4.0 Dedicated to its Members and Fans of Pokemon A Pokemon Sandbox RP
Pokémon Dubstep (ft. Lindsey Stirling)
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elcome Adventurer to EPOCH! A Pokemon Sandbox Rp set in the original region of Nue. Everything you need to know will be in the Guidebook and PokeDex 101!
EPOCH uses the Manga and is built on the Original ideas suggested by our members.
We are more than just a Pokemon RP, we're a friendly community with a goal on being a memorable experience for those that look in.
Golden Rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated. If you find yourself content with being an asshole EPOCH and its members will not tolerate you.
RULES
Understand We're All Human. Respect the staffers as well as your fellow members and guests. We all have flaws, tempers and quirks. Be patient with one another, but if issues involving other members come up please don’t just grin and bear it. Contact a staff member, informing them of what's going on so they can address and resolve the situation. The staff won't know what's bothering you unless you tell them.
EPOCH is PG-13. Proboards’ Terms of Service:
Sex; When you get under the clothes, fade to black.
Violence; Do not go into extreme nauseating detail.
Cursing; This is so fucking allowed, but don't go overboard.
Suggestive Content; In avatars, signatures and templates can attract the wrong kind of attention. So be careful.
Getting a break from the winter chill, and finally back into swing of the Contests after the stunning time that was the Silver & Gold Finale, it was time to get the new year started off with a tribute to what better than love?
Shifting gears to take place in Tufa City, the tropical environment unlike that of the desert’s dry heat, coordinators would find themselves having to struggle with a bit of humidity this time around. Though, the battle would be nothing too great for them to handle. If anything, the matter of a quarrel with weather paled in comparison to what the coordinators would find themselves encountering is figuring out how they wished to convey their feelings. Love has always been a mysterious and tricky matter, something even the longest of marriages may struggle to explain! Was it something scientific? A chemical in our minds that pushed us towards each other, or to declare that we “love chocolate”? Was it some sort of mystical force that struck us with arrows and wore diapers?
This Contest was all about a coordinator showing the audience just what they thought was love, who they loved, what they loved, and so on and so forth with their Pokémon. The stage was set, the opera house was decorated with an extensive array of various heart themed decorations. Pinks, whites, reds, and even gold covered the décor, and sweets were set up for sale for the adoring couples coming to watch the displays of affection to take place on the stage.
As the audience took to their seats, the show would go underway. The lights in the theatre slowly dimmed to cue a silence from the crowd, and as the volume fell, a sudden burst of flames on the stage would cause a spike in heart beats. The flames danced and flickered, before slowly parting ways to reveal a man on stage with an abra cradled in his arms. He would casually wave to the people, bowing to them with a joyous grin on his face. Dressed in formal attire, if one hadn’t caught sight of the wireless microphone on his ear, they would’ve been able to assume he was this Contest’s host. The handsome young man slowly stepped his way to the front of the stage’s platform and scanned the crowd, the fire behind him slowly dying out on its own.
“Hello all and welcome to the Box of Chocolates Coordinator Contest!” he declared, getting a roar of excitement in return. “I’m Jackson and I’ll be your host this time around” he chuckled, before moving along quickly to get this Contest on a roll. “This Contest is all about love, and some say that the more you know about someone, the more you’ll come to love them. So, what better way to start this off then by getting a chance to learn more about our coordinators? Today, our contestants will step out on stage to introduce themselves and tell us what they think love really means, what they love, who they love… Heh, a really lovey dovey day” he commented, glancing back with a grin that clearly showed amusement at how corny he expected this day was going to get. Not that that was a bad thing, he did enjoy some corn, after all.
“So, without further ado, let’s get the show on the road, hm?” he questioned, before lightly prodding the Abra in his arms. Another burst of flames overwhelmed the stage without warning and when they quickly vanished, Jackson was missing from the stage once more.
Coordinators are to come out on stage and introduce themselves.
You're to give a speech about love. You can tell the audience what you think love means, what you love, who you love, etc. Tell them about the people you love, maybe even mention what you love about coordinating... Just remember LOVE.
Be sure to bring out one or two of your Pokemon companions to show love for your Pokemon as well. You're welcome to put on a mini-display of your Pokemon's skills as well, but it is not required.
Post by Jason Royde on Feb 16, 2014 21:42:59 GMT -5
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hat was he doing in a Contest Hall in a region he had never been to before dressed up in a fabulous tux?! Oh, that's right, he was competing in a Coordinator's Contest. A COORDINATOR contest. He wasn't a coordinator. He didn't even know what to do! Well, that last one was a lie. Living in Hoenn, the birthplace of contest and Coordinators, Jason had been to quite a few contest with his mother and the blood thirsty leeches that followed her around. The shows were spectacular and had Jason practicing the moves he saw on the stage with his mother. Hell, going to the shows was the reason why he had gotten into singing and actually dressing nicely. Alas, like any other dream that wasn't breeding related, it was crushed by his father. Jason gave it up around the age of eleven, some time before Jasmine first met him.. Yet, here he was, in an new region ready to take on the Contest! It had actually been quite some time since Jason had seen William, who had been a Master Coordinator in his past.. Perhaps this would impress him!
