Similarly to how I have no idea if people perform appeals in any order, I don't know if the eight people being shown on screen are listed from best to worst, or if they're shown randomly. The first person revealed doesn't help me come to any conclusion.
"Congrats!" I tell Nando, who takes it all in stride.
"I'm just happy Quaxwell and I were able to create something that everyone enjoyed," he replies, though I can tell the bard is pleased. When you put in a lot of work in your craft, getting rewarded always makes it worth it.
While Nando remains calm, others don't. "Yeeeeeeehaaaaaw!" I can hear Randy the cowboy's yell all the way from this side of the room when his face gets put up on the screen. "We goin' to the Grand Festival!"
A bit early to proclaim that, but I love his enthusiasm. The next person to be revealed is no less excited, though she's quite a bit more arrogant.
"Ahahahaha! What did any of you expect! In fact, you should all quit now, because this contest's ribbon has Jessilina's name on it!"
I'm suddenly super glad I don't plan on participating in any of these in the future. Jessie is going to be absolutely insufferable if she wins another major contest.
The cowgirl with the Zebstrika is next, as I knew she would be, but I definitely was not expecting the Magcargo man to actually make it through. But my surprise at that is nothing compared to what I feel about the next person.
Because I'm staring right at a portrait of myself. "I made it?" I say, unable to keep the surprise out of my voice. "Wow. This is, um, really unexpected."
I mean, I figured the people enjoyed my appeal, because who in their right mind doesn't like the Pokémon theme song, but I really did think that this would be where my contest career ended.
Instead, there's more to be done. Including what might be a very difficult conversation, considering Ursula's face is the next one to show up. She sighs in relief while Helioptile does a happy dance, and I'm glad to see her new approach has paid off.
That leaves only one person, and I know exactly who it's gonna be. It's the samurai guy whose face pops up, the one who dueled with his Scyther.
Wait. That's not right! What happened to Dawn? Disappointed coordinators are sighing and filing out of the room, but no one looks more distraught than Dawn. "What happened?" Her voice cracks as she asks the question no one has an answer to.
I know she went a bit crazy with her appeal at the end there, to the point where it might have been too flashy, like the original one I worked on with Vivillon, but the whole thing looked amazing.
She quickly plasters a fake smile on her face and comes over to me and Nando. "Congrats for making it to the second round!" she says, way too cheerfully.
"Ah, thank you," I reply slowly considering what I'm about to say, because this is really concerning. Even Togepi, young as it is, is picking up on Dawn's trying to hide the fact that she is not in a good spot right now. But maybe that's because Fairy-types are more intune with their trainer's emotions than any other type of Pokémon.
Ash beats me to it. "Are you sure you're ok, Dawn?
"Of course I am!" Dawn says, fooling no one. "There's no need to worry about me. I just wasn't my best, that's all. I'll be better next time!"
"It's okay to take some time after a loss," Zoey advises. "That's the reason I didn't enter this contest after I didn't win in Hearthome."
I can't escape a scoff from escaping me. "Kind of arrogant of you to say that, isn't it? Your ticket to the Grand Festival is already booked. You can afford to take a contest off. There are people who are fighting and clawing to get out of the appeals, let alone finals of major contests."
My words are for Dawn's benefit, but also for Ursula as well, because that's mostly been her experience. I see her eyes widen, but again, she looks away from me. I click my tongue in slight annoyance. What more do I need to do to show her I'm on her side?
"I appreciate everyone's concern, but I'm fine," Dawn says, before Zoey can come back at me. "What's most important is you all getting ready for your battles. They're already creating the matchups!"
The screen has turned around our faces for blank cards, and is scrambling them rapidly. Eventually, they come to a stop and flip over, revealing the bracket.
Hmm. Maybe these contest organizers have heard the allegations that they tailor the matchups in order to create the most exciting finals, because I would not have filled it out like this. Both Solaceon Town natives are on the opposite side to me, the cowgirl against Nando and Randy against the Magcargo man. You'd expect them to try and make sure a hometown hero was on each side.
Whatever the case, that means Ursula's on my side of the bracket, facing off versus the samurai. So if she wins, I'll be against her in the semifinals.
Because I have a free pass there, considering who's left for me to face. Where is she…
Shepherding the twerps and their Pokémon straight out of the room. "So sorry you didn't make it, kid, but what did you expect? Your performance was even gaudier than mine! Maybe next time you'll come up with something that can compare to the great Jessilina. Don't let the door hit you on your way out!"
I can't really fault Team Rocket for lording a victory over the twerps, considering they're so few and far between. Although, this is the third consecutive contest where Jessie's done better than Dawn, which makes no sense at all. For once though, Team Rocket is not bringing a smile to my face.
I'll just have to smoke her in the battle, then. Not like I could tolerate losing to Jessie, anyways. Dawn stands up straight, and stops letting herself get pushed around. "Sorry Jessilina, but I'm not going anywhere. I want to watch this all the way to the end."
Jessie seems surprised that Dawn hasn't broken out in tears, but she quickly pivots to taunting someone else. Namely, me. "Well, I suppose it's not a big surprise that you want to see how a truly exceptional coordinator operates. I'm afraid you won't learn a whole lot though, since Jessilina wins all of her battles with insane ease." She comes to stand over me, and while I'm sure she might be intimidating to another person, I'm barely stopping myself from laughing out loud.
