Chapter 9: Love at First Fight
"Alright! We finally made it!" It may have taken them a bit longer than expected, but the group finally arrived at Miyasa Town where Nikki's first Pokémon Contest was scheduled to take place.
"So this Is Miyasa Town," Ash commented. Looking around the town reminded Ash a lot of Pallet Town. The buildings were mostly small homes with a few businesses scattered here and there. The on building that stood out was the huge dome where the Pokémon Contest would be held.
"I guess the first thing we should do is get you registered," Ash suggested.
"And the sooner I do the sooner I can get to work on my Contest moves," Nikki added. Their destination clear the two trainers and their Pokémon entered the city on their way to get Nikki registered at the Pokémon Contest hall. Unknown to them, though, the trio of Jessie, James and Meowth had been listening in.
"So, they have Pokémon Contests in Legenda too," Jessie commented.
"Don't tell me you're going to enter," Meowth complained.
"After I came so close in Sinnoh, you bet I'm going to enter, and this time nothing's going to stop me from winning!" Jessie declared. Both he and James let out long sighs.
"Looks like our budget's going to be spent on her contest dreams again," Meowth groaned.
"Seems that way," James agreed. "I just hope Jessie remembers that we have other needs besides those related to Pokémon Contests."
"It won't be 'Jessie' that's competing." The two of them turned around and were shocked by what they saw. Jessie had changed out of her Team Rocket uniform and into a purple dress that went down to her ankles with matching heels. The dress had a slit up the left side that went up to her hip. She also wore a pair of black silk gloves that went up to her elbows and a small pearl necklace. Her hair, normally in an arching curve behind her, now flowed loosely down her back. To finish off her look she had a masquerade mask shaped like a Delcatty covering her face.
"When I'm competing you shall address me as Lady Jessica," Jessie demanded.
"Where did you get the money for that getup?" Meowth questioned.
"That's not important. What is important is that I register and prepare for my contest debut." Brimming with confidence Jessie made her way towards the Contest hall, leaving James and Meowth to wonder how she was able to afford that outfit.
"Hey James, remember when I said we didn't have that much money when we came here? How much do you want to be that's why," Meowth commented.
"There's no doubt in my mind," James sighed. With an audible groan the two of them followed Jessie.
Ash and Nikki arrived at the Contest hall within minutes. To their surprise the registration desk only had a couple of coordinators registering.
"I was expecting a lot more coordinators to be here," Ash commented.
"Well, the contest is still a few days away so that may be why there aren't that many coordinators here yet," Nikki guessed.
"I suppose," Ash agreed. "Speaking of which you should go ahead and register." Nikki nodded in agreement and approached the registration desk where the local Nurse Joy was handling the registrations.
"Hello. Are you here to register for the contest?" she inquired.
"I am," Nikki answered.
"Alright. I'll just need some identification," Nurse Joy said.
"Will my Pokédex do?" Nikki asked.
"That'll be perfect." Nikki handed Nurse Joy her Pokédex and watched as she insert it into a slot in the computer she was sitting at. Seconds later the Pokédex was ejected.
"Okay, you've been registered," Nurse Joy announced as she gave Nikki her Pokédex back. "You can enter any Pokémon Contest here in the Legenda region. Now you are aware that all Contests will be performed using the doubles format?"
"I'm aware," Nikki answered.
"Then it sounds like you're all set," Nurse Joy commented. "Good luck."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy," Nikki said. "Okay, Buneary. You ready to get some practice in?"
"(You bet!)" the Rabbit Pokémon cheered.
"And we'll be there to help you," Ash said.
"(That's right,)" Pikachu agreed.
"Thanks, you guys," Nikki said. With a few days until the contest Nikki was eager to get to work on the routine that would hopefully earn her her first ribbon and get her one step closer to the Grand Festival.
"Okay, let's try it one more time!" Since registering for the Pokémon Contest Nikki had been hard at work. She, Buneary and Shinx had been putting in a lot of effort as they tried to get the timing down on their routine. Ash and Pikachu had been there to offer any assistance they could.
"Okay, Shinx. Use Charge!" Nikki instructed. Shinx began charging up power, sparks slowly beginning to dance over her body.
"Okay, now hold that Charge," Nikki said. "Buneary, Hidden Power!" Buneary threw her Hidden Power at Shinx, hoping that their combination would finally work. The Hidden Power reached Shinx and began circling the Flash Pokémon, just as they had hoped.
"Looking good, guys!" Ash cheered.
"Okay, now use Spark," Nikki instructed.
"(Alright,)" Shinx said. They were all confident that this would work, but immediately after using Spark Shinx lost control of the combination. The Hidden Power orbs were sent hurtling all over the place.