Jason dug his hands in his pockets, feeling the cooling metal of his brand new Luxury balls. It had been a pain switching over the two pokemon to their new balls, too much science involved; so, Jason dropped the balls off with Nurse Joy and set off on his way to acquire a prop chest, a requirement to enter the contest. Ten minutes in a thrift shop and a whooping 30 dots later, Jason had himself one. It was nice looking, actually, so nice looking, he couldn't even tell it was used! After he got that, all he had to do was pick up the Luxury balls and get his tux dry cleaned. Maybe pickup a new tie too.. All in all, it hadn't been too much of a hassle getting into the contest.
“So, without further ado, let’s get the show on the road, hm?” Jason heard over the speakers in the wings of the stage. In a flash of light, the host of the show appeared and looked around searching for a Coordinator. He spotted Jason and nudged him with his elbow and said, "You're up kid, give it your all!" And with that, Jason stepped onto the stage and let the spotlight envelop him.
Stepping out onto the stage, the spotlight swiveled and shone on him, causing his golden hair to reflect the light. Jason blinked in surprise, gave his eyes a few seconds to adjust, and then gave the crowd one of his smiles. It dazzled and gleamed, brightening the day of any who saw it. He then walked strode across the stage, owning it, in his black tuxedo and pale pink tie and vest. Once he got a couple yards away from the cutoff, he bowed, winking at any females in the audience, and pulled out two black luxury balls from his pockets and tossed them in the air with the flair that could only be practiced. From the two luxury balls came a cute little penguin who gracefully fell to the stage and an adorable fire mouse that looked overjoyed to be on stage. Jason motioned towards the two with his hands, and they both made their way in front of him and did their own version of a bow before they sat down in front of Jason. "Greetings, citizens of Orre, judges, and my fellow competitors! I am Jason Royde, Hoenn native and trainer!" Jason spoke loudly, not needing any microphone or other sound enhancing device, because singing had given him enough practice to project across larger auditoriums. He waited for the crowd's response, varying from whistles and claps to nothing more than the professional "I'm only clapping because I have to" clap.
"In front of me you will see my companions; Elsa the Piplup and Alto the Cyndaquil!" Jason said with a grin. At the mention of their names, the two stood and walked forward a bit and posed, looking as if they were about to kiss. "For eons, Humans have wondered what love is. Is it something as sensual as a kiss? Or something steamier..?" Jason asked with a wink. At the end of his question, Elsa produced a cloud of bubbles and Alto made some flames, which exploded into a small cloud of steam. While the steam floated upwards, Jason quickly ushered the two pokemon to stand behind him out of sight. When it finally lifted, it appeared as if Jason had returned the two pokemon. Still smiling, Jason said quietly at first, "We may never know. BUT, what we do know is that love can have as sweating from the flames of passion.." The word "flames" was his que, and Alto immediately let forth a thin stream of fire behind Jason's back, only wide enough to look like a pole of fire. Continuing on, the fire still behind his back, Jason said, "... or have us drenched in the sweet sweat of cupid's acts of love!"As "flames" was Alto's que, "drenched" was Elsa's. A steady stream of water burst forth from her beak, the same width as the fire Alto made. Two columns of water and fire were behind Jason, making a beautiful scene.
"Either way, we will all experience these various states of love, or lust, in the following days of the contest!" Jason spoke clearly to the audience, and at the mention of love, the column of fire slowly inched closer to the column of water; while the column of water began to inch closer to the one of fire at the mention of lust, until the final moment when Jason ended his sentence and they collided, creating a wall of steam for Jason to prep behind. He quickly picked Alto up and moved Elsa in front of him. Then, when the steam was gone, he winked at the audience and said with the confidence of a natural born performer, "Love will conquer all." Elsa immediately made a heart out of bubbles and waddled over to Jason's side, while Alto did a front flip out of Jason's hands, fire surrounding him the moment he left Jason, and crashed through the heart, creating a dazzling pop of fire and bubbles. With a final bow and a dazzling grin, Jason and his company left the stage.
"So, what better way to start this off then by getting a chance to learn more about our coordinators?"
