[MOVES]
Bun-Bun [Lopunny] Fire Punch, Protect, Jump Kick, Magic Coat
Convair [Unfezant] Air Slash, Feather Dance, Sky Attack, Heat Wave
[ITEMS] Floating platforms, steel wool
[MUSIC] Dreams of an Absolution
Cheren breathed slowly and deeply as he walked into the center of the darkened arena. The entire place was bathed in a dark, deep purple which, although pretty, was a little eerie-looking to him, preying on his nervousness. He had thought that he would be over his nerves after last year, but apparently that wasn’t the case. Performing was so different from battling... As he reached the center, he had to resist reaching for the rescue inhaler tucked into the front pocket of his costume. It certainly wouldn’t make for an impressive start.
He was wearing his costume from the dress-up portion, fake sword and all. His hair was pulled back again, although more for protection than fashion this time around. He hoped his mask would continue to serve as decent eye protection throughout the routine. Last year’s had been far too cold for his taste, but although this one would be significantly hotter, it would also be significantly more risky.
His breath hitched as the concrete below his feet split, the arena floor opening to reveal the pool underneath. The same one he and Bun-Bun had used to great effect last year. But as it opened, Cheren stepped lightly down onto a large floating platform in the very center (attached to the sides with cables just underneath the water’s surface so that his questionable balance wouldn’t be compromised). As the pool was fully revealed, four smaller platforms were seen, floating around the perimeter, circling the center platform freely.
He pulled out a single Pokeball, struck as sturdy a stance as the somewhat wobbly platform would allow, and tossed it high into the air above him. Cheren had never seen the point in Pokeball seals, but it seemed stupid not to use the ones Bun-Bun had won last year, especially since they would help out with the overall aesthetic of the routine. The Pokeball opened in midair with a dazzling flash of red flames and golden sparks, and a lone Lopunny dropped down onto the platform beside him, landing neatly on all fours before slowly rising to her feet as the music finally began.
Bun-Bun wasn’t wearing her flaming dress from the dress-up portion as it proved too cumbersome for her movements, but she was wearing her mask and glittering red and gold sash, trailing across her shoulders and fluttering slightly behind her as she began to circle her trainer, looking determinedly into his eyes. Cheren began to circle as well, his steps carefully timed to match his Pokémon’s. He pulled his sword out of the scabbard on his belt and pointed it towards Bun-Bun. They continued circling, neither of them breaking eye contact.
As the woodwind melody softly began, Bun-Bun’s paws began to slowly glow gold. All at once they ignited, twin orange flames engulfing her paws. She stopped for a beat, pulling back into a carefully practiced battle stance. Cheren, in turn, stopped as well, one hand behind his back in a standard swordfighting pose, his sword still extended towards the Lopunny. Suddenly, she launched a flaming fist towards him, which he parried with his weapon.
They began circling again, punching and parrying and thrusting and dodging in an odd combination of fist-fighting and swordplay, all the time Bun-Bun’s bright flaming fists cutting a brilliant trail through the deep purple that lay over the arena. The dark pool underneath them reflected the flames, orange flashes skipping across the rippled waves. Faster and faster they turned, their practiced dance almost blindingly quick. Finally, as the second verse started in, Bun-Bun made a sudden leap away from her trainer, her Jump Kick propelling her towards one of the other platforms.
She flew through the air gracefully, her sash and ears trailing behind her, her fists still blazing. As she landed, large sheets of water were thrown up along the sides of the platform with the force of her landing. The purple waves were illuminated by the Lopunny’s burning fists, the edges tinged with orange and gold, separating into what appeared to be fine glitter as the water droplets scattered into the air.
