In that sense, perhaps, no harm done. He could, indeed, just try again in two months, which would give him the extra time to train that he probably should have taken the first time around before trying for a ribbon.

However, as Solonn continued to muse on his spectacular failure, he couldn't help but wonder if his next performance wouldn't just end up suffering the same fate as had his first, even with another two months' worth of preparation for it. After all, would the audience not be every bit as large as it had been the time before? Would he himself not be just as alone and exposed on that stage, with not only the spotlight but also the invisible yet very tangible rays of scrutiny from all those innumerable Human eyes focused upon him?

Solonn groaned, feeling something at a crossroads between annoyance and disappointment towards himself for the way he had so easily succumbed to the pressure of his performance. You were supposed to be paying attention to what you were doing and not to the audience, he thought miserably. Morgan had even told him something along those lines during his training, and yet he had managed to lose sight of that advice right when he had needed it most.

As Solonn recalled, there had been a couple of moments during his performance, albeit woefully brief ones, in which he almost, just almost, felt as though he could just shut out all else around him and vanish into his routine. It was, he noted in recollection, a pale shadow of a feeling he had attained on a couple of occasions during his training. Through the harnessing of some of the higher powers among his Ice-type abilities, he had sometimes achieved the slightest sensation of becoming one with these powers, losing himself within them - just a taste, really, something vestigial...something promising...

Solonn sighed as he determined that that, right there, was the key. To maintain command over his performance despite the vulnerability and scrutiny that awaited him on stage, he had to somehow achieve and maintain that oneness with those dancing manifestations of his element that brought his routine to life.

But how? he queried anyone and no one, silently and earnestly.

At that moment, words from only a few days prior rose from his memory. "Glalie have more finely-tuned abilities where their element is concerned," Morgan reminded him within his mind. "They can handle Ice-type techniques more easily."

Gods...she's right about that...Glalie could perform Ice techniques with considerably more ease than Snorunt could...and perhaps this was the result not of having more elemental power so much as of being closer to the power of their element...

As if rallying to the point, words from a more distant past came forth within his mind then, the words of his mother: "Our element is our very life, Solonn. We could not survive without its power, and by practicing its ways, we achieve some of the most rewarding experiences in our lives."

So, that's the answer, then, isn't it? Solonn reckoned. If I evolve...maybe then I won't lose it in the middle of my routine next time...but gods...Whether or not it was a solution, or the only solution, the fact remained that it was still evolution - physical, permanent change. It was an irrevocable choice; if he came to regret it, there would be no way for it to be undone.

Furthermore, he knew not what he could even expect from the process of metamorphosis itself. Having never evolved before, he had no sure idea of what it would actually be like. He had once asked his mother about it, but she had told him that she could not adequately describe it. Azvida had also tried to assure him that the process usually did not hurt, which was no real comfort, especially not with the presence of that nasty little "usually".

Solonn could not deny that he still viewed the prospect of evolution with apprehension. However...he considered also the notion of enduring a performance that was a repeat of the last one...and he realized, quite readily, that that was something that he dreaded more. It seemed now to have come down to a decision between facing either evolution or the possibility of another failure in the contest halls. Between the two, he found that it was the latter that he would rather not risk.

Solonn sat up, finally bothering as he did so to cast off the uncomfortable blanket. For minutes, he sat there, staring at his hands as he tried to let his decision settle within his mind. Morgan would likely return soon, and he had to be ready to inform her of his decision as soon as he possibly could.

Just as Solonn had managed to get himself to stop counting the passing seconds that delayed the moment of truth, the door to the bedroom opened slowly, with barely a creak. As if possessed of a notion that she had to sneak into her own room, Morgan at first allowed only her face to cross the threshold, peering cautiously into the room. Then, slowly and silently, she allowed the rest of her body to slip through the partially opened door, closing the door almost noiselessly behind her.

The Human stood at the edge of Solonn's vision, her form appearing bright with the yellow hue of her favorite pajamas. So, it was later than it had quite seemed; Morgan was ready to go to bed.

Hopefully, Morgan wouldn't mind being kept awake for this purpose. Especially since Solonn was not at all sure that he could maintain his resolve through the night.

Inhaling very deeply, Solonn turned to face the Human who still hovered cautiously just inside the doorway. "Get it out," he said with false calm.

Morgan stared in bewilderment at Solonn, slightly startled by his sudden voice, not quite processing what he'd said. "...Get what out?"

"The candy, Morgan," Solonn said, maintaining an even tone with an effort. "It's time."

Morgan blinked in utter surprise for a moment. "Oh..." she said, an unmistakable look of worry forming on her face. "...Now?"

