When I said "we're ready for 2020"...I didn't mean this... I hope and pray you all are safe and healthy during this time of uncertainty and remain positive because all things have an end and this will end soon! My quarantining allowed me to finally finished this chapter while also making it a jumbo one to put more ideas and lore inside.

Apologies for keeping everyone waiting, let's get it!

"And for our weather forecast; sunny skies are guaranteed all around Hoenn for our residents. Now will be the time to catch a few minutes of exercise or plan a family BBQ." A female with short brown hair smiled and fixed the sheets of paper in front of her. "Stay tuned everyone because next hour we'll have both the runner-up and the winner of The Annual Wallace cup that concluded last evening."

Backstage in a dressing room, our heroine that was seated in a lush love seat continued to kiss her awarded ribbon. "This *kiss* is *kiss* a *kiss* beautiful *kiss* dream *kiss* and you are my true love ~oh gorgeous aqua ribbon~."

Mya laughed as Mariah sighed. "Jess, you have been ogling this ribbon ever since we got back to the hotel, can you at least let the make-up artist do your face?"

The magentette sprung up and beamed. "HO HO! Yes, they shall; for I am the true reason we are ALL here! YES! TO CELEBRATE ME!"

Raye, whom was sitting beside Jessie continued to brush the coordinator's Kirlia. "I see that your vainness has not decreased."

"If anything, winning this ribbon INCREASED it." Lita sighed while feeding Yanmega.

"Just don't go overboard with your answers and stay humble Jess." Mya added

"Don't worry ladies." Jessie smiled as the artist began on her. "I promise not to go overboard for the interview, it will be short and to-the-point."

The four females sighed.

"However, if they want a play-by-play of how I washed Adrian in the finals, it will be a big- "She stretched her arms with too much momentum and strength that it knocked the powder brush from the make-up artist's hand. "production."

The other ladies sighed loudly as the room door opened and Adrian walked in. "I heard despair through the door, should I ask or wait until the interview?

~GOOD MORNING HOENN!~

The brown haired woman smiled to the camera while seated in a leather armchair. "Indeed it is a Good morning here in Hoenn and specifically in Mauville City. I'm your host Gabby and with me today are both the winner and the runner-up of the annual Wallace Cup that happened this week in Slateport City. Jessie Musashi and Adrian Hiro, welcome."

The two coordinators, dressed in their contest attire sat next to each other on a leather love seat. On another sectional sat Alice, Yanmega and Vera.

"Thank you for having us." Adrian responded.

"Great to be here." Jessie replied with a large grin.

In the dressing room, the four females viewed the live broadcast through a flat screen TV.

Lita folded her arms. "Oh, here we go."

Mariah clenched her hands together. "Don't mess this up Jess."

Mya and Raye looked on silently.

Gabby smiled at the duo. "Out of 100 competitors, you two have bested 98 of them and became the top two. Adrian, how did it feel knowing that you started off the competition and ended in the finals?"

The bluenair smirked. "I will admit; I had nervous beautiflies going out on stage first, we had drawn the lots right before the start of the contest and I immediately ran to the stage once I got my number. However, once I started my appeal, I remained calm and trusted my pokémon, Roselia, believing that we will get to the end together. Once arriving to the final round with this beautiful woman next to me, I left it all on the stage and had a great time battling her while showing my growth thus far as a coordinator."

"I would like to add to that statement." Gabby turned a page in her notebook. "As a male coordinator that displayed beauty, power and precision with both your appeal and battles on that stage, what would be your opinion or advice on males having the career name of 'Coordinator' when the profession is dominated heavily by women?"

Adrian straighten his posture and scratched his cheek. "Wow, that's a hard hitting question." Both Gabby and Jessie let out a small chuckle, Jessie's more softly and cute. The male looked at her and slightly blushed.

"Well, as a male I had no problems with competing with other males and females on both the Wallace Cup stage or any other stage back in Sinnoh. I became a coordinator because a friend of mine wanted to become one, they practiced day after day with me as their judge and I would make critiques here and there to make the appeals more amazing. They told me that I should try out an appeal with the same advice I gave them and with my Chimchar at the time- he's now a healthy Monferno, I performed the appeal. They told me that I had a natural talent and to enter. Because their main professional life is demanding and they couldn't pursue the coordinator's dream, I decided to take that on to not only have them live their dream through me but to push my natural gift as an appeal trainer to the maximum level I can." Adrian's lips curved into a genuine smile. "If you look at Contest Master Wallace, he broke the thought process of 'Only women can become coordinators, he took his talents and became a top coordinator. Men, Women, Non-Binary, it doesn't matter; my advice would be that whether you want to join the contest circuit, battle the gyms or even join a triathlon; as long as it's your passion and that you're happy when doing it, go one hundred percent plus because you'll enjoy every minute of it and live peacefully."

