Pokémon: Above the Top

While everyone was still "savoring" Mark's spectacular performance, Sato stepped onto the stage.

The spectators hadn't recovered yet, and even the host just weakly announced Sato's name and stopped there.

After being slapped in the face by Mark's surprise act, the host refrained from mocking Sato as a "rookie" this time. And because of that, it became even harder for the audience to notice him.

"A hellish opening, huh..." Sato murmured to himself, then promptly sent out his "Appeal" Pokémon.

"Sharpedo, take the stage!"

"Shar!"

The massive Sharpedo appeared in the stage, a miniature Whirlpool forming beneath its body out of nowhere, suspending it in midair.

"Look, it's a shark… and it can fly!"

"Hmm? This performer might have something after all."

"Sharpedo isn't a native Pokémon from our Sinnoh Region, is it? Those teeth look terrifying, not cute at all!"

A spectator who judged performance solely on beauty and cuteness voiced immediate disapproval.

But in truth, the essence of performance competitions -Pokémon Contests- is to showcase a Pokémon's charm.

Charm doesn't only refer to beauty, cuteness, elegance; those visually pleasing traits.

The sinister allure of Ghost-types, the domineering aura of Dark-types, the mystique of Psychic-types, the resilience of Rock-types, the gracefulness of Flying-types… these are all unique charms of Pokémon.

Sharpedo moved!

Starting off with a simple Aqua Jet, Sharpedo began drawing one dazzling pattern after another in the air.

At first, they were just stars, hearts, whirlpools, and waves. But the fluid sequence of movements gradually pulled the spectators' emotions back in, bit by bit.

Sato had been carefully observing the spectators' reactions. Only once he saw that they had emerged from Mark's emotional afterglow did he finally issue a true command.

"Sharpedo, dive!"

"Shar!"

Having been playing gleefully in the air, Sharpedo instantly grew serious, withdrawing all its surrounding energy. Like a fish out of water, it plunged straight toward the ground.

The spectators tensed up, watching with wide eyes as Sharpedo dropped faster and lower…

It looked like it was about to crash into the ground.

"Waterfall!"

"Shar!"

Whirlpool and Waterfall activated simultaneously. The former helped Sharpedo forcefully curve along the ground, while the latter provided tremendous propulsion.

The stage was gouged by the Whirlpool move, leaving a deep trench. In the next second, Sharpedo shot upward, riding a wave far larger and more ferocious than Aqua Jet, heading straight for the dome ceiling.

Compared to Aqua Jet, Sharpedo might not have been as fast when using Waterfall to move. But wrapped in a torrent of water, it looked far more "valiant".

The scene was utterly breathtaking.

Wherever it passed, it was as if a water giant beast had roared by. The deafening sound of crashing waves made it feel like the sea was right beside them.

In that moment, who could still remember Reuniclus's earlier performance? Everyone was left stunned by Sharpedo's violent aesthetic.

Heads buzzing, eyes bulging, hands clenched tightly… a sudden urge to pee arose from nowhere. But no one dared look away. Every single spectator was locked onto Sharpedo's every move.

Because the performance… wasn't over yet!

"Maintain your state and spin."

Sharpedo's gaze sharpened. Just as it was about to reach the top of the dome, it made a sharp turn while still in Waterfall state. Tilting its body slightly downward, it once again dove toward the ground.

Fortunately, this time it wasn't a straight fall, sparing the spectators from holding their breath in suspense again.

At the same time, Sharpedo tilted its dorsal fin slightly, and with the momentum of the wave, began spinning wildly around its own axis.

Faster and faster...

Then, the spinning Sharpedo in turn caused the entire wave to spin as well, gradually transforming into a massive water tornado swirling through the air.

Its speed showed no signs of slowing. As the wave clashed violently with the air, the roar it produced was as deafening as the cries of a giant beast.

"Sharpedo, use Ice Beam!"

Seeing the timing was right, Sato issued another command.

Sharpedo responded immediately, firing an Ice Beam directly forward along its trajectory.

Then, just like Mark's Reuniclus before, Sharpedo plunged straight into its own move.

…But unlike Reuniclus, which used Safeguard to avoid being burned and highlight its translucent jelly body, Sharpedo used the power of Ice Beam to freeze the surrounding water tornado into a spiraling ice vortex.

In that moment, the roaring water beast in the sky transformed into an ice Dragon!

Jagged ice needles on all sides sliced through the air, and the whistling sound they made was nearly "indistinguishable" from Rayquaza's dragon roar.

What shocked the spectators even more was that the interior of the ice Dragon vortex wasn't completely frozen. Sharpedo was still propelling the "ice Dragon" through the air by sheer force.

"It's time to finish this. Sharpedo, use your final Hidden Power: Fire!"

After Sato gave his final command, the spectators saw blazing flames suddenly ignite within the ice Dragon.

The outer layer was ice, but fire surged inside, and at its core, water still flowed.

Fire within ice, water within fire!

At this moment, beyond awe, the spectators saw something they hadn't expected from Sharpedo's performance.

…Beauty.

It came so suddenly; yet so dazzlingly!

The next moment, Hidden Power: [Fire] blasted the ice Dragon apart, shattering it into snowy fragments.

The Hidden Power scattered into dozens of fiery sparks.

Ice and flame intertwined -blinding white, blazing red- and at the heart of the explosion, the deep-blue Sharpedo opened its massive jaws and howled skyward!

"SHAAAAAAR~!"

When Sharpedo's roar finally faded from the venue, not even an echo remained. The audience sat there with their mouths open, heads tilted upward, still stunned.

It wasn't until one person began clapping that the spell was broken

…And then came a tidal wave of wild applause.

Joseph clicked his tongue and thought, 'In the end, it still had to be me setting it up for you. Otherwise you wouldn't have gotten a single clap.'

Yes, the one who started the applause was none other than him… the man "hidden in the shadows" behind Sato's glory, Joseph!

Mark clapped too from the waiting area, his face full of unwillingness, though deep down he sighed silently.

'Weren't we supposed to give me more spotlight this time so I could finally shine? Why did the fun end so quickly?'

'And in the end, I was just the boss's warm-up act again…'

'I've got it so rough!'

"…What did I just watch? WHAT DID I JUST WATCH? Sharpedo flying in the air is one thing, but turning into a water Dragon? And then an ice Dragon?!"

The host's passionate commentary finally arrived -belatedly- just as Sato and Sharpedo stepped off the stage.