A/N: Not much to say but enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Chapter 25: A Rose for Dustox

"Dustox! Use Whirlwind!" May called out.

The Verdanturf Town Contest was only one day away, and May was working her heart out for it. She and her Pokemon had been practicing all morning. It was now just past noon, and she hadn't stopped yet. May's drive to win this one was keeping both her and her Pokemon energized. All of her Pokemon had practiced hard for this. There was no way she could lose. This wouldn't at all be like it was in Slateport City.

Of course, she had the help of her friends, too. Serena was closely monitoring everything that May had done while Ash and Brock watched from the side. Even Wally and Kelly had come to the park earlier to support May, but they had since left because Wally had to rest. May still appreciated that she had so many people rooting for her. It made her nerves calm considerably and greatly boosted her confidence.

It showed in her training, as well. Dustox performed an excellent Whirlwind once May called it out. The wind spread in all directions and fanned around Dustox as it spread its wings to prepare for May's next command.

"Now use Confusion!" May said next.

Dustox's eyes glowed, and the Whirlwind began to condense until it formed a perfect spiral of wind. Dustox then directed the flow of the wind towards it until it was inside the micro tornado. Dustox was slightly uncomfortable due to the force of the wind, but it held steadfast and managed to keep itself steady inside the wind. May and Dustox the struck a pose as the wind finished off.

"Ta-da!" May chanted.

"That was well done, May!" Serena praised as she clapped, "You'll get past the preliminary round for sure!"

"Really?" May asked hopefully.

"Really!" Serena confirmed as she walked over to May and rubbed her chin in thought, "Of course, you really want to wow the audience. I bet if you had your Dustox to sprinkle in some of its Poison Powder in the Whirlwind that would give it a nice sparkling touch."

"Okay! We can give it a try!" May said with a nod of her head.

May then performed the same routine as before. Dustox started off with Whirlwind and followed it up with Poison Powder. It then used the Confusion to turn the wind into a tornado and spiraled the wind around it. As Serena had suggested, the move did look a lot fancier now.

"Great job! You got it!" Serena said happily.

"You're definitely going to win this one, May!" Ash added.

"That first ribbon is going to look really nice in that case," Brock stated.

"Heehee! Thanks, guys!" May replied with a giggle.

May was feeling totally confident right now. Her routine was down perfectly and even memorized enough to where she and Dustox could do it in their sleep. Unlike last time, she was totally prepared for the contest tomorrow. Her friends believed in her and so did her family. May wasn't about to let them down. Of course, with all the people that supported May, that didn't mean everyone felt the same way.

"What the…I didn't expect to see you here," a voice said in disgust from behind the group.

The group whirled around, and May and Serena's eyes burned in anger when they saw who it was. Standing there in a typical arrogant fashion was Drew. Next to Harley, he was probably May's least favorite person on the planet. Judging by the way Drew was looking at her, it was obvious he felt the same way about her. There was a certain contempt in his eyes that really ticked the girls off.

"You're actually trying to compete in another contest?" Drew asked in disbelief.

"Yeah! I am! You got a problem with that?!" May snarled.

"Yes! I do! What? That embarrassing excuse of a performance back in Slateport City didn't do it for you? Anybody who did that poorly would have the sense to know that they weren't cut out to be a coordinator! I can't tell if you're stubborn or just stupid!" Drew exclaimed.

"I may be a little stubborn, but I am not stupid! Maybe I'm just a strong enough person to not let one loss get me down!" May snapped.

"I bet you don't even have a ribbon yet!" Drew shouted.

"I don't, and suppose you do?" May growled.

"As a matter of fact, yes!" Drew replied and produced his ribbon case. Sure enough, there was a ribbon in there, sparkling in all of its glory.

"You got your first ribbon that fast?" May asked as she deflated a little bit.

"Of course! It's already been a few weeks since Slateport City! I've had plenty of time to get my first ribbon! Don't compare me to someone like you!" Drew sneered.

"You're such a jerk!" May yelled.

"Better than being a pretend coordinator!" Drew shot back.

"A…pretend coordinator?" May questioned.

"That's what I said. Everything you do is so basic. You remind me of a five year old kid who tries to impress her friends in her backyard with these moves she learned on TV! It's never as good as the real thing," Drew said.

May turned beet red as she felt her temper breaking. She had the urge to punch Drew right in his arrogant nose, but she held herself from doing so. May was in a public area, and slugging Drew might not go over so well in front of so many people. Instead, May tried to get out the words of what she thought of him, but she was so angry she couldn't.

"You…you…" May said as she shook with anger.

"Watch out! You're using Mean Look! I may not be able to retreat, now!" Drew taunted and flipped his hair.

"What about a Scary Face, then?" Serena snarled as she stepped in front of May and glared at Drew hatefully, "Where do you get off by picking on May like this?! Get lost! No one wants you here!"

"Fine! If it takes two embarrassing performances to finally show May that she can't be a coordinator, then so be it! Just don't come crying to me when you fail!" Drew said.

"We'll see who's crying when I beat you tomorrow!" May hollered.

"Oh. I'm not competing. I'm just here to watch," Drew replied, "Unlike some people, I don't need to be around my teacher all the time."

