The first battle of the battle rounds was always sure to be a crowd pleaser, no matter who the coordinators were. So when Drew and Harley took their places at opposite ends of the battlefield, the crowd went wild. Not only was the usual excitement palpable, but both coordinators were famed throughout the coordinating world. Their rivalry, mostly unexplained, but stemming from a general hatred of each other, was well known, and this match promised to be a good one for that reason alone.

"Welcome back, folks, to this, the first round of the battles here at the Sinnoh Grand Festival! The Double Performance rule still stands, and we have five minutes on the clock! Either a knockout or point depletion will end the battle, otherwise whoever has the most points at the end of the battle will proceed into the next round! First up, we have Drew and Harley, two rivals hailing from the Hoenn region! This promises to be a good battle! Alright! Let's start the battle! Begin!"

Marian's speech was as enthusiastic as ever, but Drew wasn't feeling up to battling. Watching from backstage with the other sixty-two coordinators, occasionally some being ferried away to other stages to speed the process up, May and Solidad could tell this. His facial expression was almost dead, and there was no light behind his eyes. He threw his two Pokéballs wordlessly, releasing Roserade and Absol onto the stage.

"He's nervous," Solidad commented, tilting her head to the side slightly and narrowing her eyes.

"It's obvious," May agreed, her voice full of worry. "He's never lost against Harley, so he has almost a perfect chance of winning."

"Harley's been training hard, though," Solidad pointed out, folding her arms. "He wants to win this. He has been coordinating for a long time, so who can blame him?"

"Still, I'm worried about Drew."

"I think the only thing you can do for him is have a coffee waiting for him when he gets back," Solidad advised.

Reluctantly tearing her eyes from the screen just as Harley released a Drifblim and his Banette, May made her way to the other end of the room, where an instant coffee maker and a vending machine stood. Another screen was positioned there, and after putting her coins into the machine, she watched intently as Drew made his first move.

"Absol, use Dark Pulse!" He commanded. Those four words had more energy put into them than his stance- it was clear that Drew intended to finish the battle as quickly as he could. A dark type facing off against two ghost types was an extremely good match up in Drew's favour, but Harley didn't intend to give in so easily.

"No way that'll work! Protect, Banette darling!" The light green barrier appeared instantaneously, deflecting what could've otherwise been a devastating move.

"Fine, Roserade, use Giga Drain on Banette! Absol, use Calm Mind!"

The aura given off by Absol's move was enough to start Harley's points on a downward spiral, continued by the direct hit of Giga Drain. Roserade's cape fluttered gently behind it as it landed from its jump, and Banette crashed inelegantly into the ground with a loud thud, meaning that more of Harley's points were shaved off.

"Drifblim, Ominous Wind!" Harley called, and the Balloon Pokémon floated forwards, intent on sending it's attack more towards Roserade. It was unavoidable, but with one word, Drew turned it to his advantage.

"Spin." Like a ballerina, Roserade hoisted itself onto one toe, and used the momentum from the Ominous Wind to make itself look good. "Now, Petal Dance!" Still spinning, Roserade summoned petals around itself, and fired them towards Banette, who had only just struggled to its feet once more.

The coffee machine beeped that it was done, and May absent-mindedly collected the cup, adding milk and putting on the plastic lid without tearing her eyes from the TV screen.

"Ugh, that was dirty, Drew!" Harley complained, sneaking a glance at the scoreboard, where his points were less than half and Drew had only lost a quarter. "Now, Banette, use Shadow Ball! And Drifblim, help it out with another Ominous Wind!"

"Absol, deflect it with Dark Pulse and send it right back!"

Even if he couldn't score points with his own move, Drew's specialty was turning the tables on his opponent. Absol jumped into position in one fluid movement, firing the move from all directions to guarantee a hit. The darkness imbued Shadow Ball combination flew back to Harley's end of the battlefield, knocking both of his Pokémon over. His points took a serious hit, and were teetering on the edge of elimination. One more wrong move and he would be out.

"Let's keep at it, Drifblim, Banette, sweeties! Drew isn't going to win this one," he yelled through gritted teeth. "Use Stockpile, Drifblim!"

"What use is that?" Drew sneered, some of his confidence coming back. "Roserade, Petal Dance again!"

The flurry of petals flew towards Harley's Pokémon, and before the move even hit, the buzzers went for point depletion, and Drew took a step backwards. He had won. May flew back to Solidad, who had a pleased smirk on her face.

