Chapter 36

"Margaret, no pressure, but I hope you have a good plan for your performance today," Silver said sternly over the computer monitor, once again without any visual contact. "I'd hate to have you lose again."

"Oh, well, I think I have it all planned out," Margaret said nervously. "At least, I hope so, my Pokemon have been getting along more lately."

"Should I worry about that?'

"I think I should be worrying about it more than you."

It was the day of the Geosenge Town Pokemon Showcase, and Margaret was once again the first to be at the theater hall. Apart from the staff and some early spectators, she was the only performer there. None of her friends had come yet, and once again White had decided she could not make it to the showcase. Margaret had been informed that the older trainer was not feeling well so she wouldn't be coming, much to her disappointment. She needed all the support she could get. So while waiting for everyone else to arrive, she decided to call her cousin, something she now regretted doing.

"Silver, why do you care so much about my Pokemon and my routine?" Margaret asked him suspiciously a second later. "I mean, it's because you want me to win, right?"

"Of course I want you to win!" Silver snapped with irritation.

"I-I know, but it's not like your placing bets on this Showcase though, is it?"

There was an awkward silence after she said this. Then Silver replied back slowly, "No, of course not, I'd never do that..."

"You did, didn't you?"

"I need the money, Marg, ok?! Stop tormenting me over it!"

Margaret felt like her stomach had turned to liquid as she gasped and demanded tearfully, "You're using the showcase, using me, to get money!"

"It's not just that, Marg!" Silver insisted desperately. "I wasn't going to, but than I heard people talking about you and how they knew you were going flunk the showcase again! So I made a big bet with them that you'd come in first place! You can't just expect me to sit by and let those people go unchallenged!"

"I expect just that!" Margaret snapped furiously. "You will call off that bet immediately! If I lose, I don't want that bet on my consciousness! You can't afford to lose any more money!"

"But you just said-"

"Silver Rocket, you will call it off now!"

She heard the satisfying sound of Silver sighing in defeat before he said, "Ok, ok, esh! I'll call it off!"

"You better!"

The door to the performers' room opened and a familiar high pitched squeak called, "Margaret!"

"I gotta go," Margaret hissed to Silver as quietly as she could before shutting the computer down. "I'll talk later."

"There you are Margaret!" Mira said happily as she skipped over to her friend. "You didn't tell us where you were!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was talking to my cousin..."

"Ah, that's ok! I can understand that you would want to talk to your family on a big day like this! I brought your outfit over for you!"

Mira held out the outfit, which was currently had a sheet draped over it. The outfit, in Margaret's opinion, was much better than the first one, it was a little more casual than the other. There was a dark red buttoned shirt, red pants, and a red skirt that went down to her ankles and was cut off from the front so it looked like a cape. To cover her wings, Margaret was going to wear a long maroon coat to hide them.

"Thank you so much, Mira," Margaret thanked her friend as she took the outfit and gently draped it over her chair. "Are you alone?"

"Nope, everyone is here! Well, except White. But hey, we're here to cheer you on! You all will do great, I'm sure of it!"

"Oh, I sure hope so..."

Margaret had taken Raven and Jeremy's advice and had begun to work hard on her performance. She had worked on Curandero and Deborah's teamwork. With Danny's help, they managed to get the two of them to stop fighting for the most part. They still had their differences, but at least they had a shot at winning the showcase.

"Ya know they're all waiting outside if ya want to see them," Mira told Margaret after a moment.

"Oh, um, I guess so..."

Mira smiled brightly at this and took her hand before pulling Margaret out of the performers' room and into the lobby. Not many people were out there, but Margaret was pleased to see her other five friends. Danny, Sky Blue, Leia, Amos, and Fiona were all waiting near the room's door.

"I found her!" Mira squeaked happily as she pulled Margaret over to them.

"Oh Margaret, how are you feeling?" Leia asked the performer concernedly while approaching her. "I bet you're feeling nervous, aren't you?"

"A little bit..." Margaret admitted quietly. "But I'll be ok, really."

