Confetti drifted through the air above the arena.
The spectators and judges rose from their seats, offering a standing ovation to the two Coordinators on stage, thanking them for a spectacular performance.
"Great job out there."
Kashiwagi patted Aggron's powerful, metallic shoulder.
"Aggroon!"
Aggron let out a cheerful low grunt. It was genuinely happy that its trainer had trusted it with the finishing blow.
However, after this battle, it had come to a realization: it definitely wasn't cut out for the long-term Contest life. No earth-shaking roars, no releasing moves at full throttle—everything had to be calculated, stylized, and "pretty."
Take that Metal Burst, for instance. It had tanked a combination of two Fire-type moves, yet to create those silver fireworks, it had to endure the stinging heat and carefully guide the flames into its light orb. It had only used about thirty percent of its actual power to make it work.
In a serious battle, a direct Metal Burst followed by five rounds of Rock Blast would have finished that Flareon three times over. There would be no need for the headache of "point-swapping" or move-countering.
Kashiwagi sensed Aggron's lingering frustration. He rubbed its horn to soothe it before recalling it to its Poké Ball.
Before he could go looking for Ursula, she approached him first.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you. Your Flareon's performance was incredible; it really left an impression on me," Kashiwagi said, shaking her hand.
His praise was sincere. Flareon's combat stats might have been a step behind, but its performance technique far surpassed Aggron's. Furthermore, he knew that Flareon and the Vaporeon from earlier usually worked as a double-battle pair. Ursula also had a Plusle and Minun duo.
In other words, Double Battles were likely her true specialty.
"Thanks for the compliment. But next time we meet, I won't lose again!" Ursula said with absolute conviction.
"I look forward to it."
Kashiwagi accepted the challenge. Though, when "next time" would be was anyone's guess. With more Contest venues popping up these days, if their travel routes didn't align, they might not cross paths again until the Grand Festival—or miss each other entirely.
-----
The three judges took the stage for the award ceremony.
"Congratulations!" The grey-haired Sukizo smiled as he handed the red ribbon to Kashiwagi. "Remarkable!"
"Thank you." Kashiwagi accepted it respectfully.
Sukizo beamed. "Excellent Coordinators like you are rare these days. I hope you keep up this momentum!"
Huh? So he can say normal things?
Kashiwagi was momentarily startled, then realized he was being silly. Of course the man could hold a conversation.
"Thank you, and thank you as well, Nurse Joy." He thanked the remaining two and held the ribbon high for the crowd, drawing another wave of cheers.
His debut journey had reached its first milestone.
-----
After the event.
As the judges and audience filed out, a crowd of fans interested in Kashiwagi bottlenecked the exit, hoping for a closer look. Anticipating this, Kashiwagi stayed behind in the waiting room.
He let Mawile out and handed it the ribbon.
"See? We won!"
"Mawile!"
Mawile held the ribbon, its large eyes glistening with excitement. Even though it hadn't closed out the final round, the ribbon belonged to it just as much—it was a symbol of all its hard work and training.
"Mawile~"
It scurried over to Kashiwagi, gesturing that it wanted to turn the ribbon into a strap to wear alongside its Soothe Bell.
"I don't think so. If we modify it, how are we going to register for the Grand Festival?" Kashiwagi laughed, taking the ribbon and using the clip on the back to attach it to the fur on Mawile's chest. "Normally, you wear it like this. Like a brooch, see?"
Mawile looked down and wiggled.
Plop. It fell off.
Since its body was mostly covered in short fur and the large horn-jaws were smooth, there wasn't much to grip.
"Mawile!" It looked dissatisfied.
"Well, we can tie it into your headband." Kashiwagi picked it up and fastened it to the red ribbon on its head. "There. Now you look beautiful."
"Mawile~"
Mawile hopped in front of a full-length mirror, swaying back and forth, spinning and jumping like a nimble fawn. Pokémon, like people, are obsessed with a new prize right after they get it. Once the initial hype cooled down, Mawile would probably get protective and ask Kashiwagi to store it safely.
While it was admiring itself, Ursula—who he thought had already left—walked back in.
Kashiwagi assumed she had forgotten something, but she spoke up abruptly:
"I just took a look outside. There are at least thirty or forty people camping out for you."
"...For me? Reporters?" He blinked.
"Some are reporters, others are probably from talent agencies. Either way, the numbers are only going up." Ursula pulled out her phone and showed him a photo she had just taken.
A quick glance confirmed a sea of people in various uniforms.
"Be careful. Don't let the agencies scam you, and don't say anything stupid to the press."
The young Ursula sounded like a seasoned veteran in this department.
"Thank you... You're actually a good person, coming back to warn me like that."
Kashiwagi was seeing her in a whole new light. Not only was she a good sport who praised her opponent after losing, but she had gone out of her way to provide vital intel.
Ursula's face flushed. "I-I just don't want to see you go down the wrong path, that's all!"
She turned to run away, but just as Kashiwagi thought she was gone for good, her head popped back around the doorframe. She cautioned him with a dead-serious expression: "Whatever you do, do not agree to any agency's terms on the spot, okay?!"
"Got it."
Seeing him nod, Ursula finally disappeared for real.
"Surprisingly cute, that girl," Kashiwagi muttered to Mawile. "Don't you think?"
"Mawile~" Mawile, thinking he was talking about Ursula's skill level, recalled that Vaporeon performance and gave a sage, elder-like nod. Fresh off its victory, its confidence was peaking.
-----
To pass the time, Kashiwagi opened Poké-Blog. Since he followed many Contest bloggers and official accounts, the algorithm immediately pushed a clip of his performance to his feed.
The engagement numbers were staggering.
"200,000 likes?" Kashiwagi tapped the comments. The top one, pinned to the top, was from Wallace himself.
---
Wallace: A most intriguing dance. Despite the inherent weakness to fire, the spinning technique mitigated the heat beautifully. The mastery of Magnet Rise was also nothing short of divine, with seamless transitions between moves. Truly impressive. Furthermore, this Mawile has been raised exquisitely—it possesses the delicate grace of a young maiden! I look forward to seeing this Coordinator at the Wallace Cup!
---
The Wallace Cup.
A prestigious event hosted by the Champion himself that toured the world. Since its "Aqua Ribbon" could be used in any region's Grand Festival, it attracted the best of the best from across the globe.
No wonder people were camped outside.
He switched to his messages. Lisia had sent over fifty texts. Even though Kashiwagi hadn't replied to a single one, her enthusiasm hadn't dampened.
---
Kashiwagi: Sorry, I just got a chance to check my messages.
Lisia: No worries, no worries! I should be thanking you for putting up with my spam! And huge congratulations~!!
Lisia: A ribbon on your very first try? You are absolutely amazing!
---
She followed up with five or six GIFs of an Altaria setting off fireworks.
---
Kashiwagi: Thanks for the praise. I owe it to my teacher—you taught me well. "The master opens the door," as they say.
Lisia: Eeh? I'm your teacher? Hahaha! I guess so!
---
Kashiwagi smiled silently. He had said it jokingly, but strictly speaking, Lisia really was his mentor in the world of Contests.