"What's wrong with me traveling with Serena and learning from her?" May barked.

"I was actually referring to Harley, but now that you mention it I suppose you do, too!" Drew stated.

"Whatever! I'm still going to win tomorrow and make you sorry!" May declared.

"Hmph," Drew grunted as he turned around and left.

May clenched her teeth as she watched Drew's retreating back. She couldn't believe she had run into him of all people in a peaceful place like Verdanturf Town. Despite all of those hurtful things Drew said, May couldn't let that get to her. In fact, it made her more determined than ever to win that contest tomorrow. She couldn't wait to rub Drew's nose in it.

Serena placed her hand on May's back to soothe her a little bit. May felt her teacher's touch and took a deep breath to calm herself. She couldn't think about Drew while she was performing in her contest. She just had to focus on the contest itself and the ribbon that came with winning. Everything would work out just fine.

The group then saw a small crowd gathering in a certain area of the park, and everyone appeared to have excited looks on their faces. Curious, the group walked over and tried to see over the crowd. They discovered a young man with long blond hair and a very beautiful serpentine Pokemon next to him. The young man smiled and shook hands with some of the people surrounding him, but the group, especially Serena, being in this situation before could tell he was a little uncomfortable.

"Robert, it's such an honor to meet you! You're my favorite coordinator after Lisia!" a girl shouted.

"Thank you, Madam. How nice of you to say," Robert said humbly as he shook her hand.

"I love your Milotic!" another fan said.

"So, that's a Milotic? That's a pretty cool Pokemon," Ash commented as he and the others took out their pokedexes to scan it.

"Milotic, the tender Pokemon. Milotic is able to soften human anger and hatred by emitting soothing frequencies from its body. It is skilled in battle and is the evolved form of Feebas," the machines informed.

"I've seen a Feebas before. It's hard to believe that they evolve into this," May said as she took another look at the Pokemon, "It would be a pretty cool Pokemon to have."

"I hear a Milotic takes a lot of work and patience to raise. The fact that this guy even owns one already says a lot about him," Brock added.

"Hmm…" May mused.

"Please say you're going to be in the contest tomorrow! I always love watching your perform!" someone requested.

"Yes. I do plan on entering this contest," Robert confirmed which was followed by a cheer from the small crowd of people.

The group turned to look at May who now appeared to be a little nervous. Here was a guy who was already an established coordinator with a following, and she was only slightly known because her father was a gym leader and her uncle was a famous coordinator. The difference in popularity was quite apparent.

"Come on, May. Don't let that get you down. You worked really hard for this. You'll definitely come out on top. This isn't like last time," Serena encouraged.

"Well, I guess…" May muttered and glanced at Dustox, "What do you think, Dustox?

"Dustox!" Dustox said confidently.

Hearing Dustox feel confident made May feel a little bit better. She nodded her head at the Pokemon. Dustox and her friends were right. Just because there was an experienced coordinator here didn't mean she wouldn't be able to win. She just had believe in herself and her Pokemon. She could do it.

It was the next day, and crowds of people had showed up for the Verdanturf Town Pokemon Contest. It was always the busiest time for the small town. Of course, because Lisia and Ruby weren't here, the crowd wasn't even close to the size that had been at Slateport City. Thus, the group was able to find a seat much more easily. They even got to sit towards the front. Ash, Brock, and Wally were already sitting while Serena had just showed up to join them.

"How's May doing back there, Serena?" Ash asked.

"She's doing fine, now. She was shaking a little, but I think a good pep talk helped out," Serena answered as she sat between Ash and Wally.

"Great. She hasn't seen him, has she?" Ash asked next. He didn't have to say the name for everyone to know who he meant.

"To my knowledge, she hasn't, and thank goodness I haven't, either. He's not participating, and he doesn't have Lisia with him so he's probably just in this crowd, somewhere," Serena said, "That's good. I don't need him getting to May again before the contest."

Ash and Brock gave a nervous chuckle. Even though they were in competition against May, Serena seemed to dislike Drew and Harley even more than May did. Talking about them clearly made her mood sour so they decided it best to change the subject. Wally then spoke up.

"Hey, Serena. Do you think it would be allowed if I let Ralts watch the contest with me?" Wally asked.

"Go right ahead," Serena said with a smile and gestured to the two Pokemon with them, "Pikachu and Togetic watch, after all."

"Great. Come out, Ralts," Wally said and released the Pokemon from its pokeball.

Ralts appeared and gave a big yawn and looked blearily up a Wally before it smiled at him. It must've been taking a nap inside its pokeball. It seemed to rest just as much as its trainer. Wally had only had Ralts a day, but they appeared to be hitting it off quite nicely. Wally picked up Ralts before he placed it in his lap.

"I'm really glad to be able to watch this with you, Ralts. We're going to see some really cool Pokemon," he told it.

"Ralts," Ralts squeaked in agreement.

The lights then began to dim as a huge spotlight appeared in the middle of the stage. A few seconds later, Vivian and the judges came out. The judges walked over to their judging table while Vivian made her announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for joining us today at the Verdanturf Town Pokemon Contest! We have our judges, Mr. Contest, Mr. Suziko, and of course, Verdanturf Town's very own Nurse Joy! I'm Vivian, and I'm honored to be your MC today!" Vivian said as she came to the center.

