The heavy, sluggish atmosphere of the arena—stagnant from the long hours of competition—was swept away in an instant.
The crowd erupted.
Cheers, whistles, and thunderous applause swirled through the air, refusing to die down.
Thanks to the triple blessing of a cooling Icy Wind, the gentle chime of the Soothe Bell, and the refreshing, stress-relieving scent of the Aromatherapy, even the most irritable spectator felt a wave of genuine peace wash over them.
What a magnificent, ethereal performance!
People scrambled for their phones, their desire to share the moment overflowing. Dozens of fans recorded the scene, racing to be the first to upload the footage online.
However, no matter how fast they were, they couldn't beat the Mawile Fan Club.
This little group, which started back in Rustboro City, had ballooned into a community of hundreds, including some of the most hardcore Contest fanatics.
Those present at the venue had already set up professional-grade cameras from multiple angles.
They recorded the entire performance in high definition, edited it with lightning speed, added a custom music track, and blasted it onto the web.
The reason they swapped the audio? The raw recording couldn't quite capture the delicate, crystal-clear ringing of the Soothe Bell.
Still, the club members at the scene felt a pang of regret.
A video couldn't let the viewers feel the refreshing breeze Mawile had conjured, nor could it transmit that soul-cleansing fragrance.
Without those physical sensations, the "Artistic Conception" felt a bit blurred—the viewing experience was definitely "nerfed" compared to the real thing.
When they shared their feelings in the group chat, the members stuck at home were practically dying of envy.
"WHY?! Why wasn't I there?!"
"I want Mawile to blow cool air on me too, ughhh... 😭"
"The scent is just Aromatherapy! I'm mixing a bottle right now! If I smell it while watching the video with a fan on, will it feel the same?"
"You're a genius, honestly."
"That's it! We HAVE to force Kashiwagi to start a blog and post his schedule. I can't take this anymore!"
"Agreed!"
"Agreed +1"
"Agreed +2"
"..."
A literal wall of "Agreed" flooded the screen.
...
...
Back in the arena, the judging and scoring phase began.
"Thank you, Mawile, for bringing us such a refreshing chill on this scorching day! That adorable look is simply irresistible~"
Vivian, the MC, sounded remarkably refreshed. Her voice had gone up an octave, losing the slight strain it had earlier.
The floor was handed over to Mr. Sukizo.
The grey-haired man offered a rare, slight smile. He picked up the microphone, took a deep breath, and began:
"If I were to use one phrase to describe that performance, 'Remarkable' would be an understatement. The rhythm was slow, yes, but never boring. Combined with the Icy Wind, it swept away the heat in our hearts.
"While it wasn't as flashy as a Fiery Dance, the maturing dance technique and that indefinable 'vibe' are things rarely seen in Pokémon Contests.
"Mawile's impact on the soul is far superior to the homogenized visual effects we see so often nowadays. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this the peak of artistic performance..."
He went on and on, his lips moving like a turbo-charged engine.
His words fired out like a machine gun.
Vivian started with a smile, but after a while, her expression turned stiff.
It wasn't until the broadcast booth literally cut his microphone that she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Um... thank you for those... extensive comments, Mr. Sukizo! Next, let's hear from Mr. Contesta—Mr. Contesta?"
Mr. Contesta remained silent, covering his face with his hand while clutching the mic.
When he finally looked up, his handsome face was a mess of tears and snot. He seemed to have been moved to the very depths of his soul.
He raised the microphone and let out a roar:
"SU—!! BA—!! RA—!! SHIIII—!!"
The audio booth cut the sound halfway through the last syllable to prevent the stadium speakers from exploding.
The audience members, thinking a Pokémon had suddenly used Hyper Voice, rubbed their ringing ears and looked around in a daze, seeing stars.
Nurse Joy, the victim closest to the blast radius, managed to keep her sweet smile. Catching Vivian's "save me" look, she chuckled.
"The artistic atmosphere and the Pokémon's expression were perfectly synchronized. It was a wonderful performance. I feel like all my exhaustion from yesterday has been healed in an instant."
Nurse Joy is the only reliable one here, Vivian thought, exhaling.
"Judges! Please present your scores!"
Beep. Beep. Beep.
JudgeScore
Mr. Sukizo: 9.9
Mr. Contesta: 9.9
Nurse Joy: 9.9
...
Total: 29.7 Points!
The undisputed highest score of the round!
"The highest score has been set! Let's congratulate Mawile and its Trainer!" Vivian's voice was genuinely electric.
Kashiwagi and Mawile, who had been waiting quietly, looked at each other and beamed.
The score had improved! While it wasn't a perfect 30, a 29.7 was a legendary tier in a Contest. Even in the anime, perfect scores were as rare as Shiny Legendaries.
...
...
The Waiting Room
Kashiwagi returned with Mawile in tow.
Dawn immediately rushed up, her eyes sparkling.
"That was amazing! Seriously amazing! Mawile was ten times better on stage than she was in practice! So cool!"
"Thanks,"
Kashiwagi replied with a grin. Mawile gave a very proud, elegant bow.
Kashiwagi looked around but didn't see a certain blue penguin.
"Where's Piplup?" Usually, that little guy would be the first to charge over. Had he finally moved on?
"About Piplup..." Dawn rubbed her hands together awkwardly, pointing toward a bench in the distance.
"He's... over there."
Kashiwagi looked over and saw Piplup lying on the bench, his little flippers twitching rhythmically.
"Uh... what happened? Bad lunch?"
"Too much excitement," Dawn explained.
It turned out the two of them had snuck into the audience seats to get the full "Mawile Experience".
When Piplup felt the cooling breeze and saw Mawile's stunning dance up close, he nearly fainted from pure fanboy bliss.
He was like a groupie at a Michael Jackson concert being carried out on a stretcher.
"Mawile?"
Mawile tilted her head and wandered over to check on him.
The moment the twitching Piplup caught her scent, he snapped into "cool mode".
He instantly regained his composure, struck a pose like The Thinker, and gave her a "charming" look.
A penguin has his pride. He refused to look pathetic in front of his goddess.
"Mawile..."
Seeing him "recovered", Mawile assumed his "fit" was over. She gave him a polite nod and returned to Kashiwagi's side.
The moment she turned her back, Piplup's "tough guy" pose deflated like a popped balloon.
"Looks like he's got it bad," Kashiwagi whispered to Dawn.
"You'd better be ready to comfort him when his romantic dreams inevitably crash and burn."
Piplup was resilient, though.
If he could handle being hit by Gible's Draco Meteor every day and still forgive the guy, he'd probably survive a broken heart.
"No worries! Piplup is a tough cookie!" Dawn waved it off with her signature catchphrase.
At that moment, as the final contestants finished, the big screen lit up with the results.
Dawn, Kashiwagi, and the Milotic Trainer were all prominently featured in the advancing bracket.