She was backstage, off to the left side tucked back in the wing, you know the usual spot. She looked down at her brightly painted lavender nails tipping her knuckles side to side watching the glitter catch the light in them. Teddiursa brown eyes framed in false lashes and soft pink eyeshadow looked back out to the new host known as Jackson. The different face giving her a bit of a smirk as he was a far cry from the pissant Simon, who seemed to always prep the crowd to the anticipation point, and then have the contestants let them down, the jerk. Ronnie had to hand it to Orre though, despite them being out in the middle of fricken nowhere they sure knew how to make stuff work with what you had.
Her head tipped back looking up at the detailing in the structure itself, a mismash of welded, rivited, and carved parts forced together in a matramony that unique in all it's own. Her wandering thoughts however were pulled back down to the stage at the mention of their goals. "Today, our contestants will step out on stage to introduce themselves and tell us what they think love really means,"
'What.'
"What they love,"
'What.'
"Who they love… "
'WHAT.'
"Heh, a really lovey dovey day”
Ronnie turned around from the side wings of backstage and started to move back towards her dressing room. Nope, not happening. She knew when to call it quits, when it was time to throw in the towel. She shifted her shoulder to the side to squeeze past Kanoa who was standing there with his arms crossed watching out from the back and she almost made it too. "Where are you going?" She paused only for a second upon hearing his voice making her wince slightly. Luckily she was facing away from him so he didn't see it. "Dressing room."
He glanced back out at the stage then towards her before turning to follow. "Did you forget something?"
"No, I'm just getting my coat." she didn't bother looking back to see the answer had made him stop dead in his tracks for a moment and leave him in a confused stooper. "...Why?" she almost snorted at the pitch of his inquiry. As if he was uncertain to poke the bear with the stick. That didn't stop her from moving though as she side stepped out of the way of a crew hand carrying a meat and cheese tray towards the other end of the theater. "Cause I'm leaving I don't know what the heck you're doing." her heels clicked down on the metal steps that lead down into the dressing hall.
That did it, that got his full undivided attention, "Wait, what do you mean you're leaving?!" she could hear him bolting to catch up with her and she too sped up the pace but he tossed himself up over the step railing and dropped down into the hall infront of her as she turned to go back to her room that was located behind the stairs. She paused glancing at where he dropped from then looked at him. "As in Ronelle has left the building." her hands came up and swept out to the side by her shoulders in a dismissive flick while her voice took on an Elvis accent. She felt it was good enough of an explination for him and side stepped to go around around him. That didn't work as he moved to block her. She set him with a frustrated look, she was not in the mood to play human air hockey with him. "I mean, why are you leaving, Ronnie?"
"Were you not standing beside me listening to what they had to say?" her dolled up eyes narrowed in suspicion that his whole attentive act was just for show.
"Yes I was, and I don't understand why any of that would make you want to leave. You're always talking about finding your prince charming and planning for your future, this kind of appeal is something I would think you'd love to do."
"Obviously." she muttered under her breath and crossed her arms shifting her weight to one heel. "Look Kanoa, you said yourself several times in fact that my idea of love is ..." she paused searching for the right word to sum everything he ever said up. "Skewed." Okay so it wasn't the best word she could've used but it'd work. "Why would I want to go out there and embarrass myself?"
He was quiet for a while and for a split second she thought that he would agree with her and let her pass. "Well, if you don't feel confident talking about that kind of love." Confidence was NOT the issue. She had enough confidence to rule the world ten times over if people would let her. It was the fact she was being asked to talk about Love. Something she never experienced, and was the side quest mission of her entire coordinating career move. "Why not talk about loving your family, your friends... Your Pokemon?" her shoulders pulled down as she felt herself staring long and hard at him. The nervous gesture of him scratching the back of his head had her chin lifted up as she crossed her arms. Oh this outta be good. " Or, you could talk about loving the idea of falling in love with the right guy, getting married and having a family. There's more than just one kind of love, at least in my opinion."
"Then why don't you go out there and tell them for me."
"Because you're the coordinator here, not me." What an excuse. She rolled her eyes and looked off to the side exhaling. This wasn't getting them anywhere. "Tell me what you would tell them., I'm your manager, it's my job to help you with this." She wanted to deck him. He already KNEW what she wated to say she gushed about it and verbally painted pictures of her fantasy's all the time around him and EVERY TIME he came back with 'Ronnnie why? Ronnie no! Ronnie can you not?!' She glared over at him then looked back up at the stairs hearing the voices of the stage carry back. "I got a better idea." She lunged forward grabbing his wrist and turned around march dragging him back up the stairs towards the wing once more. She felt his hand spin as he grabbed her wrist in a vice. Well, so much for just kicking him out there, the wuss.
"And uh...what is this idea?"
"I'm going to tell them what I think and then you're going to tell me I'm wrong and proceed to correct me." She said summing up every single time he shot down her fantasy. Which apparently he didn't realize what he was doing because the next words out of his mouth nearly had her tripping on her heels. "See, when you put it like that I realize I just sounded like a total asshole."
