Chapter 7- "A Stunning Show"
"Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man!" Olivia yelled in glee.
"What's up?" Jonathan asked, looking very confused. "I can hear you right here as if you're next to me."
"Well, no duh you can, we're in a hotel room the size of an average bedroom!" Olivia retorted. "And even though I'm in the bathroom, I can hear you clearly, too!"
"I mean, I could care less how small it was, cuz it was dirt cheap!" Jonathan said. "Also, you never got around to answering my question."
"What question?" Olivia pondered.
"You know, why the hell you're so excited?" Jonathan prompted with a bit of urgency.
"Oh yeah, that," Olivia realized. "The Showcase is in two hours, and I'm so excited!" she exclaimed, doing everything in her power not to squeal.
"Well, make sure to head down to the lobby and check out," Jonathan reminded. "I'm not sure that you'll have much longer until we need to leave. How are you getting there, anyway?" he asked.
"I rented a limo ride there for all of us," Olivia informed. "Not to brag or anything."
"Yeah," Jonathan said mockingly. "I'm so rich that I rented a nice ride for my friends and I, and we're only driving like, ten miles, Jonathan. Not to brag or anything." In a more serious tone, Jonathan added that it was, in fact, bragging and that Olivia needed to get a reality check.
"Oh, shut up, Jonathan!" Olivia yelled sarcastically. "You know I'm not rubbing it in your face!"
Jonathan paused for a minute, then stood up from the soft bed he was sitting on. He was wearing nicer clothes than he usually was seen wearing. He had taken his cap off and put it on a desk, revealing his short, dark hair that was somewhat long at the top, then faded on the sides of his head. Near his neck, his hair was almost buzzed. It was parted to his left and was kept rather tidy, despite being under a cap all the time. He was wearing a short-sleeved, black button-down shirt with a grey collar, and some grey dress slacks that were a bit too short. In lieu of his messy tennis shoes, he had on some brown, leather dress shoes. "Hey, Olivia," he said. "I want you to know that I'm only gonna look fancy if you're in a Showcase," he stated bluntly. "This whole 'formal' thing really isn't my forte."
"Well, if you can't get used to it, you're screwed!" Olivia replied. "And you know I have a point!" she added.
"And you do," Jonathan added, sighing.
Soon, the bathroom door creaked open, and Olivia walked out. She was wearing her normal outfit, denim jacket, shirt and all, but seemed to be carrying a transparent duffel bag. The contents seemed rather sparkly, and still purple.
"What's in the bag?" Jonathan asked , pointing at it.
"You'll see at the Showcase, Jonathan! Don't be in such a rush!" Olivia spoke like she was in an advertisement, and then winked at Jonathan. "Also, Jonathan... I kinda like you better when you're all jazzed up," she added bluntly, leaving the room.
Jonathan simply grumbled, looking over at his bed. His stuff was sprawled all over the far side of it, and his Pokémon were in their balls, which were in Jonathan's bag. They probably won't even be interested by this, he thought. I mean, I know they're allowed in the hall and whatnot, but it's probably better that they don't come.
Then he walked over to the door, and right as he turned the handle, he heard a voice. "Jonathan, wait for me!" it called with desperation.
Jonathan nearly jumped out of his skin. "Miles!" he said in shock. "How in the world did I forget you were here?"
"I dunno," he mumbled. "I've kinda been on my bed, reading some booklet about Kanto," he added. He put the booklet on the desk and got up from his bed, which was actually a tiny, red rocking chair.
Miles, like Jonathan, had changed into more formal attire for the event. He wore a grey vest over a white button-down shirt, and he also wore grey slacks and black leather dress shoes. Due to the lack of a jacket, he also looked rather cold.
"Well," Jonathan remarked, laughing. "You were so damn quiet I almost forgot about you!"
"Sorry about that," Miles apologized timidly.
"No no no no no, it's okay," Jonathan replied. "It's just so weird how it happened."
"Well, we probably need to head out to the lobby," Miles stated. "Olivia's probably waiting on us."
"Yeah, you're right," Jonathan replied. "Let's go." He turned the door handle and followed Miles out of the room.