Meanwhile, as Vivian went into the rules of the contest and showed off the contest ribbon, May was in one of the waiting rooms and watched in anticipation. That ribbon in Vivian's hands definitely had her name on it. With the probable exception of Robert, May figured she was on par with at least everyone else here. That meant she had just as much a chance of winning as everyone else. The only difference between those contestants and May was that May knew she wanted it more. Forget the last contest. This contest would be the starting line for her career as a Pokemon Coordinator.

"We've got this," May thought to herself.

The coordinators then went through their routines, and May studied every one. She had to admit that they were all pretty good, but May was confident. About fifteen coordinators had made it through before Vivian called out the name that May was most curious to see.

"And our next contestant coming on the stage is Robert from Silver Rock Isle!" Vivian announced.

Robert calmly walked onto the stage as the whole crowd erupted into the cheers and whistles. Once he made it to the center stage, he turned to Vivian who gave him the nod to go ahead. He then leaped into the air and threw his pokeball forward.

"Come out, Milotic!" Robert shouted.

Robert's Milotic appeared from its pokeball, and the cheer of the crowd grew even louder. Just like May did, Ash, Brock, and Serena waited in anticipation to see what Robert was made of. That had a feeling they were about to be quite impressed.

"Milotic, use Safeguard," Robert instructed.

Milotic then began to glow a light green. It wasn't just a normal glow, however. This glow radiated beauty and elegance like the Milotic that was producing it. The judges and audience leaned forward in interest as they became enraptured in Milotic's Safeguard

Milotic then began to twirl as it began an enchanting dance as it glowed. Everything about the dance and performance that Milotic was giving out was simply magical. It really showed off the beauty of Milotic.

"With its awe-inspiring appearance and dance, Milotic has the crowd's full attention," Marion said as even her eyes seemed to sparkle from the dance.

Milotic continued to dance before it stopped the Safeguard. Once it did, there was small burst of color that came from Milotic that spread around the stage like a rainbow. The audience gasped in awe at how pretty everything looked.

Robert then gave a bow to the audience as his Milotic gave the equivalent of one. The crowd then gave a loud applause as some even stood up from their seats for the magnificent performance. Ash, Serena, and Brock's jaws had dropped at how impressive Robert was while Wally seemed to have stars in his eyes. It looked like Robert had gained another fan.

"Thank you for that lovely performance, Robert!" Vivian said graciously before she walked over to the judges, "Let's see what our judges thought."

"A truly wonderful performance. It's one I won't forget for a very long time," Mr. Contesta said.

"It was…remarkable!" Mr. Suziko stated.

"The technique that Robert and Milotic had was flawless. I was completely enamored by the grace they showed," Nurse Joy finished.

"And the score for Robert is…" Vivian said and gestured to the large screen above the stage, "A 99! That's the highest score we've seen so far today!"

May, on the other hand, felt her confidence plummet after seeing Robert. He was seriously good. The performance she had been working on barely even held a candle to what Robert had done. No one in this whole contest would be able to match that. He almost made a perfect score for crying out loud! May then began to tremble which was only made worse by what Vivian said next.

"Our next contestant for the day is May from Petalburg City!" Vivian declared.

May's mouth quivered as she tried to take a deep breath to calm herself, but it did nothing. How could she be so unlucky to have to be the one to go after Robert, and right after him at that? Why couldn't she have gone first? Why couldn't have Robert gone last? Why did such a good coordinator have to be in this contest in the first place?

Sadly, May got the answer to none of these questions. The only thing she could do now was step onto the performance stage and hope she didn't bomb. May took slow steps towards the stage, and as made it on, she could hear the roar of the crowd cheering for her just like they had for every other contestant that had gone before her. If only she felt as good as the cheering crowd was supposed to make her feel.

The group saw May enter the stage and frowned when they saw May was clearly nervous. Serena said she was feeling fine, and she probably was until Robert gave his performance. Now, May was having the issue that she didn't measure up again. The last thing she needed was a repeat of last time.

"Come on, May! Remember to focus on the performance! Nothing else!" Serena yelled, but she was doubtful that May could hear her over everyone else.

"Okay, folks! Please enjoy the wonderful performance that I'm sure May will present! Take it away!" Vivian said and nodded for May to go ahead with her performance.

"Right," May thought to herself and spun around before she threw her pokeball, "Dustox, take the stage…woah!"

As May threw her pokeball forward, she lost her balance and stumbled forward. She almost fell flat on her face, but she was able to catch herself just in time and stay upright. The crowd gave a slight gasp at seeing May's slip up except for a certain green-haired boy who was towards the top. Drew rolled his eyes before he hid his face from May's performance. This was going to be hard to watch.

"May, don't worry about that! Don't worry about the performances in front of you! Just yourself!" Serena shouted as loud as she could.

Due to her proximity to the front, May was somehow able to pick up Serena's voice somewhere in the crowd and knew she must be close. May scanned her eyes all over the front of the audience and was able to make out Serena, Ash, and Brock there.