She was so done with everything at that point she just looked back over her shoulder at him with a snip. "Does it really matter how you sound?"
He blinked at her owlishly, "Yes?"
"Why? Why care now?" she was getting so sick of the circles and she could hear them filing people up to go out and take the stage. "Because I'm pretty sure at this point, you expect me to be an asshole sometimes, and I hope I have enough qualities to make up for it that you still like me." He was her manager. There was the whole business aspect of it, and his dad already dropped a verbal warning on her after their stint of staying in hotel rooms together. The fact that that entire time he never ONCE looked at her with bedroom eyes; even though she practically set it up for him to make a move on her, or tried to get him jealous by flirting or making comments about other cuties she found, it never worked, everything always ended in vain. "That crowd out there won't ever see my redeeming traits if I'm only out there to tell you you're wrong and this is why. People know who I am, if I act like an ass in public, I will never hear the end of it from every single angle. You didn't want to embarrass yourself, and I don't want to wave my jerkass banner that strongly."
Brown eyes stared at him and she gave off a soft snort, 'Yep, that's just like you.' she mentally confirmed and looked down at their hands. She let go of his but he didn't let go of hers as she reached down and picked his fingers off of her. "Okay." she tried to keep her voice steady and not make a scene backstage. Instead she turned once again to go back down to the dressing room. She barely got three steps, "But if it will get you to go out on that stage I will make the biggest flag they have ever seen." She looked down at her wrist that was in his grip then traveled her eyes up the arm to his desperate looking face. "Why are you so hell bent on getting me out there? What is out there that you have to get me in that spotlight so bad? You owe someone money?" She turned around and put her free hand on her hip letting her other arm remain extended out in his grasp. "Are you some kind of king pin and I'm your winning horse that has to make a performance or your gambling ring will go down?"
That seemed to get him back in the game, or actually thinking a little deeper, when he piched the bridge of his nose that was cue for him starting to dig deep in his 'shit I have over you' bin. "No, no, it's not like that. One thing, you should know you are under contract to go out and perform." If she had the ability to make people explode there'd be one less guild leader in the world. So glad to know he could push the paper down her throat when need be. "Secondly, even if the appeals round gets screwed up, you can make it up with your performance round." So glad he could look at the positive business aspect of it. "Just tell them about the fact you are in love with the idea of falling in love?" She wasn't anymore. She was wanting to go get ahold of that one other girl, Hemmingway and ask if she could higher her to set him on fire and have it look like an accident. "So you want me to lie." she summed it up in a pink bow.
"I just want you to do something instead of running away because you think people are going to judge you for something I know you are absolutely passionate about."
'YOU JUDGE ME ALL THE TIME ABOUT IT YOU PRICK! AAHH!' her innerself reached over the couch of her mind, picked up a vase and threw it at mach two across her mind into the wall. The impact didn't even shatter it, it disingrated into dust that sparkled down to the floor in a soft cloud of white. She stared long and hard at him, trying to keep the mental rage in check, "If they laugh and make fun of me because of my lie of a love life I am taking Carat into your room and letting him perform an encore."
"He can trample all over my laptop if it will make you feel better. An extra large box of those expensive strawberries covered in chocolate syrup, too. I will go out on that stage with you if it'll help you."
Gold brown eyes stared into a panick stricken storm cloud that was his own, she didn't need help from him, she knew what she needed to do, she wasn't afraid of the stage or the crowd. She was afraid of being rejected. She could handle rejection, the one at a time kind of heartbreak, she had enough crazy glue already on her own already. But for her this was the world, and if they rejected her kind of love she didn't think she was strong enough to put crazy glue back on it. She heard her name called as she leaned in towards him, "Well," she got in one last tease their noses practically touching. "You going to wish me luck?"
She snerked on the inside as his face turned pink before he flipped the table on her by kissing her forehead. "Good luck." She stared at him turning cherry as her hand came up smacking over the kiss spot to hide it as one of the crew spoke her name. "What?" she looked over at them as her arm was grabbed and the mic shoved in it, "Oh. Right." she looked back at Kanoa as she was practically dragged her out from the wing.
"And let us welcome back the new face and crowd favorite, " Ronnie was practically pushed out onto the stage. She saw the lit X on the floor of where she was supposed to stand and made her way over to it, her hand still up on her forehead as she continued to keep looking back into the wings where Kanoa was now trying to hide amongst her peers. She stopped out in the middle staring out at the audience, then over to the judges then back out at the crowd. "H-How's it goin?" she sputtered.
The cheer that errupted from the audience as they applauded their familiar favorite had her nodding and trying to find words but none were coming. Luckily Jackson was there to prompt an answer. "Doing well and you?"