Gabby smiled and turned her book's page. "Wow, thank you Adrian. So when you faced Jessie yesterday in the finals, what went through your mind during those few minutes of battle and the results after it ended?"

"Don't back down, she wants this win just as bad as you, no room for errors or open doors and give it everything you got. I went on that stage knowing only one of us will win the ribbon and I thought of not being full of malice or anger towards her if she had won because it just meant that she was better than me at the time." The bluenair looked at the woman next to him. "After the clock ran out and Vivian declared her the winner, there was nothing I could've done. I gave that battle my everything and it taught me to keep positive and train even more for the next future contests and eventually The Grand Festival."

"Thank you so much Adrian. Now let's speak to the winner of the whole contest. Jessie, defeating 99 other competitors I'm sure wasn't easy. How did you feel going into the competition and facing all of those adversaries to get where you are right now?"

Jessie puffed her chest. "Well Gabby, it was a piece of cake for a true coordinator prodigy as myself." She smirked and raised a fist in the air. "The competition did not stand a chance once I entered and the judges saw my immensely beautiful pokémon performed, they were spell bounded and had no choice but to give me the ribbon!"

Adrian and Gabby both had stotic expressions on their faces. In the dressing room, each woman face palmed their foreheads.

"Well this interview is over." Lita began fiddling on her phone "What time does the restaurant open?"

"Is it bad that I'm suffering second-hand embarrassment?" Raye asked with a deep blush.

"You're not the only one." Mya sighed, her eyes went back to the TV. "However, she's up to something."

Back on the stage, as Gabby began to break the awkward silence, she heard an airy giggle. She looked at the magentette whom had a hand covering her lips as she giggled a beautiful laugh.

"I'm sorry but I had to perform as a vain person to remove all of the nervousness from me."

'That's who you really ARE though.' Adrian and the four women thought simultaneously.

"May I start again from the beginning?" Seeing Gabby nodded, Jessie sighed. "I had a bit of a losing streak going into the competition. My morale was near zero but I continued to play this happy and exciting woman in front of my friends while in the back of my mind, I was not so sure on even succeeding past the appeal stage." She faced the interviewer. "However before going on the stage during the first round; instead of being a mess, I actually placed my trust in my team because they entrusted me to guide them in a fantastic showcase of their lives. I did not want to fail them, nor did I want to remain in that corner of despair for too long. Every time I went on that stage, I left my heart and soul there, all of the training and hard work my team and I placed into this competition was not going to be in vain because of my clouded mind. I wanted everyone viewing to see me as a true coordinator and as a fighter; I too am living my dream of being a coordinator and I will fight everyone who gets in my way of achieving the top prize."

"Which means you'll have to face me again someday." Adrian smirked.

Jessie returned the smirk. "Whenever and wherever we meet again on any stage."

Gabby laughed. "Amazing, so another question. How does it feel now that you're the winner of an international contest competition and what's next for Miss Jessie?"

The magentette tapped her cheek for a moment. "It feels so surreal and to be honest, I'm still in shock that I won. The past three days have been non-stop worrying, meditating and remembering why I am doing this; to become a better Jessie and proving to myself that I can become successful at anything I want. What's next for me?" Jessie's expression became a genuine smile and her blush-painted cheeks became pronounced which gave her appearance more of a natural beauty. "Just winning more contests and proving to my past life that it will never define my future."

Raye's eye widened and her face flushed a rosy red as Mya clapped her hands. "That's how you do it Jess."

Lita held her smartphone. "I need to get a copy of this interview. Where's the producer?"

After the interview and the coordinators changing out of their contest clothing, the group went over to Mauville's food court and grabbed some food to eat.

Adrian returned to a booth which housed the five ladies and brought two trays of food and drinks, his Monferno holding two and his Gabite holding two. "Your meals mademoiselles."

Mariah smiled. "Thanks Adrian. You too Chim and Gabite." Each person took their food and began eating, their pokémons on the other side eating as well.

"This week has been a whirlwind." Lita bit her croquette and smiled. "I'm so happy with the pictures I got so far."

"Well it's not done yet." Mya picked up some noodles from her bowl of Ramen with her chopsticks. "We still have the networking event and after party in Sootopolis city this evening."

Raye blushed a bit. "The architecture of the city is because it was built in a meteor crater and the residents get around by swimming in the surrounding water. A great way to exercise and keep fit."

Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Oh, are you interested in fitness?"

"She's the leader of the Pokémon Rangers back in Sinnoh." Mariah gushed. "The strongest of them all, she and her team were the ones that cleared out the explosion by Lake Verity and took care of any injured pokémon."