Seeing them instantly made May feel better. They were here to support her and no one else. They all knew how hard she had worked in this performance. They all believed in her and knew she had what it took to win and give a knockout performance. Despite her slip up, they were still here and waiting for her to deliver. May stopped shaking before she looked at Vivian.

"I'm okay!" May said quickly before she looked at Dustox who was watching her in concern, "No problem! Let's do this, Dustox!"

"Dustox!" Dustox agreed.

May then took out three disks and began to throw them one by one to Dustox. Dustox then would use its Gust attack to send them sailing right back to May, and May would catch them each time. The rest of the group seemed to relax at seeing May while the rest of the audience smiled and nodded their heads at how in tune May was with Dustox.

"And May and Dustox are in perfect sync! May catches each of Dustox's returns one by one!" Vivian commented.

May then spun all three disks to Dustox at the same time. Dustox then used its Gust to blow back two of them while it used its String Shot to grab the last one and spin it over its head while doing so. May then caught both disks, and Dustox swung the last one towards May. May then leaped up and caught the last one while the crowd applauded.

"We're doing great! We just need to keep this up!" May thought before she called out to Dustox, "It's time for the grand finale now, Dustox!"

Dustox nodded its head as it began to spin around and use Whirlwind. As it did, a swirl of wind was whipped up from the stage and surrounded Dustox like a tornado. May then threw forward the three disks at Dustox.

"Use Poison Sting!" May commanded.

Several glowing darts began to shoot out from the tornado and struck the disks. The three disks shattered into several pieces and began to fall, but the Whirlwind kept them airborne as they spun around Dustox. May had to pay for those disks, but she could buy more. They were worth it for the performance.

"Use Poison Powder!" May said next.

Like the Poison Sting before it, small spores came from Dustox and began to swirl around it as Dustox continued to spin. Some of the audience began to murmur their approval, and a few began to even applaud as they watched.

"May is able to use her Dustox to deliver a mini tornado complete with a debris cloud made up of the disks and Poison Powder right here on the stage! Hold on to your hats!" Vivian commented.

"Finish with Confusion!" May yelled.

Dustox then halted the Whirlwind and the tornado while its eyes glowed. It then held all the pieces of the disks, including the Poison Powder suspended in midair. With Dustox glowing and the glowing objects around it, Dustox looked quite mysterious and enchanting. Dustox then slowly lowered itself and the debris towards the ground before it gently set them on the ground and released its Confusion. May and Dustox then struck a pose as the crowd erupted into cheering.

"Alright, May!" Ash cheered as he applauded.

"Way to recover!" Brock shouted, "Awesome job!"

Serena didn't say anything, but she still felt a sense of satisfaction after May did the performance. She and May had worked on that routine all week, and May nailed it perfectly. Needless to say, Serena was quite proud of May.

Drew, meanwhile, was quite surprised. He hated to admit it, but that performance was pretty darn good. It was nothing like he had seen of May so far. Drew began to slowly clap his hands, as well, but he stopped himself and instead crossed his arms. Just because May did well in the appeals round didn't mean she was good in the battling portion. She still didn't have what it took to be a coordinator.

"What a splendid performance by May! Let's see what our judges through of it, now!" Vivian said and gestured to the judges.

"With the exception of the very beginning, May's performance was a treat to watch. She and Dustox were in perfect harmony, and the tornado display was spectacular. However, I wish she had thought more through about what to do with the debris after the performance. We will have to clean up the bits of the clay on the floor," Mr. Contesta stated with a small chuckle at the end.

"It was…remarkable!" Mr. Suziko said as usual.

"May really knew how to play the strengths of Dustox's moves. I can tell she and Dustox practiced very hard for this, and it paid off," Nurse Joy said.

"You heard them, everybody! May's final score is going to be…" Vivian began as the numbers began to calculate on the screen.

"Come on," May pleaded as she, Ash, Serena, and Brock waited in anticipation, "I have to pass! Dustox and I worked so hard on this!"

The numbers finally stopped calculated and revealed May's score.

"An 87!" Vivian declared, "Well done, May!"

May breathed a sigh of relief whenever she saw her score as the crowd applauded. It wasn't the highest score of the day, but it was nothing to be ashamed of. She probably lost most of her points when she stumbled at the start, but there was nothing she could do about it now. May just hoped this score would get her to the next round.

The last couple of performances went by without any issue. May watched the coordinators after her, and they all did fine. The truth was that everyone at this contest did a good job today, especially Robert. Despite that, only four people would be selected to move on to the final round. It was that time now, and May clasped her hands in anticipation.

"We've seen all of our talented performers for today! Thank you for waiting! Our judges have tallied everything up and made their decision! These four coordinators have made it past the appeals round and will move on to the next one!" Vivian stated and gestured to the large screen behind her.

All the contestants that had participated then began to shuffle around on the screen in rapid succession before they came to a halt on just four. May couldn't contain the grin that appeared on her face when she saw that her face was actually on the screen. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She had actually made it. She made it past the appeals round. Of course, Robert made it, too, but May wasn't worried about that. She may actually be able to pull this off, after all.