Ronnie stared over at him as if he just spoke French. Her hand still up covering her forehead, "I- " she looked back over into the wings then back towards him. "I'm not sure really." She was pissed beyond seeing straight like ten seconds ago. "I'm kinda, floating right now." she answered truthfully blinking out at the audience.
"Oh, you not feeling well?"
"No! No..." she shook her head suddenly trying quell the sudden murmur. "No I'm fine. Just...wasn't expecting a kiss before I walked out here." Well that set the crowd off, "WOOOOOOOOOOO~" it was like being in an oversized school classroom. Ronnie looked back out at them, "I know right?" she said rubbing her forhead with her finger tips before dropping the hand finally to her hip. She clicked her tongue and looked back over to the wing again watching Kanoa mime the worst dance she had ever seen. Shaking her head she turned back towards the judges, particularly Jackson. "What were those questions again?"
"Introduce yourself, and tell us what you think love really means, what you love, and who you love."
Ronnie puckered her lips out like a stiff lemon remaining quiet for a while. "Not asking for much now are you?" she teased and turned back out to the crowd. "Well, I'm Ronnie Rillito," her hand came up and splayed on her chest all dramatic. "Fifteen going to be sweet sixteen here soon. Single," she drawled out cutely and waited for the squealing and boo of the crowd to die down before she continued. "I know right? It's like wow, seriously? Fifteen years old, this talented, starting from a bath house towel folder and now suddenly this." she swung her arm out to everyone and the stage, the theater they were in. "You'd think I'd have at least ONE boyfriend." She put her hand on hip. "But I don't. I have no social life," she shook her head. "Too busy. It's like, I am the worlds girlfriend." she switched hands and arched her arm in a rainbow up over her head to encompass everything. "And we're both very busy people." the hand went back to her hip again and looked over at the judges. "So I have no idea how to be a good girlfriend."
"Didn't you just say you got kissed before you came out here?"
"Yeah, It was my manager and it was on the forehead for good luck, does that count?" she asked looking out at the crowed curious of confirmation. She turned back to look at the wing as the crowd gave out a mixed boo-hiss and soft clap of uncertainity. "You hear that Mr. Manager? I don't think that counts. But that's okay, I still like you." she gave him a firm thumbs up that was lightly laced with sarcasm.
Her head turned back to her audience. "As for what I think love means." she hesitated, and rolled her tongue in her cheek giving it some thought. "Love means..." She trailed off again, her eyes darting out over the crowd then over to the wings again. "Love means..." There was no help there, she looked back over to the judges. She didn't know, she had no clue of the answer they were looking for. "I don't know..." she admitted. "I don't know what it's like to really be in love. I know that there are many types of love out there. There's tough love, that love is a many splendored thing, that love is a battle field, and all I need is love," she heard a soft snicker filter through the crowd. "Love lifts us up where we belong and love is fleeting. There's Bromance, and Sismance, skinship between parent and child, first crushes and fatal mistakes. I've heard that love is blind and absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the way to a mans heart is through is stomach. I could stand here all night dipping into what I've been told love is. It's vast like a desert and countless as the stars. Love is both something given and shared and everyone is capable of giving love in some way shape or form....But not everyone knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of it." she let the tip of her tongue slip out and rub over her bottom lip. "As for what I love," Her fingers drummed on her chin as she shifted her weight to one heel. "Well I could say cute or hot guys, the spotlight, my fans, the applause I get when I come out here on stage, the laughs that I hear sniggering in the dark. My Pokemon, my parents, but if I had to pick one thing out of everything that I've experienced in my life so far, I'd pick my fairytales." She felt her legs pinch together as she rubbed her knees. "I love my fairytales. They are the one thing I wouldn't want to be without. Because if I get dumped, divorced, widowed, or lose everything, I still have my fairytales, they give me a kilig." she nodded again in confirmation of her choice. "And for those of you who aren't sure of what that means, it's the rush, the undescribeable joy you get after seeing or experiencing something romantic."
One of the judges leaned forward towards their mic, "Did you have anyone imparticular you love?"
"Prince Charming." she answered without missing a beat. "All about the castle, the horse and riding off into the sunset."
"Do you think you'll marry a rich man Miss Rillito?"
"Pfft, I don't need a rich man." she said with confidence. "He could be the Prince of Thieves it wouldn't matter to me." "You have anyone imparticular you care about?" " I have a list, but I don't think we have enough stage time for me to go through it."
"Can you name us your top ten?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because true love doesn't have a top ten list."
"La douleur exquise." she spoke, letting the French roll off her tongue and getting a few odd looks. "And what does that mean?"
