Okay, I've done it. I managed to finish this mini arc, too.

This chapter will bring quite a few things to a close. It's no surprise, it marks the end of the prequel (in a sense). The final chapter is more about the transition between the prequel and the main story.

Adriana just had a really nasty fight with Marc, but she has no time to contemplate on it. The contest begins and Naira is eager to get started!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Adriana tried her best to distract herself from the fight she had had with Marc earlier by focusing on the contest.

Fortunately, she had left Naira at the counter for the registration when she had talked with Marc, so Naira had no idea what had happened. Since she focused on the contest, she didn't even notice that something was wrong with Adriana.

Adriana wanted to prepare Naira for the contest. For that purpose, she put Naira on one of the dressing tables in the changing room.

Naira had no idea what Adriana was up to. She was fine and ready to go.

However, Adriana thought that Naira could need some accessories. Fortunately, the Contest Hall provided some props which the coordinators could borrow. She grabbed a box of these props and placed it on the dressing table next to Naira.

Naira was looking at the box in bewilderment while Adriana took a seat at the dressing table and eyed Naira contemplatively.

Adriana: Let's see, what would suit you? Hm, it shouldn't be too extravagant, so how about something small and simple? Maybe a pretty bow.

Adriana searched the box for a bow that might suit Naira. She found a few, but it took a bit before she found one which she liked.

She tied the bow around one of the ridges on Naira's head, the one which also covered her nape. This ridge protruded at the lower end of her neck, so she could tie the bow around that part.

Adriana: So… [happily] Done! What do you think, Naira?

Naira took a look in the mirror to see what Adriana had attached to her.

She didn't like it! What a frilly, unnecessary thing. It looked ridiculous in Naira's opinion and might distract people from her show.

She tried to remove the bow, but she couldn't reach her nap. She was visibly upset.

Adriana was taken aback.

Adriana: What's wrong, Naira? [slightly worriedly] Is something wrong with the bow?

Naira didn't respond in any way, she just continued raging against the bow.

In the end, Adriana had no choice but to remove the bow. Naira calmed down when she realised that Adriana was removing this… outrageous thing.

Adriana: Well, no bow in that case. Although I don't know what's wrong with it… It looked kind of pretty… Do you want something else?

Adriana pointed at the box she got. However, Naira quickly turned away from it and huffed.

Adriana [at a loss]: You don't want anything? [slightly worriedly] Well, if that's what you want. Okay.

With that, Naira jumped off the dressing table and left the changing room. Adriana followed her to the stage.

They had to wait for their announcement. There were four other contestants who entered the stage before them.

On a related note, the Fallarbor Town Spectaculars were based on the Pokémon Contest Spectaculars, but these contests didn't strictly follow all the official rules. For instance, the number of contestants could vary.

When the jury announced Adriana and Naira, Naira run onto the stage. Adriana could barely keep up with her.

Adriana [cheerfully]: Hello, everyone! Thank you for coming, I'll hope you'll enjoy our show!

After a small round of applause and the opening by the jury, the contestants began their performances.

Adriana: Okay, Naira, let's start with Ember!

On a side note, Adriana had begun training Naira after the incident with the sevipers and zangooses on Route 114. She had felt helpless…

To avoid repeating this situation, Adriana had tried to learn more about battling and to train Naira. Please not that she had tried that.

As it had turned out, Adriana was really bad at this. To be fair, Naira had still been pretty weak, but they had lost horribly against all the wild pokémon they had battled.

In the end, Naira practiced every day by using her moves on rocks or similar lifeless objects, kind of like a daily workout. It wasn't a very efficient training, but it was enough to become a bit stronger and to learn new moves, such as Ember.

Naira used Ember on a training dummy. The Contest Hall provided training dummies for each contestant in case they wanted to use moves on a target.

The fire, albeit weak, was pretty. The move wasn't executed very artistically, but the flames ended up engulfing the training dummy similar to a cloak. As mentioned earlier, it was pretty.