"Alright! Go, May!" Ash cheered once he and the rest of the group saw May had made it.

"Our computer will randomly select how our four coordinators will match up the winner of the semifinals will move on to the final round," Vivian said as the images shuffled around and finished, "And the semifinal round will consist of May versus Andy, and Robert versus Sheila!"

May nodded her head when she saw her opponent. She remembered seeing him in the performance, and he was pretty good and owned a Surskit. Even so, May now had the confidence overcome this match and win it all. She had her friends and her Pokemon behind her. She would be prepared for whatever was thrown at her.

The second round had already began, and Robert and his opponent had already gone with Robert winning quite easily. Now, it was May's turn. She was on the stage with her opponent, Andy, on the opposite side. May knew this would be her first real battle without counting the practice battles she had with her friends. She really had to make sure she won this one.

"Just like with Robert and Sheila before them, May and Andy will be competing in a contest battle. They will each have five minutes to wow the judges with their battling technique. They will lose points if their appeal doesn't quite go as planned. The one who knocks out the other Pokemon or who still has the most points when time runs out will be declared the winner!" Vivian explained.

"Let's go, Dustox! Take the stage!" May called out.

"Surskit, I choose you!" Andy said.

Both Pokemon appeared from their pokeballs to stare each other down. Surskit was a blue insectoid Pokemon that had appeared quite fast. If it was, May would have to adjust her strategy to try to use it to her advantage.

"The timer will be began now!" Vivian announced.

"Surskit, use Double Team!" Andy ordered, "Then use Bubble!"

Surskit quickly duplicated itself into several copies that surrounded Dustox. Dustox and May both looked in confusion as Surskit then began to shoot colorful bubbles all around them. They each popped around and on Dustox who grimaced each time that happened.

"Wow! Surskit dazzles that crowd as well as Dustox with its beautiful display!" Vivian said as May lost a few points.

"Now, use Surf, Surskit!" Andy said.

"Use Poison Powder!" May countered.

A small wave of water formed underneath Surskit and its copies as they began to ride forward towards Dustox before it could use its attack. They quickly overtook the Pokemon and swarmed it which caused Dustox to fall to the ground. The Surskit then washed their water over Dustox. Dustox managed to fly back up and shake itself free as May lost a few more points. Dustox then went to sprinkle down the Poison Powder, and while it looked pretty, completely missed Surskit due to its speed.

"Okay, May. Think. Just relax," May thought to herself, "I'm a runner and biker. If there's one thing that can cause me to lose to speed, it's no balance."

Surskit was coming up quickly again with its Surf attack, and Dustox was struck again. May lost more points so she knew she had to act quickly unless Dustox was knocked out or she lost all of her points. She already lost almost half of them.

"It seems Surskit is too fast for Dustox. May will need to think of something as her points are wearing out quickly," Vivian commented.

"Dustox, use String Shot in front of Surskit!" May called.

Dustox flew up high and shot a String Shot in the center where all the Surskit were. Surskit saw the string that was about to clothesline it and then slowed down. That was the opening May needed.

"Wrap your String Shot around Surskit's feet!" May said next.

Dustox swung its String Shot around all of the Surskit. It found the real one who tripped upon hitting the String Shot. All of Surskit's copies vanished, and it fell face first on the ground.

"And May strikes back with a vengeance!" Vivian cried as Andy lost a few points.

"Now use Poison Powder to slow Surskit down!" May shouted.

Dustox quickly flew down Surskit as it was getting up and shook the Poison Powder right in its face. Surskit coughed and backed away as it tried to get the Poison Powder out of its face.

"Use Water Pulse on yourself, Surskit! Wash it away!" Andy said.

"Use Gust to spread the Poison Powder around the stage!" May yelled.

Surskit then used the Water Pulse to get the Poison Powder off of it. By that time, however, the Poison Powder was all over the stage, and Surskit had no choice but to focus its attacks on the Poison Powder to keep itself from being poisoned.

"Use Confusion!" May commanded now that she had the advantage.

Dustox then glowed a faint blue as Surskit glowed, as well. Surskit was then lifted off the ground and suspended in the air, completely helpless. It thrashed around ungracefully as it tried to break free of Dustox's hold, but it was a futile effort.

"Now, throw Surskit in the air, and use Whirlwind!" May said.

Surskit was then tossed high into the air above the stage, and Dustox quickly sent a Whirlwind after it. A mini tornado was formed around Surskit just like Dustox earlier, but this time it was actually causing damage. Surskit was blown around and around inside the Whirlwind before it was flung out and landed on its back.

"And Dustox has Surskit completely trapped in that Whirlwind! I was getting dizzy just looking Surskit go around," Vivian said

"Hurry! Get up, Surskit!" Andy encouraged as Surskit slowly got to its feet.

It was at that moment that the timer ran out. May gasped as she quickly looked over to the points screen. She hoped she had enough time get Andy's points lower than hers. Surskit wasn't knocked out and still had plenty of fight left. She then breathed a huge sigh of relief when she saw that Andy's points were just slightly below hers. Tripping Surskit and getting it caught in that Whirlwind must've docked huge points.