She is truly something else. "I feel the same way," I tell Jessie, matching her cockiness. "I couldn't ask for an easier matchup."
"Now who's the arrogant one," Zoey mutters under her breath, but all my attention is on Jessie, who's shoved her face right into mine.
"Is that so?" Jessie asks me dangerously, so I oblige her by leaning over and whispering into her ear.
"I've seen you battle, Jessie. You're no match for me."
All the color drains out of her face, and she stumbles backwards before running through the door. Nando raises an eyebrow at her very uncharacteristic actions. "What exactly did you say to Jessilina?"
I get up to follow Jessie for our match. "Oh, I gave her something to think about, that's all."
Of course, all of Jessie's bravado has returned once she's in the arena and in front of what she believes are all her fans. I tune out the announcer explaining the rules of the battle to the audience in favor of thinking this through.
Obviously, it's not going to take me a whole lot of effort to beat Jessie. I know she's going to lose all her composure and start attacking like a madwoman as soon as things start to snowball downhill. The thing is, I'm trying to approach this like a coordinator, so I can't go out there and beat her like I would do normally.
Both our Pokémon have to come out at the same time. I grab my choice and hurl my Safari Ball into the air as Jessie does the same with a Luxury Ball.
"Let's do this, Vivillon!"
"Go, Carnivine!"
Vivillon is my choice because he matches up well against James's Grass-types, Golett and Dustox. Seviper's a fairly neutral opponent, but we do have Psybeam, and we can play out of the snake's range, assuming it doesn't know Sludge Bomb or Flamethrower or anything. And if Jessie had tried to cheese me with Wobbuffet, then we could have Quiver Danced pretty comfortably until we could oneshot with Pollen Puff, to not risk any Mirror Coat nonsense.
Also, Vivillon has been working hard, even though I ended up going in a different direction for the appeals. Hard work deserves a nice reward. In addition, looking at our future matchup with Maylene and her Fighting-types, I'll probably need Vivillon in that battle, and building confidence with a win here would go a long way.
Even if it's against Team Rocket. Jessie takes the first move as soon as the battle begins. "Bite attack!"
Carnivine can float in the air, so it can match our aerial mobility. It lunges for Vivillon, mouth wide open.
The normal venus flytrap vs butterfly matchup would end up with the butterfly being eaten. We might not be poisonous like some butterflies, but we've got our own set of defenses. "Protect!"
Jessie's not about to let her Pokémon chomp on a green bubble and be left wide open. "Bullet Seed!" Even as Carnivine flies towards us, it blasts a volley of seeds to be absorbed by our Protect.
I can't let that one happen. "String Shot! Wrap up Carnivine's mouth!" VIvillon drops Protect, which means he takes the brunt of the Bullet Seed. Thankfully the sticky string circles around Carnivine's mouth like a lasso before snapping it shut, canceling both of its attacks.
Jessie's already starting to get angry. "Vine Whip!" she shouts, and Carnivine sends two vines at us, since its primary weapon has been neutralized.
"Air Cutter!" We slice through the vines easily enough. I think we're doing pretty well at this whole contest battle stuff.
"Use Acid Spray!" Poison bubbles in Carnivine's mouth, melting through our String Shot before a blob of acid is blasted at us. Still, we're more than fine.
I call for Psybeam, and the rainbow-colored beam cuts through Carnivine's attack like butter. It connects on Carnivine's head and has it wincing.
"Synthesis," Jessie growls in frustration, although her eyes appear to be somewhere else. Her Pokémon shines brightly as it absorbs the light to heal itself. We could attack, but I have a better way of punishing this.
"It's time, Vivillon! Show them your Quiver Dance!" Vivillon's way of performing this move is different from Bellossom, because he draws a pattern in the sky instead of doing an elaborate dance. The result is the same though, with air around Vivillon quivering with energy.
Jessie's face tells me she has no idea what move we used, and how much stronger we are. I guess it's time to educate her, because she again isn't paying attention. "Bite attack again!" she shouts.
"Come on, that isn't going to work! Vivillon, Psybeam!" We blast Carnivine as it tries to eat us again, but this time Jessie's ready.
"Double Team!" All Vivillon's Psybeam hits is an illusion, as Carnivine multiplies itself so there are twenty venus flytraps bearing down on Vivillon, with no way to discern the real from the fakes.
Ordinarily, Air Cutter does a pretty decent job of covering a wide area, but I've been waiting to use this technique. "Pollen Puff!"
Vivillon knows what's up, as well. Instead of trying to send the spores out at the Carnivine clones, he scatters them in the air, setting the trap and waiting for Carnivine to get in the danger zone.
Oh, the irony. As soon as every single Carnivine is in the pollen and scale cloud, I give the order. "Flash!" My Pokémon lets a blinding light loose like a camera. The light hits the assorted particles in the air and the whole arena explodes with flashes as it reflects and refracts off them.
The pops in the air from light energy hitting them are nothing to sneeze at either, and all the clones get turned into dust. Vivillon and I face the last remaining Carnivine, the real one.
"Let's finish this!" I command. "Air Cu-"
"Time!"
"Huh?"
The announcer's call stops Vivillon and me in our tracks. We spin around in confusion for a couple seconds, before I realize our faces are on the big screen, which means we've won. I give a hasty bow to the audience, almost miss Jessie swearing at us as she stomps away that she's going to get revenge, and thank Vivillon for his awesome work, both in the battle and leading up to it.
