Michelle's POV
It was the day after Ho-oh's return to Ecruteak City. We were currently at the Pokemon Center, saying goodbye to Ash.
"I hope that I run into you kids again." he said.
"Tell mom that I love her and miss her." Adam said and hugged his dad goodbye.
"I will. Love you, Adam. It was great to see you all again. Good luck in your contest and gym battles." Ash said, walking away.
"I'm going to stay here and practice for my contest." I said, looking at Adam and Jason.
"We're going to go train for our battle with Morty. We're heading to a field just outside the city, so you can have the battlefield here to yourself." Adam said as he and Jason left.
I released Marill, Jolteon, and Chikorita, the Pokemon that I had decided to use in the contest. After some warm-ups, we started working on the appeals.
I had been practicing extra hard for this contest ever since I had beaten Ashlyn back in the Goldenrod City contest. She was a tough opponent and I couldn't slack off in my training, in case I had to face her again.
I smiled as the appeal worked and looked exactly how I had wanted. "Great job, Chikorita and Marill!" I shouted.
"Your Pokemon are looking good, Michelle." a voice said from behind me.
I turned and saw Amber. When had she gotten there?
"Hey, Amber! Great to see you." I said.
"Likewise, Michelle. Where's Adam?" Amber asked.
"Adam and Jason are in the field just outside the city, training for their gym battles." I replied.
"Who are you using in the contest?"
"Chikorita and Marill for the appeals round and Jolteon and Marill for the battle round. It's Marill's first contest and I want her to get as much experience as possible."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Amber asked. "After all, it's only Marill's first contest and using her twice in one contest might be too much for her to take."
"We've been training twice as hard for this contest, so she's gotten a lot of preparation. There's no need to worry. Are you entering the contest, too?"
"No, I'm going to take a break and just watch this time, but I'll be cheering you on."
I remembered back in Kanto when Blair, one of my old rivals, had watched one of my contests and used what she had seen against me to win in the next contest.
Well, if Amber does use what she sees against me, it's just a technique. We're rivals, after all. But we've battled lots of times in the past, so she pretty much knows my battling style already. No harm, right? I thought to myself.
"Would you like some help preparing for the contest? I can be your training partner." Amber asked after a moment.
"Thanks, that would help Marill even more by getting some practice against other Pokemon."
Amber nodded her head and walked to the other side of the battlefield and released her Pokemon and we started a battle.
On the day of the contest, I had a lot of confidence. I had trained extra hard for this one and with all of that preparation, I felt like there was no way that I could lose. Adam and Jason were standing next to me in the lobby of the contest hall.
"Good luck, Michelle." Jason said.
"Good luck. You'll do great." Adam said.
"Thanks, guys. I'm feeling really good about this. I've been training twice as hard for this and Marill has put a lot of effort into our training. I'm also hoping to keep my winning streak going. I've won my last three contests and I'm going for four! Then I'll only need one more ribbon to enter the Grand Festival." I said proudly.
They then left to get their seats and I went backstage to get ready. I changed into my contest outfit and looked at my reflection and nodded, satisfied with how I looked. I sprayed on some perfume before walking into the waiting area. I saw Nikki, Ashlyn, and Carley sitting and waiting.
"Good afternoon, everyone! Welcome to the Ecruteak City Pokemon Contest! I'm your host, Victoria!" Victoria cried as she walked onto the stage.
After introducing the judges, I looked up as Victoria announced the first coordinator. As the first coordinator was performing, I noticed that Nikki wasn't in the room anymore. She must've been the second one who would perform.
"Next up, is Nikki!" Victoria announced.
Nikki ran out and spun, tossing her Pokeballs.
"Chinchou, Gastly, curtain!" Nikki cried. The Pokeballs opened and both Pokemon were surrounded by glitter.
"Okay, let's go! Chinchou, use Water Gun into the sky, then follow it up with Bubble Beam! Then Gastly, use Psychic on the bubbles!" The bubbles were frozen in the air by the Psychic and the water droplets from Water Gun were approaching the bubbles that were frozen.
"Release it, Gastly! Chinchou, use Spark! Gastly, use Mean Look!" As the electricity burst the bubbles, Mean Look was surrounded by electricity and water.
"Incredible!" Victoria cried as Nikki finished.
Nikki then came backstage and walked over to me.
"That was great, Nikki!" I said.
"Thanks. I've been practicing it ever since it didn't work the last time that I tried. I got it to work flawlessly thanks to Gastly's Psychic, it really helped make it work and added to how it looked." Nikki replied.
