Spice of Life: The Clearspring Beauty Contest
 
Ebony stared at his reflection in the mirror. The Shiny Umbreon had put more time into stopping himself from shivering as he had into his appearance, now that his scarf and collar were in place and his fur had been brush all that remained was to get rid of his nerves. He had been trained to deal with stage fright but this particular contest seemed a lot tougher than any of his previous ones.
 
“Ebony~?” ...the Umbreon cringed as he heard the sing-song voice and his ears lowered in an attempt to block it out. He glanced over his shoulder towards the door of the changing room and saw his opponent standing there, a well-groomed Ninetales wearing his trademark crimson scarf. Spice chuckled as he approached him, “I thought I might come by and make sure you hadn't escaped through the window.”
 
“I thought it was locked.” Ebony admitted, backing away as the fox approached him. The dark-type gulped nervously as the Ninetales continued to walk towards him until finally he felt his rear press against the wall, “S-so, um. Can I help you with anything else?”
 
“I thought I might engage in a little tradition of mine. Back in the city four pokemon would enter a contest, but only three would make it on stage whenever I was around.” the Ninetales murred as he curled his tails behind the Umbreon, leaving him no where to go. “It's not like you really want to perform anyway, right? There must be a hundred pokemon out there. Too many for such a timid Umbreon like you.”
 
The Umbreon was speechless, all he could do was look into the Ninetales purple eyes and listen to the sounds of his growling stomach. As Spice pulled him closer he found his ear pressed against it, leaving it as the only thing he could hear other than Spice's smooth voice, “Shame I won't get a chance to prepare you before I'm set to go out. Still, My stomach should keep you busy long enough for them to declare that I win by default.” he grinned devilishly, "Ironic, isn't it? To be defeated in the way you 'defeated' me before... Karma is such a wonderful thing, Ebony-"
 
“Contestants to the stage for the introduction round... also, stop drooling on Ebony, Spice.”
 
The Ninetales' head snapped to the door, his eyes narrowing on the one who would dare to interrupt his sacred tradition. The chocolate brown Riolu stood by the door, leaning against it and holding a clipboard, “You know, if you were going to eat him, you might've done it before one of his friends showed up.”
 
“Room for one more, Blaine.” Spice offered with a little grin, only to have the Umbreon squirm out of his grip while he was distracted and race over to the safety of the Riolu's side. The Ninetales rolled his eyes at the two before sitting up as he tried to reclaim some of his composure. “Hmph, no need to get so upset. It's only a little competitive banter.”
 
“Save it for after the contest, alright?” Blaine replied before turning to head out of the door, “You're just making yourself look bad anyway. Thorn is already up on stage and ready to start.”
 
“Wait, Thorn?” Spice blinked. The name came as a surprise to Ebony too, he had thought he was going head to head against Spice in an attempt to settle the fox's ego.
 
“Yeah, a last-minute entry.” Blaine explained with a heavy sigh as he made his way out through the doorway and into the arena, “Courtesy of a last-minute judge.”
 
* * *
 
“Welcome everyone to the first annual Clearspring Beauty Contest!”
 
The Loudred's voice was enough to stop Ebony's heart, and it wasn't helped by the crowds of cheering pokemon in the bandstands above the arena. Despite being used mainly for battle tournaments, the arena was equipped with a stage and a set of judges tables, leaving it as a perfect place to hold such a contest. “...Wait, did he say annual?” Ebony whispered to Blaine, who held a finger to his lips as a symbol for him to stay quiet for now.
 
“Today we'll be seeing some pokemon with a love for beauty. Will they dazzle us with their elegance and grace, or are they going to walk away with four '1's from our panel?” The Loudred called out before gesturing to the table across from the stage, “Let's meet our judges now!”
 
Apparently that was worth a cheer as well, and as Ebony turned his eyes to the other end of the arena he could see four pokemon stepping out from a door. Cyn the Liepard was the first to take a seat at the table, forcing a smile and waving to the crowd as she was followed along by Moss, a Serperior dressed in what appeared to be the top half of an elegant outfit.
 
The third was a pokemon that Ebony had never seen before but Blaine seemed particularly excited about, a large Flygon who waved to the crowd and soaked in the praise, even taking a moment to bow once or twice. Finally the applause began to quieten down as the final judge entered, a large Xatu. By the time the fourth judge had emerged, Blaine was signalling for Ebony and Spice to move behind the curtain on the stage to get ready for the introduction round.
 
“Hey everyone, Cyn here. Daughter of the Founder and owner of the Den, who is sponsoring this event.” Cyn introduced herself, speaking into the microphone at the table as she gestured to Moss, “And today I'll be judging a Beauty contest next to Chancellor Moss. A slimy rich snake who strong-armed his way in, despite not having any arms!”
 
“It just goes to show what one can do when they're trying to keep the playing field level, doesn't it Cyn?” Moss replied, grinning away and keeping a cheery tone despite what he was saying, “Yes, nothing matters to me more than fairness and ensuring the votes aren't swayed in favour of a particular pokemon. That's why I'm running the town and keeping order while you're spending every night finding new ways to get pokemon inside you.”
 