Jonathan and Miles were strolling along in the lobby of the hotel, looking for Olivia. Jonathan checked his watch, then pulled out his phone. Its blue-and-black case, albeit rather protective, stuck out like a sore thumb against Jonathan's mostly black outfit. He tapped away at the screen and put the device to his ear, looking around the area. "Come on, answer..." he mumbled. Soon, his face lit up. "Yes," he whispered. "Hey," he said casually. "Where are you?"
Jonathan listened for a minute, then started turning his neck, obviously in search of something. His face soon lit up, and he waved in the general direction of whomever he was looking for. "Ok, I see ya," he stated. "I'll meet you there in a sec." He hung up, and put his phone in his back pocket. "She's that way," Jonathan said, pointing to his left.
The two walked in the specified direction until they saw Olivia, who was sitting on one of the lobby chairs. The chairs were nice and delicate, as they were made out of wood and had velvet cushioning. Olivia stood up and said, "The limo should be here in about 5 minutes."
"Wait, you rented a limo?" Miles asked in shock.
"Miles, how did you miss that entire conversation?" Jonathan replied in a mix of confusion and frustration. "You were literally 2 feet away from me!"
"Sorry, I was so caught up in my book that I guess I tuned everything out," Miles answered.
"Well, you know now," Olivia commented. She squinted and looked out the window, eyeing a black limo that had parked at the front of the hotel. "Hey, he's here early, guys," Olivia informed. She walked towards the limo, followed by Jonathan and Miles.
Once the trio arrived outside, the front window slowly rolled down. Inside was a burly, tan man wearing a sailor's cap and a white polo. "Is this... Olivia Ouderkirk?" he asked casually. His Texan accent was rather heavy, but the words came out clear.
"Yes, sir," Olivia said.
"All this time, and I never knew her last name was Ouderkirk," Miles muttered to Jonathan.
"Yeah, same," Jonathan responded.
"Alright, kiddos, hop on in," he requested. The wide limo door opened slowly, and the inside looked rather nice from the outside. The trio did so and took in the nice space. The seats were blue and made of velvet, and they took up the outer perimeter of the cabin. "Is everyone in?" the man asked.
"Yes, sir," the three answered in unison.
"Well, in that case," he mumbled. Then, tinted glass began to roll up in a small space of the limo, hiding the driver from his passengers, and the passengers from their driver. As the vehicle started cruising along the road, the driver reminded the three not to get all too settled, because the drive would be about two minutes.
Olivia was having trouble containing her energy. She was bouncing in her seat, and her teeth were audibly jittering.
"Olivia, I get that you're excited for the performance," Jonathan started. "But how much sugar are you on right now?"
"N-n-n-n-none a-a-at all all," Olivia said through clacking teeth.
"Umm... could you actually make sense?" Jonathan asked, annoyed.
"I SAID," Olivia yelled, her teeth touching each other. "NONE. AT. ALL."
"As if I believe that," Miles butted in sarcastically, causing the group to crack up.
"Ah, man," Jonathan said, still laughing. "Miles, that was pretty good."
Suddenly, the limo slowed down and came to a stop. The tinted glass slowly came down, revealing the driver. "This the Cherveux Town Showcase Hall," the man informed. "Is this where you said you wanted to go?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," Olivia replied, tossing a stack of money towards him. "Here you go," she said, exiting the limo behind her friends.
"Thank you!" the man said with glee, driving away.
After the limo was finally out of sight, Olivia adored the scenery of Cherveux. It was small, no doubt, but it burst with life. There were a lot of tall and small buildings near them, and the traffic was rather heavy. The whole town was lit up, and the chatter on the streets was the icing on the cake. Before them stood the Performance Hall, which was a building made of white stone. On the sides of the building, there were statues of Gardevoir holding trumpets and "playing into them". Olivia climbed up the small staircase to the Performance Hall, opened the door, and walked inside.
The lobby was very open and spacious. The room's walls, floor and ceiling were made of dark red carpet, and off in the distance there was a part of the room which was made of marble. It was still rather open, but hosted a wide marble staircase which led to some nice, wooden doors. Olivia assumed that it led to the seats in the hall. If the lobby's this nice, I wonder just how gorgeous the hall is? Olivia asked herself.
Then, a tall, pale, lanky, man wearing a blue top hat, a blue suit and blue dress slacks approached Olivia. "Are you one of ze Performers?" he asked. His accent was rather light, and he was accompanied by a Pokémon that resembled a keychain.
