A Confession Gone Awry
It's the finals of the Kanto Grand Festival between May and Dawn! But before that, the finalists were joined by their corner persons. May is joined by her younger brother Max, and Dawn confronted Zoey to tell her that she accepts her offer from her interview some 15 minutes ago. Zoey is madly in love with Dawn and has told her this, and although Dawn admits to also having feelings for Zoey, Dawn is more content with taking things slowly, and confirming her feelings as being of a genuine and romantic nature. May and Max discuss the on air kiss. Aside from some college humor from Max, they seriously discuss the ramifications of making these types of feelings known to the public.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon, a creation of one Satoshi Tajiri, and is produced domestically (in the United States) by Pokémon USA/TAJ/The Pokémon Company, and internationally by Shogakukan and OLM. I personally own nothing and make nothing by writing this. Please do not flame.
(Chapter 3- Far More Important Than a Grand Festival)
"Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you back to our live coverage of this year's Kanto Grand Festival. I'm your host Tim Newsome, along with my co-host, the 1988 Grand Festival Champion Danica Torres and standout Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum, who is now joining us in the booth as we do pre and post-match analysis on this final bout."
"That's right, Tim," Danica adds. "It's the finals of the 2012 Kanto Grand Festival between May Maple of Petalburg City in the Hoenn region and Dawn Berlitz of Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region. And speaking of finals, let's get out our final thoughts before we go to Miss Lillian Meridian for introductions and the match. Tim? Please lead off."
Enthusiastically, Tim gets the ball rolling with his final thought. "My final thought tonight is all about 'Water and Fire'. May's signature Pokémon used in contest battles over the last six years has been her Blaziken. It has brought her to a total of eight Grand Festival finals, but she has lost all eight of those finals, which has given her the unenviable label of 'The Choking Chicken', but tonight is no laughing matter, as tonight is her ninth attempt at a title, and this time unlike the other eight, she does not face a former Grand Festival Champion, and that leads to Dawn Berlitz.
"Her Pokémon that she uses most often in the battle portions is her Empoleon, which is actually a water/steel type, but this has only recently been the case, as she had previously used her Lopunny or her Pachirisu in the battle portion, and switched about six months prior to this Grand Festival. Will Dawn's type advantage come into play tonight in what is expected to be the choices for these two young ladies, or will either of them throw a curveball by pulling out a Pokémon that none of us expect. Danica?"
"Tim, my final thought is 'cooler heads will prevail'. Looking at both of these top competitors, it's very obvious that there is a different attitude felt by both. Dawn has been quite nervous since the semifinals when she defeated Zoey D. Neale in another time limit match. May Maple however has been quite serene, joking with some of the reporters and when I attempted to get her thoughts about going to another Grand Festival final, she really didn't want to talk about it. To the casual viewer, it May seem that May could care less about this, but I can assure you all, May Maple is not- I repeat, not taking this Grand Festival final lightly, and she is certainly not taking Dawn Berlitz lightly, either. Ash, your thoughts?"
Those that see Ash on the television screen can tell that he is a nervous wreck, only fifteen minutes removed from the interview he gave to his good friend, Dawn. He could not believe the events that occurred right in front of his eyes. The gist of his nervousness can be summarized in the fact that Zoey D. Neale is apparently a lesbian, and she confessed her admirations to Dawn by taking over her interview time and eventually kissing her... on a live television event, where many millions of people were expected to watch. The shock had not quite worn off for the 22 year old from Pallet Town, and Tim and Danica knew this. They both fought hard with the producer to not have Ash in the booth doing pre and post-match coverage, as they (correctly) felt that he was not in the proper mind to deliver his thoughts. The producer, however, overruled the twosome, insisting that a native of the Kanto region be present in the booth.
Needless to say, Tim and Danica were not happy with the fact that they had to work with Ash in his present state. The producer warned them however that they had no choice but to work with Ash, and were also warned to not talk about what happened on air (i.e., ignore what everyone at home saw) and to remain cheerful while on camera.