Solonn nodded slowly. "I'm sure you would rather go to sleep, but..."

"No, that's okay," Morgan assured him. She sounded quite shaken. She made her way over to a small dresser and opened its topmost drawer. She rummaged through its contents a bit before she managed to secure what she was seeking.

She began to lift the Rare Candy out from the drawer, but then hesitated. "Solonn...are you sure you're really ready for this?"

"Yes. I'm ready," Solonn said without inflection, inwardly cursing the Human's choice of words. Did she not know that no phrase in existence bred more doubt than "are you sure"? The Snorunt's eyes stayed fixed upon Morgan. His stare was cold and unwavering. His eyes were unblinking, but their light was beginning to pulsate and flicker unsteadily, betraying the presence of at least some trepidation within him.

"You just seem awfully nervous," Morgan said concernedly.

Solonn gave a slight, dismissive shake of his head. "It's really nothing. Everyone gets nervous right before they evolve," he said, guessing rather than actually knowing this. "It's not exactly a minor thing, you know."

"No, it isn't," Morgan concurred. "But if you're sure you're ready...well, here goes nothing, I guess..." She unwrapped the Rare Candy and brought it to Solonn, placing it in his hand. "There. Just eat that, and the rest should follow."

Solonn gave a quick nod. He looked down at the little pink candy that now sat in his hand. And kept on looking.

"...Are you gonna go ahead, then?" Morgan asked.

Solonn snapped out of his momentary mind-freeze. "Huh? Oh, right." He furrowed his brow at the Rare Candy, continuing to stare down at it but making no further move towards it other than to give it a small poke with his other hand.

"I don't blame you at all for being nervous, you know? I'm pretty nervous right now, myself," Morgan admitted.

Solonn had already figured as much; the hammering of both of their hearts was just about all that he could hear at the moment. He gave her a small, difficult smile in an effort to ease some of the tension that he and Morgan shared, fully aware of how the corners of his mouth were shaking.

Just get it over with! urged a voice in the back of his mind. Fighting in vain to still the trembling of his hand, he raised the Rare Candy to his mouth. His jaws were very reluctant to part, as if his teeth were stuck together with tar. He finally pried them open just enough to shove the candy in, barely bothering to chew it or to enjoy its somewhat sweet flavor before rushing it down his throat.

There, he consoled himself silently, the "voice" of his mind seeming to tremble just as much as his body was doing. Now, just try to relax and wait for it to happen...

Nothing happened.

Moment after moment, then minute after minute passed, and still the candy just sat there in his stomach, doing nothing whatsoever to alter his state of being. He felt absolutely no change from how he had felt prior to consuming the Rare Candy; not the "boost" of which Morgan had spoken, and certainly not any feeling that even remotely suggested that he was going to turn into a Glalie anytime soon.

"Guess you and Oth weren't right about me after all," Solonn said finally.

"Guess not..." Morgan said with a sigh. "It's just hard to believe, though; Oth was so sure, and it knows from such things...Are you sure you don't feel any different?"

"No difference at all," Solonn replied.

"It should have given you a boost, though, even if not enough of one to make you evolve," Morgan said.

"Nothing."

"Hmm...maybe you just need enough time to digest it first," Morgan suggested.

"...Hmph." Solonn was done with having any expectations for the Rare Candy. All that it had succeeded in making him become was annoyed - all that agony of anticipation, for this?

And then, there came the buzz.

It was a distinct tingling that radiated from the pit of his stomach and spread throughout his entire body. It felt like pure energy was flowing through his veins. A sudden, incredible sense of exhilaration flooded his brain, making his breath catch in his throat and causing his eyes to grow huge.

Morgan took notice, and her eyes widened likewise. "Are you okay?" she asked anxiously. Her eyes grew even wider. "Is it happening?"

Before Solonn could even begin to form any sort of an answer, an enormous, powerful jolt from deep within him struck him, almost without any warning, taking his breath away completely. The tingling sensation that was still coursing throughout his body shifted in an instant into a strong vibration, one that intensified by the second and produced a dull ache in his bones.

His mouth opened in a silent scream as the sensations he was experiencing made a turn towards earnest pain. He stared wildly at Morgan, who now looked more terrified than excited. She could clearly see the fear and pain in his eyes. Then, her fearful visage was erased from Solonn's sight, as from every surface of his body, a blazingly brilliant light began to shine forth, hazing his vision into a blank, blindingly white oblivion.

In an instant so swift that he could not possibly have marked its precise arrival or passing, Solonn went from feeling full to bursting with energy to feeling as though he were made of energy. He had transubstantiated, dematerialized. The feeling of it was, in a sense, vaguely similar to that of entering a capture ball. The difference was that rather than feeling as though he had ceased to actually exist as confinement within the Great Ball made him feel, he instead felt as though he was transcending existence, becoming more real, more alive...

