Jaret King belongs to Aggies 2015

Viola Almach belongs to Ariesbird

Juliet Grey belongs to Dolcebrio

This chapter was originally posted on a03 on 24-04-06

Virgil ran her name over his tongue again. The name "Juliet" sounded prestigious; he corrected himself. Pretentious was more like it. He curled his fingers as he thought back to the alley. The "Princess of Sinnoh" was a blue-blood that would have loved Palm Hills. They never did anything themselves. A snobby air and performance would be par the course for her.

But she had also gone into that alley of her own accord, ruining his plans to have her own fun and looking for notorious landmarks that could easily ruin her reputation. If she were to get caught, it was possible she could get herself banned entirely from Johto and its circuits for at least a year. Johto was strict about their alcohol. To put all of that at risk was unlike any rich kid Virgil had ever known.

And it bothered him. She was under his skin so easily, and the scratchy feeling in his throat reminded him that she had never left his mind since the alley. He wanted to move closer for a better look, and also to figure out exactly what or who she really was. He tore his eyes over to her opponent. He was gawking at her out of shock. The last thing he must've expected was to be going against the Princess of Sinnoh, but he smirked anyway and steeled himself for the battle.

The battle that unfolded was vibrant, and quick.

His Tauros, charred and strange looking, opened up with a flurry of tails and balls of fire that she had taken immediate control of with her Dragonair—Argo's—Dragon Dance, a spiraling technique he had seen used only by Clair and a few other dragon tamers, and never for defense and to power-up at the same time; she had flawlessly put down her opponent's combination.

When she sent the Will-o-Wisp back at Tauros, the Tauros charged, leaping into a spiral, mincing the fireballs into skittering sparks of light, an impressive counter that sent Virgil's eyes to the screen to catch a moot point deduction from her side of the screen; she remained in the lead.

Argo maintained the spirals and hurtled himself impossibly fast toward Tauros. One of Argo's spins came by even faster and his tail, guiding powerful streams of water, crashed down onto Tauros. Cheers thundered from the crowd, and Virgil's eyes went, reluctant, back to the screen. Juliet's counter had sunk half of her opponent's remaining points. A glance over to Jaret found him quiet, his eyes focused keenly on that rich girl and her Dragonair.

She was more than nice legs and talk.

Tauros had rebounded well though, turning the Aqua Tail lash into a tumble of fire, Flare Blitz, from what Virgil could tell, that landed the Pokemon on his feet. It had been quick thinking on the Tauros's part and a showcase that the two of them were also well-adjusted.

But it had also been a reflex, something that became painfully apparent through Tauro's heaving. Virgil glanced up to Juliet's Dragonair in the air, still spinning, still spiraling. A set of meteorites flowered from Dragon Dance, first starting in slow rotation, and then, raining toward Tauros oppressive and fast; Draco Meteor made short work of the Tauros then.

The match bell rang and the crowd erupted in cheer, and Juliet gave a low, saucy bow, eyes flicking to where Virgil swore was in his direction when she came back up. He looked away, for the third time, toward the scoreboard:

Time Remaining: 3:30 minutes.

The "Princess of Sinnoh" was a blue-blood, and the Dragonair she used, in both domineering and imperial fashion, proved it. The Pokemon himself had slunk himself back around Juliet with a regal toss of his head, and an imperial sneer that the crowd utterly devoured. The rich always made brands of themselves, and it was on track for a girl like her.

But, Juliet was also strong, and she had grabbed the advantage and won in under five moves. Virgil had battled rich kids before, and none of them ever had an actual battle strategy. Even Jaret had been watching her, and Virgil couldn't help but wonder who was the stronger of the two. He had slipped out of the performance hall and to the concessions, a choice that had left him stranded in the lobby until the end of the next battle. If he was lucky, the lobby would offer him a chance to ask the question personally.

