In Lava [Pokémon Watty Awards, 2016 2nd Place Romance]

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Okay May. You can do this. Just breathe. Just. Breathe," May coached herself, taking a deep breath before exhaling.

The competition had just begun and a few coodinaters had already gone before her. She was nervous. She had never been in front of so many people before. It was a lot easier knowing that while she was in a gym match, people could see her, but she couldn't see them. There had to at least be close to a thousand people out there. Compared to the Grand Festival, it was small. However, it was still enough eyes watching to make her nervous.

She watched the screen as she waited for her turn. She sat in a large pink-walled room with elegant furnishings. There were snacks reserved for the coordinators on several tables. Cherri Berry punch with a hint of Nomel Berry Pop was served as well. May sat there with a glass, watching a boy about her age and his Froslass creating an icy staircase as the boy ran. The boy sat himself down on the newly finished railing and slid down, the stairs shattering the moment he landed and took a bow.

May sighed and bit her thumb. She wondered if she should have waited longer before doing the contest. Her attention snapped back to the TV screen as the announcer got back on the stage.

"And that was Derrick from Lilycove City. He's been here before and it goes without saying that he will be a tough contender," said the announcer as he cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we now move on to our next upcoming hopeful. She was handpicked by Lisia herself, who just so happens to be right here in the front row!" The announcer echoed, directing the spotlight to Lisia who stood up to wave.

May watched as the crowd went bonkers. Signs and flags were waved about with ever increasing enthusiasm. May began to daydream about having the same applause directed towards her. Lisia sat down and the announcer held up his hand.

"As I said. This new coordinator was picked very recently. Not only is she hoping to enter the Grand Festival, but she is also shooting for the League as well," he prattled on, giving May time to get behind the curtain.

May glanced down at the ball that Combusken was in. The seal on it was a flame. It was given to her by Lisia as a gift to start her off. She readied the ball and prepped her entry as she had practiced for the past three days.

"Fellow contest enthusiasts, I give you; May Maple!"

The curtain went up as the announcer spoke her name. A twister of flames could be seen moving forward, expanding and contracting in a controlled manner. The crowd gasped at the display as part of the curtain was nearly singed by the heat of the flames. Finally, the tornado expanded to reveal May in the midst of the vortex. The flames were controlled quite well, keeping the heat low enough so as not to burn the stage.

"What an entrance! I don't know about the judges, but that was certainly impressive to me!"

Okay, here we go. This is no time to be nervous...even if this is pretty scary, May thought as she glanced around at the crowd.

Her eyes swept the stadium and found their way to the front row, landing on her parents, Brendan and Lisia. They were all there! A relieved sigh escaped her lips. Brendan smirked and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled in return and faced Combusken.

"Rocket Spin!" May called out.

Combusken nodded and flipped onto his claws. Inhaling sharply, he pushed off the ground swiftly before a blast of flames erupted from his mouth, forming a cone around him as he spun upward.

"Double Team!"

As the crowd looked on, Combusken began replicating himself, making it appear as though there were many vortexes spinning through the air.