Chapter 3

Disclaimer: moi-moi819 does not own Pokémon, or any of the titles therein. This is a nonprofit fan fiction. No copyright infringement was intended. Please support the official release.

Moi-Moi: I am in such a good mood, guys. I recently got a PM that just brightened up my day beyond belief. So a special thank you goes out to demonangel346 for their kind words. ^.^ I always appreciate it when you guys take time out to write a review or PM me. I don't respond to every review, but trust that I've probably read a review at least three times.

It's time for the answer to the last Pokémon trivia. It was Drake's Dragonite! Yep. In the 112th episode of Pokémon, "Enter the Dragonite", Drake's Dragonite used nine different moves during its battle with Ash (in the original Japanese version). Ash still won though. In all, Dragonite has used ten different moves. Wish I had a Pokémon like that… For your next question,

What Pokémon type has the most notable Trainers that specialize in it? (Hint: it has seven Trainers.)

~:~

As the date of the Mauville Contest draws near, we find our heroes still in Fortree City. Under Winona's careful instruction, Alena has begun to show progress as a Trainer and battler.

"Absol, use Scratch!" Alena commanded her Pokémon at the top of the Fortree Gym.

Absol leapt through the air quickly, it's powerful legs catapulting it through the air in seconds. Glowing claws outstretched, Absol cried out, "Ab…sol!"

"Altaria, go up to dodge and use Dragon Breath!" Winona countered.

Altaria trilled an, "Altari-!" in a melodic voice while swooping upwards gracefully. Absol landed behind the Dragon type and quickly turned to face its opponent. Rearing its head back, Altaria charged up it attack. "-tariaaa!" Altaria cooed while firing its attack. Absol moved to dodge it, but her hind leg was still caught in the attack.

Alena frowned from her platform across the field. Absol was struggling to get on her feet while glaring harshly at Altaria. Her right, hind leg held a vicious bruise and could barely support her weight. "Winona, I want to stop!" Alena declared before quickly descending from her platform.

Winona's eyes widened in surprise before she nodded in acceptance. When Altaria and Winona approached Alena, she was holding her Pokémon to her delicately while inspecting Absol's leg. Anya was staring down at the leg with wide, fearful eyes before kneeling and slowly rubbing Absol's side tenderly. "Altaria, can you use Refresh on Absol?" Winona asked.

Altaria nodded before moving to embrace Absol with its wide wings. "Tari," Altaria cooed while waves of rejuvenating energy washed over Absol and Alena. Absol had been gritting her teeth against the pain in her leg, but slowly relaxed until she was perfectly at ease.

After several more seconds, Altaria pulled away with a happy smile. "Thank you, Altaria. That felt great," Alena smiled. Tentatively, Absol stood and applied slight pressure to her leg. There was a slight twinge in the appendage, but nothing she couldn't handle.

"I'm impressed with and proud of your progress, Alena. I could hardly tell that you're a rookie Trainer," Winona praised as Altaria rejoined her side.

"Thanks, Winona. It's all thanks to you. I wouldn't be so far ahead if it weren't for you," Alena smiled.

"Don't forget to give yourself some credit, too. I can only help you as much as you let me," Winona reminded. "Your Pokémon deserve the most of your thanks," Winona said while gesturing down to Absol. "They are your partners. You work together to achieve your goals. Since you're a Coordinator, you'll have to take extra care for your Pokémon. Don't forget that."

"I won't. I promise," Alena said and bowed lowly. She recalled Absol before leaving the Gym with Anya on her tail.

