Galar's First Ever Pokemon Showcase!

Event blog for the first ever Galar Region Showcase hosted by the Shining Champion Spirit Adney! Blog includes entries, appeals, judging, plot, time shenanigans, and results! More info in the pinned post! Sideblog to fallenxspirit, run by Archie.

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

THE GALARIAN STARS SHOWCASE IS BACK AND READY TO GO FOR REAL THIS TIME! Lets do this thing for real.

Contest Info

Sign Up End Date: 8/16/2021

Appeal/Judging Start Date: 8/30/2021

Appeal Due Date: 9/27/2021

Sign ups are now closed!

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

GSS2k21: Results

1st Place: Tobias Mendelssohn (138 points) @cosmoscourge

2nd Place: Diantha Durand (134 points) @diamontha

3rd Place: Wula Feiyun (126.5 Points) @cosmoscourge

CONGRATS TO OUR TOP THREE COORDINATORS THIS YEAR!!!

Honorable Mentions/Judge’s Choice:

Raihan’s Choice: Lilith @rosengard3n

Piper’s Choice: Piper could not make a choice as she was not around to help complete the scoring/Judge’s choice section and could not be reached for comment.

Leon’s Choice: Fey @destinedfey

Spirit’s Choice: Victor and Mothy @britishpokechap and @steeloblige

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

BY THE WORD OF THE HEAD JUDGE, SPIRIT ADNEY, TOBIAS MENDELSSOHN @cosmoscourge, VICTOR MARTIN @britishpokechap, AND FINNELEY JONES’ @steeloblige CONTESTANT STATUS HAVE BEEN REINSTATED!

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

Found (The End)

Spectre wasn’t sure how long they had traveled. He was numb, tired, and all was quiet between him and Spirit. He felt both too many things at once and empty all the same. His fingers brushed over the exoskeleton of Spirit’s Eternatus gently. Shutting his eyes and hoping sleep would come. Until finally Spirit landed the massive legendary, who still glowered at Spectre with distrust. They’ve landed on the peak of an island, likely undiscovered, or at the very least unoccupied. The peak is a cliff, overlooking the sea. Spirit’s arms have been haphazardly wrapped with his jacket, and he seems to be struggling to ignore the pain from the damage inflicted by the Grimoire. It’s shoved deep in his bag.

“C’mon.” Spirit says, the first word they’ve exchanged in what must hours.  Spectre follows after him silently until they’ve reached the edge of the cliff. Spectre is expecting Spirit to shove him over the cliff, but instead he takes a seat. Spirit motions for Spectre to sit with him, and the man does so quietly. Things feel…tense…weird. Spectre was still reeling over what had happened at the battle tower. The kindness he had been shown before Spirit carted him off.

{Read the Rest of the Drabble Here}

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

It Could Have Been Great

“You didn’t remember?” Spectre’s laugh is bone chilling, cruel, cold. Something sub human, something that runs a shiver up Piper’s own spine as she stands next to the crazed, broken version of Galar’s champion. The Ultra Beasts are pulling freely through the wormholes now, flooding the stadium and Wyndon and soon they will flood the entirety of Galar. Piper knows this was Team Vitality’s goal, they had been planning this. 

Yet something ate at her. Something made her heart thump, her chest constrict like a vice grip. She scoffs, knowing she will survive these events in the end.

“Remember what, exactly?” Piper asks, fixing Spectre with a scowl. She hated that attitude, that completely unhinged nature. But she loved it all the same. Something inside her craved the chaos around, to see the world that had hurt and destroyed both of them burn to bitter bitter ashes. Something else broke at the thought, at the region they had both loved and defended crumbling around them. Then she reminds herself that this isn’t...is….isn’t(?) her Spirit. He hadn’t gotten this far. He had support. He had friends. Something she hadn’t been granted.

“Piper, you died.”

{{Read the Rest of the Drabble Here!}}

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

The Grimoire

Spirit was tired of sitting in Draven’s hotel room, doing nothing while whoever that mother fucker wearing his face and taking his life was doing…god knows what. Even if it was physically hard to move- they should have been continuing the appeals and judgings today from what he was being told. Something had happened to his double that had sent him on his ass, but it had done the same for Spirit. Still, he had to get out there. Before…whatever his double was planning happened. Spectre had stolen his phone, so he couldn’t contact anyone that way. But he was afraid to go seek anyone out physically after all who knows what Spectre had already done to his relationships, his friendships?

He was on his own, for the moment. Until he had the strength to confront Spectre, until he had to strength to confront well…anyone.

And as he sat, mulling over what he could possibly do to stop Spectre. He wouldn’t go down to just a pokemon battle, not with that damn sword of his. But they needed something to help their side as well, once Spirit got there. Spectre’s appeal was coming up, it was coming up and fast. Spirit had his own fae magic, and logically it should be strong enough to rival Spectre’s, right? But Spectre’s…was more practiced, more focused. As though he had years to perfect it, where Spirit still hadn’t gotten teleporting down. He needed something he could…focus it in.

He’s seen what his magic can do in raid battles. Healing pokemon, giving them protection. He could give them a true edge against Spectre if he could just focus that.

It takes a moment longer for Spirit to realize he might know how to do just that. He might know how to give them the edge they need in this. What was it that Orion had told him…something could help channel his abilities…it was a Grimoire. Spirit needed to make a Grimoire. He still hadn’t been assigned to a court, hovering in the middle of Seelie and Unseelie, but so long as he had three things that were of great importance to him…it would be fine right? It would bind things together. Even then, he didn’t need this Grimoire to be permanent, he just needed it to hold up for whatever bullshit was going to happen in the next hour or two.

Spirit stumbled out of Draven’s hotel room. All of the things he needed, he could get from his own apartment. It was a long trek through Wyndon, Spirit checking over his shoulder every few minutes. Paranoid glances going to the sky, watching for the signs that the world was going to split open. When he gets to his apartment, Spirit sneaks in. Though its empty so he hardly has to do that…

He grabs what he needs quick. A scrap of fabric from his shredded Lovely Nightmare hoodie, still tucked in his closet. He tries to find his other pokemon- but its clear Spectre has taken them all. Spirit had no choice but to get the other two items he needed and make his way to the Tangle as quickly as he could. The second item was another piece of fabric, one of the old scraps from Melia’s cloth. The last was a photo, an incredibly dear one to him. If anything could power his Grimoire, this picture of himself and Glory had to be it. Once Spirit is back outside, he ensures the streets are empty. Everyone must be at the stadium he thinks. Reaching into the lining of his jacket pocket, Spirit pulls a pokeball free. One of two he managed to keep hidden and with him during his entire fiasco with the cult. He was lucky Spectre never thought to check, though perhaps he had been too focused on torturing him to care.