I think my coordinator impression was pretty good, right? I controlled the flow of the battle well, and was able to counter all of Jessie's moves effectively. The ending threw me off, though, with how abrupt it was.
Regardless, I return to the waiting room in triumph. It's a much quieter place without Jessie here, and so few coordinators left in the competition compared to when we started.
I get a few compliments on how I battled, and a suggestion from Brock to leave Vivillon with one of the tournament nurses, who'll heal him up, in case he's my choice for the next battle. They're using Full Restores for this, so apparently no expense is spared. But I suppose a contest like this generates so much money that the cost of expensive and powerful medicine is a drop in the bucket.
That done, we all turn to the next match. I'll admit I have some mixed emotions about this one. I want Ursula to win, but that means I'll be facing her in the next round. And it's not like the time I was facing Lucas in the finals in Hearthome. That was a good natured match between friends. This is one we're having where neither of us have spoken in almost two weeks.
There is one thing I might be able to do to fix all of this. It all depends on if she wins, though.
Ursula sends out Masquerain, while her opponent sends out another Pokémon with bladed arms, this one a Pawniard. While it backs up a step when it sees Masquerain's eye pattern, it quickly shakes it off, slashing its blades together defiantly, like a chef would sharpen his knives.
It's already starting with an attack boost. Ursula really has to tread carefully; moves like Sticky Web and Bubblebeam and Icy Wind will only make this thing even more threatening. I know contest battles aren't really about knocking out your opponent, but a few more attack raises and it won't take much to take down Masquerain.
Especially considering what Pawniard's first move is. "Rock Tomb!" the samurai calls, and Pawniard fires a purple orb that expands into a medium size rock.
"Water Pulse!" Ursula counters, and the water orb easily smashes through Rock Tomb, which drops her opponent's point's a tad. That's so weird, I didn't even notice my points during my battle. I guess mine were higher than Jessie's, since I won.
The samurai's not worried about the attack heading for his Pokémon. "X-Scissor!" No doubt Pawniard picked this move from Scyther. It prepares to slash the Water Pulse into water ribbons.
"Icy Wind, then String Shot!" Ursula orders. I don't like this at all. I know the only safe moves they can use are Water Pulse and Air Slash, one of which isn't very effective, but activating Defiant again is so risky.
Ursula knows better, thankfully. Icy Wind, which Glaceon normally blasts a large area with, has been concentrated down by Masquerain into a tight stream of air. It freezes the exterior of the Water Pulse, and though Pawniard probably will be able to break this still, seeing as it's not solid ice, it doesn't get a chance.
String Shot latches onto the frozen Water Pulse and Masquerain pulls it away from Pawniard, which drops the samurai's points as his Pokémon looks foolish as it slashes at nothing.
"Bring it around!" Ursula calls. Masquerain swings the frozen Water Pulse like a wrecking ball, sending it careening at Pawniard.
"Flash Cannon! Then Iron Head to defend yourself!" Pawniard lights up like Vivillon does, except instead of using that light to blind its opponents, all of it is concentrated in a ball between Pawnairds arms that it shoots off as a beam of energy. That attack is aimed at Masquerain, as the blade on Pawniard's head glows as it prepares to smash Masquerain's attack.
"Air Slash!" Ursula knows Masquerain is going to get hit, but she has her eyes on the prize. Air Slash cuts her own String Shot in two as her Pokémon gets blasted by Flash Cannon. Even though her points drop significantly, the change in speed from String Shot being cut throws off Pawniard's timing, and it whiffs on Iron Head.
The ice ball shatters over its steel body, and dumps a bunch of water on Pawniard for added insult. The coordinator samurai's points drop by even more.
"Enough!" he bellows. "We will not be shamed in battle! Pawniard, Air Slash!"
The chess piece slices the air, sending blades of wind at Masquerain. Come on Ursula, you've got this.
She orders for a counter Air Slash, and because the attacks are evenly matched, their points drop evenly as a result. But that means Ursula's still in the lead.
Pawniard can't keep up its Air Slash as long as a Flying-type can, so one of Masquerain's gets through, but that's fine for the samurai, judging by his next move. "Metal Burst!" Pawniard takes the attack on the chin and blasts back with twice as much force, knocking Masquerain a few feet down in the air, and Ursula's points drop more than her opponent's.
"Now, Night Slash!" Pawniard's arms drip with darkness and it runs forward for a finishing blow.
Ursula quickly comes to a decision. "Sticky Web!"
I wince as it works. Temporarily. Pawniard lashes through the ones at its eye level easily enough but its feet still get tangled in the sticky thread. It makes quick work of those as well, and now sparks are coming off its blades when it slashes them together, it's so heated.
It charges forward with Night Slash again, without even needing urging from its trainer, and Masquerain slows it down for a second with Sticky Web again, it's looking really grim. This Pawniard's power level is through the roof. I close one eye as it runs forward with Iron Head.
"And, time!"
Oh, what the hell. I'm always getting surprised by this damn clock. Somehow, Ursula managed to get through because the timer saved Masquerain from getting destroyed by that last Iron Head.
No matter how she did it though, Ursula held up her end of the bargain, which means I'm going to have to do the same. How I do that, is the question. I have plenty of time to think about it, considering Randy and the Magcargo man are next, then Nando against the cowgirl. Oddly, the winners of that match are going before mine and Ursula's, which makes no sense.
