Chapter 4 - Spell of the Spotlight

The following morning brought a choice.

"All right, Solonn. The Contest Hall here in town will be holding two Normal Rank contests - those are the ones for newcomers - in the upcoming months," Morgan said. "There'll be one in three weeks, on the twenty-fifth, and then there'll be another one two months afterward, on August twenty-fifth. Now, if you start your training now, you could enter into the earlier one, but you might want to wait until the August contest, just simply so that you could get more practice in and be more prepared. But it's your call, Solonn."

"I'll go for the earlier one," Solonn said at once. In his mind, it was no question at all - the sooner he got started with these contests, the sooner, he reckoned, he could be done with them and return to his home.

Morgan nodded. "Okay, then." She would have preferred for him to wait until the later contest, believing with certainty that the extra time to prepare would have done him quite a bit of good. Nonetheless, she would respect Solonn's choices with regards to his own life.

* * *

That afternoon, Solonn's contest training began in earnest. It was initiated in a way which Solonn found to be quite odd: Morgan offered him a small, indigo-colored cube and told him to eat it, saying that it would help him to do well in the contests.

Solonn looked at Morgan as if she was crazy. "How is this thing supposed to make any difference in whether or not I win?"

"Well...what it does is it refines your appearance. These Pokéblocks will help you look as healthy and as...er, handsome as you can look. Making a good visual impression on the audience and judges is very important."

Solonn continued to gaze skeptically at the Human. Whatever, he decided finally, and took the Pokéblock from Morgan, devouring it quickly. The little candy was...okay; kind of good, except that it had this funny, sort of sour aftertaste. That was the only fault Solonn could find with the Pokéblock, and it was really only mildly unpleasant - at first. Then, he found the little candy cube beginning to disagree with him...then to strongly disagree with him...

Morgan's expression was one of disappointment (not to mention revulsion), as before her eyes, the Snorunt's body rejected the Pokéblock. However, that undesired reaction did not dissuade her from attempting to feed Solonn another of those indigo candies later that evening. Naturally, Solonn resisted at first - he wasn't exactly eager to throw up again, after all.

"This one's different," Morgan tried to assure him. "I made more than one formula, since I didn't know which you'd do best with. Unfortunately, they just so happen to be the same color - but I promise you, they're not the same. I even got rid of all of the other kind, so there won't be any mix-ups."

Solonn stared warily at her for a long while, his stomach threatening to go sour at just the mere memory of what the last Pokéblock had done to him. Then, with a sigh of resign, he accepted this identical, yet supposedly different Pokéblock. Immediately, he discovered that Morgan had, indeed, been telling the truth: This little indigo cube was different from its predecessor. The flavor was excellent and free from the disagreeable, sour aftertaste of the other Pokéblock. Seconds passed, and it showed no threat of sickening him. Solonn looked up at Morgan with an approving smile.

Morgan smiled back. "Ah, so this one's a winner, huh?" Solonn nodded in response. "Good! Okay, then. You'll be getting two of these a day for the next two weeks," she told him.

Well, this was certainly an aspect of contest training which Solonn didn't mind at all. However, he remained skeptical that merely eating candies was going to sufficiently prepare him for any sort of competition. He wondered what else the Human might have in store for him in order to get him ready for these contests, these things which were the sole obstacle impeding his return home.

* * *

Around noon the next day, Morgan departed and returned a short while later accompanied by a heretofore unfamiliar presence.

"Solonn, this is Sei Salma, an Alakazam," Morgan introduced.

The Pokémon at her side bowed, her particularly long, flaxen whiskers nearly touching the floor. Sei's appearance was a curious mix of vulpine, insect-like, and Humanoid characteristics. Her face was distinctly foxlike, with long, pointed ears and narrow, sly-looking lapis eyes. The rest of her body, however, bore a shimmering, chitinous exoskeleton; mahogany plates encased her torso, wrists, and knees, while everywhere else, her armor was brilliantly golden. She stood on two large, clawed feet, and each of her hands clutched a shining metal spoon.

-A pleasure to meet you, young sir,- the Alakazam said congenially, her telepathic "voice" simulating a slightly gruff contralto which Solonn assumed was the sound of Sei's actual voice. -I understand that you and Ms. Yorke have a most unique relationship, yes?-

"...What?" Somehow, Sei's statement had come across to Solonn in a way that she had certainly not intended.