There was no longer any pain. Distantly, as he began to rematerialize into his new form, he could sense that he was growing larger, but it didn't quite manage to register as a truly physical sensation; he was presently not truly physical himself, after all.

Though the physical aspects of his change were mere shadows of sensations, there was another feeling present which he found overwhelming. This, he recognized with amazement and sheer elation, was the raw power of his element - and here he was, united with it in a way that made his prior achievements of elemental synergy appear as the pale, vestigial facsimiles of this strange, sweet union that they truly were.

At last, he had truly become one with his element...such a wonderful sensation...No longer was the power of Ice a mere accessory to his being, some half-dormant thing of scant potency that just sat quietly inside him until evoked. Now, it was a very significant and tangible presence, one which seemed almost like an entity, even a sentience all its own. It was a very real and very great power with which he was now one - over which he now ruled.

The bright, white nothingness drained at last from Solonn's vision, allowing his surroundings to bloom back into focus. The first thing he saw, through eyes whose vision was much sharper than that which he had previously known, was the visage of his coordinator. Morgan's face was as white as snow in her awe, her eyes tremendous and her mouth agape.

Solonn couldn't blame her. Along with his sight, all of his other senses had returned, as well, giving him a full sense of what he had become. His foremost awareness was of the sheer mass of his new body - he was huge. He felt vast, and also incredibly dense and solid...and yet not at all heavy. He realized then that he had taken to hovering without even consciously trying to do so, and was now impossibly suspended just above the surface of Morgan's bed.

Solonn became fascinated at once with his newly gained levitation. He moved himself for the first time in this incredible new fashion, gliding a very short distance forward...it was effortless...it was fantastic...

And it was the way he would be moving for the rest of his life - he no longer had legs. They, along with his arms, were gone entirely. The joints by which they had been attached to his body were gone, as well, fused completely and seamlessly into the lithous, cagelike continuum that his skeleton had become. It was as though he had never even possessed the appendages.

While his limbs had diminished into nothingness, his face, by contrast, had become dominatingly massive. It took up so much of his form that the rest of his body seemed as though it existed solely as a means to carry the great face. With this outsized face came greatly magnified senses; his enormous eyes took in the world before them in a broader range and with much crisper focus than their predecessors ever could, and he could now hear sounds so minute and many that it made the house itself sound alive.

His new face also brought jaws that put his old set to shame. They were lined with gleaming, white teeth that made up in size for what they lacked in number. They possessed power that was great, yet not uncontrollable, with strength enough to shatter ice (and bones), but also subtlety enough to pick up an egg.

Solonn was instantly at home within his new form. He felt a wonderful blend of immense relief and sweet elation wash over him, and wondered how he could have ever feared to become this. A contented sigh escaped through his massive jaws. Smiling, he began to set himself down upon the bed...but got back up in a hurry when the bed creaked ominously beneath his now considerable weight - and in doing so, he knocked his horns against the ceiling, sending a nasty shock through his skull. Biting back a swear, Solonn looked up at the ceiling to see if his horns had damaged it; when he saw that they hadn't, really, he gave the ceiling an annoyed glare.

Morgan laughed. "Oh, God, be careful! You're almost too big for this room, you know that?"

She wasn't kidding. Solonn realized how fortunate it was that Morgan's room was as large as it happened to be; he took up a sizeable share of its space. If the room had been any smaller...

"Actually...you're too big, period," Morgan noted. "No offense, but normally, Glalie don't get quite so large; I'd expected you to be closer to my height, actually...Do you have any idea what could have made you turn out this way?"

Solonn would have shrugged, except for the fact that he no longer possessed anything even remotely analogous to shoulders. "Well, I've always been kind of tall," he said in his new voice, a galing, aspirate-edged baritone, "but I have to admit, this is..." He trailed off, rather at a loss for words. He was easily half again the size of even the largest Glalie he had ever seen, and he had no explanation as to why.

"You know," Morgan said then, "this is actually a development that should work out in our favor. The audience is sure to be impressed by your sheer size, and so are the judges."

"Mm. Well, that's good to know."

Morgan nodded. A second later, her expression suggested that something had just occurred to her. She cast a slightly uneasy glance at the doorway, then at Solonn, and then back to the doorway once more. "Hey...um, how do you suppose we're even going to get you out of here so we can take you to the contest hall?"

Solonn gave her a puzzled look, then followed her gaze to the doorway and understood at once.

"I will never fit through there," he said with a slight, hissing chuckle. "Never again."