"Yes... sir?" Olivia responded uncertainly.
"In zat case, follow moi!" He suggested enlighteningly. He walked back from where he came, and Olivia promptly followed him. The man led her to a double door, which seemed to lead to a hall. "After you!" he said politely. Olivia kindly accepted the invitation, walking down the hall. The man soon took the lead, swiftly walking toward the end of the hall. "Down here is the staircase you'll need to take," he informed. "After you descend zem, walk down ze hall until you see a sign labelled 'Performer's Room'. After zat, change into your outfit. The Showcase starts in half an hour, so be ready!"
"Alright, thank you!" Olivia called, waving to the man. She eagerly sprinted down the long, wide hallway and found the staircase, which she descended in leaps and bounds. Afterwards, she sprinted down to the Performer's Room and barged inside.
What Olivia found inside was a hectic, almost chaotic dressing room. The room was nice, from the intricate designs on the carpet to the gorgeous murals on the walls. However, many Performers, all in stunning dresses or suits, were running around frantically, either fixing their Pokémon's appearance or their own. Olivia looked around to find someone that she possibly knew, but to no avail. She approached a short boy in a nice tuxedo to ask where the dressing rooms were, and he led Olivia to a little compartment of the room that was divided by tall, metal walls. She walked inside and closed the curtain. Within a minute, she changed her outfit and walked out the room, setting her duffel bag on a bench that looked rather unused.
Olivia walked over to a mirror, looking at herself. She had left her long, wavy hair down, and was garnering a rather dazzling outfit, which consisted of a tight, purple, glittery dress that reached all the way down to the floor, and gloves that reached all the way up her arm. Under the dress, she wore black heels that didn't come off the ground much. She applied some makeup after looking at herself, and sat down on the bench by her duffel bag. The time's finally come, Olivia thought. And you're more than ready for this. You're prepared, Fennekin and Pikachu are prepared... I don't know what else you can do, except sit and wait.
Olivia decided to send Fennekin and Pikachu out for one more check-up. The two Pokémon materialized from their Poke Ball and eyed their Trainer in confusion.
"Fennekin kin?" Fennekin asked, pointing to Olivia's outfit with its head.
"Pi? Pikachu pi?" Pikachu inquired, also pointing at its Trainer.
"Oh, yeah," Olivia remarked. "The Showcase is in just a little bit, and I had to dress for the occasion. Now, I'm sure you guys are excited, right?" Olivia asked.
"Fenn! Kin kin kin!" The Fire Type yipped in glee.
"Pika pi!"
"That's great to hear!" Olivia encouraged. "Now, I know it's gonna be a bit scary going up on stage and doing our routine for the first time, but you'll be great! Don't worry about it, okay?" she requested.
Both of her Pokémon cheered in affirmation and excitement, ready for their debut.
Jonathan and Miles had made their way into the hall, which was a large, open space with many seats. There were many people in formal attire chatting or finding their seats.
"C'mon, Miles, I've found two great spots!" Jonathan hollered. "Follow me!" Jonathan led his friend towards two seats in the back which had a great center view of the stage. They sat down in their seats, and noticed that the stage was rather large.
Perfect for events as elaborate as this, Miles stated.
"Man, I'm nervous, and I'm not even on stage!" Jonathan commented.
"I'm a bit worried as well," Miles remarked. "Hopefully, this all works out for Olivia."
Jonathan looked around the audience, in hopes to find anyone interesting. He had almost reached the conclusion that everyone at the event was some boring slob until he saw something he never expected to see. There was a tall, broad man walking to his seat, but he was being assisted by a tall, bunny-like Pokémon with a brown body and very fluffy ears. Not very far away from them was a wheelchair that sat facing the two. The man said something to his Pokémon, then sat down very slowly. He pulled out what appeared to be a Poke Ball, but with a black and yellow design, and the Pokémon was captured by a red beam of light and returned inside of it.
Then, the lights began to dim, resulting in the noise of the hall quickly diminishing. The stage began to slowly be hidden by two long red curtains that met in the middle of it. Then, a tall, lanky man walked out and was revealed by the lights. He was wearing a blue top hat, blue suit, and blue dress slacks. He was also accompanied by a Pokémon resembling a keychain. He tapped on something on his face, then began to speak.