Virgil watched the battle on the lobby monitor, a back and forth between coordinators that were much more relative to each other. Jaret probably had picked the both of them apart already. Either that, or he could have also been talking his head off to Viola. The two of them had really hit it off, and even though it had taken a little to clear up the misunderstandings, the same could be said for him.

Viola was driven, disciplined and held a sense of heart, all rolled into one body. He'd met people with her mindset without that heart, or at the least, very little of it. So many of them were unbalanced.

Virgil shook his head; he barely knew her, and that was that.

I'll hurt her… he thought, and then, I barely know her…

The monitor blared and pulled his attention back to it. One of the coordinators had tried to follow suit to Juliet, coming off tastelessly grand; it earned them a well-deserved counter and point deduction.

"Poor rookie." Virgil didn't need to turn to the voice; he remembered it.

"You're really good at what you do," he uttered.

"Don't tell me I've got you already."

"I'm honored that the rich girl would honor a serf like me with her time." She was quiet for a moment.

"Wow, you ever thought to loosen up?"

"I can't believe you left the safety of the waiting room. I'm surprised you're even out in the public lobby." Virgil turned to Juliet. Everything was true to her presentation, he would have never known she had been in a dingy alley fight if he hadn't been there. A grin crossed her lips.

"I don't have any more matches until all of the other coordinators finish and from the looks of it, that'll be a while." Virgil leveled his gaze at her.

"You expect me to bite? And, don't you think you're a little over-qualified for the contest here? It's for Blue Moon's rising stars, not festival-level coordinators." Her finger wound itself familiarly in her curls.

"Maybe." Virgil grunted and turned his back to her. "Aw, don't be that way. And the festival remark is a sharp claim. You've got good eyes in that skull of yours."

"I don't know why you're messing with my head instead of hanging out in Palm Hills."

"Because the 'princess' has her subjects to attend to, and quite frankly, Palm HIlls is boring. Do you think any of them would go looking for The Cat's Eight?"

"You remembered the name?"

"Only because it came from a memorable face." The slow upturn of her lips stopped his breath and pinched his hips. "Maybe I'm 'messing with you' because you seem like fun, and…weren't you listening? A rich girl like me loves her fun." Virgil took a deep breath, and gathered his will.

"I'll pass…" Juliet shrugged.

"That's too bad. Oh well, I'm sure you'll come around." The monitor blared again, a pan to the scoreboard showing an emptied meter with just under a minute to spare. "Maybe you should get back to your friends for the finals." Virgil sputtered for a response; she had been watching him. She turned away and again, was gone.

Jaret plopped back down into his seat in disappointment. The contestant he had been rooting for lost.

"You've really taken to contests, haven't you?" He turned to Viola with a sheepish smile.

"I wouldn't say that," He looked back toward the stage, smile twisting into excitement. "I never thought Coordinators could be so…strong."

"You're talking about the 'Princess of Sinnoh'?"

"I wouldn't be talking about anyone else. The Coordinators on now are good, save for that really bad imitation attempt, but it's been a slugfest between them, really." Jaret leaned back into his seat, resting his cheek in his palm as he turned back to her. "Do you go to contests often? You don't really seem the type."

"I'm surprised you'd think anyone from Hoenn wouldn't like their contests," quipped Viola. "You didn't think I was all business, did you? Wouldn't that make you a battle fanatic?"

"N-no, that's not what I meant. I was just saying—"

"I'm kidding," Viola replied, laughing, and Jaret let out a sigh of relief. "But, still, that Juliet is really good at what she does, and I don't think I've ever seen you battle up in person. Didn't you say something about having a few titles under your belt?" Jaret winced, then smiled.

"Well, not exactly titles, but I've placed pretty good in some of the conferences, and actually won the Orange League. I know a top battler when I see one!"

"And Virgil?" The question caught him off guard.

"Yeah…Virgil…" She didn't look at him, eyes focused first on the screen, and then to the stage.

"I know that it might sound strange, and I've only just met you two I know, but still…I'm worried."