"He did well, don't you think?" She asked.

"I think he did wonderfully," May confirmed, watching Harley's usual post match breakdown. He really wasn't a good loser.

Solidad and May's matches went on without a hitch, both coordinators coming out on top. May hadn't needed to resort to Mega Evolution again, secretly hoping she wouldn't need to until the finals, if at all. It tired both her and her Pokémon out, and was something she could really do with avoiding if at all possible. Now knocked out of the competition, Harley sulked in his seat at the back of the stadium, and as she left the field after her battle, May could feel his eyes glaring down onto her back.

The thirty-two remaining trainer's faces were thrown back onto the screen, and shuffled once more into sixteen pairs. These matches would lead into the final round of the day, with the quarter and semi finals and finals taking place on Sunday. That meant May had two more battles to win today to take her that step closer to the finals and the Ribbon Cup. At this point, the Ribbon Cup was far out of her sight- with opponents like Drew and Solidad still firmly in the competition, her goal was to defeat (or if luck was on her side, avoid) them.

Once the shuffling was over, the bracket was revealed, each card flipping over in turn. Drew and Solidad were safe- her match second, and his in the middle. However, as the final cards turned, May's stomach dropped. Of course she would be the one to battle Clarissa. She couldn't afford to battle such an opponent so early in the second round. Although the few times she'd battled Clarissa, or caught her battles on TV, she suspected the younger girl wasn't giving away anything. And although she had sneaked through to the battle round in last place, she knew the girl could do fancier, better appeals. It was only a matter of time.

"You better beat her," Drew commented lazily, downing the last of his second cup of coffee and tossing it carelessly in the bin. "You're a lot better, you deserve to go through to the next round."

"I agree," Solidad nodded. "And after the way she behaved on the beach, I think I know who the better trainer is. She put herself ahead of her Medicham, that much was immediately obvious to me."

"Thanks, guys," May said, twisting her fingers in knots.

"However, I don't think it'll be an easy battle," Solidad continued. "Her Medicham looked in almost perfect shape, and her Milotic and Gyarados she used in the appeals round also were extremely well trained. Pick your Pokémon well," she advised, and May caught the subtle nod that Solidad seemed to be giving just her.

"Do you know who you're using yet?" Drew asked, dropping his voice in case Clarissa was standing behind him at the time.

"I'm thinking Venusaur and Clefairy," May admitted. "They work surprisingly well together. Although… I don't think I have any specific combinations for them."

"You have a couple of hours, unlike me," Solidad noted, as a runner came towards her to escort her into the corridor for her battle. "You'll think of something. Good luck, in case I don't see either of you before."

"Good luck to you too," Drew commented, and May nodded in agreement. "What are you going to do with those two, then?"

"I have no idea," May said, before a grin appeared on her face. "I may go with your favourite move, Metronome. It's still a good possibility for some spontaneous combinations, and they're always the best."

"Don't you dare!"

"For that reaction, I'm definitely doing it," May smirked, running a hand through her hair, not caring for the curls that adorned her hair yesterday. The perfect ringlets had fallen out as she slept, and not bothering to do them again today, she left her hair wavy around her shoulders. Maybe she would make the effort again tomorrow.

"I just hope it doesn't get you kicked out," Drew sighed, sitting dramatically on one of the benches in front of a screen to watch as Solidad made her way onto the stage.

"When has it ever?"

"You make a good point, but there are moves that are illegal under Grand Festival rules."

"And what is the likelihood of Metronome pulling one of those? Let's face it, I'm prone to Defense Curl and Fire Spin."

"I just don't want to see you knocked out for a stupid reason like that. I want to battle you before the end of the contest, still."

"I know, I know. Fine, I'll use Metronome sparingly if you promise not to pull any weird combinations out of the hat."

"Deal."

"You're not going to win this battle, May!" Clarissa called from the other end of the battlefield, as the timer clicked on. "Houndoom, Medicham! Let's get busy!"

"Venusaur and Clefairy, take the stage!" May called, sending her own Pokémon out in a flurry of flowers. She didn't dignify Clarissa with a response, merely ready to start the battle. Both Drew and Solidad had won their battles, and she was determined to join them in the next round. Only one more round for today, and that was it. Three tomorrow, and the Ribbon Cup would be hers.

