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 Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:16 pm
Marshmellow was back to her lazy pose, thinking over what to give this act. Finally, she spoke. "Well...the pachirisu's appearance is quite cute..." After this, the coordinator looked up at the ceiling, still thinking over her next comment.
"The stand was pretty nice and how it was lit up with an attack. The dancing and the fireworks? Not too much to my liking, but it does get some points for creativity." Her finger hovered over the button that would decide Kira's score. "The ending needs some work though. All good endings require both the participation of the co-ordinator being in synch. Sure, the two were in tune with attack commands, but not with much else. The ending is a key part of an act and I can't say I was too pleased with it." And with that final piece of advice being said, Marshmellow pressed the button.
A seven point five flashed onto her screen.
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:29 pm
Luna sent off another command to the backstage crew to bring out the third contestant before directing her attention to the main screen. Twenty-five points.
"Kira has earned a total of twenty-five points, just three points higher then Lenne!" Luna said to the crowd who also clapped enthusiastically at the pachirisu's performance. "And next up is contestant number three, Lamen T-" Luna stopped at the T, having NO clue how to pronounce Lamen's last name. They really needed to provide a pronounciation guide with the notecards she recieved. "Lamen and her swablu, Era!" The curtains began to open.
Now it was time to see if Lamen could surpass Kira's record of 25 points. Luna secretly wondered if anyone would get a perfect score...but it was quite unlikely. Pleasing ALL of the judges was a hard thing to do.
---
The participants backstage went silent as the speaker clicked on once again. They did not want to miss any announcement in case it concerned any of them. "Contestant number three, please report to the stage. Contestant number three, please report to the stage."
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:54 pm
In the dark passageway that lead to the stage, a young trainer, clad in a casual hoodie, t-shirt and shorts, awaited her entry. She watched with anticipation and intrigue as the previous trainers choreographed amazing displays with their pokemon- first a shower of fine shimmering dust, and then an electric dance upon a sheet of light. They were very creative… although the girl had carefully planned her own performance, she could not help but grin in the face of the competition. It was far more formidable that what she would have expected… but she liked challenge.
Cooing softly besides her was a Swablu, lent to her by another trainer, for she had no pokemon of her own. She was glad to see that the bird pokemon- Era was her name- seemed to have calmed down from her initial nervousness. Her trainer had told Lamen that the Swablu had been abused, and found trusting people to be a difficult task- but they had not run into any trouble, as the newbie trainer was not one to force herself upon others. However, she was quite motivated by pokemon contests of any sort- after all, she was on this continent for the sole purpose of gaining as many experiences with them as she could. Perhaps she would even win- the ridiculous thought of which made her chuckle.
Finally, she heard her name. Well, half of it, anyways- but it was good enough. “Era… are you ready? We’re going in.” She spoke calmly, which reassured the Swablu. They had practiced this, and knew the routine by heart. “Alright then, beauty. Return!”
After a brief flash of red light filled the entrance, the trainer strode in slowly, walking a straight line. When she reached the center, Lamen withdrew her hands from the pockets of her hoodie, holding a pokeball. The commands of her performance were not to be spoken out loud- rather than that, they had planned signals, for Lamen found shouting to be disruptive to the show. With a smile, the solitary trainer swung her arm in a fluid motion- and the ball flew upwards, directly towards the sun. The crowd who looked up after the pokemon would see nothing but wavering light, until something sparkled up ahead and the clouds darkened, bringing down the rain at the same speed as Era was diving. And when the rain first hit the stage with a definitive CLAP, the bird , beads of water falling off her immaculate feathers in a Rain Dance, swung upwards from the ground with minute precision.
The show had begun. (And Lamen’s hood was up, obviously; for the rain attack’s area was carefully limited the stage, and there she was the only one in danger of getting wet.)
In a smooth motion, the Swablu carried her entry into a looping flight. Her large, dizzying circles drew angled spirals in the air, and her wings would appear to flash momentarily at regular intervals, marked by a high-pitched signal from Lamen. It meant Mirror Move. Finally the bird’s circles stopped and she was in the middle, where she stopped for the first time since the performance started and hovered in place, waiting. The trainer below grinned, and gave a nod of her head.
Everything was going as planned.
That was the sign! Era opened her beak, and with a powerful burst from her small lungs, a brisk wave of exploding droplets spread out from her in every direction. But that’s not what the spectators saw. While the mystic sound created by a Dragon Pulse, almost like some ancient melody, resonated in their minds, the strategically placed mirrors onstage showed geometrical shapes that changed and expanded dramatically. It was like a glass flower, constantly shifting- waves of water were made into art as Era continued her “song”, launching Dragon Pulses in different directions to achieve different effects. Finally, the Mirror Moves were fading… and Lamen looked up to the sky.
