As Kashiwagi stepped back into the preparation room with Blissey and Mawile, the atmosphere had shifted.
The initial looks of wariness from the other contestants had transformed into something much deeper: pure awe.
Clap... clap... clap...
Sparse applause broke out from a few contestants whose faces were etched with genuine admiration.
In the world of Contests, maintaining a consistently high standard is a nightmare—especially hitting scores above 29.5.
The more famous a Coordinator becomes, the higher the judges' expectations soar. If a performance lacks that "spark," the judges are notoriously ruthless with point deductions.
On the flip side, judges and audiences love an underdog story, often giving "encouragement points" to newcomers.
This meant that veteran Coordinators usually faced a much steeper uphill battle.
To be blunt? A lot of people thought Kashiwagi's fame had far outpaced his actual "skill."
...
Where there is praise, there is always a critic.
Many people watching via livestream—unable to feel the physical presence and "soul" of Mawile's performance—viewed his routines through tinted glasses.
~"It's just hype," they'd say. "Nothing special."~
Coming into the Fallarbor Town Contest after a month-long hiatus, Kashiwagi wasn't exactly the betting favorite. People wondered:
- Was his two-win streak just "beginner's luck" protection?
- Would he finally show his true colors and fail?
The tension in the prep room was a cocktail of worry and petty schadenfreude.
But then came the score.
Kashiwagi, Blissey, and Mawile had just shut everyone up. Even with a familiar theme and their very first Double Performance, they still held the top spot!
Any professional Coordinator who witnessed that display knew one thing for sure: Kashiwagi wasn't being carried by luck.
The judges weren't fools; you don't just hand out a 29.5 to a "pretty face." Every point was earned through sweat and precision.
Thus, the online drama that Kashiwagi wasn't even aware of had ended as quickly as it started.
He had officially graduated from being a "flash-in-the-pan" rookie to a rising star, destined to clash with the titans at the Grand Festival.
But first... he needed that third Ribbon.
...
Because Double Performances are notoriously difficult, the entrant pool was smaller than usual. By 3:00 PM, the results were in.
Kashiwagi held the high score, though one other contestant had managed to claw his way up to a tie.
The prep room emptied as those who didn't make the cut filtered out. The remaining few stared intently at the monitor.
Ding!
Four portraits flashed onto the screen.
"Let's give a huge round of applause to the four contestants moving on to the Battle Stage!" Vivian's cheerful voice chirped through the speakers.
Some of the departing trainers stopped to give Kashiwagi a pat on the back.
"Don't let those online trolls get to you, man!" one said.
Kashiwagi blinked, completely bewildered.
"Online trolls? What trolls?"
He quickly pulled out his phone and did a search.
He found the skeptics, but honestly? They were surprisingly polite.
People in the Pokémon world tended to be straightforward; if they didn't think you were good, they just said so without the toxic layers of sarcasm found in his previous lifes internet.
He let out a sigh of relief.
I guess my Luck has its limits, he thought. It can't make every single person on this Pokemon Earth love me.
...
Ding!
The bracket for the Battle Stage appeared. Kashiwagi was up first.
His opponent? A blonde guy in a sharp blue suit whose score was only 0.2 points lower than his.
"The only person fit to be compared to Lisia is me," the blonde guy suddenly declared.
He gripped a Poké Ball in his palm and pointed a dramatic finger at Kashiwagi, his eyes brimming with over-the-top confidence.
"I'm going to make you realize that in this next battle!"
With a flourish, he marched toward the stage entrance.
Kashiwagi: "...?"
What is he even talking about? Since when was I compared to Lisia?
Why does it feel like, I lose access to the internet during those days in Meteor Village?
Actually, yeah. He hadn't checked his phone in ages.
Under the watchful eyes of the other two finalists, Kashiwagi recalled Mawile and Blissey into their balls and followed.
It didn't matter what the guy said.
All he had to do was let his Pokémon's strength do the talking.
...
"Thank you for waiting, ladies and gentlemen! The Battle Stage is about to begin!"
Vivian gestured grandly to both sides of the stadium. "Please welcome Mr. Kashiwagi and Mr. Chaz!"
The crowd erupted. The roar of the fans was deafening, a sea of cheering voices drowning out everything else.
The Contest Battle.
Even with intensive training, this was still technically Kashiwagi's "weakest" area.
It wasn't just about knocking the opponent out; it was about making every strike look like a masterpiece.