From the pokeball, Spirit releases Eternatus. The legendary looks down at him warily. There is still little trust between them, but there is more now. There is no malice between them at least.

"Take me to the tangle, please I need to do...something." he said.

"What do you hope to do, child?" Eternatus asked. "The Tangle is not solely your own anymore. You cannot predict if it will accept you or cast you out."

"I know, but please. Please I need to get to the heart. I need to….please just take me there."

"I'm not a taxi service you know." Spirit rolls his eyes.

"I know you're not but this...please this is important Eternatus! If there's a double of me rolling around there's a double of you. Do you really want that thing making your name worse around here?" Spirit asks. The legendary goes silent for a moment, before nudging it's head against Spirit's in the way a parent would swat their mouthy child's hand.

"Do not expect this to become common place, boy," it said. "I only help you as I know what I am capable of, and what you are as well. I do not have the strength to continuously tear holes in the sky as my double but…" Eternatus bows it's head, allowing Spirit to climb on to it's neck and hold for dear life as it takes off to the sky.

"Do not fall off. I will not come and get you." It's voice is a gong inside Spirit's head still. But he clings on in silence. A soft prayer on his lips, and and offering already in his head to thank Eternatus for all of this later. He hates pulling the Great Worm to service, but what choice do they have when Spectre most assuredly has one of his own?

They fly to the tangle, as swift as Eternatus can carry them. The sky is already cracking and bending. It's going to break soon, and Spirit knows he will be unable to stop the first wave if the Ultra Beast invasion. His heart beats rapidly in his chest as on foot he continues into the tangle. Eternatus waits, knowing this place no longer welcomed it as it had before the poison bad corrupted it's veins.

"Hurry boy, Wyndon may be in ruins by the time you're done."

The steps to the heart are quick and precise, a deeper instinct driving Spirit forward. He knows where to go, even with this new strange mash of a destroyed tangle and the one he knows. Part of this is Spectre's now he knows, though he doesn't know how it got here. The heart of the Tangle is a massive, gnarled tree. Both dead and alive with dry white bark and pale almost translucent leaves. The bits of sunlight that touch them make them shimmer in every color. Spirit gets to work as fast as he can manage.

He drops to the grass, dumping his belongings from his bag. He grabs the three items for his Grimoire and a piece of chalk. Haphazardly he tries to draw a rune into the root of the tree, a rune of creation. His broken fingers can barely hold the chalk, but he pushes on. It's a mess when he's done but it has to work…

Please let it work.

He starts whispering, a spell in the old fae language. Letting the magic of the tangle flow into him, consume him. He tries to make sure he doesn't stumble on a word, not a single one. This needs to be as perfect as possible.

He grabs an journal from his bag, the spine a little bent, the pages yellowed with age. It's from his time in Rose Tower as a child. Hidden away in Rose's office where the light would never touch it again. He places that in the center of the drawn rune. Then he grabs the scrap of the Lovely Nightmare's hoodie. His most cherished gift from Leon, one that in a way symbolized their childhood love.

"Leon doesn't want you that way. Not like you want him." A voice whispers. Spectre's voice, his own voice. Spirit tries to shake it off. He cannot have any doubt here or else this item will become useless to him.

He places the scrap in the center of the journal, with a drop of his own blood. The scrap pulls apart as he whispers the spell, it's pink and purple fabrics becoming the runes of this Grimoire, burning themselves into the pages.

Next Spirit grabs the scrap of Melia's cloth. It's long enough he wraps the front cover with it. Stitching of his own magic beginning to bind the cloth in place as the cover.

"I killed my Mimikyu you know. Melia would have just gotten in the way."

The earth shakes around him as the sky splits open. He has to finish. Spirit hurriedly whispers the next half of the spell as he slaps the picture of himself and Glory in the middle. Glory could keep him sane through anything….without them…

He be no better than Spectre.

The trees in the tangle begin to collapse as Spirit's spell finishes. The Grimoire needs time to bind itself together, but it is not time they have. Spirit waits until he's sure the stitching will keep the picture in place and grabs his new Grimoire. It sparks and shocks him as he does so, but he ignores the pain as he starts to flee the tangle. He needed to be back in Wyndon as soon as possible.

He was able to make it, now he just had to hope it would work. Not only that but that it would last and not kill him in the process of using it. .

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

It’s Always Prettiest....

Leon is practically vibrating in his seat. Not only has Spirit not returned, but they can’t find him anywhere. He’s ready to call the contest here and now but with one last appeal to go and the feeling that everything is about to go horribly wrong anyway. He can’t. Spirit is about to do…something, but he’s practically disappeared off the face of the earth. Raihan looks equally as nervous, but Piper…seems to not know anything has happened at all. Or seems to not care, it’s hard to tell. He’se sent out the announcement to other gym leaders for back up, for help with evacuation.

He just prays they’re not too late. As he’s mulling over his thoughts, the lights snap off. All except for two spotlights centered in the stadium. The music starts almost immediately as fog machine smoke starts to pour out into the stadium, covering the ground in front of them. Leon and Raihan exchange looks, Raihan’s rotom phone floating around to record this appeal as he had done the other’s.

{Read the rest of Spectre’s Appeal here~}

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

Tobias Mendelssohn ( @cosmoscourge) , Victor Martin ( @britishpokechap) and Finnley “Mothy” Jones ( @steeloblige) have been disqualified from the Galarian Stars Showcase by the authority of Head Judge Spirit Adney!

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

Judging: Mothy

@steeloblige​ Your judging is here!

Once Raihan and Leon had assured that Mothy and his pokemon were alright, they had both made their way back to the judge’s table. There was still an air of tenseness, an air of anxiety about both judges. As if both were trying to ignore the Copperajah in the room.

“I have to say that this was a fantastic appeal Mothy.” Leon’s grin is shaky, almost as if he’s trying to cover up the anxiety of what he had just witnessed. Even worse is that he’s doing so poorly. Spirit still hasn’t returned to the judges table either. If he had, Leon would be giving him an earful right now.

He doesn’t want to count how many times Spirit almost got Mothy killed in that appeal. But by Zacian does he have questions for the Champion. Like when did Spirit get a Garchomp, and why did he think it was a good idea to let the psuedo legend run wild like that. Garchomps were already dangerous when restrained but that?

