Chapter 99: Chapter 99

The World Stadium - Eastern Unova

Jessica Gladstone sighed as she sat waiting in the Red Trainer area of the World Stadium. She'd been listening intently to the broadcast, as it was providing new updates on the upcoming matches. Her possessed smart phone had started buzzing, in the pattern associated with her mother. She tried to ignore it.

"...and that concludes our recap of yesterday's intense Battles. Champion Redwood and Professor Kukui will have the next two days off, and plenty of time to watch the rest of their opponents. There are some downsides to going first in a tournament, but this time, it seems the schedule worked out for them."

"That's right, Ty." Gabby nodded in agreement, "They also didn't have to deal with the World Stadium's recently finished terrain upgrades. From this point on, our hosts have expressed to the crowd that battlefields will be much more interesting than just a large, flat pitch! Though the flat pitch is still in the rotation. And since this stadium is built for Dynamaxing, these fields will be more like biomes. The League hasn't divulged what we'll see, but based on past Tournaments…"

Jess's focus shifted, as her phone desperately kept ringing, confused as to why she wasn't answering. Finally, she jabbed the answer button with her finger. "Hello, Mother. Make it quick, please. I'm almost up."

"Ohhh! Tom, I got her! Now how do I…no, zoom out please, Rotom. Ahh. There we go." Both of her parents were in the phone's camera frame now, grinning wide. Her mother tutted as she took in her daughter's outfit. She was dressed for Fornia's already heating up spring weather, a somewhat iconic outfit for the Golden Coast and those who lived on it, but of course, Beach Bum Trainer sheik didn't mesh well with her refined mother's tastes. "Please tell me that's not what you're wearing out there. Does Alex know? Tom, talk some sense into your daughter please."

Thomas Gladstone, as ever, did as he pleased. "She's representing her League, Selina. That's what Fornians in our wealth class wear, on the west coast. It's already quite hot out there." He beamed at his daughter, as her mother crossed her arms. "And I know she'll do great. Rio's Champion won't know what hit her. Are you still performing after the Battle?"

"A Performance after a Battle? Your poor Pokémon. You know young lady, you still hav-"

Jess cut her off, sensing what topic she was going to next. "No, Mother, I won't be wearing this on stage later." She was determined to force Jess to plan her wedding, but that was the last thing on her mind, and now was not the time. Alex wasn't even, technically, on the planet, and if she was going to suffer through planning a nation-sized wedding, he was too.

"I have to go now, I'm up." Her father nodded, still beaming, while her mother tried to get in a final word, but Jess's Rotom had already hung up. Once again, it seemed stressed, because the alarm she'd set had gone off, and she was ignoring it. She had to jog to the entrance to make it out in time for name to be announced by Mr. Parsons.

"Iiiin the Red Corner, she's the strongest Trainer in Fornia, the latest Tamer of Ho Oh, the first official Fornia League Champion, and our soon-to-be Empress! Jessica Gladstooone!"

Jess didn't acknowledge the crowd, her eyes were focused across the field, though her outfit did elicit the usual catcalls from the degenerates in the stands. Like Alex, she hadn't picked out an entrance theme either yet, so standard League trumpeting fanfare accompanied her uneventful entrance as she took her spot on the field.

"Iiiin the Green Corner, coming to us from the Dark Continent's Rio, the Tamer of Zigma, it's Rio's latest Champion, Neliiinhaaaa Péle!" Like Jess, Nelinha ignored the crowd, and the whoops for her own outfit, which like Jess, matched the color of the side of the field she'd been assigned, and was designed for a hot environment. It was a practical outfit, almost as revealing as what Jess had, with two long black skin-tight arm-coverings that were used by Dark Continent natives to protect their arms and legs from Old Earth bug bites and the diseases that came with them.

Nelinha reached her box, and gave Jess a nod layered with respect, which she returned, and then suddenly, both women lurched as the Trainer boxes began rising into the air. Jess frowned, as Mr. Parsons exposited.

"Today's match will take place on…the Ruined City battlefield! Given that some parts of Rio are still in ruins, Nelinha might have the advantage!"

Jess smirked slightly. She'd just fought in multiple cities, and despite the Scale's best efforts, they were very much ruined in the wake of war. "Here's the coin flip!" Parsons announced. "Looks like Champion Nelinha will throw first."

The Rio Champion seemed unbothered. "Lapras! You're first!"

Mr. Parsons exclaimed as Nelinha threw. "Our first Pokémon of the day! The Rio Champion's Lapras, who famously took down much of Queen Iara's team with her Water Absorb Ability and wide Move pool!"

"Empolia." Jess responded, not uncrossing her arms. Her Empoleon appeared on her own, with a flash of light, grinned darkly at the Lapras, and then ran her blade wings together, to produce an ear-breaking Metal Sound. Lapras shuddered, and winced, and Empolia looked back at Jess, who nodded, and raised her Key Stone. "The Battle is yours, dear. Do your best."

Mega Empoleon answered with a piercing shriek as her Mega Form solidified, and then she vanished in a blur of motion and water. Nelinha responded quickly. "Ice Beam the field! Start sliding!" In a display of power worthy of her World Ranking, the Lapras fired her Ice Beam upwards, and then made the ice energy umbrella outwards, coating everything, the ground, the buildings, the streets, in a layer of thick ice. The icy plesiosaur started sliding then, but there was already a faster blur approaching her, one better adapted to sliding around on this terrain than the typically sea-bound Lapras.

As the Mega Empoleon moved to strike with Brick Break, the Lapras was recalled, and the ball in Nelinha's hands swelled. "Good dodging Lapras! Now! Gigantamax!"

Jess just sighed, but mentally confirmed that Empolia didn't need help. That left her free to return to mentally and meticulously going over her performance later. She wouldn't admit it, or show anyone what she'd been working on so far, not even Alex, but the World Festival had her far more concerned than the battling, despite her initial hesitation about performing. Nelinha's eyes narrowed slightly, as she realized Jess was barely paying attention.

