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Episode 58c: Our Cup Runneth Over (part 3)


The group balked as Mars, as Marta, emerged from the brush. "Hi there, Sir Wallace--my name's Marta--!"

It suddenly dawned on Mars who she was talking to. "Oh, Arceus, you're THE Wallace???

Jupiter facepalmed from the brush as Mars cornered Wallace and Celeste. "Oh wow! I never dreamed I'd see a Contest Master up close! They say you're better than a Grand Coordinator!"

"It seems my reputation has preceded me." Wallace smiled, unfazed by the starstruck Mars.

Dawn was equally impressed. "I'm amazed Wallace didn't look unnerved by Marta getting in his face like that!"

"He's probably used to fans getting a little too close for comfort, so it takes a lot for someone like Wallace to get rattled." Brock suggested.

Wallace gently pushed Mars away. "As I was saying before we were rudely interrupted...as important as it is to work hard, don't forget to play hard too."

He motioned for Celeste to take to the water. "Now that you have shown me some appeals, it's my turn to show you some of my favorites."

Ash opened his Pokedex and set the movelist to Contest mode. "So I can tell you what Wallace's moves are and what they do in a Contest scenario." he explained to Dawn.

"Okay, Celeste...start the music!" Wallace called.

The Milotic obediently tapped PLAY on Wallace's PokeNav, then swam out into the water, surrounding herself with mist and a pale green light as a regal Celtic melody played.

"That was Safeguard--it is a Beautiful move that relaxes both Pokemon and the audience." Ash explained.

He watched as a ring of bubbles circled elegantly around Celeste. "That was Aqua Ring--it is a Beautiful move that makes up for its low Appeal by combining with Safeguard."

He watched Celeste fire an orb of purple energy into the sky, dispersing the bubbles with a purple-blue explosion. "That was Dragon Pulse--it is a very appealing Beautiful move that can combine with most any Dragon type move." he explained as Celeste took a bow for the group and Mars.

Jupiter emerged from the brush and gently petted Celeste. "Her skin is so soft..."

She jumped away as Celeste gathered wind and water around her, then sent it flying. "That was Twister--a very appealing Cool move that can combine with Dragon Pulse for an amazing combo." Ash explained.

Mars' applause was the most enthusiastic. "Can you teach my Purugly Aqua Ring?"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Purugly can't learn Aqua Ring." Wallace replied, making Mars sweatdrop.

"Thanks, Wallace--I learned quite a bit!" Dawn smiled as she hugged Wallace.

"Yeah, thanks for the show!" Ash agreed.

"And thank you, for showing me your skills." Wallace replied. "I hope to see you two in the Cup soon."

He motioned for Celeste. "Come on, Celeste...it's time to go."

---------

Later, the group watched on a TV as Wallace gave yet another interview to a Contest show. "While I did learn a lot today, I think I still have a long way to go before being able to appreciate what's truly special about my Pokémon." Dawn mused.

"Well, remember what Wallace said--you need to play as hard as you work." Brock reminded Dawn.

"That, and you just need to let your Pokemon be themselves instead of focusing on big shows all the time." Ash agreed.

"Forgive me for interrupting your conversation, but you have a call waiting for you." Nurse Joy explained as she approached Ash.

"Really? Who from?" Ash asked, intrigued.

"Someone named May Alder." Nurse Joy replied.

An excited look formed on Ash's face. "I'll be right there!"

"I've wondered what became of May after we left Houen..." Brock agreed as Ash hurried to the call center to take his call.

Ash looked over each of the video phones until he found one with a blinking green light--the signal that a call was coming in. After hitting the ACCEPT button, he smiled at the familiar image of a brown haired girl with a green bandanna on the screen. "Hello?"

"Ash, hi!" May smiled back. "Have you heard about the Wallace Cup?"

"Oh, you're competing in that too?" Ash asked. "I was thinking to compete myself..."

May nodded. "If all goes well, me and my team should meet you by Lake Valor tomorrow morning--then we can get you a costume, and catch up on what's happened since the Eterna dance contest..."

To Be Continued...