She didn’t stop, spinning and punching and dancing her way from platform to platform, each Jump Kick accompanied by a midair twirl, and each landing greeted with another fine spray of violet water and golden mist. After touching all four outside platforms, she made one final leap back towards the center, where Cheren was waiting for her. Landing lightly beside him, they were separated by only an inch or two, circling each other tightly for a few seconds, staring determinedly at each other once more. Cheren took the opportunity to surreptitiously pass another Pokeball into Bun-Bun’s paws (thankful for his flame-retardant gloves as his hands made contact with the twin blazes).
She leapt back from him again, landing once more on an outside platform, and as the chorus finally made itself known, the flames surrounding her paws began to burn a bright crimson, and she lifted her paws high above her head, the Pokeball she was holding bursting open in a dramatic shower of large golden flames and bright glitter.
Convair, in full phoenix costume, erupted from the flames and gave a mighty screech as he soared to the top of the arena. The Unfezant instantly began to circle the perimeter of the ceiling, his long golden tail feathers trailing behind him. Slowly, he began to glow as well, each feather on his body outlined in a bright orange. Before long, he resembled an actual phoenix, his prolonged Sky Attack preparation surrounding him in a brilliant aura.
The third verse set in and Bun-Bun returned to the center, Cheren having backed off towards the edge of the platform, sword still drawn. The Lopunny stared up towards Convair, who was now circling the center of the arena very quickly, spinning in a sort of vortex. The Unfezant began shedding several still-shining feathers, his Feather Dance sending them floating gently down to rain upon his companions and land among the dark water. They reflected against the waves as stars against an inky sky.
Bun-Bun, meanwhile, had pulled out something hidden within the obscuring cotton on her arms— two small bundles of steel wool. Holding one in each paw, they ignited instantly. Bun-Bun dropped the aura of her Fire Punch and allowed the steel wool to do its work. Spinning quickly, her paws up in the air, the sparkling bundles in her paws began to shoot off a thick spray of bright glitter, casting a stunning reflection against the water beneath them. She Jump Kicked off the surface of the platform, launching herself into the air, followed by a trail of golden stars.
Convair had stopped directly above her, and he began to beat his glowing wings wildly, sending blasts of air down towards Bun-Bun and whipping the brilliant sparks into frenzied patterns on the wind. The air was now thick with embers, each one reflected perfectly against the purple surface of the pool, mirroring the thousands of tiny stars shooting their way through space.
The music began to build again as the embers died, and Convair was glowing brighter than ever. It was clear that he couldn’t hold the energy of his prolonged Sky Attack any longer, and he cast his eyes on a suitable target: the lone swordsman who had taken his position back in the very center. Cheren stood stoically, his sword at his side, staring up at the phoenix which was now diving towards him at full force. He took a deep breath, but otherwise didn’t so much as flinch as Convair came closer— closer— closer!
And suddenly Bun-Bun was there, her arms crossed against her face, standing strong and firm as her last-second Protect cast an invisible shield in front of both she and her trainer. The Sky Attack erupted against it, filling the entire stadium with a blinding light as it rocketed off the forcefield. Cheren stood stoically as ever, not having moved a muscle, his hair whipping around his face as he continued to stare up at where the phoenix had been just a second earlier, just inches away. As the light died away, Bun-Bun twirled behind Cheren, who was already getting into position.
Cheren got to one knee, an arm extended forward. The Lopunny leapt lightly onto Cheren’s back, one footpaw balanced on his arm. With a monumental effort, Cheren stood, throwing his arm up and launching Bun-Bun into one final Jump Kick. If one looked closely, Cheren could be seen gritting his teeth at the bite of his Pokémon’s sharp claws kicking off his shoulder.
Bun-Bun shot into the air, her crimson sash sailing behind her like a banner. Above her, Convair had returned to his position at the top of the arena, and he had one last trick in store for her. Beating his wings wildly, he suddenly unleashed a red-hot Heat Wave, rushing down towards the Lopunny like a sheet of dying embers woven together. They wrapped around Bun-Bun, who seemed to absorb them into her fur. She was now glowing just as brilliantly as Convair himself had as he had unleashed his Sky Attack, and as she reached the highest point of her Jump Kick, she extended her arms from her sides and was caught by two taloned feet.
