“Tell me a bit about yourself, mon ami(e). Is this your first contest, or if it’s not, how long have you been participating? What drew you to the Wallace Cup this year?”
“This is my second contest, actually, so I’m still really new to this. But the Sakura Matsuri contest earlier this year was so much fun, I wanted to do another. And as for why I chose the Wallace Cup specifically...Well, aside from feeling confident enough to go on a stage this big, I’ve admired Wallace as a Coordinator for a long time. And being able to be a part of something he made is like a dream come true~”
“What sort of background do you come from-are you a trainer, a breeder, a coordinator, or perhaps something else? Do you see this giving you any advantage in the competition?”
“I’m a Pokemon Performer! I’ve been Kalos Queen for two years running, so I’m hoping that experience will help me out here. At least in the Appeal round. The Freestyle Round in Showcases are pretty similar to Appeals in Contests. The only big differences are a limit to the pokemon in Appeals, and Showcases encourage showing the bond between Pokemon and Performer as much as showing off a Pokemon’s appeal, and Contests encourage showing off a Pokemon’s Appeal more than anything else. At least that’s how I’ve come to understand it.”
“What are your thoughts on the competition here today? It looks like we have quite a diverse cast of Pokémon fans competing. Anyone you know? Rivals, perhaps?”
“There are people I’ve seen around and heard of. But I haven’t really spoken to anyone here yet. I tend to get so caught up in the performance aspect that I sometimes forget to socialize, oops~ That being said...Everyone here seems really interesting, and I can’t wait to see what they bring to the table!
“How are you feeling about this contest in general? Are you nervous at all?”
“Oh, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous. I prefer to be able to plan out everything with my pokemon ahead of time. And I’ve tried to do that a bit, but there are so many possibilities that I couldn’t work on everything. But anyway, I’m much more excited than nervous! Being on a large stage like this, and with so many competitors just makes my heart pound!”
“Impressive as you are, we can’t forget your Pokémon and the critical role they play. Could you introduce me to a few of them, or tell me a bit about them? What sort of bond do you have, and how are they handling this contest?”
“Heehee~ Of course I can! They’re resting right now though, so I’ll just tell you about them! Kirari, my Raichu is so excited to be here, and I bet she’ll be over the moon if she’s chosen to switch trainers. She’s a big bundle of energy who just loves making friends! And then I also brought along Kero, my Greninja and ever precious starter! He’s a bit calmer. It’s actually kind of hard to tell how he’s feeling about all this. Then there’s Claira! She’s a Meowstic. She was with me in my last contest too! She’s been mostly sticking to her pokeball, and sleeping, but...that isn’t really anything new with her. And last but not least is my Salamance, Fafnir! He’s not normally a pokemon I use for Showcases or Contests, but he’s definitely trained for them! He’s just a bit...excitable. I guess would be a good word for him.”
“How did you chose the Pokémon partners you’ll be using in this competition?”
“Weeeell...I wanted at least most of my pokemon to be able to maneuver in and or around the water, so I didn’t wind up with a limited area to work with. Kirari’s really the only one without a clear way to deal with it. Kero is also currently my only water type, and while I want to try to stray away from the expected, I felt that I would have the most flexibility with him. I also chose my team to be able to cover what ever category I was assigned, so I’m pretty confident in that regard. All four of them also work pretty well together so there won’t be a problem with teaming up, and they should work decently with someone else if other people choose them later.”
“Do you have any friends, family, or other loved ones here cheering you all on? Or perhaps at home? I know this isn’t a live, televised interview, but is there anything you’d like to tell any of them right now?”
“I convinced my rival, Kokone, to come watch live! My parents couldn’t make the trip though, so they’ll be watching on TV,”Hopefully anyway, they weren’t told about this. “As for what I’d like to tell them? I’d like to thank them for pushing me to be better, I might not be here otherwise.”
(Pre-appeal) “Are there any specific appeal categories you feel you’re best prepared for? What makes you feel confident about that/those categories? Similarly, which categories, if any, are you worried you might get assigned, and why?”
“I think I’m more or less prepared for any category! But I there’s no denying that my best work is with cuter performances, with clever following that. Honestly, the only possibility I’m a little worried about is if I get assigned a Tough Appeal.
(Pre-appeal) “I won’t ask you to reveal them, but have you already started planning general strategy for your Pokémon? Or are you the type who prefers to have all the information before you plan?”
“I’ve definitely been planning ahead of time. A lot of it has been “worst case” senarios, but I’ve been practicing some stuff that was for “if everything went right!” I do prefer to have all the information I can first, but I wanted to make sure I’d have enough preparation.”
