GC125

==Synopsis==
Justin and Rachel enter the Sootopolis Contest.
==Summary==
Rachel and Justin have entered the Sootopolis Contest with the latter not entering entirely on his own accord, but when the contest begins, Justin is focused and committed. 
The contest stage is a water stage with a large platform in the center to accommodate non-aquatic Pokemon. When the contest begins, Juan is a judge for the Sootopolis Contest, and he will be unbiased towards Justin and Rachel even though he knows the appeals they have planned. 
Rachel is among the early competitors and she calls on Marshtomp. Marshtomp starts by releasing Rock Throw in the air that collide between each other in sparkles. Marshtomp then strikes the waters with Rock Smash, sending shock waves to the end of the stage. He stomps with Water Pledge that creates columns of water. Marshtomp's holds the Water Pledge then draw them together to collide in a watery explosion that produces dew and a rainbow, concluding the appeal. 
When it's time for Justin's performance, he calls on Sealeo. As rehearsed, Sealeo summons a Hail. He then uses Ice Ball four times scattering them across. Juan and Rachel are intrigued as Justin and Sealeo researches a balancing act with Ice Ball. Once the ice balls are in the place, Justin has Sealeo strike one Ice Ball with Aurora Beam. The Aurora Beam bounces between the ice at specific angles and strike Sealeo, making him shine like a rainbow while under the snowy Hail. Juan finds the appeal marvelous and innovative. Rachel is amazed Justin came up with such an appeal. She reminded why she asked him to be her mentor.
At the end of the appeal stage, Justin and Rachel are among the four semifinalists and after some intense battles, Justin and Rachel face each other in the finals. Before the battle begins, Rachel gives herself some confidence that Marshtomp has been in many contests while Sealeo does not even have much battling experience, let alone performance experience.
When the clock stars, Justin and Rachel call out their Pokemon. Justin has Sealeo repeatedly use Ice Ball, which grow in size but are still small. Marshtomp dodges each one then lands a Water Pledge and covers the field in a mud with Mud Shot. Marshtomp then destroys the fourth large Ice Ball with Rock Smash in a glittering appeal. Justin's points plummet.
Justin has Sealeo use Aurora Beam. Marshtomp slides across the mud to dodge, but the Aurora Beam bounces off the ice balls laid by Sealeo and strike Marshtomp from behind, leading Rachel to finally figure out Justin's strategy. Sealeo then establishes a Hail that heals Sealeo and hurts Marshtomp. Due to Justin's timing, Hail will not expire before the clock runs out. 
Marshtomp attacks with Rock Throw, and Sealeo jumps to dodge then smash the ground with Body Slam, which causes a wave of mud to splash on Marshtomp and blind him. Sealeo then uses a barrage of Aurora Beam on the ice rocks to blast Marshtomp from all directions. Justin's combinations siphon Rachel's score. 
Marshtomp retaliates with Water Pledge, which also sends the ice rocks into the stage waters. Sealeo uses the mud to slide and dodge the pillars of water. Rachel is shocked as her mud field is meant to restrict the opponent's movements, but Sealeo, who can slide on ice, can also move very well on the surface. While sliding, Sealeo splashes more mud in Marshtomp's eyes and uses the momentum to deliver what would be a finishing Body Slam. Marshtomp cannot see, but Rachel notes she can. Rachel directs Marshtomp to use Rock Smash right above him before Sealeo can land. Marshtomp jumps and delivers a Rock Smash counter that knocks Sealeo back. 
Sealeo lands but does not lose any focus. He fires an Aurora Beam that strikes Marshtomp but Marshtomp raises his arms to block the brunt of the attack. Suddenly, Marshtomp's entire body glows a rainbow aura, which is not a side effect of Aurora Beam. Marshtomp is using Mirror Coat and he reflects the power of Aurora Beam back onto Sealeo. Justin and Sealeo are stunned, but Rachel notices the clock ticking away. She orders Marshtomp to quickly use Water Pledge, which lands a powerful blow on Sealeo right as the clock expires. 
Hail covers up the large monitor, but when the snowstorm finally expires, Rachel has exactly one more point than Justin, which wins her the Sootopolis Contest and her fifth ribbon. Sealeo is sad to have lost, but Justin keeps Sealeo encouraged promising he did exceptionally well. Juan awards Rachel the ribbon and looks forward to watching her compete at the Grand Festival. 