That was untrained slaughter. That Garchomp was strong, but it was hardly ready to be out in a public match like that. He knows it, and Raihan for sure knows it.

Leon feels sick thinking about it. Its clear Raihan is feeling the same. However, Piper still just seems disinterested.

“Right well...while we’re uh...waiting for Spirit to come back. Lets get started on the judging for this shall we? You can watch the playback of your performance later if you’d like, Mothy.” Raihan said. The revelation that Mothy was completely blind during that appeal as well...it made him feel sicker. Did Spirit know?

Did Spirit care?

“From how charged the battle was, two fantastic Champions against one another, and the absolute show of friendship at the end. I think I have to give this appeal a perfect score! Really, Mothy you did a great job, even if you didn’t win the battle. It was really stand out to see what yours and Spirit’s friendship means to you. I’m sure he’s just uh...he’s probably healing up his team and he’ll be right back, I’m sure of it.”

“I admit I’m not sure if we should be judging this before Spirit gets back. But well...since we’ve already begun I suppose I’ll give my score. Now Mothy, while I’m sure everyone else enjoyed that disaster appeal of yours, I didn’t. It was mildly entertaining watching such a well composed steel team give Adney a run for his money. However everything else felt sloppy and harshly put together. Not to mention the lack of music until the very end of the appeal. I understand you were working with a short song, but some kind of padding before felt necessary in my opinion. So I’ve decided to give you 3 points. One for each pokemon of Spirit’s you so shamelessly one shot with that Genesect of yours.”

“So positive as always Piper.” Leon grits his teeth. Frankly he had bigger worries right now than Piper’s attitude and poor attempt at scoring. It was clear this was a rush to try and finish things but...

Leon glanced at the empty spot beside Piper where Spirit was meant to sit. The sooner they finished this judging, the sooner he could go find Spirit and hopefully knock some sense into his head. If he wasn’t already too late.

“I echo Raihan’s enjoyment of this appeal Mothy,” his voice is shaky. “Yours and Spirit’s bond is...truly one that can never be broken. Not to mention the bond you share with your pokemon, trusting them to protect you. Leading them without a single command! The reflection of Mt. Coronet through your moves as well was so well hidden within the appeal itself, I truly commend everything you did. You get another perfect score from me!”

There’s a pause, Spirit has still not returned.

“Let’s...he’ll be back any minute I’m sure.” Leon said. “Just a moment Mothy.”

A minute passes.

Then five.

Then ten.

Then fifteen.

“Let me call him.” Leon says. “I’ll just call him and see whats going on.”

Leon gets out his rotom phone, and Piper catches something peculiar on its case. A photo charm, containing a picture of himself and Spirit. It makes her roll her eyes. Leon dials Spirit’s number, and waits. The phone rings and rings without him ever picking up.

Leon’s starting to get incredibly nervous now. Where is he? What’s going on?

“Okay let me just try-”

A text comes through his phone from Spirit. Leon breaths a small sigh of relief and opens it.

“Well uh...Mothy....you also get a perfect score from Spirit. He just wrote 30 on here, so I’m sorry I can’t really...be more in debt with it but...” he trails off. He glances at Piper and Raihan almost as if pleading with them to do the bonuses for this appeal so he can go. Neither speak up however, forcing Leon to continue speaking.

“Right well...you get a +10 for using all six moves on each pokemon during your appeal. You also get the +3 bonus for making Spirit cry during the appeal, giving you 13 bonus points. Please turn your attention to the screen for your final score.”

Total: 106 Points

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

Judging: Tobias

@cosmoscourge​​ Tobias! Your judging is here!

“TOBIAS!!! By Zacian I can’t believe- you’re here! You had me all worried that you wouldn’t be showing up at all! Of course you would show up under an alias and in disguise!” Spirit said as Raihan and Leon made their way back to their seats. Piper sat in silence, tears running down her cheeks.

“Please note, luv, I’m not angry with you. Not at all!” Spirit added, “That was...a lot to take in. I’m...I’m just happy you’re here. Really I’m overjoyed that you didn’t miss this!” the joy in Spirit’s voice sounds strained, but its hard to tell if he’s biting back anger at Leon still or if he’s lying over how feels seeing Unima’s former champion here.

“I had my own suspicions during our battle, but obviously I couldn’t confirm anything until the end,” Leon said as he sat down. “Granted it was hard to form a lot of thoughts during that, I felt a little like I was fighting for my life.”

“Spirit I got a question for this before we start scoring.” Raihan said as he sat down,

“Yes? What is it Raihan?”

“Can I score Ursula lower now? After seeing that in Tobias’ appeal?” Raihan asked.

“No! We’re not editing scores most of the way through!” Spirit replied. “Now sit down and do your judging!”

“Alright alright well lets get to it then! Not gonna lie, I had a little trouble keeping up with well...everything. That battle really had me on my toes the entire time! Its been a while since I’ve had that much fun!”

“We’re all glad you had a good time Raihan, but please keep focused.” Spirit said gently.

“Yeah yeah well, I liked a lot of visuals for your appeal. Being in the simulation was pretty cool! And of course being one of the ones battling you was once again, a blast. I’m scoring your aesthetics an 8 out of 10. Your story was...god everyone’s really showed us some traumatic shit tonight, but, you sir have really shown us some traumatic shit. I’m sorry for what you went through. It almost feels wrong to give you a score on it, but at the same time with the ending of the appeal...it was pretty dark man. Like dark where its kind of uncomfortable for what I did catch. So I’m giving your story an 8 out of 10 as well. My overall opinion of your appeal though is still a 10 out of 10! What you shared really took a lot of guts to do so. Not to mention I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it when I got to be in it! Kind of at least...but yeah. This makes my total score for you a 26.”

Finally, now that it is her turn to judge, Piper speaks. Well...she doesn’t speak, she laughs. A loud, booming, overjoyed laugh as she wipes the tears from her cheeks.

“I would find your appeal boring you said? I would cry from boredom you said? My my Mr. Yamekawi...or well should I said Mr. Mendellssohn? You really had me going there!” she grinned. “I am crying but... oh its from beauty, truly! To see how your hate destroyed everything around you, knowing that change is...well a sham. Goodness I think this may have been one of my favorites of the night!” 