"Umm..." Ash begins, clearly not into giving his 'final thoughts'. "My final thought involves 'experience'. Danica allowed-- alluded to it, and Tim mentioned it, and I'll go farther-- sorry. I'll go further with it. This will be May's ninth Grand Fesitval final, and Dawn has never reached this level prior to tonight. So for Dawn, the different atmosphere of knowing that you are only one win away from history should be waiting-- sorry. It should be weighing heavily on her mind right now among other things. For May, things are different. She knows exactly what she's in for, but tonight is the ultimate test. Neither girl has been a Grand Festival champion, but in five minutes or less... all of that will change. And those are my final thoughts."
"Folks, let's not wait another second longer!" Tim says, enthusiastically. "Let's go to our ring announcer, Lillian Meridian to do the call!"
"Pokémon coordinating fans, welcome to the finals of the 2012 Kanto Grand Festival!" Lillian's announcement warrants a massive amount of cheering from the fans in the Indigo Plateau. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, here are the rules; in just a few minutes, two Pokémon coordinators will enter the ring and go five minutes with each one of their Pokémon in battle. The objective is to battle until your opponent is unable to do so, but attack in a manner that is graceful, stylistic, and appealing to the eye. Our five judges in attendance this evening will judge on those traits."
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce the five judges in attendance for tonight's event. First of all, the Pokémon contest and coordinating director, considered by many to be the main aficionado of the sport. He is Mr. Raoul Contesta!" To this introduction, Contesta waves to the crowd.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, judge number two is the local Viridian City Nurse Joy!" Joy curtsies to her introduction as Meridian continues. "Judge Number three is the president of the Pokémon fan club, Mr. Suziko!" Suziko humbly bows to his introduction.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, our surprise judges for this evening. Judge number four is quite possibly the top researcher under the age of 30 in the world of Pokémon. Ash Ketchum is not the only Pallet town native that has joined us tonight; please welcome young Master Gary Oak!" Gary heads to the fourth podium and sits down. He waved to the crowd while making his way to his seat. Ash commented in the booth to himself two simple words; 'That Gary,' and smiled as Gary sat down.
"And the fifth and final judge for this contest, she and her team have done an absolutely outstanding job policing this event, and now she will get to enjoy it up close and personal. She is the Viridian City Officer Jenny!" Coming to ringside on her moped, Jenny greets the crowd with waving and takes the vacant seat next to Gary.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is time; for the introductions of the two participants in this Grand Festival final!" The two were already seated ringside, and at security clearance, they were told that after Miss Meridian's remarks post introduction of the judges, they along with their corner persons were to go up to the ring to be properly introduced. After thirty seconds, everyone is positioned, and Meridian is given the cue to restart announcements.
"Introducing first of all in the corner to my left, the corner person is Pokémon league championship standout from Petalburg City, Max Maple!" Max does not wave to the crowd; rather he rubs her sister's shoulders and whispers some final encouraging words into her ear.
"Actually win this one so that I don't have to fucking come back here anymore for 'moral support'."
"Fuck you, dipshit. I thought I told you this is in the bag... Brenton-Alexander." May retorts back to him in her own whisper.
"You know I fucking hate that" Max this time says to his sister.
"That's why I said it, baby brother." Max snarls to this comment by May and decides to take a seat.
"He stands in the corner of the young lady also from Petalburg City in the Hoenn region," Meridian continues. "She is 19 years old, and has been coordinating for ten years. She has won a total of 83 ribbons, and has been to the finals of eight Grand Festivals, losing all eight. Tonight, she hopes to improve this fate of futility with a victory here tonight. She is May... Maple!" May raises both of her arms high in the air, and then points up into the air with both hands.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, in the corner to my right, the corner person is a semifinalist of this year's Grand Festival, and a two time former champion from Snowpoint City, here is Zoey D. Neale!" Zoey waves, but is getting a noticeable mix of cheers and boos from the audience.