"Welcome, friends, Performers, and Pokémon alike!" the man said in a light French accent. "My name is Pierre, and I gladly welcome to ze monthly Cherveux Pokémon Showcase!" he declared, which garnered lots of applause in response. After the applause died, he continued. "In today's Showcase, one lucky Performer will prove that they have what it takes to win... ze Princess Key!"
"Klef!" The keychain-looking Pokémon cheered, flying upwards. It was showing off a pretty, golden, hourglass-like key that had light blue sand inside of the glass. "Klef!"
The audience oohed and aahed, and applauded for the keychain-like Pokémon as it took a bow.
"Many thanks, Klefki," Pierre complimented with a smile. "However, in order to win zis beautiful key, zey must achieve victory in not only ze Freestyle Round, where zey choreograph a routine for zem and zeir Pokémon, but in order to even move on to ze Freestyles," Pierre continued. "Zey must first achieve a victory in our preliminary Themed Rounds, where we pick a themed contest at random for our Performers! So, wizzout furzer ado, let's see what ze Theme for that round shall be!"
Soon, a large monitor was hung from who-knows-where, and started flashing big, bold words in random order. This process slowed down ever so slightly, until it finally stopped.
Finally, I can read the damn words! Jonathan thought, chuckling to himself.
"And ze theme is," Pierre announced, reading the words off of the monitor. "A party! Ze performers will dress zeir Pokémon to go to a formal party or dinner event, and three Trainers will show off zeir Pokémon at once! Whoever gets ze highest rating from zat group will move on to the Freestyles! Now, let's see who's in ze first bracket!" Pierre declared.
This dude's a hell of a talker, Jonathan thought. Even though I don't know what it is he's saying.
Three pictures popped up on the monitor, and Olivia's was on the far right.
"Yeah, go Olivia!" Jonathan yelled.
Miles simply scoffed and continued to clap politely.
Backstage, in the dressing rooms, Olivia was deciding on the outfits she'd pick for her Pokémon. She currently was debating a black bowtie for Pikachu or a blue bowtie. In the end, she went with her gut and picked black. She wrapped it around his neck and clipped it on, being careful not to catch any of its fur in it. Pikachu had a tiny black balzer on with its black bowtie, and Fennekin had a cyan bead necklace and pink-and-white heels on. Both Pokémon had their fur cleaned and they both looked very nice.
"That should do it!" Olivia said, looking at herself. She had a purple dress with glitter on it, and she was wearing black heels as well. She was also wearing white gloves that reached to her upper arm. "I think we're ready!" she exclaimed, walking to her platform, anxiously waiting for her platform to rise. Here we go. she told herself. It's time. My first Showcase.
"Please welcome our first set of Performers, Olivia, Jess, and Rachel!" Pierre announced, as the curtains slowly retracted. "First up, Jess!"
There was a storm of applause in response, and Jonathan soon knew why. A tall, blonde-haired girl wearing a cyan dress with bluebonnets at the waist walked the runway alongside her two Pokémon. The Pokémon on the left was a small, brown dog-like Pokémon with patches of vanilla fur on its tail and around its neck. It wore a pink bow on its head, and had nice ruby heels on its feet. The Pokémon to Jess's right was a Pokémon that resembled ice cream cone, and it wore a grey bowtie. The trio made a show of the runway, showing off their outfits at every possible opportunity.
The audience continued to applaud, and Jess walked offstage when it had died down.
"Next up, Rachel!" Pierre cried.
Then, a short, dark-haired girl wearing a glittery scarlet dress appeared on the runway alongside her two Pokémon. The one on her left was a butterfly-like Pokémon with a purple body with white wings. The Pokémon on Rachel's right was a round, blue, mouse-like Pokémon with a ball-like tail and a white belly. The butterfly-like Pokemon had a red bowtie around its neck, and the mouse-like Pokemon had a pink bow atop its head. The applause, albeit rather mild, continued for some time and Rachel walked backstage.
"And finally, our last Performer in this bracket, Olivia!" Pierre exclaimed.