-You are able to speak to Ms. Yorke in her own language, are you not?- Sei inquired in elaboration.

"Oh...Yeah, that's right," Solonn confirmed.

-Ms. Yorke and I were discussing this on the way here. We've arrived at a conclusion regarding your abilities with which I know you're already very much in agreement. It is best that other Humans do not discover your abilities, do you not agree?- Sei questioned.

"Yeah," Solonn agreed. "I'd really feel better if as few people knew about this as possible," he said. By "people", he was actually referring not only to Humans, but to other Pokémon, as well. He was very mindful of not letting just anybody learn what he was able to do. In fact, he would really have preferred for Morgan to ask him for permission before revealing his secret to Sei...

-I do understand your concern,- Sei said then, -but I assure you, Ms. Yorke had your best interests in mind when she informed me of your unique properties. She would not have told me otherwise. Furthermore, you have my word that I will not reveal your secret to anyone without your consent...And yes, I have just read your thoughts. I do try to tune such things out for the sake of courtesy, but...- Sei shrugged. -Sometimes, thoughts are simply too strong to block.-

So, Sei was a mind-reader. Solonn figured then that, courteous or not, Sei would have probably absorbed the knowledge of his abilities sooner or later, either from Morgan or from himself, without having to be told of them.

-The privacy of those who have no form of mental defense is something my people take very seriously,- Sei assured him earnestly. -We would not be trusted at all by any other race if we did not stay out of their minds as much as possible. Even with our measures to respect their privacy in place, many species still do not trust us.-

Whether or not that was meant as a guilt-trip, it certainly worked as one. "...Sorry," Solonn said. "I'm sure you don't mean to pry into anybody's business."

Sei gave a warm, satisfied smile. -Now. Since protecting the confidentiality of your skills is of such great importance, I offer you a means by which to converse more securely with Ms. Yorke.-

"And what would that be?" Solonn asked.

-This.- Sei's eyes closed, and when they opened again, they contained a peculiar, pale glow.

-Well? What do you think?- Morgan asked.

-What do I think of what...Hey! How are you using telepathy?- Solonn demanded - then, with a jolt, he realized that he, too, was speaking telepathically.

-Sei. She's connected us via her own mind,- Morgan explained. -That way, we can talk with each other without anyone figuring out that...well, that we can talk with each other, get it?-

-...I think so,- Solonn said, still somewhat bewildered at the notion of being able to communicate in a Psychic fashion. There was something about it that made him feel oddly powerful, yet at the same time, rather vulnerable, as well. He wondered if he would have agreed to this trial of this method of communication if he had known beforehand that it would involve his mind being opened and shared in such a way.

-This method of conversing is undetectable to Humans,- Sei told Solonn then, -and it's the Humans from whom you should be most concerned with protecting your secret. You see, Pokémon who are able to speak to and be understood by Humans are exceptionally rare. Unfortunately, Humans tend to look upon rarity as something from which they can gain some form of personal profit. If certain Humans learned of your abilities, they would seek to exploit you for their own ends. I can guarantee you that you would not find such exploitation to your liking.-

Solonn cast an alarmed gaze at Morgan. -Is this true?- he inquired. Morgan had come across as trustworthy - but was she merely a rare exception in a species which generally could not be trusted?

-Yes,- Morgan said, sounding rather ashamed. -Solonn, I would never want to see you exploited like that.-

-Well, I wouldn't want that, either,- he said, shuddering slightly, quite appalled. He turned towards Sei. -Okay. I'll accept your method,- he agreed. -Thanks.-

-Think nothing of it,- the Alakazam said, and with that, she severed the Psychic connection between herself and the other two.

The method which Sei had just made available, by which Solonn could converse securely with Morgan, was a welcome convenience, indeed. As Solonn thought about it, a curious notion regarding this method dawned upon him. Could the telepathic link be used to enable Morgan to communicate with her other Pokémon? After all, Sei's telepathic abilities could trick the minds of those conversing into hearing words they understood, thus eliminating the language barrier between Morgan and her Pokémon. Why, Solonn wondered, hasn't Sei offered this to the other Pokémon?

To Solonn's surprise, Sei turned her lapis gaze upon him, and then shrugged her plated shoulders. "Because they never asked," she said simply, curiously using her natural voice this time, speaking to Solonn in Alakazam language. The Snorunt only stared at her in response, apparently not knowing quite how to reply to her statement.

