Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon! All Pokémon names, Pokédex entries, and places belong to the creators of Pokémon (Game Freak, Nintendo, Creatures, etc.) This story is solely for entertainment purposes from a Pokémon fan. I'm only writing because I am a huge fan Pokémon since I was young.

Chapter 27: The Evolution of a Trainer

Two weeks after an intense rival battle between Dillon and Randy, Dillon, Annie, Cirie, and Seth made it to Mauville City.

Inside the Pokėmon Center sauna... the temperature scorched to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Dillon sat on the wooden bench drenched with sweat, thinking hard… thinking hard about his string of battle losses... his battle against his rival, the Mauville gym leader, the various trainers at the Battle Club… thinking hard about the things his rival said… The thoughts consumed his mind as the heat raised the temperature of his body. He kept replaying the battles and thinking about numerous ways he could have done better.

His mind was filled with his rival's criticisms, "You gotten soft. I feel sorry that your Pokėmon has a pathetic excuse of a trainer like you. Your Pokėmon could have had much more potential to offer. Some are not even fully evolved. You don't even have a full team; you do realize you can have six total. I thought you had much more to offer and be considered as a worthy rival. However, it appears I was wrong and this battle was clearly not worth my time."

He gripped the bench harder and gritted his teeth. His eyes became watery with tears as sweat dripped down his face. A few minutes later, he stepped into the shower. As the freezing cold water sharply hits his bare body in high pressure, he continued to recall his rival's criticisms and recalled an even harsher statement as his rival started walking away, "If I can give you one last advice… It's probably because of those friends of yours and… your little romance. You're letting your emotions and feelings cloud your judgment. I would suggest you to ditch them if you want to succeed." He punched the shower wall in frustration and agony leaving blood dripping from the wall. He doesn't even noticed blood dripping from his knuckles and mixing with the water below his feet.

It became even more painful when he thought about escaping from his father's minion. After the battle with Randy, Dillon and his friends narrowly escaped from Sebastian. He recalled Sebastian's cruel words "Mark my words, Dillon! You won't even make it back to see your father. I will have your head on a stick! You messed with the wrong guy!" Dillon dropped to the floor of the shower and bundled into a ball as water continued to fall. When someone realized blood was flowing out of the Dillon's shower stall, he quickly called for help and Seth was walked by. He wrapped Dillon in a towel and carried him to bed. Seth spent the time to treat Dillon's wounds.

Meanwhile, it was nighttime and his friends were spread throughout the Mauville Pokėmon Center. Cirie was chatting with Nurse Joy at the reception and walked to the lobby when she was done. She saw Annie watching TV.

"Anything interesting on the news?" Cirie asked.

"Nothing much?" Annie answered.

The two girls continued to watch the news for a few minutes until… the contest emcee announced, [In contest related news, we just wrapped up a contest in North Petalburg City! We want to congratulate Janelle on winning her fourth ribbon! Let's play a recap of Janelle's performance during the appeal's stage that dazzled the audience! (The video on screen showed a Delcatty releasing a blizzard attack through the battle field. As the blizzard surrounded the battlefield, Delcatty soothed the audience with a Heal Bell and Calm Mind combination. The audience were shown to be relaxed and unworried about the blistering cold air. Lastly, Delcatty released a delightful Disarming voice and an attract to mesmerized the audience) … Now, that was a peaceful, captivating scene brought to us by Janelle! We would like to wish Janelle best of luck on her contest journey … I am also eagered to announce our next contest lineup. This week, the contest committee will be holding a special two day contest in Mauville City! The first day will only include appeal rounds while the following day will be the battle rounds. The two day special will commence in exactly five days. At the end of the appeal rounds, 8 talented coordinators will get to move onto the battle rounds! The committee wishes good luck to all coordinators who wish to participate! Thank you very much and we hope to see you on stage soon!]

Annie said, "There is a contest happening in Mauville City in three days! I have to start preparing my Pokéblock recipes. Excuse me Cirie."

Cirie said, "Annie!"

"Yeah..."

"Good luck on the preparations! If you need help, feel free to ask me."

"Thank you Cirie. You're always so helpful."

Annie said good bye to Cirie and went to make preparations for the contest. Cirie walked over Seth sitting at a table nearby working on his laptop with his newly hatched Pokémon, Togepi.

Cirie greeted, "Hi Seth, How's Togepi?"

"She's doing fine, She's sleeping right now. How are you? Full from dinner?" Seth responded.

"Yes, I ate a lot and am just hanging around. I see our Wurmples are keep you and Togepi company."

"They are. It's nice seeing all three of them snuggled up together in a pile. It's cute."