"Houndoom, use Fire Blast! Finish Venusaur off right away!" Clarissa said, snapping May back into the moment. She had to respond now, or both her Pokémon could be roasted.

"Double Protect!" She called quickly, and Clefairy jumped onto Venusaur's back, both Pokémon bringing up a defensive shield, slightly different shades of green, to dissipate Houndoom's attack. The flames scattered, and both sides lost points, although Clarissa's edged slightly lower.

"Well if sheer force won't work, we'll have to try something fancy! Medicham, get ready with Psychic! Houndoom, use Dark Pulse!" The Pokémon loosed the attack, not particularly worrying for either Pokémon, but Medicham's sudden movement of never opening it's eyes changed, and they glowed blue, along with the Dark Pulse. The combined moves fired towards Clefairy and Venusaur in a concerning fashion, but May was on the ball, ready to respond.

"Venusaur, use Vine Whip to deflect!" With intricate patterns drawn in the air, Venusaur managed to move most of Clarissa's combination, although both Pokémon were still hit, causing May's points to drop rapidly.

"Clefairy, use Lucky Chant!"

"You think making your chance of a critical hit will actually help you?" Clarissa laughed. "This has gone on too long already!" In one dramatic movement, Clarissa grabbed her sash from her dress, tearing it off, and for the first time, making May aware of what exactly was placed in the middle. It was just as Solidad had subtly warned- Clarissa could also use Mega Evolution. "Medicham, let's join hearts! It's time for mega Evolution!"

"And there it is! May isn't the only trainer in the competition with the use of Mega Evolution, and I doubt this will be the last time we'll see this pulled out!" Marian yelled into her mic. The crowd was going wild, and for a moment May panicked. But she calmed herself enough to think. Clarissa's Medicham was taking up all of everyone's attention, so this was her chance to attack Houndoom. "Without Altaria, what is May going to do? She doesn't stand a chance against a Mega Evolved Pokémon like Medicham!"

"That's where you're wrong!" May called. "Clefairy, use Metronome!"

She could practically hear Drew hitting his head against the wall backstage, but knew this was her only chance. She wanted to win by knockout- that was the true show of strength for a coordinator. Although Drew's preferred method of point depletion, and Solidad's favour of letting time run out while having complete control over the battle was also effective, this was her way- a gym leader's daughter was going in for the kill. So when Metronome pulled Focus Punch, she knew all her Christmases had come at once.

"Now, go for Houndoom!"

The tiny pink Pokémon barely stood a chance against either Medicham or Houndoom normally, but in this case, she might be able to pull it off. Clefairy's fist collided with Houndoom's face as the light from the Mega Evolution faded, revealing not only Clarissa's Mega Medicham, but also a close to fainting Houndoom.

"Houndoom, stay back for a while, recuperate! Medicham, you're in charge! Use Calm Mind and stay alert!"

"Well," May smiled, as Clefairy returned to her feet. "Now that your Medicham is taking a rest, I suppose we can get on with the main show!" May's left hand hovered over her right, until her skin made contact with the Mega Ring on her finger. "Venusaur, connect your heart with mine, and Mega Evolve!"

"And there it is! Proof that May has multiple Pokémon that can mega Evolve! I'm sure this will make her the opponent to beat, even after all the other amazing performances we've seen today!"

May knew she was referring to Solidad's performance, when she didn't take a hit once, and she lost no points, despite the battle going on the full five minutes. Solidad's battling style was torture for the opponent, but it was effective, and that's what mattered.

Mega Venusaur was quickly ready to rejoin the fray, and May was ready to go. But it wasn't time yet for her showstopper - with more than half the time still to go, it would only exhaust Venusaur. So, once again, she took a risk, in classic may fashion.

"Metronome!"

Clefairy wagged its fingers, and the whole arena was on edge, waiting for whatever it would pull from the seemingly infinite possibilities the Pokémon had to choose from. A ball of light appeared in its hands, and May's face broke into a grin. It shot towards the sky, and soon there was harsh light, forcing most of the audience to squint. It didn't disappear though, and May's performance was complete. Sometimes, she got lucky with moves like this, and today was clearly her day.

"Now, Solar Beam, Venusaur!" Because of the Metronome pulling Sunny Day, the move charged immediately, firing towards Clarissa's Pokémon. She'd been panicking since May's Mega Evolution, and May wasn't giving her any room to maneuver. The attack flew towards Medicham and Houndoom, who had gathered enough energy to stand by Medicham's side again. It's burst of energy was short lived though, as Solar Beam took it out, causing the buzzer to go off for Clarissa to return Houndoom to it's Pokéball.