“Doesn't overthrow my birthright to lead Clearspring.” Cyn replied swiftly, putting on an equally wide smile as she met his tone with her own, “And the fact that I live in a normal house while you live in a big mansion separated from the rest of the town by a fence. Really showing your solidarity there, Miser.”
 
“Brat.” Moss muttered back, lowering his voice in an attempt to keep it from being picked up by the microphone.
 
“Jerkass.” Cyn replied, her face trying to figure out whether to put more energy into her scowl or smile.
 
“Whore.” Moss replied, his tone breaking slightly as he narrowed his eyes on the shiny Liepard beside him.
 
“S-so, uh.” the Flygon cleared her throat as she raised one of her claws, “Hey everyone, I'm Clara. I just moved here to Clearspring, but I think I know beauty when I see it. I just joined up with team Apogee too, so... you know, come to us if you need anything.” she laughed.
 
“I am Casimir the Seer.” the Xatu introduced himself, his voice lacking the sunny energy of the previous judges. The room quietened as he spoke, the air seemed colder and his voice seemed to take precedence over the rest of the world, “I have seen many things. I have seen the past, and I have seen the future... I have seen beauty throughout the ages, I have known the falling of waterfalls and the rising of the suns. The stars of the cosmos above and the struggle of the tiniest creature. Today I hope to see such Beauty here.”
 
After a stunned silence, Cyn narrowed her eyes on Moss and she leaned up to speak with him. “See, this is exactly why I said we needed to get Auric as one of the judges. This guy is creepy.”
 
“Having Auric would have given you an unfair advantage. He would have voted for Spice, his fellow 'Denizen'.” Moss grinned down at the cat, “You can't fool me, Cyn. Having Casimir here will keep things fair... even if he is a wild pokemon and will be escorted from the town the moment this farcical charade of a contest is over.”
 
“I'm sure it'll stop being farcical the second your little brat wins, Moss.” Cyn narrowed her eyes on him, only to glance down the table and notice the other judges watching her in stunned silence. She then looked up into the bandstands briefly, seeing every pair of eyes staring down at her. She tapped the microphone with her paw, “Oh... is this thing still on?”
 
“Yep, can't turn it off without calling in our mechanic.” the Loudred announcer replied before turning back to the audience, “Now that we've met our judges, are you ready to meet our contestants? Let's give it up for tonight's competitors!”
 
The crowd cheered and music began to play through the speakers surrounding the arena. Each beat took Ebony's breath away as the curtain rose to reveal himself, Spice, and the third contestant, a Servine dressed in an outfit similar to the one Moss was wearing. The three stepped forward with confidence and posed for the crowd before Spice stepped forward for his individual introduction.
 
“Our first contestant is Spice the Ninetales, the Hero of Clearspring and a member of the Winners. But will his firey personality be enough for him to take home the blue ribbon tonight?” The announcer called out. Spice chuckled at the prepostourous question and posed, swishing his tails elegantly as his purple eyes scanned the judges.
 
“Courtesy of our Sponsors; The Den and Team Apogee, the judges have been given Insomnioscopes to keep any foul play from happening.” The announcer added, leaving Spice almost tripping over as he discovered his Hypnosis routine would be worthless. As he heard of the sponsor, his eyes snapped to the Riolu standing by the stage exit, who just smirked at him in response.
 
Ebony stepped up next as Spice moved back to stand by Thorn, his tails swung low and almost tripped the Umbreon over as he took the center stage under the spotlights. “Our next contestant is Ebony the Umbreon, a newcomer to the town but an old rival of Spice. Can this Umbreon possibly win the competition?”
 
The shiny Umbreon tucked his ears back as he made his way back towards the others, it certanly didn't sound as though the announcer had a lot of confidence in him. The Servine made his way up next, walking confidently as he took the center spotlight. He rested his hands behind his back and looked over the crowd appraisingly, “And finally we have Thorn the Servine, the son of Chancellor Moss and heir to his estate... whatever that means. Let's give it up for Thorn!”
 
“Yeah, no bias here.” Cyn muttered under her breath, glaring daggers at the Serperior next to her as he grinned to his son. They both shared a nod before Thorn turned and went back to the curtain, which quickly closed behind him.
 
“Now, without further adieu, how about we get started?” The Loudred called out, somehow managing to keep his voice both loud and civil at the same time, “The performance round is the most important part of this event. First we have Thorn the Servine, and for his performance he will be playing the violin.”
 
The audience gave a general round of applause as the lights lowered. Soon only the stage and the judges table remained illuminated, and the sound of a violin began to chime from behind the curtains. As the curtains slowly parted the Servine stepped forward, his violin in his leaf-like hands and his eyes closed.
 