"I'm going to take a photo... Well isn't that adorable. Annie said she will be participating in a contest in three days in Mauville City."

"Oh, that's nice. I hope she's prepared though. We should start to help her train tomorrow."

"Yes, she just ran off to prepare actually... Do you want some coffee? I can get one for you."

"That would be nice actually. It'll help me focus."

Cirie walked over to the cafe to refill his mug with coffee. "Here you go, Seth."

"Thank you, Cirie. You're always so helpful." Seth said

"How is the paper going?"

"I'm almost done with a rough draft with a few portions that need to be edited still."

Cirie moved closer to Seth and read a passage on the screen, "A trainer's care and appreciation for their Pokémon in the egg stage enhances the relational bond between the two individuals in the later stages of life… What are your arguments?"

"One argument would be a Pokémon inside their egg is sensitive to their trainer's touch. There are multiple things one can do including warming up the egg, handling it with gentle care, polishing it, and simply touching it to achieve a connection with the Pokémon inside. There are also multiple other studies displaying this fact also."

"Why are there so many studies for one argument?"

"Because each and every single case is different and there are still so much to learn about Pokémon egg care giving. This research paper mainly displays my own personal observations and care giving examples. The professor also wants me to write three follow up shorter papers each with a duration of a month apart to detail observations and behavior."

"That's really interesting."

"It is. I must get back to work now. I'm transferring my notes in my notebook and organizing it on my laptop. Let's talk some more another time."

"Alright, I'll leave you to your work. Where is Dillon?"

"He said he was in the sauna. He still seemed upset about his lost."

"This loss seems like it weighed heavily on him. I never saw him this upset before."

"I just hope we can do something to make him feel better. He doesn't seem to want to talk to anyone recently. I'm kind of worried for him. He's been spending the past few days in the gym and the battlefield training. Other than that, he's in the sauna. He rarely eats and if he eats, he only eats a berry. Just earlier today, he collapsed in the shower stall and his knuckles were bleeding."

Cirie noted, "Poor Dillon. He's pushing himself too far."

After leaving Seth to write his paper, Cirie walked outside to get some fresh air. The stars were shining in the night sky. She looked up… "It is nice seeing everyone is pursuing their own goals. How about me?"

Later in the night while everyone was asleep, Annie woke up and saw Dillon at the bedroom porch looking at the night sky.

"Thinking about something," Annie asked.

"Oh, Annie. I didn't notice you coming." Dillon said.

"How are you feeling? It's been about two weeks since the battle and you still feel down."

Dillon nodded. Annie stepped closer to Dillon and wrapped her arms around his waist while resting her head on his shoulder. She said, "I'm sorry. I wish there was something I can do to help you feel better."

"Annie… I feel so defeated. After I lost to Randy, it was a constant loss after loss. I lost to Wattson and then numerous trainers at the Battle Club. I feel bad for Hitmontop and everyone that they had to suffer because of my lack of incompetence. Randy was right. I'm a pathetic trainer, a trainer that lets his emotions consume him instead of thinking logically. I thought I was tough enough for this journey, tough enough for this adventure, and… tough enough… for you, but I'm not. I feel so... weak and pathetic that you're seeing me… this weak."

She lifted her head from his shoulder and made eye contact with him. She cupped his cheek, "Hey, you knock out of this. I know you feel defeated from this recent loss, but you got to stop having this pity party and start to make improvements. Just because something didn't go right, it isn't the end of the world. I felt defeated after I lost in the contests I competed in, but I never quit and it was because of you. You always supported me and cheered me on. Dillon, you're…."

Before Annie spoke another word, Dillon pressed his lips to Annie's lips in a fervent kiss. In one strong move, Dillon looped his arm around Annie's waist, pulling her close. He hungrily captured her lips, kissing her long and hard. A while later, he broke the kiss for some much needed air.

Dillon said, "Thank you Annie… Thank you for being here with me."

Dillon wrapped his arms around Annie while Annie rested her head on his shoulder. The couple embrace each other in a hug and watched the clear night sky until they got sleepy.

A few days later, it was the day of the contest. Annie was among the 40 competitors vying for the prestigious ribbon. She spent the past two days prepping her combination moves with Plusle. Her friends were watching in the audience as Annie prepares backstage.

"I hope she's ready," Seth expressed.

Dillon said, "I know she is. She spent so much time preparing for these contests. I can see her dedication. Plus, her battling skills have been improving and Plusle is a lot stronger now."

"I agree, she spent so much time to prepare. She not only prepared her contest moves, she also prepared herself by doing meditation with me early morning to prepare her mindset." Cirie added.

"We will see." Seth noted.