After a while, it was my turn.
"Next up is…Michelle!" Victoria announced.
I ran and jumped over the stairs, spinning and tossing my Pokeballs.
"Chikorita, Marill, spotlight!" I cried. They appeared, surrounded by hearts.
"Razor Leaf, Chikorita! Bubble Beam, Marill!" I cried. The hearts were surrounded by bubbles and then shattered by the leaves.
"Marill, use Bubble Beam once more at Chikorita!" I cried. The bubbles formed on big bubble and surrounded Chikorita.
"Synthesis, Chikorita!" I cried. Chikorita glowed and the glow reflected from the water.
"Now use Magical Leaf!" Still using Synthesis, Chikorita used Magical Leaf, creating an array of colors.
"Wonderful!" Victoria cried as Chikorita and Marill happily leaped into my arms as the crowd cheered.
When I got backstage, I saw that Ashlyn wasn't there.
"Next up is…Ashlyn!" Victoria announced.
"Swinub, Misdreavus, it's time to shine!" Ashlyn cried as she spun and tossed her Pokeballs.
The two Pokemon appeared, surrounded by ribbons.
"Icy Wind, Swinub!" Ashlyn cried. The ribbons were frozen in ice.
"Shadow Ball, Misdreavus!" The ribbons shattered, creating shards of ice and a sparkling powder.
"Okay, Swinub! Use Ice Shard! Misdreavus, use Psybeam at the ice!" I watched as the Psybeam hit the ice, causing the ice to glow.
"Now let's finish this with Take Down and Shadow Ball!" Swinub and the Shadow Ball slammed into the ice, causing it to break and rain glowing pieces of ice, some dark pieces from the Shadow Ball, and the sparkling powder.
"Incredible!" Victoria cried.
That was an impressive performance. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen Ashlyn perform when I first met her. I didn't remember her performance because I hadn't met her before my last contest had started.
"Next up…is Carley!" Victoria announced.
"Pichu, Psyduck, it's showtime!" she cried as she ran onto the stage and tossed her Pokeballs. The Pokemon appeared, surrounded by hearts.
"Pichu, use Double Team and then Attract!" Pichu surrounded Psyduck and then multiple Attracts were used and multiple hearts covered the stage.
"Confusion, Psyduck!" The hearts were stopped.
"Now start moving them, Psyduck. Pichu, use Thundershock to break them!" It was like a target practice as Pichu shot the hearts with electricity. A different take for sure.
The last heart remained.
"Okay, use Water Gun, Psyduck! Pichu, use Thundershock once more!" Psyduck stopped using Confusion and the heart started to fall. The Water Gun headed towards the heart and Pichu's electricity traveled with it and it hit it. The moves hit the heart, making it burst.
Carley curtsied as the crowd cheered.
"A wonderful performance!" Victoria cried.
The first round ended and I and every other coordinator was waiting to see who would be moving on to the battle round.
"…And now to show the coordinators that will be moving on to the next round!"
To my shock, my picture was shown first! Ashlyn and Carley's pictures were shown. Nikki's picture appeared, too. We had all made it to the second round.
"Now it's time to show who will be battling who!"
I was up first against a guy named Toby.
"To my left is Michelle and to my right is Toby! Five minutes on the clock and begin!" Victoria cried.
I noticed that the stage was a pool, Toby must've had a Water Pokemon.
"Jolteon, Marill, spotlight!" I cried, tossing my Pokeballs. They both landed on the platforms that floated.
"Dewgong and Kingdra, let's go!" Toby cried, tossing his Pokeballs.
They were two Pokemon that I had never battled before, but I had a plan already forming in my mind.
... ...
"Only one minute remaining!" Victoria announced.
"Ice Beam, Dewgong! Dragon Pulse, Kingdra!"
"Jolteon, use Agility and then Discharge at Marill's Water Gun! Aim towards the water with Water Gun, Marill!" I commanded.
Marill was quick to use Water Gun as the Discharge hit it and the pool became electrified and Toby's Pokemon took the super-effective hit.
"What an incredible technique!" Victoria cried, then the buzzer sounded. "…Michelle wins!"
... ...
Ashlyn was up next against a girl named Amelia.
"To my left is Ashlyn and to my right is Amelia. Five minutes on the clock and begin!" Victoria cried.
"Pidgeotto, Hypno, it's time to shine!" Ashlyn cried, tossing her Pokeballs.