After the contest, Rachel presents her Sootopolis Ribbon to her Pokemon, and she happily says they are going to the Grand Festival. While Rachel and her Pokemon are happy, Rachel later loses her joy. Justin is shown collecting Sealeo from the Pokemon Center where Juan approaches him. Rachel walks in as well but hides when she hears the two talking. 
Juan asks Justin honestly if he held back against Rachel, believing he was the superior performer. Justin truly says he did not hold back as that would be disrespectful to Sealeo and himself. Justin says he's been watching and training Rachel for a long time, so he knew her strategies, their strengths and their weaknesses, such as using the mud to splash Marshtomp in the face or having his own Pokemon slide on the mud to accelerate their attacks as Rachel did. However, he did not account for how hard Marshtomp wanted to win for Rachel. That's how Marshtomp learned Mirror Coat on the spot. Justin says he was absolutely surprised, had no counter for it, and stifled to make a final command. 
Justin admits that is a difference between gyms and contests. Justin says when he is surprised in a gym, he has all the time to recover from shock, think, and react, but in a contest that process must be instantaneous. Rachel, equally surprised herself, has learned to be always cognizant of the clock and surprises in a contest. That's why she was able to command Water Pledge without a second thought and win. Juan applauds Justin's insight and admits Rachel was better at the end, which is what matters most in any battle. 
Juan asks Justin to train under him and mentor him in Contests, believing he has all the skills to be a Top Coordinator, enough to rival Chazz and Lisia. Justin respectfully declines. Justin says he simply does not have the drive for contests. Justin reflects how losing to Winona in Fortree City absolutely burned him and how winning a league conference battle makes him feel more alive than ever, but winning or losing a contest battle does not affect him at all. Certainly winning the Rustboro Contest was nice and fun but it's not a memory he holds dear to him. Juan understands but keeps the invitation open. If and when Justin win a league conference, Justin may seek a career change. If that happens to be contests, Juan hopes to mentor him. Justin appreciates the offer and promises to always consider it. He and the gym leader shake hands. 
Afterwards, Justin finds Rachel outside with her Pokemon. They look out to the central Sootopolis lake. Justin tells Rachel he meant every word. He believes she earned the Sootopolis Ribbon. Rachel tries to pretend she does not know what he's talking about. Justin reminds her there is a loud bell sound every time the Pokemon Center doors open, and he saw her enter. Rachel says she still feels like a fraud. She only won today because Marshtomp learned Mirror Coat at the last second. Justin says that does not make her a fraud at all. 
Justin insists that even if he did give her ideas at first, Rachel still had to train her Pokemon to execute the routines. She still had to battle well, time her attacks, and execute great battling appeals. Today's victory is a reflection of how her bond with Marshtomp has grown so much, he would push himself to win for her no matter what. More importantly, no matter how Rachel turned the tides, she won fair and square, and he and Sealeo did not hold back. Even if she's not happy about how she won, she can look forward to Grand Festival and another day to compete better, win better, and win how she wants to win. Rachel and Justin share an arm over the shoulder hug. Rachel tells Justin he's a really great mentor.
==Major Events==
*Justin and Rachel enter the Sootopolis Contest with Sealeo and Marshtomp
*Rachel's Marshtomp learns Mirror Coat
*Rachel defeats Justin to win the Sootopolis Contest and her fifth ribbon, qualifying her for the Hoenn Grand Festival
*Juan asks Justin to apprentice under him to compete in contests but Justin declines; Juan keeps the invitation open
For a list of all major events in this anime, please see Major Events (Grand Conquest). 
==Characters==
===Humans===
*Justin
*Rachel
*Juan
*Nurse Joy
*Judges
*Coordinators
*Trainers
*Audience
===Pokemon===
*Eevee (Justin's)
*Sealeo (Justin's)
*Marshtomp (Rachel's)
*Skitty (Rachel's)
*Shuppet (Rachel's)
*Seaking
*Goldeen
*Swablu
*Skarmory
*Lombre
*Spinda
*Baltoy
*Cacturne
*Whiscash
Category:Grand Conquest
Category:Episodes with Contests