"You don't need to worry about Virgil. He's… a bit raw when it comes to meeting new people…" Viola didn't respond, and Jaret let out an affable sigh. "It's weird how fast he makes you take to him, huh?" she turned to him, expression carefully tempered.

"It…is," she replied with a nod. "Is that why you're in his corner the way you are…?"

"I'm in his corner because we're friends. Virgil's an inconsistent mess sometimes, but, while we've been seeing things, he's been having nightmares. Remember?" She paused in consideration.

"I remember." More consideration. "Did you have one too?" Jaret's breath caught at the question and he nearly fell out of his seat.

"W-what makes you say that?" Her smile was soft, but her eyes were focused..

"I've never seen anyone wake up on their own so quickly from Grass Whistle; nightmares are notorious for that, case in point Virgil not sleeping well until we met…formally."

"...But Virgil only just met Grovyle…"

"That's not what I mean," she retorted with a shake of her head. "Virgil was exhausted when I met him in the tower. I really had no idea how he was even standing or functioning. And…it felt like he had actually been hurt by his nightmares, like you did when we woke you up."

"...Virgil did say that his mom thinks that a ghost Pokemon could have attached himself to Virgil…"

"Maybe," Viola conceded, "But non-Banette ghost Pokemon are usually mischievous, not malicious. If a ghost is involved, then I don't think It'd be a Pokemon, but maybe a person." Jaret was quiet as he weighed the words, and remembered her question.

"I did." Viola shifted toward him; she was listening. "For the first time during that Grass Whistle, I finally saw what Virgil had been seeing for the past year. And it even sounds like it might have been going on longer than that, but losing at the conference really kicked it into overdrive."

"What was it like?" He turned to her with sharp eyes, then relaxed.

"So, you haven't had a nightmare then?"

"Only voices from the water…" Jaret was quiet, long enough for Viola to add:

"I want to help you two. I can't explain why, but I do. I'm…actually really fond of you already…"

"I'm not sure how Virgil would feel, but I'm flattered but… I think we're both more than capable…"

She could get hurt… Jaret stopped himself, eyeing her from top to bottom, then back again. Yeah, right. She can handle herself.

"What I'm saying is that I wouldn't mind traveling with you two, as your friend… I'm already holding myself to it…" Her voice faded into a dismal murmur, into thought. "Besides, I think I would like to see how these voices are coming about. If you two have had the strange nightmares, something tells me that I could be having one soon."

"With that final execution, the trainer's points drop to zero! We have a winner!" Jaret's eyes flicked first to the stage and the announcer, then to the scoreboard; the stands rumbled with restrained cheer this time; they clearly missed their princess. Jaret figured he'd add her to the list too.

"But…" His eyes came back to Viola. Finally, she was going to tell him what he already figured out. "There is something, a word that's stuck with me since actually meeting Virgil…"

"And that's...?" Jaret asked, turning fully toward her now.

" 'You.' "

The tower loomed over him serene. For all of the chaos and that one particular monk that came to Falkner a high-strung mess, Sprout Tower swayed calm and unchanged. And Virgil's breath went with it, stringing up his memory of the fight, Marus's outlandish appearance and the fact that the only thing Jaret did was sit there, especially when the battle felt so uphill. His hand went to his waist, finger tracing over the heal—Lucario's—ball. It brought on far too many questions.

What happened to Jaret, and why had he felt…lost when he fought Marus?

Marus was real enough, or was he finally just losing it?

More questions piled on as he watched the tower sway. It was the only place where he was going to get his answers; he darted inside.

Tch, so much for 'sacred'. The first floor was also unscathed, and it made sense; everything had happened on the top floor. It was also empty, and he found the stairs to the second floor immediately but paused to look around, eyes coming to rest on the two statues of Bellsprout that greeted him and any tourist that walked in. Smudges and slightly worn bits of the statue let him know that tourists were, quite frankly, culturally tone-deaf. His mind came back to the stairs.