Ashlyn had some very tough Pokemon, but then again, she had been a trainer before she was a coordinator, so they were in better condition.
"Magby and Marill, showtime!" Amelia cried, tossing her Pokeballs.
"Agility, Pidgeotto!" Ashlyn cried.
"Magby, use Flamethrower! Marill, use Water Gun!" Amelia cried.
"Use Confusion, Hypno! Stop those attacks!"
... ...
"…Ashlyn wins!" Victoria announced.
Ashlyn had destroyed Amelia's Pokemon! She hadn't stood a chance against evolved Pokemon.
... ...
Nikki was up next against a boy named Evan.
"To my left is Evan and to my right is Nikki! Five minutes on the clock and begin!" Victoria cried.
"Weavile, Hoothoot, come on out!" Evan cried, tossing his Pokeballs.
"Ninetales and Dragonair, curtain!" Nikki cried, tossing her Pokeballs.
Vulpix and Dratini had evolved since I had last seen them.
"Use Agility, Weavile and Hoothoot!" Evan cried. "Okay, now use Quick Attack, Hoothoot! And Weavile, use Icy Wind!"
Nikki waited and then yelled, "Meet Quick Attack with Aqua Tail, Dragonair! And Ninetales, use Flamethrower!"
... ...
"…Nikki wins!" Victoria announced.
That had been a close match, both of them had kept matching attack for attack.
... ...
Carley was now up and she was facing a girl named Hope.
"To my left is Carley and to my right is Hope! Five minutes on the clock and begin!" Victoria cried.
"Croconaw, Umbreon, it's showtime!" Carley cried, tossing her Pokeballs.
"Espeon and Umbreon, curtain time!" Hope cried, tossing her Pokeballs.
Two Umbreons…this would be interesting.
Now that I thought about it, Hope had used Vaporeon and Jolteon in the appeals. She had evolved forms of Eevee as her Pokemon. An interesting choice.
... ...
"…Carley wins!" Victoria announced.
"Now it's time to show who will be battling who in the semifinals!"
I was going against Nikki and Carley was against Ashlyn. I looked over at Nikki, who nodded towards me.
... ...
Ashlyn and Carley were battling first.
"To my left is Carley and to my right is Ashlyn! Five minutes on the clock and begin!" Victoria cried.
"Croconaw, Umbreon, it's showtime!" Carley cried, tossing her Pokeballs.
"Pidgeotto, Hypno, it's time to shine!" Ashlyn cried, tossing her Pokeballs.
"Agility, Pidgeotto!" Ashlyn cried. "Then use Aerial Ace on Croconaw! Hypno, use Hypnosis on Umbreon!"
"Take the hit, Croconaw! Umbreon, counter with Dark Pulse!"
Pidgeotto hit Croconaw.
"Now! Ice Fang!" Carley cried. Croconaw used Ice Fang and bit Pidgeotto's wing. Ice spread up its wing. A good portion of Ashlyn's points were lost from that one move.
"Croconaw, use Bite on Pidgeotto!"
"Pidgeotto, counter with Wing Attack!"
Pidgeotto was limited to the ground, unable to fly with one wing. As Croconaw approached, Pidgeotto's other wing glowed white. The two moves hit one another.
"Swing your wing, Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto swung its frozen wing and it hit Croconaw like a club.
I wondered how she had thought of that…maybe something like that had happened when she was in a gym battle or one of the Pokemon League battles.
... ...
"…Carley wins!" Victoria announced.
After having beaten Carley the last time, Ashlyn had lost to her this time. The battle had been an intense one with neither side giving an inch. Carley had obviously been training extra hard since the last contest, too.
As I was heading towards the stage for my battle, I passed Ashlyn in the hall.
"You were great, Ashlyn. Those techniques were just amazing." I said.
"Thanks, Michelle. Good luck." Ashlyn replied.
I nodded and hurried to the stage.
"To my left is Nikki and to my right is Michelle! Five minutes on the clock and begin!" Victoria cried.
"Ninetales and Dragonair, curtain!" Nikki cried, tossing her Pokeballs.
"Jolteon, Marill, spotlight!" I cried, tossing my Pokeballs.
"Double Team, Ninetales!"
"Jolteon, use Pin Missile! Marill, use Water Gun and spin!"
The two moves combined with one another and took out all of the copies of Ninetales and hit both of Nikki's Pokemon.
"Agility, Dragonair, and use Dragon Tail!" Before I could do anything, Dragonair was behind my Pokemon and the attack hit them both.