"You'll do great, Margaret," Amos told her encouragingly. "You've worked hard for this!"

While she was glad that her friends had so much faith in her abilities, Danny was the one who encouraged her the most. When she turned to look at him, he smiled and said warmly, "Whether you win or lose, we'll still be here, and we'll help you try again."

"Oh, t-thank you, everyone," Margaret stuttered, her face turning pink. "So what will you all be doing now?"

"Apparently we're going to be avoiding Serena throughout the day at Sky's request," Mira said calmly, but Margaret could sense a hint of relief and pleasure.

"Well that little woman won't leave me alone!" Sky Blue argued defensively. "She followed me around last time and wouldn't stop talking! She acts fake!"

"I was about to ask 'are you blind?', but then I remembered that you pretty much are," Danny told the oldest boy with a slight laugh. "Sky, she likes you! Of course she wants to hang around you every time you two run into each other!"

"She likes me?"

Margaret couldn't help but giggle at how amazed and terrified Sky looked when heading this. Despite the fact that he practically lived with two girls for most of his life, this showed how much he really knew about women.

"Sky Blue," Leia started who seemed to be taking pity on her friend, "When girls like a boy, they usually want to be as close to their crush as possible. Usually there is some obstacle in a girl's way. Well your only obstacles would be to be mean or have White deal with her, but since you're super nice and White has completely given up, Serena unfortunately has all the power."

"What does that mean?" Sky asked, looking even more horrified to find that he was an open target.

"It means this is Serena's world, you're just living in it," Amos answered with a small smirk. "Hopefully it's nice in Serena's world, for your sake."

"Excuse me, you're blocking the hallway."

They all looked up to see who had spoken. Maya was standing a short ways behind them, wearing her steampunk outfit and her Zorua mask. She was carrying a black bag in one arm and a black apron in the other. Standing beside her was her newly evolved Braixen and her Ivysaur.

"Sorry about that," Danny said hurriedly as they moved away from the door.

Maya nodded and began to move pass them with her Pokemon. When reaching Margaret, she paused and turned to look at her.

"You should get inside," Maya told her quietly. "There was a news team outside chasing after another performer. They'll probably be here soon, but they aren't allowed near the performers' room."

Once Maya was out of earshot, Amos asked uncertainly, "So she just needs to win one more showcase to move up to the Master Class?"

"Yeah, she's the one who beat the Ambrette AND Cyllage City Showcase!" Mira reminded him. "It's pretty amazing once you think about it! Her very first showcase was the Ambrette Town one, and then she beats that and the one after that! She's gotten farther than most other performers!"

Margaret wished they would stop discussing Maya. It was making her more nervous than ever.

There was a loud bang as the theater doors flung open, causing most people in the vicinity to be taken by surprise.

Raven had bolted through the doors, her Greninja, Piplup, and Stufful racing behind her. A couple of new reporters were seen outside the window as they raced up the stairs to catch up to the performer.

"Everyone make way!" She screamed fearfully as she ran toward the hallway to the performers' room. "Save yourselves!"

The older performer ran straight passed the group and did not look back. When she and her Pokemon had ran into the performers' room and slammed the door behind her, Margaret said awkwardly, "Um... Maybe I should go too... I don't really want to meet the reporters either, um...bye..."

Before anyone else could speak, the front doors opened as the reporter patrol entered the building. Margaret did not wait to see if they saw her, and quickly swiveled around and bolted back toward the performers' room with a loud squeak.

Be small and insignificant, be small and insignificant! She told herself in her head as she pulled open the door and ducked inside.

Margaret gave a sigh of relief as she shut the door and moved into the room. She looked around to see the two other performers present. Maya was sitting at one of the vanity desks while brushing her black and red hair. Raven had set her bags down in one of the armchairs and was pulling out outfits from one of the bags, her Pokemon standing and listening to their trainer's rant.

Not feeling like talking to anyone else, the rookie walked over to where her bag and outfit were on one of the other armchairs. She pulled out three pokeballs from her bag and pressed the buttons.

