As I have observed in the past, whenever I've reached chapters that I've had planned for a while, the chapters end up longer. Well, this is most likely going to happen again, because a lot is about to happen in this chapter. And here I thought I was done with writing performances lol.
Chapter 55:
Coordinators Upstaged
While Max and Bonnie welcome the newly hatched Eevee to their journey, May finally lands a venue for her charity performance. Lavaridge, one of the cities that was affected the most by the calamity, has offered its Gym as her stage. So, once Serena and Dawn confirm that they're quite happy with this setting, they and their partners leave Petalburg and set off for Lavaridge. Around this time, Max also finds out where his next contest will be held. So, Bonnie agrees to take a detour so he can compete in Rubello Town. So, the pair set off that way. Along the way, Max gets a phone call from May, informing him of when her performance will occur. He thanks her, then readjusts their course so that they're in a Pokémon Centre when the performance starts.
By the time Max and Bonnie arrive in a Pokémon Centre, May and the others arrive in Lavaridge. The sight before them is rather depressing. Many rocks and boulders had crashed right through several buildings. One or two of them were even completely flattened by the tragedy. The gym was relatively undamaged, but what little damage it received is being repaired at that very moment. One of the Contest Officials spots the group as they arrive and ushers them to a nearby hotel. The hotel was pretty damaged, like the rest of the city, but it's receiving its own repairs, and is being used a temporary lodgings for anyone who's homes have been utterly destroyed by the eruption.
The couples are all given their own rooms to stay in while they finish setting up the gym for the event. Apparently, they completely sold out within minutes of the event being announced, and nearly every TV station in the world has sent a camera crew to record it. The funds they've received from all of this will more than cover the damages to the towns and cities surrounding the volcano. This makes May feel quite proud of herself. As she and the others make their way to the hotel, several people start to gather around them, thanking them for their contributions to the repairs, and wishing them luck on the performances. May looks at Ash. He didn't other wearing his disguise, because he's travelling with the group, and if people saw him walking with Serena the same way that Drew and Zoey were walking with May and Dawn, it could completely ruin his disguise in future. Seeing everyone totally ignore him in favour of the three girls who are going to perform, May can see that he's quite pleased with this.
Throughout most of the next day, the six of them spend their time waiting around for the gym to be finished being set up. They offer to help, but the officials decline, saying they want it to be a surprise for them. So, May, Dawn and Serena head out into the forest to work on the routine. They each have their own separate piece at the beginning, before they all combine together in one big one. They spent much of their journey to Lavaridge working on it, and are now spending their time finishing it up and making sure it's perfect. While they do that, Ash, Drew and Zoey spend their time hanging around the city, and helping with some of the repairs. Receiving help from the Monarch and the Top Coordinator of Sinnoh seems to spur on the reconstruction efforts.
But eventually, night falls, and everyone begins to make their way to the gym for the show. With how many people wish to see it, the gym workers and contest officials had to add extra seats to accommodate as many people as possible. All the seats are decorated with fabrics of three different colours, red, blue and pink, symbolising the three performers. Many lights are set up around the gym, all pointing to its centre, where the main performance will occur. A banner of the three of them and their aces is strewn across the entrance to the gym, with a few other banners of the girls by themselves with her ace are set up around the gym as well. All in all, May thinks it's perfect. She and the other two wait in the gym leader's main quarters while they wait for the stands to be completely filled, and all the cameras to start rolling. Then, the announcer speaks.
"Welcome one and all to our charity performance!" he calls. "Before we begin, I would like to first thank our Top Coordinator, May Maple for the idea! It is truly a magnificent one!" More cheers echo through the gym. "Now, I could go on and on about this event, as well as the terrible tragedy that occurred that led to this event in the first place!" the announcer continues. "But I won't do that! Instead, I will welcome our lovely performers to the stage, and ask only that you enjoy the show!" Then, music begins to play as thunderous applause echoes through the gym once more. The lights point at the entrance where the performers come from. May takes a calming breath, then steps out onto the stage.
