This was Dreidyn’s second contest in Zatao, and even though she lost the first one, it didn’t deter her from striving towards another spectacular show. In fact, the loss gave her the drive to do even better than last time. And this time, she will be showing off the marvelous talent of her Volcarona, who was much more experienced and powerful than the baby Cactus.
That talent came with a price however. Volcaronas had a very standard moveset when it came to contesting. Fiery Dance, Quiver Dance, all those beautiful moves that would tempt any newbie coordinator to give them a shot. But routines based on them would be very predictable, although beautiful. At least to Dreidyn. She wanted something more exciting! She wanted to show the audience that Hyacinth was not just another beautiful, dancing butterfly with flames for wings!
She just hoped that her push for originality wasn’t going to be the end of her and Hyacinth though. As she stepped out onto the stage, the light that streamed through the glass walls bounced off the prismatic scales of the Volcarona and Dreidyn’s dress. Her outfit for this contest was adorned with bright colors with a shiny sheen to catch the sunlight. And instead of the usual flounce, the fabric clung to her legs as she greeted the audience. Dreidyn did not want a puffy dress for this appeal, as it would become very inconvenient once her routine started.
“Show them that you rock, girl!” She whispered to Hyacinth. After introducing themselves, the audience broke out in applause and Dreidyn hurriedly left the stage so that the Volcarona could begin her magic.
Hyacinth hovered in the air for a moment, allowing time for the noise to die down. It didn’t even look like she was going to do anything after the applause ended, although that changed very quickly. The stroke of her wingbeats grew larger, until the tips of the wings almost touched every time she flapped them. The wingbeats were slow and gradual, but only for a moment, and soon her rainbow colored wings transformed into a multi-hued blur as Hyacinth began flying around the stage in swift movements. A powerful wind was being created by her motions, as some audience members could tell by their rustling hair and clothing. Hyacinth then crafted the wind into a tornado that she launched forward with a flick of her wing. The tornado flew towards the part of the floor that was exposed to the lake below the stage and turbulent water was being sucked up the vortex. The Gust did not last long without Hyacinth’s contribution though, and the water fell back through the floor with a great splash. The audience did not seem to notice the end of the first spout, as she conjured another Gust to draw up water at the opposite end of the stage. And another. And another. Each tornado varied in strength and size so that sometimes water shot up towards the ceiling while sometimes it only peeked through the floor before dissipating. Some Gusts lasted for a long time and were easily seen while others only lasted for a second. The water spouts surrounded Hyacinth like bars in a cage as she continued to conduct an ever-changing display of wind and water.
Soon, she stopped creating new Gusts and just maintained the three large ones in front of her, fueling them with furious flaps of her wings. The lake water created a shimmering but violent, fluid wall, and the rainbow colors of its maker could be barely seen through it. With one final Gust, she pushed the wall forward so that it would collapse over her like a tidal wave. The audience gasped as surely the fire Pokémon would meet her end at the watery force that she had created.
But Hyacinth’s body suddenly burst into flames so bright that the light pierced through the wave. She wasted no time in shooting a beam of fire that wrapped around the water like a blazing ribbon. The fiery ribbon then became a vortex that brought the water up and up, away from Hyacinth. The liquid was evaporating under the intense heat and so when the Fire Spin reached the top of the glass pyramid, there was nothing inside the flaming tornado except for steam. She released herself from her move and let the fine mist wash over her, a definitely safer alternative to the raging water that existed just mere moments ago.
The sheer amount of water, when converted to vapor, covered the Volcarona and obscured her from the audience. Silence filled the arena again as people tried to anticipate Hyacinth’s next move. But whatever they were expecting, it wasn’t anything like a giant water serpent head rising up from the lake and rearing its glowing head at everyone.
While she was hidden from the audience, Hyacinth took the opportunity to dive down through the hole in the stage and into the water. Coating herself with a Light Screen to protect herself from harm, her wings were beating like no tomorrow to create an underwater vortex. Normally this would’ve resulted in wasted effort, but a special move that Dreidyn had taught her enabled her to bring the water up with her as she flew up and back into view. The water spout was being shaped into a draconian shape with an invisible force, and the only clue to its master was Hyacinth’s glowing eyes. They gleamed with a strange purple color, channeling a psychic energy that not only created this formidable form but also kept her afloat without the need of her wings. So she was able to remain perfectly still and inside the water dragon’s head, her glowing eyes providing the menacing stare that completed the act. She only turned her gaze ever so slightly so that her water sculpture was able to leer at the rest of the audience. Not that the audience couldn’t marvel at it already; it was incredibly large and shimmering with energy and was impossible to miss even if you weren’t looking at it.
Maintaining this form was taking a toll on Hyacinth though. Not only did she have to keep up her Psychic for the dragon, she also had to stay up in the air and preserve the Light Screen that protected her from watery harm. Deciding that the audience was thoroughly fascinated with her act, she let the details fade away as the water took a fluid form again. Still glowing with psychic energy, she forced the water to flow upwards in a spiral, like the tornado she had made earlier. Except this time she was inside the dangerous whirlwind, and not outside of it. Once the water vortex slipped over her head, she was able to drop her Light Screen, although she didn’t dare to end her Psychic. It was the only thing keeping the water, now formed into a sphere, above her. Her wings were also free to move now, and she immediately started flapping them and stirring up another Gust that drove the water higher up. The stormy winds set the stage for the finale, as the collected water churned with waves even when in the air. It hung perilously over Hyacinth and threatened to drown her, and yet she continued to whip it into a frenzy with powerful Gusts.
Then her eyes stopped glowing violet, and that cued the drop. The water, no longer in a nice and neat form, plummeted towards the ground. Hyacinth remained where she was and didn’t try to avoid her fate. It wasn’t like it mattered since the water’s shadow covered most of the stage. For a second, a dragon head emerged from the descending mass of water, jaws open as if to consume Hyacinth. Keen audience members would notice that the Volcarona’s eyes lit up with a purple light again. Instead of using Psychic to keep the water aloft however, she instead summoned a glowing wall of light, shaped like an umbrella, over her head. The water dragon crashed into the Light Screen with incredible force, and yet splashed harmlessly over Hyacinth. The massive amount of water rolled down like rain, dripping down the psychic force field and into the holes where it rejoined the lake once more.
Not all the water had drained away when Hyacinth took down the Light Screen. But the remaining water droplets didn’t harm her at all anyway. The audience roared with applause as Dreidyn entered the stage and Hyacinth floated to her side. She bowed and extended an arm to her side so that the Volcarona could lightly rest on it and bow with her trainer. Then the Pokémon, exhausted from the performance, couldn’t help but let herself rest on the arm entirely. Dreidyn almost fell at the sudden weight, and then righted herself as Hyacinth took to the air again. They both made their final farewells to the audience as they exited, ecstatic at a job well done.
