The roar of the crowd in the Hearthome Contest Hall was like a physical wave, vibrating against the floorboards and making the glitter in the air dance. Marian, the host, stood between the two finalists, her eyes flashing with the excitement of a woman who knew she was witnessing history. She looked from the laid-back Alolan visitor to the mysterious, caped "supernova" from Sandgem Town, and she raised her microphone high.
"Alright, Hearthome! Both sides have made their declarations, and the tension is high enough to power the city's electricity grid!" she shouted, her voice amplified tenfold. "So, for the final stage of the Grand Contest of Destiny, what kind of spectacular show will Contestant Julian and Contestant Kui bring us? Will it be the sun-soaked, unique rhythm of the Alola region, or will Julian's original, elegant lockdown strategy prevail? It's time to find out!"
She pointed toward the massive digital clock hanging above the stage.
"The rules remain! Five minutes! Dazzle the judges, reduce the score! If your bar hits zero, the dream is over. I now declare that the final battle of the Hearthome City Contest officially... BEGINS!"
Ding-ding-ding-ding~~~~
The bell's chime was the starting gun. The countdown clock began to tick—4:59, 4:58—as the stadium lights shifted into a focused, brilliant white.
"It's up to you, Togepi! Make a cute entrance!" I called out, my voice steady despite the adrenaline.
I tossed Togepi's Poké Ball with a flick of my wrist. Just like in the previous rounds, the Heart Seal triggered a magnificent burst. Hundreds of shimmering pink hearts exploded into the air, swirling like a cyclone before settling into a soft rain of glitter. Togepi landed in the center of it, immediately swaying his egg-shaped body to the beat of the background music.
"Togepri-pri!"
"Ah~! No matter how many times I see it, that Togepi is just too much for my heart to handle!" Marian squealed, momentarily forgetting her professional composure.
The stands followed suit. "Go, Togepi!" a group of teenagers yelled. "Mommy loves you, little egg!" a woman shouted from the upper deck. The "cuteness factor" was already working its magic, and Kui's score bar took a tiny, initial dip simply from the sheer popularity of Togepi's arrival.
Kui didn't look bothered. If anything, the cheers for Togepi seemed to make his smile even wider. "As expected, you're the crowd favorite, cousin! But in Alola, we know how to steal the spotlight with a different kind of soul. Then, dance across the entire stage! Oricorio, show them the spirit of the islands!"
Kui threw a Poké Ball that left a trail of tropical flower petals in its wake. Out came a Pokémon that looked like a bird wearing a flared skirt woven from delicate pink and white feathers. It had a slender pink body and a graceful, long neck. It immediately began a slow, rhythmic swaying motion—the Pa'u Style Oricorio.
Oricorio is one of the most fascinating Pokémon from the Alola region. Depending on the nectar they drink, they can change their entire typing and personality. This one, the Pa'u Style, was a Psychic and Flying-type. It was a hula dancer by nature, a Pokémon that refined its spiritual energy through slow, deliberate movements.
"A Psychic dancer," I muttered to myself. "He's going to use the rhythm of the dance to predict my moves."
In his previous battles, Kui had used Oricorio to mesmerize opponents. While the enemy Pokémon was busy watching the beautiful dance, Oricorio would weave through their attacks like a ghost and strike with Psychic power. It was a battle of "Flow."
But I wasn't going to let him find his flow.
"Togepi, let's start with a big Yawn!"
"Togepri-pri-pri! (Sleep well, birdie!)"
Togepi took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and blew a massive, heart-shaped bubble. It was larger than the ones he'd used before, glowing with a soft, pink light as it drifted lazily toward the dancing Oricorio.
"A slow attack like that?" Kui laughed, gesturing toward his partner. "How could that possibly catch a dancer of the islands? Oricorio, dodge it with your Revelation Dance!"
"Dance~!"
Oricorio's eyes glowed with a faint violet light. Its movements, which had been slow and swaying, suddenly became sharp and fluttery. It spun on one foot, its feather-skirt flaring out like a blossoming flower. With a graceful slide, it moved perfectly out of the path of the oncoming bubble.
But as Oricorio finished its spin, its feathers didn't just stay white. They began to absorb a pink, swirling energy, turning the same shade as the Pokémon's body. It was charging its signature move.
"Now!" I shouted, timing the command perfectly. "Togepi, burst it!"
Following my voice, the Yawn bubble didn't just pop—it detonated.
POOF!
Instead of simply vanishing, the large bubble shattered into hundreds of tiny, micro-bubbles shaped like little hearts. They filled the air around Oricorio in a dense cloud of drowsy energy.
This was the "Burst Yawn" we had worked on after the incident in the hotel room. I realized that a single bubble was too easy to dodge for high-level opponents, so we practiced using a faint pulse of Fairy-type energy to shatter the main bubble into a "cluster bomb" effect.
"What?! You had a trap hidden in that move!" Kui's eyes widened.
Oricorio was mid-dance, and while it was fast, it couldn't dodge a cloud of gas that occupied the entire left side of the stage. Several of the tiny heart-bubbles popped against its beak and feathers.
"Excellent!" I cheered. "It's a direct hit!"
"Never mind that!" Kui yelled, his casual demeanor finally breaking into a competitive fire. "Even if you're sleepy, show them the power of the islands! Oricorio, release the Revelation Dance!"
"Dance~!"
Oricorio was clearly struggling; its eyelids were drooping, and its movements were becoming sluggish. But the pink feathers had finished their charge. As the bird gave one final, powerful spin, it didn't just move—it exploded in a shower of psychic energy.
The pink feathers on its skirt returned to pure white, but the energy they released manifested as thousands of translucent, glowing pink feathers that scattered across the entire stage. It was a scene of breathtaking beauty, like a goddess scattering flowers from the heavens. The audience gasped, completely caught up in the Alolan spectacle.
The feathers weren't just for show. They were seeking out Togepi, homing in on him from every angle. It was an unavoidable, stage-wide attack fueled by Psychic power.
"facing such an unavoidable attack, Julian... he's just standing there!" Marian shouted, her hands clutching the rails.
"Togepi," I said calmly. "Protect."
A brilliant, domed shield of blue light snapped into existence around the little egg. The "ocean" of pink feathers slammed into the barrier, creating a spectacular display of sparks and light. It looked like a meteor shower hitting a planet's atmosphere.
My score bar dropped slightly—the judges always docked points for being forced onto the defensive—but the damage was minimal compared to what it would have been.
And then, the silence fell.
Oricorio stopped spinning. Its wings folded inward, and its head bowed. The energy from the Revelation Dance dissipated into the air, and the pink bird gently slumped onto the stage, snoring softly.
"This is bad!" Marian shouted, her voice echoing the shock of the crowd. "I didn't expect Contestant Julian to have such a surprise tucked away! Oricorio was caught off guard by the 'Burst Yawn' and has fallen into a deep slumber! And the counter-attack from the Revelation Dance was blocked by a perfect Protect! Will Contestant Kui be toyed with until the very end, just like everyone else who faced the 'Adorable Lockdown'?!"