Winona watched them go with a small smile. She had had Trainers look up to her in admiration or to her for guidance before. But Alena was something special. The girl was quiet and a bit of a pushover- a soft soul. But when she battled, there was a totally different Alena on the field. It was as if an alter ego- a polar opposite to the Alena she had met- had come out to battle. This alter ego was decisive, strong, and determined while still being calm and gentile enough to know when to stop. The second Absol had gotten hurt, Alena's caring nature had resurged at once and called the match to a halt before rushing to her Pokémon's side. Winona smiled brightly. She had the utmost faith in Alena. If only the girl had more faith in herself…

~:~

Alena handed over her Pokéballs containing her Pokémon to Nurse Joy with a thankful smile. Nurse Joy accepted the Pokéballs with a bright smile before placing them on a tray and handing them over to the Chansey that assisted her. "Don't worry, Alena. I'll have your Pokémon all ready to go in a little while," Nurse Joy informed while Chansey walked away while happily singing "Chansey…Chansey…Chansey".

"Thanks again, Nurse Joy," Alena responded before letting the woman leave. Anya was waiting behind her quietly so she turned to face her sister. "I'm going to go call, Dad. Do you want to come?"

"I wanted to ask you how much longer are we going to stay here? We've been here for three days now. Winona is nice and all and the treehouses are cool, but aren't we supposed to be heading to Mauville City? What about your Contest?" Anya stressed.

"Don't worry, Anya. I still have time before the Contest starts. Judging by how long it took us to get to Fortree City, it shouldn't take us longer than three days to get to Mauville City. That still leaves me with a few days until the Contest actually starts," Alena smiled. "Thanks for worrying about me though. We'll leave tomorrow bright and early. How's that?"

"That should be fine," Anya nodded before walking over to where a row of computers lined the wooden walls of the Pokémon Center. Anya waited patiently for Alena to dial their home number. After several rings, a drowsy "Hello?" was heard.

"Dad? Did we wake you?" Alena fretted as she examined her father's sleepy face with complimentary bedhead.

"It's okay, Alena. I should have already been up. I've still got tons to do," Isaac said with a yawn.

Alena frowned. Her father was still in his pajamas and hardly looked rested at all. He had bags under his eyes and a 5 o' clock shadow that she'd never seen on him before. She was about to tell him to go back to sleep when Anya spoke up in a boastful tone, "Dad! Winona said that's she's proud of Alena and impressed with her progress."

"That's great news, sweetheart. Wow. You should have gone on a journey a long time ago. You're a natural at this," Isaac praised with a sleepy smile.

Alena blushed heavily at all the praise before waving them off. "It's no big deal, Dad. I'm more concerned about you. Haven't you been sleeping properly?"

Isaac frowned deeply. "Alena, I'm fine. I've been working on some new inventions for the Devon Corporation. I'm just a Junior Inventor. It's gonna take a while and a lot of good breakthroughs before I can relax. If I let up now, I may lose this job. Besides, I can handle a bit of extra work. I'm a big boy."

Anya giggled behind her hands while Alena frowned. If her father was having a hard time, she could easily head back home. It would only take three days- even less if they rushed. "Dad-" Alena started.

"Alena, I forbid you from coming home on my account. We've talked about this. The next time you see me, I want it to be when you're passing through Rustboro City. Not stopping, passing through. Anya, make sure your sister doesn't come home until she's a Top Coordinator. Can you do that?"

"You bet, Dad!" Anya grinned mischievously.

Alena felt her jaw drop. She stared at her father's set expression and examined him. He had looked so tired when they'd first called him, but if it weren't for his state of dress she wouldn't have been able to tell. His eyes were set in firm determination. He really didn't want her to come home… Alena sighed. "Okay, Dad. Just promise me that you'll go back to sleep when we're finished talking…and that you're still eating healthy… and that you're remembering to eat at all. You sometimes forget when you're busy working on a new invention," Alena stressed.

"Calm down, Alena. Dad will be fine. Geez. You worry too much," Anya exclaimed in exasperation before facing their father again. "Don't worry, Dad. I won't let her come home and I'll make sure she stays focused on winning her first Contest. Remember, it's gonna be in Mauville City in five days. They're playing it on TV."

"I won't forget. I've already marked the calendar," Isaac finished with a yawn.