Olivia walked out on stage wearing a glittery purple dress and white gloves that reached her upper arm along with Fennekin and Pikachu at her side. Fennekin had white heels with red stripes at the ankle and had a cyan bead necklace around its neck. Pikachu had a tuxedo coat around its body and a black bowtie as well. They, too made use of the runway well, showing off each member of the group's outfit. A storm of applause rose from the audience and stayed strong for a lasting time. As it died down, Olivia walked backstage.
"And zat is our first bracket of Perofrmers! Excellent job to all!" Pierre exclaimed.
The other Performers went, and there were a variety of Pokémon. However, the costumes remained somewhat the same for each Pokémon, minus the colors of the ties, jackets, heels, bows and necklaces. The Peformers also knew their stuff. They were showing off their outfits in stunning ways, and their Pokémon were owning the attention, too.
As the last Performer went offstage, Pierre walked up to the center. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is finally time to reveal who will be moving on to ze next round!" he announced. "Only six of ze eighteen Performers will move on to ze Freestyles, and those Performers are who you thought did ze best in each bracket!" Pierre directed the audience's attention to the board. "And, ze winners are..." Then, frames with Performers' faces appeared on the board, and Olivia's was somewhat in the middle. There were two male Performers and four female Performers on the board. The audience stormed into applause. "Those are the Performers moving on!" Pierre announced. "Wish them all luck in the Freestyle Round!"
Jonathan smiled, and continued to clap. "Yeah, Olivia!" He yelled amidst the clapping. "Whooo!"
"Okay, Jonathan, calm down, " Miles requested. He chuckled
Backstage, Olivia was waiting with the other Performers. Most of the people who didn't make it stayed behind, because there were many TV screens throughout the room. Olivia was tending to Fennekin, when a short, pale-skinned girl with curly blond hair walked up to Olivia.
"Hey," she said mockingly. "I heard that you made it in to the Freestyle round."
"Yeah," Olivia replied. "Did you make it in, too?" she asked curiously.
"Of course," the girl replied angrily, scoffing and flipping her hair. "I'm easily the best Performer in this room!" she announced.
"Well, you obviously don't care about a reputation," Olivia muttered.
"What was that?" the girl screamed.
"I said that you don't care about having a good reputation," Olivia retorted with clarity. The girl became very enraged by this comment, and in turn kicked Olivia in the shin. "What was that for?" she asked, shying away. "What did I do to you?"
"I already have a great one, okay, ya little brat?" the girl screamed, ignoring the previously posed question. She paused for a minute, an evil smirk growing on her face. "I hear this is your first Performance," the girl added, her tone becoming calmer. "I just wanted to let you know that I have two Princess Keys. If I win one more, I move on to the Master Class. Now, I've heard from Jess and Rachel that you're pretty good. I deserve that Princess Key, so don't win, okay, or you're dead!" she menacingly growled.
Olivia was anxious after hearing this. I'm highly confident that she wouldn't do that, she thought. It's just a threat to scare me. It'll be fine if I win, so just go out there and give it all you've got.
"My name's Amelia, by the way, and I'm gonna be the best Kalos Queen Kalos has ever seen!" she cried.
Wow, such poetry, Olivia thought sarcastically, accidentally rolling her eyes. "Well, my name's Olivia," she said politely. "And I wish you luck in the Freestyles," she added, trying to be as genuine as she could without cringing before putting out a hand.
Amelia laughed. "Seriously?!" She asked. "What kind of good Performer wishes their opponents luck when the Princess Key is on the line? You newbie," she added, slapping Olivia's hand away and walking toward the stage entrance.
Olivia gritted her teeth and balled her fists. Then, Rachel, the girl she competed against in the Themed Round, walked up to Olivia and sat down by her. "Hey, I saw what happened back there," she started.
"You did?" Olivia asked calmly.
"Yeah," Rachel stated. "Don't get too mad, Olivia. Amelia's a bitch and does that to everybody. The only reason I told her about you was because she was asking me who the hell you were and wouldn't stop asking me until I answered."
Olivia seemed to feel better. "Hey, I'm sorry that you didn't make it in to the Freestyles," she apologized.
"Hey, I'm not mad," Rachel responded. "I'm glad that there's someone like you in my place." Rachel patted Olivia's shoulder and walked away, sitting down to watch one of the monitors.
