Walking through Hearthome City was….quite a strange experience for Akari. So many people, so much noise, lots of bright lights. It was a very big environmental whiplash from the quiet and humble nature of Jubilife Village, which was situated in a land mostly dominated by nature. Akari's nose was certainly not accustomed to the city's smell, which gave her the urge to go out on a survey session in the Obsidian Fieldlands just to be surrounded by the fresh scent of pine trees. The sounds of chatter, moving vehicles, and people's Pokemon all mashed together uncomfortably from every direction. Everything felt so massive yet so cramped with all the towering buildings surrounding the paths.
Akari stood backstage, her feet already sore from her high heels. She couldn't wait for this to be over so she could slip those painful things off. But then she remembered that she would be getting locked in her room and only felt more dread. She just couldn't seem to win either way!
"Ladies and gentleman, we welcome you to tonight's show for the master rank beauty contest!" The lights dimmed as the audience cheered. "Tonight, four talented trainers will show off the beauty of their beloved Pokemon, and one will walk home with a golden trophy and beautiful blue ribbon for their Pokemon! But who will it be? Well, we're about to find out! First, we need to introduce our lovely stars who are participating in tonight's contest…"
Akari looked over at her mother's Lopunny as she fidgeted with her sweaty hands.
"First up, we have Jessica and her Froslass, Crystal!"
Akari watched as a tall, skinny girl with a black hair bun and a white tutu proudly entered the right side of the stage with her Froslass floating by her side. She elegantly stood in first position once she found her place.
"Next, we have Johanna and her Kangaskhan, Jumpy!"
The audience grew louder as a middle-aged woman with short blue hair and a white dress with red ribbons walked onto the stage with her Kangaskhan.
"Third, we have Jenny and her Glameow, Athena!"
The room quieted down as a young, dark-skinned girl in a sky blue dress made her way onto the stage with elbow crutches. Her Glameow appeared to be limping beside her. Looking closer, Akari realized the Glameow only had three legs, with its left back limb missing.
Akari peeked into the crowd as waited for her name to be called. She spotted her mother sitting in the third row next to the man who Akari still didn't know much about. Debra appeared to be rolling her eyes at Jenny and Athena.
"And last but certainly not least, we have the exciting return of a contender we haven't seen for a good while now! She's the daughter of two-time national runner-up, Debra! And a beloved rising star herself!"
It took a good long moment for Akari to fully digest the fact that she was the one being described here.
"Everyone please welcome back…. Akari and her Lopunny, Lori!"
The audience screamed as Akari slowly made her way onto the stage. She took slow, awkward steps in her high heels. It was even weirder for her to be standing in front of hundreds of people under a blinding spotlight. Especially when almost all of them were strangers who somehow knew about her. Yet she knew almost nothing about any of them. It wasn't like Jubilife where everyone in the village knew each other. She tried to put on her best smile as she observed the booming crowd. Akari wondered how was ever able to do this in the first place.
"Woohoo! Let's go Akari!" someone from the audience shouted. Akari was reminded of all the friends she had made in Hisui. She was already starting to deeply miss them.
Akari peered over at her fellow competitors. Johanna and Jenny both smiled back at Akari, while Jessica remained focused on the crowd. Akari turned her head back to the audience to see her mother sitting still as a rock, looking like she was staring right into Akari's soul. Droplets beaded on Akari's forehead.
"Now, let's begin! Good luck to all of our contestants, and may the best one win!"
Akari's heart raced as more and more sweat ran under her dress. She could really use Electra's soothing purrs at this moment.
"Good luck."
Akari turned to see Jenny smiling at her.
"Thanks. Good luck to you too," mumbled Akari, smiling back at Jenny.
"Good luck to all of you!" murmured Johanna.
"The dance competition is ready to get under way!"
Johanna, Jumpy, Jenny, and Athena took a few steps back while Jessica and Crystal moved downstage toward the center. Akari noticed that Lori was also moving back, so she simply followed the others in moving upstage. She hoped that she could pick up on what she was supposed to do from watching the others, just like how she would study the behaviors of Pokemon by observing them.
"Okay everyone, let's dance! Start the music!"
Akari gulped as a soft, low-key piano song began playing. She watched as Jessica began to perform a ballet dance, striking several poses that Akari could never imagine herself pulling off. Her Froslass gracefully swirled around her, mimicking Jessica's movements with its cloak-like arms. Looks of awe were on the faces of many people.
