photos in the garage?"

"Luxray really doesn't want anybody seeing him being fed with a milk bottle." Valen returns his gaze towards Rosa and Hilda. "Back to the topic at hand, I suppose two sweet classics can't hurt, right?"

"Maybe you can decide while eating yummy pizza!" Rosa clasps her hands. "You did say you were hungry!"

"…I did….but pizza?" Valen blinks, then glances between Rosa and Leaf. "I thought you two had different tastes?"

"I actually like Unovan pizza too, just not as much as deep dish," Leaf admits. "Rosa and I also chose to put our pizza preferences aside for the greater good of pizza." She places her fists on her hips. "Whether it's a Unovan slice or a deep dish—"

"Pineapple does not belong on pizza." Rosa folds her arms, her eyeing darting towards Hilda. "I once caught a certain somebody trying to put pineapples on a slice, or so I thought."

"I wasn't going to go so far as to put it, but I had to see what would happen if you thought so." Hilda's got a silly grin. "Hehe, your face was too funny."

"Is that so?" Rosa smirks, folding her arms. "I think you were just salty that you lost to me in a battle."

The banter between them is always amusing to Valen, but why did Rosa intentionally have her long ponytails touch his face? Eh, it doesn't matter. It's the little things like this that he was missing when he was in his rough patch. He's not a solitary person, but he had lost himself.

"You look like you've got something else to say, Val-Val."

"I…might have misremembered what happened." Valen scratches the back of his head. "You know, about why I fell into-"

"We know, Val-Val."

"But Hilda, I-"

"Whatever happened is in the past," Rosa interjects, her tone soft. "Focus on the present and the future."

"And we already figured it out, but we didn't push it because we didn't want to make you feel worse." Hilda caresses his right cheek." And never forget that your past acts of kindness came back to help you."

Past acts of kindness returning at a dire time. It's kinda like how that Hydreigon returned to the family that saved it from a tragic event as a Deino in War, Pokémon, and Peace, a masterpiece of a novel. No matter how dense the darkness is, a light can shine through it. For him, there's multiple lights, and they're all legendary in their own right.

Kris and Leaf have gone into teasing mode against an unamused Silver, but for what reason requires further research. No further research is needed to know that Silver's the type of guy who will pretend a group of friends is like a school of pestering Veluza, but secretly enjoys being part of said group. Wes is similar, and so is Gladion. It's kinda odd how he's always seemed to befriend broody boys and outgoing girls, but it's cool.

Whoops, he called Silver and Kris friends. Everybody knows what's really going on between them, even the Pokémon. As per the norm, his Gardevoir pops out of her Poké Ball because she felt like it. She leans back against a street light, her arms crossed and her grin smug. She did the same thing when he was an even bigger dork, crushing on Rosa but too nervous to ask her out.

Trolling aside, he wants to help Silver navigate the confusion he went through twice. But he doesn't know if he should offer Silver advice or wait until Silver asks for it. He doesn't want either of them to miss out on a future with their special someone. But he gets it, he's dealt with pride too.

Pride made him reject the notion that the pressure from being a high level trainer likely got to him, leading to his rough patch. He thought he could handle it by himself again. The skirmish with Shadow Pokémon in Orre served as a cloak for him to deny what he considered to be a very avoidable mistake. It may not be related, but Silver shouldn't let his pride win.


Even a megacity can have quaint areas where the flowing river of urban life slows down, a testament to the smaller towns incorporated into a giant conglomerate as time flows like a stream. Children play with a Growlithe in a nearby park, a couple enjoys a leisurely stroll with a Galarian Ponyta. Since it's right on the edge of the city, a scenic, sprawling landscape with no end in sight is a mere walk away.

This small neighborhood of single-story houses that dates back to the 1960s is where Wes now resides for the time being. He'll move in with Rui when the time is right, he's got a lot of adjusting to do. His life has been filled with chaos, but now it's finally time for calmness. For starters, he wanted to get his Chevrowlet Virizion up and running.

The sedan rests on the curb, a few newer sedans and sports cars scattered around it. It's all black with yellow wheels to represent Umbreon, while the interior is the same color as Espeon's body. Red pinstriping decorates the car, representing the gem on Espeon's forehead. The pinstriping on the hood is shaped like Raikou and Naganadel, and shaped like Froslass and Blaziken on the trunk.

It's a far cry from the poor, neglected shell of a classic lying in the barren countryside of Orre. Restoration seemed impossible, but the body had no rust due to Orre's dry climate. So, he decided he'd try his hand at a lowered ride, a hallmark of Angel City's car scene that spread to Phenac City. It would have been finished sooner were it not for that Cipher chaos, but he got the last laugh. Catch him cruising down the street in his '64.

"Time to see this baby in action."

The car's big block engine roars to life, and Wes can't hide his grin. Cars, trains, ships, machines have interested in him ever since he was little, plus the decos and paint jobs on the lowriders he has seen in Phenac City often looked cool. But he didn't want this ride to be just a show car, he wanted something he could drive around in too. He's not worried about maintenance, he's helped a few older guys fix up their rides in the past when they couldn't do it anymore.

He can't wait for Valen and the others to see it. He was even able to watch the contest while putting the final touches to the car. He…also kind of forgot that Rui was witnessing this the entire time. He…also forgot that she stayed after watching the contest with him. Even his Umbreon and Espeon are laughing because of his sudden forgetfulness.

"I saw that." Rui jabs Wes with her right elbow. "I saw that happy face, don't try to deny it. You had that same grin while watching Valen face Leaf."

"What happy face?" Wes smirks, glancing in her direction. "Did you hurt yourself in your confusion?"

"Oh yeah, you still think you're slick," Rui retorts and winks. "I can read you like a novel."

"That's because I am slick, and you rarely read novels."

"Not on the drag strip, that's where I rule." Rui makes two piece signs sideways. "Can't touch this gal, plus who said I haven't tried to read more?"

He's not a racer, Rui knows that. But she still has to rub it in that she finally got her dad's old gasser truck. She made solid money from tournaments across the globe, plus she's from a wealthy family. But she's always been easy to talk to, even if she talks way too much. Even if he didn't want to talk much at first, he rolled his eyes one too many times over the years.

Worth it.