The pale woman continued to eat her sub sandwich with a darker blush as Adrian commented. "I heard about that, I also heard about the police coming to the scene late and the rangers chastising them about not doing their jobs."

"They don't do it properly anyways." Raye muttered underneath her breath. Unfortunately, the whole table heard her.

"Speak your mind if you have an opinion Raye." Jessie smirked.

The raven haired woman sighed, she closed her eye and opened it, this time with fire inside it. "Throughout my years as a ranger, they always did nothing regarding the safety of the people. As we were making sure that the surrounding pokémon were safe during the attack on Mount Coronet a few years ago, we had to step in and detain all the criminals that were stationed around the area. They only popped up when it was time to collect them and let some 10-year-old children fight the leaders."

Lita and Mariah looked at their food with so much focus while ignoring any opportunity to gaze at Raye's direction. Jessie seeing this smirked even more and leaned forward on the table with her chin in her hands. "So, did anyone complain about the incident or the police's negligence?" She took a few sips from her water bottle with a straw.

"The people over Solaceon, Hearthome, Celestic and Veilstone all said that no help was done, the areas had an immediate blackout and the skies were dark. As a deputy leader at the time, I didn't listen to my superior and commanded most of the rangers to assist the affected cities and towns. Doing that helped the residents remained safe and also calmed down the situations until it was done." Raye looked across the room to see her pokémon socializing with the others. "That action allowed me the promotion to Head Commander after my superior retired a few months later, I occasionally not listen to all of the Officer Jennys and allow my rangers to defend both the people and pokémon of Sinnoh so the peace can be stabilized however due to my continuous rebellion against the law and my tendency to not speak to people, I got a nickname from them and my rangers absolutely love it."

"Might I ask what that nickname is?" Mya inquired as the whole table looked on, even Mariah and Lita however the duo looked from the corner of their eyes.

Raye sighed and looked to the group. "Flame Queen."

Mariah looked up. "Well you are gorgeous with a hidden personality so we can believe that."

Mya nodded. "Anyways, let's finish up here. I want to explore more of Mauville."

The ladies and Adrian all finished their food and went along their way with their pokémon. As they left the food court, Lita and Mariah each gripped one of Jessie's arms.

"Don't become an agent of chaos while we're here." Lita glared at the magentette.

"Keep our past secret until we feel it's right to discuss it with them." Mariah added

Jessie sighed. "Sorry about that but I really wanted to dive deeper into Raye's personality. I want her to feel more comfortable around us by talking more about her life and work." A smirk became more visible on her lips. "Plus I loved the way you two tried your best to disappear from existence and failed miserably as she continued speaking."

As she laughed and broke free from the duo's grasps, they began chasing the magentette outside into the main courtyard where a replica of the famous Lumiose City's tower stood. Mya, Adrian and Raye laughed and went another direction to see more of the indoor city.

As the day went on, Jessie decided to observe and walk along the upper outdoor area of the city. She passed many residents whom were sitting on benches or enjoying the view around themselves. The coordinator saw her team playing on the grass and decide to join them, she scratched her Buneary's ear and smiled.

"It's just another step to achieve our dream everyone. We're going to the top and nothing will stop us."

All the pokémon cheered as she smiled. Her eyes then moved to one of the transmission towers and spotted a speck of violet and blue, Jessie focused more onto the blur to process that it was actually a person on the tower. "Whoever that person is up there, they have some balls." The magentette stood up and walked towards the tower, her team following her.

Below the transmission tower, an old woman stood and looked on. Jessie got her attention. "Excuse me ma'am, what is that person doing up there? I don't see any repairs going on anywhere else."

The woman turned to the heroine. "Oh, that's our region's flying gym leader Winona. Sorry young miss but I too do not know why she's there, maybe to feel the wind in her face or being free. I just hope she stays safe." The woman then walked away to her waiting family.

Jessie turned her eyes back onto the gym leader, her eyes then sparkled as she smirked. "Time to meddle." She recalled all of her pokémon except Yanmega. "Can you get me to her quietly?" Nodding her head in reply, she allowed her trainer to fly on her back until she reached an area to let her off. The magentette kissed her pokémon's head in thanks.

Jessie carefully walked towards the woman and saw that she had on a blue jumpsuit with arm and leg warmers, her long violet hair was in a low ponytail and her goggles were on her headwear. She was facing towards the outskirts of Mauville as the wind brushed past her body. As Jessie took another step, Winona's eyes opened.

"Someone as brave as me climbed the tower? Interesting."

"I didn't climb, I got help from my pokémon."

Winona giggled. "Pardon my mistake." She turned to see Jessie and smiled. "I'm Winona."

"Jessie." The magentette curtsied. "May I ask why you are on this tower making everyone on the ground worry about your safety?"