Sei then let out a long sigh, wiping a few beads of sweat from her brow. -Whew...It seems I've still a bit of recovering to do before I'm quite up to speed again...-

"You want to return to your ball for a while?" Morgan asked her.

-Mmm...yes, I think so,- Sei answered. -I could do with a little time out of this poor, downtrodden flesh,- she added with a laugh.

Morgan chuckled. "All right, then." She removed an Ultra Ball from her belt and recalled Sei with a beam of red light. The Alakazam smiled wearily at Solonn before dissolving into energy and being drawn into her ball.

"I just don't understand how anybody could stand being inside one of those things," Solonn said with a small shudder, eyeing the Ultra Ball as it was minimized and reattached to Morgan's belt. "It's just so...freaky..."

"So, you really don't like being in a ball, huh?" Morgan questioned. Solonn made a small, negatory noise in response. "Well, okay. You don't have to go back in there if you don't want to."

Solonn smiled at her. With no need to dread a return to the bizarre unbeing of the Great Ball, the time that remained to be spent here with Morgan would be much easier to endure...and perhaps, even enjoy.

* * *

Several hours later, Solonn stood outside with Morgan and Sei Salma in the spacious backyard of her house. Though evening was approaching, the sun was still hot enough and bright enough to bother Solonn. Sunlight differed from the artificial light inside the house; it possessed its own peculiar kind of harshness, even in lower quantities.

There wasn't much Solonn could really do about the heat, but he at least had one option that might make him able to more easily able to tolerate the lighting out here. He made his way across the yard at once to stand in the shade of the large Sitrus tree that stood tall in the backyard. Much better, he thought with satisfaction.

Morgan and Sei crossed the lawn to join Solonn. Sei promptly took a seat, leaning back contentedly against the trunk of the tree and opening a magazine. Morgan, meanwhile, came to stand before the Snorunt, and then presented a small, cylindrical plastic case. She opened the container, and from it, she produced a cyan-hued disc.

-I'll bet you're wondering what this is, huh?- Morgan said, making use of Sei's telepathy. -Well, this is a Technical Machine, Solonn. From it, you can gain a new technique.-

An elemental technique, obtained from a little plastic disc. Well, it wasn't the most ridiculous concept Solonn had ever heard...although, it did come very close.

-Now, we may not even need to use this,- Morgan continued. -Let's find out if we do...Solonn, could you show me the strongest Ice-type technique you know?-

-The strongest? I guess that would be this.- Solonn called on the power of his element. The glow of his eyes intensified momentarily as he gathered Ice-type energy. A second later, the elemental charge coalesced between his hands, then fired forth as a jagged, electric blue ray of frigid power, which blasted a flurry of leaves and twigs from the branches above as it streaked off towards the sky.

-Ice Beam, huh? Okay, then it looks like we will need to use this.- Morgan knelt before Solonn and brought the cyan disc before his face. -There's another, stronger Ice technique you'll need to pull off your routine. You'll get that technique from this.-

Solonn eyed the TM dubiously. -...That won't hurt, will it?-

-No, it doesn't hurt,- Sei said reassuringly. -I've received one myself. It'll be a funny feeling, but one that won't last long. You've nothing to fear from it.-

-Oh. Go ahead, then,- Solonn permitted Morgan.

With a quick nod of acknowledgment, Morgan set about activating the technical machine, pressing the disc against the Snorunt's forehead. At first, nothing appeared to be happening. Then, with a rather strong shudder, Solonn found himself overwhelmed by a sudden surge of power. The feeling was similar to that which accompanied the summoning of certain of his Ice-type techniques, only stronger and seeming to all go straight to his head rather than disseminating throughout his entire body. It escalated into a dizzying, giddying rush, and when it reached its abrupt end, he found himself feeling incredibly lightheaded.

Solonn teetered comically for a moment, nearly falling onto his butt before managing to shake himself out of the swoon. -That was weird,- he commented. -So, that's it? That's all it took?-

-Mmm-hmm. You've just learned the Blizzard technique.- Morgan confirmed as she tossed the now spent and colorless TM disc aside. -Go on, try it out...but be careful where you aim it though; it can be pretty nasty.-

-...Wait, Blizzard?! Are you serious?- Solonn questioned incredulously. Morgan nodded, smiling brightly. Solonn was momentarily stupefied. It just seemed all too incredible that a silly little disc could bestow any sort of power upon him, but to think that it had just imparted one of the most awesome powers of his element...

