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Maya Nijiiro and the Kanto Trio
in
"The Trials of Talent"
Episode 1-Brock
For nine months out of the year, Ash, Misty and I are on the road, seeing the good, the bad, and the ugly of Kanto's talents. As one of the judges on the TV show "Kanto's Got Talent" it's our job to find the diamonds among the dirt. Then we have to narrow down all the good acts down to one, and the winner of each city goes on to have a chance at performing before Champion Lance himself during the pre-League festivities. It has its share of ups and downs, but we wouldn't trade any of it for the world.
The process is quite simple: You come onstage, introduce yourself, and tell us what you are going to do. Then we turn it over to you and let you do your thing. However, if we hear a negative crowd reaction or feel the act isn't good, we will hit the buzzers at our seats, which of course makes a buzz and fills in the top halves of the Poke Balls above the stage. Once all three Poke Balls are filled, the act is over, no ifs, ands, or buts.
Whether you finish your act or we buzz you out, we'll tell you what we thought about what you did in our own unique way.
For instance, I try to give a fair review of the act, listing the good and the bad. Fans of the show have given me the nickname "Diamond" because of this--because once I've given my two credits on an act, I don't budge. That said, it isn't always easy to give positives when you clearly have not prepared or your act is something disgusting, dangerous, or something else too hot for TV. Sometimes I wonder if some of the acts realize that they're going to have to do their act before the best trainer in Kanto, and how Lance would probably not appriciate musical farting, botched magic, or howling along to some song like a Growlithe.
But I digress.
Ash is the one with the most enthusiasm, earning him the nickname "Livewire". If he likes an act, he'll at least be nodding his head or swaying in his seat, leading some fans to say "If you can get Livewire going, your act's in good hands." He won't hestate to tell you if your act wasn't good, but he understands that when you perform before a few thousand people and three judges, you're going to have nerves. There is a difference between nerves and delibrately not preparing.
Misty probably has the biggest following, if only for her biting critiques. No matter how well of a job you do, she will probably find something to criticize, but most acts know that she means well and she, like Ash and me, wants to see every act succeed. Fans call her "Tsunami" because her critiques can come crashing on top of you like a tsunami if you're not prepared. But she saves her most pointed critiques for those that delibrately don't come prepared.
So there we were, in Celadon's Iris Theater, watching the crowds file in the theater for the first day of auditions. We'd signed a few autographs and Misty posed for some pictures, but for the most part, we made it in there in one piece.
"Pikachu, you ready to see what sort of talent Celadon has to offer?" Ash smiled at the mouse Pokemon perched on his shoulder. As an unofficial "fourth judge", we knew an act would be bad if even the resident Pokemon didn't like it--and it's usually easy to please a little electric mouse.
"Let's not have any more musical farting, please!" Misty sighed as she took her place at the center seat.
"I've seen some weird stuff, but that took the cake." I agreed as the overture began to play, signaling to the crowd that the judges were present and the show was starting. Deep down, I was a little worried that we'd see something even weirder than a musical farter over the course of the week.
"Okay, first act, please!" Ash called to some cheers as the overture ended.
Now, we see a bunch of people day in and day out across many cities, and that's a lot of names to remember! But like our two prior shows in Fuschia and Vermillion, Celadon had its share of real characters, and I tend to remember the names of those that really impress us, or fail to. But this first act was one of many to be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Memo to Carter Glass: You probably broke a little glass mangling "It's Not Unusual", because one, not only were you way off from the original singer and out of tune, but Misty was on to something when she said nails on a chalkboard would sound nicer. That, and Ash's squirming was the rare "How-much-longer-till-this-is-over?" squirm. Pikachu covering his ears and the pained wince on my face reaffirmed the crowd's negative reaction, and we buzzed him off quickly.
Angie Downs wan't very much better--the poetry and the Meowths were cute, but when one of them tried to eat Pikachu, buzzing her off was the best thing to do, for Ash's sake.
Doing things with one's belly will usually get you buzzed off very quickly, as Eddie Gibson found out.
I'm not sure WHAT Bonnie Terrell was doing, but it rubbed all three of us the wrong way--we have perfectly good announcers already, thank you.
The day only got worse fom there, but not all of them were bad--one act's homemade electric guitar failed to work, one little girl forgot the words to the song she was going to sing in a bout of nerves, and a group of dancers forgetting their steps, also due to nerves. Misty was a little more sympathetic to those three, because even "Tsunami" understands that nerves can take control and things happen beyond your control. By the time lunch came around, we had only advanced 10 out of the first 50 acts of the day. Ash was relieved that A. Pikachu was okay., and B. we had not had any more musical farters. Quite frankly, I wasn't sure if anything could top that one in terms of sheer craziness.
As we made our way through the audition waiting room to the cafeteria, I noticed one brown haired girl wearing a shirt with a lovely tie-dye Beautifly wing design, black pants, and black shoes tuning an acoustic guitar while waiting her turn. She noticed us passing by and gave me a shy smile. I decided to keep her in mind as we entered the cafeteria.