"As a Flying type trainer, I am supposed to become one with the air around us. The ever changing currents occasionally do not allow flying pokémon to travel but it also feels like freedom and endless possibilities."

A gust of wind blew past the ladies and Jessie's skirt rose a bit, as she had shorts underneath, it didn't bother her much but she still pushed her dress down. "Pardon me for asking but is something troubling your mind to do this?"

The Flying type master giggled. "I see you can read either faces or energies. There is something that's worrying me." She sat down and patted the spot beside her, as Jessie sat next to her, she continued. "An event's going on later tonight in another city and an ex that I had broken up with in the past will be there. We haven't seen each other since the break up and I really don't want any bad blood between us but I'm not sure about that."

"Typical female problems." Jessie answered. Winona looked to the coordinator as she continued. "I probably have the same issue you do, except the person is not an ex but somebody that I liked. I want to make sure we are ok with one another due to the fact that it has been years since we have seen each other. Is this the event in Sootopolis city?"

Winona nodded. "The networking even where all the gym leaders are attending with popular and high names all over Hoenn and possibly the world. Everyone including him will be there and I'm so nervous to talk to him. That's why I'm here, feeling the wind just calms me down and I feel at peace. How did this person made you feel when you were together?"

Jessie blushed, she played with her dress hem. "He was my encouragement to follow my dreams, but also my roadblock when I met with him again. I didn't have proper closure when we first separated and seeing him again a day ago was…. world shaking. Having that hold onto me after so many years was very scary, I don't want to keep that going. I kept comparing my past relationships to ours and to be honest, I had enough, tonight I'm going to have a conversation with him and get that closure so I can fully move on with my love life." She then smiled at Winona. "You should too, for closure and strengthening your heart for the future."

The Flying trainer was silent as she looked at the beautiful woman next to her, the smile on her face was full of sunshine and freedom but it also had a touch of doubt. Winona reached over to Jessie and held her hand. "As long as you'll do it, I'll do the same. You're right, it's time for this chapter to finally close and begin a new one."

"Awesome!" The magentette cheered. "Now, are we going to get down or should I leave you to return to your wind-bonding session?"

"It's fine" Winona smiled, she then releases Jessie's hand and jumped from the tower. The coordinator looked below in shock before seeing the graceful landing the gym leader did. She looked to the magentette. "Facing out fears means doing the impossible and allowing freedom to cover us." Winona then held out her arms. "I'll catch you, jump!"

'This woman is crazy.' Jessie thought in her head, as she looked around her surroundings and saw people and pokémon running around happily, she sighed. 'It wouldn't be the craziest thing I've done: being electrocuted by a Pikachu and soaring in air is more intense than this.' The magentette stood up and gathered herself, she then jumped from the tower and just as she promised, Winona caught her; her pink dress flowed beautifully in the air and it felt as time stood still.

"See, it wasn't scary." Winona smiled.

Jessie returned the smile. "I guess it wasn't."

"Well, I hope to see you in Sootopolis Jessie, and let us both begin a new chapter tonight." Winona kissed Jessie's hand and walked away.

As she saw the flying trainer leave, Jessie raised her hand to her chest. "What is up with people and kissing my hand?"

Later on in the late afternoon, the group walked towards the Slateport pier. The 3 coordinators wore their contest attires, the females more annoyed.

"Can you tell us again why are we forced to wear these?" Jessie asked.

"Because you both are my live mannequins." Mariah answered while brushing Mya's hair. "I need my creations to be seen by as much people I can get." She placed the brush in her bag and ran over to touch up Jessie's ribbon on her waist. "Plus these are custom made casual outfits, your personalities and essence are in these. Don't worry, after this I won't bother you both with them again."

Mya looked away and blushed. "May we keep these?"

"Of course." Mariah grinned. "These are my gifts to you for allowing me to show my skills alongside your talents." The red head fell back and began digging inside her oversized orange handbag.

The magentette coordinator smiled and continue walking with her group until they arrived to a waiting man in front of a submarine.

"Good afternoon Ladies and Gentleman."

Adrian nodded.

"I am Captain Stern and I have been asked to transport you all to Sootopolis City. This submarine has been made in my company's shipyard with collaboration by The Devon Corporation ensuing safety and comfortability for our passengers." He offered his hand to Jessie. "May we begin boarding?"

As she accepted and got assistance into the submarine, she viewed inside the small yet spacious vessel; chairs with arms and luxury cushions were aligned in front of and beside the various windows which displayed the Slateport beach and the outskirts of the water route. The other passengers came inside and got seated, the submarine soon departed the dock and began along the route.

"Attention passengers, we are beginning to descend underwater, feel free to relax and take photos." Captain Stern announced through a P.A. system. The vessel began diving underwater and continued along its way.