"She stands in the corner of the young lady from Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region. She is 16 years old. She has been coordinating for seven years, winning 42 ribbons, and she will be making her maiden appearance in the finals of a Grand Festival tournament in just a minute. The question on the minds of many tonight is, can she overcome outstanding odds for a fifth time tonight, winning a match that the odds makers have not favored her in once again? She has defeated a total of four former Grand Festival champions in a field of 32 challengers just to get to this point, but at this point, all that matters for her is one more win. Please welcome Dawn... Berlitz!" Much like her self-proclaimed friend in transition, Dawn also received a mixed reaction.
Zoey says to her while behind her back, "We're quite popular, aren't we? Don't worry about it. They'll never understand. Remember, it's just you out there, Dawn." Before Zoey takes the stairs to one of the two dugout areas for corner persons, Zoey blows Dawn a kiss.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there is one final order of business prior to the start of the battle," says Meridian. "The two competitors will meet in the middle of the ring and converse before they will be ordered back to their end of the ring floor to commence with battling. Dawn? May? The stage... is yours!"
Dawn Berlitz and May Maple meet in the center of the ring. It is there when they come face to face that the viewer can see truly how much larger May is compared to Dawn. While May is nearly 6'1" tall and very muscularly defined, Dawn has remained quite petite, and she stands only 5'4" tall. Upon meeting, the Indigo Plateau erupts into a large bout of cheering.
May is able to see that Dawn has a bad case of butterflies in her stomach. As a friend (more so an acquaintance of Ash) she wants to help her, but as a competitor, she regretfully knows that she has to protect her business first.
"You don't look like you're all here," says May. "No worries, though. It's just another battle."
"I have a lot on my mind," Dawn admits, and then gives a weak smile. "I've got the finals, but after this," Dawn pauses to take a brief look at Zoey while still remaining inconspicuous. "Something that I've found to be far more important than this has to be figured out."
"I know about you and Zoey," May says, without hesitation.
"What the hell? You know?" Dawn asks, in a near panic.
"Me and many millions of people," May defends. Dawn drops her head for a moment. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Honestly! I myself have... experimented with the same sex in the past. It helped especially those times where I otherwise would have been left to deal with sexual frustrations alone... in some other way. I stopped when I found the love of my life in the young man you beat earlier today, Drew. And we've been traveling together as boyfriend and girlfriend since we were your age."
"Zoey and I... are not a couple... yet. I'm thinking about it, though."
"Shame," May says. "Zoey is a real class act. She beat me to win her second Grand Festival title in the Orre region, you know? I think you should at least give it a shot, 'cause win, lose, or draw, you'll have found something far more important than winning this tournament. You'll have found love, which I'd put high above any trophy on my priorities list." May then brings out her right hand. "Good luck to you, Dawn." May then takes a good look at Zoey. "Here and beyond."
Dawn brings her hand out not that long afterward. "Same to you May." Both ladies shake hands and go to their respective corners, which causes yet another large crowd reaction. There is no more waiting and no more speculating. The finals are here and now.
"Let the finals of the Kanto Grand Festival... begin!" Meridian booms.
"Blaziken, come on out!" And as Max and most others expect, May pulls out her signature and starter Pokémon, Blaziken. Dawn is somewhat jolted, but knows that she must counteract the fire Pokémon as best as she can. She knows of only one solution.
"Empoleon, spotlight!" There would be no surprises today, as both girls use the most powerful Pokémon in either one's arsenal. Zoey is keeping her fingers crossed, and saying a silent prayer for her hopefully soon to be girlfriend. Max's attention is 100 percent fixated on the battle that is about to occur. His mouth is wide open, and surprisingly, he is not saying a word.
A horn blares, signaling that the five minute clock is counting down, and the battling must now commence.
"Blaziken!" May commands, "let's start out with a double kick to Empoleon!"