Alena sighed. "Go back to bed, Dad. We're leaving Fortree City tomorrow so we'll call you in a few days when we make it to Mauville City," she said.

Isaac sighed deeply before nodding. "Alright. I'll give you that much. Tell your Treecko and Absol "hello" for me."

"I will," Alena smiled, satisfied.

"Love you, Dad!" Anya exclaimed brightly.

"Love you girls."

~:~

The next morning, Alena and Anya stood at the entrance to Route 119. Winona was standing before them with a proud smile in place. "Good luck, Alena. I know you can do it. Don't forget to call me after you've won your Contest. I'll be watching, but I still want to hear from you," Winona said.

"Thanks so much, Winona. I'll definitely keep in touch. I owe you so much," Alena smiled gratefully.

Winona nodded once before facing Anya. "Make sure to take good care of your sister, Anya. She'll need you."

"I know. I'll do my best," Anya grinned proudly. Alena rolled her eyes good naturedly at her sister before turning to leave. With a final wave, the sisters left Fortree City behind. Winona waved in return and stood at the route entrance until she couldn't see the two any longer. With a heavy sigh, she headed back to the Gym.

Anya was skipping happily down the path with her Cleffable backpack bouncing on her back as she went. Alena watched her sister's movements carefully just in case she fell. After several minutes of this, Alena eventually retreated to her mind. It would be five days until her first Contest- five days until she would be onstage with her Pokémon. She gulped. She'd almost forgotten that she would have to stand on a stage in front of a crowd of people and judges who would be watching her every move.

Was she even ready for this? Just the thought of being onstage was paralyzing her. Treecko was indifferent about most things and Absol always had a calm and collected disposition about her. What help would she be on the stage if she couldn't even call out an attack for her Pokémon? Maybe she could just wait until the next Contest…

Anya was playing a game of hopscotch with imaginary boxes when she noticed that Alena wasn't following her. With a puzzled expression, Anya turned behind her in question. "Alena? Why'd you stop?" Anya asked.

Alena snapped up at once and blushed when she noticed how far ahead Anya was of her. "N-no reason, Anya. Let's go."

Anya frowned. "There's something wrong. You look like you're scared or something," Anya said and folded her arms over her chest.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about the Mauville Contest," Alena said with what she hoped was a casual shrug.

Anya wasn't buying the pitiful attempt at nonchalance, however. "You're scared of the Contest. Why? You just got a bunch of training from Winona and she's as strong as anybody."

"I know. It's not my Pokémon that I'm worried about. I was just thinking that it would be better to wait until the next Contest…" Alena said and kept her gaze straight ahead.

"Why not this one? What's wrong with the Mauville Contest? Don't you want to win?" Anya pressed.

"Yes, but… What if I can't? Contests take place on a stage, Anya. Where everyone can see you. What if I'm not cut out for that?" Alena frowned sadly.

Anya pouted and let out a dignified humph. "That's stupid," Anya scoffed. Alena gave her sister a shocked look. "I'd want everyone looking at me if I was as good as you are. Winona even said how good you are."

"Yeah, but-"

"Alena, everyone's gonna be watching you. Not just those judges and the audience, but Dad and Winona, too. If you want to be a Top Coordinator, you can't be afraid of people watching you. That doesn't make any sense," Anya brushed off. Alena blinked owlishly at her little sister. How could she just brush off her concerns so easily? As if they were nothing! "If it makes you feel so bad, just ignore everyone else. All that matters is how well you do with your Pokémon anyways. Right? Just focus on them. Not all those people sitting in the crowds. Besides, I bet none of them even know the first thing about being a Coordinator. What does it matter what they think anyways?"

Alena could only stare down at Anya. The small girl had spoken with a proud tone that bordered on arrogance. Her nose up in the air. Her arms folded. Anya had looked far too grown for her age. Alena frowned. Anya didn't really think that she was better than others. Right? "Anya-" Alena started.