As the Gigantamaxed Lapras began to sing, in that all-important moment when a vocalist inhaled before producing sound, Empolia struck, brutally, and effectively. "OH! A brutal Throat Chop from Mega Empoleon! That's going to keep Lapras from using any sound-based Moves for two turns, effectively ending the use of their Max Move! It's clear now why Champion Gladstone let her Empoleon Battle on her own, her instincts are Excellent!"

The crowd roared in approval, and Nelinha sighed heavily, hat tilted down. Irritated, she shouted, "MAX LIGHTNING!" This time, Empolia didn't have time to strike, or dodge, as the lightning bolt infused with the power of Eternatus formed rapidly, and was simply too wide and fast to dodge. Even with Aqua Jet. The water move actually made the attack do even more damage, and Empolia was panting hard, as the dust faded and the sound of the hyped crowd returned.

"Wrap this up, Empolia." Jess said, deigning to finally get involved. "Grass Knot."

The emperor penguin Pokémon glanced at her Trainer, then nodded. That move was the best call here, if a bit anticlimactic. Empolia raised her arms, and massive vines broke from the ice coated ground, forcing the Gigantamaxed Lapras to fall forward. Her form exploded violently, shaking the stadium, and the Dynamax music faded, as the referee called the faint. Even without Gigantamaxing, Lapras was quite a heavy Pokémon, and Grass Knot struck with full power..

Jess recalled Empolia, as Nelinha was forced to switch first. She went with Blaziken, now that Jess was without water, but the redhead simply smirked, and gave one of her newer members a chance to shine. Flora, her crimson Florges appeared and blinked once in greeting at the Blaziken, who returned the greeting with a nod, and then fell into a low martial stance that never stopped moving.

Nelinha raised her Key Stone, and her Blaziken's Blazikenite responded, catapulting it to its Mega Form, as the power of Trainer and Pokémon collided, and produced a powerful reaction. As soon as the form solidified, Mega Blaziken was gone from sight. There was a tinge of venomous purple in the blazing crimson blur, but its poison-suffused strikes only hit air, as Jess recalled Flora with a smirk, and held her Love Ball above her head. It expanded, twice, and she threw it back onto the field, as her Florges Dynamaxed, and the stadium once again blared Galar's hype music. Jess spoke, arms still crossed, as the waves of pressure from the Dynamaxing sent her hair and coat flapping, "Max Mindstorm. Make it weird.

Flora had a devious expression as she summoned the power of the Max Move. Mega Blaziken had no chance of dodging. The rings of psychic power that came for it were simply too large to outrun. They didn't take him down, though and the counter came swiftly. A barrage of poisonous punches hammered Flora, as Mega Blaziken easily leapt up to her face. Flora winced, as the poison lingered enough to actually poison her, but the next Max Mindstorm hammered Nelinha's starter into unconsciousness.

Nelinha's next pick was her Alpha sized Victreebell, who assumed its Mega Form, and used a charged up combination move of Petal Blizzard and Acid to pummel Flora with poison-tipped leaves. But not before her final Max Mindstorm hammered the Mega Victreebell into a KO as well. This left Jess up by one, Nelinha without her starter, and a lack of poison coverage for the other fairy in Jess's lineup. The field emanated vast amounts of psychic power, as both Champions chose their next partners.

"After that fierce back and forth, it seems our Champions are about to have a Psychic Typed duel in this heavily Psychic Terrain!" Mr. Parsons shouted, hyping the crowd, who was still going crazy over learning Jess had a Gardevoir, let alone one who was apparently named after King Arthur's love interest. Up in the viewing booth, the inner half of the Dragon Emperor smirked at Arthur's ball.

"They're blowing up Chatter. The Once and Future Couple." Alex laughed, as he saw Arthur's ball shudder, and finally, the Gallade burst free to watch Gwen properly. Her large eyes caught the form of her mate, and she smiled in his direction, before focusing on the strange bird. Its head was tilted so that its right eye faced Gwen, and the weird bird squawked at her in displeasure. Somehow, the species known for standing still all the time was faster than Gwen, and thus, the Xatu went first with, surprising nobody, a Future Sight attack.

Jess held nothing back, as she raised her Key Stone. "Mega Evolve. Mystical Beam!"

Rather quickly, Gwen ascended to her Mega Form, appearing with her hands already raised. Above one, a ball of flame, above the other, the beginnings of Charge Beam. She brought them together in a familiar, balanced, swirling pattern and the Xatu was hammered with the full power of a type weakness, and fire damage.

Down, but not out, the Xatu, who had fallen on its back, simply psychically righted itself, scorched, and angry. For once, rarely, not focused on the future, but the present. The Xatu fixed both eyes on Gwen, as Nelinha gave the order. "Psycho Bubble! Roost!" A sphere of psychic energy formed around Xatu, Light Screen, taken to its mastered form. It was more like a compact circle of thin Light Screens atop each other, more than it was a bubble…but humans liked bubbles, and frankly, so did Xatu.

As the bird shifted slightly in place within its psychic sphere, now filled with soft downy feathers, it looked back at Gwen, and then smirked, from behind the safety of its bubble. The Mega Gardevoir's eye twitched, and she raised her hands above her head once more. Massive chunks of the ice-covered field levitated into the air, suffused with psychic power. Jess gave the order, arms still crossed, still as cool as ever. "Now Fling."

Dark energy surrounded the icy rocks, and they hurtled towards the Xatu. Its left eye widened as they approached, but by the time it realized what Gardevoir had done, the psychic Roost bubble was shattered, though most of the electric and flame burns were gone. Jess didn't give it time to recover, though. By the time Xatu was on its feet again, Gwen was ready to strike. "Fairy Lightning."

Once more, two elegant arms brought together a condensed Moon Blast and Thunderbolt. Xatu rapidly raised another layered Light Screen, but the Taijitu Move was too much. Xatu's psychic energy ran out, the barrier broke, and the attack landed hard enough to KO the psychic bird.

To her credit, Nelinha didn't even pause, as the crowd cheered her misfortune, and empowered Gwen's stats. "Mimikyu." She caught the ghostly fae's ball as it zipped back to her hand. "End the witch…before she blasts through the whole team."

