come alive, come alive - spring is here!

[indigo_league]

Who: Everybody!
Where: Ilex Forest
When: March 14th
Summary: Come one, come all to the newest contest hosted by Riegfried and Soy. Today's theme: springtime and nature!

The sun is shining brightly and the weather is surprisingly fair–perfect for an outdoor contest spectacular! Spring is finally around the corner, and with it comes budding trees and the first fresh green leaves in many months. Just a short walk away from the edge of the Ilex Forest is a clearing where the contest is being set up, and boy, have Riegfried and Soy gone all out. This is one of the few contests to take place outdoors, after all.

The contest grounds have been set up so that the ‘stage’–in this case, a wide, clear patch of ground designated for performances–is at the center of everything. Despite the thick trees of Ilex Forest, this singular patch of grass seems to have a natural spotlight cast upon it, which makes it perfect for people’s attention to be drawn to it. Foldable chairs have been placed in concentric circles around the area, so the audience can get a nice 360 degree view of your performance.

Next to the stage is a private, portable dressing room where contestants can go get ready. All manner of costumes have been provided, if you don’t mind the fact that most of them are quite ostentatious. There is also a treasure trove of decorative props that you can weave into your performance.

Further into the trees, market stalls and concessions have been set up for your enjoyment. Local craftspeople seem to be selling all manner of trinkets and baubles, many of which are Celebi themed. You can also buy all manner of specialty PokéBalls–hey, we are near Azalea Town, after all. There are workshops where you can pay local crafters to walk you through making something with your own two hands, such as your own clay bowl, or a birdhouse, or a floral arrangement, or heck, even forging a tiny, decorative metal broach! (Results may vary based on individual skill.)

The food stalls seem to be mostly street food that you might see at an outdoor market–things that you can easily carry with you and eat on the go. Yakitori skewers, takoyaki, mochi, sandwiches, meat patties, hand pies, and kebabs are among some of the selections. Yum!

If you’d like to get away from all the hubbub, you can pay a visit to the Ilex Forest Shrine for some quiet contemplation. Riegfried and Soy were careful to set up far enough away so the shrine would not be disturbed. A few townspeople have left some offerings–perhaps you’d like to, as well. They say it grants you good luck and wards off evil spirits.

Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?



[Don't forget to view the contest FAQ here!]

Comments

[heartofalioness]

Character name: Princess Allura
Pokemon: Amue the Hisuian Lilligant
Move used: Mega Kick, Rock Smash, Leaf Blade, Close Combat, Sunny Day, Leaf Storm, Petal Blizzard, Solar Blade, Grassy Terrain, Victory Dance

The performance:
By now, people who have seen Allura perform are used to her coming onstage in a pretty dress and narrating a story from Altea while her Pokémon act it out.

Not this time. Instead she marches fully onto the stage, clad in ice blue unitard, holding a quarterstaff painted in pale blue and shimmering white at the ready, gazed focused as if for battle. Her opponent, approaching from the opposite end of the stage at the same poised, steady pace, is Amue, unarmed and unadorned save for the natural gloss of her foliage, but no less beautiful, no less determined.

Once they approach the center, they stand at attention, the light casting Allura’s in a deep cold blue with fluttering snowflakes thanks to a snow machine, Amue’s in rich green, poised woodwinds paying in the background. They size each other up, bow… and then Allura attacks first. The music explodes into a frenzied orchestra as she rushes forward with a loud cry, quarterstaff sweeping out to aim at Amue’s side, Amue dodging by inches before countering with a Mega Kick that Allura dodges into a roll. She lands behind Amue and from her crouch lunges forward to jab with a point, but the Lilligant is still too agile, quickly turning the evasion into a charge for Rock Smash. Allura barely rolls out of the way in time, the ground where she once stood shattered.

The two continue to trade blows, each swing or jab of Allura’s staff met with Rock Smash, Mega Kick, Leaf Blade, on and on. Every time one of Allura’s blows lands, the blue light encroaches on the green and the snow blows harder, but every hit of Amue’s helps the green push back and the wind and snow weaken.

It’s at this point Amue tries to switch to the offensive, lunging forward with a Close Combat flurry of blows. But this just makes it easier for Allura to land a solid hit back. They’ve rehearsed this part down to a light tap, but Amue still sends herself flying to crumple in a heap on her end of the stage, the music growing deep and booming. Allura stands, smirking and slowly walking over towards Amue for a finishing blow, the blue storm almost swallowing the faint green light.

A few twitches… and then Amue struggles to a kneeling position, closing her eyes, taking a slow, deep breath… And then as the music swells with strings, woodwinds, triumphant brass, the pink blossom on the top of her head begins to bloom, growing in strength until it pierces all the way up through the canopy of the trees, bathing the whole forest in a Sunny Day. Not only just the harsh sunlight cause Allura’s Winter to panic, it activates Amue’s Chlorophyll. The Lilligant leaps to her feet in a flash, and even faster than before pushes Allura back with a Petal Blizzard, flooding the stage with a gale of sweet-smelling pink petals, then Leaf Storm pushes Allura back further still. The recoil may have lowered Amue’s Special Attack, but she doesn’t need it as she lunges forward almost faster than anyone can see to land a Solar Blade for the finishing blow. As Allura takes a controlled fall to the ground, the blue light and snow disappear entirely, the flowers kicked up by the petal blizzard now floating through the gentle air.

Spring finally here to stay, Amue summons Grassy Terrain to blanket the stage (and to help her and Allura recover from the bruises they landed on each other) before spinning into a Victory Dance, the twirls slowing so Amue lands facing the audience, one leg bent out fully behind her.