Remaining slightly skeptical, Solonn nonetheless gave his new technique a try. Once again, he gathered elemental energy. He felt a sizeable thrill as, defying his expectations, the surge of power answered his summons, then manifested itself in a great blast of icy wind and snow.

As the Blizzard howled forth, Solonn realized with a jolt of horror that he'd forgotten to aim the attack - its present course, he realized, might well result in a decent-sized hole being blown in the Yorkes' back fence by the fierce Ice technique. Fortunately, however, the Blizzard was rather underpowered due to its being Solonn's very first use of the technique, and as a result, the mini-snowstorm petered out before it could wreak havoc on the fence.

Solonn stared briefly at the small pile of snow and hail that now sat contrastingly upon the verdant grass, watching as it began to melt in the heat of the June afternoon. That thing actually worked...He then laughed to himself, pleasantly bewildered at this incredible occurrence.

-Not bad,- Morgan remarked. -That was just a little one, but with practice, you should be able to pull off a much more impressive Blizzard. And wait 'til you see what you can do when you combine that with other techniques!-

-You can actually do that?- Solonn questioned. He had never seen multiple techniques used in combination, not even by the Glalie.

-Oh, yes,- Morgan replied. -In fact, artful combination of techniques is what contests are really all about. A good, creative, graceful presentation is what gets the ribbon every time. Now,- she went on, opening the TM case once more, -there's another one of these that you won't necessarily need, but it could still do you some good. Do you want to go ahead and take it now, or do you want to wait a little while before you take another one?-

Solonn considered the matter for a moment. He decided that there was really no reason to turn down this offer to gain a new technique. He determined also that a delay in accepting it meant a delay in training. The more training he could get in before the twenty-fifth, the better his chances of succeeding in getting that first ribbon, and thus taking the first step towards his return to Virc-Dho. Hence, he decided that he would not wait.

-I'll take it,- he told Morgan. -Let's do this now.-

The Human nodded and pulled another TM from the case, a fuchsia-hued disc this time. Solonn watched the disc as it was lowered towards his head, wondering what sort of new power this TM would impart upon him as he anticipated once more the giddying rush of technical acquisition.

The process of absorbing this technique felt rather different than the acquisition of Blizzard had. The sensation of connecting with the raw power of his element was this time absent. It was not an Ice-type technique that was being bestowed upon him by the disc-shaped device. Solonn could not even begin to guess the alien element of his new power, for the rush in his head that accompanied its acquisition was gone almost as swiftly as it had come.

-So, what technique did that one give me?- Solonn asked once the sensation of learning his new ability was gone completely.

-That was Light Screen,- Morgan answered. -It's mostly a defensive technique, but there are also some pretty cool things you can do with it that are just for show. Try and call one up now,- she suggested. -It's not nearly as complex and powerful a move as Blizzard, so you should be able to pull it off now without too much difficulty.-

-Okay.- Seeking the new, unfamiliar element within him, Solonn found the root of his new power, then called forth his new technique. There was a peculiar, but not unpleasant sensation that tingled very briefly in his head. Then, he saw a bright pink glow blossom forth from each of his hands. He watched this luminescence with fascination, as very swiftly, the light spread out from his hands in a growing force field which surrounded him completely.

-Wow...this is pretty neat...- Solonn said as he gazed upon the wall of Psychic energy that now surrounded him. -Wait, though...how do I get out of this thing?- he wondered aloud.

-Oh, you don't have to get out of it. You're not trapped in one place by that thing. It'll follow you as you move,- Morgan informed him.

Solonn decided to test that claim for himself. Sure enough, as he walked across the lawn, the shield that surrounded him maintained itself and remained with him through his every movement. Then, unexpectedly, the Light Screen simply vanished.

-What happened?- Solonn queried.

-Light Screen only stays up for a couple of minutes at a time,- Morgan explained.

-Oh. So, are there any more of these I can use?- Solonn asked then, casting an eye into the still-open TM case.

-I'm afraid not. Nearly all of the techniques you'll be using come naturally to you - your routine will mostly be Ice-based. Anyway, it's not really very good for you to learn so many of these moves in one sitting. You could get a nasty headache,- Morgan said.