Deborah, Curandero, and Amanda all appeared out of their pokeballs. Curandero and Amanda both gave loud excited cries while Deborah stood in huffy silence.

"Are you all ready for the showcase today?" Margaret asked her showcase team with a smile.

"We will thrash the competition!" Curandero cried in a throaty voice over Deborah's blunt, "No."

"What about you, Amelia?" The rookie questioned her Flaaffy. "I know you were nervous about performing. Are you going to be ok?"

"I-I think so," Amelia stuttered, doing her best to smile. "No need to worry, Margaret, I won't let you down!"

"Aw, what cute Pokemon you have!"

Raven had come over to them with Prince, Pearly, and Mittens. The older performer looked radiant with excitement as she beamed at Margaret and her Pokemon.

"Oh, thank you," Margaret thanked her. "But Curandero and Amelia are mine, Deborah is Danny's."

Margaret noticed that Raven's smile faltered as her eyes met with Deborah's. The rookie was astonished to see a look of momentary disbelief that appeared on Raven's face. The Gardevoir, however, continued to look at her neutrally.

"Raven, are you ok?" Margaret asked her friend nervously. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Raven shook her head and forced a smile on her face.

"No, I'm fine. Just remembering something, no need to worry!" Raven added as she looked toward the door where several performers had just entered. "We should get ready for the first round. Good luck, Margaret!"

The elder performer waved to her before walking back to her bags, Mittens trailing behind her in a cute and clumsy fashion. Pearly glanced at Deborah before waddling away, but Prince stayed behind. He was staring at the Embrace Pokemon suspiciously.  He wasn't even frightened as Deborah's lip curled and let out a snarl.

Worried that Deborah may strike, Margaret asked Prince hurriedly yet kindly, "Can I help you with something, Prince?"

Prince broke the stare and looked at Margaret. He croaked before turning away and slowly following his trainer. She couldn't understand why Deborah's presence would cause such a reaction.

"Do you know them, Deborah?" Amelia asked the Gardevoir with curiosity.

"No," Deborah answered but she didn't take her eyes off Raven and her Pokemon. "I don't remember them at all."

"Enough about them!" scoffed Curandero as he spread his wings impressively. "We have butts to kick! What is the plan, Dama Margaret?"

"Well the first part of the showcase is the Theme Performance," Margaret explained to her Pokemon. "It's where we go up against the other two performers to see who moves up to the next round."

"This is where all the cooking takes place, correct?" Deborah asked unenthusiastically.

"That's right! For this showcase we must make a batch of Poke Puffs, and three judges will see who has the better batch. If we win, we move up to the Freestyle Round where the performances take place. If we lose the first round, well, we get disqualified..."

But Curandero puffed out his chest and declared, "We will be victorious in both rounds!  I for one will make sure of it!"

Amelia hopped up and down and squeaked happily, "You can count on me too, Margaret!"

Margaret smiled at the two Pokemon and replied, "I know you'll both do your best."

She then looked up at Deborah, who's expression hadn't changed much. When meeting Margaret's gaze, the Gardevoir huffed, "Alright, let's get this over with."

*~*~*

"Margaret, you need a new apron," Petunia told her trainer bluntly while watching Margaret pulled out a ragged apron from her bag.

"Well this is from the Pokemon Center, I don't have my own." Margaret admitted as she put it on and looked at herself in the mirror.

There was only ten minutes before the showcase officially began. The room was fairly crowded with performers and their Pokemon. Some of the performers she recognized from her last showcase, like Cloudy, who appeared to still have her rotten attitude. She was currently bragging to two other young performers. The only other performers Margaret knew were Raven and Maya. Maya was sitting silently in her corner with her Braixen and Ivysaur, and Raven was having a pep talk with Prince, Pearly, and Mittens. Margaret had let all of her Pokemon out there pokeballs so they could watch the showcase.

"So what do the rest of you think?" Margaret asked her Pokemon, holding up the flowery apron.

Her five Pokemon and Deborah all stared at the apron. Then all of them spoke at once. The three males, Amelia, and Deborah gave three different answers.