Things became… weird when Naira used Ember again to intensify the flames. The audience wondered what this was about. So did Adriana. She hadn't given that command.

The training dummy looked a bit like a bonfire now. Naira contently watched the sparks and glowing ash soaring into the air.

She looked at the audience happily, looking forward to see their excited expressions. However, she only saw puzzled expressions. She could hear the spectators murmuring. Apparently, they weren't taken with the sight.

Naira figured that the fire wasn't pretty enough yet, so she used Ember again. Adriana watched this in bewilderment. She had no idea what Naira was planning.

She only noticed that the audience wasn't pleased. She could hear them mutter things like "Again?" or "Is that all?" before they turned their attention to the other contestants.

Adriana [insecurely]: Um, Naira… T-that's… a nice fire! But how about using another move now? Like Rage. Could you use Rage now?

Adriana's remaining spectators were dumbstruck when she asked her pokémon to use a move instead of commanding her to do so.

Meanwhile, Naira ignored Adriana and continued to use Ember. Thanks to the neurological modifications made by her pokéball, her disobedience caused her to feel slightly sick, but she ignored the feeling. After all, the fact that the audience didn't like her show concerned her much more right now. This feeling completely overshadowed the punishment for disobeying Adriana.

Adriana just looked on in disbelief. What had gotten into Naira? She was at a loss as to what to do. The audience was now focusing on a spinda which apparently performed character dance. Well, spindaish character dance, but it was still enjoyable. However, that wasn't the worst part.

She could hear laughter coming from the audience. At first, she thought that some people genuinely laughed about the performances. After all, the "spinda dance" could be considered amusing.

However, that wasn't the case. When Adriana looked into the direction the laughter came from, she could clearly see that it was directed at her and Naira. They weren't even laughing about them, they were laughing at them.

The "culprits" were the other children who came to watch her. W-what? Adriana couldn't understand it. They were her friends, so why were they doing this?

She listened closely and could hear them shout things like "that's so bad" or "the pokémon doesn't even listen". The worst part, however, was someone saying, "She sucks even more than we thought! She's so bad at it, it's hilarious!"

Adriana slumped down in shock. She fell down on her knees and stared at the floor blankly. Why? Why were they doing this?

Adriana remembered her friend, the girl she had talked with before the contest. She should be with the other children, so maybe she would tell them off. Adriana looked up expectantly.

She found the girl in question, who indeed was with the other children. However, Adriana's expression turned from hope to shock when she saw that the girl didn't say anything. She looked at Adriana with a pained expression before turning away. Meanwhile, the others just laughed even harder when they saw her distraught state.

Why? That was the only question on Adriana's mind. She tried to think of a reason why her friends would behave like this, but there was none. There was only one explanation she could think of: Marc had been right earlier, and these children weren't really her friends.

It should be noted that Naira wasn't the only one with abandonment issues. Adriana suffered from them, too. The loss (or near loss) of her parents caused a distinct fear of loss.

Adriana had been very happy to make friends in Fallarbor Town, but she had also feared losing them ever since. The thought of them turning away from her was unbearable.

Adriana hadn't been aware of it, but this had also been the reason why she had vigorously denied Marc's accusation of her "friends" not really caring for her. She simply couldn't accept this possibility.

The fact that it was true nonetheless caused her to break out in tears.

Shortly thereafter, Naira stopped barraging the training dummy with Ember (she had downright incinerated it at that point) in order to catch her breath. At this moment, she glanced over at Adriana and noticed the state she was in.

Naira immediately stopped caring about the contest, her sister was much more important. She walked over to Adriana hurriedly.

Naira [worriedly]: Sister! What is it?! Are you alright?

Naira nudged Adriana gently and called out to her, trying to catch her attention. However, Adriana just knelt on the ground, praying for the contest to end so that her misery here would end, too.

When the contest ended, Adriana returned Naira into her pokéball and fled the stage even before the announcement of the results. She desperately wanted to get out of there.