Sunny Day. “Bluuuu!” The Swablu cried, while she launched herself upwards, soaring towards the rainclouds she had brought- and strong rays of light pierced them, shining off the water that still had not fallen, making each drop as bright as the sun itself. It was as if they were still for a moment, and then… it was time for the last of the rain to go, but not without a bang. Radiant, Era dove downwards once again, clenching her wings tight to her body to maximize speed- and just as she heard the final signal, she let out another powerful cry. The last dragon pulse broke the last rain around her, creating a globe of light around her as the water was pushed away together- and as it fell, layer by layer of joined liquid, it resembled the illuminated petals of a rose, blooming. It splashed against the ground with a clap even louder than that of the performance’s beginning, and... it had ended. Era flew to Lamen’s arm joyfully, and the trainer bowed, exiting the stage.
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:25 pm
If she had been amazed by the second performance, the pink haired nurse was utterly speechless come the end of Lamen's performance. So entranced, she almost forgot that the performance had ended and she found herself trying to politely place a hand over her gaping mouth. Where in the world to begin?
"I'd like to begin by saying that you and your swablu are very close indeed to be able to use simple signals, be it hand signals or vocal signals and have everything executed so perfectly. I'm amazed at how well you work together, the partnership between you both is just beautiful." And now it was time to get down to business.
"I must say I was very surprised to see dragon pulse used in such a way, the addition of the mirrors via mirror move certainly helped to create a wonderful visual effect to the vocal aspect. I was blinded by both her entry and the final move, and to be honest I can't think of a single bad thing to say about this. Perhaps you should think about joining contests more often." With a push of a button, she gave her score. A perfect ten.
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:37 pm
Concentrating on the next act, the scientist's eyes follow the act with a high interest. Even he could appreciate that it had been beautiful.
"The beautiful rain
Sparkling and glimmering
Makes my clothes wet too"
He rubbed his hands on his hair, trying to fluff up the wet hair. "Umbrellas should come with the judging job...." Giving up, he pressed the button, reveling his score for the act. Nine.
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:48 pm
Marshmellow had, thankfully, not gotten wet by the whole act. She was actually pretty impressed by it. The coordinator was grinning by the time the act ended. It was unique, and overall more impressive than the last two entries in her opinion.
"Well, Lamen definately gets points for her signals. It shows that you've practiced at least and it's a nice touch if used correctly. I've seen it used better, but...your style was decent I guess." Marshmellow gave a small shrug. "Swablu's moves were used pretty nicely, especially the discreet mirror move attacks. It was entertaining." The coordinator pressed the button to display the score she had given to the act.
A nine flashed onto her screen.
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 6:02 pm
"And Lamen sets a new record with 28 points!" Luna announced, the main screen flashing Lamen's face next to her score right after Luna started to speak. The crowd cheered louder than before, the acts were getting better and better. Would the next one meet the challenge?
On stage, workers rushed to quickly clean up the mess from the raindance attack. The sunny day attack was a great help in drying the stage quickly. Meanwhile, Luna continued her job as announcer. "Our next contestant is Nay-nay Hunter with her umbreon, Victor. Will they be able to top Lamen's score of twenty-eight points or will the two fall behind? Well, let's find out!"
The curtains began to open once again.
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 8:17 pm
Nay-Nay could not be more nervous then she could ever be. This was her first contest, but she was sure she could pull off a smooth performance at least. Today really wasn't about winning it was about having fun with Victor and testing her and her pokemon's abilities.
Nay-Nay wore a dark outfit, like a half tux, but a skirt instead of pants. Everything was black save for blue accessories of the following: Round earrings like the marking on Umberon's forehead with moons on the inside of them, bracelets with small star bells on them, and boot rings with the same bells on them.
When Nay's number was called she walked into the spotlight. Silence dominated the room save for the tinkling sound her jewelry made. A rather boring looking entrance and yet, Victor had yet to be seen. Nay shot her hands into the air and with the loud ring of her bracelets the spotlight cut off as practiced in the run through earlier with the lighting crew. In the dark her jewelry glowed.
"I once feared the darkness, but in the dark I found a friend to light my path."
There was a flash of light and orange eyes and blue glowing stripes now light the darkness beside Nay. It moved slightly revealing that Victor also had the same bangles as Nay.
"Do you fear the darkness? Then Let my friend and I light your way."
Nay made a motion with her right hand, followed by another with her left.
Beside her the lights of the Umbreon disappeared flashing about the stage. The sound of Victor's bangles would have let an experienced trainer know that he was using Faint Attack. It went on for a moment lighting people's faces as the light moved past, before it vanished suddenly.
