… or at least that’s what Merida is used to when it comes to being on some sort of stage. Here, at a contest hall – part of a Gala – performing – she wasn’t confident. But she had thought it through, and she has the best partner. What was it her mother said to her when she came to give her the costume? Breathe in, breathe out, no one will know you’re nervous if you control your breathing. Well, sadly that wasn’t going to help. Why? Because Merida was aware that she was nervous! Still, her hand moved around the luxury ball that she had caught her first ever Pokémon in. (Back then the Pokémon was in its pre-evolved form, but, she couldn’t imagine doing this contest without him.) “Ready to go?” She whispered towards the spherical object. Looking up, red curls flying around, she pulled back her arm and lunged the Pokéball forward. “Come on oot, Lampent!” Bursting out of the Pokéball in a red beam of light the lamp Pokémon was visible for as long as it took for it to release a dark mist that slowly, then deeply, filled the performance stage. Thanks to the use of a capsule seal that she had decorated the ball with. For what felt like ages to the Ace Trainer was mere seconds, before she took a step forward. The light of the Pokémon’s flame was all that was visible through the smoke, “Will-o-wisp,” Merida commanded as she stretched out her arm. The light of the flame of the Lampent soon wasn’t alone. Pulsing through the smog came the swirling sight of purpley blue wisps. The wisps weaved in and around the flame of the Pokemon, before flying up through the darkness and into proper view. She recalled their practicing and how she would call the next part target practice. “Now, Lampent. Shadow Ball,” the dusky environment evaporated as the Lampent spun up into the air, pulled away from the wisps and lifted its arms above its head. Pulsating between the space of the lamp’s arms formed a sphere of black and purple energy. The Pokémon moved its arms down in front of it and pushed them apart before setting loose the shadow balls, much like his Trainer would do arrows, towards each wisp. The wisps upon contact evaporating into fireworks. Perfect. Now for setting up for the big finale.

“let’s show them tha’ two’s better than one, Lampent!” The Trainer watched as Lampent focused it’s energy. A duplicate of the Pokemon soon flew out of the original, before becoming tangible. The two lamp Pokemon moved as one like mirror images before spiraling up in the air as if in a tornado. Merida moved her arms up above her and separating them, pointing to the real Lampent with one hand and the decoy with the other: making no indication to which was which (did she even know herself?) She could feel sweat trickling down her palms. She couldn’t remember a time she was more nervous. Put her across from a gym leader that was attacking Lampent and she would know what to do – but having to command the Pokémon to use moves to create pictures and be appealing was new. Out of her element and thrown into the deep end. Still, so far there hadn’t been a glitch. But this was it – the finale – she had to pull this off. With her mother in the audience she knew that she would get more than an earful if she messed up now. Clicking her fingers Merida threw up her arm and gave a twirl herself, “biiiig finish! Fire spin!” One of the two Lampents pulled away from the mirrored image. The inner, deeper, flame of its face spreading open as if parting of lips in a mouth. From this ‘mouth’ came out a ball of fire, the fire expelling towards the other before spiraling into a vortex. The attacking Pokemon then surges forward, as the target is hit – taking the damage and bursting into white dust. The performing Pokémon moved in a counter to the fire spin’s clockwise, absorbing the fire whilst glowing red, using the effect of its flash fire ability. As the fire spin dwindled, Lampent shot through the remaining dust of its substitute and came to a halt, hovering above its trainer. Glowing healthy from the absorbed fire spin the fire beneath the Lampent’s glass head grew in size and pulsated through being fed, it did a flip in the air as Merida lifted her arms, “Ta da!” In a final moment of exasperation the Trainer gave a throaty, if not semi relieved, semi proud, laugh. ‘Well done, ye did just braw, Lampent. I knew ye’d lead me right.’