He was dragging his feet, weight tapping and webbing first in his head, then his shoulders; he did not want to go back up there. The elder was on the top floor, there was no question, and Virgil was sure that his assistant Jin— if he remembered right— would also be up there and more than too fond of him when they saw him. You need answers, came a thought. Do it for the answers…! Jaret came to mind; Virgil stepped up and onto the second floor.

And found himself the center of pointed glares among all of the monks, exactly where he figured he would. If one of them made a move, it wouldn't have been all that surprising. He heard Murmurs flying between them, a lot of them shifting into actual words, "demon" and "aberration" were the ones he heard the most. One of them strode forward to meet him.

"This level is off-limits to the general public, and is a space for practice and study of doctrine," he glared. "But it's none too surprising for the unruly. What do you want?"

"You're the old man's head honcho…" It was a little difficult with his face twisted into something other than panic, but Jin stood taut at the helm of the other monks. Virgil did his best to hold face, drawing his shoulders back into what he hoped was indifference.

"And, what are all of you gonna do? Bellsprout me to death? I don't have the time, so could you move?" Jin shook his head.

"A demon like you has caused enough trouble." Jin was different, more in control and more calm, but it wouldn't last forever; Virgil waited for the escalation. "The Elder is in the midst of recovering. That being said, I will have to ask you to leave. We cannot allow any more harm to come to the sage. I will not allow it." Jin gave him nothing else. Virgil twisted in disappointment.

Then I guess I'll have to start it…!

"You sound kinda violent for a monk. You don't think your elder is slipping a little?"

"The tower is a place of simple practice, and a place where those who seek truth with both themselves and the world are welcome…"

"...He should kick you out. You didn't even answer my question." Jin's glare was immediate.

"The Elder is a sage in his wisdom and understanding. Despite our shortcomings, he understands that his knowledge and understanding should be passed on, first to those who study, and then to the world." Virgil sighed.

"Look, you're not even talking about anything. I really need to see your old man."

"You cannot."

"Aren't you guys supposed to be not stingy?"

"The Elder Sage is recovering," Jin snapped. "We refuse anyone that would or has hurt him!" Virgil smirked; progress was good. "So I will ask one. More. Time. Please leave."

"No," Virgil shot back. "I don't think I will." The glare became a frown, and Virgil rushed forward, the sound of poke-balls clicking in his ears.

"Stop!"

"Fool!"

"Protect the Elder!"

They were all so noisy. He spared a few of the monks a glance. A few of them were surprised, and a few others were scared, but did their best to show otherwise, but all of them were focused, attention and intention boring its way into his chest. It rang outwards into his limbs after that to leave him and somehow, felt it tracing through space around him; it bounded into his skull as apprehension.

A warning.

Virgil rolled away and the wood where he had been standing huffed, then splintered into pieces; something had ripped through it. He bounded to his feet, head up and eyes sharp for an answer. A team of Bellsprout, about four of them, fanned out in front of their trainers, their vines snaking back out of view. He snuck a peek over to the space they lashed into that dropped to the level below.

He'd be careful not to fall through it.

They all attacked me at once… Bellsprout weren't that strong, but there was always the off-chance that they had responded to whatever training or studying that happened at the tower really well; Pokemon, or their strength in numbers could be scary like that sometimes.

"I'll grab him!" Virgil's face scrunched, glazing down as a languid foot came up and out of range of a vine that thought to sneak by him, if he had been able to call that announcement of action sneaking. His eyes followed adeptly as the vine bounded back, and brought others with it. Virgil tensed.

"Restrain him!" Jin's command had been louder that time, much louder. Maybe even a little deafening. Virgil ignored it, moving by one lash, and then another, and more after that. Vine Whips whistled through the air, into his ears and throughout his body.

The warning.

He dove by the last one, and toward what he hoped was the next set of stairs. Jin barked an order that sent the monks following after him with more fervor and left his ears ringing. The aggression was all the confirmation he needed. He was close; a bolt in the opposite direction was all he needed. He turned on his heels, and to his dismay, Virgil's mind ignited in fury.