"Breeeeeeee!!!!." Victor's cry carried through the room. Suddenly there was a flash of pale light as a Moon seemed to appear inside the building. This of course with the Victor's moonlight move.
The light revealed a dressed up Victor perched on Nay's shoulder. Nay seemed fine with the weight despite Victor's size. But this act was still not finished.
"May the darkness dazzle you as it has me."
Nay reached into her tux and pulled out a rather large pouch which had been hidden behind her. In a swift movement she scatter piles of something on the floor and bent as though she were about to pick it up. It was obvious Victor knew what to do. He jumped up her bent back and twirled into the moon light. His silhouette shadow casted across the audience before he let out another call.
"Breeeeeeeeee!!!"
The stuff on the ground began to swirl, suddenly making a glittering sand storm around Nay, almost blocking her from view. As Victor fell into the sandstorm the moon light shone bright upon the glitter that swirled about the stage. It seemed as though a giant disco ball had been brought into the room.
"Bree bree!!!" Victor's voice sounded, with it the sandstorm collected before them, then blasted above the crowds head. Left to flutter gently among them as the moonlight dimmed and the spotlight grew. There in the middled of the stage was Nay now in a reversed white tux, in a humble bow. Victor perched a top her also in a bow. They seemed to eye the crowd and judges nervous of what the reaction might be. If nothing else she knew she was proud of Victor.
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 8:46 pm
When the lights went out, Nurse Joy found herself confused, wondering if maybe a short or something had happened. Only to find out it was part of the act. It certainly made the entrance one of the best she'd seen. By the time it was over, she found herself having enjoyed the performance but wondered if she could have done more with the addition of a fourth move.
"I have to say you had one of the best entrances so far, had me on the edge of my seat when the lights went out. And your use of words instead of commands was charming, almost as if you were telling a story. It certainly helps to quell the fear of the dark." However...
"I want to say it seemed almost lacking though, as if you could have done more with the addition of a fourth move. But at the same time it seems that a fourth move may have been too much to the spell you cast with your performance... Perhaps try to make it last a bit longer? I certainly would have loved to have seen more." Pressing the button, she revealed a six point five as her score.
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 10:15 pm
"Once again, yay for random objects in my hair." Marshmellow said sarcastically, trying to brush the sand off of herself. Sure it made a beautiful effect, but trainers really needed to make up a way so that the audiencce would not recieve pollen or sand or whatever else they throw stuck in their hair.
"Well...there was a bit too much attention on the trainer." Marshmellow commented, a bit more serious now. "An act should not have that much trainer participation...Sounded like some weird gypsy thing." The co-ordinator added, letting out a small snort. But overall, it was decent. Not too horrendous...but still lacking in the pokemon contest field.
A seven appeared on her screen.
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 5:24 pm
Professor Oak watched with some amusement ever since the lights went out.
He finally dusted off his hair and clothes when the act ended. "Glitter, glitter, everywhere, oh when will it end." He gave a muffle chuckled.
"I liked the interaction between pokemon and trainer but it did seem that you were by far too involve in the whole act. The end was slightly weak but over all the whole act was decent."
The score flashed six point five.
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:43 pm
"And NayNay ends up with a total score of 20!"
The screen overhead displayed the number 20 next to a picture of NayNay. It seemed she was in last place now, perhaps an act away from being cut out. The screen zoomed out to display the scores of all the contestants that had gone. Lamen was on the top of the list with her score of 28 points followed by Kira and Lenne with NayNay at the bottom.
The next act would determine if NayNay would be cut off the final four or not, although the chances did seem likely. There WAS still seven participants left.
"Now coming to dazzle us is the officer Piney and her absol, Twilight!"
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:28 pm
Being in the middle of the lineup was unnerving. The officer stroked her Absol’s fur, watching the other participants perform in front of the judges and audience. She smiled when her Swablu that she lent to someone got an exceptional score, but that would mean she would have to do better than that now.
Her name was called. Piney beckoned her Pokemon to come with her, heart thumping faster now. This wasn’t her first time in a contest, but this moment always made her nervous. It should get easier as their act went on, hopefully.
To the surprise of the people backstage, she commanded Twilight to stay behind and walked out by herself. Piney had tortured herself for this occasion by wearing a long, lavender kimono that flowed behind her like water as she moved. The time she spent preparing her outfit convinced her to never again wear this, even if she was aiming to score a nice effect on the judges.
Grabbing the microphone and making sure it was functional, her voice was slow and melodious as she began.
“There once was a girl that was proud.”
Piney was slightly upset that the person before her had a story idea, but there was nothing she could do about it.
“She believed that she was the greatest being alive, and that even the gods feared her.” Piney continued. She started walking around with graceful swoops and turns.
“She cried out to the sky, ‘I am powerful! I will prevail through anything you dare throw my way, with such strength that everyone will weep before!”
A pause. When she began again, her words were softer, and more mournful.
“The gods heard this, of course, and did not hesitate to strike the girl down.”
Piney slumped down at the center of the stage, being careful to not get her kimono dirty. Brushing some hair aside, she spoke again, the volume barely rising above a whisper.
“She was alone. No one would talk to her, for fear of the gods’ punishment. And that’s when it started. ”
She set the microphone down on her lap, refusing to speak anymore. This was her Pokemon’s time to shine now.
A creepy sounding song began to resonate in the large room. Brushing her hair back was a signal for the Absol to start singing. Or more precisely, use Perish Song.
Piney closed her eyes and sighed, trying to appear as the girl from the story. She was glad that Twilight’s move wouldn’t cause everyone to faint, like it ordinarily would have. But daring to glance up, she was pleased to see that the melody had its effect. No one in the audience was smiling. Some people were tearing up. It almost sucked away everyone’s happiness, but hopefully it won’t take away from the performance yet to come.
She felt that the song has gone on long enough. It was time to start the real action. Her hands crept back to her hair, another brushing telling Twilight to use the next move.
Some snowflakes started to drift onto the stage, blown by an invisible force. They glittered in the spotlight, like they were made of diamond instead of ice, but they melted as soon as they touched the ground.
More and more snow steadily glided around the motionless human and even into the audience. The Perish song still was being played, but it was hushed so everyone could marvel at the shining specks. Piney knew that using two moves at the same time took a lot of concentration, and she hoped that Twilight didn’t need to enchant the onlookers with her requiem as the show went on.
The stream of flakes has grown into a full scale blizzard in a matter of minutes. She figured that Luna’s sister wouldn’t be pleased with more stuff in her hair, especially since they were freezing to the touch. Piney was having a hard time not to curl up into the ball from being in the middle of the snowstorm.
But at the same time, she was marveling Twilight’s creation of ice and wind. With no opponent ready to attack her, the Absol was about to micromanage each burst of gust. Even if she couldn’t see it from the judge’s point of view, she could imagine the shapes and images that she had woven into the storm. This was supposed to be a divine punishment after all, so she had given her Pokemon free reign as to how this spectacle would be painted.
As the Perish song died down so she could focus on the blizzard, Piney decided to commence the finale.
She picked up her head and glanced around, as if seeing something that the spectators couldn’t. That was another cue for Twilight to reveal herself onstage, though not as herself quite yet.
A cluster of ghostly fire, tinged with blue and purple, approached the shivering girl. Ripples of murmurs came from the audience, wondering what that was. Piney hid a smile, and stared at the wisps intently, as if hypnotized.
When they came close enough, she stroked something that was in the center of the flames. Slowly, the invisibility caused by the Faint attack dissipated, leaving behind an Absol that was still surrounded by her Will-o-wisps. Even with Twilight in plain sight, her pale coat blended in with the raging snowstorm. The balls of fire combined with that illusion would make someone think that the Pokemon was either a kind spirit sent to rescue her, or an entity from the gods to finish the girl once and for all.
Piney didn’t seem to care. She wrapped her arms around Twilight, not being harmed by the flames.
As soon as she hugged her, the blizzard roared and turned its focus to the two beings in the center. It became a tornado of ice, vicious yet mystifying. The whirling snow made it difficult for everyone to see the girl and the Absol in the center, and everyone leaned forward in anticipation as to what would happen to them.
The snowstorm continued to accumulate speed, picking up the Will-o-wisps and hurling them towards the ceiling. They became part of beautiful storm that convinced outsiders that this was accomplished only by the vengeful gods.
And then suddenly, the funnel imploded, revealing Piney and Twilight standing up and smiling. As the flames vanished and the snow melted, they bowed to the applause and cheer.
The force of nature is a deadly thing to reckon with.
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Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 9:42 pm
As the trainer came out alone, the professor raised an eyebrow, surprise slightly about it.
"It was an interesting use of moves, thought it didn't really grab my attention entirely..."
The score lit up with a seven.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 2:09 pm
Nurse Joy had to frown, such a shame that the use of stories had been used twice in a row... Then again there was no telling what the trainers had planned until it happened. "A shame that the use of storytelling was used twice, but there's no telling how many more people will do the same, hm? I suppose I can't fault you for your ideas."
Smiling fondly, the nurse watched them a bit more. "I feel there was a bit too much focus on the trainer, but for story purposes it worked out well. And the concentration it took for two moves to be used at once was a pleasant surprise. It's easy to see you and your pokemon are very close, especially with the use of signals and not commands." It was becoming a frequent use of communication, though... Pressing the button, she kept a smile as the score appeared. Seven point five.
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