She hid in the backstage area. It didn't take long until Sarah and Prof. Cozmo came to look for her.

Prof. Cozmo [worriedly]: Adriana?

Sarah [worriedly]: Adriana?! Adriana, are you here?

Adriana came out of hiding.

Adriana [sullenly]: I'm here.

Sarah immediately ran towards her and hugged her tightly. By this time, Adriana still couldn't stop crying. This time, however, she didn't even try to hide it.

Adriana: I… I'm sorry. It was such a bad act… I…

Sarah [soothingly]: It's okay! Everything is fine, don't worry.

Prof. Cozmo [struggling for words]: Um, y-yes! It wasn't that bad! It actually… was kind of… um… you know…

Prof. Cozmo felt a need to console Adriana, but nothing adequate came to his mind. In the end, he had to leave this to Sarah.

Sarah: It's true. Don't worry about it! It's over now, everything's fine.

However, they simply didn't know that there was a much more important issue than the contest.

Adriana [sobbingly]: N-no! It's not. T-they… They hate me! It's so horrible!

Sarah was shocked to hear Adriana say such a thing.

Sarah [worriedly]: They hate you? Who are "they"? [soothingly] What are you talking about? How could anyone hate someone as likable as you?

Adriana: But they do… It's… It's so horrible! What should I do?

Sarah tried to inquire about this, but she couldn't get anything comprehensible out of Adriana, so she gave up for now. For now, she just hugged Adriana and whispered consoling phrases to her.

It took a few minutes for Adriana to calm down. During that time, some contestants and staff members complained about them being in the way, but in an unexpected outburst of his protective instinct, Prof. Cozmo told them "to scram".

Once Adriana calmed down enough, they set off for home. However, they ran into Lanette immediately. Apparently, she had been waiting for them in the corridor to the lobby.

Lanette [politely]: Um, hello. I'm terribly sorry to bother you, but may I talk with Adriana for a moment?

Lanette's request took all of them by surprise.

They had recognised her instantly. Well, Prof. Cozmo knew her only as the famous computer scientist from Route 114. Only Adriana and Sarah knew that she was Marc's aunt, and they figured that this was about Marc.

Great! The last thing Adriana wanted to deal with was this jerk!

Sarah [grumpily] Well, we were actually on our way home, so…

Lanette [interrupting, apologetically]: It won't take long, I promise! I'm sorry, but this is important. And pretty urgent.

Adriana [sullenly]: Is this about Marc? I don't want to hear anything about him!

Lanette smiled awkwardly. She could understand where Adriana came from. However, she also knew a few things that Adriana should know as well.

She stepped in front of Adriana and bent down to her.

Lanette [softly]: I understand that! But you know… Marc… He is a bit difficult, hard to handle.

Adriana: That's not how I would phrase it!

Lanette [chuckles softly]: Well, I get that. It's just… I guess I just love him too much to see anything bad in him.

Adriana raised an eyebrow. Just what was Lanette getting at?

Adriana [slightly curiously]: So what? Are you telling me that he's not such a bad guy?

Lanette: Well, funny that you mention that. That's a part of it, yes. However, don't get me wrong! I don't approve of the things he said to you or how he treats you, and I'm sorry that he did that.

Adriana was taken by surprise. Did that mean…

Adriana: He… He told you about it?

Lanette [nods]: Yes, he told me all about it. And you can believe me, I gave him the scolding of a lifetime!

Adriana chuckled lightly. The others liked to see that. Sarah and Prof. Cozmo had no idea what they were talking about, although Sarah figured that this had something to do with Adriana's distraught state earlier. Anyway, they were glad to see that Lanette managed to lift Adriana's spirits, even if it was just a little.

Lanette: Anyway, I think you should know that there's more to it than it seems. You know, when someone acts mean and hostile, it's not necessarily because he's a mean and hostile person. Sometimes the reasons are much more complex.

Adriana had to admit that she was interested in what Lanette meant by that.