"No, you won't," Morgan concurred, laughing.

"...The ball will, though," Solonn noted.

Morgan frowned slightly. "Well...you are right about that, but..." She sighed. "I don't know. I mean, I know you don't like it in there..."

Solonn made a small, dismissive noise. "It's fine. You and I both know I can't be trapped here in this room. There's barely any room for us both in here; you would hardly be able to get around in here with me in your way. You can't even get into your own bed with me in here."

Morgan cast a glance backwards at where her capture ball belt was hung, from whence Solonn's Great Ball gave off a slight, teal glint in the soft lamplight. "Yeah, I know," she said, traces of guilt in her voice making her speech sound slightly awkward, "but..."

"But nothing," Solonn said gently. "I will go in there from time to time as long as it's only when I really have to. For now, go ahead and get yourself some sleep, all right? I'll go in the ball for the night, and in the morning you can just take me out to the backyard where there's plenty of room, and I'll just stay out there from now on."

Morgan gave him one last look of reservation. "Well, as long as you're sure you don't mind..." she said, and went to fetch the Great Ball.

"Hey," Solonn called then. Morgan turned an inquisitive gaze upon him. "...I just wanted to thank you for making this happen...I never imagined this change would be so wonderful..." he said.

"Oh..." Morgan turned her head and smiled broadly, blushing very slightly. "You're welcome," she said. "I'm glad you're happy with your new form."

She raised the ball towards the giant Glalie, preparing to activate its recall function. "Goodnight, Solonn."

"Goodnight," the Glalie echoed. He allowed his mind to be absorbed by thoughts of the wonders of what he had become and the possible ramifications of the change, as he allowed his body to be absorbed by the capture ball.

* * *

Four days after Solonn's evolution, Morgan and Sei Salma stepped out into the backyard to join him. The former brought along with her a small, portable stereo, just as she had done on Solonn's request each day since he had evolved.

Solonn sat serenely beneath the Sitrus tree. The control he had gained over his element through evolution allowed him to keep the frigid cold of his body to himself, preventing it from harming the nearby tree and the grass on which he sat. Morgan took a seat next to him, while Sei, bearing a large stack of magazines, levitated herself up into the branches above, picking a large Sitrus berry for herself as she settled into a comfortable position. Morgan then started the music with a smile.

Solonn imagined that he would never cease to be amazed by Human accomplishments such as the stereo that sat nearby, the fantastic device that somehow produced Human voices and the widely varying, complexly arranged tones of their music. The music that had been chosen that day was the most impressive that Solonn had heard to date. One song in particular took a peculiar hold of him, its instrumentation rich, its lyrics poetic.

He closed his eyes, and he swore that he could actually see the music in his mind's eye. He visualized the music in the form of twisting, spiraling shapes that branched upward and outward, forming intricate patterns...

A sharp gasp, easily audible and discernable over the music to Solonn's keen hearing, interrupted his reverie. A second later, the music was shut off. Solonn's eyes opened, and a hiss of surprise escaped him at what he saw. Surrounding himself, Morgan, and Sei Salma were the intricate shapes he had envisioned within his mind. Somehow, incredibly, they had been brought to life, formed out of spontaneously generated ice.

-But...how?- Solonn spluttered telepathically, dumbfounded.

-Cryokinesis,- Sei supplied, gazing down with a fairly impressed expression as she munched on the Sitrus berry. -Spontaneous generation and mental manipulation of ice. All Glalie have it.-

-Well, yes, I knew that,- Solonn said, -but - -

- - You didn't mean to use it,- Sei finished. -The subconscious activities of a cryokinetic can sometimes manifest themselves in a visible display, especially when his, her, or its abilities first awaken. And I did not mean to read your mind there,- Sei added.

Solonn continued to stare, stupefied by the formations of ice that had been born of his very mind. He had created this wondrous thing while being completely unaware of doing so. He had managed to lose himself in that act, just as he had lost himself in the music that had inspired it.

His gaze fell upon Morgan, who wore an awed expression as her eyes swept from one part of the ice formation to another. -Do you...do you like it?- he asked tentatively.

The Human turned towards him. She was beaming radiantly, her eyes reflecting the sparkle of the ice that surrounded her. -It's beautiful,- she told Solonn, her mindvoice bright with wonder. Her finger moved over the "PLAY" button. -Keep it up. Please,- she said, and pushed the button.

The song resumed, and Solonn closed his eyes and tried to let the music absorb him once again, succeeding quite readily. For a brief moment, he wondered if continuing his cryokinetic display would not be so easy now that he was conscious of his actions, but he found that awareness of the use of this power made it no less effortless and no less enjoyable. He was still able to lose himself within his actions even though he now consciously chose them.