She waves up at all her fans as they scream and clap at her entrance. She's wearing a short, red, frilly dress with a few black stripes on the frills that goes with her bandana. Once the cheering has died down, she releases Blaziken from his ball, and starts the show. Blaziken mega evolves, then begins to do a few backflips, causing fire to erupt from his limbs as he does. While he does this, May releases her Delcatty as well. The two of them dance around together as Blaziken starts surrounding them with fire. May pulls out two sticks uses Blaziken's fire to ignite them both. Then, she and Delcatty proceed to throw them to each other, with Decatty using psychic abilities to make sure May doesn't burn herself with this stunt. Her Blastoise comes out next, and sprays water around the stage, creating a large cloud of steam. The steam is suddenly whipped aside as Dawn and her Piplup enter the stage.
She's wearing a blue dress, with red spots across the torso. This dress goes beyond her knees, and she's wearing some blue leggings underneath. The two of them create a pathway through the fire with Piplup's water, then they join the fray. The two of them dance around, taking May's place as she and her Pokémon back off, giving her the full stage. As Dawn and Piplup dance around, Togekiss comes out and starts spraying Fairy Wind around the stage. Togekiss controls this wind as May throws one of the sticks to Dawn, who catches it. Togekiss has the Fairy Wind surround the tip of the stick, which Dawn spins around some more. Buneary hops out next and joins Piplup in his dance. Piplup uses water pulse to create spouts in the ground, which Buneary uses to elevate herself. She hops around them, using the bits of ground that the spouts picked up to do so. Eventually, Dawn, raises her stick up, and the Fairy Wind covers the stage once more. It starts moving again, but this time, it isn't Togekiss doing this. Serena steps out ont the stage, accompanied by Sylveon and Delfox.
Serena is wearing a plain pink dress, with a blue ribbon tied around her waist. There are a few black bow ties along the sides as well, and what looks like a black and white bag on her back. When she steps in, Delfox uses Mystical Fire to cover all the Fairy Wind. Dawn and her team step aside to watch as well. Both Delfox and Sylveon use their power to raise Serena into the air, and make her look like she's standing on the Fairy Wind. That's when everyone realises that it's not a bag on her back, but her Pancham. He flips off her back and lands next to the other two Pokémon, then proceeds to breakdance. Serena is lowered back down again, and her three Pokémon dance around her, while she twirls a baton, which is ignited by Delfox. As she does that, the other two girls rejoin her. From there, their combined performance begins.
Back up in the stands, Zoey, Ash and Drew watch eagerly as the performance goes on. At least, Zoey tries to. Her bladder however, has other plans. It first starts annoying her right as the performance was about to begin, but she chooses to ignore it. But, it only continued to annoy her as the performance progressed, Dawn's water spouts certainly didn't help. Now, as the combined piece begins, she's sitting with her hands between her tightly crossed legs, and rocking back and forth to keep from wetting herself. Cursing under her breath, she gets up and tells the boys she'll be back, before racing off to the toilet. Her Leafeon, who she kept out with her, follows behind her with a look of concern. She manages to make it, but it's a very close call.
Feeling very relieved, she makes her way back to her seat. "Why did I drink all those soft drinks," she grumbles to herself. As she walks back, she notices that Leafeon has cocked his head, as if listening out for something. As she watches him, he walks over to one of the walls, and presses his ear to it. Confused, Zoey does the same. At first, she doesn't hear anything. But then she does, a faint beeping. It takes her a few seconds, but she figures out what that beeping means. "EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" she shouts. Everyone immediately ducks, just as the wall behind her explodes, throwing her out of the stands and down to the arena below.
Dawn screams with horror as she watches her girlfriend fall from the stands. She goes to run over to her, but before she reaches her, some of the other walls also blow up. Thanks to Zoey's warning, no one is hurt, but there's a mad dash as everyone struggles to flee the building. As they do, May looks around at the carnage, and sees some people appear on the roofs above where the spectators sit. Looking closely, she sees a T on some of their shirts. "Get everyone out of here," she tells Dawn and Serena. "Now!" "But what about you?" Serena asks. "I'll be fine," May insists. "Just go!" Serena nods, then begins running to the exit, with Dawn following after her, carrying an unconscious Zoey in her arms.
Once May is alone in the arena, she calls up to the members of Team Terra. "Well, come down and get me!" she shouts. "It's me you want isn't it?!" None of them move. Then, one of them does, firing something in her direction. She instinctively dodges it, and sees that it's a grappling hook. Then, another one of them moves over to the rope and begins to zip line down it. As he does, May sees the mask on his face, and realises that it's Admin Bannai. "What do you want!" she demands. "Come to get your ass beat again?" Bannai laughs dryly. "I think you'll find it's you who will be beaten today my dear," he says. May laughs at this. "Oh really?" she asks. "Why is that?" At this, Bannai points up to the stands. May looks over, and feels her heart stand still. "Because if you resist me," Bannai tells her. "My agents will blow a hole into his head."