Ebony watched in silence as Thorn played, gracefully stepping around the stage as he did so in a waltz-like motion. Finally he returned to the center of the stage for the climax of the song, brightly coloured glowing leaves appeared around him. They spiralled up in a flurry of shimmering colours before finally disappearing in an instant. Thorn slowly opened one of his eyes, then bowed gracefully as the audience burst into an uproarious cheer.
 
“Wow, that was quite something! Let's see what our judges have to say about that.” the Loudred grinned widely as he turned to the judges table for the results of the performance.
 
“It was nice... I mean, if we were doing a song contest you'd have blown the competition away.” Cyn replied before taking out a white sheet of card and holding it up, “But this is a Beauty contest, five seconds of Magical Leaf at the end won't change that most of your act wasn't visually appealing. I'm giving you a 3.”
 
“Beauty can come in my forms, Cyn.” Moss noted as he held up his own board, “And the Moss family knows beauty when they see it, so he's getting a 10 from me.” ...the Liepard just narrowed her eyes on him, of course he would give a perfect score to his son.
 
“I liked it, though it was a little rough on the ears.” Clara said, holding up her card, “I'll give you a 4, I think you could've brought in the Magical Leaf a little sooner to get more out of the effect.”
 
The three judges turned to the end of the table for the final vote. Casimir nodded to himself as he considered it before turning to the Servine on stage. “Thorn.” he began quietly, “Years from now, whendarkness holds the world in its jaws and crushes it until it bleeds, a pokemon will sit in the rain and recall this song. It will give him peace in his final moments.” he held up his board, “Seven.”
 
“Bringing Thorn's score to a grand total of 24 points!” The Loudred cheered, trying to get the energy back into the room as the other judges stared on horrified at the Xatu's prophecy. Thorn watched Casimir unsurely for a moment before making his way to the stage exit, where Spice waited to go on.
 
“Beat that, old man.” Thorn smirked, giving the Ninetales a pat on the tails as he passed him and continued onwards to the door that lead backstage, “Your stupid girlfriend may have cost me some points, but there's no way my dad is going to let you win.”
 
"She's not my girlfriend, and I'm not old!" Spice snapped at him in response, causing the Servine to take a few steps away from him and chuckle to himself. The Ninetales narrowed his eyes on the grass-type, “As for your father, We'll see about that you little-”
 
“And next up we have Spice Blaise the Ninetales, performing one of his favourite routines!” the announcer called, getting the Ninetales attention back to the stage long enough for the Servine to slap his rear with a vine before running off to avoid retaliation. “Judges, put on your Insomnioscopes now!”
 
Spice tucked his ears back as he heard the announcement. What did he do before he had his Hypnosis? Since arriving in Clearspring he had managed to get rid of all his other contest moves other than his Flamethrower, which he had never quite managed to make beautiful... he felt an itch in the back of his mind, a voice speaking to him.
 
'Need some help, beautiful?'
 
The Ninetales grinned as he made his way onto the stage and looked out over the four judges, noticing the goggles strapped to their heads. After taking a bow he spread out his tails and began to sway them back and forth... though as they swayed they seemed to duplicate, and soon a second Ninetales stepped out from behind the first.
 
Spyce grinned at the audience briefly before turning his attention back to his master. He took his paws in his own and began to waltz around the stage with him, staring deep into his eyes all the while as their tails swayed in unison, shimmering in the spotlight.
 
“Big finish,” The substitute whispered into his ear before tossing the Ninetales up into the air. Spice span in the air, using his flamethrower to create a perfect spiral in hovering above the stage. As he landed he tilted his head back and spat out one more jet of fire straight into the center, causing it to burst into the shape of a heart above the stage.
 
Spyce took the hint and grabbed the Ninetales, suddenly spinning him around and cradling him in his forepaws as he kissed him passionately, much to the surprise of the audience. The cinders of the flame fell around them like stars as the two Ninetales lost themselves in eachother, and soon Spyce disappeared and left Spice posing before the judges alone.
 
“A fantastic display of firey passion! But what do our judges think?” The Loudred called out, gesturing to the cheering audience to stay quiet as they turned their attention to the judges table once more.
 
“That was... An exquisite and elegant display of beauty and love, truly a sight to behold.” Cyn replied, begrudgingly holding up a 10, “Plus you missed the curtains, so it's not like you did any damage with all that fire.”
 
“Shallow and pedantic.” Moss replied sharply as he held up a 1, leaving the audience gasping as Cyn began to hiss under her breath. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at her, “He ended his performance by making love to himself. I think we can both agree we just witnessed pure narcissism.”
 
“I gave your stupid kid a 3, you owe me that much!” Cyn snapped at him. The snake just grinned down at her before turning his attention back to the stage, chuckling to himself as the cat scowled at him.
 
“I liked it, it was pretty, and romantic.” Clara spoke up, holding up a nine, “I think he was just making us of what moves he had. He didn't mean it was -literally- him loving himself, it was symbolic of romance in it's deepest forms... I think that's really beautiful.”
 