Jess frowned, a moment later, after the sound delay, Arthur did the same. Gwen, for her part, was furious. Her shrill psychic tone echoed across the field, warped by the lingering psychic weirdness. "I am no Witch!" Mega Gardevoir's arms spread wide, and above her, seven Shadow Balls popped into being, swirling and condensing as they grew larger. The first one to finish shot forward, and the brightly painted Mimikyu, who was repping Rio's colors of forest green and yellow rhombic shapes, with blue spheres inside them, reacted.

Fairy energy surrounded its tail as it sent the Shadow Ball back at Gwen. A deadly game of 'catch' began, as Gwen easily redirected her own attack, and responded with two Shadow Balls. Mimikyu hit both back, then three came sailing towards it. Within a minute, all seven Shadow Balls were rapidly shooting back and forth between the levitating Mega Gardevoir and the Rio-colored Mimikyu.

Though Mimikyu put up a valiant effort, Gwen was still ticked off, and barely using any power to redirect her own summoned ghost energy. A Shadow Ball finally struck Mimikyu, then another, and as that knocked it off balance, Gwen masterfully fused the remaining five Shadow Balls together, critically hammering the Mimikyu. With its disguise broken and then the powerful following attacks, Mimikyu fainted, and Nelinha was slower to recall her.

"Hold on to your form, Gwen." Jess said, aware she had to perform later. "Let's give someone else a turn." Gwen glanced at her human, and then nodded. She was burning too brightly too quickly, and didn't have nearly as much practice in her Mega Form as Arthur. "Rouge. Join us."

Up in the box, Alex glanced at Revan's ball, as it shuddered and opened. The armored knight then joined Arthur by the balcony. Right as Jess brought out her new Armarouge. Alex blinked, as a memory of his surfaced. The Gladstones had several old suits of armor around their house. The one that was now a part of Rouge, had been one he'd worn for Halloween once. She looked good in it, and clearly, she'd stolen his idea to have a blacksmith upgrade it with some tech. The biggest difference between it and the Paldean style was a pair of gauntlets on her forearms that looked like they could fit together, presumably to fire Armor Cannon.

Arthur smirked at his sword-armed apprentice. "Rev. Revan!" The Cerulege finally looked Arthur's way. "Your helmet crest…flame. If it burns any higher you'll set the flags on fire."

Glancing upwards, Revan's eyes narrowed, and one of his arms blurred through the large flame, literally cutting it. "Subtle." Alex said, also smirking, as he joined his sword bois. "For the record, I had no idea she was getting one of your species-"

Revan cut him off. "My species? My species is what you call Ceruledge…that down there, is a rival…"

It was at that same time that Jess made a similar assumption, as Nelinha pondered her next pick. "Admiring the handsome knights in the box seats, Rouge?"

Rouge side-eyed her Trainer. "I've no interest in Gwen's mate. And that sword-armed evil ghost beside him is no knight."

Jess looked up at Alex's top clone, and smirked. Sarcastically and mentally she said, "Oh no. They don't seem to like each other much."

Alex chuckled in her head. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of Eggs eventually. Not that we need more…" The Redwood Lab, despite its popularity, was overflowing with unhatched Eggs, and Alex had chewed out his brother for not clearly organizing them. With that thought, he had an idea as to who could handle the sorting, and, presumably she knew how to use the equipment required for scanning the embryo too. It would be a good test of trust.

"For those who can't see the score, Champion Nelinha is down five Pokémon, while Champion Gladstone is only down one. Rio's Champion will need a strong pick to claw back a chance to win." As if in response to his words, Rio's Champion made her choice. "Oh! It's…Zeraora? I'm not personally familiar with this Electric Type, but it seems ready to rumble!"

The electrical thunder cat roared, and then fell into a fluid fighting stance all but identical to what the Blaziken had used. "Don't worry about electricity, just focus on Dark Moves." Nelinha commanded, and Zeraora nodded once with an affirmative growl. "Alright, go!"

"Protect." Jess countered. "It's faster than you, dear. Set up your Iron Screen. Then confuse it."

Rouge formed a Reflect Screen, and then layered Iron Defense on top of it. The Throat Chop from Zeraora stuck fast against the resistant barrier, leaving it open to a counter. The multicolored Confuse Ray landed point blank, and Rouge used Teleport to get some distance. W Zeraora kept striking empty air, only realizing after several seconds that Rouge was not there.

Zeraora turned at the sound of condensed flames forming, but the move already fired. The Armor Cannon hammered Zeraora, sending it rolling. "Zera!" Hearing her Trainer broke the confusion, and her vision solidified as she regained her senses early. "Use Agility, and watch for Psychic! Thunder Wave."

The Zeraora became a blur of yellow, and despite not having an electricity generating organ, Zera had been taught how to emulate Luxray, which used the movement of its muscles to generate electricity.

"Project your Iron Screen." Jess said calmly, arms still crossed. "Sphere shape." Just in time to block the electric wave attack, Rouge raised her shield. Then, finally, her eyes landed on the Zeraora. Jess noticed, and gave the order. "Psychic."

Suddenly, the mythical yellow flash was a flailing yellow thunder felid, being repeatedly slammed into the field once, twice, three times in a row before the move's power was released. Slowly, Zera stood up again, but a light breeze would be enough to claim the round.

"We're not done! Throat Chop!" Zera's eyes narrowed, and despite the damage, she once again became too fast to track thanks to Agility boosting her already absurd speed.

"Into the air, Rouge. You'll want over a hundred feet." Jess countered, her posture still unchanged and unconcerned. Armor Cannon. You may fire when ready." Rouge chirped an affirmation, and before Zerora came close, she was already floating out of reach with Psychic. Or so she thought.

"Bounce! Then use your Plasma Fists!"

"Meteor Beam. Then finish it with Heat Wave.

Zeraora's leap was impressive, but it did also leave her in a linear trajectory. One that Rouge was able to lock on to and follow. Her armor forearms slid together to form their attack, as one of the most powerful rock moves known to 'mon formed between the dormer gauntlets.

