So, I have a very good reason why this is being written on a Friday instead of Thursday. A friend of mine was in town, a friend that I haven't seen in nearly 6 years. So, as you can imagine I spent the day catching up with her. But, now I'm back to update this. I was going to stick something in between arriving at Pacifidlog and the contest, however I couldn't think of anything without writing a short and pointless chapter. So, I just decided to go ahead with the contest. These turned out to be a lot harder to write than performances, because I have to write a mini performance, and a flashy battle. These are hard, especially since the longer under planned chapters get, the less I want to write them. ADHD is a total curse. Anyway, I'll shut up now.
Chapter 78:
Harley a Chance
When the boat docks at Pacifidlog Town, Max and Bonnie are amongst the first people off of the boat. Form the dock, they watch as Debbie and Cooper are unfrozen from the ship by the police, and brought to the nearest police station. Max and Bonnie wave at them with smug expressions on their face as they're led past. "I hope that's the last we see of them," Max says. Bonnie nods in agreement. "Somehow I doubt that," she replies. "But how about we wait until they break out before we worry about them?" Max nods. "You're right," he agrees. "We've got bigger Magikarp to fry right now.. Like this contest." Bonnie nods, then the two of them walk towards the contest hall.
As they walk, Max looks around at some of the pokémon that inhabit the island. As he does, he pulls out one of his logs and begins to speak into it, describing what he sees. It doesn't take long for Bonnie to become distracted by his ramblings. In fact, both of them are too distracted to notice the person standing in front of the contest hall. As a result, Max crashes right into him. "Oh, sorry," says Max. "I wasn't looking- Oh, it's you." The person turns, and Max sees that he's just crashed into Harley, who doesn't look at all pleased to see him. "Well, if it isn't the Top Coordinator's snot-nosed bratty younger brother," he sneers. "What are you doing here?" Max glares at him, and is about to retort something to do with Harley being a prickly bastard, when Bonnie chimes in with, "He's here to enter the contest!" Harley stares for a few seconds, then starts to laugh, and laugh hard.
"You!?" he guffaws. "That's rich! I mean, I had a feeling this was going to be a simple contest, but to think it would be THIS easy!?" He laughs some more. "I mean how many badges do you even have!?" "Three," Max replies with a hint of satisfaction. He hopes that that would stop Harley from laughing, but it only increases it. "Oh, then you are in trouble!" he replies haughtily. "I have four. So, if I fail this one, I still have one more opportunity to enter the Ribbon cup. But you? You lose this one, and you're out of the running for this year." Max's face flushes red with anger. "Then I guess I'll just cut the middle man and wish you luck on getting your 5th badge in the final contest!" he says through gritted teeth. Harley chuckles at this. "And I hope your sister doesn't want to disown you after I thoroughly thrash you here," he replies, before walking into the contest hall with his nose in the air. Max glares after him, and feels Bonnie's hand on his shoulder. "Ignore him," she tells him. "You'll show him tomorrow." Max nods, then walks into the Contest Hall to enter this one.
Once he's officially registered for it, he and Bonnie head over to the Pokémon Centre to book a room for the night. As they do, Max holds the pokémon of his choice in his hands, fiddling with the ball as he thinks about what he's going to for this contest's appeals round. Now that he knows that Harley will be in this contest, he wants to make damn sure he not only wins it, but wins it as flashily and dramatically as possible. As he plans out his appeals round, he can't help the smug grin at appears on his face as he imagines Harley's surprise when he loses. He's so lost in his own thoughts, that he almost walks right by the Pokémon Centre, until Bonnie shakes his shoulder. "Sorry to interrupt your train of thought," she says. "But we're here." Max looks around to see that she's right. He blushes at this, then follows her into the centre to book their room. Once they're sure that it has separate beds, they head back out into Pacifidlog, and go searching for a spot for Max to prepare the pokémon he chose.
As it turns out, he isn't the only one who's looking. All over the town, people are either rehearsing their plans, or else scouring the place, looking for anywhere that's hidden enough so that no other Coordinator knows what they're planning. They even walk past Harley at one point, and Max tries to see if he can spot which pokémon he's using, but Harley's got it hidden well. "There aren't very many people here compared to the previous few contests," Bonnie remarks. Max just shrugs. "Well, think about it," he replies. "There really are only 2 contests left to enter. If you don't have 3 ribbons by now, then there isn't much point in entering these ones. Luckily, unlike Gym Badges, ribbons carry over to the next season, so if you fail, you don't need to go for 5 ribbons again." Bonnie nods at this, then slumps slightly. "Wish Gym Badges worked like that," she grumbles, which makes Max laugh.