"Neither Pokemon was knockout out, but May had a small margin of points more than Andy! May is the winner and will move on to the final round of the Pokemon Contest!" Vivian announced.

Ash, Serena, Brock, and Wally stood up and cheered for May as the rest of the crowd gave their applause, as well. They were especially excited because this was May's first victory in a contest battle. It would be a huge step in her career as a coordinator.

May had huge grin on her face before she leaped into the air for a small cheer. Of course, she knew she hadn't won the ribbon yet. She still had one more battle to go against with Robert. Still, as good as she was feeling, May had forgotten all about how good he was. She actually believed she might go all the way with this. May ran over to her Dustox and gave it a hug.

"Way to go, Dustox! Just one battle away from our first ribbon!" May told it.

"Dustox!" Dustox agreed with a nod.

Drew stared inquisitively at May as he watched her from the stands. It was quite weird. He thought she just got a little lucky during the appeals round. She also started off quite shaky at this battle, but she really got her act together in the second half of each round. Her Dustox also looked quite good as it performed each of its moves. May was actually acting like a real coordinator.

"Did I actually misjudge her?" Drew thought to himself.

It was now the final round, and May felt as ready as she would ever be for this. The only one who was standing in the way of her first contest ribbon was Robert. As good and popular as he was, it wasn't impossible to defeat him. She just had to play smart and battle with everything she had. It helped that Dustox was feeling well, too, as it hovered in front of May.

Robert stood as well, and wore a confident, yet not arrogant, smile on his face. Of course, his Milotic was in front of him and looked ready to battle. Vivian had already walked onto the stage and given the announcement for the final stage, and now everyone was simply waiting for her to signal the start of the match.

"Our judges are ready and so is the audience! Our final match between May and Robert will begin, now!" Vivian declared.

"Dustox, start things off with Poison Powder! Blow it around the stage with Gust!" May commanded.

Dustox unleashed the powder from its wings and began blowing it around the stage just like it did to Surskit before it. Robert saw the attack before he nodded his head and turned to his Milotic.

"Milotic, use Safeguard," he said calmly.

The green glow surrounded Milotic just like in the appeal round. Despite being all over the stage, the Poison Powder fell harmlessly around it. While it used Safeguard, Milotic moved side to side gracefully as if it was in a dance.

"And Milotic protects itself completely from Dustox's Poison Powder with Safeguard, and it looked great while doing so!" Vivian said as May lost a few points.

"No good," May thought, "Use Whirlwind!"

"Use Twister!" Robert commanded.

Dustox began to flap its wings as hard as it could while Milotic raised itself up and blew a mini tornado from its mouth. The Twister flew towards Dustox, but the Whirlwind was able to rip it to shreds. May smiled as she saw Robert lose a sliver of points until she heard it next.

"Use Ice Beam!" Robert said.

May and Dustox looked around frantically inside the mixture of Twister and Whirlwind until they saw Milotic appear through it and fire an Ice Beam right in Dustox's face. Dustox cried out in pain from the attack and was blasted backwards.

"Robert seems to have used that Twister as a diversion to get a better shot at Dustox. This shows that contest battles always have to have some strategy to attack the opponent and not always look great!" Vivian said.

"Now, use Twister!" Robert commanded.

Once again, Milotic rose into the air and shot a quick Twister towards the downed Dustox. The poison moth Pokemon was quickly whisked away by the strong winds and began to spin around and around inside of it which caused May to lose even more points.

"Use Confusion to get ahold of that Twister!" May cried.

Dustox eyes glowed as it tried its best to get ahold of the Twister. It managed to slow down the Twister slightly and started to fly out. May almost smiled until Milotic appeared right in front of Dustox and knocked it right back in.

"Dustox!" May said worriedly.

"Now use Ice Beam!" Robert said next.

Milotic shot the Ice Beam right into the Twister, and the rush of wind began to freeze as it spiraled around. It was clear that Milotic wasn't just freezing the Twister. It was carefully moving its mouth around as it was clearly forming some sort of shape. Everyone in the audience then gasped in amazement as the Twister had formed into a frozen sculpture that looked exactly like a Milotic.

"What an incredible display! Milotic was able to freeze that sculpture and form a likeness of itself with Dustox still inside it!" Vivian said in excitement.

"Dustox!" May cried, but it fell on deaf ears. She couldn't even see Dustox within that sculpture.

"Finish this with Dragon Tail!" Robert commanded.

Milotic leaped at the ice sculpture and used its glowing tail to smash the sculpture to several bits. Dustox fell out of the center and right onto the floor. May looked in worry to see if Dustox would get up, but sadly it didn't. It had been completely knocked out. All three judges hit the X buttons on the panels to indicate the match had ended.

"Dustox was declared unable to battle by the judges! That means our winner today at the Verdanturf Town Pokemon Contest is Robert!" Vivian stated.

The crowd erupted into a roar of applause as Robert smiled and bowed towards the crowd. Ash, Serena, and Brock were applauding, too, but they were completely shocked. May was completely outclassed in both battling and style in that match. Robert was on whole other level. That wasn't all. This was the second loss May had in a row, and she had yet to even win her first ribbon. They could only imagine what kind of effect this would have on her.