“Thanks Clara,” Cyn breathed out a sigh before narrowing her eyes at the snake, “I'm glad -someone- here understands and appreciates art.”
 
The vote they were all dreading came as they turned to the Xatu once again. Casimir narrowed his eyes on the Ninetales. “Absolutely disgusting.” he began in a low grumble, “That someone could be so corrupted by vanity, so blinded by hubris and so determined to make others the same as they are; A self-serving, spineless creature with no desire but to worship itself.”
 
Spice gulped and tried to hold his ground, though he couldn't keep his tails from twitching in terror as the Xatu rose from his seat. “You come to a Beauty contest seeking to see something beautiful, but all you have shown us is how ugly beauty can truly be.” ...the Xatu raised his board, “Five.”
 
“All that and he still gives him a five?” Moss gasped in disbelief before leaning over to speak with the bird directly. “You made it sound as though you were about to disqualify him entirely. Why on earth would you give him a five?”
 
“I gave him four, and the performer within him a one, as I could not give him less.” Casimir explained as he took his seat. He then looked up Spice, “A word of advice, do not let your inner demons lead you next time. You are better off without them.”
 
“O-oh, um. Yes, well... thank you.” The Ninetales bowed his head before quickly turning and fleeing the stage. Cyn breathed out a sigh of relief, with Spice's score at a total of 25, he was already beating Thorn. Her eyes narrowed on the Serperior challengingly, and her glare was quickly met by his own.
 
“Well folks, we've seen some unique performances tonight. Let's see what our final contestant has to offer. Give it up for Ebony the Umbreon and his Moonlight routine!”
 
Ebony shook as heard the crowd cheering. He glanced up at Spice as he passed, but the Ninetales seemed too distracted by what the Xatu had said to taunt him again. He turned as he felt a presence behind him and saw Blaine standing there.
 
“Knock 'em dead, Ebony.” the Riolu smiled, patting the Umbreon on the back as he noticed how tense he was, "Hey, there's no need to worry. Just go out there and have fun, isn't that the point of these contests?”
 
“I'm not sure anymore.” the Umbreon replied sulkily, his ears tucking back as he turned his attention back out to the stage, “The judges seem really tough, and the other acts were so complex... I thought I was just meant to go out and perform my move.”
 
“I guess pokemon contests are different dependant on where you go,” Blaine replied with a little shrug before hugging the Umbreon, “I think that's true for beauty too... I know you'll do great, Ebony.” he chuckled as Ebony hugged him back, “And if not, I'll slug Spice for you if he tries anything.”
 
“Heh, thanks Blaine. I appreciate it.” Ebony replied, feeling better for talking to his friend. For a moment he forgot about the crowds of pokemon waiting for him, the judges and his competition. He even forgot about what would happen if he lost the contest, what the Ninetales had in store for him at his 'victory celebration'. All he could think about was his performance, and trying to show what beauty was in his own way.
 
The cheering crowd began to hush as the Umbreon stepped out, walking slowly into the light of the arena before finally stopping in the center of the stage. The lights dimmed as he closed his eyes, focusing his energy into creating his own light. The blue rings on his body shone brighter and brighter until they appeared to engulf the Umbreon's body entirely, leaving nothing but a glowing form where he once stood.
 
He began to move about on the stage, leaving a trail of blue light wherever he went. His eyes opened as he leaped into the air, creating spiral patterns and arches of blue light. Seeing the bored looks on the judges faces he leaped up once more, using a dark pulse to take him higher as he painted a moon in the air with his tail.
 
He fell back into the shadowy aftermath of the Dark pulse, for a moment there was only lights above and darkness below... but slowly the Umbreon emerged from the shadows and raised his head triumphantly as the shadows faded, and slowly each line of light he had created in his routine disappeared, ending with the moon disappearing from the sky.
 
The crowd watched in stunned silence before breaking into applause. The Umbreon breathed out a sigh of relief and took a bow before falling onto his front, panting heavily from exhaustion. Despite the benefits of Moonlight, keeping it going for so long had left him barely able to stand. He finally pushed himself back up into a sitting position. As the lights came back on he found himself staring at the judges, and as Cyn went to make speak Moss slammed his tail on the table to interrupt her.
 
“Do you think the darkness is beautiful, Ebony?” Moss asked in disbelief before holding up his board, “The darkness is terrifying. It's menacing and scary... I'm giving you a two. I suggest you reconsider what beauty is.”
 
The Umbreon felt a lump rising in his throat as he heard the harsh criticism. They hated it, all his hard work had been for nothing. Tears began to appear in his eyes as he dug his claws into the stage, trying not to cry infront of the crowd.
 
“Now hold on just a minute, Moss!” Clara spoke up before gesturing to the Umbreon, “Ebony's shown us exactly what beauty is. His performance was a tale of the struggle to remain unique in a world blinded by light. He reached for the moon, but ended up falling into the shadows...” the Flygon looked to the Umbreon as tears poured down her cheeks, “But he didn't give up... he kept going. He knew he had to keep going.. he emerged from the darkness and basked in the moonlight.” she sniffled, “And that's.. the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Ten points!”
 