I get up to ask the tournament organizers what's up. For once, this lady doesn't have a Solaceon Town accent.
"Oh, I was looking for you! Your Vivillon is all ready to go," She points over to where a Chansey is holding a tray of Pokéballs, Vivillon's Safari Ball being the only one there currently. "We also have a video call for you!"
I'm getting a video call now? That can probably wait, with as important as this is. "Thanks. I had one question, though? Why am I in the second semifinal, instead of the first?"
"That's the way our computer created it!" the older lady tells me brightly. "But don't worry. We make sure everyone gets ample rest in between battles."
Asking anybody affiliated with the contest was never going to give me any answers. Ah, well. I grab Vivillon's Pokéball and head back to the main waiting area, but the lady's voice has me turning around.
"The caller is your mother, so I suggest that you take it." Her voice has a hint of a warning in it, and rightly so. This is one call that I probably should miss watching the matches for.
I mostly close the door behind me in one of the private rooms and flick on the computer. "Hey, Mom."
"Hey, yourself," she replies. "Nice haircut, by the way. You didn't tell me last time we spoke that you were entering the contest."
"Well, I hadn't finalized anything as of that point," I defend myself. "And I didn't think you were a fan of them in the first place."
"I'll watch them when I see them," Mom tells me, "but call this one a mother's intuition. With how you told me about how Fantina had a contest-inspired style, I had a feeling that you might try your luck at getting your own inspiration."
I've definitely learned a lot, and I'm very happy I've done it, but I'm still missing that one thing that I can put straight into my battling. "So, what did you think then?"
Mom laughs, and gives me one of her sly smiles. "At first, I was wondering if there was another girl in Sinnoh named Luna with a Bellossom. Then you started singing that song you used to sing in the shower when you were younger. I must say, it sounded much better today than it ever did back then."
I'm going to melt into a puddle, I'm so embarrassed. "No way you actually heard me back then."
"The shower doesn't cover up sound all that well, Luna. You used to sing more songs, didn't you? Are Master Quest and Unbeatable going to your next appeals?"
Oh my lord, this subject needs to change. I cover my ears with my hands to block out her voice. "I don't know if I'll enter a contest ever again," I insist. "Let's talk about something else. Anything else, actually."
My mom takes mercy on me, though the twinkle in her eye tells me the replay of my appeal is going to be watched by all of her coworkers. "Alright, if you say so. Tell me about Ursula, then. Last time we talked you said she was in a bad mood after the Hearthome Contest and you weren't really speaking. If I'm looking at the bracket right, you're going to be facing her pretty soon. Is everything alright between you two?"
This is a different subject, but it's not one any easier to talk about. I begin with a sigh. "No, we're still not talking. I kinda hid the fact that I was entering the contest until it was really late, and Ursula got really mad. She accused me of screwing her and sabotaging her and stealing the contest away, and then I got mad, and told her she was being stupid and ridiculous, and that she shouldn't be blaming me for her failures."
"Luna…" Mom says softly, in that disappointed parent's voice, which only strengthens my resolve.
"I know, mom. I should be better than that, and I shouldn't be saying things like that to one of my friends. But I've been gifted a chance to set things right, and I'm going to make the most of it. I'm going to throw our match so Ursula can get to the finals."
----------------------------------------
"I'm going to throw our match so Ursula can get to the finals."
Ursula knew she had an issue listening to things that she wasn't supposed to. She supposed it was due to the insecurity that she always tried to hide away. She should not have stopped behind the door when she had heard Luna talking to her mother, but she had to know if they were talking about her.
This time, Ursula was glad she did eavesdrop. Because Luna was saying the most blasphemous thing she had ever heard.
Her estranged friend's mother seemed to know it as well. "Luna, listen to me. You can't be doing things like this."
"Relax, mom. I'm not going to get caught. All the people will see is me having a bad performance, and they'll think I choked from the pressure of being a first timer this deep in the competition. Charmeleon doesn't even want to participate, so I'll choose him for this."
"It's not about whether you can get away with it or not!" Miss Sera replied heatedly, before lowering her voice. "Luna, I know that you want to help your friend, but this is not the way to do it."
"Well, unless you can come up with something better in the next fifteen seconds, this is how it's going to be." There was a short pause. "Nothing? In that case, I better get ready for whenever I do eventually go up there. Talk to you later, mom!"
"Young lady, don't you dare hang up on me-"
Thinking about Luna's ridiculous plan had Ursula speechless and stunned. So stunned, that her brain was too slow in realizing the last few sentences meant that Luna was coming outside. She had to do something! She-
Was face to face with her former friend.
Ursula was certain she had never looked more like a fish in that singular moment. Luna watched her mouth open and close as she struggled to find words to say before taking pity on her and breaking the awkwardness.
"Sooooooo," she started, dragging the word out. "How much of that did you hear?"
"All of it," Ursula finally managed to answer, deciding to take a page of Luna's book and insert some unneeded humor into what should be a serious conversation. "Did you really practice that song in the shower when you were younger?"
"Yeah, yeah," Luna grumbled. "The showerhead looks like a microphone! I mean, how could I not sing into it? But that's not important. You must have heard why I entered the contest in the first place. Or do I need to go into more gory detail?"
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Apparently, now that Luna had her cornered, she was not going to be able to avoid this conversation any longer. "I got the impression that Fantina was the one to inspire you to participate, right?"