Seeing the attack coming, Zeraora switched to Acrobatics, and used the move to direct Bounce's flying energy. She spiraled up and around the rock beam, and hammered Rouge, knocking her higher, and disrupting her Psychic. Then, came the Plasma Fists. Zera arced in the air above Rouge, and then hammered her with a barrage of plasma filled fury.

The final fist sent Rouge straight downwards, and she impacted the field hard enough for the crowd to feel it. Zera landed in a three point stance, using another Acrobatics to cushion her fall. Her eyes widened in surprise as she heard the opposing Trainer say, "Flamethrower."

From her prone position, Rouge weakly fired a Flamethrower from one of her hands, catching Zeraora in the stream. A moment later, Mr. Parsons announced the results of the battle, "Annnd it's a double knockout ladies and gentleman! Let's hear it for those two well-trained Battlers!"

Jess' choice was easy. Gwen returned to the field, still in her Mega Form. Gritting her jaw, Nelinha made her own choice. The only Pokémon left that had a chance against a Mega Gardevoir.

The sitting Shogun appeared with a flash, and glared at the Mega Gardevoir. He started floating in the air through electromagnetism, and his sharp eyes slid back to his Trainer. "Kinga!"

Nelinha blinked. "You're sure?"

The steel Shogun nodded. "Gambit." Nelinha grimaced. It was, in every way, a gambit. But she had no other way to effectively bring down Gwen. The psychic fairy let her opponent make his transformation, nodding at him to go ahead. Much like Arthur, she liked when things were at least somewhat even, in a battle.

Nelinha raised her Key Stone, as a shard of a Dread Plate sparked before Kingambit. His form shone bright white, and Jess saw it moving and shifting. The crowd's excitement grew, as owning a Kingambit was pretty difficult. Mega Evolving one was quite rare. Like most Mega Forms, Kingambit was essentially the same, and yet somehow also very different.

His facial blade moustache was notched and scarred, but no less sharp. Oddly enough, the iconic blade on his head was now instead sheathed diagonally on his back. As the symbol of Infinity Energy burned above his head, he drew the massive blade, now fitted with a hilt and cross guard, and rested it on his shoulder.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

His appearance was different from the rest of his line, in that he had less obvious spines and blade appendages. His mane of magnetic 'hair' was now his haori, though beneath it, Jess spied the gleam of steel. They were hidden, then. "Use Teleport to keep your distance. And watch the blades under that outfit." Gwen nodded in acknowledgment of the mental advice, and then bamfed high above the field, out of sword range.

Seeing this, Nelinha made her move. "Alright, Kingambit…draw upon those who've fainted already… And make that Gardevoir pay!" A light appeared on his greatsword, one for each of his fallen teammates, glowing with what looked like kanji, the written form of Japan's old language. Once all six circle encased characters were filled, he disappeared in a blur of speed. As Nelinha gave the order. "Flash Blade!"

Flash Blade was essentially a slightly stronger Iron Head, and instead of infusing one's head with steel energy, it suffused limbs instead, or in Kingambit's case, his sword. The only warning Gwen had was a brief flash in her peripheral vision, but that was the only warning she needed. Her naturally thin body shifted like a willow in the wind, and it was at that point that Kingambit knew.

The Aura Sphere came fast and brutal, and a collective 'oooo' filled the stadium as Mega Kingambit smashed into the still frozen ground. The Aura Spheres kept coming, but after being blown back, Mega Kingambit was able to slice them apart with Aerial Ace and Air Slashes from his sword.

"It's a Mega trade off of attacks ladies and gentlemen! Neither Pokémon is giving an inch, but that first Aura Sphere seems to have given Gardevoir the edge!"

Shadow Claws and Poison Jabs followed another Flash Blade, but Gwen gracefully dodged each, spinning through the air as if gravity was a mere suggestion, one she easily ignored.

Mega Kingambit was panting hard from where he floated in the air, and he was enraged, after not managing to land a single hit. He had also avoided taking more, but his power for his flying moves was being rapidly burned through.

"That's enough games, Gwen. Aura Sphere, focused spread." Jess ordered, and her Mega Gardevoir nodded.

Five Aura Spheres at once came for Mega Kingambit, and the steel Shogun bravely sliced through as many as he could. There were just too many to strike, though. He went down, hard, and that signaled the final nail in Nelinha's loss.

Jess didn't switch Gwen out, as she took down the Rio Champion's Flygon with a Teleport/Moonblast combination, and then her Leavanny with a Sunny Day empowered Mystical Fire. Both physical attackers never came close to hitting her.

It was Nelinha's final Pokémon, Yanmega, that put up the hardest fight. Her Bug Buzz shattered the Psychic levitated rocks Gwen threw at her, and her Shadow Ball counters actually managed to hit. Not wanting her tired for later, Jess ordered her to drop her Mega Form, and return. Gwen bowed gracefully to the crowd, in midair, then returned to her ball.

"Delphi." Jess said, getting her first psychic's attention, "Feel like finishing this off?" Delphi's ball flashed with psychic power, and instead, Amphi came out. The electric sheep made an admonishment towards her sister, but she was more than equipped to handle a Yanmega. Which was why Delphi sent her out. Her fur was also finally ready for the performance, and like her Trainer, she cared more about their first show than the first battle in the tournament.

By this point, Yanmega was quite fast thanks to Speed Boost, but once Amphi assumed her Mega Form, speed didn't matter as much. After their first few Power Gems missed the desperately dodging Yanmega, Jess grew tired of needlessly dragging out a match that was already over.

"Amphi. Power Gem, Alpha pattern."

The Mega Ampharos's ears twitched at the command she hadn't heard since the war, but she was quite familiar with it. In fact, it was safe to say that most of Jess and Alex's Scales were alive today because of how good Amphi had become with Power Gem, and Meteor Beam.

No less than eight beams of focused rock energy shot towards Yanmega, who was now at max speed, and had used her sonic powers to shatter the frozen buildings of the field, creating plenty of space to dodge.

Not all of the buildings had been frozen and destroyed though, and from behind two crumbling structures came four more charged up Power Gems. Each one struck true, but despite the quadruple weakness, Yanmega held on to consciousness. "Above you!" Nelinha warned, but it was too late. Yanmega dodged one of the final beams, but not the other, crying out as it hammered her into the ground, and ended the match.