"Fine, you may have got it, but you'll never take down Medicham!" Clarissa said, a mix of anxious and triumphant. "Use Focus Blast!"

"I'm not letting this battle go on any longer!" May cried out. "Venusaur, Frenzy Plant, and Clefairy, use Moonblast!"

As Clarissa's move flew towards May's Pokémon, roots appeared through the ground, tearing up the battlefield and trapping Medicham. Clefairy dodged its move with ease, hopping across the roots to find the perfect position for its move. It took it up, and soon its fairy type power was flying towards Medicham at unbelievable speed. Not being able to move, Medicham look the brunt of the move, and its Mega Evolution wore off. It had fainted, and a buzzer went off to signify a fainted Pokémon.

"That's it! With more than a minute and a half left on the clock, May has defeated both of Clarissa's Pokémon! She'll be advancing onto the next round, which we'll announce the match ups for in just a second!"

May returned her Pokémon, waving at the crowd on her way past, back to where her friends were waiting, big smiles on their faces. They were all one step closer to the finals, and when the match ups for the third round of battles came up, they were all relieved to find they were battling against other trainers. Clarissa stormed up behind May, facial expression displaying all her pent up emotions throughout the season.

"I'll never let you forget this! You defeated me, and that's… that's unacceptable! I'll get you for this one day, May," she spat.

"Clarissa, that was a fair battle, and you battled well!" May offered, her words falling on deaf ears.

"Save it! You dare come into our country, without even knowing what a super contest is, and then beat a national to a place further in the competition?"

"There are so many people here from other regions-"

"You're scum," she snarled, glaring at both Drew and Solidad as well for good measure before storming off.

"That could've been worse," Drew said, folding his arms and raising one eyebrow. The smirk on his face wasn't concealed at all, and May had to stifle a laugh.

"You battled well. You had a good handle on the situation," Solidad commended.

"If she had more of a type advantage, or Mega Evolved her Houndoom, I'm sure it would've gone the other way. In fact, I'm not sure why she didn't do that," May pondered.

"Nerves, probably. She probably regrets that now as well," Solidad suggested.

"Only one more round for today," Drew said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's make it through to tomorrow."

A knock came to May's door close to midnight. She had eaten late, and nerves for the next day were starting to settle in. Safely through to the quarterfinals, along with Drew and Solidad, she could breathe easy, but she knew that the next battle, and any subsequent ones, would be the hardest of her life. Making her way to the door, she ran a hand through her hair once again- the millionth time today, it felt like. She unlocked the door, and wasn't at all surprised by who was standing outside.

"For your Beautifly," Drew said, passing a rose across the threshold towards her. "She performed excellently today. As beautiful as usual."

"I'm sure she'll love it," May laughed, taking the flower from him and depositing it on the dresser by the door. "Do you want to come in?" She asked nervously, and upon Drew's half nod, she held the door open for him. He closed it behind him, and she made her way out to the balcony, where she had been watching the late night partiers and some of the other final eight coordinators getting in a final bit of practice.

"How are you feeling?" Drew asked, leaning against the railing.

"Not too bad, considering. Though I am nervous," May admitted.

"Aren't we all?" He laughed, turning his head to face her. "I have a top coordinator reputation to uphold, as does Solidad, and you're trying to get it for the first time. For us, no less than top four will see us still popular, and I know all you want to do at this point is win."

"You better hope we don't meet in the quarterfinals then," May joked.

"Nerves are natural," Drew said, slightly unrelated to what they were talking about directly before. To May it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than her, so she reached for his hand, taking it in her own.

"It'll be fine," she smiled as his eyes flicked to meet with hers.

"One of us has to beat Solidad," he reminded, bringing both of them back to earth. "And if neither of us does it, it means there's someone even stronger."

"It'll be fine," May reiterated.

"I hope you're right." He stayed silent for a moment, until the plaza outside the hotel seemed to quiet down completely, and they were alone, only the moon watching over them. "I should go. I only came to give you the rose."

"Goodnight, Drew," May said, stifling a not so obvious yawn.