Lita snapped many photos with her camera. "I didn't know underwater life was so beautiful."

"Sinnoh is mostly cold year around, however during the summer is where the beauty of the beaches shows." Raye responded while taking a photo with her red pecha phone. "Maybe one day we all can take a trip to the beach when it gets warm?" She asked then covered her face with her phone.

"Of course." Mariah responded, she took a selfie with Adrian and smiled. "It will be fun."

"Speaking of fun…" The blue clad coordinator looked out a window. "What are we planning for tomorrow? We have two more days in Hoenn before heading back home."

"I met with some guys at the contest and we're planning on going to Dewford Town and possibly Mauville City again." Adrian responded. "Sorry but I can't be with you all until we head back to Sinnoh."

"That's fine. We were good without you anyways." Jessie responded. As Adrian held his chest in fake pain, she continued. "I heard about Lavaridge Town and its famous hot springs, can we go there?"

"Also Fortree City is a place of mostly fauna and the residents live in trees." Raye added. "May we visit there as well?"

Lita raised her hand. "Ok, how about Fortree City during the day and Lavaridge Town at night?"

"DEAL!" Mariah cheered.

"Good." Mya slid her bolero hat off. "Because I need to sleep in after all of this, my Manetrics are barking from walking all around Mauville today."

Everyone laughed as their journey continued underwater; Mariah kept begging everyone for a group photo and after finding her selfie stick, they all agreed for a few pictures. Light conversation ensued until they arrived near a bleached cavern.

"We have arrived near Sootopolis city, prepare for a deeper descent as we continue."

Jessie looked around the window. "So Sootopolis was actually made from a meteorite crater?"

"I read that the fresh rain water allowed water pokémon to continue appearing so food and water was provided by nature and the people are always fit because of the need of swimming to different places across the city." Raye responded as she looked on through another window.

It became much darker as the submarine continued along for a few minutes, it then began ascending and as it peered itself out of the water, the group inside were amazed by the sight. The sun began setting and the sky turned a beautiful orange, the buildings were all surrounded by the crater's lake and painted white with blue roofs. Beautiful green grassy areas were along the sides of the city while the rest were the sun bleached paths, the gym stood in the middle of the lake while behind it was a large tree with beautiful blossoming flowers. Behind the tree was a large building that looked ancient and waterfalls on each side.

The submarine docked and its passengers disembarked, Lita took pictures all around her surroundings. "This is gorgeous, Sinnoh needs a meteor to hit them so we can duplicate this city."

Mariah sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't speak that into existence. Now where do we go from here?"

Captain Stern walked ahead of the group and offered his hands to Mya and Jessie. "I shall escort you all to the event, shall we ladies?"

The two coordinators blushed and took the captain's arms while walking ahead. They all arrived at the beautiful garden in front of the ancient building; it had tables of food and drinks everywhere and the ground had freshly cut grass scattered with eco-friendly blue confetti decorating it, a flower garden was in front of the tree and was fenced off from passersby accidently stepping on them but tables and chairs were next to them if anyone wanted to view or sit under the tree, people were already present and mingling with one another while the DJ was off to the side playing music. There were even pokémon interacting with each other.

Captain Stern escorted the ladies towards a table which held champagne flutes and other drinks. "Please enjoy yourselves ladies and gentleman. I will return shortly." The older man left the group, they all released their pokémon and helped themselves to the services on the table. Each person had a flute in hand filled with champagne and began dancing to the music, Raye swayed back and forth as her blush grew deeper.

"This is something I can get used to." Jessie smirked and sipped from her glass.

"Tonight's all about enjoying ourselves." Mya added, she held Jessie's hand and twirled her around. "I saw a chocolate fountain on the other side of the garden, want to hit there?"

"Did I hear chocolate fountain?" Mariah asked, as Mya nodded, the red head made a B-line towards the table. The two ladies laughed before chasing after their companion.

"Are you hungry Lita?" Raye asked the purple haired woman. "The buffet table is over there." A red painted nail point towards the table full of food.

"I can eat." Lita offered her arm to the pale woman, she accepted it and looked to their male companion. "Coming Adrian?"

"No, you ladies enjoy yourselves. I'm meeting up with a few of the coordinators from the contest." The bluenair smirked and walked away. The two ladies smiled and made their way towards the buffet.

Mya placed a pecha berry under the dark chocolate fountain and took a bite, she smiled and relished the flavor. "Hoenn chocolate is very bitter but delicious."

"Agreed." Mariah finished her fruit and was currently covering another piece. "It's very rich, I need to remember this for our café."

"How are the sisters? Do they miss you?" Mya asked while feeding Jessie a piece of fruit, the reason being that she had her hands full of plated desserts and wanted to try the chocolate fountain.

