Eterna City...

Ash and Dawn and the others had arrived in Eterna city, and Dawn was looking around for Taylor when she shrugged her shoulders as she said to Ash, "I guess Taylor hasn't arrived just yet then, it wouldn't be like her to miss a Pokémon contest. Especially when she was so close to winning her last one."

Then suddenly they heard a young Trainer running away from something screaming, "H-help! The Trainer is after me!" so Dawn and the others rushed to see what was happening, and to their surprise they saw Paul battling against someone and at first they didn't recognise them until Dawn took another look at who Paul was battling and saw the logo on the cloak, before she looked at Ash and said to him,

"Is that Taylor? Battling Paul? Something about her looks different than before."

Before Ash could reply, Barry stood there next to Dawn as he said to her, "Oh Gee Dawn, I wonder what could possibly be different about Taylor, the fact that she is wearing a cloak and her hair is now black instead of brown, or maybe it's that her battle style has changed." And Dawn scowled at Barry as she replied,

"Ok, I get the picture Barry."

After Taylor had defeated Paul, he was kneeling on one knee as he looked at Taylor and said, "Maybe I was wrong about you, you're definitely not a second rate Coordinator I thought you were before, but...I will get my payback against you just you wait." And Taylor smirked at Paul as she replied,

"Finally you see that I am stronger than you Paul, and your welcome to face me again but the result will still be the same, with me the winner and you on the ground as the loser."

Dawn then tried calling out to Taylor as she said to her, "Hey Taylor, it's me Dawn, and Ash and the others are here too." But Dawn didn't expect Taylor's icy, cold eyes to meet her own as she replied,

"Back off! Unless you want to challenge me next! We're friends Dawn, and if you want to keep it that way then...I suggest you leave me alone!"

Dawn was completely shocked by Taylor's attitude and she wanted to say something else, but she didn't want to end up fighting her friend in a battle so she chose to stay silent, Barry however wasn't going to let Taylor's new attitude push him around as he said to Taylor,

"Hey! You can't talk to Dawn like that Taylor! What gives!"

Taylor then turned her attention towards Barry as she coldly stared at him before she replied, "I don't have to explain myself to you, you would never understand how I feel or the pain that I have suffered." But Barry still demanded answers from his friend and Dawn tried to stop him as she said,

"Barry, don't do this! If you face Taylor, your Pokémon could be seriously injured if not worse!"

But Barry pushed Dawn away from him as he said to her, "No Dawn! We deserve to know why Taylor is acting the way she is, and if she isn't going to tell me then...I'll just have to battle it out of her instead!" and as Taylor was making her way towards the Eterna city arena, Barry called out to her as he yelled, "Hey Taylor, if you won't tell me what's going on then...I'll force it out of you in a battle!"

And Taylor stopped briefly at the entrance of the arena as she replied without even looking Barry in the eyes, "You want to battle me? Fine...we can have a battle once I win the Eterna city contest. Just remember...when you lose, you asked for this."

The Eterna City Pokémon contest...

Inside the Eterna city arena, Taylor walked over to the desk where the lady at the desk had a slight smile as she saw Taylor and said to her, "Hello, how may I help you today miss?" and Taylor took out her Poke dex and handed to the lady as she replied,

"I'd like to enter into the Pokémon contest."

And the lady at the desk carefully took the Poke dex from Taylor and placed it into a machine next to her, and it hummed for a few minutes before it made a ding sound and the light on it went green before the lady then slowly handed Taylor her Poke dex as she said, "Here you go miss, you are now entered into the Pokémon contest." And Taylor smirked a little as she replied,

"Thanks."

Before Taylor then made her way towards the changing rooms, where she got changed into the same dress that Dawn had brought her for the Jubilife City contest which was purple with some blue glittering gems on it, and tied her hair into a ponytail before walking out into the waiting room.

The announcer appeared on the screen backstage as she said, "Hello folks, and welcome to another exciting Pokémon contest brought to you by Eterna city!" and the crowd in attendance roared with cheers before announcer continued, "Now, let's see who our first performance will be from, shall we?" and the crowd roared once more.

As Taylor was making her way towards the stage she heard the familiar roar of the crowd, and a small part of her missed this, before she then took out Riolu's Poke ball in her hand as she said to it, "I don't know if you enjoy contests Ryu, but...today is gonna be your big debut!" before continuing to walk out onto the stage as the announcer said,

"Alright, it looks like our first performance today, will be from the runner up in the Jubilife City contest, all the way from Twinleaf town, give it up for Taylor!"

A spotlight then shone on Taylor as she took her Poke balls into her hands and got ready for her performance, as she threw the Poke balls into the air and said, "Ryu! Shadow! Let's go!" and Riolu and Eevee appeared from their Poke balls next to Taylor, before Taylor then started her performance as she said, "Shadow, use charm!"

And Eevee winked at the crowd as hearts appeared on their eyes before Taylor then continued her performance with a smile on her face as she said, "Alright Shadow, now use swift!" and Eevee nodded its head as it launched some golden stars into the air as they swirled around Taylor and her Pokémon, before Taylor then said to her Riolu, "Ryu, shatter those stars with focus punch!"