Jessica then pranced backward as she and Johanna switched places on the stage. Johanna held Jumpy's paws as the two gently danced together. Johanna then twirled around as Jumpy held onto her hand. Jumpy's baby then leaped out of her pouch into Johanna's arms. Johanna held the baby Kangaskhan up above the crowd, gently swaying it side to side as the audience cheered. It was just like how Akari held Electra when first showing her to Laventon and Rei, proudly lifting the Shinx high to the sky as if presenting her to a kingdom she would one day rule.
Johanna and Jumpy then trotted backward as Jenny and Athena made their way downstage. Akari started shaking upon realizing she was on deck. Jenny seemed to be making use of her crutches as she began to rotate her hips around. She then lifted her crutches like wings as she managed to balance on her right leg. The cheers from the audience were a lot more toned down compared to the previous two pairs. It was then that Akari noticed Jenny's left leg was actually a prosthetic leg, as it was much more stiff and slim and made of metal. She was a perfect match with her Pokemon. Akari watched in fascination as Jenny and Athena continued their dance, giving their best effort while also acknowledging their physical limitations.
Jenny and Athena then backed up to return to where the other contestants stood. That was when Akari realized it was her turn. Her teeth chattered; she barely knew anything about dancing. Any knowledge she possibly had was wiped clean along with her memories of the life she had just returned to. And yet, she was thrown onto a stage in front of thousands of people and expected to make it look easy.
Loud screams returned as Akari made her way to the center of the stage, still struggling to stay upright in the high heels. Another layer of challenge added to the situation! She looked over at Lori, who appeared to be confused by Akari's hesitation. She glanced over at her mother, who was sharply gazing at her, waiting to see her make a move.
Akari took in the music, then began to awkwardly tap her feet against the floor. She raised her arms up and put her fingers together in an attempt to mimic a ballerina. She began making random movements, stepping right, left, forward, and back. Akari could tell how bad her dancing was upon seeing Lori attempt to sync with her motions. The Lopunny's fur was wet in sweat as she nervously peaked over at Debra, whose face wrinkled in cringe.
While distracted, Akari suddenly lost the delicate balance she had been trying to manage. The flat bottom of her left heel missed the floor. Akari fell on her back. She heard the audience gasp in perfect sync with the air being knocked out of her lungs.
"Are you okay?!"
Akari felt something warm and soft brush up against her face. A feeling that was familiar to her.
"Uhhhh…. Electra? …Guys?"
"Actually, her name is Athena."
Akari opened her eyes to see Jenny, Johanna, and Jumpy all looking down at Akari with concern. Akari sat up to find the tripod Glameow standing next to her.
"I….I'm fine…." Akari answered as Johanna helped her up, spectators clapping in the background. Not exactly an accurate answer, but Akari didn't know what else to say.
Akari attempted to salvage her already-broken performance by doing a couple more of her awkward dance moves before quietly returning to her original place. She kept her eyes near the back of the theater to avoid eye-contact with her mother.
"That's it for the dance competition! It is now time for the talent round!"
Johanna and Jenny turned to face Akari and both took a few steps forward, making Akari realize that she is supposed to lead them in exiting the stage. Jessica once again tiptoed to the center as the other contestants moved behind the curtains.
"What moves will we see tonight?"
Blue light gathered around Crystal's hands. Then she shot an Ice Beam up in the air. It dispersed into snowflakes, creating a flurry over the stage. The Froslass continued to show off her ice powers, creating her own little snowscape full of ice sculptures and auroras. The eyes of the audience twinkled as they watched the scene.
Jessica and Crystal then exited the stage as a crew of people and Pokemon rushed to clear the ice and snow. A Magmortar lightly torched the ice to melt it while a few Gastrodon helped suction away the water. Akari was happy to see how well people and Pokemon were working together nowadays.
Johanna and Jumpy proceeded to get on the stage to perform their moves, followed by Jenny and Athena. Before Akari knew it, it was her turn once again. Only this time, she and Lori were the only ones on the stage.
Akari panicked as she realized she had no idea what this Lopunny's moveset was, nor did she have a clue as to what kind of move would qualify as "beautiful" in the judge's eyes. If only she had her book of field notes with her.
"Uhhhhhhhh…." Akari did her best to recall what moves she had observed Lopunny use in Hisui. "...Play Rough….?" Lori looked at Akari with a fascinating eyebrow. "Ummmm… Draining Kiss?" The Lopunny still looked confused. "...Baby-Doll Eyes? …Swift? Mach Punch? …Close Combat?"
The place fell awkwardly silent as Akari quickly pondered on what to do. She really wished that something would happen to suddenly end the contest, like a colossal Pokemon breaking in or an emergency alarm going off. Akari tried to remember what moves Zisu said she could teach Lopunny when researching that Pokemon, then tried to imagine which ones could be considered "beautiful."