“I admit the visuals of your appeal were incredibly impressive. The way it invaded my mind and kept my eyes on it. Not to mention you using it to hide attacks and perform an excellent finishing blow? Wonderfully done! Though it didn’t have quite the impact the other parts of your appeal did through its story and meaning. So for this I’m giving your aesthetics an 8 out of 10.  However the story you told was my personal favorite of the night. I loved viewing the darkness of your mind, and the ending? Who doesn’t love a good, dark ending, hm? For that I’m giving your story a 10 out of 10. My overall opinion of your appeal is also a 10 out of 10! This was just excellent Mr. Mendellssohn. This makes my total for you a 28!”

“I...can’t believe Piper didn’t give a single insult. Not a one.” Leon said.

“I know, I didn’t think that was possible coming from her,” Spirit replied, only for Leon to ignore him entirely. Spirit frowned.

“Fine ignore me. I don’t care.” he said.

“We’ll talk about this later Spirit. Maybe if you apologized I’d be willing to be friendlier-”

“Apologize for what? I didn’t...nevermind. Lets just wrap this shit up.” Spirit huffed.

“Alright well...I admit I do not share the same opinions when it comes to teh visuals of your appeal, Tobias. I really enjoyed our battle, but things got a little....too dark for me. I know this was something very personal for you but... I found it hard to keep engaged for a lot of it. I almost broke myself out of the illusion if I’m being quite honest. So for your aesthetics, I’m giving you a 6 out of 10.”

“You would score someone lower for bearing their soul, huh?” Spirit mumbled. Leon grit his teeth and continued to ignore him.

“However, I will acknowledge it must have taken a lot for you to share this story. Truly, thank you for coming to the Stars Showcase. Thank you for striving to get better even now. For your story I’m giving you 8 out of 10. My overall opinion of your appeal is also a 10 out of 10. The battle was fantastic still, and I wish you well on your journey of recovery, Tobias. This makes my total for you a 24.”

“You know Tobias, I should have realized it was you when you showed up in Light Yagami cosplay. How the hell did I not...I’m not going to harp on that anymore.  I think out of all the judges I liked your visuals the most! The way you build up the destroyed cave to tell your story, what you showed us you went through...the fact your pokemon kind of vored each other. It was both disturbing, and highly intriguing to watch. So for your aesthetics, I’m giving you a 9 out of 10.”

Spirit pauses there. He can’t help but feel that despite Tobias’ story being well...so personal. It was almost a targeted attack. Tobias was getting better while he was...

It took a lot of will for Spirit to keep the frown off his face. “Thank you for sharing something so...personal with us. But I think I have to echo the comfortability sentiment, so I’m giving that a 7 out of 10-”

“Spirit, I don’t think its fair to score the story lower. The visuals yes, but Tobias did just air out a lot of traumatic things to us-” Leon started.

“Its my score, Leon. I’ll do what I want with it! Besides he’s not the first person to air out some terrible trauma for them at this event. You haven’t questioned me at any other point, why start now?” Spirit scoffed. “Besides its not like you might not end up doing something similar. Imagine if I did an appeal and basically confessed I was still in love with you via it. Would you not score it lower based off of that?”

“...still in love with me? Spirit you do realize this isn’t-” Spirit was quick to cut Leon off again.

“Hypothetically jackass! Don’t fucking read too much into...never mind. Forget I even brought that up in the first place. Forget it forget it forget it! Anyway Tobyyy. My overall opinion for your appeal is going to be an 8 out of 10. I enjoyed it, I really did, but also I’m a little miffed you didn’t ask me to battle you. Of course you were probably worried about losing to me, hm~? My total score for you is also a 24.”

“You’ve earned quite the array of bonus as well, Mr. Mendellssohn. You receive a +15 for using gigantimax. A +10 for using six moves on both your pokemon, another +5 for well...making cry with the sheer beauty of your appeal, and finally a wooping +6 for winning your battle, with bonus points given from myself, Raihan, and Leon. This makes for an outstanding total of 36 bonus points! Please turn your attention to the screen for your final score!”

Total: 138 POINTS.

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

Judging: Ursula

 @heartists​​ Ursula! Your judging is here!

“Before anyone says anything I actually just want to get right to the point with this one.” Raihan said flatly. It had gotten to the point with Ursula’s appeal where he was paying more attention to the stream chat than to the actual appeal. Most of whom in the chat were also calling bullshit on this entire thing.

“I don’t buy for a single second this was for more than just clout, honestly.” Raihan continued on. “Like trust me I know what it looks like when someone does something for clout. I named my fucking Torkoal “Soup” because the stream chat chanted it.” 

“Raihan maybe we can be just a little-” Leon started to say.

“Nope. Already made up my mind on the judging I’m doing. Not changing it bro just to be nice.” he said flatly. “So first off, I don’t think this was appeal was visually interesting. The cage was kind of cool but honestly? It was just really fucking boring to look at. Not to mention that the toxic imagery was pretty cliche. Plus I’m not very into having your pokemon beat each other up for the sake of getting the point of the appeal across. Your aesthetics get a 4 out of 10 from me. The story was obviously just for pity points, and we can all see that. We didn’t need to hear you narrate your entire life story over the appeal. In fact I think i would have fucking bought your bullshit better if you didn’t say a word at all. Like the narration just made you sound even more fake. So I’m giving your story a 3 out of 10. My overall opinion for your appeal is another 4 out of 10 because yeah I didn’t fucking like it. I can’t even believe you would come out here with this fake ass shit after your own disaster of a contest.”

“For once me and Raihan completely agree. However I think Raihan is still being too generous. This right here is exactly why I believe this whole contest is a sham. Its clear people cannot change when the clear cut example is standing right in front of us. This whole horrid display shows that you, Ursula, have not changed one bit. Your little narration only meant to garner audience pity, you trying to show us how much you’ve been humbled. When in reality you were just knocked down a few pegs and can’t hope for any other way for your reputation to recover. So for all of this, Ursula. For all of this? You get a 1. That’s it, that’s the only point you get from me.” Piper scoffed.

“Its only because I can admit the cage imagery had to have some thought behind it. And because Spirit directly told me I can’t give a single person a score of zero. As much as I would love to score you absolutely nothing right now.”