Solonn allowed his eyes to open, and serenely, he beheld the manifestations of ice that changed, grew and danced in time with the music. Through their intricate elegance, Solonn discovered the simple ecstasy of being, quite literally, in his element.

* * *

In the weeks that followed, Solonn underwent a far more stringent regimen of training and rehearsing than had preceded his prior contest appearance, at his request. On occasion, he had spent an entire night rehearsing his routine alone in the backyard.

"You don't really have to work so hard," Morgan told him more than once, but each time, Solonn insisted on continuing to rehearse to this extent.

Partly, this was because he was, of course, intent on making it as likely as possible that he would perform better than he had last time, but there was another motive behind his desire to devote so much time to perfecting his routine. Following the musically-inspired awakening of his cryokinesis, he and Morgan had decided to work his cryokinetic interpretive display into his routine, even opting to replace the song to which he had performed last time with the one that had evoked the beautiful, dancing formations of ice. Nothing else in his prior experience compared to the wonderful, transcendent sensation of oneness with his element - a sensation that he attained through each artful application of his cryokinesis. It became a high priority of his to achieve that synergy as often as he could.

Soon, those two months of preparation were behind him, and he once again found himself onstage with his coordinator and all the other contestants in the Lilycove Contest Hall. The expansive audience before him was in the process of voting, deciding who would and who would not make it past this first round. Solonn, naturally, could not help but wonder what they all thought if him. Consideration of this subject had come unbidden, but Solonn made a conscious effort to avoid being overly concerned with it.

If you can just get past this part, he told himself within his mind, then in just a short while, you can get away from all of them...

The announcement that came a minute or so later, declaring that Solonn had received a sufficiently high rating from the audience to advance to the second round, brought him a sense of relief, and something else, as well - it almost amounted to a mild, but nonetheless present sort of eagerness. Yes, he was soon to be alone on that stage, performing before that huge audience...but it would still be an act of cryokinesis, a chance to experience that incomparable unity with his element.

And they won't be a part of that, he reminded himself as he departed to the backstage area with Morgan.

The television backstage showed each of the performances preceding his own, which was slated for last this time. Solonn made a point of not watching any of them, remembering well how watching the other performers in action had only intimidated him the time before.

They don't matter, he thought resolutely. This is about something far beyond them.

Finally, the time had come. Solonn emerged onto the stage, trying as he took his place there to view it as merely a stop en route to the far better place to which he was about to go.

The lights went out completely. Nothing was visible to the crowd gathered within the auditorium except for two great eyes of the most frigid blue burning coldly from the center of the stage through the darkness.

Those very eyes had acuteness enough to discern all those myriad Human faces through the darkness. Gone, therefore, was the singular, conglomerated audience-entity...though the sheer number of the watching eyes remained the same.

They will not be part of this...

The music came alive. Very slowly, pale blue rays bloomed from lights mounted in the stage. Glistening within this glow, ice began to rise in thin, vinelike shapes from the stage like sprouting, crystalline plants. They branched out and twisted as they grew slowly but steadily upward, swaying and flicking at the air in time with the music.

The many branches of the seemingly living ice curled downward and inward towards their maker and joined together beneath his hovering body, forming a cradle of sorts underneath him. The ice began to rise upward, lifting Solonn towards the ceiling.

Meanwhile, more of the thin, branchlike structures extended from the main pillar of ice. Their wiry shapes expanded then, widening greatly as they sprawled out and formed a tangled network of ramps and chutes.

The music suddenly and dramatically intensified, and on its cue, Solonn launched himself from atop the pillar and began careening along the sprawling, icy formations. The enchanted ice structure spread out even further as the great Glalie raced along it, its "arms" reaching beyond the stage - Solonn went speeding right by the Humans in the foremost rows, barely a foot from their stunned faces.

Solonn slid back to the center of the stage, the ice drawing itself back inward and resuming its dance around him as it formed sharper shapes and executed more severe motions under his cryokinetic guidance. Hail began to fall in choreographed patterns, the hailstones falling with sure accuracy through the weaving spires and whipping vines of ice. Solonn then summoned a glittering gust of Icy Wind to sweep the hailstones up into a twisting helix around himself.

The Hail and Icy Wind died down as the music slowed; they soon ceased altogether. The structures of ice that surrounded Solonn were transfigured into seven long, thin needles. Atop each of them, ice was formed into the shape of a geometrically perfect diamond.

Solonn rose slowly along with the song's building crescendo, ascending from the stage as high as he could manage. He brought a Protect aura around himself as he lifted himself ever higher, giving him an eerie, deep blue glow.