"Stunning!"

"It's...nice!"

"Dull."

Margaret smiled weakly at the responses and said shakily, "Well...this will have to do."

"Hey, Margaret!"

The rookie looked around at the sound of her name. She saw Shauna and her own Braixen approaching them. They both looked slightly breathless.

"Shauna, I wasn't expecting you to get here!" Margaret greeted a little shyly. "But maybe  that's because Mira isn't participating."

"Well we almost missed the sign ups!" Shauna admitted happily, setting down her own bag. "I came with Emmaline, she wanted to see the showcase but we couldn't get around Serena easily! We decided to come super late instead of early!"

"At least you made it on time, and now Emmaline can watch too! Besides, you still have ten minutes to get ready. It won't take a whole lot to get ready for the first round."

"That's true. Well I should get ready, the showcase is about to start. I wish you luck, but I plan on getting to the final round this time!"

"You have a lot of opponents this time," Sowny pointed out as Shauna and Braixen left to prepare for the Theme Performance. "You guys need to work extra hard this time."

"I guess you're right," Margaret agreed, turning back to look at her Pokemon. "But we've trained really hard for this! There is no way we are going down without out a fight!"

"You said that right!" chirped Fletcher excitedly.

"We shall rise victoriously or die in the attempt!" Curandero cried while the other Pokemon gave enthusiastic cries (except Deborah).

There was a loud buzzing noise as all the TVs in the room turned on. All the performers turned to watch the channel, which showed the theater's stage where the host, Monsieur Pierre, stood.

"Bonjour, ladies and gentlemen!" The host called to the audience. "And welcome to the Geosenge Town Rookie Class Pokemon Showcase! I am honored to be your guide today through the performances that our performers have worked very hard to perfect! I am Monsieur Pierre!"

The audience cheered and applauded loudly for the host.

"Thank you, thank you," Monsieur Pierre told the audience as they noise quieted. "Today these young ladies will be participating to win the prize of the showcase; the Geosenge Town Princess Key!"

The host's Klefki, who had been perched on its trainer's cane, squeaked loudly and flew into the air. The camera then zoomed in on its middle key. It was a golden key with an bright red ribbon tied around the middle, and a beautiful ruby set on top.

The performers' room door suddenly opened and an employee poked her head in.

"Maya, April, Jewels, you three are up first!" She announced to the room while checking her clip board.

Margaret looked around and saw Maya stand up. She had removed her hat, jacket, and dress. She was now wearing her black vast, a long sleeved black and Crimson shirt, worn out dark grey jeans, and a ragged black and grey apron. The one thing that remained the same was her Zorua mask. She beckoned her Ivysaur and Braixen to follow her while trailing behind the other two performers.

"This key will count toward entering into the Kalos Master Class for the Pokemon Showcase!" Monsieur Pierre announced. "Performers are only earned the right to participate in the Master Class when they have been awarded three Princess Keys! Then they will move up to the Master Class and perform for the chance of becoming the next Kalos Queen! But the true spellbinding battle for this Princess Key begins here and now!"

More lights on the stage clicked on as a lift moved up to match with the rest of the stage. Three tables ladened with cooking supplies were on the lift.

"Today's Theme Performance will be baking beautiful Poke Puffs right here in front of us!" The host explained to audience. "Now let us introduce our first three performers!"

Another lift rose to the stage, this time bearing the three performers that had just left the performer's room. Jewels had a Carbink and a Rockruff, April had a Houndour and Sunflora, and Maya had her Braixen, Ivysaur, and a new Pokemon that was hiding behind the steampunk performer. As the camera zoomed in, Margaret saw that it was a Mr. Mime.

"How did we miss that one?" Petunia asked as the three judges were introduced, though she was referring to the Mr. Mime.

"I bet he was in the pokeball this whole time," replied Amelia quietly. "He looks a little nervous..."

The Pokemon stopped talking as the host continued, "The performers will work together with their Pokemon to create the most exquisite Poke Puffs of the three! Our three judges will judge the Poke Puffs and decide which dessert is best! Whoever bakes the best Poke Puffs moves up to the Freestyle Performance! Now let the Theme Performance begin!"