“I...I knew Piper could be harsh, but Raihan? Really?” Leon said. “Me and Spirit can’t really be the only ones at the table who believe that someone can change. I know Miss Ursula here doesn’t have a clean past but are you really letting that condemn her score-”

“Actually if I could interject Leon.” Spirit said flatly. His gaze fixed on Ursula with a disappointed stare. Yet there was also something malicious behind it. Something that set Leon on edge.  “I don’t believe that everyone can change. That’s just plain naivety and I’m tired of pretending it isn’t. You may be able to bounce back every time someone ends up not being the person you thought they were. But I don’t like having to do so. Which is why I’m echoing Piper in giving Ursula a 1 for her score. Ursula, I was happy to welcome you to this contest. It was great to see you were embracing the concept of change but this and your outburst in my dressing room? It really proves to me you haven’t changed a bit since the last time I interacted with you.”

Leon frowned. That wasn’t Spirit- Spirit wouldn’t be so harsh. So calculatingly cold. Or...perhaps he would be, and Leon never had reason to see him do so until now.

″I suppose there is no way I could ask you to reconsider your scoring, Spirit?” he asked.

“No.” was Spirit’s curt reply.

“....Fine. Well Ursula, I believe you were genuine! At least where it counts. This was perhaps, after all you are trying to repent for, a bit too flashy to start off with. True redemption takes work, and I feel you have some more time to go before you’re really ready to be here announcing it to the world. Still your imagery and symbolism was well done! So I will reward your aesthetics a 7 out of 10. While I cannot relate to the story you told, I do appreciate that you were willing to tell it. Its still something deeply personal to you, that much is clear. So I’ll give you a 8 out of 10 for that category. And my overall opinion for your appeal is also an 8 out of 10. I do apologize for the other judges harsh comments...I expected it from some but certainly not others.”

“Oh put a fucking sock in it Leon.” Spirit spat

“Oh am I not allowed to say I am absolutely appalled with your behavior right now, Spirit?” Leon questioned. “You’re just- you are not like yourself! Its awful to see how you’ve been treating the contestants since we started judging again. Its like you don’t even believe in your own bloody contest anymore!”

“....Leon this is exactly why Rose could pull the wool over your fucking eyes so well,” Spirit replied. “You’re too trusting. You want to believe everyone can be a good fucking person and its wrong. Not everyone in the world can do that. Not everyone in the world is you. Hell you can be plain fucking awful sometimes yourself, you know that?”

“Spirit-”

“Don’t ‘Spirit’ me, Leon! You know its true.” he growled. “I swear its like you never looked past your own fucking nice and pretty life to realize some people can have it rougher. Some people can be fucking awful people and maybe they deserve to be. Maybe they have a bit of a right to be as cruel as the world made them. But because your life was so fucking perfect, you try and force that ideal on everyone else! Its no wonder you couldn’t see the shit Rose was doing. It’s no wonder you didn’t believe the shit he did to me-!”

Leon slams his hands on the table, a scream in his throat that refuses to come out. Before he simply stands up and walks away from the judge’s table. Spirit doesn’t go after him.

“....Please turn your attention to the board for your score, Ursula.”

Total: 36 POINTS

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

Judging: Clover

@candiedcricket​ your judging is here!

“I gotta say its pretty impressive you taught your pokemon to play instruments in such a short amount of time!” Spirit said. “Honestly this was a pretty impressive appeal for a first time though ah....its definitely not common to use only two moves during the entire thing.”

“Personally I found myself rather bored during it.” Piper said flatly, Spirit smacking her in the arm.

“I mean I was pretty interested in it. For the most part. I thought that the instrument thing was decent enough. Though I didn’t feel like I was really watching an appeal, I felt more like I was in one of those jazz dive bar kind of things. So I’ll give your aesthetics a 9 out of 10. The story didn’t really bore me, but it didn’t catch my interest too much either. I’ve never been a big fan of those like...lost romance type of deals but that is an experience other people can have. Seems like it’s a pretty shit one to experience. I’ll give your story a 7 out of 10. My overall opinion for your appeal would also be a 7 out of 10. This makes my total for you a 23, Clover. Nice job!”

“Again I feel the point of showcases is to showcase your pokemon and the moves they use. The music was nice, given you didn’t use a recording like other contestants. But there wasn’t much else to it. There wasn’t much else to view for your appeal. I will admit you at least went to the effort of teaching your pokemon to play, but it almost felt like I was just watching you out there. So I will give your aesthetics a 7 out of 10. As for your story, I can see where losing someone you love would affect your life heavily. I can...well I can relate. Still there were more visually appealing ways to bring that story to fruition instead of just singing the song. So I’m giving your story a 7 out of 10 as well. My overall opinion for your appeal is also going to be a 7 out of 10. I didn’t entirely hate it, but I can’t really say I enjoyed it either. This will make my total for you 21.”

“Well I can say that I enjoyed your appeal quite a bit, Clover! You and your pokemon performed wonderfully! I do wish I could have seen more of what you and your pokemon could do still! Sometimes less is more and I do think that this shines through in this case. So for this I will give your aesthetics a 9 out of 10! I can also relate to the...loss of love. In a way. My position as Champion never really let me experience romance, so you could say I lost the...experience.”

Leon chuckles nervously, a cover up almost. Spirit scoffs,

“Oh I’m sure you know all about the loss of a romantic relationship, Leon.” he spat. “Good job.”

Leon frowned. He wouldn’t rise to the bait, not again. “I give your story a 10 out 10. Thank you for telling us about your experience, Clover. My overall opinion for your appeal is also going to be a 9 out of 10 as again I wished to see you and your pokemon doing just a little more! This makes my total for you a 28!”

“Well Clover, as I said at the beginning I think you did wonderfully! This definitely seems like a skill that you should continue to hone! If I were you I would continue to join up with other contests and see how this career works for you! I do however have to mark you down for the little use of moves. Still I do find what you did with the instruments and having your pokemon be your band visually interesting! So I will score your aesthetics a 7 out of 10.”

“Now with your story...I think out of all the judges I can relate the most to it. I very, very deeply loved someone who I never...got the chance to be with. He rejected me, and broke my heart pretty badly. But its been something that’s stuck with me for so, so long that-”

“I didn’t want to.” Leon said.

“....Excuse me?” Spirit asked, before Leon shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

“Nevermind. Continue.” he muttered bitterly.

“...Right. Well, anyway Clover I’m giving your story a 10 out of 10 because of how I found myself relating to it! My overall opinion for your appeal is also going to be a 9 out of 10! This makes my total score for you 26! Excellent job, Clover! Please turn your attention to the screen for your full score!”

Total: 98 POINTS

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

Judging: Leon Delrosa

@invictarre​ Your judging is here!