At the apex of his ascension, his eyes suddenly blazed with a surge of white light - and so did the diamonds of ice, which then exploded one by one in time with the music in sparkling bursts of frozen mist.

As the indigo glow of the Protect aura faded, Solonn descended once more. He then began firing Ice Beams upwards in rhythm, the glowing, jagged, cyan rays arcing overhead in ways that resembled nothing so much as streaks of lightning tearing across the night sky.

The music worked itself into a frenzy then, and accordingly, Solonn summoned a raging storm. Blizzard, Icy Wind and Powder Snow rushed in a maddened spiral around him; he appeared only as an intermittently visible, luminous-eyed silhouette through the dancing chaos. His enchanted ice formations weaved and intertwined in circles around the maelstrom in shapes that resembled writhing serpents, as lights in violent colors blazed into the frenzied storm from both above and below.

The performance ended just as abruptly as the song that had accompanied it. The lights cut out; when they came back on a second later, there was not a trace of ice or of snow to be found anywhere. Nothing remained of the wintry spectacle save for the Glalie who had made it happen.

Solonn looked out upon a silent audience as he hovered at the center of the stage, his body trembling slightly as he breathed hard in his exhaustion. Closing his eyes, he bowed deeply, inclining his great face floorward.

The rapt silence continued to hover over the auditorium for several moments in the wake of Solonn's performance. Then, the audience erupted into a huge round of applause. (Not that Solonn was ungrateful for their enthusiasm, but this was one moment in which he rather wished that he didn't have such acute hearing.) The judges, too, were highly approving of his routine - Solonn received an excellent score of 29.7. His score was in the top two, meaning that he would proceed to the third and final round along with just one other finalist.

Solonn was taken backstage and, just for a moment, he had to be recalled into his Great Ball so that he could have his energy restored by the rejuvenation machine that was kept backstage. Second-round performances usually took a lot out of a Pokémon, and Solonn's performance was no exception. Without rejuvenation, he would certainly not have the strength to perform well in the final round's battle. Once both he and his opponent had both been rejuvenated, the third round was ready to begin.

"Ladies and gentlemen," boomed the voice of the announcer, "we've seen quite a parade of truly skilled performers tonight. And now, we're down to the very best of the crop, the final two. Let's hear it for Alex Rhodes and Kelly from Mauville and Morgan Yorke and Solonn from Lilycove!"

The exuberant noise of the crowd filled the air as the finalists made their way onto the stage. Solonn took his place a couple of yards in front of Morgan and gazed across the stage at the opposing team.

Alex Rhodes was a fair-skinned Human female who was just slightly taller than Morgan. Her eyes were a pale turquoise, and she had waist-length, platinum blonde hair worn in very thin braids. She wore a powder blue, long-sleeved shirt, khaki pants, and white tennis shoes.

Kelly, a Golduck, was a blue, bipedal, somewhat ducklike creature. She possessed a long tail, and large, webbed hands that bore gleaming, white claws. A round, bright red stone reflected the lights of the auditorium like a tiny, scarlet star nestled between her crimson eyes. Peculiarly, the Water-type was giggling to herself; Solonn could not even begin to guess why.

"The match will end when the clock runs out, when one Pokémon's points are entirely depleted, or when one Pokémon is rendered unable to battle," the announcer explained. "Without any further ado, let the final round begin!" With that, a loud tone rang out over the PA system, signaling the commencement of the battle.

"All right, Solonn. Let's show them our Icy Wind/Ice Beam combo," Morgan said.

"Then we'll start with Psybeam and Water Pulse!" Alex declared.

Solonn summoned two of his Ice-type abilities simultaneously. The Ice Beam froze the small ice particles contained within the Icy Wind together into larger, razor-edged, spiky clusters and charged them with the pure elemental energy of the beam, resulting in a flurry of highly hazardous, Ice-type shrapnel propelled on a frigid gust.

Meanwhile, Kelly launched her own attack, continuing to giggle inexplicably as she did so. Her combination of Psybeam and Water Pulse created a rainbow-hued ray through which glowing blue rings of Water-type energy rippled.

Solonn's attack was the stronger of the two due to the fact that both of the constituents of his combination were derived from his own element. The Ice-type combo overtook Kelly's attack and scattered its energies, foiling it. The shredding gale then assaulted Kelly herself. Being a Water-type, she suffered very little from its charge of elemental energy, but the sharp edges of its icy shrapnel nonetheless tore shallow cuts all over the waterfowl's body, making her squawk in pain.

As a result of her taking the hit, Kelly's points suffered. The bar that represented them on the scoreboard decreased in length.