"More detail it is then," Luna said to herself. "I didn't do this because I saw Fantina one time on TV and was captivated by her. I'm sure you know that she's recently become the gym leader in Hearthome, and that she's reigning top coordinator. I ran into her while we were in the city, and I challenged her and lost. Badly. Afterwards, she suggested that I enter this contest as a way to improve. She gave me the contest pass and everything. I wasn't about to refuse her advice, considering how easily she handled me."
A knot in Ursula's stomach was slowly coming undone, but Luna wasn't finished with her explanation. "I will admit, you annoy me at times, but I've come to consider you one of my closest friends, Ursula. I wouldn't… I didn't… I should not have kept you in the dark about me entering. And in no way was I trying to sabotage or undercut you. I've only ever wanted to see you do well."
Luna sighed heavily, and rolled her shoulders like a weight had come off them. "So. That's the truth of it." She waited for a reply.
Ursula took her time, knowing how critical what she was about to say was. "Honestly, I have much more to explain than you ever did," she said heavily.
Her friend waited for Ursula to collect more of her thoughts. "I've…I've always wanted to be a great coordinator, from the first day I saw them in action. And when I didn't have success early on, I started resorting to making excuses for why it wasn't happening. I didn't think I was well-spoken or elegant enough, so I took classes to become that way. I didn't think Gible was cute or appealing enough, so I went and caught a Surskit. It's always been that way for the longest time."
Her friend rubbed her chin contemplatively. "So that's the reason for your accent. I could tell it wasn't your original one, you know. It always slipped a little every time you got emotional."
Ursula grimaced at the memory of Madam Gertrude. "Yes. Well. Recently I've come across evidence that I couldn't ignore, that pointed the blame squarely where it should have been the whole time. With me. And I only need to point to you as the prime example."
She continued as Luna raised an eyebrow. "The reason you made it to the battle phase today is because you had a great appeal. Had I performed well enough in the past, it would have superseded everything else."
The coordinator took a deep breath. "What I wanted to say was thank you for helping. You were being truthful when you said I hadn't been good enough, and though I didn't want to hear it, I needed to. I never should have accused you of sabotaging me. I'd have never improved to this point without all of your and Lucas's help."
"So please, please don't try and do anything ridiculous like forfeiting or underperforming in our match on my behalf. I want to battle you at your best. If I lose, I promise I won't get angry and run off. All that would mean is that you were better than me today. Period, end of story."
Luna stayed silent for a long minute. "You've sure grown a lot, Ursula. It took some serious humility to admit your mistakes and start to learn from them. You treat Pokémon better than anyone I've ever met. Combine that with your new mindset, and I don't have a shadow of a doubt that you'll one day become a great coordinator." She still seemed a bit uncertain. "If that's what you really want…"
"It is," Ursula cut in firmly. "Let the best coordinator win."
Luna's expression cleared up. "Alright," she chuckled. "I'm not much of a coordinator, but it's the least I can do. Besides, I still have more to learn while I'm here. Let's give Solaceon Town a battle to remember."
Now Ursula was the one feeling like a weight had been lifted off her chest. "Thank you," she said warmly, extending a hand.
She was pulled into a hug instead. "I really want to see what you can do now," Luna told her, before releasing Ursula. After watching the ending of the other half of the bracket, with Nando defeating Randy to make it to his second consecutive final, Ursula went up to the stage with Luna.
Even though they weren't speaking before the battle, this time Ursula knew it was because they were both thinking about what the other might do, and that the rift that had come between them was slowly being mended.
Luna took the opposite side of the arena, and she took the one closest to the door, before they both flicked their wrists to send out their Pokémon.
"Gible, it's showtime!"
"You're up, Glaceon!"
Ursula had insisted Luna try her best, so she supposed she deserved this. Glaceon's smirk matched her trainers', and for good reason. Arguably, it was a better matchup than the Galarian Weezing she and Gible couldn't touch in Floaroma Town. Glaceon could take damage, especially from Fire Fang.
The issue was that Glaceon one day would be a powerful dragonslayer that sent the likes of Dragonite and Salamence screaming for their mommies. She wasn't there yet, but one wrong move would be the end of Ursula's contest run.
Luna was a much better battler than her too; Ursula had no qualms admitting that. There was only one specific weakness that Ursula noticed that could be exploited to maybe eke out a victory.
In her previous match against Jessilina, Luna hadn't looked at the clock or her points once. She'd actually dropped quite a few of her points against Jessilina, not that she had known, once when she had interrupted her own Protect to use another move, once when she let Carnivine shine with Synthesis, and then Luna had taken a big hit when Carnivine used Double Team near the end.
Trainers were supposed to keep their attention on the battle; when powerful moves were flying about, one lapse could cost you greatly.
It wasn't the same in contests, where coordinators were more looking to show off their Pokémon than outright defeat their opponent. Here, you needed to keep an eye on your points, the timer, and the battle. If she managed to somehow avoid a knockout, and kept things close, then maybe she could snatch a last second victory.
Easier said than done. "Gible," she murmured softly, right as the announcer started the battle. "We're defending until the very end." The odds of them breaking through and actually connecting with Fire Fang without Glaceon lashing Gible with an Ice-type move were next to zero.
Her opponents started off with Glaceon's most consistently used attack. "Icy Wind!"
