Pokebun - Chapter Eighty-Three

Chapter Eighty-Three - 

The backstage area was buzzing with energy. Trainers and Pokémon alike bustled about, preparing for the next stage of the contest. Some were practising last-minute adjustments to their routines, while others sat quietly, recharging for the next big performance. Choco stood in the middle of it all, trying not to let his paws tremble.

"Okay, Choco, breathe," Broccoli said, crouching down to meet his gaze. Her voice was calm, and somehow that made him feel calm too. "You did amazing out there. We’ve got this. It’s all about having fun, right? I bet you had a blast on stage!”

He considered it for a moment, then nodded. He did have fun, singing his heart out and shaking his tail about.

Choco adjusted his shutter shades and then nodded. “Bun!” Yeah!

Oran bounced next to them, she was tired of being left out. "Mar! Marill rill!" Yeah! I was amazing!

Choco nodded, feeling a bit of his earlier confidence returning. If Oran wasn’t nervous, why should he be? Besides, he had Broccoli and Oran with him. They were unstoppable.

A staff member bustled over, clipboard in hand and spearow on his shoulder. “Broccoli Bunch?” he asked.

“That’s me!” Broccoli said, standing up.

“You’re moving on to the second stage. Congratulations!” The staff member handed her a slip of paper. “Here’s your time slot. You’ve got about fifteen minutes to prepare.” He nodded, then bustled off to take care of something else.

Broccoli beamed, holding the paper up like it was a trophy. “Hear that, team? We’re in! Let’s show them what we’re made of!”

Choco puffed up his chest, letting out a confident “Bun buneary!” Yeah, let’s!

 “Alright guys, we’ve got just enough time to run through the routine one more time. Remember the timing: Choco, you’re starting with the Fireballs, and Oran, you’ll bring in the Whirlpool right after. The grand finale has to be perfect—clean, synchronised, and big!”

“Mar!” Oran saluted, her tail bouncing with enthusiasm.

“Bun bun!” Choco added, hopping into position.

They began running through the routine in a small corner of the backstage area. Fireballs arced through the air, shimmering bubbles spiralled in elegant patterns, and a glowing Clean Ball zipped around like a comet. It wasn’t perfect—one of Choco’s Fireballs sputtered out too soon, and Oran’s Whirlpool wobbled for a moment—but it was close.

Practising was good. It made him forget a little about the fact that he’d just been on stage. They’d been practising this whole routing forever now, so it was second nature to hop back in and just run through the whole thing again. 

As they wrapped up their practice, the sound of applause filtered through from the stage area. Choco’s ears twitched, and he glanced toward the curtain separating the backstage from the main contest hall. Another competitor had just finished their routine, and the announcer’s booming voice echoed faintly.

Broccoli wiped her hands on her pants and gave her team a determined nod. “Alright, that’s good enough for now. Let’s see how the others are doing. We might pick up some ideas.”

They shuffled closer to the edge of the stage, where a monitor displayed the ongoing performances. A trainer with a lively Venusaur was twirling on stage, its vines spinning as it unleashed a coordinated burst of Razor Leaf and Vine Whip. The two moves swirled together, creating a mesmerising spiral of flashing green that made the crowd ooh and ahh.

The announcer stepped forward as the trainer and Venusaur bowed, their performance complete. “Fantastic work from Trainer Diana and her delightful Venusaur! Let’s hear it for them!” The audience clapped.

As the trainer left the stage, the announcer turned to face the crowd again. “Ladies, gentlemen, and pokemon of all ages, it’s time for Stage Two: the Technical Showcase! This round is all about precision and creativity. Contestants will need to demonstrate their Pokémon’s unique skills and talents while keeping things sharp, synchronised, and, most importantly, entertaining! Judges will be scoring this round based on technique, originality, and overall execution. Let’s see who can really shine!”

The crowd cheered as the next contestant was announced. A young boy walked out with a stoic-looking Kadabra. The two began their performance with a dazzling display of psychic energy. The Kadabra levitated glowing orbs of light, twirling them into intricate patterns while its trainer called out commands in a clear, steady voice. 

The orbs formed shapes in midair—a star, a heart, a Pikachu—and each one burst into sparkling particles to the delight of the audience.