"Don't worry about it, Alena. You'll do fine. No. Better than fine. You'll be the best one there. You'll win for sure. I'll make sure of it," Anya said before taking Alena's hands in her smaller ones. Anya began rubbing her sister's hands vigorously, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration.

"Anya… What are you doing?" Alena asked with a lost expression.

"I'm giving you some of my luck. Everyone has luck on them and I just happen to have more than most people. So, I'm giving you some of mine. I'll do it again right before your Contest, too. You'll win for sure now," Anya grinned proudly before placing her fists on her small hips. With a satisfied nod, she turned and started down the path again. "Let's get going, Alena. I've got to get you to Mauville City for your Contest."

Alena watched her sister go with a slightly gaping, incredulous expression. Shaking her head softly, Alena moved to follow her sister. One thing was for sure, Anya had more than enough pride for the both of them. Who knows? Maybe Anya would rub off some of her pride along with that luck onto her sister.

~:~

They weren't far off from Mauville City now. Alena wasn't by any means secure in her feelings about the upcoming Contest. Whenever she practiced with her Pokémon and Anya watched, she tried to imagine a large crowd was watching her instead. She tried to only focus on her Pokémon but it was difficult. Treecko was always quick to keep her focused should she ever drift off into her own realm of insecurities, but Absol was different. Should Alena ever feel worried, Absol would always hesitate. After seeing the worry and hesitation on her Pokémon's face, Alena would quickly catch herself and they would continue on with the practice.

Anya tried to be as critical as possible in her judgement of Alena's performances and techniques. Despite only being eight and extremely inexperienced, Anya always had a lot to say. Alena had only managed to impress "Judge Anya" once with her routine that she had worked on with Treecko. Regardless of the criticism that left Alena's self-confidence wounded and bruised, she always accepted Anya's words in stride. Once "Judge Anya" was gone, regular Anya would always enthuse about how pretty her Pokémon looked or how amazing they were together. The kind words helped Alena's confidence.

It was just after lunch when Anya had suddenly stopped and turned off to the side. Alena quickly jerked to a stop as well before giving Anya a curious glance. "I thought I heard something from over here. It sounded like a Pokémon," Anya explained.

"Are you sure?" Alena questioned before trying to gain a glimpse of any Pokémon.

"Yeah. It sounded like it was shouting about something. Do you think it's hurt?" Anya asked with a worried expression.

"I don't know. Do you think we should check?" Alena asked just before a loud explosion distracted them. Their heads snapped up at once as they tried to stare past all the trees in their way.

"Come on!" Anya urged and dashed off towards the explosion.

"Anya! Wait! It sounds dangerous!" Alena shouted after her and quickly gave chase.

It took a bit of maneuvering to follow Anya through all the small spaces in the thick underbrush. When Alena had caught up to her sister, she was crouched behind some bushes and staring out at a small clearing ahead of them. Alena reached forward to grab her sister's shoulder, but Anya spoke up instead. "Those mean Pokémon are attacking that little one!"

Alena looked up to see that Anya was right. In the small clearing, three large, black and grey Pokémon were growly ferociously at a smaller, green and yellow Pokémon. Alena took out her Pokédex.

Mightyena, the Bite Pokémon. Mightyena is the evolved form of Poochyena. They move primarily in packs, working together to capture their prey.

"They look like the Mean Pokémon to me," Anya grumbled.

Electrike, the Lightning Pokémon. Using the electric charge stored in its fur, it can run faster than the eye can follow.

"Alena, you have to do something before they hurt that Electrike!" Anya urged her sister.

Alena felt her mouth open and close for several seconds as she tried to think of anything that she could do. Not bothering to wait on her sister, Anya dashed out into the clearing and stood between the fighting Pokémon. She held her arms outward as she glared the Mightyena down. "Anya! No!" Alena shouted before rushing over towards her sister.