Solonn found himself rather disappointed to hear that he would not be gaining any new abilities. -Well, okay, then,- he said. -So, now what?-

-Hmm. Right now, I'd say, nothing.- Morgan replied. -You've really had enough excitement for one day. You may not feel like it right now, but physically, you've just had quite an experience. You've instantly learned two moves that usually take Pokémon several years and lots of hard work to learn. Give it a little while, and you'll probably start feeling pretty tired. So, let's just take it easy for the rest of the day, all right?-

Solonn nodded in assent. In truth, he would have liked to go ahead and continue preparing for the upcoming contest, but almost psychosomatically, his energy seemed to have begun to wane since Morgan's declaration that it would do so.

-Your training will really start tomorrow,- the Human then told him. -You see, there are three rounds to each contest. Each one is different, so you'll be training in different ways.

-Now, the third round is a battle,- Morgan told him. -Have you ever battled another Pokémon before? You know, just for fun.-

-Yeah,- Solonn answered, -but not very much, though.-

Zilag and a few of his friends had often held matches against one another, just for sport. They never really seriously hurt each other; mostly, they would just wrestle, with only the occasional, half-hearted Bite or Headbutt thrown in here and there. Ice-type techniques were also sometimes thrown around in those matches, to little effect, of course. On several occasions, Zilag had invited Solonn to take part in this sport, but Solonn only obliged a few times. By and large, Solonn had been unenthusiastic about the sport, even though he did win about half of those matches. As far as he'd been concerned, it had merely been something to do in the event that there'd been absolutely nothing else to do. It was not exactly his idea of "fun".

-That's okay,- Morgan assured him. -Some experience is better than none. Besides which, contest battling is really not the same as battling anywhere else. Your goal won't be to hurt the opponent so much as to upstage them. You don't even necessarily have to 'beat' the other guy, so long as you manage to look better during the match. I'll let you practice battling against a couple of the others here. Raze'd definitely be up for it - don't worry, she won't use any Steel moves on you. Her style's a little different than the one you'll be using, but you'll still get the gist of how to handle yourself in one of these matches. All you have to do is to keep your poise and battle with grace.-

Solonn nodded in acknowledgement, mentally reviewing what Morgan had told him that he could expect. There was, it seemed, more involved with being a contest Pokémon than he had initially imagined. He hoped that the span of time separating him from that first contest would be sufficient for him to adequately prepare himself for this first task that lay before him. The sooner he could get that first ribbon, that first step behind him, the better.

* * *

Each day that followed brought diligent training. Solonn spent many an hour rehearsing his solo performance, and practiced battling techniques with Raze and even once with Sei Salma. He also continued to receive two Pokéblocks each day, until there came a point when Morgan pronounced that Solonn had received the maximum benefit possible from those strange little candies, and therefore, there was no point in giving him any more of the indigo Pokéblocks.

Solonn had assumed that these measures were the only ones that would need to be taken in order to prepare him for his debut. However, there came a night, five days before the date of the next contest, when one last suggestion was offered to him with the claim that it could improve his chances of winning.

He was sitting on Morgan's bed, waiting for her to return from an errand. When the Human returned to her room, the first thing she did was to take a capture ball from her belt, maximize it, and release its occupant. Oth materialized in a burst of light, its many eyes appearing bright and inquisitive as it came to hover beside its coordinator.

"All right," Morgan said to the Claydol. "It's time for you to check him out and see if he's ready." She gestured at Solonn.

...Ready for what? Solonn wondered what on Earth could possibly be going on as Oth brought itself before him. Without any form of explanation or warning, the foremost of the Claydol's eyes dilated dramatically, and from it, a pale red beam lanced forth and struck Solonn. The Snorunt almost cried out, but realized a split-second later that there was no pain. Very puzzled, he merely stared at Oth as it expanded the beam and swept it up and down over his body.

Mere seconds later, Oth ceased its scan, terminating the beam of light. It turned towards Morgan (which seemed strange, given the fact that surrounded by eyes as Oth was, this action was not really necessary) and nodded as best as a Claydol can manage, inclining its entire body slightly in her direction.

Morgan smiled. "Good news, Solonn. Ominous says you're ready."

"Ready for what?" Solonn asked in a quiet voice. He and Morgan had decided that it was safe enough to converse openly while within Morgan's room, so long as they kept their voices down. Solonn had also decided, though not at all hastily, that Morgan's other Pokémon could be trusted with his secret, and so, he did not mind Oth's presence as he spoke with the Human.