"Sandstorm!" Ursula replied confidently. The sand funnel around Gible barely kept him safe, but not for long.
"Water Pulse!"
Ursula knew better than to counter, since Water Pulse would inevitably get frozen to blast through a Dragon Rage. "Dig!" she ordered instead.
Gible dove into the ground to avoid the attack and popped right back up. They both knew staying underground was not an option when their opponents could walk over and Icy Wind straight inside.
Glaceon had them on the run, so Luna wasn't losing points. But every second that went by was in Ursula's favor. She held off on giving a command, until Luna got slightly impatient.
"Rain Dance!"
"Sandstorm!" she immediately called. Gible broke up the overhead dark cloud with his own weather, and that finally cost Luna a few points.
Not that her friend noticed. "Water Pulse!" A second water orb was launched at them
"Dig!" The words were barely out of her mouth before Luna called for Quick Attack. Glaceon burst forward, shattering her own Water Pulse, and Ursula's eyes widened. She had stopped Rain Dance, but she now knew better to assume they were safe from Ice Barrage.
Preemptive action was the only option against a move that fast. "Fire Fang!" Gible's wide open flaming maw took the brunt of the attack, and while it dropped her own points so she and Luna were tied again, they were still upright.
"Water Pulse!" Luna called, the tone of her voice somewhat different. Ursula hesitated, waiting to see what Luna would do this time. It was a bit nerve-wracking, because that Water Pulse was growing larger and larger. "Now, Ice Shard!" Glaceon froze the moisture around her, creating ice crystals. Those were launched first, followed by the massive Water Pulse.
Ursula only could spare a second to marvel at the coordination between her opponents, because she couldn't afford to get distracted. "Fire Fang!" she called, but she quickly realized they couldn't stand their ground against the incoming Flash Frost.
It wasn't going to be the prettiest display in the world, but it was all they had. "Dragon Rage!" Again, Gible managed to stomach Ice Shard by catching the attack in his fiery fangs, but Ursula could see Luna snapping her fingers to freeze the Water Pulse.
Instead of sending it out in futility, Gible bit down on the Dragon Rage with his Fire Fang. Though Lucas was correct in saying that Gible didn't have the strength or stamina to hold the attack inside his belly to let it fully mature, the resulting explosive burp of flames was enough to stop Flash Frost in its tracks.
As a bonus, Luna's points dropped a smidgen. But Ursula couldn't celebrate, because her opponent was once again on the offensive.
"Quick Attack!"
"Use Tackle!" Ursula figured Gible's Rough Skin ability should mean they'd come out the victor in this exchange.
Luna may not think she was a proper coordinator, but she sure was chaining moves together like one. "Water Pulse on the ground! Armor up!" Ursula ordered Dragon Rage to cut through the wave of water, but what she didn't anticipate was Glaceon barreling through and covering herself with ice to take the attack unscathed, before tackling Gible and sending him flying backwards.
"Ice Shard, then Ice Fang!" Luna quickly followed up. The armor around Glaceon shattered and the jagged pieces of ice were shot forward like missiles. It was so sudden that Ursula had no chance to reply. Gible wailed in pain as the Ice Shard connected, and then again when Glaceon bit down with icy jaws, sinking them into Gible's skin before tossing him aside like a piece of meat.
All three of them watched Gible struggle to stand upright. Ursula glanced at the clock, saw over ninety seconds left, and sighed internally. They had done well, but holding out the full five minutes against opponents of this caliber was asking an awful lot.
"Gible," Ursula said softly, watching her Pokémon struggle. "You don't have anything to be ashamed of. I couldn't ask more of you." Her words had no effect. Gible, battered, bruised, and tired as he was, staggered to his feet. He stood strong, as if calling on a power that had been in him all along.
There was nothing but respect in Luna's eyes. "Glaceon. Let's finish this. Use Icy Wi-,"
She stopped speaking, stupefied as Ursula gasped in astonishment. Her hands were trembling as she brought her hands to her mouth.
Because Gible was glowing a brilliant white.
The whole arena was frozen, and for good reason. Evolution was just that incredible of a thing.
Ursula's sometimes found it hard to picture her cute, squat, Gible eventually tuning into the strongest Pokémon Sinnoh had to offer. As Gible rocketed up in height, and as his limbs and tail and claws grew and became pronounced, she finally could see it.
The voice in her head sounded a lot like Lucas's. "Facing powerful opponents brings out a dragon's true fighting spirit."
And her new Gabite was not going down without a fight. Luna was still in awe of the evolution. Ursula looked again at the clock, and while she was down in points, there were only thirty seconds left! This is all she had wanted when the battle had begun; a chance to steal it at the end.
One more piece of advice Lucas had given her came to mind. Gible might have not been strong enough to pull off the move. But Gabite…
There was no time to second guess. Ursula thrust her finger forward and shouted, mentally selecting her favorite name for the move. "Gabite! Use Dragonflame!" This time, when Gabite swallowed Dragon Rage with Fire Fang, smoke came out of his nostrils as he held the attack in his belly.
When he opened his mouth, four blue fireballs came blasting out like they were shot from a cannon, all within a split second. A moment later, a fifth, twice as big as the others was launched as well.
The sound of her voice and the sight of the fireballs shook Glaceon and Luna into action, though it appeared neither of them had ever heard of or seen an attack like this. "Armor, Glaceon!" Luna called again. Her Pokémon doused herself in Water Pulse and froze it in preparation for the brunt of the attack.