... ...
"…Michelle wins!" Victoria announced.
"Great battle, Michelle. After not making it to the battle round last time, I'm just glad to make it this time. Things are back on track for me. Go and win that ribbon. Do it for both of us!" Nikki said as she passed me and left the stage.
Carley then came out from backstage to face me in the finals. As she passed me, she said, "Remember what happened the last time that we battled, back in Cherrygrove City? I beat you once, I can beat you again."
I wouldn't let her words get to me. I had came a long way since then and I had gotten a lot stronger. I know that this time, things would be different.
"It's now time for the final battle to determine who will be one step closer to the Grand Festival! To my left is Carley and to my right is Michelle! Five minutes on the clock and begin!" Victoria announced.
Carley released Croconaw and Umbreon to battle my Jolteon and Marill.
"Marill, use Water Gun! Jolteon, use Agility!" I cried.
"Use your own Water Gun to counter, Croconaw! And Umbreon, use Quick Attack!" Carley cried.
"Now Jolteon! Use Thunder Fang on Croconaw!"
"Umbreon, stop it with Shadow Ball!"
"Bubble Beam, Marill!"
... ...
"We're approaching the one minute mark!" Victoria announced.
"Dark Pulse, Umbreon! Use Aqua Tail, Croconaw!" Carley cried.
"Marill, use Water Gun to counter! Jolteon, use Pin Missile!" I cried.
Then, to my horror, Marill suddenly fell to the ground and fainted.
"Marill!" I cried, fumbling for my Pokeball and returning her as I heard the judges buzzers sound, signaling that a Pokemon had fainted.
"Marill has fainted! Looks like Michelle only has Jolteon left! What will happen?" Victoria announced.
With Marill fainting, I had lost a good amount of my points. I had a quarter less than Carley now!
"Jolteon, use Agility to dodge!" I cried as Carley had called out an attack while I had been mildly distracted. "Discharge!" I cried, trying to make a comeback.
The confidence that I had had at the beginning of the contest had vanished as Jolteon started to falter and I couldn't counter the combinations that Carley was throwing at me with both of her Pokemon.
The buzzer sounded and I felt very nervous.
"And the winner of the Ecruteak City Pokemon Contest is…Carley!" Victoria announced.
"You see? No matter how many times you try or how hard you train, you'll never be able to beat me! You've won all of your ribbons on blind luck and you're a pathetic excuse for a coordinator!" Carley said, smirking at the devastated look that had come across my face.
I fumbled for Jolteon's Pokeball and returned her before running backstage. I quickly changed back into my regular clothes, almost tearing the beads from my contest outfit, but I didn't care at the moment. I ran out of the contest hall, ignoring everyone as tears threatened to fall from my eyes.
I didn't stop running until I made it to the Pokemon Center to get Marill and Jolteon healed. As I waited, I thought back to the contest. Marill had looked really exhausted as the battle wore on. I then remembered what Amber had said…"It's Marill's first contest and using her twice in one contest might be too much for her to take."
I realized that Amber had been right all along. I had pushed Marill too far too quickly. I frowned at myself and Carley's hurtful words echoed in my mind. I felt the burning sensation behind my eyes once again, but I blinked repeatedly to try and stop it.
"Michelle, your Pokemon are healed." Nurse Joy said.
I hopped up quickly and said a quick thanks before running to the room. I slammed the door and leaned against it when Marill's Pokeball suddenly opened on its own.
Marill tried to run away in shame. She felt bad, like she had let me down. I knelt down and held her tightly and comfortingly.
"It's not your fault, Marill. It's mine. I shouldn't have used you twice in the contest, especially your first one ever. You ended up using too much of your strength." I said as I sat down on the bed. I was now on the verge of completely breaking down.
Adam's POV
After seeing Michelle run off the stage at the contest hall, Jason and I split up to look for her. I hadn't been able to find Michelle anywhere in town, so I was going to our room to see if she was there. I was very worried about her. She had run off and no one had seen her since the contest had ended. I knew that she was upset and I had a feeling that Carley had said something bad to her because I had seen her saying something to Michelle before she went to accept the ribbon.
I opened the door and walked in, seeing Michelle sitting on the bed. Her eyes were glossy with unshed tears.
"I was worried about you when I saw you run off the stage at the contest hall. I've been looking everywhere for you." I said, closing the door.