Adriana: What do you mean?

Lanette: Sometimes people do things for bizarre reasons. Sometimes it seems even dumb. However, they always have a reason, and it's not always the reason you'd think of. For instance, if someone, as mentioned earlier, acts mean and hostile, it might be because he's insecure and doesn't know how to deal with you. In that case, this certain someone might do everything he can to keep you at arm's length and to push you away, just to protect himself from any potential harm, [slightly sadly] even if he overdoes it.

Adriana thought about it for a moment. She had a vague idea what Lanette was talking about.

Adriana: So… You're saying that's what Marc does? [Lanette nods] But why?

Lanette: As I said, Marc's difficult. He… has experienced a lot of disappointment, especially in other people. "Parents" are a particularly delicate subject.

This was a surprise. However, Adriana realised something. She didn't know anything about Marc's parents. It was odd…

She knew that he lived with his aunts, which was unusual. Why didn't he live with his parents? What was that about?

Adriana: Why? What did they do?

Lanette's awkward smile returned.

Lanette: Nothing. That's the problem. From the day Marc was born, they haven't shown, not even once, any sign that they love him.

Adriana couldn't believe it. Neither could Sarah or Prof. Cozmo. Even Sarah felt sorry for Marc at this moment, even if it was just a little.

Adriana: What?! That's crazy!

Lanette: It is! But that's how it is. You know, I think Marc envies you.

Adriana [dumbfounded]: He… envies me?

Lanette: Yes! Because you have a good relationship to your parents, regardless of… their current state. Marc would never admit it, not over his dead body, but I think he wishes that he had that kind of relationship to his parents.

Lanette paused for a moment. Adriana didn't know how to respond.

There was one more thing Lanette wanted to mention.

Lanette: You know, Marc really isn't such a bad guy. And he certainly doesn't think ill of you. In fact, I think you're the only other child here that he likes at least a little. [mutters, slightly annoyed] Or at least doesn't dislike.

That came unexpected. Adriana had never had that impression.

Adriana: What does make you think that?

Lanette: You're the only one he speaks of affectionately or at least respectfully sometimes. Also, you might not know it, but he actually defended you from time to time.

Now that picked her interest.

Lanette: You know… [hesitantly] You've noticed them, haven't you? The other children? During the contest? You know, when they…

Adriana just nodded. She knew what Lanette was speaking of.

Lanette [apologetically]: I feel bad about it, but we knew about their… attitude for a while. Marc has noticed them talking about you behind your back. He mentioned a few things he heard them say. For instance, they sometimes complained that they had to "play nice" around that "girl with the shiny bagon". Marc usually confronted them and it ended in a quarrel…

So that's what had happened. This would explain the many arguments he got in with the other children lately. After what had happened earlier, Adriana was willing to believe Lanette.

However…

Adriana: But why didn't he say anything? Or you?

Lanette: I'm sorry about that. We tried to talk with their parents, but… You know, Marc is the "insufferable brat" that they don't want to deal with as far as most of the townspeople are concerned. If their own children say that it's not true, they won't believe anything he says. They probably would even deny that water is wet.

Adriana remained silent. There was a lot she had to take in.

Lanette: You know, I actually told you that right now because I think you should see it with your own eyes.

Adriana [surprised]: W-what do you mean?

Lanette: Come with me for a moment, I'll show you!

Lanette gestured her to follow her, so she did. Sarah and Prof. Cozmo followed them, too.

When they entered the lobby, they could hear loud noises outside. It sounded like fighting, a pokémon battle to be more precise. Adriana could hear Lanette mutter something about "him" "really overdoing it" in annoyance.

When they got outside, they saw that the noises came from the training ground for coordinators next to the Contest Hall. To Adriana's surprise, the opponents turned out to be Marc on one side and the children who had laughed at her during the contest on the other side.

Marc's pokémon, Phire and Robert, had sustained some scratches, minor injuries after all, but came out on top. All the opposing pokémon, which had actually outnumbered them, had fainted.