"Ready...for this!" Morgan reached into her pocket, extracted something from it, and held it out in her hand for Solonn to see. Nestled in her palm was something small in a blue wrapper. "I'd been looking around town for one, and I finally managed to scare one up."

Solonn gazed at the proffered object for a moment, then turned a questioning gaze up towards Morgan.

"This," Morgan explained, "is a Rare Candy. These give Pokémon something of a boost. According to Ominous..." Morgan paused briefly as a thrill of excitement flitted visibly across her features. "...this'll give you just enough of a boost to make a huge difference. With this...you could evolve."

Solonn's eyes widened incredulously. "...That thing cannot possibly cause evolution!" he said, laughing.

"Oh, yes it can. So, what do you say? Are you ready to do this?" Morgan queried.

Solonn hesitated to answer. Part of him still couldn't believe that evolution could be induced by a piece of candy, but the part of him that did believe was possessed of a fair share of apprehension. "Is there any particular reason why I would have to evolve?"

"...Well, you don't necessarily have to do it, but it might work out to your advantage to go through with it," Morgan responded. "Your routine is based almost exclusively on your Ice-type powers, after all. And Glalie have more finely-tuned abilities where their element is concerned. They can handle Ice-type techniques more easily."

This much was true; Solonn knew it from experience. Members of his race did not truly come into their cryokinetic abilities until they achieved evolution. Among other purposes, the Glalie of Virc-Dho used their greater elemental prowess to keep their unevolved counterparts in check.

He had no doubts that he certainly could execute his routine with greater ease as a Glalie. And he was certainly concerned with succeeding in the upcoming contest. Still...this was a physical transformation that was being suggested. This was not something to be taken lightly - particularly not where his kind were concerned. Snorunt who evolved too early in life ran the risk of being corrupted by incomplete instincts, becoming feral or even wicked, as had happened to Glalie like Kashisha. Furthermore, the changes involved with transformation into a Glalie were such that it was almost like a change into a different species altogether. Those of his kind were born as glacivorous bipeds who could metamorphose into limbless, ponderously floating predators.

"The choice is yours, Solonn," Morgan told him gently. "I won't make you evolve if you don't want to."

So...am I really ready to evolve? Solonn asked himself.

Well...technically, I probably am, he answered himself silently. He was, indeed, at about the age which his people considered the safest and most appropriate time to start considering evolution. In fact, once they got to be very much older than he was now, they found themselves actually having to make a conscious effort to stop the process from simply occurring on its own. So, Solonn was old enough to evolve, and hence there was not likely to be a risk of corruption.

But...do I really want to go through with this now?

That, Solonn could not answer, though he tried. If only he had been given more time to consider this, rather than having such a major decision dropped on him out of nowhere at nearly the last minute...In the end, he could only lower his gaze and sigh in response.

"You don't want to do it, do you?" Morgan inquired. Solonn shook his head vaguely in response. "That's okay, Solonn. That's perfectly fine."

"Okay." Solonn's eyes followed the Rare Candy as it was returned to Morgan's pocket. "Hey. Hold on to that. Just...you know, for whenever."

Morgan nodded in acknowledgement. "Sure thing. If you ever decide that you want it, just let me know. Do you want back in the ball?" Morgan then asked Oth. The Claydol nodded in its curious fashion, and was subsequently recalled.

"All right, then," Morgan said. "Now, don't worry about your decision, okay? Like I said, you don't really have to evolve to do this. You'll do just fine."

Solonn sincerely hoped that Morgan was right.

* * *

In what felt to Solonn like no time at all, the twenty-fifth had arrived. All at once, the task at hand was upon him, and he was swept up by it into a situation that, as it came to be, made him realize that nothing could have truly prepared him completely and absolutely for it.

Next thing he knew, he found himself riding for the very first time in an automobile. Gazing out through the window, the view before him of the scenery rushing by mirrored his attendant perceptions of this experience: hurtling irresistibly forward through these moments, he had scarcely a chance to take it all in.

The vehicle came to a halt, and as he was unbuckled from his seat and brought out into the parking lot, the proud and resplendent structure that was the Lilycove Contest Hall seemed to blossom into being before him right out of thin air. It was huge, and loomed even larger as each step brought him closer to its entrance.