"Oh no! Heads up!" Nikki shouted. Everyone ducked for cover as the Hidden Power shot off everywhere.
"Abra, use Psychic." As the attack continued to go out of control an Abra appeared out of nowhere and began using Psychic. Almost immediately the orbs took on a bluish glow and stopped in mid-air. Moments later they shot into the air and collided, creating a stunning fireworks display.
"Whoa… who did that?" Nikki wondered.
"I did." The group turned towards the voice and saw a young man approaching them. He looked to be around Ash's age, dressed in a light blue suit. Standing by his side was a Tyrogue.
"I hope no one was harmed," he said.
"We're fine," Nikki said. "Thank you." Upon receiving the praise he waved his hand.
"There's no need to thank me," he responded. "Oh, but where are my manners? I'm Maxwell."
"Nice to meet you," Nikki said. "I'm Nikki, and this is Ash."
"Hi," Ash greeted.
"A pleasure," Maxwell replied.
"You know, I was really impressed with what your Abra did. It's obvious you've trained him well," Ash complimented.
"Thank you. I just care for him and my other Pokémon like a trainer should," he replied. "I'm sure it's the same way with you and your Pikachu there."
"It is, though half the time he's taking care of me," Ash admitted.
"(You got that right,)" Pikachu joked.
"Hey, you weren't supposed to agree with me," Ash complained. Both he and Pikachu got a good laugh out of that exchange. During this Nikki was making sure Buneary and Shinx were unharmed.
"You two okay?" she asked.
"(A bit shaken up, but other than that we're fine,)" Buneary said.
"That's good," Nikki said.
"(What went wrong, though? I was sure se had it that time,)" Shinx wondered.
"Good question. I don't have any idea why that combination went wrong," Nikki answered.
"Perhaps I can provide you with an answer," Maxwell offered.
"Sure, if you think it'll help," Nikki replied.
"Well, from what I could tell you wanted to have your Buneary's Hidden Power orbit around your Shinx while she used Spark, correct?" he assumed.
"That's correct. You see, I had Shinx use Charge to start the process, and then, once the orbs were circling her, I wanted her to use Spark to give them a blue glow like her Spark attack," Nikki explained. As she explained Maxwell listened attentively, taking in every possible detail.
"I see… from what I can gather it seems as though you built up too much power using Charge," he announced.
"Too much power? Really?" Nikki questioned.
"Oh yes. In order to execute a combination like the one you're attempting a delicate balance between power and finesse must be found. Too much power and you risk losing control, but not enough and it'll fall apart before it can be fully executed," he explained.
"So if I want this to work I've got to strike the perfect balance between finesse and power? Oh boy… this is going to be harder than I thought," Nikki sighed.
"Do not fret. I shall assist you," Maxwell offered.
"Hey, we'll help too," Ash added.
"Thanks, you guys," Nikki said. The three of them then proceeded to help Nikki pull off her Contest combination.
"Alright, you've been registered," Nurse Joy said, handing Jessie her fake ID back. "Now you do know all Contests in Legenda will be performed using the doubles format?"
"Really? I wasn't aware of that," Jessie said.
"That's how all Contests are done in Legenda. The Contest committee believe it will add a new level of excitement to the Contests," Nurse Joy explained.
"I see. Thank you for telling me," Jessie said.
"You're welcome, and good luck in the contest," Nurse Joy said.
"Thank you, though luck won't be needed with my skills," Jessie replied. After registering she walked back over to where James and Meowth were waiting.
"Alright, I'm ready," she announced.
"Finally. Now let's go find the twerps and get to work," Meowth said. He and James headed for the door, but Jessie remained behind. Once they realized she wasn't following the two of them stopped and turned around.
"What are you waiting for, and invitation?" Meowth complained.
"Sorry, but you and James will have to do this on your own," Jessie announced.
"What?" the two males shouted.
"I've got more important things to worry about," Jessie informed them.
"Like what?" James demanded.
"Like making sure I'm ready to dazzle my audience in the contest. Ta-ta!" And with that Jessie left the contest hall to practice, leaving James and Meowth to carry out the usual Team Rocket duties.
"Great… now what do we do?" James wondered.
"We don't nee Jess to pull this off! We're more than capable of doing this on our own!" Meowth declared. After hearing how confident the Scratch Cat Pokémon sounded James began to feel the same confidence.
"You know what… you're right! All Jessie would do is mess things up!" James stated.
"That's the spirit! Now let's go relieve those twerps of their Pokémon." The two of them headed out to find Ash and Nikki, intent on succeeding without Jessie's help.
"Yes, that's it! You've got it!" With Maxwell's assistance Nikki had made great progress in perfecting her Contest routine. Shinx had managed to find the perfect balance between power and finesse and was currently holding the orbiting Hidden Power using her Spark attack.