"Yes they do, however I didn't take any vacation days since I started so the girls are actually happy for me to relax and have fun. They are doing great." The red head looked at the magenta haired coordinator to see chocolate around her lips and laughed. "Remember Jess, you're here to network. Keep your appearance up."

Mya giggled and gave Jessie her compact mirror to touch up her lipstick. Her gaze then went towards the city's gym in the middle of the lake. "I can't believe this beautiful scenery, it's amazing."

"It is." The red head smiled. "Plus there will be a full moon tonight so the reflection on the water will be gorgeous."

Jessie closed the mirror and looked towards the water. 'The note said to meet someone at the tree when the moon reaches the middle, I wonder…'

"Ladies, lovely to see you here!" The women turned to see the Contest Master walking towards them, behind him were both Captain Stern and the Hoenn champion Steven Stone. Seeing the man in his full attire made Mariah blush even more but she shook her head and proceeded to act as normal as possible.

"Likewise sir." Mya slightly curtsied and shook his hand which the top coordinator kissed it.

"Wallace is fine, no need for pleasantries as this casual event is to celebrate all the coordinators' hard work." He then turned his gaze towards Jessie and bowed. "Jessie, your win has been the talk of the event since it began. Many people would like to talk with you if that is ok." The Shiny stone on her blouse caught his attention. "Pardon me for staring but your attire is impeccable, where did you purchase it?"

The magentette jumped and pulled Mariah close to her. "Actually, this woman designed AND created both mine and Mya's outfits."

Mya nodded and held Mariah's other arm. "She's an upcoming Poke Stylist and Fashion Designer."

The red head blushed deeply, she squirmed out of her friend's grasps and curtsied. "My name i-is Mariah, and might I say it's an h-honor to meet you."

Wallace laughed. "You have a gift Mariah, keep practicing and continue to pursue your dreams. There are a few fashion company owners from Unova and Kalos here so make sure you introduce yourself to them tonight."

"Usually they're here to only kiss up to both Wallace and Steven, it's funny to see the bored expression on their faces." Captain Stern commented as Steven chucked, Wallace smiled.

"Oh yes, ladies you remember Captain Stern that escorted you all here." The man bowed. "He's a good friend of mine and speaking of friends, here's my best friend ever." The coordinator gestured towards the champion who blushed slightly. He cleared his throat and bowed.

"Steven Stone and it's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Likewise." All three ladies said simultaneously. As he rose up, his eyes remained on Mariah which made her gaze fall towards the ground. Wallace and Captain Stern saw this and looked at one another before smirking.

"There are so many more people that wants to meet you Jessie." Wallace said as he offered his arm to her. "Would you like to accompany me to network with them?"

"Of course." Jessie smirked and took the coordinator's arm. "I'm ready for anything and everything they want to throw at me."

Mya laughed and took Captain Stern's offering arm. "Don't scare them too much but put a memorable act on."

The boat captain looked back and smiled. "Steven, we trust you to keep this young lady company until we return."

"Or you both can mingle with others around the event." Wallace added. Both of the men then smirked and walked away leaving the champion with the blushing red head.

"Those two are a pain together." Steven sighed while fussing with his hair, he then turned to the woman. "How are you enjoying the event?"

"It's fine, the sweets are delicious and the atmosphere is beautiful." Mariah commented while looking away, Steven seeing this looked away as well.

"Did something happen? Or is the setting too public for us to talk?"

The red head jumped. "Oh no, the place is fine and actually…" She reached into her handbag and pulled out a Tupperware plate with poffins inside. "I made this when we returned back from Mauville for you. Just another taste of Sinnoh, you can take them home if you like."

The champion took the Tupperware and opened it, the fresh smell of baked goods filled his nose and he smiled. "The scent of non-catered food is actually pleasant right now." He took a bite from a dry poffin and blushed. "It's very delicious, thank you again Mariah."

"It's for the stones and also making my trip here amazing." The red head smiled. "Even though I worked to create Mya and Jessie's outfits, you made me feel like I'm actually taking a vacation."

"Fantastic." Steven sported a faint blush and offered his arm. "Well would you like to meet a few co-worker of mine?"

"You mean the Elite Four of Hoenn?"

"That's the group. Two of them are actually interested on seeing the person that knocked out a six-foot man and I want to see their shocked faces."

Mariah giggled which made Steven's blush grew. "I would love to." She took his arm and they walked off.

The evening which transitioned to night went off without any issues; Jessie and her pokémon were interviewed by many people and as much as her face sported a smile, her thoughts went back to the mysterious letter she got after the contest. After her last conversation, she immediately walked from the crowd, looking towards the left she saw her pokémon team with her friends (minus Mariah).