She blinked and shook her head. Before I knew it, she was breaking down in tears. I hurried over to the bed and sat down next to her, hugging her and comforting her while she cried in my arms with deep sobs. I had never seen her cry this hard before and I was unsure about what to do. I ran my hand through her hair, something that my mom had done to me when I was little and upset.
"It's all my…fault that I lost. I-I shouldn't have pushed Marill so hard…by making her perform AND battle in...in her first contest." she said between sobs as she continued to cry.
"A-After I lost…Car-Carley said that no matter how many times I try or…or how hard I train, I'll never be able to beat her! Th-That…I've won all of my ribbons on blind luck and I'm a pathetic excuse for a coordinator… Wh-What if she's right? …I think sh-she is.
"After all, I did all of that training and she still beat me! I was s-sure that this time w-would be...different than the f-first. Maybe I'm not the coordinator…that I think I am. " she cried and her voice cracked.
"So no matter how strong me or my Pokemon get, it's not enough! I'll-I'll never be good enough to be a…a Top Coordinator! Is m-my entire journey all for...for nothing?" she cried as a new wave of tears hit her.
My hand that had been running through her hair stopped suddenly. I couldn't believe what I was hearing from her. I had seen her upset about losing contests before, but never like this! This was the lowest that she had ever felt in her life! She was blaming herself for her failures, letting the hurtful words get to her, and she was considering giving up on her dream! Her confidence was completely shattered, I couldn't believe it! I had to say something to help her get her confidence back and get her calmed down.
"Michelle, look at me." I said softly.
She shook her head, so I put my hands on her cheeks and gently moved her head, forcing her to look at me.
"Ignore Carley. What she said isn't true, Michelle. I've seen just how much you've improved and how far you've come since your very first contest back in Kanto. Sure, you trained twice as hard for this contest and it did show in your performance and pay off, but not quite in the way that you wanted it to." I said.
"Never doubt your dream because I've seen you in every contest, Michelle. From your best and your not so best, but you're amazing at it and you love doing it. My mom questioned whether she was cut out for being a coordinator at one point after losing back-to-back contests. But she found the courage to continue, along with help from the Veilstone City gym leader, Maylene, who was going through a similar hard time. Both of them found their passion again and helped get their goals back on track.
"Everyone has a time when they push their Pokemon a little too hard, but it's just a lesson to learn from, an experience that will help you become better and know just how much your Pokemon can take. My dad knew a trainer that didn't care about his Pokemon at all and would push them way too hard and cause his Pokemon pain. You aren't like him and you never will be. You care about your Pokemon." I said as I thought of the stories that my dad had told me about Paul.
"And it's not Marill's fault and it's not your fault that this happened to Marill, either, Michelle. You were just doing what you thought was best for your Pokemon and you have never steered your Pokemon wrong before. When you do lose, you just try something different next time."
I silently hoped that my words had reached Michelle's heart and that she would cheer up. She kept crying, but it was a little softer than before. We just sat on the bed and held each other as I let her cry it all out. After about an hour, Michelle had finally calmed down and stopped crying.
"Thank you, Adam, for staying with me and comforting me and helping to reassure me of my strengths." Michelle said.
"I'll always be here for you and I know that you'll always be there for me, like when I needed comfort and reassurance when I thought that we should go our separate ways after escaping from Hunter Mya. I was considering giving up, just like you, but you convinced me otherwise, so now I've done the same for you." I replied.
She smiled and picked up Marill and hugged her. "We'll win the next contest for sure." she said, making Marill cheer happily, before she tapped her Pokeball against her head, returning her.
Michelle stared at me as a smile spread across her face. It made both of us feel good, knowing that there was no need to worry. And although neither Michelle nor I knew it at the time, something inside our hearts changed that day. Our bond and our feelings for one another deepened and it wasn't just in a friendly way or in a brother/sister way...it was starting to become something more!
Author's Note: Despite all of Michelle's preparation and best efforts, her winning streak of three ribbons in a row has ended as she loses to Carley.
With her confidence shattered and her hard work being all for nothing, she's never felt this bad about losing before and considers giving up on her dream!
Fortunately, just like Michelle did for him, Adam is able to comfort her and bring her back to her senses, renewing her confidence and her desire to keep going down the path that leads to her dream of becoming a Top Coordinator.
Because of this, the bond between the two friends grows stronger and deeper. And there's something else about it, too: Although they don't yet realize it, Adam and Michelle have now grown closer in a way that not like friends or like brother/sister...it's something more!
Let us know what you think about that ending sentence and keep reading as the boys battle Morty in their gym battles in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!