“I couldn't have said it better myself.” Xatu agreed as he held up his own board, “You have shown great courage today, Ebony... you have ten points from me too. May your heart never lose its beauty.” his eyes turned slowly to Moss and Cyn, “And may the other judges see past their own motives and deliver the 'fair' competition that they promised, rather than bickering amongst eachother to ensure their favourite wins.”
 
“Feh.” Moss tutted dismissively before turning his gaze to Cyn, as did the other judges, the announcer and the audience. Cyn turned to look at each of them before glancing up at the stage at Ebony, noticing the mix of suspense and fear in his eyes.
 
She considered the points... Ebony had a total of 22, and with Spice at 25 all she had to do was give him a low score and the Ninetales would win. Unfortunately it was too close between Spice and Thorn to allow Ebony second place, not without causing a tie which Moss would no doubt use 'points' from the introduction round to break and push Ebony back to third place anyway.
 
The Liepard cleared her throat, knowing she had to say something if only to make everyone stop staring at her. She glanced up at the stage, “Ebony.” Cyn began slowly, “Your performance was beautiful, but I noticed your choreography was lacking. You appeared to be making it up as you went along, and honestly I don't think Clara's interpretation was what you were going for at all... I think she saw what she wanted to see in it.”
 
“Oh.” Ebony lowered his gaze, the Liepard could see his tail tucking between his legs as he prepared himself for the news.
 
“However,” The Liepard began again, taking out the board from under the table, “I think you showed a lot of courage, you came into this contest knowing there were two judges with 'favourites' and you stuck it out to the end... I liked your performance Ebony, that's why I'm giving you an eight.”
 
“Putting Ebony at 30 points and making him the Clearspring Beauty Contest Champion!”
 
The Umbreon's eyes lit up as the lights came back on, the pokemon cheered from the crowds and as he looked over his shoulder he could see two machops pushing a podium onto the stage. Grinning and wagging his tail, Ebony made his way to the podium and climbed up to the top, with Spice joining him on the second place platform and Thorn stroppily taking the third.
 
As the music swelled, Cyn leaned back on the table and clapped her paws together, joining the applause of the other pokemon at the judges table and in the audience. After watching Ebony receive the blue ribbon she turned her gaze to the Serperior next to her, “Looks like I won this round, Moss.”
 
“You didn't win anything, Spice came second place. He lost.” Moss told her, turning his nose up as he watched Thorn on the stage, “I'd call for a rematch on the grounds of corruption among the judges, but then there's a chance Spice might win. I think I'll consider this a tie.”
 
“Ties don't have one point between them, Moss. Woo! 24 to 25!” The Liepard cheered as she jumped up onto the table and started shaking her rear in a victory dance she had seen Rune perform before. She shook her hindquarters in the snake's face, laughing at the horrified expression on his face, “C'mon, kiss it and I'll call it a tie!”
 
“I'll do no such thing!” Moss snapped at her, using his tail to push her away, before turning away in disgust as he adjusted his shirt with his tail. “And for goodness sake, sit down! You're supposed to be a judge, you know.”
 
“Alright, jeez.” Cyn rolled her eyes as she slipped back into her seat and watched the celebrations. Her smile faded as she noticed Spice though. He didn't look angry that he lost, he looked... ashamed. His eyes met hers as he turned to leave the stage, his ears low and his tails trailing across the ground as he walked.
 
 
* * *
 
“Ha, first place! I knew you could do it!” Blaine cheered as he hugged the Umbreon tightly, leaving Ebony squirming against him as he found it a little hard to breathe, “That'll show that Ninetales who's boss.”
 
“Heh, I'm glad I won.” Ebony admitted, fiddling with the ribbon as he looked down at it. He had tied it to his collar for the time being, though he wasn't sure whether he'd keep wearing it after the festivities were over. He glanced around briefly, noticing the lack of other pokemon in the room, “Hey, did Spice leave already?”
 
“Yeah, he and Thorn left pretty much right away. Thorn was yelling the whole time about how he was going to get his revenge on us... eh, kids.” Blaine shrugged gently before tilting his head, “Spice seemed kind of quiet though. That's pretty weird for him.”
 
“This contest meant a lot to him.” the Umbreon sighed, his smile fading away his ears wilted lowly, “I hate knowing that me winning means that he's not happy. The only reason Cyn voted for me was because she felt sorry for me.”
 
“That's not true at all, everyone loved your performance.” the Riolu replied, rubbing the Umbreon's back slightly in an attempt to help him relax, “Come on, how about we go celebrate? We could get milkshakes and icecream from the cafe.”
 
“Actually, I think I'm going to head over to the Den.” Ebony replied, his ears perking up as he moved towards the doorway, “I'm going to go make sure Spice is alright. Thanks for supporting me, Blaine. I would've run away if it weren't for you.”
 