"Don't even think about hurting this Electrike, you bullies!" Anya shouted.

"Anya, get out of the way," Alena said while pushing Anya away. The Mightyena had been surprised when the girls had suddenly appeared, but they were now growling threateningly at the sisters, Electrike long forgotten. Alena tried to move her sister, but Anya was being remarkably stubborn. Alena was about to pick up her sister and run, but one of the Mightyena quickly fired a Shadow Ball attack at them. The attack hit the ground before them, sending dirt and dust flying into the faces. The girls shielded their faces while Electrike cowered behind their legs.

"Treecko! Help us please!" Alena cried out and released her Pokémon. "Treecko, use Pound!"

"Tree-cko!" Treecko exclaimed before quickly dashing towards the three Pokémon. Treecko's speed caught the dogs off guard, allowing Treecko to hit each of them once with his tail. Shaking themselves out, the Mightyena growled fiercely before firing more Shadow Balls.

"Dodge them and then use Leer!" Alena commanded. Treecko was quick on his feet as he leapt, flipped, and slid out of the way of the Mightyenas' attacks. Treecko glared at the Mightyena, large red eyes floating towards the Dark Pokémon. "Good work, Treecko. Use Pound one more time!"

"Tree!" Treecko yelled before striking the three Mightyena with his tail. The Pokémon fell back before quickly fleeing with loud whimpers trailing behind them. Treecko relaxed his stance before turning away from where the Mightyena had fled to. Despite being outnumbered, the battle had been relatively easy for him.

"Good work, Treecko," Alena complimented before turning to Anya. Alena had been ready to dish out a good tongue lashing to her younger sister. What had she been thinking? She could have gotten hurt! Alena froze when she saw that Anya was tending to the Electrike, however.

"Don't worry, Electrike. Those three meanies can't hurt you anymore. Alena and Treecko took care of them," Anya soothed while stroking the Pokémon's fur. Electrike whimpered sadly before licking some sort of purple stain from its paws and maw. Alena raised a brow at that. "Did those mean Mightyena get you dirty too? Humph," Anya huffed before taking out a handkerchief to clean Electrike with. "There. You're all clean now."

Alena frowned. "Anya, let me see that," Alena requested. Taking the pink cloth that was handed to her, Alena observed the purple stain. After feeling the sticky liquid, Alena shook her head. "Anya, this is Bluk berry juice," Alena informed. Turning critical eyes on to Electrike, Alena spoke again, "Were you eating Bluk berries, Electrike?"

At Electrike's excited yip of, "Electrike!", Alena frowned. She folded her arms. "Did you get those Bluk berries from the Mightyena?"

"Electrike!" Electrike's raspy voice agreed happily.

"No wonder they were so mad. You stole food from them," Alena shook her head.

"Oh, Alena. It was just a couple berries. It's okay, Electrike. You probably didn't mean it," Anya cooed and stroked Electrike's fur some more. She squeaked when she felt some of the electricity stored in Electrike's fur run up her arm.

Alena took out her Pokédex again. "Hmm, that's strange. The Pokédex says that Electrike are normally around two feet tall, but this Electrike is way smaller than that," Alena mused.

"Maybe it's a baby Electrike! That's so cute! Alena, you have to catch it!" Anya exclaimed while taking Electrike into her arms. Electrike was happily barking from Anya's arms while staring up at Alena with wide, joyful eyes. "Think about it, Alena! What if those mean Mightyena come back? Electrike won't be able to defend itself!"

Alena refrained from reminding Anya that it had been Electrike who had caused the trouble by stealing. She sighed before looking to Treecko for help. The Grass type was lounging next to a tree, completely indifferent. Alena shook her head. 'Figures,' she thought. Alena took out an empty Pokéball before activating it.

Electrike happily started pawing towards her while crying out, "Electrike! Electrike!"