Convair made a single lap around the arena, his glowing passenger leaving a shining trail behind her, and stopped at last in the middle. Cheren, taking up a position in the very center of the platform, grabbed ahold of his sword once again. He raised his weapon and pointed it directly upwards towards his Pokémon, the signal for Bun-Bun to allow her Magic Coat to fully kick in.
Orange and gold and dying crimson exploded from her, shooting in every direction as flaming ribbons raining down towards the pool they were reflected against. Many died as they hit the water, but many others burst against the floating platforms in a final farewell, tiny fireworks signaling the grand finale.
Convair slowly lowered Bun-Bun to the center platform as the song drew to a close, and Unfezant and Lopunny stood tall on either side of their trainer as it finally came to an abrupt halt. All three of their chests were heaving, although they were all doing their utmost to hide it. Cheren in particular had to resist reaching for his rescue inhaler again.
He knew if he touched it now, Bun-Bun would kill him before his asthma ever did.
—-
[Steel wool fireworks- an important inspiration for this appeal]
Songs: Animal Crossing (Winter) - Mario Kart 8, and Animal Crossing (Spring) (Final Lap) - Mario Kart 8
Prop: Picnic Basket
Pokemon: Poppy the Furret
Moves: Blizzard - Natural Gift - Covet - Grass Knot
June waved and smiled at the audience as she was announced, showing her appreciation for her hometown. In one hand was Poppy’s ball (a team member from her ongoing Johto challenge– she thought a different partner would be nice to shake things up), and in the other a basket full of Berries for use during the appeal.
The opening drumbeats hit, and June released Poppy into the air with a burst of snowflakes, her red scarf trailing behind her as she fell to the ground. The Furret landed neatly on all fours, standing up with an excited squeal.
June tucked Poppy’s ball back into the folds of her dress and beckoned her closer to dance together. They twirled around in the falling snowflakes like a single entity, Poppy scampering on and over June (and sneaking in cuddles, natch), showing off their bond.
Poppy used her first move of the appeal– a sweeping Blizzard that momentarily obscured the two and the stage around them like a white curtain. With the precious seconds of prep time, June passed Poppy a number of Yache Berries, which she used in conjunction with Natural Gift to create a miniature winter wonderland onstage. The audience would see only a blur of a red scarf moving about the stage, with bright flashes of blue and white light punctuated by jingle bells.
Soon enough, the snow settled, and the pair’s handiwork was revealed– keeping to their Red Riding Hood theme, they’d created a wintery forest scene to frolic in, with huge conifer trees made out of ice and a light dusting of snow, with some banks built up in places to resemble hills.
With this, the main portion of the appeal could begin. June calmly opened her basket to a carefully sorted bounty of Berries– common ones like Bluk, Cheri, Rawst, and Pinap at the top, with more exotic ones tucked lower down for use later in the performance– and began to play her role as a young maiden taking a stroll through the woods for a picnic.
Meanwhile, Poppy assumed her own role as “adorable and mischevious forest critter.” She broke from June’s side to play in the snow, having the time of her life. Between each tunnel she dug and tree she climbed, she made a quick stop at June’s picnic basket to snatch a Berry with Covet when her Trainer’s back was turned.
As Red Riding June visibly puzzled over what was stealing her picnic lunch, Poppy used Natural Gift with the Berries over and over again to simulate the coming of spring. Her speed was incredible, and before their eyes the audience could see the Furret using a Fire-type move to melt the snow, or a Grass-type move to make crocuses and snowdrops bloom beneath the pine trees.
The performance marched on, and Red Riding June started to outright chase after the little forest Furret in a lighthearted game of tag. They were through the common Berries with weaker effects, and now they were down to the Rindo and Liechi Berries that gave Natural Gift the power to sprout mini fields of grass and wildflowers in place of the light coating of snow, shrubs to replace the banks of snow, and flowering vines up the tree trunks blossoming into a pine green color.