"...Shadow Ball…. Thunderbolt…. Hyper Beam…. Ice Punch…"
Blue aura swirled around Lori's wrists. She then threw her fist in the air and released the energy, creating a shower of snowflakes similar to Crystal's. Akari sighed in relief, awkwardly smiled, then scampered off the stage as the audience clapped.
"And that's it! The talent round is now over! Please give us a moment while we tally the results."
Akari followed the others back onto the stage as all the participants returned to their respective spots. Looking around at all the people, Akari noticed her mother shaking her head with her face buried in her hands. A punch of guilt hit Akari as she realized how embarrassing and disappointing this all must have been for her.
"Ladies and gentleman, the results are in! It is time to find out who will be taking home tonight's trophy for the master rank beauty contest!"
Akari smiled at the others, curious as to who won.
"In third place, we have Jenny and Athena!"
Jenny grinned as the audience clapped.
"In second place, we have Johanna and Jumpy!"
Johanna smiled as the crowd grew louder.
"And finally in first place, we have…" A roll of drums played, perfectly capturing the anticipation. "...Jessica and Crystal!"
Akari clapped along with everyone else as Jessica stepped forward and bowed to the audience. She knew she wasn't gonna win from the start, but still wished she could have done a bit better. For all she knew this moment could come back to haunt her later down the line. And it didn't help that her mother just saw the whole thing.
Everyone scampered off the stage into the backrooms as the spectators began to exit. Jessica and Crystal continued to dance away with pride while the others gathered in the offstage room.
"You guys did amazing!" said Jenny, looking at Johanna and Akari with shining eyes.
"Awww, you're too kind! I really loved your performance too!" said Johanna, lightly blushing.
"Thank you!" said Jenny.
Akari looked at both of them sheepishly.
"Thanks for helping me when I fell…" said Akari, scratching the back of her head.
"Of course, dear! No star would abandon someone in need!" Flashes of familiarity came to Akari's mind; that was just like what Laventon said to her after she woke up on Prelude Beach. "You know, you remind me so much of my daughter!"
"Really?" asked Akari, looking at Johanna. Johanna fondly nodded.
"Mhm. She looks a lot like you. I tried to get her into contests as well, but in the end, they just weren't her thing. She was much more interested in Pokemon Battles. And she recently dethroned the Sinnoh League champion! I'm so proud of her!" explained Johanna.
"Oh, really? That's so cool!" exclaimed Akari.
"Yep. Anyway, I should probably get going now. I'm actually having dinner with her tonight, and she's probably already waiting for me at the restaurant by now," said Johanna.
"Oh, I see. Bye!" said Akari, waving at Johanna as she headed toward the door.
"Bye, you two! I had fun participating with you guys!" said Johanna, waving back at Akari and Jenny as she exited. Akari turned toward Jenny and smiled.
"You were so good!" complimented Akari. "Especially for someone who… is special..."
"Oh uh, we… actually prefer it if you just refer to us as 'disabled'. Calling us special ...kind of avoids addressing who we really are…." said Jenny, looking down at her prosthetic leg.
"Ohhh, I see! So sorry about that!" said Akari, sheepishly smiling in embarrassment.
"No worries! It's….a very common mistake…" said Jenny. "But I am so happy to hear that you liked our performance! It's not always easy for us. We try our best to work with what we have."
"Thanks for telling me! I'm very glad to know that now! I love learning new things! I'll be honest, right now I'd much rather be—"
"AKARI!"
Akari looked to see her mother had burst through the door, her mouth dropping open upon seeing Jenny. Debra returned Lori to her Poke Ball, then grabbed Akari by the arm, nearly making her trip again as she dragged her out of the room. Akari's mother pulled her through the hallway before entering a dressing room, slamming the door, and shoving Akari into a wall.
"Mom…I'm sorry…I…" started Akari, panting nervously.
"What happened?! What was that?! What were you even doing up there?! You didn't even try!" Debra yelled, keeping Akari pinned to the wall.
"Mom….look….I…"
"Terrible performance, Akari! Absolutely terrible!" Debra howled, swatting Akari in the cheek. "I can't believe you lost to a defective girl! And I don't want to see you hanging out with her either! People like her will only bring you down from popularity! I thought you knew that already!"
Akari opened her mouth in disgust. She couldn't believe anyone would say something so horrible about such a kind person, let alone her own mother. She couldn't imagine someone like Laventon, Rei, Adaman, Irida, or Cyllene ever talking about someone like that. Was this really how she used to think?