“Hold on I need a minute-!” Leon has to turn away from the camera to wipe the tears pouring down his cheeks. Spirit raises an eyebrow at Leon,

“Leo, are you...crying for your own doubles performance?” Spirit asked.

“Yes! It was just- seeing him and his Charizard's bond makes me emotional!” Leon sobbed. “It reminds me so much of Me and Charcoal!”

“I’m sure it does since that’s another version of you, ya dingus.” Spirit rolled his eyes, reaching over to hand Leon a tissue. The action forced Piper to lean back in her seat so the Champion could stretch across her. “Now blow yer bloody nose before you snot all over the table.” Leon took the tissue, blowing into it before using his sleeve to wipe his tears.

“....So can I judge this?” Leon asked. “Cause it feels like it be bias. Is it bias if I judge this? Given that’s Leon and I am also Leon-”

“Leon as much as I would love to see you have an existential crisis over this. I rather get this finished so we can continue the showcase and the other you can have his score.” Raihan interjected, “So uhhhhh other Leon? Leon 2? How do I....”

“Just call him Mr. Delrosa, Raihan.” Spirit sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“That seems too formal though. I’m just going to go with Leon 2. Anyway its no mistake obviously we all like seeing your battles and shit. I think the thing you did with the mist was pretty cool to with the whole illusionary thing of you being a kid and Ms. Opal being hot-”

“RAIHAN!” Spirit shouted.

“What? She was when she was younger.” Raihan shrugged, Spirit reaching over and wacking him in the head. “Anyway, that was the thing that stuck out the most about the aesthetics side of your appeal. Everything else was just a little...meh. It wasn’t boring, but it wasn’t spectacular you know? So I’ll give your aesthetics a 7 out of 10. Though I think the story you told was pretty cool, you know all the subtle stuff about Galar’s toxic culture and how you’ve overcome it essentially-”

“Wait you actually picked up on that, Kibana?” Piper asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah Pipes. I’m not stupid.” Raihan rolled his eyes, “ANYWAY before I get interrupted again, my score for your story is an 8 out of 10. With my overall opinion of your appeal being an 8 out of 10. Its what I expected of my rival! And this makes my score for you a 23.” 

“Color me surprised, Raihan has some brains in his head.” Piper sighed. “So Mr. Delrosa, you appeal was rather stand out amongst the drabble I’ve been forced to witness here over the course of the showcase. I will give you that much. I also echo Raihan’s opinion that your visuals didn’t stand out like they could have. However, I believe I can appreciate what you and Ms. Opal did with the fae magic for your illusions much better than Raihan can. So I will reward your aesthetics with an 8 out of 10. However this is where my praises effectively stop.”

Spirit eyed Piper warily, wondering if he may have to silence her again.

“First off your story. We get it your as strong without gigantimaxing as you are with gigantimaxing. Its not exactly something new, or a great achievement. Frankly you’ve not even the first to reach such a feat. Piers has been battling without the phenomenon for years now and you don’t see him seeking out praise for it. Not to mention the fact your story looked as though you had slapped it together at the last minute during the appeal. For both your originality and lack of preparation, I’m giving you a 6 out of 10. This also reflects my overall opinion of your appeal, which I’m giving another 6 out of 10 with how uninspired it left me. This makes your total score from me a 20.”

“Spirit can we please mute her for the rest of this contest? I am tired of her negative attitude!” Leon said.

“Leon, no. I’ll stop her again if she gets too out of line, but I can’t just keep her silent for the entire thing.” Spirit said flatly. “Can you please just give your score. I want to finish sometime in this century.”

“If you wanted that maybe you should have picked a better fourth judge.” Leon said flatly. Spirit scowled at that,

“I didn’t pick her remember? Why the fuck are you being so hostile right now-”

“I apologize, Mr. Delrosa.” Leon said. “I won’t be distracted a moment longer from telling you how wonderful you did! Truly you have inspired me to be a better me! Though I do have to agree that perhaps the aesthetics of your appeal were a little lacking. Sometimes less is more, but in this case, I think the elements of battle and appeal could have been a little better blended. So for your aesthetics, I’ll give you a 7 out of 10! However I think the story you told was brilliant! I’m so proud to see how far you’ve come given...Galar and its League. Watching you and your charizard take down that Gigantimax Alcremie, how in sync you two were. It spoke volumes to me of what you’ve both been through. So your story absolutely deserves a 10 out of 10! My overall opinion for your appeal is also a 10 out of 10! I don’t think I could have done it better myself! This makes my total for you a 27!”

“Stupid fucking ‘unbeatable champion’ ass-” Spirit stopped for a moment, offering Delrosa a pleasant smile. “Sorry, Mr. Delrosa, I am obviously not referring to you. You are very pleasant. More pleasant than certain drama kings next to-”

“Drama king? I’M a DRAMA king?” Leon gasped. “How could you accuse me of-”

Spirit mutes Leon at this point. Eyebrow twitching as he looks ready to strange the chairman. “Watch yourself, Winchester. Anywho! So unlike everyone else I thought your aesthetics were simply to die for!  My only qualm is that you didn’t take the illusion aspect as far as you could have, but still I loved the use of fae magic, and I loved seeing you and Opal battle it out from when you were younger! I gotta say you were a cuter kid than Winchester over here! Overall I reward your aesthetics with a clean 9 out of 10. However, I do agree with Piper’s notion that your story was rather...slapped together I should say. I’m all for winging it, but really it all felt very...cliche. Though there’s so many of us in this timeline that battle without gigantimax anyway that I suppose it wouldn’t be that impactful hm? I’ll give your story a 6 out of 10. My overall opinion for your appeal though is still a 10 out 10 regardless! Excellent job Mr. Delrosa.”

“Their drama aside, you also have some bonuses Mr. Delrosa. It seems Spirit and Leon are like minded in one thing and both have award you 2 bonus points each for winning your battle. You also get that ridiculous making a judge cry bonus for another three points since Chairman Winchester over here sobbed like a baby. This gives you a total of 9 bonus points. Please turn your attention to the screen for your final score.”

Total: 104 POINTS

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

Judging: Lilith (For Reals This Time)

@rosengard3n​​ your re-judging is here!

″Okay but like damn a whole ass mew? I know that kind of fucked up the performance last time but if it was going to make things this good the last time, ya should have just kept going!” Raihan said. He wasn’t trying to be condescending but boy did he sound it.