"Goodnight, and good luck," he returned, bravely pressing a kiss to her cheek before escaping out the door before she could chastise him. To tired to yell at him, she merely smiled, making her way to her bed, where she quickly fell asleep.

Both May and Drew cruised through their quarterfinal battles, and were now facing the semi finals. The last battle of the round, Solidad's, was ongoing, and although she did have a narrow lead, her opponent was trying his best to keep at bay, and she was steadily losing points. To see Solidad in such a sticky situation was unusual to say the least, and May could tell that the audience was on edge.

"This isn't looking good for her," Drew said with a grimace.

"She's still in the lead, and her Pokémon don't look too tired. She's got a minute left to pull this back," May returned, still having complete faith in Solidad.

"I hope you're right. It would be a real upset if she lost here, after her successes thus far in the season."

Turning her attention back to the TV, May noticed that the clock had ticked down to thirty seconds. Solidad was desperate- her Lapras and Raichu were tiring quickly now, and realistically she only had time for one more combination. Her opponent wasn't letting up on the offense, and wasn't giving her time for a decent defense. If she wasn't in this contest, the other trainer easily would've won, but Solidad wasn't going to let them get any further.

"Lapras, use Protect, and Raichu, Discharge!" She called, and her Pokémon moved into action. It was clear that this would be the last move of all in the battle, of the round, as the clock ticked slowly towards zero. Lapras engulfed itself in green, effectively raising a barrier to stop Raichu's otherwise devastating attack from harming it. The Mouse Pokémon took the middle of the battlefield as it's own, stopping to release the move, firing electrical waves in all directions and hitting both of the opponent's Pokémon.

The timer went then, as if on cue, and Solidad nodded solemnly. She had hung on, by a few points, and her opponent was knocked out. She graciously offered her hand to the younger trainer, who had done outstandingly against a pillar of coordinating such as Solidad, who shook it, clearly holding back tears.

"The winner of this battle, by just a few points, look at that folks, it's Solidad! She advances on to the semi finals, and we'll announce the match ups for that in just a moment, after a short commercial break!"

Solidad appeared backstage once more, an arm wrapped comfortingly around her opponent's shoulders. May and Drew moved forward to congratulate her, but she shook her head, escorting the younger girl into the dressing rooms.

"I'll be back in a minute, but I'll probably miss the match ups. Tell me who I'm battling against, okay?"

"Sure thing," Drew nodded, watching grimly as she walked away.

"One of us is going to have to battle her," May said, stating what Drew didn't want to say. "And it's going to have to be now."

"Unless we get matched together," Drew said, the optimistic one for once.

"No. I want to battle you in the finals, not now!"

"It's fine, May."

"I know I can't beat her. So… well, it better be you. And you better beat her."

"May…"

"Welcome back folks! Can you believe it; we only have three battles left of the Grand Festival! We'll get through two now, and after a break for our finalists to heal their Pokémon and rest themselves, we'll rejoin back here at six o'clock for our Grand Final!" Marian started. Her overly enthusiastic voice cut through May- she was blissfully unaware of the struggles and nerves of the four remaining trainers backstage. May had never seen the other coordinator in her life, but he was seated on the floor, holding his head in his hands. Solidad had left to comfort the other girl, and probably excused herself from the stressful atmosphere. Although Drew looked calm, he was drumming his fingers incessantly on his thigh, a sure sign that he was nervous. May herself felt sick to the stomach, and her only solace would come if she didn't have to face Solidad in the next round.

"But of course, first we have to decide who's going through to the finals, and set up our match ups for the semi finals! We have four talented coordinators left in the competition, and they now have to fight for a spot in the final! Let's see who'll be battling each other!"

The four faces appeared on the screen, and the computer shuffled them, before flipping each card over. May was paired with the man seated on the floor, and Drew was to battle against Solidad. May heard his breath hitch, and she instinctively reached out for his arm to comfort him.

"May, there's no way I can beat Solidad."

"No, you can! I believe in you!"

"May, I'm serious-"

"So, who I am I battling in the semis?" Solidad asked, returning to the room with a pleasant smile on her face. May glanced at Drew, who bravely took a step towards her.

"Me."

A/N: Sorry for no update last week! I was finishing exams, and then I was at a con, so I was too exhausted to write anything coherent (you should see the first draft of this chapter it was like 400 words long) anyway! Only two chapters left to go! I was originally going to put the semi finals in this chapter too, but it would've been way too long so. Tell me what you think! c: