Arissa stood just offstage, trying not to fidget. This was their second contest and Kishin had done beautifully at their first, but this one was a whole new challenge and the Coordinator was nervous all over again. Kishin, on the other hand, was quite calm and kept ducking her head under her wing to cuddle something that was tucked there. She knew her performance, and she couldn’t wait to show it. Finally they were announced, and Kishin headed confidently off onto the stage, with Arissa following. But Arissa only walked out a short distance before stopping, letting Kishin continue on alone. This was all up to the pokemon, she would not be getting any direction during the performance.
Kishin neared the glass-and-water rings at the center of the stage, then slowed to a stop as she curled her head down to nuzzle the thing under her wing again. She cooed as she pulled it out, clasping it in the claws at the front of her wings and holding it in front of her, allowing everyone to see it was a plush Torchic. She cooed and nuzzled it again, then began to sing a gentle song. She swayed and twirled with the chick as if dancing, then as the song began to repeat she leaped towards the center of the stage. As she left the ground she seemed to split into two Kishins, both instances of her Double Team landing at the edge of the outermost circle. Both continued to sing to the plush that each held, with the repeating melody becoming a Round. They continued to twirl and sway with their chicks, and as the music repeated they hopped again, with two new Kishins landing to either side of the circle. The music developed new harmonies, which deepened and gained a choral sound as more and more Kishins joined the first. Before long there was a ring of them completely surrounding the center of the stage.
Then they paused, all turning to face inward as their song wound down to a single note that they all held for a few beats. After a moment, one hopped across the glass rings to the center, nuzzled her chick once more and gently placed it down before turning and hopping back. As she reached the center, the Kishin to the right of where the first had been standing moved forward as well to repeat the action. Each Archeops in turn jumped in to do the same, creating a rippling motion that flowed inward and back, with their song rising and ebbing to match. Then when the final Kishin set her chick down, one version of her hopped away while a new version split off and crouched down to gather the chicks close beneath her wings.
The center Kishin lifted her voice to sing to them, a lullaby that was harmonized by the surrounding ring of Archeopses. But the song of those surrounding modulated into something deeper and more ominous as they all raised their wings. They began to flap, the motion of their wings sending a wind inward towards the center. At first it was just enough to lightly ruffle the feathers of the center Kishin, who continued singing her lullaby as if unaware. But they flapped harder and harder until the wind began to tug at the wings that were cradling the chicks, the Archeops’ song rising as the wind picked up. Now Kishin’s lullaby faltered and her song became concerned. She huddled down closer, trying to gather all her chicks closer and shield them. But the wind grew ever stronger, swirling around Kishin and the chicks and growing faster until the Tailwind coming from all directions had become a whirlwind.
Despite all Kishin’s efforts, the wind blew her wings aside and tugged the chicks tugged away to be carried swiftly up into the vortex. Kishin’s song became a wail of worry as she tried to snatch them back, but they only slipped from her grip. The surrounding song, already loud and tense, added high, peeping cries like those of frightened chicks.
The whirlwind widened past the edges of the centermost circle and dipped down into water, drawing some of it up into the wind. Some of the water swirled through the whirlwind, making it darker and heavier while some of it was flung outward in fat droplets resembling rain. A few of the surrounding Archeopses released small Dragon Pulses that lit up the waterspout like flashes of lightning, accompanied by loud, rumbling song like crashing thunder. Kishin flew up, singing a worried lament as she tried to grab hold of the chicks, but she was rebuked by the wind and rain. Again and again she tried, but she was unable to get close to her chicks.
After a while Kishin stopped and hovered outside the twister, watching it intently but unable to approach. She was visibly weary; her song grew faint from exhaustion and her wingbeats slowed, sending her drooping toward the ground. Then she looked down and noticed the ring of pokemon causing the storm. Her expression grew outraged, then angry as her song found new strength. Her wings beat more vigorously and she began to glow as her song gathered in volume and intensity, rising to a crescendo. The glow grew brighter until she shone with the force of a miniature sun, clearly visible to all despite the wind and rain. Then with a piercing, furious screech she released a massive Dragon Pulse that blasted outward, instantly scattering the wind and water and vaporizing the pokemon who would dare to torment her chicks. However, the sudden dispersal of the wind sent the chicks flying through the air in all directions as well.
Kishin looked up, her song growing worried again. But a scant moment later the determined expression returned. With a trumpeting call like a cavalry charge, she shot upward. Her song became a chorus of trumpets as she split into a multitude again, each Kishin flying off toward a wayward chick. Each one sang a high note of triumph as she scooped a chick out of the air to be cradled safely in her feet. The Kishins begin to twirl and swoop through the air with their recovered youngsters, mimicking the earlier dance on the ground. The aerial dance swirled in a clockwise motion as the Kishins spiraled in towards the center circle. One gently set her chick down on the center of the stage before crouching down to brood over the little one. Then each Kishin spiraled down to land in the exact same spot. As they reached the first they all melted into one, their forms and song fading away until all that was left was a single Kishin singing a lullaby to her chick.
The lone Kishin sang her lullaby to its conclusion. Then she picked up the chick in her wing-claws and nuzzled it one last time before tucking it under her wing. As the audience began to applaud, she bowed to them all before turning to exit the stage.