It was a bizarre sight. The fainted pokémon had knocked over their trainers. For instance, there was a slugma lying across its trainers face (fortunately, it could still control its body heat) and one boy's eyes matched his spinda's eyes now.

Marc [very upset]: So, what about someone taking part in a contest and failing? You lot have bragged about doing better at "real" battles than she did at this "fancy pants" contests, but here you are, utterly failing! You really aren't the ones to talk here!

Adriana couldn't believe her eyes. Did Marc really fight all these guys because they had laughed at her earlier?

Apparently, Brigette had watched the battle, and now she answered Adriana's question… in her own way…

Brigette [teasingly]: My, my, what a bold move! Defending his girlfriend's honour like that! I'm so proud of him!

Lanette [annoyed]: Geez, Brigette, cut it out!

Anyway, Adriana ignored the upcoming argument and went straight to Marc, who returned his pokémon into their pokéballs.

They just stood there in silence for a moment. In an awkward silence…

Marc was the first one to speak up.

Marc [sullenly]: You better don't expect me to apologise! I don't see that I said anything wrong! I mean, I still think you're lucky. [struggling for words] It's just… you have parents who loved you… and whom you care for. That must be… a great feeling. At least I think so. You have fond memories of them... and you can actually look forward to the day when you… you know… be together with them again.

Adriana thought about how to reply. To be perfectly honest, she was still upset about what Marc had said earlier.

Adriana [sullenly]: Well, and you better don't expect me to thank you! I'm still angry at you! And, even if they're not really my friends and you did this to stop them, violence won't solve this issue!

Marc: Well, probably not. That was not the point anyway! To be honest, I didn't do this for you anyway. We're by no means close enough for me to do anything out of kindness and for your sake.

This obviously raised one question.

Adriana: So why did you do it?

Marc: I can't stand people who act all nice and honourable when they're actually just selfish. Just look at them! They've never wanted to treat you kindly, but they haven't wanted to face the consequences of not doing so. In the end, they did what they did for their own sake, pretending that it was for your sake. That's one thing I can't stand at all. Besides…

Marc looked at Naira's pokéball on Adriana's belt.

Marc: You… You did that for your pokémon, didn't you? I mean participating in that contest.

Adriana's eyes widened in surprise.

Adriana: How… How do you know that?

Marc: Well, I've watched it. The contest. I wanted to see what you would do on stage. I had this… hunch. Anyway, I've seen the way your bagon… the way Naira acted. She seemed to want this much more than you, and she seemed to have her own plan.

Adriana thought about it. Marc had a point.

She took Naira's pokéball and looked at her.

Adriana: You had something in mind, Naira, didn't you?

Adriana tried to figure out what Naira might have tried to achieve at this contest. She insisted on using the fire type move Ember. There had to be a meaning to this.

She thought about all possible connections between Naira and fire or Ember. At first, Adriana figured that it might be about the fact that Ember was the first move Naira had learnt after meeting her.

However, she had a hunch that the reason was different. Naira had never shown any kind of obsession with this move before.

Thinking of more recent events, Adriana remembered the harvest fair. Naira had seemed to enjoy the fireworks. In fact, she had often looked at the night sky, seemingly searching for something, during the days after this event.

Could it be…

Adriana: Fireworks… Was this about the fireworks?

Naira nodded determinedly. Adriana smiled in response.

Adriana: I see. And I didn't even notice. I'm sorry, Naira. So you wanted to show them how much you enjoyed the fireworks, didn't you? I'm sorry that I couldn't help you.

Marc [slightly upset]: What the hell are you talking about?!

Adriana was taken aback by Marc's sudden outburst.

Marc: Her wish wasn't fulfilled, was it? Will you seriously accept that? I was actually respecting you for considering your pokémon's needs. Not many people I know actually go out of their way for the sake of their pokémon. Don't tell me I was wrong when I commended you for this!