Debra relaxed herself as she loosened the pressure on Akari.
"I just want you to be good like you were before, alright? I promise that you'll win next time if you'll just listen to me," her mother said softly. She put her arm around Akari and walked her out of the room. The two joined the blonde man in sunglasses in the hallway and made their way toward the exit. Before they could reach the door, a clump of fans swarmed around them.
"What a letdown!" a fan shouted.
"Boo!" another fan hollered.
"I'm so sorry! Akari is having some difficulty adjusting back to this…" said Debra, awkwardly smiling at the mob.
"Do better!" a fan yelled.
"I promise she will," Debra said with her sickly sweet smirk as she squeezed through the jam.
"Hey Akari! I'm your number one fan!" a young man called out from the back of the crowd.
"Oh, please! No one loves Akari more than I do!" Debra replied as the three walked out the door into the darkening evening.
No stars were looking down at Akari from the sky, just a blank black sky over a light-filled city. The familiar ambience of nocturnal Pokemon and gentle winds were drowned away by all the city noises. The energy of the atmosphere was the polar opposite of an average night in Hisui.
As soon as they got some distance away from other people, Debra dropped her pleased expression.
"Did you see how unhappy those people were with us?! As soon as we get home, you'll be going straight up to your room and staying up there for the next two months! You got two more weeks for the lousy effort you showed tonight!" Debra rebuked. Tears flowed in Akari's eyes as she worked her facial muscles hard to push them away.
"That-that's not fair!" Akari cried. She began to feel dizzy as her stomach growled once again. "...Can I at least have something to eat?"
"Not tonight! You've got a lot of fat to burn away after carelessly eating all of that potato mochi," answered Debra, grabbing onto Akari's arm. It was like Akari was being walked to a prison after receiving a major sentence.
"W-why are you treating me like this?!" Akari yelped.
"Whoever has been caring for you must have spoiled you rotten," stated Debra, tightening her grip. "You'll be going back to eating one small meal every other day!" Akari felt like she was about to faint.
"No! Please! Don't do this to me! I'll do better, I promise!" cried Akari, no longer about to hold her tears. She really wished she was sitting at the Wallflower with Laventon and Rei, gobbling her usual helping of potato mochi to recharge her stomach. Akari looked over at the man in sunglasses, who didn't even seem to be paying attention to what was happening. "Hey…. Dad? Can you please get me out of this?"
"LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!" he shouted, hurting Akari's ears. Debra's rage only seemed to aggravate.
"Akari, for the last time, Abner is NOT your dad! He's my boyfriend! Your father divorced me thanks to you!" Debra ranted. "I'd be living a much better life right now if it weren't for you! But here we are!" Abner gently placed a hand on Debra's shoulder. "I always do so much for you... And in return, you decide to run away from home, come back months later, and embarrass me in front of thousands of people, all whilst pretending to know nothing and making up stupid stories about getting sent back in time or whatever!"
"Mom, I know it sounds bizarre, but it really did happen! Why can't you just listen to me?!" pleaded Akari.
"Why should I believe something like that?" screeched Debra.
"BECAUSE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY MOTHER!"
Debra and Abner nervously checked around for potential passerby. They exchanged a quick look before Debra squeezed Akari's arm and rushed them away from the scene.
Akari's mother dragged her all the way back to their house, ripped open the door, bolted straight to Akari's room, then threw Akari into a wall.
"WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU, AKARI?!" Debra screamed, smacking Akari hard across her face. Heated trailed across her cheeks as blood started seeping out. "WHO BRAINWASHED YOU?! HOW COULD YOU TRY TO SABOTAGE US LIKE THAT?!" Akari's breathing grew rapid. She looked up at her mother with terrified eyes.
"I GAVE BIRTH TO YOU!" Debra shouted, slapping the other side of Akari's face. "YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL!" She hit Akari's right shoulder. "I NEVER INTENDED TO HAVE YOU! I COULD HAVE ABANDONED YOU THEN AND THERE!" Debra kicked Akari's left shin. "BUT I KEPT YOU SO THAT YOU COULD BE MY LITTLE CONTEST STAR! YOU WOULD BE A SAD LITTLE ORPHAN IF IT WEREN'T FOR ME!" She grabbed Akari and slammed her into the floor. "YOU ARE SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT!"
Akari's mother proceeded to beat her several more times before walking to the door. She gagged in disgust upon seeing how marked and bruised her daughter was.
"And now I have to wait before entering you into another contest! This is all your fault! Such a disappointment!"
And then her mother slammed the door shut.