"Now, let's take some defensive measures, shall we? Light Screen, Solonn," Morgan directed.

"We'll try our Psybeam and Water Pulse combo again, then," Alex said. "He's sure not to like it..."

A shimmering, luminous, pink force field rose around Solonn, enveloping him completely. Concurrently, Kelly once again fired her Psychic/Water-type combination attack, which lanced forth in a rush of psychedelic colors. Solonn's Psychic shield negated the Water-type aspect of Kelly's attack, but the Psybeam at the combo's core managed to penetrate the barrier. It struck Solonn squarely between the eyes, its Psychic-type energy finding its way straight into his brain in an attempt to addle his mind. Solonn snarled at the pain as he shook his head furiously to rid himself of the Psychic assault. Fortunately, the attack failed to throw him into confusion, but both he and his points still took a hit.

"Okay, now give him a Hydro Pump!" Alex instructed her Pokémon enthusiastically.

"Uh-oh...you'd better Protect, Solonn," Morgan warned.

Still giggling, incredibly, Kelly summoned one of the highest powers of her element. An intense, blue glow filled her eyes, and in a massive, sudden burst, a thick, powerful jet of highly pressurized water surged forth from her open bill.

However, just as the Golduck launched her Water-type assault, Solonn conjured the deep blue aura of the Protect technique around himself. The Hydro Pump dissipated spectacularly on contact with the indigo force field in a great burst of mist; the Protect shield fell an instant later. Kelly's point bar shortened further due to the utter failure of her attack.

Alex sighed. "Well, I was really hoping we wouldn't have to resort to this, but it looks like you guys've left us little choice. Attract, Kelly!" The command elicited a particularly giddy fit of giggles from the Golduck.

"What? Ah, no...Protect, Solonn! Hurry!" Morgan urged. It was a gamble; she knew that a Protect aura could not always be counted on to successfully form more than once in succession. However, there was simply no other hope for Solonn to avoid Kelly's technique.

Solonn tried to bring back his Protect aura, and for a very brief moment, he seemed to have succeeded. But the indigo shield was gone a split-second later, leaving Solonn with no form of defense between himself and Kelly, who was now smiling sweetly as a rose-colored glow surrounded her. With a wave of her arms, the pink light was sent forth in an undulating wave that washed swiftly and inescapably over Solonn...

...And all at once, he was rather appalled at himself. Good gods, have I seriously been attacking that? How could I have even considered doing harm to such a beautiful specimen? How could anyone? A very cheesy smile crept across his face as he surveyed Kelly from across the stage. Look at her, over there...so elegant...so exotic...those eyes...that tail!...

He chuckled softly. She totally wants me. I can tell.

Morgan cast an uneasy glance at the scoreboard as Solonn's points suffered both from his failed Protect technique and his succumbing to Kelly's Attract. "Solonn!" Morgan shouted, as if her Pokémon partner had become incredibly distant (in a sense, of course, he had). "Listen to me: You have got to keep your head! She doesn't love you, and you don't really love her. It's just a trick, Solonn! Now, quickly, hit her with the Blizzard/Icy Wind combo before she can take advantage of you!"

Solonn smirked. Oh, she can take advantage of me any time she wants...He ignored Morgan's instructions, simply refusing to attack the suddenly and inexplicably sexy Golduck on the other side of the stage.

Silly Human...Kelly is completely into me, it's so obvious...Solonn sighed. I'll have her. Soon. Oh, yes...

Kelly, meanwhile, was giggling her brains out in the most obnoxious, quacking manner imaginable (of course, Solonn probably thought that it sounded like the melodious laughter of an angel). It was a wonder that she even heard her coordinator's next command, which was to blast the poor Glalie with Hydro Pump while he was still dopily goggling at her. But she heard, indeed, and did not hesitate for even a second to launch her attack upon her infatuated opponent.

The massive, Water-type blast came hurtling towards Solonn. Oh, pretty...he remarked silently and vacantly as it approached...

With a loud crash and a veritable explosion of water on impact, the Hydro Pump struck Solonn powerfully, blasting him with such force that he was nearly sent flying on a collision course with his coordinator. Solonn's points decreased greatly - they were now perilously low.

Righting himself with some difficulty, Solonn gasped wildly for air in the wake of the Hydro Pump. In the next instant, the Light Screen he had summoned finally faded away. Had it not still been present when the Hydro Pump had struck, Solonn might not have been able to get back up following Kelly's powerful attack.

Hey...Solonn thought dazedly as he fought to catch his breath, that wasn't very nice...I thought she liked me! He decided to go over to Kelly and ask her why she had done that.

"No, Solonn, don't get closer!" Morgan tried urgently to warn him. "That'll just make it easier for her to blast you!"

