First Evaluation

Half an hour later.

The grand stage of the Sinnoh Pokemon Contest, where the Gathering of the Hearts is taking place.

The opening ceremony is about to begin, and all participating trainers are getting ready in the lounge.

"Let's go! I am the host, Baianca."

"Welcome to Hearthome City Pokemon Contest."

"This is Sinnoh official Pokemon Contest, once again held in Hearthome City!!"

"Alright! The victorious coordinator will receive the Ribbon of the Hearts, and gain momentum towards the grand celebration!"

Miss Baianca, who served as the energetic and enthusiastic host of the Sinnoh Pokemon Contest, cheered up the audience. Then she made a gesture and said, "Now, let us welcome the three judges!"

The three judges are the Pokemon Contest Affairs Bureau Chief, a dignified and old man who speaks with great etiquette and is very respected, known for his frequent travels with the festival committee, Kankensan.

The Pokémon Fan Club Manager Matori, a simple-looking man with his eyes always closed, who has an easy-going personality, and is most famous for his catchphrase, "I like this."

And the nurse Joy from the local Pokémon center!

"Without further ado, let's kick off right away," Miss Baianca exclaimed with great enthusiasm after the formalities were done.

"First evaluation, solo performance stage!"

"The first contestant, please come out!"

Abby and Darren stood in the lounge, watching the current situation of the Sinnoh Pokemon Contest through the broadcast.

The first contestant to appear was a young man wearing a blue shirt. After throwing out a Pokéball, a small cat-like Pokémon flipped in the air and landed on the stage steadily!

"What a cute little Pokémon! It immediately received the audience's enthusiasm!" Baianca exclaims.

"Little Shinx, use Charge!"

Following the young man's command, Little Shinx's fur contracts, and then it emits a brilliant light all over its body.

"Let's begin! Little Shinx, use Thunderbolt!"

"Oh, not bad. After charging, Little Shinx uses Thunderbolt, and the electric current covers its entire body. It starts running on the field, and its speed is fast. It really looks like a flash of lightning shuttling on the stage--"

"What a vibrant performance!"

...

"Not bad at all," Abby exclaims excitedly.

"..." Darren looked at her.

The presentation was a typical demonstration of moves, where the cleverly designed combination of Charge and Thunderbolt resembled the move Thunder Shock.

But... this is the Sinnoh Pokemon Contest, isn't it?

Regardless of whether it's handsome, beautiful, cute, grand, strong, or the growth stage of the Pokémon, as well as the combination of moves, all of these things that test the coordinator must be perfectly displayed in the first round. The performance of that young man in the blue shirt just now didn't meet the standard of Darren.

The Little Shinx from earlier had average training, and its move combination was only proficient, indicating the need for more effort. Additionally, its running trajectory lacked any sense of aesthetics.

The first evaluation is still ongoing. After dozens of people have performed, it was finally Abby's turn.

"Good luck." Darren cheered her on, he was interested to see how experienced she was.

"My goal is to become a Top Coordinator!!" Abby clenched her fists and closed her eyes, then opened them with full force. After nodding towards Darren with a full head of steam, she started walking towards the stage.

...

"Everyone welcome our next contestant, Miss Abby," Baianca continued to energetically drive the atmosphere.

As soon as she stepped onto the stage, Abby's demeanor changed, and Darren noticed that she seemed much more confident.

"Come out, Skitty, show your charm!"

This is... a captivating Pokemon.

Through the broadcast, Darren noticed something unusual about Skitty. When it emerged from its Pokéball just now, it unconsciously used Attract and perfectly displayed its charm.

"So cute--"

The host continues to hype up the audience and heat up the venue.

Darren's interest was piqued when he commented, "This is quite impressive." Having observed the performances of numerous contestants, only Abby's Skitty training level was able to garner his admiration.

"Let me see what unique qualities you have."

On the stage, Abby confidently looked at Skitty. Since their debut, they have overcome many difficulties. Now, in their first Sinnoh Pokemon Contest, they will surely perform perfectly!!

"Skitty, use Rain Dance!"

Huh... Darren is slightly surprised. The command just now was, Rain Dance?

Next, the content on the screen proves that Darren's hearing was not wrong. Skitty stood on the stage, cutely wagged its tail, and released an energy that stroke the sky. Then, a dark cloud was condensed.

Tick...

Tick...

Only a fine drizzle fell on the stage area. Abby smiled at the raindrops and commanded, "Use Blizzard!"

Hoo... Hoo…

Instantly, the white mist emitted from Skitty's mouth swept over the raindrops in the sky, froze them one by one into pure white snowflakes.

"Final performance, use Safeguard~!!"

Hum-

A mysterious white light enveloped Skitty, and at the same time, the frozen snowflakes in the sky slowly fell down. Skitty emitted a sacred light and walked gracefully to the center of the stage, and finally...

All the snowflakes had fallen, and the stage was covered in a layer of frost, except for where Skitty stood. Due to the protection of the Safeguard, there was not a trace of snow. At that moment, Skitty became the focus of the entire stage, and the audience erupted into cheers.

"This finale was very beautiful." exclaimed Kankensan.

"I like this." said Matori.

"What is most surprising is not the combination of Skitty's moves, but Skitty itself. Being able to learn moves like Rain Dance, Blizzard, and Safeguard, Skitty has shown its unique charm." said Miss Joy.

Darren was also surprised. Skitty's talent was higher than he had expected.

The power of the moves was not great, so they were used smoothly and confidently. Darren didn't know if it was intentional, but if it was just a Pokemon Contest, the power of the moves was optional. After all, the unique charm of the Pokémon was the core of the Pokemon Contest.

"That was really great." After returning, Abby gave her evaluation with a smile.

"Darren, you have to do your best too!" Abby was happy because of the successful performance.

After a moment, it was Darren's turn.

The first round of the competition was approaching its end.

"I'm going over there." Darren said to Abby.

"Good luck!!" Abby said.

...

"Next, please give a welcome to newcomer Darren. We hope the Pokemon Contest can leave him with a good memory!!"

Darren?

First time?

Both questions came from the audience and the lounge.

Abby couldn't believe that Darren, who she had judged as having "experience", was actually participating for the first time. His composed attitude was much more stable than her own first time in the Pokemon Contest.

As for those who were puzzled by the name "Darren"...

They came from the VIP seats in the audience.

James with his light purple hair sat next to two elegant couple, eagerly watching the performance. However, when Darren's name was announced, he looked surprised and cast his gaze down to find him.

Is that Darren? Is he also participating in the Pokemon Contest?

"It's him--"

When Darren walked out of the passage, James immediately recognized him and said, "Fukuba, record it, record it."

"Fukuba" was an old man who stood respectfully behind the VIP seats. He was taken aback when he heard James's order.

"James?" James's mother looked at him in confusion.

"This is my first time watching the Pokemon Contest. I want to make a memory video." James said.

"Pay attention to your manners." James's father glanced at him. "If you want to record it, make a copy with the organizers afterwards."

"I know..." James replied.

...

When Darren stepped onto the stage, he felt that he had become the focus of the audience. He smiled and threw out his Poké Ball, and released a Beautifly.