“Any time, Ebony.” Blaine grinned as he waved the Umbreon off. As he watched him go he couldn't help but worry for the little dark-type, but he trusted his judgement enough to let him leave... what he didn't trust was Spice's judgement, which is why he began to follow along after the Umbreon secretly once he was out of the his sight.
 
* * *
 
Ebony perked his ears as he heard the sobbing coming from the behind the door to the Hunger Room. As he reached for the handle the Ninetales broke out into a long, high-pitched wail that almost had the Umbreon turn around and go home. He bit his lip in determination... he had to do this, if only to make Spice feel better.
 
“Spice?” he called, pushing the door open and stepping inside before closing it behind him. They were the only two in the room, and the Ninetales was crumpled up on the pillows in the back corner of the room sobbing dramatically into his paws, “A-are you okay?”
 
“Go away, you... you ruiner! You... ruining things!” Spice bleated out between sobs, flailing his paws towards the Umbreon before rolling onto his back, apparently having finally run out of tears, “I... *sniff* just... *sniff* wanted to... *sniff* be.. *sniff* the *sniff* champi-i-o-o-oonnn!” he cried loudly, leaving the Umbreon tucking his ears out to protect himself from the wailing.
 
“H-hey, you're still the Champion. Just because I beat you once doesn't change that.” Ebony gasped as he ran over to the Ninetales' side. He began to pet along his tails in an attempt to comfort him, or at least to get him to stop crying. “I'm sorry, I didn't know how much this whole thing meant to you. Take the ribbon, I don't even want it.”
 
“B-but you still beat me. I'm... I'm not undefeated anymore.” the Ninetales whimpered pathetically as he looked at the Umbreon with his reddened purple eyes, “Perfection is everything to me.. if I can't have a perfect contest record, what's the point in having one at all?”
 
“W-well, uh.” Ebony stuttered, “I mean, it's not like it's going on record or anything. As far as the humans know, you're still number one. I mean, other than your final contest.” the Umbreon cleared his throat, “And the time I beat you by default... but I mean, it's not like those times counted, right?”
 
“W-wha?” the Ninetales blinked, slowly coming to his senses as he looked into the Umbreon's eyes, “So... this didn't count? It wasn't official?”
 
“Of course not, it was just a contest for fun.” The Umbreon reassured him, running his paws over his tails as he looked into his eyes, “You know you're still the best at this kind of stuff, don't worry about it, alright?”
 
“Oh, Ebony.” Spice breathed out a sigh of relief as he laid back, now looking far more relaxed as the Umbreon began to idly rub his paws, “Hmhm, you know, for a moment you had me worried there. I thought for a second I had really been defeated.”
 
“No one could ever defeat you, Spice.” Ebony replied gleefully, feeling a lot better now that Spice wasn't crying. He continued to rub his paws against the Ninetales' smooth pawpads, smiling up at him the whole time, “Feeling better?”
 
“Better... but hungry.” the Ninetales grinned down at him as his tails began to curl around the Umbreon once again, leaving him trapped between them and the paw he had previously been rubbing, which was now pressed up against his face, “Oh Ebony, you must be more careful around Ninetales... we can be quite devious, you know~”
 
“Mmph, I know.” the Umbreon panted, pushing back against the paw with his own but finding himself easily overpowered by the tails that rolled him up the Ninetales torso and eventually pinned his head to his slim, growling gut once more. “I-I guess you're still going to eat me?”
 
“Of course, isn't that why you came here?” Spice replied with a gentle chuckle as he ran one of his paws soothingly along the Umbreon's back. “But of course I'll swallow a Reviver seed first, I wouldn't want something to happen to you before I could defeat you legitimately and officially.”
 
“Thanks.” the Umbreon replied, unable to do anything but watch as the Ninetales took a single seed from his scarf and swallowed it loudly. Ebony's yellow eyes followed the bulge it made all the way down Spice's neck before it disappeared behind his chest, then turned back to face the smiling muzzle of the fox before him.
 
“I've been dreaming of this moment, Ebony... this is exactly how I wanted it. Well, perhaps with me being the one who ended up with the ribbon.” he chuckled into his ear as his tails went about removing the Umbreon's tail scarf and collar, as well as the blue ribbon attached to it, “You can come by the Den later and get them back, I'd hate to see such a pretty scarf be ruined by stomach acids.”
 
“W-well, it is my favourite.” the Umbreon saiddrearily, finding the heat and softness of the Ninetales fur along with the depth of his purple eyes soothing, even the sounds coming from his stomach were leaving the Umbreon feeling dazed and relaxed. “H-hey... are you... hypnotising me right now?”
 
“Such a clever pokemon~” the Ninetales giggled, nuzzling at the Umbreon's nose charmingly before licking his lips, “It's strange, usually dark-types aren't affected by my hypnosis... I suppose you must have a particularly submissive mind.”
 
