Arissa waited offstage for her name to be called, making occasional nervous adjustments to her outfit. The simple white sundress with its pattern of small blue and red flowers was complemented by a broad brimmed straw hat, which in turn matched the wicker basted she carried, it’s handle tucked into the crook of one arm. The outfit had been carefully picked to match both her pokemon and the routine he would perform. This was her third contest now, and she’d done quite well in the last two contests, so she was confident in her skills. But her nervousness stemmed from the fact that today she wouldn’t be performing with her prize-winning Kishin, but with her newest addition, an untried baby. He’d learned the routine well, but there was no telling how he’d fare under the eyes of the audience.
Finally her number was called. Arissa took a deep breath, gave a pat to the sky blue cloth tucked in the basket, and stepped out onto the stage. She wore a pleasant smile as she strolled to the center of the floor. There she stopped, gave the crowd a quick wave, then looked down at the basket over her arm. “Time to wake up, Ronen, the nice people want to meet you.” So saying, she pulled the cloth aside to reveal a Togepi nestled in the basket.
Ronen blinked up at Arissa, yawned, then tried to sit up. He fruitlessly rocked a time or two on his rounded shell before grabbing onto the edge of the basket to help himself up. Then he could peer over the edge of the basket at the crowd arranged in tiered seats all around them.
Arissa nearly held her breath, waiting for his reaction. Would he grow nervous or intimidated? But no, he grinned at the crowd, trilled cheerily, and used both hands to wave at everyone. Which meant that he’d let go his grip on the basket and toppled backwards instead.
Chuckling, Arissa kneeled down, placing the basket on the ground. Ronen tried to climb out, but even after he pulled himself upright again, he was too short to climb over the edge. Instead Arissa lifted him out onto the stage, where he toddled in a short arc, looking at all the people.
Well, enough distractions, time for the performance. Arissa stretched her arms skyward and sighed. “Ah, what a beautiful day it is!” she commented, loud enough that hopefully all the audience would be able to hear. It was a cue for Ronen, who stopped, also raised his little arms and trilled. He used Sunny Day to make the comment come true, and soon a warm light emanated from the ceiling high above them.
“The sun is bright and warm,” Arissa continued, then swept her hands down to indicate the ground while saying, “and the grass is thick and soft.” Ronen copied her movements again, this time using Grass Knot. A thick carpet of grass sprouted out in a circle around them, the blades twining around each other as they grew, curling into tight knots here and there while running wild elsewhere. The circle grew rapidly until there was a wide patch of greenery around the pair. The sun encouraged it to grow further and as it grew ever more lush, small flowers sprouted in small patches across the grass, scattering bright spots of color against the greenery.
“Why, the weather’s just perfect for playing in, don’t you think?” Arissa asked. Ronen trilled in agreement and toddled over to the basket. Arissa looked puzzled as he tugged a fold of the blue cloth free, then draped it over his head. But when Ronen quickly pulled it away from his face with a “Pi!” it made her smile. He repeated the action, covering his face before popping out, making Arissa giggle.
“Yes, Peek-a-boo is a fun game,” she agreed. “But I was thinking we could play with this.” She reached over for the nearest knot of grass. With a sharp tug she pulled it free, showing it had formed a tight, ball-like clump. This she rolled across the grass towards Ronen.
The Togepi toddled towards the ball and tried to push it back, but it only rolled an inch or two before stopping. He looked puzzled, stepped over to it again and pushed once more, with similar results. At that he pouted, stamped his foot in Frustration, then marched over to the ball and kicked it so hard that he fell backwards from the force of it.
That got the ball rolling for sure, sanding it tumbling rapidly across the field. But after the wild kick it flew wide, rolling past Arissa into the grass beyond her. It smacked into another knot of grass, knocking it free and sending it skittering across the ground as well, scattering flower petals into the air as it ran over the little blossoms. The balls knocked into further grass knots, sending them along as well until the grassy patch was full of them, ricocheting around like billiard balls and knocking Ronen over when he tried to get up.
By the time Ronen managed to grab a thick flower stalk to help pull himself up, the balls had lost momentum and stilled. But the flower petals they’d shaken free still drifted in the air. Ronen smiled widely at the sight and tried to chase after the little spots of color, but they kept slipping from his grasp. Before long he grew tired, slowed to a stop, and yawned.
Looks like it was time to wrap this routine up. So Arissa told him, “Well, we had fun, today didn’t we? But you should always clean up when you’re done playing.” She suited her words by picking up the cloth from the basket and folding it neatly before laying it in the basket. “Can you clean up the grass?”
Ronen nodded, and his tiny face scrunched up in concentration. He began to emanate a silvery glow, which pulsed outward with a Dazzling Gleam. As the light passed over their surroundings, it coated the grass and petals with a faint sheen, making them shimmer in the bright sunlight. He emitted a second pulse, and this time it made everything appear polished to a mirror-bright shine. The grass sparkled and gleamed, while the dancing petals scattered tiny rainbows around the stadium, like fragments of a disco ball. Ronen released one final pulse, the biggest yet, that reflected off everything to produce an almost blinding light that left only a silhouette of Ronen and Arissa visible. When the light faded, the sunlight and grass were gone, leaving the coordinator and pokemon on an empty stage.
Arissa stood and curtseyed to the crowd, signaling the end of their performance. Ronen tried to copy her and bow, but as he leaned forward he wobbled dangerously. He windmilled his arms and leaned back, just managing to stay upright. Arissa saved him by leaning down to pick him up and tuck him in the basket, which she returned to the crook of her arm. Ronen peered over the basket’s edge, waving to the crowd as Arissa walked off stage.