The change in scenery was reflected in the music, and the slightly slower jingle bells faded into a higher tempo, bouncy flute piece, with the brass section remaining as a unifying theme between the two.
June continued to chase Poppy around the forest bursting into springtime, with the Furret using Grass Knot here and there to trip June up in tufts of grass and sudden sprouts of daisies and lavender. These were interspersed with bursts of Fairy energy, sparkly pink lights that cast the pair in a rosy glow with sparkles encircling them just like in a shoujo manga. This was a planned routine, of course, and the extra foliage afforded by the Grass Knots slowly but surely formed into a grassy knoll for June and Poppy to collapse onto in worn-out happiness.
Poppy snuck in some extra cuddles as June removed her red cape with a flourish, laying it out between them and spreading the remains of the picnic basket on top. The audience was left with a closing image of two Little Red Riding Hoods enjoying their spring picnic after the winter thaw, before they shed their roles and rose to take a bow. They’d played their parts, and brought a bit of early spring to Hearthome City.
[MOVES] SCREECH, IRON TAIL, FLAMETHROWER, BULLDOZE
[ITEMS] PARTY SNAPS, REPLICA TOY PLANES
[MUSIC] GODZILLA THEME, EXTENDED (GOJIRA, 1954)
Zoey stared out across the stage, tapping her leg nervously. Kaiju kept looking at her, flicking out his tongue, waiting for her to say go. She thought he had learned more, command-wise, preparing for this contest than he had in years of training. She’d have to try some of her new tricks with the other Pokemon back home.
The stage was dark, but she could just make it out. A platform had been built up, rising like a cliff, allowing enough space for her to move around it. Atop the platform was a miniature city, the several-foot-tall buildings ranged most heavily around the sides where they wouldn’t obscure the performance. A smattering of buildings was in the middle, too, leaving just enough space between for Kaiju to move. Behind the platform, taking up the entire space floor-to-ceiling, was a massive backdrop. It was painted with a city scene, extending the three-dimensional setup on stage.
Bluish lights at the front of the platform flicked on, giving the audience a good view of the tiny city. It resembled her native Johto, with shiny skyscrapers poking up beside tiered-roof pagodas. The lights were pointed up just a little, casting the shadows of the miniature buildings onto the backdrop and allowing darkness to pool around the foundations, obscuring the platform floor. The hued lights gave the city an eerie sort of glow.
The music would soon begin, so Zoey nodded to Kaiju, and he leapt forward with zeal, taking the path she had shown him earlier. She stepped out, too, waiting at the edge of the platform’s base, obscured in the gloom that surrounded the makeshift cliffs. Kaiju still wore his costume from the dressup, but Zoey had covered herself in a long black cloak, hood pulled up to keep the audience from seeing her too clearly. She carried a bulging bag over her shoulder.
The music started with a monstrous roar, and Kaiju lunged forward into the light, taking out a low building on his way, adding his own deafening Screech to the soundtrack. He was the same height as the buildings, but his shadow loomed huge over him on the backdrop. He stayed still for a moment, the front half of his body raised off the ground, allowing the tension to rise with the music. At the first cymbal crash, he lashed out his tail, which had taken on a metallic sheen, making it glow blue in the light. The Iron Tail struck a skyscraper, decimating it, scattering pieces. He swung around, striking again, taking out another building. He Screeched again in time with the next cymbal. Zoey’s cue.
Digging in her bag, Zoey came up with a pouch of party snaps. She had instructed Kaiju to stay back during this part; she didn’t want to accidentally hit him, even if it wouldn’t really hurt. She seized a few and threw them, aiming for the buildings and the very edge of the platform. They hit, snapping like miniature gunfire, some of them even getting lucky enough to emit a tiny spark. She threw a few more handfuls, and Kaiju finally Screeched angrily at the faux artillery.