Don't run! Virgil grimaced. Kill them! Virgil froze, then turned around. Zealots don't know their place! Hypocrisy has no place!

Virgil's hand was at his waist.

Kill them! Kill every single one of them! Hesitation; the impulse flared\ stronger, this time screaming. No one does these things to me and gets away with it!

"A purification is what will be done." The response thundered against Virgil's ears, noisy like the first time and for a moment, he stared, absently, forward. He saw Jin, still standing behind the line of Bellsprout but ahead of the other monks, an arm hidden by his robe, the other extended out toward him, a mudra that Virgil recognized as an emblem for exorcisms, even if he never had the slightest clue of anything related to the practices in the tower.

"You're going to exorcize me? Didn't you say something about grabbing or holding me down? What happened to that?"

"I've said nothing of the sort," Jin retorted. "I intend to only exorcize." His hand switched signs, to sealing, and rage seared across Virgil's mind a second time and twisted his face.

"Don't you fucking dare!" Jin rooted himself, the Bellsprout lashing out with more vines to cover him; Virgil didn't move. The lashes didn't matter. They were distant and meaningless; insignificant. The only thing that did was that fucking monk. His face brought wrath and that pulse of a different voice, back to the surface.

No one does these things to me and gets away with it! It was screaming like before and loud like Jin's spoken command. That voice always got like this when Virgil felt anything deeply. It always pressured him to do the absolute most that could be done, but this was new.

"It will be done," came a third salvo of noise, Jin's voice again and in response to that pulse. His face curled again, ready to respond and the same thought rang out and Virgil finally caught on: The thoughts weren't loud at all; he was.

Jin shifted, and warning forced Virgil's attention to him, and to slabs of paper—spell tags— moving, honing toward him. One of them hit their mark, and it burned. Virgil yowled, but managed his way away from the others. He managed a reluctant glance down to his thigh, the tag smoldering as it burned through his pants and into his flesh; he looked away.

The others came back around even faster, and he was still taken aback by the pain from first contact, and even more so that the thing actually worked. If the apprentice was like this, there was no way he'd want to fight their elder or whatever; multiple tags would burn him alive.

Light shot from his waist, burning the tags to cinders as his Lucario took shape, and two more clicks had brought the shapes of Dewott and Ampharos to the fore also. When one of the Bellsprout lashed out again, Dewott had already seen through it, slicing through the vine just as Ampharos brought a flipper to his neck—the Quick Claw—charging and then loosing an Electro Ball that struck the Bellsprout head-on. Dewott followed up immediately, jutting forward with Aqua Jet and flooring Bellsprout. The attack had scattered the monks and brought on numerous snaps and light flashes that became more Bellsprouts and Hoothoot; they knew, like he did and had planned, that they were outclassed. Fighting all of them at once hadn't been a part of the plan.

"Ampharos," The Pokemon twitched his way. "You know, you didn't have to hit him so hard…" Ampharos huffed, and they both turned their attention back onto Dewott; Lucario stood with them. "But…thanks…I can't believe you guys are still looking out for me like you are…"

Virgil figured none of the monks had any real battle experience, but the display that the three of them watched was ridiculous. Dewott sat among his strongest, behind Ampharos and tied with Lucario, but he never figured that Dewott could battle so many at one time. He stayed moving, vines whipping and slashing after him a touch too slow, twisting to avoid a few Hoothoots that thought they had him, then slashing at them so fast that dodging simply wasn't an option. Dewott made short work of at least four of them before Ampharos sped to his aid, flipper to his neck to deliver an electric fist at one of the Hoothoot; the monks scattered again after that. Virgil was certain that the three of them would be able to win out over all of them but…

They had to go.

"Dewott, Ampharos! Knock it off and let's go! We're not here to fight!" A slash and bolt from the both of them had left them enough space to fold back toward and past Virgil toward the stairs. A set of Bellsprout came after them again, this time with a storm of Razor Leafs that Lucario had seen beforehand, deflecting all of them seamlessly with hardened aura—bone— in his paws. Lucario turned on his heels afterwards as well. They were on their way.