Ushered gently through the front doors by his coordinator, Solonn immediately found himself almost intoxicated by the sheer level of activity within the Contest Hall's lobby. All around him, Humans of wildly varying appearance stood accompanied by their Pokémon partners, incredible creatures of exotic species of which Solonn could never have conceived.

Morgan led him into a queue, and there they waited for their turn at the desk which sat at the front of the line. After a fairly short wait, they made it to the desk, where the receptionist asked Morgan to present her contest pass. Complying at once, Morgan produced a card and handed it to the Human behind the desk. The receptionist held on to the pass for a few seconds; what she was doing with it, exactly, Solonn could not see, for the desk significantly exceeded his height.

When the receptionist gave the pass back to Morgan, she took a moment to peer over the edge of the desk at the Pokémon who accompanied Morgan. "Oh, now isn't that a cutie," she remarked airily, flashing an incredibly bright smile.

Solonn returned her gaze with a vaguely disgusted look. Cute? I'm not cute...

"You may now proceed," the receptionist then said effervescently. Morgan smiled at her, then led Solonn out of the lobby and towards the backstage area.

Several minutes of doing nothing but waiting followed. The other contestants were gathered along with Solonn and his coordinator, anticipating the impending events with varying degrees of patience. A television mounted in the corner showed the scene that awaited the contestants: With a terrific amount of noise and a level of enthusiasm that was almost tangible, even transmitted through that television screen, the audience was filing into the seemingly endless rows of seats and vociferously declaring their eagerness for the show to begin.

The spectators' wait was not prolonged much further. The voice of the announcer came blaring forth, managing to be distinguishable over the din.

"Ladies and gentlemen," boomed the greatly magnified voice, "get ready to witness the hottest up-and-coming faces in the Hoenn contest circuit! The Normal Rank Beauty Contest shall now begin!"

"It's time," Morgan informed Solonn in an excited whisper, and began guiding him before her as they made their way to the stage in an orderly procession along with all the other contestants.

As Solonn emerged onto the stage, he was greeted by an unbelievable level of light and noise. The number of Humans gathered just to look upon him and the other contestants was staggering - Solonn had never before seen so many people in any one place before. In those numbers, the crowd of Humans almost seemed like one single, massive organism, gazing upon him with innumerable eyes and calling out to him in a voice like a great, howling wind.

He had not expected that the spectators would be quite that many...

The coordinators and their Pokémon partners formed an orderly line across the stage, facing the audience. One by one, the announcer stopped before each team and introduced them, then moved on down the line to the next team. Before long, the announcer arrived at Solonn and Morgan.

"Next up, hailing from right here in Lilycove, it's Morgan Yorke and her Snorunt, Solonn!" came the announcer's incredible, magnified voice. Just as had greeted the introduction of each team before, a peal of applause rose up for Solonn and Morgan. Solonn vaguely wondered what, exactly, they were applauding; neither he nor any of the other contestants had actually done anything yet, after all.

"Now it's time for you to cast your votes," the announcer told the audience after introducing the last few contestants. "Who will make it to the next round? You decide!"

Solonn seemed unable to count the moments that passed as the audience cast their votes. The feeling that he was being scrutinized by innumerable eyes only intensified, for this was, in fact, exactly what those countless Humans in the crowd were now doing. He did not see that on a colossal screen that had blazed to life behind him, a close-up view of each of the Pokémon in turn was presented to the audience - he might have been surprised, to say the least, to see a gigantic image of his own face staring back at him.

Finally, the votes were all tallied, and the results appeared on the screen behind the contestants, who all turned to see who among them would proceed to the next round.

"Look!" Morgan exclaimed. "There we are!" She pointed to the upper right corner of the screen; there, Solonn saw that, indeed, he and Morgan were pictured. They had made it through the first round. With that obstacle out of the way, Solonn followed Morgan with a funny little detached sort of thrill as they and the other contestants returned backstage to get ready for the second round.

The small television backstage presented Solonn with a view of the performances of those contestants who had been slated to go on before him. For a crop of newcomers, their performances were generally quite competent; none of them thus far had made any mistakes in their routines, as far as Solonn could tell. Though a few of the performances were not altogether very exciting despite their technical integrity and correctness of form, there were a couple of them that really stood out.