Meanwhile, Annie was sitting on a bench with Plusle by her side. She thought, "I can do this. All I need to remember to is to focus on the techniques I perfected. Remember to stay calm, breathe and count 1, 2, 3."

Plusle nudged her thigh in concern. However, Annie looked down at her partner and gave a big smile. When Plusle saw a big smile across her trainer's face, she smiled back and brimming with confidence.

After a few coordinators, it was Annie's turn. Annie happily ran out to the stage. "Plusle, stage time! Use Discharge!"

Plusle did a somersault as she flew out the Pokéball releasing blue electricity impressing the judges.

Nurse Joy said, "Wow, how beautiful!"

"Remarkable!," Sukizo said.

Annie did a twirl, "Plusle, use Electroball!"

Plusle released multiple balls of electricity and began to juggle them skillfully.

"Now!" Annie said. Plusle threw the electo balls into the air forming a circle and released a discharge attack magnetizing the audience to the performance.

"He performance worked!" Cirie noted. "All her hard work is paying off."

"She also looks so happy down there," Dillon added.

"Plusle! Time for the final act! Release the discharge and use swift!" Annie commanded. Plusle released the discharge, but quickly used swift to cause the electricity to dissipate. Plusle did a somersault into the air as Annie twirled into a fabulous pose and Plusle landed on Annie's head gracefully. The judges gave Annie a score of 25.2 out of 30 with Mr. Contesta giving Annie the lowest score of 6.2.

"She score above a 25!" Dillon said. "It looks very likely she will move on the next round."

"But a lot of coordinators before her got scores of 25 or higher, too." Seth said.

Cirie said, "Don't be such a party pooper, Seth. Lighten up!"

"I know, I would love nothing more than to see Annie win, but I don't want to get our hopes up too high. The higher our hopes are, then disappointment will be even worse."

With Annie's performance coming to a close, the show went on as the remaining contestants showcased their moves.

After a day of appeals, the top 8 coordinators to advance to the next round happening the following day were revealed. Dillon, Cirie, and Seth joined Annie back stage.

The contest emcee announced, "Coordinators, the judges have tallied up the scores." The first place contestant was revealed and one at a time, the other second round coordinators showed up on the screen slowly… "And there you have it! These eight coordinators will be competing in the second round!"

Annie's eyes widened… and her eyes became watery… "I… I didn't make it." However, Annie calms herself. "It was a great time and I'm happy to participate. I will do better next time."

Her friends were confused for a second, but became proud of her positive attitude.

"That's great you're seeing this in a positive light," Cirie said.

"We believe in you Annie," Seth said.

Dillon noted Annie's brave smile, but he knew Annie was holding back tears. Later that day, Annie was by herself walking along a small dock while still wearing her contest outfit. Fennekin and Plusle were slowly following their trainer, sharing concerned looks. Annie's eyes became watery, but she fought back her tears.

"I didn't win… I trained so hard… but I won't give up." Annie thought. "I initially entered this contest in hopes to put myself out there to find my dad, but… now things are different."

She reached for a pair of scissors from her pocket. She untied her hair and her hair drooped down to her waist. She held up the pair of scissors… and strands of hair flew threw the wind. Nearby, Lisia was watching Annie from her limousine, smiling.

Lisia said, "I call this a new chapter… A Coordinator's Evolution!"

Thank you for reading my story if you got up to this point! I appreciate it!

What do you think of the evolution of these trainers and their Pokėmon?

Dillon's Team:

Hitmontop: Lonely Nature; Ability-Guts; Moves: Tackle, Brick Break, Low Kick, Low Sweep, Counter, Dig, and Triple Kick.

Minun: Bold Nature; Ability-Minus; Moves: Spark, Helping Hand, Quick Attack, Thunder Punch, and Swift

Seviper: Hasty Nature; Ability-Shed Skin; Moves: Poison Tail, Bite, Wrap, Iron Tail, Glare, and Earthquake.

Ralts: Moves: Safeguard, Psychic, Confusion, Teleport and Disarming Voice

Bagon: Moves: Headbutt and Dragon Claw.

Annie's Team:

Fennekin: Ability-Blaze; Moves: Ember

Plusle: Jolly Nature; Ability-Plus; Moves: Helping Hand, Spark, Electro Ball, Discharge, and Swift

Cirie's Team:

Makit/Makuhita: Brave Nature; Ability-Thick Fat; Moves: Seismic Toss, Arm Thrust, Vital Throw, and Bulk Up.

Wurmple

Seth's Team:

Walrein: Moves: Ice Ball, Ice Beam, and Surf.

Swellow: Moves: Wing Attack

Nuzleaf: Moves: Razor Leaf

Wurmple