"Its the heart-wrenching pain of wanting the affection of someone unattainable." "Is there someone you can't have?" Ronnie shrugged her shoulders and let her lips pull to the side in a soft smirk. "I don't know yet."'Liar,' she thought to herself, she'd been through enough rejection to fill a novel. "Right now, for me, everyone is unattainable. Even Prince Charming." she turned and glanced over towards the wings for a moment then back out. "Thank you." She bowed and turned walking back off stage feeling sick to her stomach. She didn't want to talk to anyone just then, she just wanted to get down to her dressing room and slam the door shut and be alone for a while.
BLAME IT ON THE GIRLS WHO KNOW WHAT TO DO BLAME IT ON THE BOYS WHO KEEP HITTING ON YOU
When you're in love, you might happen to exhibit some odd habits. You'll be in constant motion at times, keeping your fingers busy with each other - oft wishing the other's hands were there instead - and showing signs like an influx in your heart rate and a known nervousness coursing throughout your system. A certain backstage coordinator was showing such signs, even if they were - for lack of a better word - not in love. Affectionate, perhaps, with a look of longing - a look that was staring at the dimly lit exit sign as she walked away from it, knowing that she'd have to face this eventuality at some point.
Hemlock sighed as a few of the other contestants went before her, anxiously awaiting her 'turn'. The subject matter for the day had her in a tizzy and for good reason; what the heck was love to the girl who's obsession happened to be with things buried six feet under? She had spent all of the first person's part toying around with plans and who to use and how and why and for what reason, but that settled itself soon enough. She had a plan, and even if she was an achy girl of yearning, she could keep the ball in her court long enough to get through this awful part.
She moved, glad she was keeping her attire simple for this performance part - a purple and grey toned dress, retaining more of the violet coloring near the tips of the dress that kept a flowing, silk-like appearance for the length of her body, never once hugging to her too tightly to show what lay beneath but never once leaving the comfort zone of her skin. An ethereal movement with every step she took, she had replaced her usual daily color with a string of red beads - someone told her red would go well on a lovey-dovey situation, so why not? It was all a part of making herself seem a tad more than she was, and that was an act she was quite used to. She moved her hands together, each sliding palm across palm, lightly touching the matching red bracelets of beads she had on each wrist.
Hemlock moved to a slight vantage point, one where she could hear a fellow competitor better - it sounded like Miss Rillito, A moment of listening to what Ronnie had to say on the question's matter had Hemlock worried - she should have hypnotized herself again like she did for her performances, to keep her nerves down. She had figured it would be a quick get on stage, talk, get off kind of deal. Ronnie, from the sound of it, was killing it, much like how the male voice from before had -one she didn't recognize, but full of confidence and gusto. Hemlock bit at her lower lip, sucking at the slightly supple thing before knowing that she'd need to... showboat a bit, so to speak. She'd have to make up what she'd lack in words with some... distractions.
---
Ronnie left the stage, leaving Hemlock next to get slaughtered. She gave an audible sigh before flexing her fingers, looking down at her shadow before stepping forth to the typical display of applause as the next coordinator was welcomed on. It was for her, her mind insisted, and she knew it - it was politics and politeness and nothing more. She couldn't even look others in the face after the fluke Winter Wonderland win, not with how she just heard empty congratulations and hollow victory talks. Now it was time to be hollow in the heart.
"Let's welcome one of our career coordinators, back in action from the Ice and Lights!" A polite smile crossed onto her pink-painted face, the blood rushing throughout her body in a mixture of nerves and adrenaline - it was a heart pounding experience to be on stage, period. Hemlock moved forth, the dress flowing around her like some sort of fabric shield, keeping her inches from the audience in the comfort of her increasing anxiety.
"Now, miss, would you please introduce yourself?" With a pause, Hemlock brought the side of her hand to her mouth, as if to prevent gibberish from producing itself before truly speaking. "Hemlock W-Walters, sir," she managed to get out, keeping the polite smile and semblance of calm about her, even if it was only on the outside. "Ah, we're all familiar with your name, my dear! No, what we want to know is you and your definition of love."
Ah, yeah, that was the issue of it all, wasn't it. How the hell was she supposed to know? All she was aware of was everything her lewd manga and novels had to say on the subject, which was that saying the L word got you a reward of the sweetest peaches the earth had to offer. What was love to her anyways? What good would it do her - what good could something she had lacked from people do her now? "Asking t-the h-hard stuff, h-huh?" She leaked out, a slight chuckle at the end that the crowd took up on, Her mind briefly dragged out the especially sharp splinter of a thought that she was losing points due to her awful stutter, causing her to inhale ever to slightly to catch her breath.
"W-well, we a-all have hobbies w-we love. I-I have one - I, er, c-collect ghosts, so to speak." She had paused to take a moment to judge the judges, but Jackson took this as a sign to interrupt. "Ghosts? Like the Halloween spook-ems?" She could tell he was trying to keep things light, humorous, and corny - this Jackson sure liked his corn. "T-those too, sir, b-but... I collect a-all kinds." She moved her hands together, touching and intertwining her fingers. She wasn't going to let this guy interrupt her again.
