Thread: The Adventure of Champions: Sinnoh

(OOC: lol, "squee")

Danny stepped off the stage and grinned at his Pokemon. "I think that went pretty well for our first performance. Hopefully it was good enough to get us into the next round," he said. Buddy cried out in agreement. After the last few performances went on, the MC said that there was going to be a 10 minute intermission while the judges were tallying their scores and the finalists were picked. Danny took this opportunity to find his friends. "So how did I do?" he asked. His Pichu jumped into his arms, obviously enjoying the show.

"I think you did good, all things considered. Then again I guess that's for the judges to decide," Travis shrugged.

"It was adorable!" Valencia replied, "You did a great job."

"Thanks guys!" Danny said. "I just wanted to make sure you guys were enjoying it. Anyway, I think I'm supposed to be backstage when the 10 minute break is up, so I'm going to head back." He set down Tess. "Keep watching carefully, Tess. You'll learn a lot." Then he ran off.

"Good luck!" Valencia shouted after Danny, hoping it wasn't too late for him to hear.

James enjoyed the contest as it progressed, even if it didn't showed. On the other hand, Arthur wasn't thoroughly amused; he thought that Pokemon should fight, instead of showing off to the humans.

Danny got backstage to see the MC appearing on the screen. "The judges have made their decisions about who will be moving on to the next round!" she exclaimed. "The results will now be posted on the big screen!" The faces of eight competitors appeared on the screen. The girl with the Lucario was near the top and Danny, to his surprise, saw himself on the list too.

"Awesome!" Danny cheered, hugging Buddy a little too hard. "Chika!" Buddy yelled. "Oh, sorry," Danny said. He looked back up to see who he was going to be battling in the next round of the contest. His face was displayed right next to the Lucario girl. He glanced in her direction. "Looks like we have a strong opponent right off..." he said, trying to fight back the nerves and stay smiling.

James grew worried after noticing who Danny was up against. "Ooh..." He murmured, mostly to himself.

"Hey, it's the kid we talked to earlier." Carly said to her Lucario and glanced from afar to Danny. "Let's do our best!"

Danny smiled big on the outside, but inside his heart was thumping faster than normal. "You too!" he said cheerfully. Buddy looked up at him, obviously knowing that Danny was nervous. The first competitors went out on the stage and began battling.

Carly stood by the curtain, anxiously awaiting the battle. "It's starting soon." She spoke to her Lucario. "We can do this!"

Danny stood at the end of the stage opposite of Carly. He looked down at the Pokeball in his hand. Good luck, Buddy, he thought. He heard his cue from the MC and stepped out on stage. He saw his opponent on the other side of the stage. Ok, don't think about the crowd or the opponent. Just about doing your best. The thought made him start smiling and he sent out his Chikorita.

"Let's do this, Lucario!" Carly called as she released her signature Pokémon out of his Pokéball. The Lucario stepped forward and shot the Chikorita a look of fierce determination.

"Begin!" the MC exclaimed cheerfully.

"Ok Buddy, we'll start off with Tackle!" Danny directed. Buddy bounded gracefully across the stage toward his opponent.

"Dodge it while using Swords Dance!" Carly ordered as the Lucario shifted out of the way swiftly, while gracefully performing a Swords Dance. The Pokémon kicked and punched, yet included a spin to ensure a safe escape from Buddy's attack. Lucario's strength was visibly building up, which gave Carly the signal to send her next command. "Metal Claw!"

The Lucario stopped his dance and rushed toward his opponent without hesitation. Silver claws formed at the ends of his paws. They shimmered with a bright light and seemed massive due to the stored power from the Swords Dance.