Pokémon: My Parallel World Daughters Revealed

Chapter 98: The Pokémon Contest (Power Stone Milestone Extra Chapter 1/2)

The video continued playing.

Canalave City Pokémon Center.

Tiana walked over to a bench in the lobby and sat down. She pulled the Mine Badge from her backpack and held it beneath the light, examining it for quite some time.

”My first Badge.”

She turned it over and inspected the back.

”Grandpa Byron’s iron shovel looked pretty cool. I should ask him where he bought it next time.”

Garchomp lay beside her feet. It had only just emerged from the treatment room, and a small circle of bandages was still wrapped around its neck. Its expression had already returned to its usual vacant appearance, with its eyes half closed.

”Garchomp, where should we go next?”

”Gaargh~” (I want to eat meat~)

”Is eating the only thing you think about?”

Tiana leaned against the back of the bench.

”But Daddy said the most important part of traveling is enjoying yourself. There’s no need to rush through the Gym challenges, so let’s go and look around somewhere else.”

Tiana went to the training field in the Pokémon Center’s rear courtyard.

Many Trainers were practicing there.

She could see all kinds of Pokémon battling, along with numerous flashy and exceptionally eye-catching training routines.

A Masquerain danced elegantly through the air. A Hitmontop continuously exchanged flying discs with its Trainer, while another Trainer polished a Rhydon’s body!

”This is...”

Tiana immediately became interested in the scene before her.

Nurse Joy approached from nearby with a smile.

”They’re preparing for the Pokémon Contest taking place three days from now~”

A Pokémon Contest.

Tiana had heard her mother mention them before, but Cynthia had never participated in one herself, claiming she didn’t have the time.

Her father, however, had said that Pokémon Contests were extremely interesting.

He had also claimed that if her mother hadn’t stopped him back then, he would have entered one and brought home the championship.

Nurse Joy smiled.

”Are you a new Trainer? The Pokémon Center is still accepting registrations for the Contest today!”

After thinking briefly, Tiana nodded.

”Then please register me, Nurse Joy!”

”No problem!”

[VIP Chat Group]

[Wallace]: A Pokémon Contest! A Pokémon Contest!! I can finally watch a Pokémon Contest from the parallel world!!! (ノ｀Д´)ノ

[Juan]: Wallace, calm down.

[Wallace]: Master, I can’t calm down! During Raina’s episode, I kept hoping she would enter a Pokémon Contest, but she never did. Now Tiana has registered voluntarily. Do you know what that means?

[Steven]: It means Tiana simply thinks it looks fun.

[Wallace]: Steven, shut up!

[Wallace]: Whatever her reason may be, the moment she steps onto that stage, there’s a fifty-percent chance she’ll become a Pokémon Contest legend!

[Brock]: A fifty-percent chance? You have that much confidence in Tiana, Mr. Wallace?

[Wallace]: Of course! Half of a Pokémon Contest depends on the Pokémon’s ability to express its charm, while the other half depends on the Trainer’s aesthetic sense and creativity. I believe Tiana has talent in both areas!

[May]: I’m also really excited to see what kind of performance Tiana creates!

[Dawn]: I think she’ll combine the power of Dragon-type Pokémon with some kind of clever idea!

[Max]: Why are you getting so excited too, May?

[May]: Because that’s how captivating Pokémon Contests are!

[Elesa]: The outfit! Her outfit is the important part! Tiana needs a performance costume designed especially for her! Valerie, you design it, and I’ll choose the colors!

[Valerie]: I’m already drawing a rough sketch. A dark base with gold to complement her hair, then a slight purple gradient along the hem of the skirt.

[Skyla]: A black belt. No explanation necessary.

The video continued playing.

After registering, Tiana sat on a bench inside the Pokémon Center and began considering what to perform in the Contest.

”Garchomp, which of your moves looks the prettiest?”

Garchomp tilted its head and thought for a moment.

It raised its right claw, gathering green Dragon-type energy around its claw tips, and struck a pose.

”Dragon Claw is too fierce. We can’t frighten the judges during a Pokémon Contest.”

Garchomp withdrew its claw and struck the floor twice with its tail.

”Dragon Tail is almost the same. Try something else—preferably something sparkling and beautiful that will make the judges want to give us a high score the moment they see it.”

Garchomp fell silent for a moment.

Then it raised its head and opened its mouth wide. An orange-yellow sphere of energy began gathering deep inside its throat.

Draco Meteor.

Tiana immediately clamped a hand over its mouth.

”If you blow up the Pokémon Contest venue, you’ll spend all of next month mining in Grandpa Byron’s mine.”

”Gaargh?”

[Regular-Seat Chat Group]

”Garchomp: I only know how to fight. Asking me to look beautiful is outside my field of expertise.”

”Tiana: I want something beautiful, sparkling, and capable of earning high scores from the judges. Garchomp: Draco Meteor. Tiana: Are you trying to blow up the judges’ seats?”

”A Dragon type’s sense of beauty: bright, loud, and explosive. Tiana: No, it needs to be elegant. Garchomp: What does ’elegant’ mean?”

[VIP Chat Group]

[Wallace]: This child’s understanding of Pokémon Contests... is moving in the correct direction, but she may not completely understand the judging criteria.