Time to up the ante. She reached into the bag again and pulled out a toy airplane, designed like an old fighter jet. It was to scale with the buildings and built to soar once thrown. She aimed briefly and then launched it. To the audience, it must have looked like the plane flew out of the dark ether around the city.
Kaiju, eager to play the game they had planned, turned on the plane instantly. He Screeched at it as it glided toward him. When it got in range, he opened his mouth wide, and an orange light burned in the back of his throat. The music dropped into a more urgent beat. A moment later, a Flamethrower burst from his maw, burning the plane to ash.
Zoey sighed in relief; she had been worried about that move. She fished out two more planes and tossed one, then took a few steps and tossed another. She hurried around the stage, heart beating faster with the music, as Kaiju Screeched and incinerated them. His Flamethrower was surprisingly bright, casting an orange glow over the city.
In between plane launches, Kaiju rampaged through the middle of the city, knocking aside buildings with his drill tail. His shadow on the backdrop thrashed with him, giving the impression that he was larger even than he seemed to be amongst the tiny buildings. When three new planes soared toward him, all from different origin points, he shot a Flamethrower and flung his head to the side, obliterating all three with one move.
As the music grew more frenzied, so did his swipes with Iron Tail. Zoey kept tossing planes, darting around the edge of the stage, trying to keep them coming from all directions. Kaiju didn’t miss a single one, always coming up from his physical attacks just in time to end their flights with a burst of fire. It was a glorious game for him, one he was intent on winning. Whatever their score in the end, he was having the time of his life.
She reached into her bag once more and found only one plane left. It was perfect timing; the second verse had just started over again. A heartbeat later, she threw the plane as sharply as she could, and it veered out of the darkness toward him, faster than the others. He dropped low on his belly, whirling around with his shimmering metallic tail, raising it high in the air. The little plane stood no chance, exploding into myriad pieces.
As Kaiju continued to shoot Flamethrowers into the air, the blue-tinted lights changed to orange, and bright, flickering lights turned on amongst the buildings clustered around the sides of the platform. It looked as if the miniature city was on fire, burning around the beast who had come to destroy it. Kaiju Screeched in victory, but it wasn’t over.
Scrambling to get there in time, Zoey ran back to her starting place, shedding the empty bag as she went. She tossed it to the ground as she dashed onto the path Kaiju had taken. He was still in the midst of the wreckage, blasting Flamethrowers and wreaking havoc with his tail. She emerged just in front of the backdrop screen, hidden in the shadows.
As Kaiju turned toward her in his rampaging, she flung back the cloak’s hood and lifted her arms. Beneath the hood was a second one, part of the dark clothes she wore under the cloak. This hood had been patterned to look like a monstrous head, with shiny teeth and eyes that reflected the stage’s lights.
The underside of the cloak was orange and gold, shimmering and metallic, and it sparkled brilliantly in the lights. The pattern was reminiscent of a moth’s wings, with bold eye spots and stark shapes. She moved her arms just a little, making the pattern shimmer and shake and throw off sparkles of light.
Kaiju Screeched furiously at his new rival as she stepped away from the screen to walk amongst the apparently burning buildings. She kept her wings always in view for the audience and for Kaiju, so she could be tracked. As the first verse repeated, she walked amongst the false flames, and Kaiju lunged toward the buildings, launching Flamethrowers. He kept his distance, both for safety and to keep their size difference from being too closely compared.
He followed her around the stage, shooting flames that seemed close but in reality were aimed well over her head. They made a circle around the edge of the platform until she was back where she had begun. He watched her there for a moment, apparently stumped by her immunity to his fiery attacks. He thumped his tail on the ground as if frustrated.