"Poor, May. I feel like this is my fault, too. I should've trained her and tipped her in battling more. I just kind of took a backseat and let you do everything, Serena," Ash said.

"I'm just as guilty. I could've battled with her more and a lot more seriously. She just wasn't as used to battling. We put too much time into the appeal. She did fine against an inexperienced person like herself, but she didn't even compare against someone who knew what they were doing," Serena said sadly.

They then gasped when they saw May hang her head and quickly return, Dustox. She then ran out of the arena as fast as she could.

"Come on. Let's go find her," Serena decided before she turned to Wally, "Will you be okay while we look?"

"Yes. I'll find you guys, afterward," Wally replied with a nod, "That Robert was really amazing, but I hope May's okay."

The group then left to find May as Robert was handed his contest ribbon. Meanwhile, Drew still sat towards the top and had his arms crossed. In all honesty, he can't say he didn't expect this. Robert was an amazing coordinator and had a lot of experience. May simply didn't. Still, after watching May today, Drew felt he had a few things to say to her. He smirked to himself and stood up from his seat before he left the arena, as well.

May didn't stop running until she was at the Verdanturf Town Park with tears streaming down her face the whole time. She couldn't believe this. She lost again. She had put so much effort and thought into this contest. She and Dustox had trained so hard for this, and she didn't even stand a chance when it came to battling. If Robert was that good at contests, then what chance did she even have of ever winning? There's wasn't any!

Why was she such a failure at this? Was it some sort of punishment because of her initial dislike for Pokemon? Was it because she originally only wanted to go on a Pokemon journey to explore? May felt like she let everyone down by losing again. She let her Pokemon down. She let her family down. She let her friends down. She let Serena down.

When she had decided to do contests, May held excitement for finding a way to utilize her Pokemon on her journey. She tried a lot of different things throughout her life and had been successful at them, and she figure Pokemon Contests would be no different. It was, however. Losing twice in a row like that really destroyed May's confidence.

May finally found a bench in a more secluded spot of the Verdanturf Town Park and sat down on a bench. May buried her face in her hands as she continued to cry. She didn't know how long she planned to be there or how long she had already been there, but she didn't care right now.

"I should just quit!" May cried to herself, "I'm a failure at this. My Pokemon deserve so much better, and Serena deserves a better student!"

"Is that how you really feel?" a voice spoke up, "Because I see it differently."

May opened her eyes and looked up. She then blinked in surprise when she saw a rose in front of her face. May then saw who the owner of the rose was and was even more surprised to see that it was Drew with a faint smile on his face. Upon seeing the boy, May glared hatefully at him and turned away.

"Get lost, Drew!" May snarled between her tears, "I am really not in the mood for you right now!"

"You didn't answer my question," Drew said with a smirk, not intimidated by May, "Are you really going to quit being a coordinator? Do you really think you're a failure?"

"Yes! I do! Why do you care, anyway?! Did you just come here to gloat?! Because if you did, I swear I'll…" May began heatedly, but Drew cut her off.

"Well, I thought so, too, at first, but not anymore," Drew interrupted.

May lost her angry look and instead replaced it with confusion. She turned to look at Drew curiously and studied his face to try to find any form of insincerity or mock. However, she found none. May then changed her look to a frown with a hint of annoyance.

"What are you talking about?" May asked.

"Just as I told you," Drew said simply as he sat down next to her, "I don't think you're a failure at coordinating. Your technique and battling could be better, but your potential is definitely there. You're just still in your learning stage, just like me."

"What are you trying to say?" May asked again.

Drew then sighed. "Do I have to spell it out for you? I'm saying that you shouldn't quit Pokemon Contests. You should continue on with what you're doing!"

"But I lost twice in a row. How am I ever supposed to compete with somewhat like Robert," May muttered sadly.

"May, your first contest in Slateport City was just that. Your first one. For this one, Robert is miles better than a lot of people. He has a lot of experience under his belt. People are even saying he's the third best coordinator in all of Hoenn after Ruby and Lisia. Of course you didn't stand a chance against him! If anything, take this opportunity to learn what he did differently and apply it to yourself so you can get better!" Drew explained.

May looked down as Drew's words began to sink in. She hated to admit it, but he did have a point about why she lost all of her contests so far. She was still a beginner and had a lot to learn. Truthfully, May believed she did much better this time than back in Slateport City. She even made it past the appeals and into the finals. It would stand to reason that she continued to get better.

"Why are you even telling me this, anyway?" May asked, "Just yesterday, you were insulting me and saying I should quit."

"Yeah. I guess I did," Drew said with a frown, "Well, I'll say it right now. I was wrong, and I'm sorry. I truly believe you have what it takes to be a coordinator and that you shouldn't quit."

May's eyes widened at the apology. Did she actually hear correctly? May thought Drew was the type of arrogant person who would never apologize for anything. She even thought Harley would be more likely to apologize than him. Drew noticed her look and got an annoyed look on his face.

"Oh, come on. Is it that hard to believe I apologized? Even I can admit when I'm wrong about something," Drew muttered.