[May]: Exactly! I think Draco Meteor could look spectacular during a Pokémon Contest if its range were properly controlled.

[Professor Carolina]: Come to think of it, I remember that little Cynthia was once invited to participate in a Pokémon Contest too~

[Cynthia]: ...

[Fantina]: The Sinnoh Pokémon Contest Committee personally sent her an invitation~

[Diantha]: What happened?

[Fantina]: Cynthia said she didn’t have time, then immediately went to Mt. Coronet to excavate fossils.

[Leon]: A Pokémon Contest... I’ve never participated in one either.

[Raihan]: You can barely keep up with all your battles. When would you find time to enter a Pokémon Contest?

[Leon]: Hmm... I might try one if I ever have the opportunity.

[Raihan]: Forget it. Your Charizard wouldn’t know what to do onstage besides breathing fire.

[Leon]: It also knows Air Slash.

[Raihan]: ...

The video continued playing.

Two pseudo-Legendary Dragon types stood on opposite sides of the training field, while Tiana stood between them holding a Pokémon Contest rulebook borrowed from Nurse Joy.

”All right. We’ll begin rehearsing now.”

Tiana opened the rulebook.

”First is the Performance Stage. The time limit is two minutes, and the judges award points based on the Pokémon’s expressiveness and the Trainer’s creativity. The second round consists of Contest Battles, and the side that falls behind in points is eliminated.”

Garchomp scratched behind its ear with one hind leg.

Salamence yawned.

”We’ll practice the first round first.”

Tiana closed the rulebook.

”The core of a Pokémon Contest is displaying a Pokémon’s charm, not simply showing off powerful moves. We need to find a performance that looks beautiful while also highlighting your unique qualities.”

”Garchomp will perform during the first round.”

Tiana clapped her hands.

”You have two minutes. Let’s test it once. Begin with Sandstorm, but limit it to half the field. Then use Dragon Claw to draw inside the sandstorm and finish with Dragon Tail. Treat Dragon Claw like a paintbrush and draw a picture across the curtain of sand. Do you understand?”

”Gaargh~” (Understood!)

Garchomp walked to the center of the field and took a deep breath before summoning a rapidly rotating cloud of sand.

The curtain of sand surged across the center of the field like a yellowish-brown canvas.

Garchomp raised its right claw. Brilliant green Dragon-type energy gathered around its claw tips as it began drawing across the curtain of sand.

The resulting lines twisted crookedly across the surface, resembling a Magikarp flailing wildly.

Tiana watched with her arms crossed for two seconds.

”What is that?”

”Gaargh.” (It’s a dragon.)

”Why is the dragon shaped like that?”

”Gaargh.” (It twisted a little.)

[Regular-Seat Chat Group]

”Garchomp: Look at this dragon. It’s both long and wide!”

”Tiana: You call that a dragon?”

”I don’t understand it, but I am deeply impressed.”

”Do you know why Garchomp is so bad at drawing? Because it’s a Dragon type, not an Art type.”

”That joke was painfully cold...”

[VIP Chat Group]

[May]: Tiana’s idea is excellent! Using Sandstorm as a canvas and Dragon Claw as a paintbrush—nothing like that has ever appeared in a Pokémon Contest before!

[Dawn]: Exactly! The current result may not look very good, but at least she’s moving in the right direction!

[Wallace]: Hmm... There is still considerable room for improvement in Garchomp’s performance. Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing the final result.

[Elesa]: This proves my point. If Tiana wears a beautiful enough performance outfit, the judges’ attention will partly shift toward the Trainer. That will make Garchomp’s lack of artistic ability less noticeable.

[Valerie]: Agreed! I’ve already started designing the second draft!

[Viola]: Hey, wait a moment! A Pokémon Contest is supposed to showcase the Pokémon’s charm, not the Trainer’s!

The video continued playing.

Standing in the center of the field, Tiana opened the rulebook once more.

”Garchomp’s first-round performance is tentatively decided. Go and practice by yourself. Next is the second-round Contest Battle. Salamence, you’ll be responsible for that round.”

Hearing its name, Salamence raised its head and released a short breath through its nostrils.

Tiana raised one index finger.

”The point of a Contest Battle is to display a Pokémon’s charm while battling. Winning the battle isn’t the only objective. Pokémon Contest spectators want to watch an exciting exchange of attacks. Do you understand?”

Salamence tilted its head.

”Roooar? (I can’t just send them flying with my tail?)

”No.”

Salamence lowered its head to examine its tail, then looked back at Tiana with an expression that seemed to ask what the point was if it couldn’t simply fight.

Tiana thought for a moment before touching the Key Stone set into her hair clip.

”Salamence, you can use Mega Evolution during the Pokémon Contest.”

Salamence’s eyes instantly lit up.

Its blood-red wings spread violently, generating a fierce gust that nearly knocked over the noticeboard beside the field.

”Stop, stop! You still can’t focus only on defeating the opponent! Come here—we need to train some new moves!”

Tiana raised a hand to stop Salamence.

Salamence struck the ground once with its tail to show that it understood.

...

TL: Pretty decently long Chapter, I guess. Author probably had to make it longer since the last one was shorter than usual.