Up at the stands, some of the agents have grabbed hold of Drew, and have placed the barrel of one of their guns to his head. May panics and tries to run over to him. But before she can get very far, Bannai strikes her with an electric fist. She flies across the arena, crying out as she does. Drew cries out as well, and tries to struggle against his captors, but they only press the barrel further into his head to get him to stop. Bannai slowly over to May as she struggles to her feet. "So, you can see the deal that we're doing?" he asks. "I pulverise you for interfering with our plans, and if you resist, he gets it." May looks up at Drew, who shakes his head, telling her not to take the deal. "Just, don't hurt him," she says. "Please." Though she can't see it, she can tell that he's smiling under the mask. Then, he lights up his fist with lightning again, before punching her in the gut.
The shock from the lightning and the power of the punch causes her to fly backwards into the temporary stands. Her back slams into them, and she thinks she hears something pop. But, she refuses to cry out, not wanting to worry Drew or give Bannai the satisfaction. Bannai runs over to her, then picks her up by the scruff of her dress. He throws her away, then kicks her a few times, before picking her up and punching her again. She flies away once more, and crashes to the ground, rolling over a few times. She gets to her knees, then coughs up a bit of saliva. Bannai is over her once more, and he kicks her onto her back. She's forced to look up at him as he raises his fist, electricity coursing through them. Se braces herself for the punch, but then hears the sound of sirens.
Bannai cancels his attack and sighs. "Deal with the police!" he shouts at his subordinates. "Do not let them into this gym until I am finished with her!" They all nod and leap off of the roof, leaving them alone. Bannai sighs with annoyance. "Things never can be simple can they?" he asks her, although it's obvious he's asking a rhetorical question. "Now then, I would love to keep toying with you, but it appears that I must hurry this up. Hope you don't mind." He goes to punch her with an electric fist again, but the sounds of scuffling from behind them causes him to grunt with annoyance. "What now!?" he shouts to himself, before looking in Drew's direction. Then, he swears under his breath.
Following Bannai's gaze, she sees that Ash had managed to free Drew, and he was making his escape, while Ash climbs over the guard rails to help her. "Kick his ass!" Drew shouts to her as he leaves. "With pleasure!" she calls back, before sweeping her feet out. Bannai topples to the ground and May gets to her feet. She releases Blaziken and mega evolves him. Then, she kicks Bannai, just as Blaziken makes the same movement. May's foot ignites and her kick sends the Admin flying. He crashes to the ground in front of Ash, who grins at him. "Now, it's your turn," he says, before kicking him away as well, fuelling some Aura into the kick. "Glad to see you using it again," May comments. Ash nods, grinning as he creates a Bone Rush in his hands. Then, they charge at Bannai.
Bannai tries his best to fight them off, but he's no match for the two of them teaming up on him. He blocks Ash's Bone Rush, only to receive a fire punch from May. She goes to punch him again, but Bannai manages to block her fist. He tries to break her hand, but Ash brings his Bone Rush down on Bannai's head before he can. Bannai grunts and hits the ground. Ash and May go to kick him again, but he sweeps them off their feet, giving him a chance to get away. Ash gets up first and hurls an Aura Sphere at him. It strikes Bannai in the back and knocks him over again. He struggles to his feet and tries to strike them again, but May punches him in the face, smashing his mask to pieces. Brodie's face glares at them, then he pulls something from his belt. "You may have won this round!" he says. "But this isn't the end. We will be back! We will have your brother's knowledge on our side! And there's nothing you can do about it!"
Then, he slams a smoke-bomb onto the ground. A cloud of smoke spreads across the arena, causing Ash and May to cough. May tries to scramble out of there, but feels her strength give out. As she falls, Ash catches her. "Woah," he says. "How about you stop what you're doing and get some rest." May shakes him off and gets to her feet. "How can I?" she demands. "Those bastards are after my brother! I have to stop them!" "Not like this," Ash argues. "Look, they're gone now, so how about you calm down, see a doctor about some of those injuries, because Palkia you look a mess. Then go after them when you're healed." May wants to argue against this, but feels herself fall again. Ash catches her once more, so she relents and allows him to carry her out of the gym.