No way! She couldn't blast me! Solonn objected internally, seeming to have forgotten the fact that Kelly had done just that mere moments ago. She loves me!

And then, something clicked in his brain.

Wait...no, she doesn't...

"All right, Kelly, let's finish him off now," Alex called out, sounding very pleased with the current situation. "Surf!"

"Come on, Solonn!" Morgan urged. "Cut through her tricks and stop her with the Blizzard/Ice Beam combo! Come on, I know you can snap out of it!"

As it so happened, Solonn already had.

Kelly's giggles rose up into a sharp, triumphant quack of a laugh. She closed her eyes, then clasped her hands together and lifted them towards the ceiling. There was a brief, blue shimmer of Water-type energy at her feet. Then, born impossibly and incredibly from nothing, a spontaneously generated pillar of water began to rise from the stage beneath her webbed feet. She inhaled deeply just before the rising water engulfed her. The great pillar of water lifted her from the stage and up through itself as it rose, ready to surge forth at any instant. Even as Kelly was still rising up through the wave towards the position where she would ride it over her opponent, the summoned wall of water suddenly lurched forward towards its target.

Solonn's eyes blazed a brilliant bluish-white as his gaze fixed itself firmly on the burgeoning wave. As the water surged towards him, he threw his jaws wide open, and a narrow, highly concentrated blast of wind, ice, and snow exploded forth, with raw, Ice-type energy crackling through it like lightning.

The combination attack roared as it rushed through the air, intercepting Kelly's attack swiftly. With a series of cracking sounds, the Ice-type blast froze the summoned wave around the Golduck. Only the spiked crown of feathers atop the waterfowl's head had crested the wave before the water had frozen; the rest of the Golduck was completely encased in ice. Not desiring to smother Kelly to death, Solonn cryokinetically shifted the part of the frozen wave that surrounded her into the shape of a large, hollow sphere.

"Oh, crap! Kelly, you've got to get out of there!" Alex cried.

Kelly was already trying frantically to escape her icy prison. She clawed frenetically at the frozen walls with her Fury Swipes technique, but the ice that formed the walls of the sphere was just too thick to succumb so easily to her claws. She fired a Psybeam at the ice, but much of the Psychic-type energy dissipated against the frozen barrier, while the rest just passed inconsequentially through it. Psybeam was, after all, designed to be more mentally harmful than physically destructive.

Beginning to panic, the Golduck desperately tried again to claw her way out of the icy sphere, tearing savagely with all her might. The ice was finally starting to give way to her efforts, but not by much.

Meanwhile...there was only so much fresh air in that frozen prison, and Kelly was spending her oxygen very swiftly through her struggles to free herself. Thus it was that in fairly short order, the Golduck exhausted herself thoroughly and passed out. Seeing that Kelly was out cold, Solonn dissipated the ice bubble that surrounded her, then slowly dissipated the pillar of frozen water on which it had stood, gently lowering the unconscious Water-type down to the stage below.

A loud buzzer sounded, and a great red "X" appeared over Kelly's picture on the scoreboard. The Golduck had been rendered unable to battle. Solonn had won the final round - and just in time, too. The clock had nearly run out for the match, and despite the loss of points that Kelly had suffered when her own attack had been turned against her, Solonn's score had still been lower. If Kelly had not fainted before the timer could hit zero, she would have won.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" came the exuberant voice of the announcer. "Please give a great, big, hearty round of applause for the winners of the Lilycove Normal Rank Beauty Contest, Morgan Yorke and Solonn!"

The lights in the auditorium blazed into vibrant colors, and showers of confetti began falling from the ceiling like a flurry of multicolored snowflakes. A great surge of incredible noise rose up from the audience, who rose from their seats as they applauded and cheered.

A shriek of delight sounded behind Solonn, audible over the din to none but him. Its source tackled him then in a joyous semi-embrace; Morgan seemed not to be fazed by the fact that her arms barely encircled him at all, such was her determination to heartily hug her Pokémon partner.

After recalling Kelly, Alex rushed across the stage to shake her opponent's hand, wearing a greatly impressed look on her face. A moment later, another figure approached Solonn's side of the stage: a stout, mustached, little old man - the Head Judge.

Solonn watched as the Head Judge handed the Normal Rank Beauty Ribbon to Morgan. It was a round, golden medallion, simple, but nonetheless lustrous, affixed to a looped ribbon of royal blue velvet. Good, Solonn thought as he gratefully allowed his weary body to settle down upon the floor, good. One down, three to go...

Next time: A visitor to the Yorke household may bring unexpected consequences, particularly where the resident Glalie is concerned. See you then!