“Ehehehe.” The Umbreon giggled dreamily as he felt the tails beginning to guide him forward along the Ninetales front until his head was an inch from his maw, which opened up to greet him. His heart raced as he looked inside, finding the spicy scent of the Ninetales' breath intoxicating as his head slipped into the maw.
 
The outside world became dull and distant as the Umbreon's muzzle met the Ninetales uvula, and after some slurping from the tongue and a powerful gulp his head was dragged down into the Ninetales' throat. He began to squirm playfully as his rings glowed, allowing him to see the pink, fleshy path ahead of him.
 
Spice's murring filled Ebony's ears, leaving him shuddering in delight as another heavy 'GLRK' pulled him in deeper once again. He could hear the Ninetales' heartbeat and felt it soothing his senses, equally hypnotic as his eyes and luxurious fur. The heat of the fire-type's insides left him sweating, the glowing ring on his forehead continued to light the way as he saw the sphincter up ahead open up to him and reveal the Ninetales' empty stomach, which growled loudly to announce his arrival.
 
Ebony couldn't help but moan at the feeling of Spice's tongue as it began to explore between his legs, leaving him curling his tail in an attempt to guard himself. He could hear the Ninetales chuckle as a single paw gripped his tail and held it up, leaving him exposed for the tongue to wander over him. The Umbreon squirmed a little as the Ninetales took another gulp to bring his head and shoulders into the stomach, leaving Ebony with his face pushed against the fleshy wall and the Reviver seed pressed against his cheek.
 
The world seemed to sway around him as the Ninetales let out a satisfied groan, and the Umbreon could feel the paws beginning to rub through the stomach and over his body. The cold of the outside world disappeared from his paws as they were sealed within the Ninetales' mouth, and after each was thoroughly tasted by the vulpine's tongue he could feel his tail being slurped up... and in one last 'Gllrk~', he was deposited in the Ninetales' stomach and forced to curl up.
 
Spice grinned and began to run his paws over his stomach, letting out a loud and satisified belch. “Mmmh, my Ebony. Did the judges taste you before the contest? It might've helped them pick you out as the beautiful one. You've got a luxurious flavour~” The Ninetales murred, wiping away his drool with the Umbreon's tail scarf, “And you even come with your own napkin. Such a thoughtful little treat~”
 
“Th-thanks.” the Umbreon blushed. The Ninetales' belch had triggered something in him, something which was only being coaxed further by the lack of room in the stomach. It held him in a tight embrace as the Ninetales' paws and tails rubbed him condescendingly and the stomach rolled him back and forth, “A-are you sure the Reviver seed works?”
 
“I've relied on them since I arrived in Clearspring, Ebony. I think you'll find they're foolproof.” the Ninetales replied, checking over his claws as he idly rubbed his stomach, “Mmmh, not much of a struggler, are you? I do hope you don't ever need to escape a predator.” he chuckled, nuzzling down at his stomach before curling around it and resting his head on it.
 
It was then he noticed the Riolu standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowed on him. Spice murred and rolled onto his side, sprawling out to reveal the bulge that rounded out his otherwise slim underside, “If you're here for an autograph, I'm afraid you'll have to wait. Ebony's quite busy~”
 
“You're a piece of work, you know that?” Blaine huffed as he made his way over, “Ebony came here to make you feel better and all you took it as a chance to eat him. I bet you're planning on taking his ribbon too.”
 
“I wouldn't dream of it, he won it fair and square.” Spice replied, turning his nose up at the accusations as he rested one paw on his squirming stomach, “I believe Ebony has the right to keep it, for what little value it holds since it isn't an official victory.”
 
“Whatever.” Blaine replied as he rested one hand on the Ninetales' stomach to feel the Umbreon inside. He could hear it beginning to churn and gurgle from where he stood, though he decided to press his ear against it just to make sure his friend wasn't trying to tell him something. “You gave him a Reviver seed, right?”
  
“I gave him -my- Reviver seed.” Spice replied before flopping onto his side and murring as he wagged his tails against the pillows, “Mmmh, now he's wriggling. He must be embarassed having you see him like this~”
 
“Glrrrggle~”
 
“Mmh, oh calm down, Ebony. It's not as though he minds.” Spice winked over at the Riolu, “I think he might enjoy it, from what I've been hearing.” the fox grinned devilishly as he began to sway his tails, “Always going by the water dojo just to see Typh. I'm sure there must be some way you can fast track it and get served to him on a plate, you know.”
  
“Shut up, Spice.” Blaine replied, blushing as he moved his head away from the Ninetales' stomach and went back to rubbing it idly in order to soothe the Umbreon inside, “You know, my trainer used to watch you all the time. She used to be a big fan of yours.”
 
“Oh? Well, why wouldn't she be?” Spice chuckled to himself before going back to kneading his bulging stomach with his paws, “I am quite a showfox, after all.”
 