But Kashiwagi wasn't worried.
"The time limit is five minutes!" Vivian announced, her eyes darting between the two competitors.
"Show us your style! Use your Pokémon's movements and moves to whittle down your opponent's points. The trainer with the most points left when the clock hits zero wins!"
She raised her hand high.
Beep!
The countdown on the massive screen flickered to life. Five minutes.
"The first match of the second round... BEGIN!"
Both trainers threw their Poké Balls simultaneously.
Pop! Pop!
In a flurry of blue and red confetti, a Medicham and its pre-evolution, Meditite, hit the field.
The two Psychic/Fighting-types stood poised on single legs, hands pressed together in a meditative greeting, their necks moving with fluid, horizontal precision.
"Medi-cham!" "Tite!"
Opposite them, a flurry of pale pink cherry blossoms swirled into existence. Mawile and Blissey emerged from the center of the phantom petals, looking every bit the elegant duo.
"Maw-wile~" "Bliss-ey!"
The four Pokémon locked eyes. The air grew heavy with anticipation.
...
"Hmph! I'll show you what real coordination looks like!" Chaz smirked. "Double Yoga Pose!"
Medicham and Meditite lunged upward, their eyes glowing with an intense blue light. They crossed their legs in mid-air, hovering as a shimmering light-blue spherical barrier enveloped them like a protective cocoon.
The points on Kashiwagi's side began to tick down—but only slightly.
"Gravity. Misty Terrain," Kashiwagi commanded calmly.
Mawile tapped her toe against the stage. Instantly, a thick, pale blue mist surged outward, blanketing the floor.
Simultaneously, a crushing weight slammed down from above like an invisible hammer.
The "Double Yoga" rhythm was shattered instantly. The gravity forced the two meditating Pokémon out of their hover, breaking their protective barrier. They tumbled clumsily into the mist.
Chaz's point bar dropped by an eighth in a single hit!
"Change of plans!" Chaz shouted, his face tightening. "Double Hidden Power!"
The two Psychic types scrambled to their feet, glowing with a pale green aura. Dozens of glowing emerald orbs formed around them, ready to fire.
But as they looked out, the mist had become a labyrinth. Dozens of Mawile silhouettes danced through the fog, while Blissey was nowhere to be seen.
When did he give that command?! Chaz grit his teeth. "Fire! Just hit them!"
The Hidden Power orbs streaked through the air—but they hissed through empty mist or struck harmless illusions.
"Mawile has successfully combined Misty Terrain with Double Team!"
"Medicham and Meditite's attack is a total whiff!"
Vivian's voice boomed over the speakers.
The crowd went wild.
"If that's how you want to play—Medicham, Mind Reader! Meditite, Acupressure!"
Chaz swung his arm wide.
Medicham pressed its palms together, its eyes emitting a blue searchlight that scanned the foggy field for the real Mawile.
Behind it, Meditite began rapidly poking Medicham's pressure points. An orange glow flared around Medicham as its stats began to skyrocket.
Suddenly, Medicham's gaze locked onto one specific silhouette.
Found you!
As Medicham's fighting spirit surged, Kashiwagi's points took a hit. Yet, Kashiwagi didn't look worried. In fact, he looked like he was waiting for this.
"I don't know what you're planning, but if you're going to keep giving me openings, I'll take them!"
Chaz yelled.
"Helping Hand, Meditite! Medicham, Force Palm!"
Meditite tapped Medicham's forehead one time, drenching its partner in a blinding white light. Medicham thrust its palms forward, gathering a swirling vortex of reddish-brown energy that glowed with a terrifying brilliance.
"Medi-cham!!"
With a primal shout, Medicham thrust its glowing palms forward, unleashing a devastating wave of kinetic energy!
WHOOSH—!
The terrifying shockwave tore through the pale blue mist like a hot knife through butter.
Every illusory Mawile in its path was instantly deleted, vanishing into thin air.
The sheer raw power of the move drew a sharp gasp from Vivian.
"What incredible force! Mawile is in serious trouble!" she shrieked into the mic.
But Mawile wasn't just standing there.
She dropped into a low stance, pulling a fist back and staring down the incoming blast with a fearless smirk.
Just as the energy wave was less than a meter from her face—
"Ally Switch! Now, Play Rough!"
Kashiwagi's voice cut through the tension like a thunderclap.
To the absolute shock of the audience, Blissey—who had been lurking in the shadows—suddenly appeared right behind Meditite.