Riolu nodded its head as it leaped from star to star until it reached the final one before leaping up high into the air as its fist glowed, before driving down with as much force as it could muster into each of the golden stars on its way down causing them to explode into a golden glitter that surrounded Taylor and her Pokémon, before they all took a bow ending her performance.

The crowd cheered wildly and Taylor couldn't help but smile, she really did miss performing in front of a crowd, before the announcer said, "And now ladies and gentlemen, we go to the judges to see what they thought of this incredible performance!"

Nurse Joy: "what an amazing performance by both Trainer and Pokémon! They both should be proud."

Remarkable Judge: "I don't really know how I could describe that performance except...Remarkable!"

Officer Jenny: "Wow, once again Taylor manages to come up with an even more incredible performance than her last!"

After Taylor had left the stage and got to the backstage area, she could still hear the crowd cheering wildly after her performance, and to her surprise she saw Zoey walking up to her with a smile on her face as she said to her, "Well done out there kiddo, with performances like that perhaps the life of a Pokemon coordinator suites ya."

Taylor smiled as she gave Zoey a hug before she replied, "Thanks Zoey, I had no idea you were gonna be here! I thought you were taking a break after the Jubilife city contest?" and Zoey smiled back at Taylor as she ruffled her hair a little and said to her,

"I was taking a break in Sandgem Town for a bit after I won the Jubilife City contest, but then...I heard you were making waves in the contest scene so I figured I would surprise ya by coming to see how you were doing."

Then Taylor frowned a little as she replied, "Oh...well the last time you saw me, I battled against you in the finals of the Jubilife city contest with my Monferno, but...recently my Monferno was stolen from me by Jay the Pokémon Poacher, and I reported it to Officer Jenny but...nothing's happened yet." And Zoey gave Taylor another hug as she said to her,

"Listen Taylor, sometimes...reporting it to the authorities isn't enough, sometimes we have to take things into our own hands..."

She trailed off as she looked at Taylor in her eyes before she continued, "It can be devastating to lose our partner, because we want nothing more than to have them back with us and it can even sometimes bring out the worst in us and make us do terrible things, Just remember if ya have any problems you can always talk to me about it, ok?"

Taylor couldn't take it anymore as she burst into tears on Zoey and Zoey held her tight in a hug and gently rubbed the back of her head as she soothed her as Taylor sniffled, "I-I miss my Monferno so much, a-and I felt so weak and helpless when Jay took her from me! I would do anything to have my Monferno back by my side again!"

Zoey continued to hold Taylor tight in a hug and rubbed the back of her head until Taylor's tears had calmed down, and Zoey wiped the left over tears from Taylor's face as she said to her, "I know, and I'm always gonna be here for ya if ya ever need me, ok? No more tears now, you have a contest to win."

Later...

After all the performances were done, Taylor looked on the screen backstage to find out if she had made it to the next round, and to her surprise her face was the first one to appear and Zoey smiled at Taylor as she said to her, "See kiddo, you made it to the next stage of the contest without even breaking a sweat, keep this up and you will win this contest, I'm sure of it!"

And Taylor smiled back at Zoey as she replied, "Yeah, I guess I did didn't I? This would feel so much better if Monferno was with me though, as we got our first ribbon together..." and Zoey hugged Taylor as she said to her,

"I know, and we will get Monferno back from Jay, I promise, but right now just focus on winning this contest like ya told me you were gonna do back in Jubilife city."

Then a wave of emotions came over Taylor, and she blushed a little in Zoey's arms and so Taylor leaned into Zoey and Zoey slowly did the same before their lips pressed together as they shared a kiss and they stayed like that for some time before Taylor eventually broke the kiss as she needed air before she smiled at Zoey and blushed a little as she said, "Wow, I-I guess I wasn't sure how badly I wanted you until now Zoey, and...I guess I also discovered that I like girls."

Zoey blushed a little and smiled back at Taylor as she replied, "I think the term is called a lesbian, but ain't nothin' wrong with that, after all, love is a mystery and sometimes we just have to go with what the heart wants." And Taylor smiled and giggled a little as she said,

"Lesbian huh? I think I like it, and...I'm gonna sound stupid asking this...since I just kissed you but...Zoey, will you be my girlfriend?"

And Zoey giggled a little as she leaned in to kiss Taylor on her lips again before she replied, "I think we both know the answer to that Taylor, but yes I would love to be your girlfriend, come on let's get some rest so you can feel ready for the next stage of the Eterna City contest."

Taylor just nodded her head in agreement as she yawned a little, and held hands with Zoey as they walked to the Pokémon centre together so that Taylor could rest up for the next part of the contest.

The next day...

The next morning Zoey was awake before Taylor, as she slid out from under the covers from the bed and Taylor groaned a little as she reached out for the warmth of where Zoey just was on the bed and Zoey smiled as thought to herself, "Poor kid, she must have been travelling around, and barely getting any sleep, at least she is sleeping peacefully now though."