“Because you started using hypnosis and cheating.” the Riolu replied simply as he moved his hand away from the stomach, feeling the Umbreon inside it finally resting as the stomach took over, gurgling and churning loudly as it did so. “You used to always get high scores, Spice. Why did you start using Hypnosis rather than sticking to your old routines? Wasn't your routine today more fun than just hypnotising your way to success?”
  
“I still haven't forgiven you for handicapping me like that, you're lucky I can think on my feet.” the Ninetales replied before turning away with a light huff, “But yes, it was more fun to compete than to win with Hypnosis.”
 
“Everything started going downhill for you after you started cheating.” Blaine reminded him as he looked up into his eyes, being careful to avoid looking directly into his pupils or tails as he spoke, “You started winning, but you lost all your fans, and when that wasn't enough you started eating contestants just to keep yourself at the top.” he tucked his ears back, “If you didn't cheat, you wouldn't have ended up being stranded in the wild.”
 
“So, what you're saying is...” the Ninetales' eyes slowly widened in revelation, “Cheating is what brought me to Clearspring?”
 
“Yeah,” Blaine replied, crossing his arms as he took a few steps back from the Ninetales, “If you didn't cheat, you'd be in a warm bed back in the city right now. You wouldn't have to worry about wild pokemon or anything.” he paused to give the Ninetales a chance to take it all in. “How does that make you feel, Spice? ”
 
“It makes me feel...” Spice's eyes began to dart back and forth as he considered it. Finally they lit up as a smile spread across his muzzle, “Amazing! Cheating is awesome!”
 
“What?” Blaine replied flatly, only to find himself knocked onto his back by one of the wagging tails as the Ninetales got to his feet and hugged him against his gurgling stomach.
 
“Think about it, Blaine! If I hadn't cheated, I wouldn't have ended up in the wild, which means I wouldn't have come to Clearspring and I wouldn't have met my friends.” Spice giggled in delight, “Cheating is the whole reason I'm a hero~”
 
“That's not what I meant at all.” The Riolu snapped, pushing against the Ninetales in an attempt to get out of the hug, blushing at the sounds coming from the stomach he kept having his face buried in, “I'm saying that cheating is bad.”
 
“No Blaine, cheating is good! Everyone should cheat!” Spice cheered as he began to spin the Riolu around, dancing happily with him as music began to play from some unseen source.
 
The door exploded in a burst of rainbow-coloured light, and a large bird-like pokemon flew into the room and began to circle the room. The Ninetales instantly dropped the Riolu and gasped in disbelief as he lowered himself in a bow. “Ho-oh!”
 
“That's right, I am Ho-oh.” The pokemon replied, its voice echoing around the room as it began to circle the Ninetales before finally spreading its wings triumphantly and unleashing a shower of rainbow-coloured light over the Ninetales. “Spice Blaise, I have seen your hardships. Your beauty is unmatched and I, the most Beautiful legendary of them all, bestow on you the blessing of rainbows, that your beauty will never fade.”
 
“Oh, thank you! This is everything I ever wanted~” The Ninetales fell onto his back, laughing loudly and flailing his tails as the legendary continued to fly around the room above him, leaving his head spinning as he watched it twirl.
 
 
 
Blaine watched as the Ninetales laid back on the pillows, giggling at nothing and babbling as he swiped his paws at the air and wagged his tails.
 
“How long has he been doing this?” Cyn asked, glancing to the Riolu beside her as she watched the Ninetales.
 
“A couple of minutes... I think Ebony might be a little more potent than other Umbreon, that or Spice ate him on an empty stomach.” Blaine replied, crossing his arms and breathing out a sigh, “I hope he heard what I said before he started hallucinating.”
 
“I wouldn't count on it, he's not very good at changing his ways.” Cyn replied as she looked down at the Ninetales, “I'm going to call Leaf to get some Pecha berries, Spice.”
 
“I'm the prettiest fox of them all~” Spice chimed, flailing his paws at the air one last time before curling around his bulging stomach and snickering to himself as though he had remembered something funny.
 
“Well, at least he's not whining anymore.” Blaine breathed out a sigh of relief as he watched the Ninetales stomach, listening to it gurgling up the last of the pokemon within it. “I guess I'd better get back to the arena and help pack things up.”
 
“Hey, Blaine.” Cyn began, curling her tail around the Riolu's side. Her fangs shone in the dim light of the room as she looked down at him, “Did you pay the entry fee when you came down after Ebony?" she grinned slyly at him before leaning down to whisper into his ear, "...we've got ways of dealing with pokemon who don't~”
 
“U-uh,” the Riolu replied, finding himself speechless as he looked into the shiny Liepard's emerald eyes. A blush crossed his muzzle as he reached down into his bag, feeling the gold coins inside it. “Heh, um... I guess I could stay for a while.”
 
“Good... dealing with Moss all day has left me pretty tense.” Cyn replied lowly, her tail coiling around him and squeezing him tightly before releasing him. The Liepard's goal was to give him a taste of what was to come, she figured they would both benefit from some 'stress relief' after a hard day's judging.
 
She could call Leaf later.