Those performances were almost dazzling; they held Solonn's rapt attention...and also managed to provoke the germination of the seeds of doubt within him. As the last of the performances preceding his own turn on stage came to a close, he found himself attended by an unbidden question of whether or not he had truly, sufficiently prepared himself for this. Had he truly had long enough to train? Had he and his coordinator truly made all the right decisions with regards to his training?

Those questions followed Solonn out onto the stage as he was called forth. It was much darker as he emerged this time than it had been during the first round, but as he came to stand in the center of the stage, a single, bright spotlight fell upon him, and the music which Morgan had chosen to accompany his routine rose up, seeming to emanate from the very walls of the contest hall itself.

Solonn had been told what to expect since his training had begun...yet Morgan's descriptions of what this experience would be like seemed weak and ill-fitting when held against this moment, these surroundings...these expectations of dazzling entertainment, held by this congregation of strange beings...

Under the ray of white light bearing down upon him, he felt a paradoxical combination of being overemphasized to dimensions far greater than his own while simultaneously being made all too aware of how small an entity he was compared to the vast, scrutinizing crowd. In the limited light, the individual members of the shadowed audience could no longer be discerned - now, the crowd seemed to have truly become a single, unfathomably massive entity.

A moment later, the spell of the spotlight abated enough to allow Solonn to realize that he had missed his cue. With a jolt, he hurriedly cast the Hail techinique up into the air above him. The hailstones began falling at once, but at twice the normal intensity, and not at all in the pattern he had rehearsed - it was fortunate that this was a solo performance, for had Morgan accompanied Solonn on stage for this round, she would have had to take cover from his bungled first move.

Solonn winced inwardly at the mistake and tried desperately to make some sort of recovery with his next move. He summoned his Powder Snow, and felt the most infinitesimal relief as the winds of his spontaneously-generated, wintry gale bowed to his will according to plan, sweeping up the falling Hail in a gently turning, seemingly tamed cyclone. The ice and snow partly obscured Solonn's view of the shadowed audience-entity, for which he felt a wave of gratitude spread throughout the network of his nerves. However, the knowledge of his next maneuver brought with it the knowledge that he had no choice but to forfeit that comforting, swirling, wintry veil.

Sighing softly, Solonn kept the Powder Snow blowing as he slowly expanded the vortex of snowflakes and hailstones around himself, as the music began to swell in a slow crescendo. The winds swept around him in a growing spiral, and as the cyclone widened, the darkness before him and the multitude of Human eyes he knew it to contain filled his view once more.

Don't pay attention to them, Solonn urged himself silently, just pretend they're not there...He was fighting a tremendous urge to close his eyes as tightly as he could and shut out the audience-entity, for he knew that showing signs of his anxiety would count against him in the judges' eyes. He was also finding himself dealing with what was probably an impending impulse to simply cut his wintry display short and run.

Mentally trying with a growing desperation to keep a hold of the fraying ends of his nerves lest they unravel completely, he called upon the next element of his display - the one which, even in the early stages of his training, had given him cause for doubt. He still couldn't believe that he had gained one of the highest powers of his element in a single moment's rush that one afternoon - perhaps it was due as much to that disbelief as it was to his less-than-abundant experience with the move that he had only managed to execute it with precise potency thrice before.

Incredible though it still seemed to Solonn that he even possessed this ability, the fact remained that he did, indeed, possess it, and he was required by his routine to execute it adroitly. Don't think about what you're doing, he tried to remind himself, just do it...At the music's cue, Solonn executed his strongest technique, unleashing a Blizzard to join his dancing cyclone.

The Blizzard howled forth, stirring the spiraling snowstorm into a frenzy as it was meant to do...but then, most disobligingly, its winds began to falter. Solonn swore that he could feel his heart fall utterly still as the Blizzard, along with the other elements of the cyclone which had woven themselves into its winds, petered out right before his eyes. As if in slow motion, snowflakes, sleet, and hailstones alike all fell stageward, their dancing life extinguished.

No...Solonn lamented silently. He was all too certain that his chance to obtain that ribbon, to surmount that first step towards his return to Virc-Dho, had died along with his enchanted snowstorm...The elements of his musical accompaniment suddenly bled and merged into a formless din, while the spotlight seemed to swell into abnormal brightness for a moment before being swallowed up in a sudden, all-consuming darkness, taking the stage, the audience-entity, the surrounding noise, and Solonn's consciousness along with it.

Next time: Solonn faces a decision that stands to change his life forever...See you then!