Eventually, Max finds a secluded spot and pulls out the pokémon of his choice. Grovyle leaps out of his ball and looks around, wondering what kind of training they'll be doing. Max explains what he has in mind, to which Grovyle confirms he understands. Then, the pair spend the rest of the day training for the contest. Bonnie joins in on the training, doing so for the Gym Battle in Mossdeep. Max had explained to her on the boat ride over that it was a Psychic type gym, and was a double battle, like Sootopolis, only without the following single battle. She's chosen her two pokémon, and Max has given a few recommendations to start her off, with a promise to give her proper instructions on how to beat the Gym once this contest is over. With that, the pair train up for their various competitions. By the time they're finished, night has begun to fall. So, the two of them finish up, then head back into town to find something to eat.
The next morning, Max is the first to wake up. He changes quietly and slips outside, hoping to get more training done. It's kind of cold when he does this, so he quickly grabs his coat. He vigorously trains Grovyle over the next hour, making sure that he's positively ready for the contest ahead. He doesn't do anything too rough with Grovyle, other than waking him up early, but he doesn't hurt Grovyle in any way. After an hour, Bonnie comes outside to find Max in the middle of his training with Grovyle. "Max, how long have you been out here?" she asks. "About an hour," Max replies, pausing their training session. Bonnie looks a bit relieved at this. "I'll be honest," she says, "I was worried you were out here from an ungodly hour in the morning." Max chuckles at this. "Well, I'm not that stupid," he says. "But I do want to get an early start in order to make sure that I wipe that shit-eating grin off Harley's face!"
He turns back around to resume training, but he feels a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head, he sees Bonnie looking at him with concern in her eyes. "You seem far too determined to beat Harley," she comments. Max is about to argue that he isn't, but Bonnie puts a finger to his lips. "You seem to have forgotten the most important thing about participating in these," she goes on. "And that's to have fun. But you're allowing Harley's taunts to get in your head." Max can't help but scowl slightly at this. "Bit rich coming from you," he comments, "and all the times you allowed Trixie to get under your skin." "And who was there to help me get her out of there?" she asks, without missing a beat. Max goes a bit pink at this. "I was," he replies. "So, why don't you take your own advise," Bonnie goes on, "and don't let Harley get under your skin. All you do is make yourself miserable." Max nods, then returns Grovyle to his ball. "You're right," he says. "Now come on, let's go get breakfast."
After they've eaten, the pair head over to the contest hall, so that Max can earn his 4th ribbon. If he fails this, he's out of the running for this year. With these thoughts echoing in his head, Max enters the building, with Bonnie following after. He quickly spots Harley in the crowd and feels his blood boiling again. But, Bonnie quickly draws his attention away by asking him about his routine. Max, glad for the distraction, goes over what he has in mind to her, quietly of course so no one can overhear. Once he's finished, he and Bonnie separate, but not before hugging. Then, Bonnie heads to the stands to watch, while Max heads backstage to get ready for the contest.
Soon enough, the stands fill out, and the show begins. Despite the fact that Bonnie is just here for Max, she does pay attention to some of the other coordinators on stage, especially Harley. She doesn't want to admit it, but he's good. He and his Cacturne take the stage to a lot of applause. Clearly he's left a mark on this year's contest scene. Once the hubbub dies down, he claps his hands, and Cacturne starts to spin. As it does, it flips onto hits head like a Hitmontop and continues to spin. As it does this, Harley grabs the cloak he's wearing and crouches down, covering himself in it. Once he's completely covered, Cacturne begins to launch small spines all over the stage, making sure to avoid hitting the audience and the judges. Cacturne stops throwing the spikes and Harley throws the cloak off. Cacturne aims at the cloak and hurls a Dark Pulse at it, causing the spikes to activate, and explode in a burst of colourful light. The audience cheers wildly as Harley bows, before resummoning Cacturne and heads off the stage.
As Bonnie watches him go, she can't help but feel a bit worried for Max. His routine is good, but maybe the judges will deem Harley so superior that Max doesn't make the cut. Given how pissed off Max has gotten since seeing Harley again, she's nervous about how he'd react if he's able to beat him. But, she chooses not to worry about that for too long, because Max has yet to perform yet, and when he does, no doubt he too will blow everyone away. With that in mind, she continues to watch as some other performers take the stage. While some of their performers are good, they aren't as good as Harley's. Eventually, everyone else has done their performance, and now, it's Max's turn to wow the crowd.
He steps out onto the stage accompanied by his Grovyle. He too receives an applause, though not as grand as Harley's. Still, it's enough to give Bonnie some relief. This means that he too made an impact on the contests this year, even if it isn't as big as Harley's. Once the clapping does down, Max turns to Grovyle and nods. Grovyle instantly leaps into the air, and begins to swing around the roof on his vines. As he does, Max begins to throw various items up at him, from cans and paper, to sticks and rocks. Everytime one comes in front of him, he cuts through them all without fail. Once Max is out of items, Grovyle lands back down on the stage and begins to whirl Razor Leaf around him. As this happens, he seems to rise into the air, although in actual fact he's simply standing on his tail. After this, he lowers himself back to the ground, and the crowd goes wild.