Mr. Parsons narrated for the crowd, while the Champions tended to their partners. Amphi received scritches and a berry before waving to the crowd and returning. Nelinha meanwhile, kept her hat covering her eyes, murmured to her weakly conscious partner, and recalled her after using a Revive.

The two women met in the center of the field, seemingly unbothered by the now rapidly melting ice. A pair of Rhydon on either side of the pitch were already removing the ruined building structures by sinking them into the earth. The two Champions shook hands, and Jess finally acknowledged the crowd with a somewhat convincing smile and wave, before it left her face and she headed back inside. She hadn't said more than a few words to Nelinha before taking off, and the Rio Champion still felt like she was barely paying attention.

World Stadium Contest Hall - Western Unova Region

Even though she was technically new to contests, Jess had been given a spacious underground room. Having seen the building's designs, there were many such rooms, and each was equipped with a teleporter to the back part of the main stage, and upper part of the Festival Hall. It took up the western side of the massive World Tournament building, and had been the main reason construction had taken so long.

Jess was wearing the same rainbow shimmering crimson gown with a fiery gradient that faded into glowing orange and gold. The bodice was strapless and fitted, covered in sparkling sequins, with thin crossing bands around the waist that mimicked the shape of a corset. Her outfit flowed behind her as she moved down the line of her Pokémon.

She stopped at her Bashful, and rather long Dragonair that Alex had caught for her, and traded for her male hot pink Dragonair. After some workshopping, they had settled on Caelira for her name. Initially she'd wanted to find her own Dratini, but one look at Caelira's big eyes and Jess knew she couldn't refuse this girl. And, as always, Alex had actually chosen a wild Pokémon with talent. He'd even made an Everstone necklace for her, but Jess had taken it off. Dragonite were just as cute and graceful as their mid evolution. If one trained them properly.

But what had sealed her decision to keep Caelira, was the fact that Alex had apparently had a clone on Pokéblock making duty. Most of his team was maxing out their coolness or toughness, but for Caelira he'd focused on enhancing her natural beauty to its maximum. She also knew many TM moves, though she had yet to truly master them. Even without perfect move mastery, she would shine, and Alex had guaranteed that.

Jess scritched under her chin. She hadn't given Caelira anything crazy in terms of outfits, Delphi had that covered with her attempt at wearing fine Kalosian clothes, but the young Dragonair had discovered the joy, and permanence, of glitter and that had become her outfit. She could also shed her skin when she wanted to stop sparkling, and making everything her body touched sparkle too.

"You'll do great, Cae. Don't worry. Just remember what we taught you." Her Dragonair 'stood' up straighter, the picture of beauty and elegance. Jess walked down the rest of the line, adjusting and changing as needed, until she got to Serpi, who along with Delphi, and herself if she was being honest, were the most excited for the World Festival.

Mirroring the contests of Kalos, participants needed three ribbons, keys, or other certified trinkets from an official contest victory in any region to participate in the World Festival. Since there hadn't been much time to prepare, those who lacked three qualifying trinkets would be given the chance to earn their place, before the World Festival properly kicked off.

Having technically won once in her Kalos debut but refusing the prize and the crown, her most recent performance wasn't enough to do more than get her a spot here. She didn't foresee them losing though, and since there were no limits on which Pokémon could compete, she knew her Articuno would surely stun the crowd again, if necessary.

"Jessica Gladstone and team to the stage." The intercom in her locker area chirped, before repeating the same message again. She recalled her team, did a final outfit, hair, and Pokéball check, and then with an artificial bamf, was suddenly on the back part of the stage. A hush came over the area as she appeared, and like a charisma magnet, Jess's eyes were immediately drawn to her real competition, who'd be competing later on.

Dressed in similar colors to her own outfit, the former Kalos Queen turned Elite Four battler and certified Fire Type Specialist was colored more like the Sun, or a flame, while Jess had gone with an outfit that sparkled like the rainbow sheen of her hair and was just as crimson.

Taking a deep breath, the former Kalos Queen approached Jess, and naturally, this set off a wave of murmuring from the women around them. "Hey…there." Serena started, awkwardly, "Mind if we chat for a minute?"

Jess glanced at the stage. "A minute is literally all I have…but of course."

They walked to the part of the stage holding the various extra outfits and accessories for those who didn't have the money to buy their own. "We never got a chance to…chat, after you beat me in Kalos. I just wanted you to know there's no hard feelings."

Jess raised a red eyebrow at Serena. "Really? I thought I upended your career and drove you into the Elite Four…"

Serena shook her head. "I was getting tired of being Kalos Queen. You actually did me a favor by beating us. My team was very motivated. Ash suggested I ask them if they wanted to be the best performers, and I got a resounding yes. So here we are again. I just wanted to offer…I have pull with the judges. You don't really have to perform to prove you belong on this stage."

Jess smirked lightly, but it lacked malice. Serena, it seemed, really was just a nice person. "I appreciate the offer, but if you're here too, I'm going to need to perform. It's not about what we think, it's about what the crowd thinks," She gestured to their fellow performers. "And many of your fans think I'm not worthy. So I'll prove it to them, and then, we'll have our own epic showdown."

Serena chuckled, in agreement. "So you think the Tournament will come down to our boys as well?" Jess nodded, and Serena smiled. "After I saw how your Alex was Battling, I believe it. Has he always been that strong?"

Jess nodded again. "He rolled through most of Unova's Gym Leaders without too much trouble, against their strongest teams. Taming the Original Dragon just made him even stronger…and he rarely even uses Tao in proper Battles."

Serena nodded. "I've heard you don't use Ho Oh, either."

"Yea…Ho Oh just wants to be left in peace. I may be her Tamer, but she does as she pleases, and…is far less beholden to me than Tao is to Alex. The Dragon is truly unique among Legends, for putting up with us Humans as much as he does."

At that moment, the PA system donged. "All contestants, please report to the stage for a last minute rule update."