'As long as they are safe.' The magentette walked over to the large tree that bloomed many colored flowers and sat next to the flowerbed by her feet. 'I'm so nervous, I wonder if it's him.' Blue eyes viewed the lake in front and saw the moon disappeared due to the gym presently in the middle. 'Naturally the gym would cover the moon's reflection, I wonder how it looks inside.' She then shook her head. 'No! Focus Jess! Whoever this person is that asked for you must be graced with your one hundred percent mindset.'

She then stood up and step further to view the flowers more, a unique red flower stood out and as she began to focus more on it, a feathery touch graced her shoulder. Jessie straightened herself and exhaled as she turned around and placed the most over-the-top yet beautiful facial expression she could muster.

" ~Well hello there!~ Was it you..that..summoned..me?"

Standing in front of her was actually the flying type gym leader that smiled and waved her hand. "Good night Jessie, how are you enjoying yourself?"

"Winona? Hi there." The magentette then quickly fixed herself. "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"Oh, am I interrupting a meet-up or anything?"

'Kind of.' "Not really, it's fine." Blue eyes sparkled as the owner remembered their previous conversation. "Did you see your ex? Did you talk to them?"

Winona blushed and played with her fingers. "I did but he's so busy hosting the event that I didn't have time alone with him."

"Hosting?" Jessie's eyes them immediately locked onto Wallace and his laughing stature as he was talking to a group. "Your ex-boyfriend is Wallace?"

The gym leader nodded. "I ended things with him so quickly but it's possible that I still might have feelings for him. It was because he turned down the position of Champion that he won from Steven just so he can take over the Sootopolis gym after his mentor retired. He also believed that it was beneficial for us so we could've stayed close together, is that a crazy reason to break up?"

Jessie held her chin. "Crazy? No. Petty? Yes." Winona sighed as the magentette placed a hand on her shoulder. "But now you have a chance to have closure and possibly discover something else." She looked over to see Wallace walking away from the group. "Look, he's free. Now's your time." Pushing Winona to his direction, the magentette smiled. "I'll be here rooting for you and remember to be one hundred with him."

Seeing the flying gym leader exhaled and rushed over to the top coordinator, they both began talking. Jessie sighed and stretched her arms in the air, as she let them fall, her left arm was caught onto something. The woman turned to see a man holding her hand; he had on a button up white shirt over casual black pants and matching black shoes, draped over his shoulder was a black professional camera and a dark green bolero hat covered his head, dark shades also covered his eyes so Jessie couldn't see his eyes.

The woman growled. "I don't know you sir so you have three seconds to let me go or else I'll throw you in this lake."

The male chuckled. "I was the one that gave you the letter last night after the Wallace Cup. I'm surprised you actually came to meet up, normally you would have been bored and stormed off."

Jessie raised an eyebrow. " 'Normally'?"

The man removed his shades and winked at the female. Seeing the brilliant Jade green eyes made Jessie perk up immediately.

"JAMES!" She immediately jumped onto him which knocked his hat off, his periwinkle blue hair was combed back in a low ponytail. "You look healthy! How are you? Why are you here?"

The male chuckled. "Thanks Jess, I am great now that I get to see you and I'm here working for my business."

The woman stepped back to see James holding up his camera. "I'm the owner and chief editor of "Hoenn Life" magazine and the story of the Wallace Cup and its winner will be the front page of my next issue." He then pointed the camera in front of Jessie. "And might I say, you look beautiful tonight."

In response, Jessie giggled and posed as the camera flashed. James lowered it and smiled. "It's really great to see you Jess and congratulations on your success. It's refreshing to see you in your natural element." The magentette blushed and looked away.

Further from the pair, three ladies were looking on as the conversation continued.

"Even though it looks like she knows him, I still don't trust it." Lita looked on, fixing her glasses.

Raye tilted her head to see clearer. "Her demeanor changed when she saw him, he probably has a large amount of her trust."

Mya sighed. "Girls, Jessie is a grown woman. Let her make decisions that doesn't include any of us meddling into it."

"But doesn't she meddle into our business most of the time?" Raye asked, a small smirk graced her red painted lips. "It's just returning the same energy."

The purple haired woman laughed and took a sip from her champagne flute. Mya shook her head and changed her gaze towards the ancient building where her eyes widened. "Correct me if I'm wrong but what am I seeing over there?"

The two ladies turned their heads and followed Mya's gaze to see Mariah chatting with the Elite Four and the Champion, Steven's coat was draped around the red head's shoulders.

Lita's glasses glistened. "Oh, Mariah and Steven Stone are talking on the low."

"What? When did this happen because it couldn't have been tonight."