Adriana [insecurely]: S-so… What do you expect me to do?

Marc [determinedly]: Keep fighting! This won't be the last contest that you can enter! Improve your skills, enter again! Show them what Naira sees in the fireworks! Make them see it if that's what she wants!

Adriana looked at Naira again. She smiled at her, seemingly agreeing with Marc. Adriana returned the smile.

Adriana [softly]: If that's what you want, Naira, I'll try to become a better trainer and to figure out how we can do that. I promise you that we'll make them see it!

Marc nodded approvingly.

Marc: Good! [slightly softly] It's… It's good to see you two getting along. I… I respect it if… if someone treats his… or her pokémon… like this.

Marc looked at the children he had battled earlier. They were slowly recovering to their senses and began to leave the place.

Marc [sternly]: That's nothing to be laughed at! I won't let anyone laugh at that, not if I can do something about it! Speaking of which, [turns to Adriana] they will probably try to apologise, but they won't mean it. They're not sorry for treating you the way they did, they're only sorry for suffering the consequences.

Adriana dropped her gaze. She hated to admit it, but she agreed with Marc.

Adriana: You're probably right. I don't think I'll forgive them anytime soon. [grumpily] Speaking of which, I don't think I'll forgive [points at Marc] you either anytime soon!

Marc [annoyed]: Ugh, what do you want from me? I can't deal with you! You're so intrusive, always trying to get along with me even though I always tell you to scram! I… I can't help but think that people only want something from me if they act like this. It's unnerving!

Adriana wouldn't let that excuse slide.

Adriana: I have never expected you to do anything! Well, at least not out of selfishness. I just tried to be nice to you!

Marc: I get that!

Adriana was genuinely surprised that Marc admitted that so easily.

Marc [sullenly]: That's what I can't deal with. I… I don't know how to deal with people. They are so peoplish…

Adriana stared at Marc in bewilderment.

Adriana: Peoplish?!

Marc [slightly annoyed]: Stop nagging! I'm bad at this!

Marc turned away slightly. However, Adriana could still see his face. His expression became very pained at this point.

Marc [sullenly]: That's the whole problem. So far, everyone but a selected few people I already knew always tried to take advantage of me. I could tell that they weren't interested in my well-being and that they're certainly not my friends, so I pushed them away. It's the only way of treating others that I've ever learnt. I've had no idea how to deal with someone who… isn't like that.

Adriana [very sternly] That's no excuse for treating me like that!

Marc: Maybe not. So what? It's not like that helps solving the actual problem.

Adriana [calmly]: Maybe not. But I'll tell you what will help: [sternly] You will treat me properly from now on! No more mean remarks, no more telling me to get lost without a reason! You'll be nice from now on!

Marc dropped his gaze. His expression was hard to read. For a moment, Adriana feared that he would reply snarkily as he usually did.

However…

Marc: I… I'll try.

Adriana was pleasantly surprised by this answer. She smiled happily.

She thought about all the strange things she had experienced. It was weird how the guy who had been so mean to her most of the time had turned out to be her only contemporary who seemed to care about her genuinely. Well, at least a teensy little bit.

To be fair, he did some genuinely nice things every now and then. And their relationship might have been better if Adriana had dealt with their issues better. She had to admit that it wasn't entirely Marc's fault alone. Maybe giving him a second chance (or a sixth chance) wasn't such a bad idea.

Adriana: You know, you're actually kind of nice for a jerk!

Marc frowned. Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?

And done! With this chapter out of the way, it feels as if the prequel is as good as finished. After all, there's only the final chapter left.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not completely satisfied with how the issue between Adriana and her "fake" friends comes off. I don't know about you, but the twist feels a bit too sudden to me. I've tried my best to deal with this issue, but in the end, I didn't have that many ideas for this particular issue. Furthermore, it's merely a plot device to "fix up" Marc and Adriana's relationship, so it's honestly not that important.

Little Preview: The stage is set! It's time to begin the journey! What will be the trigger?