Jess sighed, and Serena gave her a sympathetic smile. "Sorry for holding you up…and all the rule changes. A lot more people than we expected have shown up wanting to perform. Some of them are even in the World Tournament, like you. It's made organizing everything utter chaos."

"I can imagine." Jess said, then tilted her head. "Do you know who else in the World Tournament is performing?"

Serena tilted her head. "Aside from you, Haruka Birch, Isabella Fondacaro, and Rosa. I believe Champion Nelinha has also just enrolled to compete."

Jess nodded with finality. "I see. Thanks for the information. I'll see you out there."

Serena wished her good luck, and in moments, Jess was among her finely dressed peers. Like a sore thumb, Nelinha was also among them, in almost the same outfit she'd been battling in earlier. Jess feigned believable surprise as their eyes met, but one of the contest judges captured her attention as she started speaking.

"For those of you who don't recognize or know me, my name is Palermo. I was once Kalos Queen, and I have since spent my time helping the next generation achieve the same level I did. I will be the Head Judge for the initial Performances. It will ultimately be My judgement that decides if you participate in the World Festival or not." Palermo paused as some of the women started murmuring, her sharp eyes missed nothing. Jess resisted the strong urge to roll her eyes. Palermo had a strong bearing, self-important and the life experience to support that notion. Like the majority of her own mother's friends.

Briefly, she wondered if Palermo had ever been to her house, but Jess had no recollection of such a visit. "I demand excellence from Pokémon Performers. Were we not rushed, those of you without Contest victories wouldn't even have a chance to compete. I will only take the best of you, so show me what you and your teams have been working on." She gestured to a blank black screen, which lit up with the order of performances.

Palermo moved away from the screen as the ladies pushed closer. Jess grimaced, as she found her name easily. Right at the top. She would be going first. Of course. She flinched, as she heard Palermo's voice over her shoulder. "The first performance sets the tone for all that follows. Do try not to fail."

Jess gave the old woman an intense side-eye. She kept her aura from flaring, but the psychic fire danced in her blue eyes. "You should have someone else go first. Whoever follows me will have a hard time."

Palermo gave her probably the fakest smile Jess had ever seen. Which was impressive, since she had seen many. "The order is final. Good luck, Miss Gladstone."

Jess narrowed her eyes. Performances weren't based on luck. Nothing less than perfection would suffice for a judge like Palermo. Jess knew her type, although she'd never performed for someone with such high expectations. She let out a heavy sigh. This wasn't even the performance that mattered, and she had a feeling Palermo knew that. A situation , was exactly why she'd expanded her roster.

Less than a minute later, Jess was waiting in the wings of the stage as they announced her name. As soon as that was done, Caelira was sent out to dazzle the crowd, who were big fans of her full glitter look. While she distracted the audience, Jess released Victoria, her shiny Jellicent, and Moira, her shiny Glimmora, both now fully evolved, if not fully trained.

Victoria was a natural with special moves, her diet and training ensured that she only got better. Now, she was about as competent as her other partners. Moira on the other hand was not a natural, but she loved the idea of performing, and, she was pretty good at spinning. That, and her crystalline body, had helped Jess find a spot for her in the squad.

As Caelira flew up high out of sight, bending the lights within the hall to hide herself, the eyes of the crowd drifted back to the stage. Victoria was manipulating eight types of energy at once, and had conjured extra primarily saltwater tentacles to help her do so.

The Shadow Ball melted into an omnipresent haze that filled the stage with sparkling purple energy. Water poured out from Victoria's center, coating the stage in water, and with masterful control, kept it from going over the edge. An Ice Beam lanced across the stage, flash freezing it, and with the appearance of perfect stability, Jess walked across the icy stage, in heels, and gave a flourishing bow.

Behind her, the tentacle holding a Dark Pulse caused reality to throb. Eight spheres of darkness floated out from that tentacle, around Victoria, each containing a sphere of typed energy visible through the holes in the dark energy containers. The shaping of energy appeared masterful, but it was actually deceptively simple. With a little practice, most special attacking Pokémon could manipulate spheres. In reality, all the purple Jellicent needed to manipulate was dark energy, for her purposes.

The symbols globally associated with the elemental typings, or the ones Victoria could control at least, appeared as she molded the dark energy into each shape, for each type, all at once. She was sweating, but as she looked at her Trainer, Jess gave her a subtle, proud smile and she maintained her focus for what came next.

What came next, was Moira, who Rapid Spun her way above Victoria. At that point, Jess finally started giving commands. "Alright girls, Dazzle them!"

Together, and in perfect sync, the two Pokémon started spinning, and shining with fairy energy. The pink light banished the darkness, and then Moira spun down towards Jess, who leapt atop her Glimmora's 'nose' balancing on the pointed tip. She psychically adjusted herself until Moira stopped wincing, and then together they spun through each ball of energy.

The sparkling ghost mist seemed to devour the energy, gaining purple-tinted colors of red, blue, green, etcetera, as each sphere lost cohesion. Throughout the display, Victoria kept spinning, and the ghostly rainbow mist started spinning with her, becoming a vortex of energy that Moira and Jess spun vertically up through, completely unscathed.

"For your consideration!" Jess shouted, before psychically leaping high into the air. As she did, Caelira appeared again, and with a mighty roar, took control over the ghostly elemental storm. The energy surged up and around her as Jess landed gracefully, sidesaddle, on her back. "Bring us home, Cae." Jess said, smiling and genuinely proud of her newest partners.

As Caelira met her Trainer's gaze, and saw the unvarnished pride there, something happened, that nobody expected. Caelira began shining impossibly bright, with the intense light of Infinity Energy. In the crowd, Alex was watching incognito, and smirked as a young tweenage girl beside him spoke, her impressionable eyes wide. "She's becoming Dragonite! Woah!"

Alex watched Caelira though, and grinned. His tone was low, but everyone around him heard his words as he saw the body shape solidify. "That's no Dragonite…"

In Unova's oldest legends, there were tales about a variant form Dragonair, specifically females, could sometimes attain. But the methodology, like so much else from that era, had been lost when the empire's libraries were burned. Damon had told Alex about it when Alex confirmed that at least one of his Elite Four still wanted to stay. Once Jess mentioned the adamant, male, and hot pink Dratini who wanted the thrill of battle over the elegance of performance, he'd set off to find a Dratini suitable for her. As he watched Caelira shine, he knew he'd made the right choice.