The acts we had after lunch were not that much better, but there was one that I felt never got a chance thanks to the audience. A girl came in costume as a fairy and sang--and while she was beautiful and had a nice voice to match, I guess the crowd wasn't in the mood for singing fairies that day. Looking back, I really wish Misty hadn't hit my buzzer for me--I actually liked that act. Pikachu was bemused and Ash was swaying a little, but Misty hit his buzzer too.
But just when I thought I had seen everything Kanto was capable of doing, the next act ranked up with the musical farter on the crazy act list--a painting Grumpig. The crowd went nuts when the Grumpig appeared, Misty was speechless, and all Ash could say was "Oh my..." But apparently the poor Grumpig was in no mood to paint before a few thousand people, and when Misty buzzed him, he went bananas and knocked Ash out with Confusion. It took us a good hour to get the Grumpig off, but Ash and a few in the crowd affected by the Confusion were okay.
I saw a flash of brown hair in the wings as I went to get an ice bag for Ash--the guitar girl from before was in the wings waiting her turn. "What happened out there?" she asked, concerned.
"Trained Grumpig went nuts and attacked a few in the crowd and Ash." I explained. "Hopefully you don't have a trained Pokemon with that kind of temper."
"Not at all--my Pokemon's only here to cheer me on." she replied, showing me her starry eyed Pikachu.
"Pika pikachu?" the Pikachu asked, offering me a sovenir poster. I just reached for my pen and signed close to where I was on the poster, then entered the boys' bathroom, where one staff member was waiting with an ice bag.
"He'll be okay, Brock..." a staff doctor assured me as she finished examining Ash.
"What happened?" Ash groggily asked as he hung his hat on a bar by the table, allowing me to set the ice bag behind his head. "Did that Grumpig just attack for no reason?"
"Nope--I buzzed, he went berserk." Misty explained.
"Fortunately, Miss Williams, Mr. Ketchum's only a little stunned right now, and should be well in an hour or two." our butler, Sir Donovan, replied as he draped a towel over Ash's chair so the ice bag wouldn't get it wet.
"Should we call it a day, then, Sir Donovan?" I asked.
"Not yet, Mr. Harrison--so long as Mr. Ketchum is comfortable and the medical staff say he is fit to continue judging, you should continue." Sir Donovan replied.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" I asked Ash, holding up three fingers.
"Three..." Ash groaned. That was a good sign--he was alert and hadn't lost his memory too badly. Fortunately, all he really had to do for the next hour was hit the buzzer--the afternoon was shaping up to look like a carbon copy of the morning.
in
"The Trials of Talent"
Episode 1-Brock
For nine months out of the year, Ash, Misty and I are on the road, seeing the good, the bad, and the ugly of Kanto's talents. As one of the judges on the TV show "Kanto's Got Talent" it's our job to find the diamonds among the dirt. Then we have to narrow down all the good acts down to one, and the winner of each city goes on to have a chance at performing before Champion Lance himself during the pre-League festivities. It has its share of ups and downs, but we wouldn't trade any of it for the world.
The process is quite simple: You come onstage, introduce yourself, and tell us what you are going to do. Then we turn it over to you and let you do your thing. However, if we hear a negative crowd reaction or feel the act isn't good, we will hit the buzzers at our seats, which of course makes a buzz and fills in the top halves of the Poke Balls above the stage. Once all three Poke Balls are filled, the act is over, no ifs, ands, or buts.
Whether you finish your act or we buzz you out, we'll tell you what we thought about what you did in our own unique way.
For instance, I try to give a fair review of the act, listing the good and the bad. Fans of the show have given me the nickname "Diamond" because of this--because once I've given my two credits on an act, I don't budge. That said, it isn't always easy to give positives when you clearly have not prepared or your act is something disgusting, dangerous, or something else too hot for TV. Sometimes I wonder if some of the acts realize that they're going to have to do their act before the best trainer in Kanto, and how Lance would probably not appriciate musical farting, botched magic, or howling along to some song like a Growlithe.
But I digress.
Ash is the one with the most enthusiasm, earning him the nickname "Livewire". If he likes an act, he'll at least be nodding his head or swaying in his seat, leading some fans to say "If you can get Livewire going, your act's in good hands." He won't hestate to tell you if your act wasn't good, but he understands that when you perform before a few thousand people and three judges, you're going to have nerves. There is a difference between nerves and delibrately not preparing.
Misty probably has the biggest following, if only for her biting critiques. No matter how well of a job you do, she will probably find something to criticize, but most acts know that she means well and she, like Ash and me, wants to see every act succeed. Fans call her "Tsunami" because her critiques can come crashing on top of you like a tsunami if you're not prepared. But she saves her most pointed critiques for those that delibrately don't come prepared.
So there we were, in Celadon's Iris Theater, watching the crowds file in the theater for the first day of auditions. We'd signed a few autographs and Misty posed for some pictures, but for the most part, we made it in there in one piece.