The first two collided with the icy defense, cracking it and knocking Glaceon back an inch each time. It was the third that shattered the armor into pieces, letting the fourth and fifth explode on Glaceon's head.
Ursula knew better than to think Glaceon would be knocked out by that, but on the other hand…
Three, two, one…
"Time!"
Luna seemed just as surprised as the last battle, but this time Ursula pointed her to where she needed to look. At the scoreboard, where her last attack was higher than Luna's.
While her friend was staring wordlessly at the result, Ursula went over to her newly evolved Pokémon. "I'm not going to be able to pick you up anymore," she murmured, still in awe. Gabite looked surprised, like he hadn't considered that, but he relaxed as soon as Ursula went in for a hug, ignoring the roughness of his scales. "But that was amazing. Thank you for going so above and beyond in the battle."
At first, Ursula thought Gabite was leaning in for more praise, but he was actually exposing his neck to her. Gible's old favorite spot was right underneath his massive jaw. This one was much easier to reach. Ursula aggressively scratched there with her nails, smiling as Gabite's fierce appearance melted away.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without opponents that put them to the ultimate test. Of the two, Glaceon looked much more irritated with the loss than her trainer, who had a small grin on her face.
"I can't even be mad, considering what just happened," Luna admitted. "Congratulations to you both."
"Sorry your contest run had to end," Ursula told her, debating on her next words. "I've never told you this, but you've got serious contest talent, if you wanted to pursue it further."
"Right now, I've got my eyes on something else contest related," Luna told her. "The last move you used. I don't know what the hell it was, but I need it, or a version of it. That's what I need to tip the scales in my favor next time I face Fantina. Will you help me?
It wasn't even a question in Ursula's mind. "It would be my pleasure."
Their conversation was taking a bit too long, so the contest organizers ushered them off the stage. "Nando's really tough," Luna warned them. "As a coordinator and as a battler."
"Trust me, I know." Ursula said. She saw firsthand how skilled Nando was in Hearthome, conducting two Pokémon at once, no less.
"You can beat him," Luna said confidently. "Go get that ribbon."
Even though she was about to start the five most important minutes in her contest career, Ursula wasn't nervous or scared at all. She'd finally proven to herself that she could be a great coordinator. Now, it was time to seal it.
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"Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the final battle of the day! It's been an amazing contest so far, and I have no doubts that this battle will be the cherry on top! Coordinators, are you ready!"
Ursula nodded, sending out Helioptile, while Nando replied serenely and threw out his Alolan Raichu.
"Begin!"
Ursula quickly reviewed what she knew about this Pokémon. It had more move variety than most Electric-types, and had a special ability that made it lightning quick in Electric Terrain.
It seemed Nando was going to play to that, because setting it up was his first move. Ursula could barely keep track of Raichu's movement, as it surfed around the electric charged battlefield. But she had moves for this.
"Parabolic Charge!"
Electric Terrain also increased the power of electric moves, so Parabolic Charges tendrils spread all over the arena. Now, at least Raichu wasn't surfing circles around them. It had to stop and change direction in order to stay out of the way of the power draining attack.
"Electro Ball!" Nando called. The high speed, high power projectile was in and out of Raichu's hands in a flash, but Nando, again, wasn't the only one benefiting from this terrain.
"Shock Wave!" Helioptile exploded the other electric attack in a shower of blue sparks, letting them fall all over him, and Nando's points dropped for first blood.
"Swift," Ursula ordered, knowing she needed to keep up the momentum. Homing moves, she thought, were a good way to deal with Raichu's speed.
But Nando had his own counter moves. "Iron Tail!" Raichu landed on the ground, instead of constantly surfing away from the pursuing Swift stars, and lashed out in a circle with the tail that it usually rode, smashing their Swift and evening their points.
"Let's change things up, shall we?" Nando asked rhetorically. "Raichu, use Psychic Terrain!" His Pokémon glowed pink for a second before a large bubble pushed the Electric Terrain out of the way. This move had Ursula viewing the arena like she was looking through a distorted mirror.
Raichu wouldn't be speeding around anymore, but they weren't getting any benefits, either. Parabolic Charge faded away, and Ursula called for her next move. "Shock Wave!" she ordered, not confident in another move when it was hard to see what was going on in the Psychic Terrain.
"Psychic!" Nando countered. Raichu's psychic power, made stronger by the terrain, actually captured Shock Wave midair, letting it loop around before redirecting it back, dropping Ursula's points in the meantime.
"Swift!" Ursula shouted, lest the attack connected and she lost more.
Their possessed Shock Wave was dealt with, but they weren't out of the danger zone. "Psychic!" Nando ordered again, and this time Helioptile was lifted high into the air and flung towards the ground!"
"Hyper Voice at the floor!" Ursula commanded, keeping her voice calm. The power of the soundwaves managed to slow Helioptile's fall so he could land on his feet. The acrobatic stunt looked quite good, and Nando's points fell in accordance.
More than half the timer was gone, so it was time to turn it up a notch. "Dark Pulse!" The spiraling beam cut through the psychic terrain with ease, going straight for Raichu.
Of course Nando had a move for their attack. "Focus Blast!" Raichu created a brilliantly glowing blue ball between its hands that it hurled in the path of Dark Pulse. There was a massive explosion as the two attacks collided, but Focus Blast claread the smoke and hurtled towards Helioptile like a meteor.