"Well, based on what I've seen from you so far, it kind of is," May said and even let out a small giggle, "Still, I guess that means I was kind of wrong about you, too. You're not just some stuck up, hateful, jerk."

"Gee, thanks," Drew said sarcastically and rolled his eyes, "And you're not just some stupid, wannabe coordinator."

"Hey, now!" May said with mock anger and placed her hands on her hips before she gave her first smile since losing the contest, "Still, I'm glad you don't think so anymore."

"Yeah. Whatever," Drew said dismissively before he gave May a serious look, "So, what are you going to do, now? Are you done crying and feeling sorry for yourself?"

"I am," May declared and wiped her tears with her shirt sleeve and got a resolute expression on her face, "I'm just going to keep on getting better. There's still a lot of time and contests left before the Grand Festival, and I intend to have five ribbons before it starts!"

"Good. Now pick yourself up and come back even stronger," Drew agreed before he held out the rose again, "So, you still want this rose?"

"Not really," May admitted, "Roses aren't really my thing. Besides, I don't think I actually deserve one right now, anyway."

"Then give it to your Dustox for a job well done, instead," Drew offered and thrust it into May's hands.

May stared at the rose in her hands. She just received something from probably the most unlikely person on the planet. Even if he said it was for her Dustox, it still was quite a nice gesture. May wasn't quite sure what to say except one thing.

"Erm…thanks," she muttered.

Drew then stood up and placed his hands in his pockets, "Well, I guess with that, I'll head out. I have to continue my own journey and earn my five ribbons, too."

"You're leaving already?" May questioned.

"Yes. I only came here to watch Robert and his technique. Now that the contest is over, I have no more reason to stay," Drew said with a shrug.

"Wait!" May called out, and upon seeing Drew raise his eyebrow in question, she continued, "There's still one thing I don't understand. Why were you so hostile to me just because you thought I wasn't cut out for contests?"

Drew noticeably averted his eyes away from May at the question and looked quite uncomfortable. May wasn't expecting that reaction from him for such a simple question. Drew seemed to carefully consider his answer before he smirked and flipped his hair.

"Heh. Maybe I'll have the chance to tell you someday," Drew answered before he turned around and gave small wave of his hand, "See you around, May."

"Yeah. See you," May mumbled.

"Oh, one more thing," Drew said with a smirk as he turned to face May, "Make sure you have a ribbon or two to brag to me when we see each other next."

May blinked a couple of times before she returned the smirk, "You bet, and next time we meet, I want a battle, too!"

Drew didn't respond and kept walking, but May knew he heard her. The fact that Drew didn't openly rebut the request meant he didn't disagree. May watched him go, and her look was replaced by one of determination. She glanced at her pokeballs and nodded her head.

"You heard me. We're just going to train hard and get even better! We'll be getting that next ribbon in the contest for sure! We'll definitely make the Grand Festival!"

At that time, Ash, Serena, and Brock arrived with worried looks on their faces. Serena noticeably breathed a sigh of relief before she went over and gave May a hug.

"I'm so sorry about today, May," Serena told her, "We were really worried when we saw you run out of the contest hall like that."

"Thanks, but I'm okay, now," May replied, "Drew and I were just talking."

"Drew?" Serena questioned before she saw Drew walking off in the distance and glared after him, "That creep! What did he say to you?!"

"Nothing!" May said quickly, "He actually…helped me."

"He did?" Ash asked in surprise, "That doesn't seem like him."

"Yeah. I was surprised, too, but he did. He even apologized for being so mean to me before and said that I have potential to be a great coordinator. He then told me I should continue on with my dream of being a coordinator," May said as she looked again at the rose Drew had given her.

"Is Drew the one who gave you that rose?" Serena questioned.

"Yes, but he said it was for Dustox," May responded before she got a thoughtful look on her face, "In fact…"

May then released Dustox from its pokeball. The poison moth Pokemon looked sadly at the ground for losing again. However, May went over and consoled Dustox by rubbing its head.

"It's okay, Dustox. We'll just keep getting better and win next time. Someone just gave this to me, and I think it'll look really cute on you," May told it.

May then got a small string before she broke off part of the stem from Drew's rose until mostly the bud was left. She then used the string to reach over and tie the rose to one of Dustox's antennae. She then stepped back and admired it.

"See, you look like a real contest star, now!" she said.

"Dustox!" Dustox said happily and flew over to into May's arms for a hug.

The rest of the group watched May hug her Dustox with a small smile on their faces. Well, it seemed the Verdanturf Town Pokemon Contest ended in another loss for May, but that was okay. She still wouldn't let that get her down due to some unlikely help from Drew. No more crying and feeling down about being a coordinator. She was going to continue on with her dream of being on top and get her five ribbons for sure. After that, she was going to participate in the Grand Festival and win it! Look out, contest world! May was coming to take it by storm!

Well, Drew doesn't turn out to be such a jerk, after all. He won't discuss with May yet why he was so hostile, but it will be revealed in a future chapter.

The next chapter is a noncanon Pokemon so that's always exciting. The next chapter will be out in two weeks. Until next time, have a good one

Chapter 26: Emergency at New Mauville