A holographic hourglass appeared above the stage as the three performers each went to their stations and got to work. Margaret winced as Raven's voice gave a high pitch squeak and said happily, "It finally begins! Aren't you excited Margie?!"

"Yeah, of course..." Margaret stammered as she looked around to see her friend approaching her.

"Oh, don't be nervous, it'll be fun!" Raven scolded lightly as she stood next to Margaret. "So who do you think will win? I think it's gonna be Maya! She's spectacular!"

"I guess so, I don't know much about the other two."

"Well that's ok! I don't know much about anyone here apart from you! I've only heard about Maya, but I'd REALLY like to get to know her! Do you know anyone here?"

"Um, well," Margaret began, looking around at the room of performers. "Some of these girls were in my previous showcase, but I only know Shauna and you very well. Then there's Mira, but she said she can't cook so she didn't enter this time. I know Maya a little bit, we've talked a few times, but like you saw, she usually keeps to herself."

"Wow you met her?!" Raven gasped. "That's amazing! She must like you, because you're right, she doesn't talk to much people! Well anyway, we should probably watch to see who moves up!"

The younger performer nodded and turned to look at one of the TVs. From what Margaret noticed from the rest of baking half, Maya was probably the most hurried and anxious of the three performers. Her Pokemon had to help her with the cooking several times. Her Braixen and Mr. Mime helped the most with the cutting because the steampunk performer was shaking too much. Maya seemed to have one struggle in the showcases; cooking. However, the other two weren't that much better, even though both kept looking over at Maya and got distracted.

"And times up!" Monsieur Pierre announced as the holographic hourglass exploded into dust. "Ladies, please finish what you are doing and then give your Poke Puffs to the judges."

All three performers had finished frosting their Poke Puffs when they presented them to the judges. Maya seemed to be the most anxious as she gave her three Poke Puffs to the judges. Her hands were trembling and her face was sweaty and pink. When she and her three Pokemon made it back to the center of the stage, the judges began to taste each Poke Puff along with their Pokemon; a Mime Jr., a Furfrou, and a Jigglypuff.

"Maya doesn't look as confident as usually," Margaret finally said aloud and looking to Raven. "Do you think she's alright?"

"Oh please, we should be happy that she has a bigger chance of failing than usual!"

Both Margaret and Raven looked around to see who had spoken. A painfully familiar girl with white hair was watching them. A big smirk was in her face as she watched the TV.

"Oh, h-hello, Cloudy," Margaret stammered, trying to be as polite as possible. "I, um, hope you're well."

"I'm doing even better now that Little Miss Tik Tok is finally seeing how hard showcases really are!" Cloudy replied annoyingly. "Winning two showcases in a row must have gotten to her head! Now everyone else gets a chance at winning!"

"That's not nice!" Raven told Cloudy angrily. "It's not unheard of for a performer to win two showcases in a row! Besides, what has she done to you?! I don't think I've seen her say anything to you!"

"What she's done is overshadow every performer!" Cloudy snapped. "She has been in every performance I have been in and everyone votes for her because she's there!"

"No, she won because the audience saw something in her that the rest didn't have. My guess is that she is more modest than performers like you."

"A winner has been decided!" Monsieur Pierre finally announced as the lights over the stage all turned off except for one that threatened to stop over a performer. "The winner of the first round is... Performer Maya!"

The audience could be heard from inside the room. Margaret watched the TV as Maya sighed with great relief while her Pokemon danced around happily. She then heard Cloudy snarl furiously before stalking off.

The door opened once again as the employee reentered and called, "Raven, Gilda, Wanda, you three are next!"

"Come on, guys and Mittens," Raven told her Pokemon happily, who had been with Margaret's Pokemon. "It's our turn next!"

Prince, Pearly, and Mittens gave excited cries as they followed their trainer. Margaret waved goodbye as Raven and the two other performers and their Pokemon left for the next round.

"She seems like a very nice person!" Shauna said as she came up to Margaret next.