″Raihan! You do realize people were likely supposed to not know that she had Mew right? Do you even comprehend how big of a deal that was?” Spirit raised an eyebrow,

“No Spirit I totallyyyyy didn’t get that part.” Raihan drawls on sarcastically. “Can you even judge this performance since you and Leon spent half of it arguing with eachother? Hm?” Spirit didn’t respond to that, making Raihan smirk.

“That’s what I thought. Anyway Lilith! Lets get this underway huh? First off I thought it was pretty cool to see all the battles that you had in the past against these uhhh....whoever they were? It kept my attention pretty well. Using moves to make other fake or acted out moves is pretty clever in my opinion. So for you’re aesthetics I’ll give you a 10 out of 10!  I’m not sure if I entirely understood the story you told to us I guess? It had something to do with battling a bunch of cool lookin people, and legendaries! So since I enjoyed that so much, I’ll give your story an 8 out of 10! Overall I really enjoyed your appeal, and wish I could have seen it in full the first time. Granted I don’t think you’d have had the cool Giratina shit at the end right? You get another 10 out of 10 for my overall opinion! This makes my total for you 28!”

“Of course you would find this entertaining, Raihan. I can’t say that I share your opinions, however. I suppose the mew was rather interesting to see, but otherwise this felt very basic. I mean going up again cults? Evil doers? It sounds like every other protagonist story I’ve ever heard. Honestly when it comes to me and Spirit I can’t see how we’d find this-”

Spirit snapped his fingers, and suddenly Piper stopped talking. In fact it seemed as though she couldn’t speak at all now, something sealing her jaw shut.

“Write your score down Piper. I am so tired of hearing your fucking mouth right now.” he said flatly. Piper scowled, before picking up her notepad and doing as she was told and handing it over to Spirit.

“Aesthetics {7/10}, Story Told {6/10}, Overall Opinion {7/10} Total: 20″ Spirit reads off the notepad before smiling at Lilith.

“Sorry sweetie, trying to keep her mouth under control!” he said.

“Thank you Spirit! About time you did something about her mouth.” Leon laughed.

Spirit was about to respond but Leon kept on before Spirit could come at him for that comment. “Anyway Lilith, I absolutely loved your appeal!! I love the fact you practically did a battle appeal, without actually doing a battle appeal. It was very clever, and let you explore more in terms of your aesthetics, and perfectly tailor your story to what you needed! So for this I decided that I’m giving you a perfect score!”

“Alright its my turn now!” Spirit said, “I really enjoyed what you did for the scenery and everything for your appeal but admittedly I started to get a little overwhelmed trying to keep up with everything. Plus the fake moves made it a little difficult to calculate for your bonuses so I felt like I couldn’t pay proper attention to your appeal. So while I thought they looked good, I’m giving your aesthetics 6 out of 10. The story you told though was still good! I wish I could say I relate to the stopping violent cults aespect but...” he trailed off. “Either way I’m giving your story a 10 out of 10! My overall opinion of your appeal is an 8 out of 10 as well! This makes my total from you a 24!”

“We also have a bonus to award you Lilith! You get +10 bonus points for dynamaxing your mew! Now please turn your attention to the screen for your full score!” 

Total: 112 POINTS

[thegalarianstarshowcase]

Judging: Diantha

@diamontha​ your judging is here!!!

“I admit....that was unexpected,” Piper said as she straightened in her seat. She could feel tears running down her cheeks again, something about this appeal striking her particularly hard. The other judges sat in uncomfortable silence as a sob ripped its way out of Piper’s throat. Spirit reached over, awkwardly patting her back,

“You okay, Pips?” he asked, an almost condescending tone in his voice.

“I’m fine! And don’t call me something so embarrassing while we’re live!” she hissed at him, shoving his hand away from her.

“Right well if you’re done...I’d like to get on with my judging ya’ll. You know the thing we’re supposed to be doing that we haven’t gotten to for like a fucking week now. Alright so Diantha, your performance was really...personal. I didn’t think Kalos fairy champ had so much uhhh...” how does he say this without sounding like an asshole? “Baggage. It was a well done performance i think, and a good battle with Opal. Admittedly though I thought it was kind of slow, but I guess that was the point?”

“Get on with it Raihan.” Spirit snaps suddenly. Causing Leon to give him an odd look.

“Right well, for your aesthetics I’ll give them a 7 out of 10. They were nice to look at but not really my style you know? Kinda dragged the fight down for me as well...but the story you told was pretty personal. You put a lot of heart into that which I can appreciate! So for that I’ll give you an 8 out of 10. Overall my opinion for your appeal gets another 8 out of 10. So my total score for you is 23.”

“Alright. Alright I’m fine now. That gut punch was unexpected but manageable.” Piper is still wiping the tears from her eyes, but she looks almost...joyed. Even with the sensitive spot that appeal had hit for her.

“Now for your aesthetics. I thought they were cliche, to say the least. The whispers, the mist, It was all very...basic. Basic in a way I didn’t expect from Kalos’ champion. I don’t feel you needed half of what you used. So for your aesthetics I will give you a 6 out of 10. The story you told however is what really reached out to me. It was something from my own personal experience. My mother died giving birth to me as well and...” she trails off again.

“I’m...glad to see you not letting it rule your life anymore. You can’t control something that happened when you were a baby. I do not appreciate crying, however. So I’m giving your story a 9 out of 10. My overall opinion of your performance is a 10 out 10 as well. This makes my total for you a 25. Excellent job, Diantha.”

“Diantha! I really must commend you for an amazing performance and an amazing battle! Honestly, ma’am, its spectacular! I adored every second of your appeal. Thank you so much for joining the GSS. I think you did an excellent job piecing your aesthetics together cohesively into your battle! It was excellently done! Though admittedly, I feel like I missed some critical moments as my attention was pulled between your excellent battle and the story you were forming behind it. So I will give your aesthetics an 8 out of 10! The story of your growth was wonderful to see unfold. Seeing how you had to grow and change as a person through simply how your life started...I just have to give your story a 10 out of 10! And of course my overall opinion of your appeal is a 10 out of 10! Truly you earned your spot as Kalos’ champion. This makes my total for you 28!”

“Diantha, there is a reason why I respect you so much as a fellow fairy type user. This proves exactly why! Honestly you’ve been quite the...inspiration to me.” Spirit takes a moment. It seems he hardly has the energy he did before his little...trip. He clears his throat and shakes his head. “Ah...well I could sit here all day lathering on praise after praise but I’m sure you’re eager for your score. I thought the figures and story hidden in the fog was an excellent idea, and I adored your music choice! So your aesthetics I will be rewarding a 9 out of 10! I am...sorry for your loss hearing the story that you shared...but any story that can make Piper cry is worth a 10 out of 10 in my book! Overall, ma’am, I was delighted to witness your appeal, and I’ve been even more delighted to have you participate in my showcase! My overall opinion is a 10 out 10! This makes your total from me a 29!”