"This space is sacred!" Virgil stopped. The leader of them, Jin, was still standing. In fact, he hadn't even showcased a single Pokemon. It had been all of the others that fought in his place. "You have no right to defile or disgrace such a traditional space, nor the authority to audience with the sage himself!" The three of his Pokemon had stopped with him now, Dewott and Ampharos looking on toward the second floor with irritation as Lucario watched him. Virgil ignored Jin and with his focus on Lucario, made a step up; his insides twisted.

The Sprout Tower was "sacred", and that specific fact bothered him. His Pokemon had beaten the whole of those monks like he figured they would, and without his orders at that. If anything, the Sprout Tower was nothing. A little lounge for the weak and nobodies that he didn't have the time or need to waste on them.

It was impressive, and irritating that that monk was going to preach to him. Virgil turned back and rushed back out onto the second floor, and slid to a halt when Jin stood in full view, the rest of the monks behind him.

"I won't let you taint this space any longer."

"Yeah," Virgil growled. "And what are you gonna do about it?" Jin brought an arm forward, a thumb sliding over a poke-ball button to bring his Pokemon to the fore for the first time that left a faint semblance of shock for Virgil. "I thought all of you monks only had plants to be chewed up and spit out." Jin took a deep breath, stomping once and into a power position; his Pikachu sizzled with electricity when it did the same.

"Unlike most of the monks here, I'm more of a 'late' addition, and I think I've gotten tired of the doctrine." Virgil frowned, just as his three Pokemon came to his side; he could feel Lucario's attention settle heavily on him, with the same mix of concern and worry from before. It made Virgil want to snap at him, especially when he tuned into the undercurrent of fear from Lucario as well. Jin's Pikachu crackled again with power. "Prepare yourself."

"I think this one's doing a little better than the last…" Viola looked on toward the stage with a small smile. The coordinators in the last matchup had been a little too even, and for a Hoenn native like her, the spectacle vanished quickly. The most interesting contest battles always held a noticeable difference, whatever the size, between the coordinators; adversity bred creativity as far as she was concerned.

"You think so," she asked amused. He was out of his seat again, roaring for the other coordinator, and Viola chuckled. Jaret was clearly a fan of underdogs. "You might be onto something," came an admission. "Although it's hard to tell against Juliet." Juliet and her Dragonair, Argo, were a strong combination, and Viola was sure that the two of them could have won the contest just from reputation alone. It didn't stop her surprise when the other coordinator had countered one of Juliet's attempts and snatched away a decent swathe of points; it sent Jaret thundering to his feet in a fit of excitement that nearly sent him over the row of seats in front of them when he tripped over his feet. He caught himself on one of the chairs just as a shutter and click rang through her ears.

"You got in the way…" Jaret whirled around, an apology already forming on his lips, but a calloused frown had been something neither of them had expected. "I'll need you to sit back down, if you don't mind." Jaret only stared. Viola went to snatch him back into his seat, but Jaret didn't budge.

"You're strong, aren't you?" The man shrugged.

"That's not important. Could you please sit back down?"

"Oh...right. Sorry…" And then he sat back down. Jaret was silent.

"Are you okay?"

"Looks like Johto's struck pretty nice with some of the trainers this year." He smiled lightly. "He didn't answer me, but I know he's strong." Viola stole a glance behind her and back to that man. She half-expected him to be glaring in their direction with how packed the contest hall was. His face was obscured entirely by a small, fluorescent teal camera that had seen an immense amount of use, simply from how it fit in his hands, still somehow, pristine. She looked away.

"What does that have anything to do with anything?"

"I wanna see where he stands," came a blunt answer. "It can be your first chance to see a battle of mine up close, if you were really talking about it. That Juliet's impressive, but…that guy looks like the real deal." They were silent as they watched the stage flicker with style and movement, largely in favor of Juliet and Argo, who was quick to right the earlier wrong, knocking down the other opponent and emptying the points on the scoreboard. Juliet bowed and a second shuttering click! Followed after as she exited from the stage. With an eye for detail, style and battling talent to boot, Juliet was far too qualified for the Rising Moon for sure. She turned to Jaret.