"That's Raven, I met her a few days ago," Margaret explained. "She's very nice."

"Thats great! Most girls aren't that nice here I've noticed, otherwise the rest are really quiet. Hey, there's Maya!"

The door had opened as Maya and her Pokemon reentered the room. She looked very pale and shaky as she passed the two younger performers. Her Mr. Mime, Ivysaur, and Braixen looked more subdued now that they were off stage.

"It must be really stressful for her," Shauna sighed sadly as Maya sat down in her usual chair. "She has the whole world watching her every movement, and other performers don't make it any easier. That might be why she doesn't talk too much."

"That's true," Margaret agreed, but when remembering that it was Raven's round, she turned back to watch the TV.

The three performers were already working on their Poke Puffs. Of the three, Raven and her team were the most upbeat. She looked completely calm and happy as she worked. They all had a specific role, and they all did their job well. Raven and Pearly would cut the berries, Prince made the batter, and Mittens gathered all the ingredients. They even finished their treats with a minute to spare. By the end of the judging, it was clear who had won.

"And the performer that will be moving up is...Performer Raven!" Monsieur Pierre finally announced as the light on stage stopped over the winner. "You will be moving up to the Freestyle Performance!"

"Wow, she is really good!" said Shauna as she and Margaret watched Raven and her Pokemon exclaim happily and hug each other (except Mittens flailed in her trainer's arm).

"She's been doing this for four years, so she's more experienced than the rest of us," Margaret explained.

The door opened once again and the employee entered for the third time and called, "Pam, Riley, Margaret, you three are up next!"

"Oh, good luck!" Shauna told her encouragingly as Margaret jumped at the sound of her name.

"T-Thank you," Margaret stammered, looking around to see her Pokemon while grabbing her apron. "Deborah, Curandero, Amelia, time to go!"

"Good luck!" Petunia called happily as the three Pokemon parted to follow Margaret.

"We'll be cheering for you!" Fletcher cried while Sowny added calmly, "There's no shame in losing."

"Ignore the low hearted scoundrel, Dama Margaret!" Curandero said encouragingly to Margaret as they reached. "We shall cook the best Poke Puffs in the land!"

"Yeah, we'll do great!" bleated Amelia, while Deborah made a noise that sounded like, "Tch..."

As they entered the hallway, the two girls that had lost the previous round to Raven walked past her, both of them looking sulky and disappointed. Behind them was Raven and her Pokemon, all of them looking enthusiastic at their win.

"You did wonderful, Raven," Margaret congratulated Raven as she stopped in front of her. "I hope we can meet in the Freestyle Round."

"Oh of course you will!" Raven squeaked happily as Margaret's two opponents walked out of the performer's room and walked down the hall to the lift. "I know you will! Either way, I wish you luck! But I must tell you, I don't plan on losing!"

Margaret nodded and hid her slight intimidation by the older performer. When Raven and her three Pokemon passed them, Margaret beckoned her own Pokemon and they went to participate in the round.

*~*~*

"And here are our next three performers!" Monsieur Pierre announced as the lift with Margaret, Pam, Riley, and their Pokemon on it rose onto the stage while the audience cheered and applauded. "On the count of three, you may begin to bake! Une, deux, trios!"

The holographic hourglass flipped over once again and began pouring glass. At this, the other two performers and their Pokemon hurried over to one of the three small cooking area.

"Come on, everyone, we should get started quickly!" Margaret told Deborah, Curandero, and Amelia encouragingly as they took the center cooking area. "Do you all remember your jobs?"

"M-Me and Curandero are gathering the ingredients," Amelia stammered while the Hawlucha nodded proudly.

"I have the job of stirring," add Deborah cooly. "And if the little singe is taken out, I take his place."

"This is not a battle, Deborah," the rookie performer scolded lightly as she got some of her provided cooking supplies. "Well let's get working! You all know what to do!"

And so they got to work. Amelia and Curandero gathered the best ingredients for the Poke Puffs, while Margaret and Deborah started the cooking. Once all the ingredients were gathered, the small Pokemon began to help the other two with the making of the batter. By the time they got the Poke Puffs out of the oven, the time was almost done.