“...Our showcase,” Leon mumbled, crossing his arms.

“What was that Leon?” Spirit blinked, turning his gaze towards him.

“Its our showcase, I mean we’ve been running it together-”

“Ah no no. We’re not doing this at the judges table, I absolutely refuse to get into an argument with you about this.” Spirit said flatly. “...But even then its my showcase because I’ve been doing most of the heavy lifting you’ve just been throwing in random ideas when you’ve felt the urge-”

“Oh hey yeah Diantha you get some bonuses to!” Raihan interjects quickly while Spirit and Leon continue their argument in hushed whispers. “You get +10 for Dynamaxing your Empoleon, +10 for six moved used on each pokemon, and +5 for making Piper cry! Nice job, that last bonus is fucking hard to get given Piper’s got a heart of stone. You also get a +2 from Piper and Leon for winning your battle! This makes your bonus point total 29! Take a look at the screen for your complete score!”

Total: 134 POINTS

[invictarre-archive]

Leon’s Appeal for the Galarian Stars Showcase  /  @thegalarianstarshowcase

LEON. Mr. Rime : Icy Wind (x2), Ice Beam Aegislash : King’s Shield, Sacred Sword, Psycho Cut, Iron Head Charizard : Earthquake, Flamethrower, Inferno, Rest

OPAL (CHOSEN OPPONENT). Weezing : Sludge, Fairy Wind, Tackle, Strange Steam Mawile : Draining Kiss, Crunch (x2), Iron Defense Alcremie : Mystical Fire, Acid Armor, Magical Leaf, G-Max Finale

MUSIC. Battlefield - Rival Arrival from 7th Dragon 2020

What counts as a ‘new beginning’? Leon had puzzled over that question for a while, considering everything that had happened to him in the past two decades and picking out the most substantial points. 

Winning and losing the Championship was obvious. Too obvious, considering there was a version of himself sitting on the judging panel. It would no doubt be what was expected of him, since even here the name ‘Leon’ was synonymous with the ten-year Undefeated Champion, but he was more imaginative than that.

The Darkest Day and its impact on him as a person would certainly provide a lot of room for creativity… but was he really ready to unpack it all so publicly? There were very few people in his own life who were privy to the details of his therapy and what he was currently facing, so he didn’t really want to spend his time here bearing his soul to an audience he neither knew nor trusted. Besides, if the Eternatus attack had happened here the way it had happened in his own timeline, it would be cruel to risk dragging up the judges’ own experiences with that trauma.

…Well, no matter. He’ll figure out a meaning as he goes, if he has to. There was no more time to waste.

Keep reading

[grifftrolls]

GSS Appeal 3/3 Talon -sweet dreams are made of this

Was he nervous? Yes and no, he used to perform with Piers, but everyone else put up a much better display… 

Heck, the chick in first place used some fancy schmancy tech from her home region, which seemed…unfair sort of? Sure it wasn’t against the rules but he had the impression they had to use what was available here. Well, whatever, he wasn’t doing this to win, he was here to share the story he had been hiding so long. The story of how he had been manipulated and used for years. He may not have some fancy-ass technology but raw storytelling could be just as and maybe even more impressive. Plus Spirit helped him practice, what could go wrong? 

He was wearing a grey hood and cloak, made to resemble his old team Plasma uniform, hair tied back in a ponytail to make it seem shorter. The music started as he walked onto the stage, it was somber, by his side he had an Axew and a Deino, they were to represent his two ace pokemon in their younger years much like he was doing.

[Emily Browning sweet dreams are made of this 00:00-01:44]

“Sweet dreams are made of these, who am I to disagree? Traveled the world and the seven seas, everybody’s looking for something. Some of them want to use you, some of them want to abuse you, some of them want to be abused”  His movements were slow, deliberately, his pokemon moved slowly as well, they weren’t allowed to use any moves as not to exceed the limit so they had to rely purely on body language. He had done his best to get across the years of brainwashing and manipulation both done to him by Ghetis and by his ex. Clutching their heads as if someone was screaming at them, falling to their knees, and lowered themselves to the floor. [Sweet dreams are made of this- Eurythmics 01:33 -2:05] as the music kicked into a more upbeat tone he got up and threw off the cloak, revealing a much more colorful outfit. and undid his hair, the axew, and deino quickly moved away as a smokescreen of his sallazle Venom covered their exit, Biter and Chomper replaced their pre-evolutions, Venom joined as did his Dracovish flathead and flygon Speedy. “Sweet dreams are made of these, who am I to disagree? Traveled the world and the seven seas, everybody’s looking for something. Some of them want to use you, some of them want to abuse you, some of them want to be abused” This time their dance moves were faster, freer, signifying he had thrown away the shackles that kept him down, he was free. His pokemon were free! Venom signified their happiness by releasing a sweet scent, Biter used tailwind to spread the scent around. [Sweet dreams are made of these - Joseph william morgan feat Shadow Royale 1:26 - 2:47] Speedy used a boom burst to make his voice echo out throughout the stadium. Chomper and Biter used incinerate while Speedy added a fire spin to make the flames go much higher. Flathead spat a liquidation covering the stage in steam, as the music slowed again. “Keep your head up, moving on, keep your head up moving on!” Speedy, Biter and Chomper all used a combined dragon dance, purple energy swirling around the stage, Venom threw a sunny day into the mix and Flathead a brine, combined the moves caused a rainbow to appear. Talon sang the tone of his voice loud and brave, as if telling the stadium he would make it trough whatever was thrown his way, and he would! Sweet dreams are made of these, who am I to disagree? Traveled the world and the seven seas, everybody’s looking for something”  “Sweet dreams are made of this!”

Now for the finale! He quickly pulled out a master ball, briefly holding it up to show to the audience. Talon threw up the master ball, it popped open, Cerati flared out his wings, the stage visibly shook as the ice dragon came down with a heavy thud. Craning his neck he fired off an ice beam into the air, causing the water to turn into snow. Scales glittering in the light of Venom’s sunny day. 

“Sweet dreams are, Sweet dreams!” Talon sang the final lyrics of the song and the music faded out, he panted softly, he did it. He really did it.