"Pikachu, you ready to see what sort of talent Celadon has to offer?" Ash smiled at the mouse Pokemon perched on his shoulder. As an unofficial "fourth judge", we knew an act would be bad if even the resident Pokemon didn't like it--and it's usually easy to please a little electric mouse.
"Let's not have any more musical farting, please!" Misty sighed as she took her place at the center seat.
"I've seen some weird stuff, but that took the cake." I agreed as the overture began to play, signaling to the crowd that the judges were present and the show was starting. Deep down, I was a little worried that we'd see something even weirder than a musical farter over the course of the week.
"Okay, first act, please!" Ash called to some cheers as the overture ended.
Now, we see a bunch of people day in and day out across many cities, and that's a lot of names to remember! But like our two prior shows in Fuschia and Vermillion, Celadon had its share of real characters, and I tend to remember the names of those that really impress us, or fail to. But this first act was one of many to be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Memo to Carter Glass: You probably broke a little glass mangling "It's Not Unusual", because one, not only were you way off from the original singer and out of tune, but Misty was on to something when she said nails on a chalkboard would sound nicer. That, and Ash's squirming was the rare "How-much-longer-till-this-is-over?" squirm. Pikachu covering his ears and the pained wince on my face reaffirmed the crowd's negative reaction, and we buzzed him off quickly.
Angie Downs wan't very much better--the poetry and the Meowths were cute, but when one of them tried to eat Pikachu, buzzing her off was the best thing to do, for Ash's sake.
Doing things with one's belly will usually get you buzzed off very quickly, as Eddie Gibson found out.
I'm not sure WHAT Bonnie Terrell was doing, but it rubbed all three of us the wrong way--we have perfectly good announcers already, thank you.
The day only got worse fom there, but not all of them were bad--one act's homemade electric guitar failed to work, one little girl forgot the words to the song she was going to sing in a bout of nerves, and a group of dancers forgetting their steps, also due to nerves. Misty was a little more sympathetic to those three, because even "Tsunami" understands that nerves can take control and things happen beyond your control. By the time lunch came around, we had only advanced 10 out of the first 50 acts of the day. Ash was relieved that A. Pikachu was okay., and B. we had not had any more musical farters. Quite frankly, I wasn't sure if anything could top that one in terms of sheer craziness.
As we made our way through the audition waiting room to the cafeteria, I noticed one brown haired girl wearing a shirt with a lovely tie-dye Beautifly wing design, black pants, and black shoes tuning an acoustic guitar while waiting her turn. She noticed us passing by and gave me a shy smile. I decided to keep her in mind as we entered the cafeteria.
The acts we had after lunch were not that much better, but there was one that I felt never got a chance thanks to the audience. A girl came in costume as a fairy and sang--and while she was beautiful and had a nice voice to match, I guess the crowd wasn't in the mood for singing fairies that day. Looking back, I really wish Misty hadn't hit my buzzer for me--I actually liked that act. Pikachu was bemused and Ash was swaying a little, but Misty hit his buzzer too.
But just when I thought I had seen everything Kanto was capable of doing, the next act ranked up with the musical farter on the crazy act list--a painting Grumpig. The crowd went nuts when the Grumpig appeared, Misty was speechless, and all Ash could say was "Oh my..." But apparently the poor Grumpig was in no mood to paint before a few thousand people, and when Misty buzzed him, he went bananas and knocked Ash out with Confusion. It took us a good hour to get the Grumpig off, but Ash and a few in the crowd affected by the Confusion were okay.
I saw a flash of brown hair in the wings as I went to get an ice bag for Ash--the guitar girl from before was in the wings waiting her turn. "What happened out there?" she asked, concerned.
"Trained Grumpig went nuts and attacked a few in the crowd and Ash." I explained. "Hopefully you don't have a trained Pokemon with that kind of temper."
"Not at all--my Pokemon's only here to cheer me on." she replied, showing me her starry eyed Pikachu.
"Pika pikachu?" the Pikachu asked, offering me a sovenir poster. I just reached for my pen and signed close to where I was on the poster, then entered the boys' bathroom, where one staff member was waiting with an ice bag.
"He'll be okay, Brock..." a staff doctor assured me as she finished examining Ash.
"What happened?" Ash groggily asked as he hung his hat on a bar by the table, allowing me to set the ice bag behind his head. "Did that Grumpig just attack for no reason?"
"Nope--I buzzed, he went berserk." Misty explained.
"Fortunately, Miss Williams, Mr. Ketchum's only a little stunned right now, and should be well in an hour or two." our butler, Sir Donovan, replied as he draped a towel over Ash's chair so the ice bag wouldn't get it wet.
"Should we call it a day, then, Sir Donovan?" I asked.
"Not yet, Mr. Harrison--so long as Mr. Ketchum is comfortable and the medical staff say he is fit to continue judging, you should continue." Sir Donovan replied.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" I asked Ash, holding up three fingers.
"Three..." Ash groaned. That was a good sign--he was alert and hadn't lost his memory too badly. Fortunately, all he really had to do for the next hour was hit the buzzer--the afternoon was shaping up to look like a carbon copy of the morning.