"P-people toss out o-old stuff all the t-time - we a-all know this. Y-you throw a-away the old newsp-paper, you t-toss the o-old toy, all kinds o-of t-things that are n-now dead to you." Now the crowd was interested - what the heck was she on about? "I-its there, b-but then gone - w-whether you w-want it to be o-or not, e-even if you l-loved it so, l-like a special g-gift no longer a-able to keep going."
"I-I collect those - ghosts of a-actions, o-of emotions, o-objects, books... a-a lot of m-my time is spent g-going around, a-and putting these g-ghosts to rest." Now she was being intentionally vague about parts - yeah, she literally did put ghosts to rest at times, and no, she didn't -actually- go around to people to help with their relationship ghosts, but hell, it was working, it was going to get her through this appeal.
"Love... doesn't d-die, sir. I c-can't tell you what l-love is, b-but I do know t-that it transcends death." Confident-looking pause that hid how she was practically pissing her panties. "L-love never l-leaves a ghost, i-it can't d-die. Leave, dwindle, m-maybe even f-falter - b-but it doesn't d-die, sir." That much she was never going to be sure of. But hey, maybe people would eat it up and believe her.
"Hmm... is that so? . . . well, you seem to know a bit about that. But what about what you love?" Jackson was on point with keeping up with these questions, damn. At least he was keeping the momentum going. "W-well sir, I-I always keep o-one thing I love c-close." As Jackson prompted an eyebrow, a few people had begun to take notice of a change in Hemlock. Part of the dark, shimmering tones of purple in her dress, as dark as shadows, began to move ever so slightly before ripping off, a zipped-up Chesire smile popping out in front of Hemlock to greet the judges with a playful wave. The Banette that had been using Shadow Sneak to remain a part of the darkness of her dress peeled itself off, hopping to a normal level, just levitating off the ground next to her.
"T-this is Strings, a-and one of my m-many beloveds," she commented, happy that his entrance had gone over so well. Simple and effective, and it kept the question going. "My my, what a surprise! What a pleasant surprise - like getting the caramel treat in the box of chocolates!" Ha ha, the crowd enjoyed that little comparison. But, as Hemlock had been hinted to during the opening proceedings, it was only going to get harder from here: the gauntlet question for her.
"Now, miss Walters, is there anyone you love? Someone who plays your heartstring harp?" Hemlock notably soured into a light red, licking her lower lip ever so slightly. What was she supposed to say? 'Help I'm pining over a girl who's emotions I can't read, a guy in love with someone else, and anything else that shows the lightest bit of affection towards me'? That wouldn't do. No, she'd do something she had wanted to do in every novel she had read, every one that inspired her. She reached out her hand, lightly petting Strings on the head for a moment. "Yes, sir." But with a slight smile - albeit a cherry red face - she patted Strings on the head and turned, letting the ghost give a final wave before rejoining her dress, walking off.
It had been nowhere in Evangeline's plans to participate in this contest. Thanks to her god-sent sponsor, a wealthy individual who had preferred to keep their identity a secret, she had managed to travel all the way to Tufa Opera House, Orre's own concert hall, where the latest coordinators' contest would be taking place. The plan was to experience a true contest from the sidelines, analyse the live performances of her would-be rivals and the crowd's reaction to each of them. It was to be an educational experience above all, and it would give her a better idea of exactly what she was getting herself into.
Why was it, then, that she was standing behind the backdrop, waiting for her turn to charm tonight's audience? Let's be honest: Evangeline was an impulsive young woman. As soon as she saw the first two contestants, a man who introduced himself as Jason Royde and the two-times first place coordinator Ronelle Rillito, enter the commanding stage of golden and red, she knew she wouldn't be able to hold back for long. The lights, the smiles, the cheer— She took a moment to appreciate the very atmosphere that was building up in the hall. It was dazzling, even though the real performances wouldn't take place until the second and third dates.
It was in that moment that Evangeline knew she had been born for this.
"Let's see... Madeline Gaubert, you're up next!" She didn't have to wait long for her name to be called. A heart-decorated microphone was put between her gloved hands. One of the benefits of signing up at the last minute, she guessed. "Evangeline," she corrected, as she rose to the stage. She tried to contain her brimming excitement with little success, took a big breath, and stepped forward. "And next we have another newcomer! How will she fare, having to follow the two favourites of the night? Please welcome this young lady with a warm round of applause."
