The atmosphere inside the Hearthome Contest Hall was suffocating—not because of the heat, but because of the sheer, concentrated tension radiating from the stage. On the giant digital scoreboard, the red bar belonging to Kui was slowly but surely bleeding away, tick by tick, as his Oricorio lay curled up in a peaceful slumber in the center of the stage.
"This is getting intense!" Marian's voice was high-pitched, echoing the anxiety of the crowd. "Contestant Kui's Oricorio still hasn't woken up from that 'Burst Yawn'! Every second it spends dreaming is another chunk of points gone. Is the Alolan veteran really going to be toyed with until the very end, just like everyone else who went up against Julian's Togepi?!"
The audience was on the edge of their seats. Some were cheering for the "Adorable Lockdown" to continue, while others were shouting for Kui to make a comeback. In the judges' booth, Fantina was leaning so far forward she was nearly touching the glass, her eyes wide with curiosity.
Kui, however, wasn't ready to pack his bags just yet. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and adjusted his tropical shirt, a sharp, competitive glint returning to his eyes. He looked at his sleeping partner and then back at me.
"Oh my, oh my~" Kui said, his voice dropping the casual island lilt for something much more serious. "I have to admit, I didn't see that cluster-bomb Yawn coming. That was a top-tier surprise, cousin. But in Alola, we don't just stop when we close our eyes. Oricorio, show them the dream-dance! Sleep Talk!"
"A counter-measure!" Marian shouted. "He's using Sleep Talk!"
The move Sleep Talk is a unique tool in a Pokémon's arsenal. It can only be activated while the user is unconscious, allowing them to randomly pull a move from their memory and execute it while still asleep. It's the ultimate "anti-stall" technique.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," I muttered, my hand tightening on my cape. "Togepi, Encore!"
"Togepri-pri-pri! (Encore! Encore!)"
Togepi's tiny hands began to glow with a soft, pulsating golden light. As he swayed his body in a rhythmic, taunting motion, he sprinkled the golden dust into the air. The light drifted across the stage like magic glitter, settling onto the sleeping Oricorio's feathers.
Oricorio, still deep in its slumber, twitched. It seemed like it was about to perform a move—perhaps a gust of wind or a psychic pulse—but as the Encore light enveloped it, the bird suddenly went still again. It stayed asleep, but no move came out.
"What?!" Kui's eyes widened, his jaw practically hitting the floor. "What happened? Why didn't Sleep Talk trigger?"
I allowed myself a small, knowing smile. "It's simple, really. Encore forces a Pokémon to repeat the last move it successfully used for several turns. The last move your Oricorio used before it fell asleep was Revelation Dance."
I gestured to the sleeping bird. "Because Encore is now active, Oricorio is 'locked' into trying to use Revelation Dance. But since it's asleep, it can't physically perform that dance. And because it's locked into a move it can't use, it can't even begin to roll the dice for Sleep Talk. You're stuck in a perfect loop."
The stadium went silent for a heartbeat as the logic of the move sank in.
"I... I see," Kui whispered, his face pale. "You locked my move set while I was already down."
"Exactly," I said, my voice carrying across the stage. "I know this move isn't very popular in standard battles. Most trainers think it's a waste of a slot because you can just switch your Pokémon out to clear the effect. But this is a Contest. There is no switching out. In this format, Encore isn't just a nuisance—it's a total blockade."
"Incredible!" Marian shouted, breaking the silence. "I didn't expect that! Contestant Kui tried to turn the tables with Sleep Talk, but Julian saw it coming from a mile away! By locking Oricorio into a move it can't use while sleeping, he has completely sealed away Kui's only method of retaliation! This is a tactical masterclass!"
"Oh~!" Fantina's voice boomed from the judges' table, sounding delighted. "To see such a high-level application of move mechanics! He is not just a Trainer; he is a puppeteer of the stage! I have never seen a New Trainer understand the 'lockdown' so thoroughly!"
On the stage, the clock was still ticking. 3:45... 3:44...
Kui's point bar was now below the halfway mark. Togepi was having the time of his life, hopping and skipping around the sleeping Oricorio, occasionally pausing to strike a cute pose for the cameras, which only drained Kui's points further.
As the seconds bled away, the golden light of the Encore effect finally began to fade from Oricorio's body. The move had worn off just a few moments before the natural sleep cycle was due to end.
"Now's my chance!" Kui shouted, seeing the light vanish. "Oricorio, use Sleep Talk again! Do it now!"
"Zzzz~"
Oricorio let out a soft mumble, its feathers fluffing up as it shifted in its sleep. This time, I didn't command Togepi to use Encore. I wanted to see what would happen.
Oricorio began to sway its wings in a slow, hypnotic circle. Suddenly, hundreds of soft, white feathers began to detach from its skirt, floating into the air and drifting toward Togepi like falling snow.
Feather Dance.
It was a beautiful move, perfectly suited for a Contest, but its effect was to sharply lower the target's Attack stat. Since Togepi wasn't using physical attacks anyway, the debuff didn't matter—but the visual of Togepi being buried in feathers would definitely cost me points.
"Togepi, Protect!"
"Togepri-pri~ (I'm a bubble!)"
A translucent blue shield snapped into existence. The white feathers piled up against the dome, creating what looked like a giant, fluffy snowball in the middle of the stage. As the feathers touched the energy shield, they dissolved into sparkles, but for a few seconds, the image was stunning.
As the shield faded, I noticed Oricorio's eyelids twitching. The sleep was wearing off. The "Burst Yawn" had finally run its course.
"He's waking up!" someone in the crowd yelled.
Kui's face lit up with desperate hope. "Finally! Oricorio, as soon as your eyes open, hit them with everything we've got! We have two minutes left—we can still win this!"
Oricorio's eyes fluttered half-open. It looked a bit groggy, but it was conscious. It took a deep breath, preparing to launch a high-speed dance routine to reclaim the stage.
"Now, Togepi," I said, my voice cold and precise. "Encore, one more time."
"Wait—NO!" Kui screamed.
But it was too late. Togepi's hands were already glowing. The golden dust showered down on the newly-awake Oricorio, locking its spirit once again.
"Oh, the cruelty!" Marian gasped. "I see what Julian has done! He waited for Oricorio to use Sleep Talk while it was asleep, and then he used Encore. Now that Oricorio is awake, it is locked into the move Sleep Talk—but a conscious Pokémon cannot use that move! He has locked the bird while it's awake using a sleep-only move!"
The stadium erupted. It was a move so "dirty" yet so brilliantly legal that half the audience was booing and the other half was standing and cheering.
"Its moves are sealed again!" Marian narrated frantically. "Only a minute and a half remains on the clock! Is Contestant Kui really going to lose without his Pokémon ever getting to stand up properly?!"
Kui was gritting his teeth so hard I could hear them clicking from across the stage. He looked at his point bar—it was down to its final third. He looked at Oricorio, who was standing there, awake and alert, but unable to access its Psychic or Flying-type moves because of the mental "loop" Togepi had placed it in.
"Tsk~~! Fine!" Kui shouted, throwing his hands up. "If we can't use moves, we'll use our feet! Oricorio, forget the elegance! Dance your way over there and engage that Togepi in Close Combat! Don't let it breathe! Just use your physical strength!"
"Dance~!" Oricorio chirped, its eyes narrowing with frustration. It didn't need a move to run. It began a rapid, tap-dance-like sprint across the stage, its sharp beak and talons ready to strike. It was moving with the speed of a seasoned athlete, closing the gap between itself and Togepi in seconds.