"See that, Alena? Electrike wants to come with us. Don't you, Electrike?" Anya smiled.

"Alright," Alena sighed and pressed the Pokéball to Electrike's head. Electrike was converted into a beam of red light before being drawn into the Pokéball. In a matter of seconds, the ball stopped twitching and sealed with a click. "At least Electrike won't be able to steal from other Pokémon now…"

~:~

"There it is! Look, Alena! It's Mauville City!" Anya exclaimed as she stood atop the ledge overlooking the modestly-sized Mauville City. Alena grinned, but it quickly morphed into a grimace. The Contest… "Let's go!" Anya shouted in glee before dashing down the path along the ledge that lead into the city.

"Anya! Be careful! You could fall!" Alena warned her sister, her nerves temporarily forgotten. She quickly dashed after her sister with intense worry written all over her face.

Anya was too busy taking in the sights around her to listen to her sister. Mauville City wasn't as big as Lilycove, but it was still leagues above Fortree City. All the buildings were concrete here and the only green around came from the sparse number of trees in the city. Anya stared in wide-eyed excitement at all the different outfits people were wearing and the Pokémon walking through the city. She'd never even seen some of these Pokémon before! What were their names? Where could she meet one? Where did that girl get shoes like those?

"Anya, you shouldn't run away from me like that. How am I supposed to look out for you if you do?" Alena frowned down at her sister.

"Alena," Anya sighed in exasperation. "We finally made it Mauville City! You should be more excited than I am! Come on. We have to go see where they're having the Contest."

Alena froze. "Um… Actually, Anya… Why don't we head over to the Pokémon Center? We can call Dad or-" Alena started in a shaky tone.

"We can call him later. Let's go! Didn't you say that you have to register to participate in Contests? Let's go so you can get registered!" Anya urged and grabbed her sister's hand. With an impressively strong grip on her sister, Anya led a reluctant Alena through the city only stopping to ask for directions.

There was lead in her feet. It weighed her down and prevented her from even lifting a leg. Alena had a sneaking suspicion that if she were heading to the Pokémon Center (like she'd wanted), she wouldn't be feeling this way. But Anya was right. She did have to get registered. Alena tried to shake off the nerves, but she had minor success. "Anya-" Alena tried again.

"We made it! Look, Alena! It's the Mauville City Contest Hall. Are you ready to win?" Anya smirked before pulling her sister through the sliding, glass doors. The inside of the Hall felt pleasantly cool and was nicely decorated with flowers, colorful furniture, and pictures of past winners. To Alena, the Hall felt chillingly discouraging as she stared at all the Coordinators before her who had been good enough.

"Welcome to the Mauville City Contest Hall! How may I help you?" the receptionist behind the front desk smiled brightly. She wore a navy suit with a red ascot and had her burgundy hair in a bun under her navy hat.

"My sister wants to get registered for the Mauville Contest. Her name is Alena," Anya spoke up in a friendly tone.

The receptionist smiled before typing away on her computer. "Alright then. May I see your Pokédex, Alena?"

"Sure. Here you go," Alena said before handing over the red Pokédex.

The receptionist took it with a small smile before scanning it and typing some more. "All set. The Contest begins at 10 o' clock sharp so make sure to arrive at least thirty minutes before. If you're not here by ten, we'll take that as a sign of forfeit and you won't be allowed to compete," she informed them as she handed back the Pokédex.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure that she's here on time," Anya grinned.

"Anya!" Alena said in a strained voice. Disregarding her sister's embarrassment, Anya took her hand before leading her towards the exit. They stopped when a boy stepped in through the doors and directly in their path. He had green, short hair and eyes, wore a long sleeved black shirt with a purple vest over it and sea green pants. His eyes moved over the room before landing on the sisters. Alena froze on the spot, not sure how to react under the boy's cool and slightly critical stare. Anya decided to ignore the boy, however. "Let's go, Alena. We have to get your Pokémon to Nurse Joy so they can get taken care of before the Contest."