Her body flickered with a strange, warping light as she grabbed her opponent teammate's pre-evolution.
Zap!
In the blink of an eye, the field flipped.
Standing directly behind the unsuspecting Medicham was now a fully-charged Mawile, her fist glowing with fairy energy.
And back where Mawile had been? Blissey stood there, holding a very confused Meditite up like a human shield!
Mediatite: "..."
BOOM!
The Force Palm slammed directly into Meditite's body, exploding into a spectacular shower of sparks and light!
"Maw-wile~"
Mawile giggled.
While Medicham and Chaz were still staring in frozen horror, she lunged forward and grabbed Medicham's arms.
Under the "fireworks" of the friendly-fire explosion, she began to "play"—tumbling and striking with relentless, pink Fairy-type energy that washed over her opponent like a chaotic tide.
A Critical Hit
"Unbelievable! Blissey and Meditite swapped places with Mawile at the last second! Medicham's full-power attack just blasted its own partner!"
As Vivian's commentary echoed, Chaz's point bar plummeted, losing over a third of its remaining length in one go.
He was now well below the half-way mark, and his situation was dire.
Worse yet, Mawile's Play Rough was hitting like a truck.
The battered Medicham was reeling, and the friendly-fired Meditite wasn't looking much better.
"Double Detect! Get close to each other!" Chaz screamed, panic finally cracking his voice.
The two Fighting-types focused intensely, their eyes flashing blue as they dodged a follow-up swipe and scrambled toward the center of the stage.
Within seconds, the "bruised brothers" were back-to-back, guarding each other—unwittingly moving into the exact position Kashiwagi wanted.
The perfect "two-birds, one-stone" target.
"Double Reversal!"
"Helping Hand! Fairy Wind!"
Chaz and Kashiwagi roared their commands simultaneously.
Kashiwagi was slightly surprised—Chaz wasn't going for a Recover to stay in the game; he was going for a desperate, all-or-nothing counter-attack.
A quick glance at the clock revealed why. Time was almost up.
...
On the field, the Happy Egg raised her tiny hands high. A shimmering white light flowed from her body and surged into Mawile.
Mawile began to spin like a top, her feet barely touching the stage as she became a pink blur, launching herself toward the duo like a guided missile.
A gale of pink Fairy Wind swirled around her like a tornado, picking up the lingering blue Misty Terrain clouds until she was encased in a massive, swirling vortex of pastel pink and soft azure.
Chaz's points ticked down again just from the sheer beauty of the setup!
Faced with this glittering cyclone, the battered Medicham and Meditite shared a grim look.
They thrust their palms forward together, pouring every ounce of their remaining strength into Reversal—a move that grows stronger the lower the user's health.
A massive, glowing energy palm manifested in the air, colliding head-on with Mawile's vortex!
BAM!
A thick cloud of smoke billowed upward, only to be chased away by a final gust of wind.
In the aftermath, the smoke lingered in the air in the distinct shape of a giant handprint, slowly drifting toward the ceiling—a hauntingly beautiful sight that left the audience breathless.
Vivian sighed in awe. "What a stunning image... but unfortunately..."
BEEP—!!
"Time is up!"
Medicham and Meditite were still standing, barely clinging to consciousness by a thread. They looked up at the big screen with desperate eyes. Mawile, Blissey, and the two trainers did the same.
"The final scores are—"
The Results On the screen:
Kashiwagi: 65% remaining.
Chaz: 25% remaining.
The winner was clear. The portraits of Kashiwagi, Mawile, and Blissey expanded to fill the entire monitor.
"Congratulations! Moving on to the finals is Mr. Kashiwagi and his Pokémon partners!"
The stadium exploded into thunderous applause.
Mr. Sukizo nodded approvingly. "Remarkable. One side waited for the perfect moment to strike, while the other showed incredible tenacity in the face of defeat. Most remarkable!"
Mr. Contesta flipped his bangs back with a flourish. "Simply... splendid!"
Nurse Joy looked at Blissey with sparkling eyes. "What an outstanding Blissey! Her support maneuvers were perfectly timed. Truly wonderful!"
Down on the field, Chaz stared at the screen, his fists trembling with frustration. Medicham and Meditite lowered their heads in dejection.
Kashiwagi, meanwhile, was busy high-fiving his team.
"Great job, girls! You were both amazing!"
"Maw-wile~"
"Bliss-ey! Happy~"