As she stopped glowing, Caelira revealed she had kept her serpentine, dragon-like body. Now, she had large white feathered wings, soft turquoise-teal colored scales patterned with white circular markings along the length of her body. Her bright blue eyes were shining happily. She had a crest of feathery, crown-like fins on her head, a feathery white tipped tail, and a glowing blue orb embedded in her forehead, glowing in conjunction with six blue orbs floating around her. Last, but by no means least, was the rainbow colored and instantly iconic halo that appeared behind Caelira.

The crowd was in awe as the fifteen foot tall Dragonquen descended to the stage, and the ice coating it suddenly turned back into water, seemingly at her command. It shot into the air, spraying into the ghostly fog and sparkling with the same rainbow brilliance as Jess, and herself. She struck a majestic pose and roared. "Dragooooo!"

Seeing their cue as it snapped the other two back into focus, they joined Jess and Caelira as they bowed. Alex was the first to loudly whoop and start clapping, and as everyone heard that, some turned and recognized their Dragon Emperor and blinked at the golden Togekiss perched nonchalantly on his shoulder, while most also began clapping. Astrum was also quite enjoying the energy of the crowd, and the performance itself. The stadium seating erupted into pure noise, as Jess gave each of her partners scritches.

Caelira seemed overjoyed, and still covered in glitter. So was Jess, as she nuzzled her Trainer. As the roar of the crowd died down, the judges stood up. All four were smiling, except for Palermo, who was naturally unreadable.

The first judge, who looked to hail from some region in Japan, held up a ten, and said, "Remarkable!"

Next, was the stadium's own Nurse Joy, or one of them anyway, who also held up a ten. "From Jellicent's Typing control to…Dragonair's sparkle, I saw no flaws! I'd give you points for discovering a new form of the Dratini line, but you already have a ten." She giggled, and Jess nodded her thanks.

The next judge had covered themselves in a fairy glamour making their features hard to perceive, and as it fell, surprising everyone but Jess and Alex, it revealed the handsome features of their friend Percy. Nobody knew who he was, but he was the quintessential celebrity judge, and therefore probably famous. He held up a nine point eight. "Flawless technique, and presentation. Walking on ice, in heels, masterful. My only deduction is for the subtle but still rather simple way your Victoria manipulated her Type Energy. I look forward to seeing what she can do with more training, but for a Pokémon you just got? Quite impressive."

"Thank you, Percival." Jess replied, inclining her head as she bowed. Then the entire room's eyes shifted to Palermo. The old woman's eyes darted to the newly revealed fae man. His exact lowering of her score for the only perceivable flaw the routine had set the standard for how many points it would cost Jess. Giving her a nine for the same flaw would reflect badly on her, and the smirking svelte celebrity seemed to know that as he met her gaze and dared her to drag the overall score down.

With a resigned sigh and lowering of her head, she had no choice now. There were no grounds to criticize a performance that well done with a full point off. "I observed the same thing as Percival, and I also noticed some hesitation when you first jumped atop your Glimmora. Nine point five, Miss Gladstone. Well done, and congratulations."

Jess nodded, as the crowd erupted at the nearly perfect score. At that point, their main announcer, Monsieur Pierre, weighed in as well. "Tres bien! Another sparkling masterpiece of a performance from our future Empress! Let's hear it for her and her team!" Once again, the crowd erupted into cheers. They took another bow, and then exited the stage to prepare for the next task in the competition. None of the other performances managed to top hers, and her score remained solidly in first place as the performance battles began.

Her opponent, as fate would have it, was in fact Nelinha. Jess suspected she'd paid or coerced her way into that, but it seemed the Rio Champion wasn't quite done with her yet. Her own performance had just been a rather simplistic and basic colliding of moves, which while flashy, didn't really help her score, as her Pokémon had just stayed still, being as they were completely unused to performing as a concept. Palermo had torn her apart, all but asking why she was even bothering to perform, without actually saying the words.

Full of confidence, since battling was something she understood, Nelinha called out her partners first. "Lapras! Zarude! I choose you!"

Jess nodded. Beauty and muscle, and most of the types covered between them. "Amphi. Maria. Your turn." Her Ampharos took the stage, alongside her Nidoqueen, who roared and smashed her massive paws together eagerly. As one of the loudest advocates for battling, she was itching for one, but Nelinha had been for her newer sisters to cut their fangs on. Psychically, Jess spoke to her Nidoqueen. "Do you have enough for that Move?" Maria made a show of stomping the ground, sensing what was within it, and then glanced back at Jess, and nodded. "Then we go with that. Maria! Rock Slide! Amphi! Mega Evolve, and use Discharge!"

Maria summoned rocks from below, to appear above at her command. To those with sharp eyes, a glint of reddish tinged gray was amongst the regular stone. "Vine Whip! Protect Lapras!" Nelinha countered. "Lapras! Hit them both with Ice Beam!"

Zarude prepared to strike the Rock Slide, yet it did not fall. As Amphi took her Mega Form, Lapras launched her Ice Beams. A glancing hit struck Maria's shoulder, and a much harder one struck Amphi in her stomach, but despite that, they both barely flinched. Nelinha glanced at the bars indicating damage on the stage's screen, and frowned. "That…should've done more damage…"

Jess smirked at her opponent. "Contest Battles are a bit different. It's not just about dealing damage…but how you deal it! Go, Amphi!"

The Discharge the Mega Ampharos had built up unleashed in a wave of electrical power. Zarude's eyes narrowed, and it fired a small but powerful Mud Shot, creating a hole in the wave as it passed by him. Yet, although he was safe, the typically solo battling mythical monkey had not considered his teammate, who took the electric attack full force. Before Lapras could recover, the ominously hanging Rock Slide, now sparking with electricity arcing across it, fell onto both Lapras and Zarude, afflicting them with damage, but mostly, with paralysis. After two super effective hits, Lapras was nearly down. As she struggled to move, and couldn't, Nelinha watched their bar go down even further.