She moved her wings and thrashed her head, gloating, apparently thinking she had defeated him. But as he continued to thump his tail, the sound became rhythmic, building up to something. She stopped moving, as if sensing danger, and turned her false head toward him, watching, waiting.
Suddenly the thumping stopped, and Kaiju reared up, tail high in the hair. He belted out an intimidating Screech and slammed his tail against the platform. The powerful Bulldoze leveled the remaining buildings, scattering pieces to the stage below. The platform shook, but it was as stable as she’d asked for and stood up admirably. Zoey collapsed to the ground, a little harder than she had intended, and flailed there, throwing the wings around as if in death throes.
Kaiju pounded his tail a few more times, unleashing weaker Bulldozes, until Zoey stopped moving and lay still, the cloak falling across her, dark side up. Finally, truly victorious, Kaiju turned to the audience and Screeched. As the lights cut out, dropping the stage into darkness, he released one last Flamethrower, exposing himself and the wreckage for a final time.
The applause, the cheering, it was loud. So loud, so loud, so unbearably loud. Slowly, but surely, it became too much, and she found herself unable to move. Gloved hands shook, her whole body quivering. Her knees gave in, her breathing shallow and unstable, heart beating so fast, so hard, so painfully. Velvet and Aurichal rushed to her side, trying to comfort her until Iona could make her way through the crowd in order to get Yuugetsu to a quieter place. Applause turned to chattering, some yelling, and even a laugh here and there.
The noise wouldn’t stop.
‘Stop, stop, please, stop.’ The words were in her head, but her vocal chords were too busy blubbering and crying to say anything. Tears ran down her face, dripping onto the stage. She needed Iona. She needed her quiet mewing, her soft, velvety fur, her warmth. The beautiful telepathic voice in her head. She needed it, now.
「I’m coming. Hold on, I’ll be there soon.」
The voice echoed in her head, but was drowned out by the crowd. There was just too much noise echoing in the hall, bouncing off and creating even more individual noises that she couldn’t filter. Her brain, racing from overstimulation, still tried in vain to track each and every one. She was curled up on her knees, unable to do anything but panic and cry. Finally, finally, Iona made her way up to the stage, nuzzling against her trainer in an effort to at least snap her out of her unresponsive state.Unable to get herself off the ground, the young Coordinator ended up having to be carried off the stage by her Lopunny, with Iona and Aurichal following her.
It was a repeat of what had happened in her early career. She had an anxiety attack after an appeal. Again.
Ran: Ice Beam, Silver Wind, Water Pulse, Signal Beam
Lia: Misty Terrain, Swift, Icy Wind, Psyshock
Shiori took a breath and stepped on stage when she was announced. When she stepped on her mark, a bit behind center, she faced the audience, eyes closed, and posture relatively relaxed. In her hands were two pokeballs, she had decided to forgo using seals in this appeal after having trouble getting them not to look clunky with the performance. She could hear the cheering from the audience welcoming her home. She smiled, opened her eyes, and tossed both balls higher, rather than farther. Both pokemon were still in their costumes. They landed a foot in front of their trainer. Ran stayed still, waiting for the music to start, while Lia moved into a pose. One foot in front of the other, her right arm across her torso while her left was raised in the air.
The music started, low and sounding more like ambient noise. That was Ran’s que. With an ice beam, she started freezing a large portion of the stage into a smooth, flat oval. She hadn’t gotten very far before, the music proper started up. Lia stepped on the ice as soon as Shiori started singing, pushing off and gliding to follow the beam of ice around. She skated on her own as the oval was completed, not leaving too much room between her and the beam as she did her spiral and toe loop, even going down on one knee in a lunge when she had to be between Ran and the end of the ice. When the ice was done, Lia swizzled her way back to the Masqurain. She went into a spin in front of Ran and held out a hand when she was done, inviting the bug type to join her on the ice right as the music paused.