Walking on a stage was nothing new for Evangeline—she had participated in a number of fashion shows back in Kalos just months ago, before she had taken interest in contests—but comparing the stage of an upcoming season's catwalk to that of a Contest with capital C was impossible. All the lights and cameras would be focused on her and her pokémon alone throughout the entirety of her presentation, as opposed to garments being the highlight of the night, as they were shown off by rapidly shifting models in a fashion show. Though Evangeline could and did prompt and improvise gestures with her fellow models, a fashion show's program was pretty much set in stone. And tonight... Tonight was fully improvisation for her.
Seconds passed before Evangeline fixed herself in a comfortable spot not too far off the edge of the platform, and lifted the microphone to her lips. "When I was little, I used to believe love was just like in the films. All laughs and sugar and happiness, you know? That's bullshit." She stopped for a second, noticing the deadly silence that had invaded the house. Okay, so maybe her word choice wasn't the best to start with, and maybe she hadn't prepared herself for this presentation— Heck, she was wearing completely black rompers and shoes, so much unlike the elegant outfits her fellow coordinators were posing in. But...
Okay, so maybe she didn't really have any excuse, either, other than this being completely improvised and her trying to show herself as she truly was. She wasn't even trying, if she stopped to think about it. Well, there was no going back now, was there? "People— Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, my aunt would tell me whenever I was feeling down, thinking I wasn't pretty, or thin, or tall enough. Let me tell you, as cliché as this may sound, she was right." Just as she pronounced these words, her free hand picked up a luxury ball from the golden strip decorating her clutch, and pressed the button in its center. The spinning figure of a Ralts materialised in front of her. Echo spinned a couple of times in the air, as she slowly descended to the floor, before stopping to greet her public with a small curtsey. There were no special effects, no sparkles or smoke or bubbles to embellish her entrance; there was only Echo the Ralts and her beautifully spinning body. "So does love."
Evangeline smiled at Echo's small performance. Even if they hadn't come prepared, even if they hadn't planned anything in advance, she could still count on her darling Ralts to act as a full-fledged diva when needed. As well as when it wasn't. "Love can be innocent and sweet, or it can be bitter, hurtful, dark, obsessive." For every adjective Evangeline said, Echo released a Heal Pulse towards the audience, making a wave of relief wash over them. With each consecutive pulse released, however, the atmosphere of the room became heavier and heavier, as the remaining sparkles from previous attempts collided with the new. The relaxing effect that the first two pulses should have had were replaced by a sense of unease. "It can be old, or it can be young. It can be long and sober, or franctic and short-lived. What I'm trying to say is, love can be many things. A single person can love different people in different ways, and be loved in as many different ways in return."
A second pokéball was taken out of its comfortable place in Evangeline's clutch, as she switched the microphone from one hand to the other. From inside came a grey-coloured creature, clad in a pair of black-and-white hairpins. "Actually, you already heard similar words from the contestants that took this stage by storm before me. I don't want to bore you by repeating their speeches. I don't want to talk about somebody else's love, either, as interesting and endearing as that may be. Not tonight." Like the pokémon before her, the Espurr's appearance wasn't accompanied by any sort of seals, but in her case a simple twitch of her ears was enough to earn a chorus of 'oohs' and 'awws'. A good change from the first impression Evangeline had left on the audience, for sure. She let out a deep sigh, one she did not realise she was holding in, before continuing. "Love is giving."
She shook her head. "And I'm not talking about romantic love, not only that. Love is an eternal cycle of giving. Some say it means giving without expecting anything in return, but I can't agree with that. We're always expecting something out of every little thing we think or do, aren't we? So why expect hormones to shut down those innate instincts we, as humans, have? You can see that's quite paradoxical. Shunning any particular love just because it doesn't fit your ideals is as daft as forcing love onto anybody."
The inexperienced coordinator's mini speech seemed to reach a risky summit towards its end. Internally, she wanted to growl. She wanted to hit herself. On the outside, in contrast, she was just smiling slightly. "My name is Evangeline Gaubert, and the two beauties that accompany me are Echo and Junko," she said, as she gestured first to her right, where Echo was lying, and then to Junko on her left. Her smile widened then, not to a fake one like she was sporting before—not that anybody would notice; Evangeline had perfected the art of faking smiles throughout her modeling career—but to a genuine smile, seeing both of her pokémon so pretty, like sparkling stars. "They are two of my loves," she added. "Thank you for receiving us tonight."
Evangeline let the hall fall into silence once again, as she called her pokémon back into their balls and turned to leave. She was a complete mess. She had made a complete mess out of her performance. Starting from her impolite introduction, down to her outright rant on the topic of love and her inability to show off her pokémon to the public as they deserved. She must have looked like such an amateur. Like the amateur she was, actually. Evangeline sighed. Hopefully the judges would at least find her presentation charmingly honest? Yeah. Right. She really should have waited to think everything thoroughly before barging in.
