1:00 PM.
"Thank you all for waiting!"
"The Pokémon Contest, Rustboro City Tournament, is finally about to begin!"
The MC, sporting sharp glasses, stood center stage amidst a sea of cheering fans and three smiling judges.
"Today, we are honored to welcome Mr. Sukizo from the Pokémon Fan Club."
The tall, handsome Sukizo nodded elegantly to the crowd.
"Mr. Contesta, Chief of the Contest Bureau."
The grey-haired man beamed at the audience.
"And Nurse Joy from right here in Rustboro City. These three judges will perform a rigorous evaluation of our competing Pokémon!"
Nurse Joy's smile was as steady as ever.
The MC held up a shimmering red ribbon with a pink border.
"The winner will receive—you guessed it—the Rustboro Ribbon!"
"Any Coordinator who collects five ribbons from different cities will be nominated as a Top Coordinator candidate and earn entry into the Pokémon Grand Festival!"
The applause was thunderous.
"Now, let the first appeals begin! Will our first contestant please take the stage!"
The spotlights shifted. The judges moved to their scoring tables, their faces a mix of professional seriousness and anticipation.
...
In the waiting room.
Kashiwagi sat on a sofa, clad in his formal attire, watching the live broadcast on a large screen with practiced calm.
Thanks to his tall, lean frame and a face that balanced handsome features with an air of composure, the suit didn't make him look like a kid playing dress-up.
Instead, it lent him an aura of mature stability, naturally radiating a unique sort of brilliance.
Even just sitting there silently, he drew the eyes of many passersby.
Several contestants whispered among themselves, curious about his background, only to find that no one recognized him.
In the world of Contests, there have always been attention-seekers, but those with true "transcendent" grace usually weren't anonymous for long.
Unless he had never passed a first appeal before—or today was his debut.
Kashiwagi heard the whispers clearly, but they didn't faze him.
He was focused on the performances.
On the screen, a girl in a frilly tutu threw her Poké Ball.
A Wigglytuff appeared, surrounded by a flurry of shimmering pink bubbles.
"Wigglytuff, use Disarming Voice!"
"Wiggly~"
The large-eyed, pink Pokémon began to hum a melody. The enchanting sound left the audience spellbound as floating hearts spiraled around its body, drawing smiles from everyone in the stands.
"Now, Drain Kiss! Then, Stockpile!"
Wigglytuff opened its mouth slightly, and the spiraling hearts were drawn in by an unseen force, vanishing into its mouth. Simultaneously, its body began to expand, transforming into a giant, round balloon within seconds.
"Spit Up!"
Puff-puff-puff-puff—!
A barrage of heart-shaped energy beams erupted from Wigglytuff's mouth.
As they reached the audience, they popped gently like bubbles, dissolving into a shower of beautiful, sparkling light.
Wigglytuff deflated back to its original size.
"Ding~"
The girl and her Pokémon bowed in unison to the judges and the crowd, signaling the end of the performance.
The applause was deafening!
"Admirable technique! You truly brought out Wigglytuff's best traits!" Mr. Contesta praised with a smile.
"Remarkable!" Sukizo added, looking almost moved to tears.
"A very creative performance. You must have practiced incredibly hard. Wonderful!" Nurse Joy's praise was direct and warm.
The MC chimed in:
"Judges, please reveal your scores for the contestant and Wigglytuff!"
Beep-beep-beep.
9.2,
9.1,
9.5.
A total of 27.8.
It was the highest score so far, a clear indicator of the judges' affection for that Wigglytuff.
"Fairy-types really have an unfair advantage in open-category Contests," Kashiwagi mused.
The type seemed tailor-made for beauty and cuteness.
Of course, there were a few "traitors" to that rule.
Theoretically, Milotic should have been part Fairy or Dragon back in Gen 6, but somehow even Azumarill got the Fairy typing while Milotic was left out.
Perhaps it had something to do with it being in the Dragon Egg Group?
"Hello there!"
A surprised voice from beside him made Kashiwagi turn his head.
Standing there was Ursula, Dawn's old rival.
Her pink twin-tails were no longer in tight spirals but had been styled into soft waves.
She wore light makeup and a stunning black pleated dress that perfectly showcased her youthful yet vibrant silhouette.
"Good afternoon."
"I'm Ursula. I wanted to apologize once more for this morning."
She gave a slight, polite bow.
"Good afternoon."
"Don't worry about it; it was a small thing,"
Kashiwagi replied with a casual nod.
In the anime, Ursula was arrogant and overbearing—the quintessential "mean girl" rival who went as far as mocking Dawn's trauma or sabotaging her hair.
Back then, watching through Ash's perspective, Kashiwagi had disliked her.
Now, he didn't feel much of anything.
Maybe he had seen enough truly "vile" people to realize she was just childish at heart.
Since she was being polite, he didn't give her the cold shoulder.
He stood up slowly.
The nearly 30cm height difference forced Ursula to look way up at him.
The sheer presence hidden behind his handsome face made her catch her breath for a second.
Fortunately, Kashiwagi stepped aside naturally, giving her some breathing room.
"I've seen your matches. Specifically, the ones in the Sinnoh region two years ago."
He had looked her up after their morning encounter.
He discovered she still hadn't earned the title of Top Coordinator—putting her in a similar boat as Dawn.
Ursula brightened up immediately.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I watched quite a few. You seemed to have a rival named Dawn?"
he asked, keeping his tone neutral.
Ursula's smile stiffened slightly.
"Y-yes. She was indeed my rival."
"Why the face?
Was your relationship that bad?
Is her personality difficult?" Kashiwagi asked, playing dumb.
To his surprise, Ursula replied,
"Our relationship isn't exactly 'great,' but it had nothing to do with her personality. It was just... I was too immature back then."
"Oh?"
Kashiwagi leaned in, looking interested.
Ursula clearly wasn't keen on dwelling on her "dark past" and quickly changed the subject. "Is this your first time participating in a Pokémon Contest?"
"That's right."
He nodded, glancing at the turn order on the screen.
"It's just about my turn. If you'll excuse me, I should get ready."
With that, he turned and headed toward the stage entrance.