"Empoleon, dodge that double kick, and counter with a tackle!" Dawn says quickly in response.
The command by Dawn was effective as it was being executed as May's Blaziken was in mid-air, and unable to change direction. Calling it out when she did combined with Empoleon's response which was quicker than a lightning bolt was the reason why Blaziken was now at 80 percent hit points.
"May's desire to hit a big move quickly costs her a lot early in this bout, as Dawn was able to react well on her feet to the potential double kick from May Maple's Blaziken." Meridian commentates.
"That's it, Dawn!" Zoey cheers. "Keep it up, girl!"
"Dawn's not out of the woods yet, Zoey," yells a still confident Max.
"All right Blaziken," May says, unfazed that she lost so many hit points. "We'll try something different. Fly, but go high up in the air!"
'What does Maple have up her sleeve?' Dawn silently ponders. "Empoleon, stand your guard and keep a look out for our fine feathered friend."
'Just what I expected; she didn't attack.' May smiles and then commands, "Blaziken, come back down on Empoleon with a dose of his own medicine using Mirror Move, now!"
'Fuck! I forgot Blaziken could do that!' Dawn gets flustered by May's wise maneuver to have Blaziken tackle Empoleon. "Uh... Empoleon, dodge and use bubblebeam!"
It turns out that that split second of hesitation on Dawn's part was enough for Blaziken to successfully mirror the move Empoleon had just performed on it. Empoleon was not even able to dodge the tackle as the quicker Blaziken led with its left shoulder and drove Empoleon to the ground. Dawn's hit points took a huge dive, much larger than May's as Meridian explains...
"Remember, folks! Even though Blaziken used the exact same attack with the exact same power that Empoleon did, Blaziken came back down to the arena floor, and left a trail, almost as if it was a shooting star, and gracefully tackled Empoleon, leaving Dawn down to a humbling 65 percent hit points, with nearly three minutes remaining."
"Fucking awesome move, May!" Max congratulates.
"Cool it!" May scolds. "We're on the air!"
"Come on, Dawn! You've still got a chance! I have faith in you! Think!" Zoey pleads.
'What to do, what to do?' Dawn is down, though not out. But if she cannot recover with a big attack, she will not hoist this year's Kanto Grand Festival trophy.
"Empoleon, shake it off, jump on Blaziken's back and use multiple peck attacks!"
"Pecks, Dawn?" May openly asks confused. "You're trying to beat me with pecks?"
"Don't get cocky, May!" Max warns.
May turns to Max and yells, "Shut the fuck up, asswipe! I know what I'm doing!" Her attention diverted, Blaziken does not attempt to counter this attack. When May turns around, she sees Empoleon on Blaziken's back, pecking away.
"Keep pecking, Empoleon! Do not stop!" Dawn commands. "I repeat; do not stop!"
'This could work if Dawn's got something behind it' Zoey thinks, 'If she has some purpose beyond a mere pecking order, she could take the lead. Please let her get this.'
"Blaziken, hang in there! A bunch of pecks aren't gonna do much damage. Let's see how long Empoleon can keep this up" May orders. Blaziken takes the next thirty seconds or so standing arched as the weight of Empoleon makes it difficult for the fire Pokémon to stand upright. May is now screaming at Blaziken to hang on as long as it can.
Dawn's strategy is slowly but surely working. Though she knows that multiple pecks do not do significant damage to Blaziken, Meridian reminds the crowd that it is how you execute attacks and how they look and appeal to the crowd, which for the most part is cheering and on their collective feet.
"And as the folks at home can hear, the pecks by Empoleon to Blaziken are really riling up this Viridian City crowd." After a while where most other trainers would have tried another attack, Dawn's Empoleon has not let up. It continues to peck at Blaziken's neck for over 45 seconds. "Folks, I have never seen this type of attacking in all my years of announcing! This Empoleon is obviously well conditioned to the point where it has gone nearly a minute pecking at its competition, and it shows, as May's hit point total is now down to 60 percent with about 90 seconds to go!"