Then the boy joined in, hopping up onto psychic platforms to one side, while their second and third pokemon, a pikachu and a Raichu, moved onto other platforms. They started to juggle, little metal balls that spark with electricity.

Choco watched, his eyes wide. “Bun buneary…” That’s so cool.

“It is,” Broccoli agreed, leaning closer to the screen. “But you know what? We’re cooler.”

“Mar!” Oran pumped her tail in agreement.

The team on stage finished, and the crowd applauded their good work. Choco was impressed, but the judges raised little placards with numbers that he knew weren’t that high.

He swallowed. That had been a lot of cool moves... he sure didn’t know how to juggle, and they didn’t have anything like that in their show.

Another team went up, this one made up entirely of fishy pokemon, but they... mostly splashed around, and while some of their moves were pretty, he wasn’t sure he was too impressed. The judges gave higher numbers though, and Choco was suddenly feeling like the bunny who’d poked his head into a nice looking hole in the grass only to discover a hissing Akans. 

He was looking into something he thought was simple, but it turned out to have rules and tricks and all sortsa things he didn’t get.

The announcer’s voice rang out again. “Next up, we have Broccoli Bunch, Chaos Cuddles Cauliflower, and Oracle of Oran Oblivion! Give them a big round of applause!”

“That’s us!” Broccoli said. “C’mon!”

The stage lights dimmed, and Choco felt his heart race as they stepped out. The audience clapped and cheered as Broccoli waved energetically, leading her team to the center of the stage. Choco hopped into his spot, his shutter shades glinting under the spotlight, while Oran bounced up next to him, tail at the ready.

Broccoli raised her hand, and the music started—a pulsing, upbeat rhythm that echoed through the hall. “Alright, Choco, Oran—let’s light it up!”

Choco nodded, then stepped up before the crowd and brought his paws out, like a magic trick! He focused, and a tiny, flickering ball of light appeared, then it roared into life, turning into a blazing ball of fire bigger around than his head. 

The crowd gasped as the Fireball hovered in the air, casting flickering light across the stage. Choco’s ears twitched, and he couldn’t help but smirk beneath his shutter shades. He sent the Fireball spiralling upward in a slow arc, timing it perfectly with the rhythm of the music.

“Mar!” Oran shouted, jumping into action. Her tail glowed with shimmering water energy as she fired a Whirlpool into the air. The swirling water caught the Fireball, spinning it faster and creating a spinning vortex of orange and blue light.

Broccoli grinned, then stomped a foot down onto the ground, hard. 

They didn’t have lots of shiny dance moves and stuff like that. That would need a lot more coordination. So Broccoli decided a few days ago that they’d win by being amazing at magic.

Huge spears of brilliant Cleaning magic burst out from the ground all around them, and the crowd gasped, some of them leaning way back as the moon filled the stage entirely. 

The beams came racing down under Broccoli’s control and wrapped themselves around the spinning vortex of fire and water. 

The combination created a spiral of light, a hypnotic mix of radiant white beams intertwined with fiery orange and shimmering blue. The vortex spun faster, glowing brighter, until it looked like a swirling galaxy on stage.

Choco hopped to the side, twirling dramatically and launching another Fireball into the mix. Oran followed with a stream of Bubblebeam, the bubbles blubbering through the spiral and catching the beams of Cleaning magic.

The effect was super cool! It made an explosion of sparkling rainbows that filled the stage with prismatic light.

Broccoli raised her arms, directing the beams of Cleaning magic upward to meet the fiery vortex. “Now!” she shouted.

The Fireball, Whirlpool, and beams collided in a brilliant explosion of light. The stage erupted in a cascade of glowing embers, sparkling droplets, and shimmering white mist that cascaded down like a magical waterfall. 

Choco caught Broccoli and Oran bowing to the crowd and ducked down so quick his ears thumped the stage.

He was panting. 

He’d used more magic before, but this was before a lot of people.

“Thank you, Goldenrod!” Broccoli called out, her voice full of excitement. “You’ve been an amazing crowd!”

The announcer’s voice boomed over the cheering. “What a spectacular performance from Broccoli Bunch, Chaos Cuddles Cauliflower, and Oracle of Oran Oblivion! Let’s give them another round of applause!”

And with that, they fled off the stage, but not before Choco glanced over to the judges and saw them raising placards. There were a lot of eights and nines, and he figured that was pretty good! 

***