It picked back up a second later as Ran flew onto the ice, the two spinning around each other as if Ran had actually run into her arms Lia gave her partner a huge grin. They slowed down and Lia pulled Ran further onto the ice excitedly. As the music slowed, and the two started traveling around the edge of the ice, Lia doing a three turn before reaching one of the smaller points of the turn and throwing one hand out at the Masqurain as she did crossovers as the went around that smaller point, the other arm out towards the side for balance. At the end she brought her hands back near her chest.
Lia turned back around and did another spiral, Ran, mimicking, just bowed her head. When the two came back up, Lia swerved to the other side of Ran and towards the center while Ran flew to where Lia had just been. The two swerved back and forth slowly until they got to the got to the other end of the ice, as they returned towards the center the music started picking up, and Ran flew lower, and Lia reached out to her. Ran stopped flying as Lia held onto her. She picked the bug type over her head, and started a spin in the center of the ice. As she did that She used Misty Terrain as the music started to slow, careful to keep the mist low and unobtrusive towards the front and sides of the stage, only going high enough to barely cover her feet before fading, but let it billow back.
Lia lowered Ran as the music picked back up, and Ran started flying again, even though Lia was still holding on as they skated. Eventually, Lia let go, Ran stayed close and on her level, flying higher during the jumps but descending at the same time as the psychic. The only time this changed when Lia went into a sit spin, Ran flew directly overhead, while Lia used swift around them. Ran responded with a Silver Wind that caught the stars Lia created, as well as temporarily clearing the mist around them. The sparkling wind pulled all the stars above them.
Ran orbited down and around Lia a couple times as the Kirlia rose out of the spin, kicking her leg back so they were at the same level again. They took off down the ice slowly, seeming to enjoy their time together under the stars. They swerved back and forth, changing positions again, but not going as far from each other, after that was matching spins. They skated a little longer before Lia went into a triple loop, Ran flying higher and spinning in her own version of it. Ran spun to fly backwards. Both pokemon, keeping eye contact with each other as they made a lap around the ice, Lia crossing over on the tighter curves of the ice. They were about to make another lap when Lia dropped into a lunge, and spun to be going backwards. She raised her arms to either side of her partner’s head. She dropped her hands, and raised out of the lunge as the stars started to fade. She glided ahead of her partner.
Ran flew towards the middle of the ice, and shot a Water Pulse straight above her. The force of the water knocking the remaining stars away. Lia, who had been circling around the center waited until the water was falling to use Icy Wind, freezing the falling droplets. Said droplets shined in the stage lights like glitter as they fell and shattered on the ice below. It didn’t seem to bother either pokemon, however, as they had already gone back to skating in sync with each other. The both wind moves had faded away, and the mist from earlier rolled back in as the music all but paused.
Taking off down the ice as the music picked up. The did spirals facing each other, before separating from each other, and doing matching spins. They stayed apart as they went down the ice, pivoting at the same time. They met back up at one of the smaller ends, and skated together down the center.
Lia reached out to hold Ran again as they skated, Ran stopped flying for a second, and allowed herself to be thrown in the air. She resumed flying to give herself a bit more height. Lia had continued skating, now backwards, as her partner rose. The two pokemon readied their attacks to launch at the same time. Ran sent a Signal Beam at her partner, while Lia returned with a Psyshock. The multicolored beam and the psychic collided in mid air and rippled out like an aurora.
Ran swooped down to her partner, both pokemon orbiting around each other as the vocals dropped off completely. Lia skated off after giving her partner a grin as the aurora faded, leaving Ran to chase after her. While Lia was ahead, she spun to face Ran and did a complicated look series of foot work. Ran caught up to her, and they did a small jump, Lia turning to face forward, and skated off together at least until Ran got in front of her, restarting their chase.