"Finish it, girls. Signal Beam, and Sludge Wave!"

Maria spewed a massive wave of purple ooze after a deep inhale, and with her masterful energy control, Amphi's Signal Beam cut through the wave of poison with enough speed to make the wave's descent follow the beam's trail. Zarude was hammered with the Signal Beam first, and with no trees around his attempt to Vine Whip away from the sludge failed. With Zarude unconscious, and Lapras nearly the same and still badly paralyzed, the judges called the battle.

As the stage's curtain was drawn again, Jess joined Nelinha, and offered the Lapras a paralysis curing berry, before giving her a spritz from a Max Potion. She nuzzled Jess in thanks, and the they both moved towards Nelinha. Jess started, cutting the awkwardness before it could form. "You know, if you wanted to Battle again that badly, I would've indulged you. After all of this, of course." She gestured to the building at large that she was competing, and winning, both sides of.

Nelinha shook her head. "No…this is on me. I wanted another shot, and realized very quickly I don't know what I'm doing here."

Jess nodded. "I watched performances all the time when I was younger, so I kind of knew the rules and what not to do, my first time. Between that and my Articuno, I stunned my way into beating Serena. But once I realized my team also wanted to perform again, I had to practice. Learn every rule, like a Trainer learns the Pokédex. I think you could do it, if you tried hard enough." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novèlfire.net

Nelinha just hung her head, and her Lapras nudged her shoulder. "That's the thing though, I did try. As hard as I could. And you mopped the floor with us."

Jess smiled as she responded. "There's always going to be someone stronger than you. I had the benefit of very good teachers. The Original Dragon. The Foggy Swamp Sage. The Riders of Valaskjalf. Ho Oh. Have you gone to see the Rain Sage? I'm sure they could help you get to my level, at least."

Nelinha made a face. "You mean that giant…orange creature, that lives in the northern part of Selva Muerta? That's Meowscarada territory, and not the fun, magician kind you have up here."

Jess chuckled. "Surviving in that environment, will make you stronger. Why do you think Alex took his team of fresh faces down there? You should watch his matches, now that you have the chance. Most of those he used against Gary Oak? New faces. When you head back home, try visiting the Sage. Or ask Zigma to train with you."

Resolved to do just that, the two Champions parted again, and Jess once more found her score first among her peers. This wasn't because they were bad, but because most performers who lacked three proofs of victory were either still a bit green, or simply didn't have the moves to give the crowd that combination of spectacle and power that got them going. Jess watched the rest closely, and realized that having an audience this size meant she'd need every minute of her next performance to hook their attention.

Ultimately, no one managed to beat her score, or have enough 'health bar' remaining to warrant another battle. The other contest battles had all been quite close, and heavily penalized for things like flinching and stumbling, or uncontrolled/imperfected moves.

With that, the judges gave Jess the win, and while there was some salt among the performers, pretty much everyone seemed to agree that her performance, which was apparently already an internet hit thanks to the previously unknown Dragonair evolution, was clearly the best one of the day.

After Jess had won her competition, those with three ribbons or other certified trinkets had performed for another set of judges, and from there, the brackets for the World Festival were decided. It was once again Palermo, albeit at a later hour in that evening of the World Tournament's second day, who announced the bracket. Palermo's expression was ice cold, as she was about to shatter the dreams and ambitions of quite a bit more performers than anyone had expected to see.

"It has been a long day ladies and gentlemen, so I'll be brief. First off, to our Performers new and old, I want to thank you for participating. There are some who have said our art is dying out…and the numbers we saw today have simply disproven that. I promise, four years from now, things will not be so…fluid and chaotic. Now then. On to the top eight Performers we'll be seeing across the remaining days!"

She gestured to the screen, and continued. "From left to right, on our first day, tomorrow, we will see Jessica Gladstone, the Champion of the Fornia Region, who rose above her peers without three officially recognized awards, facing off against Rosa, one of Unova's Champions and the darling starlet of Pokéstar Studios! Next we'll see our surprise late entry from Galar's new Pokémon Contest scene, Rick Astley facing off against Champion Isabella, of Italia. Next is Hoenn's Top Contest Master, Haruka Birch facing Leader Nando, of the Kalos Region, and our last first round competition will see former Kalos Queen Serena, of the Kalos League Elite Four, facing Sinnoh's Top Contest Master, Hikari!"

The crowd roared, and Jess just stared, eyes narrowing slightly. She'd really been hoping to avoid Rosa. With a tired sigh, she Teleported back to her room at the Imperial Palace. Moments later, the air bamfed, and the bed sank massively as the Dragon Emperor appeared above it and let gravity do the rest, crossing his legs as he fell. Jess found herself rolling into the crater of comfiness, and ended up on her back. Alex smirked down at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Which one are you, then?"

Alex shook his head. "I'm all of them. They are all me. All at once. It was a bit confusing at first, but…Atlas and Psi have eased the burden. I can focus a lot better, now. Do more. Like max your Dragonair's beauty."

Jess stared at him, and though he was being patient, she recognized that look in his eye. "I need a bath." She groaned, and then blinked, as Alex waved his hand at their bathroom door. Steam erupted from it. Jess bit her lip. He was good. Very good.

"Go ahead. I need to rest my brain anyway."

"Oh? Something on your mind?" Jess looked back at him, before bamfing a short distance away to stand and undress. Her dress was psychically hung up, and the rest of her attire followed suit.

"Just…Those Guys." Alex chuckled. "They're uhh…they're up to a lot."

Jess tilted her head. "Which guys?"

"The ones I plucked from BBA. That's what they're calling themselves. I'm quoting what they gave me here, 'Those Guys, formally known as The Uprising'." Alex started chuckling again.

Jess rolled her eyes. They were Scales, and they had each other. "Stop worrying about the Fairy boy, and come join me~"

That, made Alex's mind blank for a second. Then he responded, Teleporting into the steamy ceramic room as he ignored his apprehensions and indulged. Those Guys would be fine. It was a basic scouting mission he'd sent them on, with their skill set, and the training he'd given Adrie and Jade, they'd be able to avoid detection.