After these shows, one of the judges steps onto the stage to announce who'll be going to the battle round. Unsurprisingly, both Harley and Max make it through, along with two others. Much to Max's relief and frustration, he isn't facing Harley in this round. So, when his battle comes, he's able to win through a knockout, with a minute to spare. Harley meanwhile also wins, however his victory came through style points, as opposed to a knockout. This gives Max a bit of hope. As long as Grovyle is able to knock Cacturne out, it doesn't matter who's moves are flashier. With this in mind, Max quickly runs through a plan in his head as to how to accomplish this. Once he's certain that he's ready, he steps out onto the stage once more to challenge Harley.
Harley is already waiting for him when he arrives on stage. He's grinning broadly as he shows up. "So, are you ready to have your butt handed to you?" he asks. "I was just about to ask you the same thing," Max replies. Harley's grin faulters a little bit, but then he gets it back up. "We'll see about that," he says, before sending out his Cacturne. Max sends out Grovyle, and the final round begins. Grovyle immediately charges forth with Leaf Blade, but Cacturne dodges it, leaving sparkly spikes in its wake. Then, it flips around and kicks Grovyle across his back, sending him to the ground. Cacturne sends out a Dark Pulse, but Grovyle dodges it. Cacturne sends the attack out again, but this time, instead of dodging it, Grovyle uses Leaf Blade and cuts through the attack, wowing the judges. Then, Grovyle sends out Razor Leaf, while Cacturne sends out Pin Missile. Both attacks strike each other in a back and forth, as both pokémon try to hit each other. Eventually, both start to make their way through, scratching Cacturne and Grovyle. And, since Grovyle is a grass type, he's hurt more by this.
Eventually, Max breaks it off and has Grovyle dodge the attacks. He runs around, avoiding the Pin Missiles, while occasionally throwing attacks at Cacturne. Soon, Cacturne runs out of pins, so it runs in with Assurance, while Grovyle charges forward with Leaf Blade. Both attacks collide in mid air, before Grovyle is thrown to the ground. Cacturne tries to land on him, but Grovyle dodges out of the way. He leaps on top of Cacturne and slices at its back with Leaf Blade. Cacturne manages to regrow enough spikes to hurt Grovyle and throw him off. Then, it wheels around and throws more spikes, before kicking Grovyle in the gut and sending him flying. Grovyle hits the ground and bounces a few times, before coming to a stop. Both pokémon are panting heavily, as Grovyle struggles to try and get to his feet. But, Cacturne sends one last Pin Missile, and Grovyle goes down. With 10 seconds to spare, Cacturne is declared the winner.
Max doesn't bother to stick around to watch Harley earn his badge. Bonnie quickly finds him walking out of the Contest Hall and heading towards the Pokémon Centre. "Hey Max wait up!" she calls. She's worried that he might ignore her, but he stops and waits. When she catches up, she sees that he looks angry. "I almost had him," he says. "If I had just lasted a few more seconds!" Bonnie hugs him at this. "You did your best," she replies. "This was your first time competing in contest, and even with all of the hiccups, you managed to win three ribbons!" "May won 5 on her first go," Max replies bitterly. "But did she win all 5 after having so many of her contests interrupted?" Bonnie asks. Max shakes his head. "You missed like 2 or 3 contests, and still managed to win 3 ribbons. That's very impressive." Max smiles at this as his cheeks colour a little bit. "Thanks Bonnie," he says, before hugging her. Bonnie returns the hug, feeling her own face get a bit warmer.
Suddenly, the doors to the contest hall swing open as Harley emerges from the building. He sees Max and smirks at him. "Well, it seems that May's talent isn't genetic," he says smugly. "Or, maybe it is, and just missed you!" He laughs at his own joke. Max glares at him, but says nothing. Harley continues to laugh as he walks away, throwing the ribbon up in the air and catching it. "Well then, I'll be off back to Slateport," he continues. "Gotta go and face off against the better Maple. Or who knows, maybe your humiliating defeat is an omen that I am finally going to be able to defeat her. I'm looking forward to seeing how she reacts to her younger brother being unable to keep up with her. Ta ta now!" Then, he walks off, laughing all the way. Bonnie glares after him, before taking Max's hand and pulling him away, expecting to see him crying. Instead, she sees a deep look of hatred on his face. "Oh," she says. "I thought you'd be more upset." Max continues to glare. "Oh, I am so past that," he replies. "I'm very much looking forward to watching my sister wipe the floor with him!"
This is a chapter of firsts. For the first time ever I continued a chapter after the contest ended, and this is probably the first chapter in a while that I managed to write in one day. I used to do that all the time, but that's been getting harder to do recently. I gotta say, writing Harley was fun. I like writing hateable characters, so he was a fun character to write. I was originally planning on adding Max into the Ribbon Cup, but then I found that Contests are much more difficult to write than I thought, so I decided not to have him do that. I'm still going to write the Ribbon Cup, but it won't be very fleshed out, since Max won't be competing. Also, I am never writing contests or Performances again. They are far too hard to come up with, and usually leave me burnt out when I'm done. Anyway, with that, see you next chapter.