"Uh… Right," Alena answered and allowed Anya to pull her away.

"You're a Coordinator? You must be new," the boy commented before running his fingers through his bangs.

Alena blushed heavily while avoiding looking at the boy. She decided to take the lead then and started to pull Anya out of the building, but her sister didn't move. "What's that supposed to mean? Huh?" Anya glared up at the boy.

Caught off guard by the small girl's tone, he stared down at her in confusion as if asking, "Why are you talking to me?" He was quick to catch himself though. "I only asked because I've never seen you at a Contest before," he explained.

"And I bet you're so professional that you've been to a bunch of Contests before," Anya sarcastically huffed and folded her arms over her chest.

"Of course," the boy bragged. "The name's Drew. You've probably already heard of me."

"Sorry. Nope," Anya brushed him off with an upturned nose, not sounding the least bit sorry.

"What's your name?" Drew asked Alena directly, not bothering with Anya anymore.

Before Alena could utter a sound, Anya made a point to remind Drew that she was still here you know. "You happen to be talking to my big sister, Alena. Also known as the winner of the Mauville Contest," Anya declared.

"Is that so," Drew smirked at Alena. Once his eyes were back on her, Alena felt her blush come back full force. "Since you're new, I'm guessing that you don't have any Ribbons. And since I'm nice, I'll do you the favor of showing you what a Ribbon looks like," Drew said and produced a silver case. He pressed the latch at the bottom and the case slid open to reveal three Ribbons resting inside. The girls speechlessly stared at the Ribbons. Anya was quick to wave them off, however. Alena would have three- no, four!- Ribbons before anyone could blink.

Alena's eyes widened at the blue, purple, and yellow ribbons inside. "Wow. Those are so pretty. You must be pretty good to have won three Ribbons already," Alena said with a friendly smile. Caught off guard yet again, Drew felt the smirk slip off his face.

"That hardly matters. Alena's gonna beat everyone no matter how many Ribbons they have," Anya declared proudly before marching out of the Contest Hall with her nose in the air.

Alena sighed patiently. "Forgive my sister, Anya. She can be a bit opinionated. I suppose I'll see you at the Contest, Drew," Alena said with a small wave before rushing to catch up with her sister. Drew watched her go for several seconds with a surprised expression before smirking and slipping a hand into his pocket. He had made the right choice about competing in the Mauville Contest. Things just got a bit more interesting.

"Can you believe that guy!?" Anya exclaimed at the top of her lungs as she walked down the sidewalk towards the Pokémon Center. She drew the stares from people she passed and Alena nodded to them all apologetically. "Who does he think he is!? You just have to beat him, Alena. You're a way better Coordinator than he is."

Anya held so much confidence in her that she could make such claims without ever having seen Drew perform in a Contest. "Anya, it's a friendly competition. Drew has three Ribbons. I'm sure that I can learn something from him," Alena pacified.

"As long as he learns more from you," Anya allowed in a serious tone.

Alena smiled while patting her sister's shoulder lightly. "Let me drop off my Pokémon for Nurse Joy and then you can help me make some PokéBlock. I'll need your creativity and expertise to make the best PokéBlock that I can for my Pokémon," Alena said.

"You can count on me, Alena. I'll help you make the best PokéBlock ever so you can beat that Drew guy," Anya smirked. Alena sighed, but decided to give up. There was no point arguing with Anya. All she could do was focus on the Contest now.

Having made a new acquaintance in her fellow Coordinator, Drew, Alena's just gotten a glimpse of how stiff the competition will be at the Mauville Contest. Will she be able to pull through and obtain her first Ribbon? Or will her nerves and inexperience get the best of her?

To be continued…

~:~

Moi-Moi: Alena and Anya have met Drew… I don't really feel like there's much more that I can say. That narrator already said it all. Well, don't forget to review! :D

Edited: 2/2/16