He hadn't reacted when his bet had lost. Viola wasn't even sure if he had even registered the end of the match at all. It didn't take her long to see the strain in his face to keep his face forward. His eyes were forward, but his focus was behind them.

"Viola, where's Virgil?"

"I was wondering when you would ask. So, you were worried about him?"

"Not exactly worried, just…" He paused. "We just need to get to Ecruteak."

"It's that dream of yours I'm guessing?"

"I saw an entire warzone. Or, what was left of it…And, Virgil's been seeing the same thing for the past year…" Silence.

"I did say I haven't had a nightmare like that, or even seen one of the beasts in any dream, but…there was the chanting that I heard when Virgil looked at me."

"Yeah," Jaret agreed. "You did tell me about that."

"And, you said that you heard that same chanting in that nightmare too, right? When Raikou looked at you." Jaret nodded.

"It was chanting, sure, but also, I'm sure Raikou was talking to me. All of that chanting felt like it was all directed at me." He made a face. "As cliche as it sounds, it sounds like being 'a chosen one' or however they have it in the movies."

"I can't say that I know much about Raikou, but I get the urgency now. If that's the case, maybe leaving early might be a good head start. I think we have a good idea of who's going to win the contest anyway."

"Yeah," came an admission. "We should probably get going; there's no telling where Virgil went." Contest horns sounded reiterated through the hall; a new battle was beginning. That particular intermission had been short, very short. They must be getting tired, Viola thought with a small chuckle.

The announcer's voice boomed, and Viola was impressed that he'd still held so much zim in his voice, and the resounding cheers had been even more surprising, but the 'Princess of Sinnoh" was also someone that she was sure was unexpected. "The Rising Moon has been a long but eventful sight to see! But this will be the final round, and a perfect ending to a perfect show! Coming first to the stage, your Princess, Juliet Grey!" The girl in question came back to the stage with her Dragonair wrapped about her like an elegant scarf, and the crowd roared. Jaret tensed and shifted next to her, up to his feet. He had seen enough. He was resolute and the first thing she figured he was going to do, was to go look over his team, and she would follow quickly too. She would go deaf if she braced any more of the excitement.

Click!

"You're getting in the way of my shots…" His tone was more agitated now, and they both turned back to face the photographer again, this time ready for the glare that came their way. Viola went to speak but thought better of it.

To them at that moment, she didn't even exist. The photographer's frustration whittled down into distance; observation. His voice came level, cold and ultimately, embodied with experience the second time around.

Jaret was right; this man was beyond strong.

"When two trainers lock eyes, it is supposed to be an invitation to battle. At least, that's the generalized and accepted standard." Jaret nearly lurched forward.

"Are you saying you're looking for a battle?" The man's expression stayed sharp.

"Interpret it how you like. As for now, my attention is on the contest." He shushed Jaret as the room picked up again, as the other coordinator made her entrance. Viola turned her focus to Jaret with a slight frown. They needed to get going! The man held his camera at the ready, leaning around Jaret and the camera clicked again. Viola followed the photographer, in a vain attempt to think of something to calm down an increasingly agitated Jaret.

She stepped up, tall, thin and utterly bright-eyed. Every other coordinator that had faced off against Juliet had folded in on themselves, and if that didn't happen then, then it quickly followed once the battle started.

"We have a Johto native here," boomed the announcer. "And an upstart at that! Hailing from the mountains carved by dragons, and one that should not be underestimated, no matter how cute she is, we give you contestant no. 28, Seria Day!"

Seria took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time to worry about her parents. She took her chosen poke-ball into her hand, her thumb tracing over the button . She had made it this far. She was going to win here. The Rising Moon Ribbon was going to be hers. Her poke-ball clicked.

"King! Onto the scene!"