"You're looking good, Shinx!" Nikki cheered.
"(At this rate that ribbon is as good as ours!)" the Flash Pokémon stated.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. We don't know what the other coordinators have planned," Nikki said.
"I don't think it'll matter. You got this contest in the bag," Ash said.
"(Ash's right. There's no way you're going to lose,)" Pikachu agreed.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Nikki said. Maxwell silently observed, an unnoticeable smirk on his face.
"She's good, but I wouldn't declare her the winner just yet," he thought. While the three of them were occupied with Nikki's training James and Meowth watched from within the nearby bushes.
"Look at that. There's a new twerp with them," Meowth pointed out as he spotted Maxwell with Ash and Nikki.
"Not only that but he has some nice Pokémon with him," James added as he looked at Tyrogue and Abra. "I say we pilfer those as well as the usual twerp line-up."
"I like how you think, Jimmy-boy," Meowth commented. The two snuck off to prepare for their attack while Ash, Nikki and Maxwell remained completely unaware.
"Alright, that was great," Nikki praised. "Now, I want to try something different. This time, I want you to…" Before she could finish five hands shot out from the trees behind them, each one going for their Pokémon. Abra sensed the danger and managed to avoid it, but Pikachu, Buneary, Shinx and Tyrogue weren't as lucky.
"No, Pikachu!" Ash shouted.
"Buneary! Shinx!" Nikki cried.
"Tyrogue! What's going on?" Maxwell demanded. Shortly after a large machine walked into view. It was shaped like a Poké Ball with two short legs. Four arms protruded from its sides, each one holding one of their Pokémon. A fifth one was retracting back into the center of the robot.
"What in the world it that?" Maxwell asked. As soon as he asked that the top of the robot opened up, revealing a cockpit where James and Meowth were seen piloting it.
"Surprise, twerps!" Meowth shouted.
"Oh come on! Not you guys again!" Nikki griped.
"Who are they?" Maxwell wondered.
"Well, shall we tell them?" Meowth wondered.
"But how? Without Jessie the motto won't work," James responded.
"Of course it will," Meowth argued.
"But…"
"Trust me, it'll work," Meowth said.
"Well… alright," James relented. With Meowth's assurance it would turn out fine James began reciting their motto.
"Out of the sky, falling with grace.
A spark in the eye, arriving with haste.
Ready and willing to put twerps in their place.
James!
Meowth's the name!
Team Rocket, burning a trail!
Blazing a path!
Kickin' some tail!
Mime Mime Mime Mime!"
"My… that was a… rather interesting greeting," Maxwell commented. It was at this time that Ash and Nikki noticed something was amiss.
"Where's Jessie?" Ash inquired. "Is she waiting to ambush us and take the rest of our Pokémon?"
"Jessie's not here, and quite frankly we don't need her to pull this off," Meowth stated.
"As you can see we've managed to grab your Pokémon without her help," James added.
"Not for long! Now give them back!" Ash demanded.
"Not a chance, twerp!" Meowth replied. "We've got them and we aren't giving them back!"
"Even though that Abra did get away four out of five isn't bad," James commented.
"Well you won't be leaving here with anything!" Ash declared. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"(Right!)" Pikachu began charging up his electricity, but right as he was about to release it Nikki shouted for him to stop.
"If you do that you'll end up hurting the others as well!" she warned. Ash groaned. That was something he hadn't considered.
"Well well… looks like we've got you twerps in a bind," Meowth commented.
"In that case let us take our prize and leave," James suggested. Just as the duo made an attempt to flee Maxwell and Abra sprang into action.
"Stop them with Psychic!" he ordered.
"(At once, sir!)" his Psychic type replied. His began to glow blue and, with a flick of his wrists, Team Rocket's machine was stopped in its tracks.
"Hey, what's going on?" Meowth shrieked.
"It's that Abra! He's using Psychic to keep us in place!" James reported.
"Well then, stop him!" Meowth ordered. Before James could do anything Ash tossed out one of his Poké Balls.
"We need you, Gible!" he shouted. The Land Shark Pokémon appeared moments later and awaited his instructions.
"We need you to free the others!" Ash told him.
"(No problem!)" Gible sprang into action the only way he knew how… with his mouth.
"(Lunch time!)" he roared as he bit into one of the metal arms. The arms offered little resistance as Gible's teeth tore through the metal, severing the hand from the arm. With nothing holding it closed Pikachu and the other Pokémon had no trouble breaking free.
"No! The Pokémon are loose!" Meowth screamed.
"That's not our only problem!" James cried. Apparently Gible wasn't done with the robot. His voracious appetite had him devouring the rest of it until only the cockpit remained.
"(Ah… *burp* Excuse me,)" Gible said once the robot was devoured.