"And... done!" Amelia called energetically. The audience applauded, and Olivia began to feel nervous. "Thank you, all!" Amelia exclaimed as she walked off. The applause died down, and Olivia stood up.
"Olivia!" a woman in casual clothing called. "You're up!"
Olivia silently stood up, returned Fennekin, and walked out of the room.
"Please welcome, Olivia Ouderkirk of Kiloude City!" Pierre exclaimed as the girl appeared onstage.
"Let's go, Fennekin and Pikachu!" Olivia hollered. Her Pokémon were released from their Poke Balls in a shower of glittering light, and the audience, along with Olivia's Pokémon, cheered in glee. "Fennekin, use Ember, and Pikachu, Thunder Shock!" The combined attack created a fiery explosion of orange sparkles. "Now, Pikachu, use Thunder Shock, again and Fennekin, use Growl!" After a shot of electricity was fired in the air, Fennekin jumped into it and destroyed it with the sound waves of its growl, resulting a cool electric effect. Then, the three started dancing. Fennekin and Pikachu did a front flip and landed on one paw, then back flipping, landing on all of them, causing the audience to cheer. Fennekin jumped onto Olivia's right arm and Pikachu jumped onto her left, and Olivia swung her arms down. "Now, jump!" she called.
Fennekin and Pikachu jumped off of their Trainer's arms as she exclaimed, "Fennekin, Ember, and Pikachu, Thunder Shock!" The combined attacks resulted in orange sparks that showered throughout the auditorium. Fennekin and Pikachu did a high-five in the air and landed on Olivia's arms once again. The girl was breathless, standing before a crowd of people that was cheering her name. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, curtsying as she walked off.
Jonathan and Miles stood up at the back of the auditorium, clapping until their hands bled.
"Man, that was a great performance!" Miles remarked. "It was a stunning show of not only the Pokémon and their abilities, but it also showcased Olivia's as well."
"I agree," Jonathan replied. "That was great." Jonathan couldn't help but smile as the applause died down and the audience sat in their seats.
After Olivia's performance, Pierre called all of the Freestyle Performers back to the stage. As they were lining up, he started talking. "Now zat we have seen all of ze Performances, it is now time to vote for your favorite! Now, zere are glow sticks under your seat, which correspond to ze colors of the Freestyle competitors! Now, here are ze colors of the competitors!" he announced.
"Grey, is Eugene, Yellow, is Maria, Green, is Neil, Red, is Amelia, Purple, is Olivia, and Blue, is Skylar!" Pierre announced. "Now, it's time to vote! To cast your vote, raise you stick in ze air once you have picked ze color that corresponds to the Performer of your choice! The voting window is only open for one minute, so make your decision carefully!"
Jonathan reached down under his seat and found a glowstick that was long and wide. He looked around it and found a button that said, "Color Switch." He pressed it, and the stick instantly glowed a bright green color. He fiddled with it for a minute until his stick was purple. He raised in the air, and a purple orb shot out of it and on to the stage, where it filled up Olivia's votes slightly, which were represented by a little key. Inside that key was a gauge showing how many votes the Performer had.
Miles did the same, raising his glow stick in the air. Like Jonathan's, a purple orb shot out of it, and on to the stage, filling up Olivia's votes ever so slightly.
The votes kept piling in, all for many different Performers. There were many orbs being shot out throughout the hall, and after a while they stopped coming, and the keys disappeared instantly.
"And ze monthly Chervueux Town Pokémon Showcase Winner is..." Pierre announced, cuing spotlights which danced around the stage. They did so for a while, before disappearing. They suddenly reappeared and were all put on Olivia. "Olivia Ouderkirk of Kiloude City!"
The audience rose into enormous applause as Pierre took the Princess Key off of his Klefki. Pierre walked over to Olivia, who was wearing a big smile and blushing. "Olivia, I am proud to present to you, the Cherveux Princess Key!" Olivia took the key from Pierre slowly, and didn't speak. The audience's applause rose and was even louder than before.
"Yeah, Olivia!" Jonathan yelled. "You did it!" He continued to praise her accomplishments, while Miles merely clapped.
"I would like to send you my dearest of thanks for being out here tonight!" Pierre announced. "Thank you for coming, and we'll see you soon!" he added as the stage lights went completely blank.