'Okay. We can't do this for too much longer. I'm losing now.' May quickly ponders. "Blaziken, spin and use ember!"
"Empoleon, get off of Blaziken, and stay as far away as you can for now!" Even though Blaziken did very little to no damage to Empoleon, the fire show from the spinning Blaziken combined with Empoleon appearing to the judges to be thrown off Blaziken caused Dawn's hit point total to be almost evened up with May.
Dawn knows that Empoleon did not fall due to an attack, but is not fazed by her point total going down. 'Oh well. We can't worry about that. How much time is left?' Dawn checks the clock and sees that there is a little less than a minute left on the clock. In her mind, it would be best to go for a big hit, and avoid any attacks from Blaziken by continuing to dodge and counterattack.
"Okay, Empoleon." Dawn regroups. "Use whirlpool on Blaziken and keep that whirlpool going!"
'That's not a very strong attack to use this late in the bout' Zoey thinks.
'What's Dawn thinking using whirlpool right now?' Max ponders.
May doesn't miss a single beat, and is not flustered by Dawn's use of whirlpool. "Blaziken, dodge whirlpool by flying back up into the sky." 'Wait for Empoleon to stop, May' she says to herself.
'Perfect! This Grand Festival title is mine. May thinks I'm gonna let up on this whirlpool' Dawn thinks to herself, smiling. This action does not go unnoticed by Zoey.
'She's got something up her sleeve. God, this is exciting! She could win if she plays her cards right!' Zoey is on the edge of her seat to say the least. "Come on, Dawn! You can do it!" Zoey yells.
"All right, Empoleon. This is the break that we need! Use Hydro Pump on Blaziken!"
Max hears this command, and is concerned. The hit points for both trainers are about even, and from his vantage point, it is hard to tell which trainer is in the lead. He is concerned that May will try and eat up clock and play defense for the rest of the battle. 'May? Think about points 'cause you might be behind!' Max yells out in his mind, trying hard not to scream out in frustration. 'Don't dodge the hydro pump, May. Attack! For the love of Jesus; attack, May!'
"Blaziken," May says, knowing that when she calls this out, with less than 30 seconds remaining, it may end her chances of winning the Grand Festival, while at the same time trying to thwart Dawn and Empoleon's chances. "Use Flare Blitz, now!"
'This could be it' Zoey ponders. 'But is Empoleon's hydro pump strong enough to hinder Blaziken's best fire attack?'
Max is crossing his fingers, in anticipation of a collision between Empoleon and Blaziken. Blaziken wraps itself with flames and charges head first for Empoleon, not even once considering that it must pass a long tube of water flowing in its direction.
Blaziken literally blazes through the tube of water, leaving behind it a large amount of steam, as it hits Empoleon square in the sternum. The steam clouds the vision of everyone in the arena for several seconds, but when it finally clears, both Pokémon are seen down on the ground, clearly fatigued in this very grueling match. Neither is in position to attack.
Blaziken took some serious damage just going through the trail of water to execute Flare Blitz, and Empoleon once again felt the power, speed and strength of Blaziken in that final blow. The horn blares once more to signify the end of the bout. Both girls hit points took a tremendous dive due to that final sequence, but it is still too close to call a winner, as both appear to be at about 10 hit points.
"Folks," Lillian says, "the horn has blared, and this match is over! Both Pokémon gave it 110 percent so that their respective trainers could hoist the Grand Festival trophy high into the air! The only problem is we can not seem to determine who the winner was. The match was just too close to call. The judges are consulting with each other on this issue as we speak, and hopefully we can determine your 2012 Kanto Grand Festival Champion very soon!"
"Blaziken/Empoleon?" Both trainers call out in unison, "Return!" and both put their Pokémon back into their pokeballs.
A/N: And the winner is... to be revealed in the next chapter! But wait! Actually, don't, 'cause the chapter is ready! Go ahead and read it right now!