"That little squirt ate our robot!" Meowth screeched.
"I think we should make him pay!" James suggested. "Carnivine! Front and center!" James's Bug Catcher Pokémon appeared from his Poké Ball and immediately turned around and bit down on his head.
"If you're going to take a bite out of someone make it them!" James yelled as he dislodged Carnivine from his head.
"Alright, Gible! You ready to battle?" Ash asked.
"(You bet!)" Gible replied. Just as they were about to engage in battle Nikki and Shinx stepped forward.
"I hope you don't mind if Shinx and I take this one," Nikki inquired. "It'll be good practice for the contest." Ash smiled and called off Gible.
"Be my guest," he offered.
"Not a smart move, twerp," James commented. "Carnivine, Bullet Seed!" The Grass type opened his mouth wide and fired off a volley of seed-like projectiles at Shinx.
"Blow them away with Charge Beam!" Nikki instructed. With a quick electric build-up Shinx was able to fire a Charge Beam that blasted away Carnivine's Bullet Seed.
"So, you think you're clever. Well, you're not!" James yelled. "Vine Whip!" With Bullet Seed not working Carnivine changed tactics, lashing out at Shinx with his vines.
"Dodge it!" Nikki called. Shinx yawned as she easily jumped over the vines, coming back down and smirking at the Bug Catcher Pokémon.
"(You missed me,)" she taunted.
"(Did I?)" Carnivine asked, smirking at her. Shinx didn't know what he meant, but before she could ask she felt his vines twining around her legs. Moments later she was lifted into the air.
"(Gotcha!)" Carnivine gloated.
"(Hey! Put me down!)" Shinx barked, struggling and squirming to get free.
"Don't let her go!" James ordered.
"(Don't plan on it!)" Carnivine replied. As Shinx struggled to get free Carnivine tightened his hold on her legs, making it that much more difficult for her to get free.
"Shinx is in trouble! We must assist her!" Maxwell shouted. "Come, Abra! Use…"
"No! We've got this!" Nikki interrupted. "Give him a taste of your Spark!" At first no one knew that Nikki's plan was, but as soon as Shinx used her attack they all realized. Because of the direct contact between Shinx and Carnivine the electricity from Spark traveled down the vines and shocked the Bug Catcher Pokémon, forcing him to release the Flash Pokémon.
"Okay, now let's send them packing!" Nikki suggested.
"(With pleasure!)" Shinx complied. As soon as she hit the ground she charged into Carnivine, her body still crackling with electricity from Spark. The impact sent the Bug Catcher Pokémon hurtling back into James and Meowth who were still sitting in the remains of the cockpit of their robot. The electrified Carnivine shocked everyone and everything he came in contact with, including the cockpit. After a while the cockpit exploded, sending James, Meowth and Carnivine hurtling through the sky.
"Even without Jessie we still can't win!" James cried.
"They had one more and we had one less! The odds were stacked against us the whole time!" Meowth complained.
"We're blasting off again!" the duo cried. Rather than disappearing over the horizon they came crashing down in a section of the forest quite a bit away from where Ash, Nikki and Maxwell were. To their surprise they found Jessie practicing with her Pokémon.
"Where did you come from?" she gasped.
"I think you know," Meowth groaned as he and James got to their feet.
"In any case I am now ready to make my Contest debut," Jessie declared. "Look out, Contest world! Lady Jessica is here to win!" As she boasted about her upcoming victory James and Meowth simply let out collective groans.
"This won't end well," they both thought.
"Way to go, Nikki!" Ash cheered once she and Shinx sent Team Rocket on their way. "You two looked amazing out there."
"(I'll say. They never stood a chance,)" Pikachu agreed.
"Thanks," Nikki said. "We did good that time, but I think we could get even better before the day of the Contest. What do you two think?"
"(Absolutely!)" Buneary agreed.
"(The better we are, the better our chances are of winning the Contest!)" Shinx added.
"Well I certainly wish you luck," Maxwell said.
"Thanks. You never know. It could help." With the issue with Team Rocket now behind them Ash and Nikki recalled their Pokémon and headed towards the Pokémon Center. As they left Maxwell's eyes never left Nikki. Seeing this Tyrogue and Abra approached their trainer, noticing the far-away look in his eyes.
"(Maxwell… are you okay?)" Tyrogue questioned.
"I'm just fine," he sighed. "Guys… I think I'm in love."
With some help from a new friend Nikki not only managed to get her new Contest routine heading in the right direction but defeated Team Rocket in the process. Now, with the Contest in a few days, will Nikki be able to perfect her routine in time? Will Jessie win like she believes? And what will come of Maxwell's feelings for Nikki? Find out in the next chapter of Search for Power!
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