Raye nodded. "You're right, it probably happened during the contest because she was absent for the second round battles. Maybe she ran into him around that time but he probably trusts Mariah enough due to the fact that he came to the contest finals in disguise. How she did that though, I'm not sure."

"Wow, you even saw through those fake glasses he had on yesterday?" Lita laughed.

"My right eye is covered by my hair but I can still see perfectly, also those glasses frames he wore was really chic."

The black woman shook her head and placed her gaze back on Jessie.

The female coordinator took a bite of her sandwich and smiled. "How are your grandparents and your Chimecho?"

"They're all healthy and great. Chimecho still clings onto me and cover my eyes while I'm having photoshoots, but he's very useful when my clients are nervous, his soothing chimes make my work easier." James glanced into a water bottle he held and shot his head up. "Would you like to visit them?"

"I don't want to impose on your grandparents, plus I don't think Chimecho would want to see me after I forcefully squeezed its tail during one of the Hoenn contests years ago."

"Nanny and Pop pop would be excited to see you and I'm sure Chimecho forgave you for that." The male sighed. "I know you're heading back to Sinnoh soon and it would be good to catch up with you."

"That sounds nice." Jessie blushed and looked at her feet. "But my friends and I planned a full day tomorrow to visit Fortree City and Lavaridge Town."

"Friends?"

"Yep." Jessie locked eyes with James as she jabbed her thumb behind her. "Those ladies that are near the DJ booth and are currently giving you cold stares."

The male leaned forward and confirmed, there were indeed three women literally locking their eyes on his frame. They all waved and smiled as James returned the gesture. "Are they like this all the time?"

"No, my guess is that they're meddling." The magentette then smirked. "How about joining us in Fortree city tomorrow? I'm sure they will be easy on you."

"I actually have a job there in the morning, so convenient." James leaned forward with a playful smile. "I can also steal you away for a few hours to see my grandparents."

Jessie's face flushed as she pushed the laughing man away. "If you can and as long as it's alright with them."

"They like visitors and I'm sure they'll remember you." James stood up and stretched his arms. "Sorry to cut this reunion short but I got to leave, prepping for photo shoots takes a lot of time. I got your promise to see each other tomorrow?"

The magentette rolled her eyes. "Of course, I know the city has a gym so we can meet there. Just don't be late."

"I won't." The male chuckled, he then winked towards the coordinator and left. Seeing his frame disappear into the crowd, Jessie sighed. "That wasn't expected at all."

'I really wanted to talk with Astin tonight...' Blue eyes gazed out to the lake, the owner continued stuffing her face with the plated sandwiches on her lap until she heard her name. Turning towards the source, she saw her four companions standing behind her, each with a small smile.

Raye was the first to speak. "Are you ok Jessie?"

"I am." The magentette sighed. "Just tired from talking to a lot of people."

"Same." Mariah frowned. "I wished I made some business cards, I wrote my email on napkins for CEOs and famous fashion designers."

"That wasn't all of your actions tonight." Mya replied with a smirk, Lita laughed beside her as the red head blushed and shifted her gaze towards Jessie.

"Anyways! Are you ready to go Jess?"

Nodding her head, the coordinator stood up and look towards the night sky; the moon shined bright with millions of twinkling stars dancing around with no cloud in sight. "Hey, instead of going back on the submarine, why don't we fly back to Slateport?"

"It is clear out tonight." Lita shifted her sight towards the sky. "Plus we saw Captain Stern and his wife mingling with others so it would be ok not bothering him."

Raye pulled out a poke ball which kept her Dragonite inside. "Great, Phobos need to stretch his wings anyways. Would anyone care to ride with me?"

Mya raised her hand. "My flying type is still a baby so I'll join."

"Why don't we make this more interesting?" Jessie raised her eyebrow and smirked as the other ladies listened in. "Last person back to Slateport buys lunch for the group tomorrow."

"DEAL!" They all ran to a spacious spot and released their flying pokémon; Raye's Dragonite, Mariah's Tropius, Lita's Staraptor and Jessie's Yanmega. As they began mounting their pokémon, Wallace and Steven walked towards the group.

"Ladies, thank you for attending tonight. It was a complete success." The top coordinator smiled.

Steven looked on. "Are you ladies departing by flying?"

"Correct, we had a lovely evening and I hope we do it again sometime." Jessie smiled

Wallace returned the smile. "Agreed, you all take care and we shall meet again soon."

The five ladies leapt onto their pokémon and ascended into the Hoenn skies. As each of them laughed and giggled in the air, our magentette heroine smiled and viewed the horizon before her. She patted her Yanmega's head. "Let's show them what we got!"

'Might as well enjoy what I have instead of what should've been.'

All of this was what I really wanted and I'm so happy that I got to share my imagination with you. Favorite, comment and follow.

Stay Safe and Healthy everyone ^_^.