When Lia caught up to Ran, she plucked the bug from the air, and did another three turn to turn backwards, and again to turn to the front. The Kirlia adjusted her grip to wrap her arms more securely around the Masqurain in time for to be lifted off the ground by her. Ran spun around quickly, causing the psychic type holding onto her, to swing in a wide arch until she slowed down and stopped spinning. She lowered Lia to the ground as she flew forward. Lia let go as soon as her toes touched the ground. They skated around the rink with one more jump going into a lunge as the music suddenly slowed. Shiori started singing again.
Lia and Ran rose slowly. Lia reached out an arm towards Ran as she circled around her, Ran turning to face her. Lia went into a final spiral leading Ran back to center stage. She lowered her leg and stopped, Ran moving closer until their foreheads were touching as the song ended.
They stayed there for a moment before separating slightly. Both Shiori and Lia curtsied, while Ran bobbed slightly lower. Shiori wouldn’t call them back yet, preferring to wait until after they were backstage, and she had a chance to praise their hard work.
The music started, the lights dimmed, and out popped her ethereal duo, still in their cloud outfits. Mixes of white and black smoke poured out of their Heal Balls and they took to the stage. She herself wasn’t a cloud this time, but clad in tons of torn up rags and a raggedy old black hooded cloak, enough makeup grime on her face to both obscure it and complete the homeless aesthetic she was going for.
All at once the ground of the stage was covered in the thick black fog that the Duskull was spewing out. That same little cloud hovering near the ceiling started up a torrential downpour too, the water creating little gaps in the haze to offer a glimpse of her scurrying from one end of the stage to the other. As the music picked up, a harsh breeze from up above pressed its full force onto her, causing the hood and cloak to flap about dramatically and force her to squish herself lower to the floor if she wanted to make any headway at all. Then, suddenly, another breeze coming in from the side, frigid and severe, pushed her all the way back to square one.
Her clothes actually started to freeze over a bit, and a huge chunk of ice landed itself in front of her, hitting the stage with a heavy thud and clearing out all the earlier fog. The rain kept up except now the rain-bringer was turning every single water droplet into ice and letting the wind toss it where it wanted to. The target was her head, if the size of this next one was any indication.
The puddles formed by the former rain had frozen over, so the next strategy against this ice storm was to slide around the projectiles falling from differing heights. The music was almost drowned out by the clattering of solid water meeting solid water - there was no real rain coming anymore. Again, a blast of chill tried to push her off course, but she crashed into a sizable chunk of frost aimed right behind her to prevent too much loss of progress.
The cloud at the other end of the stage was not pleased by this. It upped the ante by screeching, over and over, each wave of sound getting stronger and more forceful - but by now she knew what ice chunks to use as traction against her falling apart ratty sneakers and which to let slip through her grip. Even still, every single raindrop from the air met its demise as shattered natural glass.
Fine, wanna play it that way? What’s a storm without lightning? Bright flashes of pink illuminated the arena, showing off all three participants’ silhouettes, and destroying just as many ice chunks at the same rate the other cloud could produce them. Still she kept on, more than halfway there now, even as a chunk of ice tore a section of her cloak tail off when it made impact. The cloud was there now, within arm’s reach -
The audio covered up the brunt of this next stunt, because the true target was herself, anyway. Only a few telltale notes leaked through, enough to tell what the attack was and nothing more. Little miss black riding hood was the unfortunate soul to hear the full scale of an aria that made her shiver more than the temperature. Now she was on a time limit, and a screen lowered to show it, revealing a countdown to her demise. The pink flashes grew stronger, the ice from the other end started to miss her head more frequently, the wind pressed on her from all directions. The shrieking was starting to make her balance slip - or was it the other song?
Finally, with one second left to spare, she leapt up, using a few larger hunks of ice as a springboard, and tore those two clouds, who’d converged closer and closer to both each other and the center of the stage as the appeal wore on, out of the air. The music ended, the countdown flashed green and disappeared, and she smooshed the two of their faces together, like the naughty children they are. She gave a sigh, a “what can I do with these two?” look, and shakily scurried away, exit stage left.