"How is the frosting coming?" Margaret asked as she set the tray of her special red velvet Poke Puffs down on the counter.

"Almost done," Amelia replied as she held the frosting squeezer open while Deborah helped poured the frosting into it.

"I would like to frost them!" Curandero requested once Amelia handed the frosting to Margaret. "It would be an honor for me!"

"Oh, um, well..." Margaret began uncertainly, but Monsieur Pierre had just announced, "Two minutes left!"

Margaret looked around nervously. Deborah was giving her look that clearly said "give him the frosting and we fail".

"O-Ok," she finally sighed, handing the frosting to the gleeful Hawlucha. "Just be very careful. Amelia, Deborah, would you like to help add the final touches?"

Though she looked unenthusiastic, Deborah nodded while the little Flaaffy bleated, "I would like to!"

Margaret smiled slightly and took one of the Poke Puffs that Curandero had finished frosting. She, Amelia, and Deborah all added a small amount of Razz Berry sauce and a small slice of Roseli Berry on top of their Poke Puffs. They finished right as the holographic hourglass turned to dust.

"And times up!" Monsieur Pierre called to the three performers. "Performers, please finish what you are doing and take your Poke Puffs to the judges before returning to the center of the stage!"

Margaret gave a shaken breath as she and the other two Pokemon put their Poke Puffs on the tray. The rookie then lifted the tray up and slowly approached the judging table that was at the front of the stage. She did not look at the judges or their Pokemon when dropping off their Poke Puffs and instead quickly departed to the center of the stage with her Pokemon, waiting for the other two performers and their Pokemon to drop off their own treats.

"W-We did our best, Margaret," stammered the small Flaaffy as the other performers returned and stood on either side of Margaret. "I guess that's all we could've done, but we still have a chance!"

"I say we will win!" Curandero added while spreading his wings impressively. "I've yet to be wrong!"

"I also have hopes of succeeding." Deborah said surprisingly.

Margaret smiled at her Pokemon and whispered, "No matter what happens, I'm very proud of all of you, and I enjoyed this sharing round with you three!"

The lights suddenly turned off, all except for one that began to move over each of the performers.

"The judges have made their decision!" The host exclaimed to audience. "The performer that will be moving on..."

Margaret had closed her eyes tightly and her whole body tensed. Here it was. It was move up or go home. In that moment she prayed, Oh please, God, please let us move up! I want a chance for us to win!

"The lucky performer is Performer Margaret and her three Pokemon!"

Margaret opened her eyes to find that she and her Pokemon were suddenly bathed in spotlight. As the audience cheered, Amelia and Curandero both bleated and howled with glee, jumping up in down. Deborah looked taken aback by the sudden attention because she blushed furiously and hid her face under her short green hair.

In her own excitement, Margaret laughed and hugged Amelia, Curandero, and Deborah separately. They were moving on to the Freestyle Performance, where the winner of the Princess Key was to be decided.

~~~

Well this is later than I expected XD Sorry for the late update, I've been writing more than one story lately.

So this is the first update since Pokemon Moon. I LOVED the game and I got so much inspiration! I actually got an idea for a new story, which I'm currently working on besides SWS2. I'm three chapters in, and if I'm lucky, I might be able to publish it this month since I have hopes of entering it the Pokemon Watty Awards for 2017!

Anyway, I'm already ahead in the next chapter and I'm pleased to announce that I published "We'll Be Counting Stars" continuation, "When I See You Again"! It's been out for one month already, so if interested, please go check it out!

I think that's it. If I missed anything, I'll add it later. Please vote or comment! I would also love to hear about your team in Pokemon Sun or Moon! What Pokemon are on your main team and who is your starter? I have Buddy the Primarina, Trumpcard the Gumshoos, Raven the Pom Pom Oricorio, Lupin the Midnight Lycanroc, Maggie the Lurantis, and Bumble the shiny Stufful!

Until next time, bye!