Ursula wasn't worried about her points dropping. If she didn't stop this attack, it would probably be a knockout. "Electrify, then Hyper Voice!" she ordered, hoping their combination would be enough to prevent that from happening.
The electric sound wave rings enveloped Focus Blast in a funnel, stopping it cold, and then amazingly the attack reversed direction and went along with their own.
A lot of trainers cursed Focus Blast for going off in random directions at the most inopportune times, but this was a pleasant surprise. It wasn't the most damaging combo, considering Alolan Raichu resisted both moves, but it certainly damaged Nando's points.
Ursula felt herself getting excited, and she started bouncing on the balls of her feet, as the match was winding down. She might actually pull this off! "Swift attack!" she shouted.
"Surf!" Nando said. Raichu created a huge wave that swallowed her attack whole. Raichu was riding the wave expertly, showing off its expertise, and that it could surf on water as well as electricity.
She couldn't celebrate too early, because this was costing her points. "Shock Wave at the Surf!" Helioptile lit up with blue electricity before sending it arcing at the wave rather than at Raichu itself.
It seemed Nando understood Ursula's intention to explode the Surf and have Raichu wipe out. "Protect your Surf, Raichu! Thunderbolt!"
The Electric-type leaped off the wave and crackled with electricity before sending a yellow bolt of electricity to counter Heiloptile's blue one. The two dueling lightning bolts pushed and sparked against each other until both Pokémon eventually fizzled out.
But that meant Surf was free to swamp them. It wouldn't do anything other than heal Helioptile, Ursula knew, because of his Dry Skin ability, but…
"Go underneath!" she hissed to her Pokémon at the last moment. Instead of standing his ground against the Surf, Helioptile did an excellent acting job and let himself be pulled under by the crashing wave.
Ursula counted to five in her head before she dared to open her mouth. Right as the wave started to recede, she gave the order. "Now! Helioptile, Dark Pulse!" Her Pokémon leaped from the water, totally refreshed, and blasted the surprised Raichu with the super effective attack.
"I see," Nando said, brow furrowed. "Raichu, Thunderbolt!"
"Helioptile, Shock Wave!" The two attacks collided again in a shower of blue and yellow sparks, until time finally ran out.
Ursula didn't even have time to look at the final score before her and Helioptile's faces were blown up on the big screen, and confetti started to rain down on their heads. Helioptile leapt into her arms, and she started to gush praise, but quickly stopped.
She was proud beyond belief, but she didn't want to rub anyone's noses in the victory. Especially not such a worthy opponent. Nando strode up to her to congratulate her.
"I made a mistake at the end," he admitted. "I assumed your Helioptile's ability was Sand Veil, considering how you used it with Gible in Hearthome. Very well played by you. I look forward to when we'll meet again."
"Likewise," Ursula replied. Nando left after that because he, as a major contest winner, was familiar with the whole victory process. An on stage interview was being set up, as well as a photographer for pictures. First though, was the ribbon presentation.
"Join me in giving a big hand to the winner of the Solaceon Town Contest, and the Soul Ribbon, Ursula!" Like the badges and ribbons she had seen presented before, the shining silver ribbon was on a velvet red cloth. Ursula picked it up carefully and held it so the whole crowd could see. Helioptile jumped up and down happily as a second round of applause cascaded down.
"I must say," the red suited judge started, when the clapping had mostly faded away. "This is the most composed and relaxed we've ever seen you in a contest. If you keep on this path, you have a chance to really make some noise at the Grand Festival."
The Grand Festival. Ursula hadn't been there, since that one magical time her parents got her tickets.
And now, she had a chance to make her own magic.
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We actually had a chance to leave Solaceon Town behind immediately after the contest, but I needed to crash. Ursula was riding the high of her contest, but it was a long day for me. But we've managed to put our differences aside, and I think our friendship is stronger for it.
First thing in the morning, I've got my bags packed, and a note from the daycare in my hand reminding me to pick up my egg. But while I'm still rubbing sleep out of my eyes, someone else is up, sharp-eyed and putting in work already.
Dawn's getting some coaching from Zoey, based on her appeal, in the form of a battle between Ambipom and Zoey's Glameow. I can't resist giving her some advice as their battle wraps up.
"Morning, Luna!" She addresses me in between sips of water. "We're not leaving right away. I need to get some things down first."
"Yeah, I noticed. I stopped by to give you some advice."
I can literally feel Zoey's eyes staring at the back of my head. Dawn seems like a sponge, ready to soak up every piece of knowledge she can so this doesn't occur again. "Sure! What can I improve on?"
"Honestly, I can't tell you anything about coordinating that you don't already know or she can't," I reply, tilting my head back to Zoey. "I just want to say that you're a really talented girl, and you have all the makings of a great coordinator. You don't need to go overboard trying to make it happen in one day. Have that confidence in yourself, and know where to stop, and I promise it will happen. See you around, yeah?"
With that, I wave goodbye to the twerps, and I can leave Solaceon Town with my mind clear. It's hard to believe, but I've gotten so many answers in this place, like what to do about Giratina, how a coordinator approaches a battle, why Ursula was the way she was, and even getting an idea to surprise Fantina with. I'll be sad to leave this place behind, but it's time to put my focus elsewhere.
Get ready, Veilstone Gym. I'm coming for you.