After Zoey had gotten dressed she then went to get Taylor a cup of hot chocolate and left it on her bedside, as Taylor slowly stirred from her sleep and rubbed her eyes before seeing the cup of hot chocolate sitting next to her, she smiled as she took the cup into her hands and took a sip from the steaming hot mug before Zoey said to her, "Good morning Taylor, how do you feel?"

Taylor had finished her mouthful of hot chocolate before she smiled at Zoey as she replied, "I feel better, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, you know Zoey you are the first person to care about me since my Monferno was stolen by Jay." And Zoey smiled back at Taylor as she walked over to her and gave her a kiss on her for head as she said,

"That's good to hear, finish your hot chocolate and get dressed as you still have a contest to win."

So Taylor finished her hot chocolate and slid out from the covers of the bed, and started to get dressed whilst Zoey brushed her messy black hair for her and tied it up into a nice ponytail before they both then left the Pokémon centre as they went to the arena together holding hands.

When they arrived at the arena, the announcer on the screen backstage said, "Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the next stage of the Eterna city Pokémon contest, where are remaining Trainers will prove their battle skills, and remember there can only be one winner, now let's get things started with our first match which will be...Dawn from Twinleaf town vs Kenny from Hearthome city!"

And Taylor smiled as stood next to her girlfriend Zoey and leaned her head on her shoulder as she said, "I hope Dawn wins, because I want it to be me and her in the finals." And Zoey smiled as she let out a sigh and replied,

"It will be tough going against someone like Kenny, but...if anyone can pull off a win it will definitely be Dawn!"

Just then Emily came into the arena trying to catch her breath as she saw Taylor out of the corner of her eye and said to her, "There you are lass...I...I have been looking all over for ya..." and Zoey looked a little confused as she asked her,

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we have met before, who are you?"

Then Taylor stood there as she replied, "Zoey...this is Emily, she is the leader of the Global Trainer Society or G.T.S for short." Before Taylor then turned her attention to Emily as she said to her, "Why were you looking for me for?"

Emily then took a few minutes to get her breath back before she looked at Taylor as she said to her, "Well, ya see lass, Daniel came back to camp and said that ye left him in a sniffling heap after ya brutalised some Team Galactic member's Pokémon, a-and I blame myself because I should have seen that ye were self destructing and tried to help ya, so...I'm here to help ya now."

After hearing Emily's comments Taylor frowned a little as she replied to Emily, "Oh...well if you see Daniel, tell him I'm sorry he just caught me in a bad mood, but...I'm not self destructing, I have just become a little bitter towards people that's all and...I already have someone supporting me in Zoey here, the very same Zoey I lost to in the finals of the Jubilife city contest."

Then Emily frowned a little as she said, "I see...well, I'll make sure to tell Daniel that you're sorry and that he just caught ya in a bad mood. And if ya have someone supporting you then...I guess ya don't need me anymore then lass." As a few tears formed on her face.

Taylor noticed this as she gave Emily a tight hug as she replied, "I never said I don't need you Emily, it's just that...oh how can I put this without making things worse..." then Zoey stepped in as she said to Emily with a smile on her face,

"What Taylor is trying to say Emily, it's just that me and Taylor have known each other for a while and so I am like her emotional rock at the moment, but I can tell that you and Taylor are good friends too and I think Taylor is trying to tell you that she doesn't need to rely on you as much as she used to."

And Emily faintly smiled as she replied, "Y-yeah, I understand that and I guess I cared about Taylor more than I should have because I just wanted the lass to be happy and see that people care about her, because...because I love her damn it!"

Taylor then held Emily close and smiled as she said to her, "Aww, I love you too Emily, just...not in the way you think I love you because...the truth is I'm seeing someone, in fact you're looking at her right now, but...we can still be friends, If I had known you had feelings for me Emily then...maybe things could have been different."

And Emily felt heartbroken as tears started flowing from her eyes as she returned the hug to Taylor and replied, I...It's ok lass, I should have told ya I had feelings for ya when I had the chance and now...I'm too late, like always, as long as yer happy with her then...I'm ok with us being friends and nothin' more."

Then Taylor felt bad for breaking Emily's heart as she walked away from her trying to hide her own tears, as Zoey walked over to Emily and said to her, "Don't worry about Taylor, Emily, she'll be fine. This has been hard on her too, look, why don't you stay and watch the Pokémon contest with me, it's the least I could do to try and make it up to you after you came all this way for Taylor."

Emily then wiped a few tears from her eyes as she looked at Zoey and smiled as she replied, "It's not your fault lass, ye just did what I didn't have the courage to do, I'd be glad to stay and watch the Pokémon contest with ya."

Later...

After Dawn had won her match against Kenny, she got to the backstage area as Taylor came over to her with a beaming smile on her face as she said, "Wow, that was amazing Dawn! I can't believe you beat a tough opponent like Kenny!" and Dawn giggled a little as she replied,

"Thanks, I can't wait to see who you are up against for your match Taylor, hopefully we can both make it to the finals together."

And Taylor smiled as she said, "Yeah, I would love to face you in the finals and go all out against each other." Then announcer on the screen backstage said,

"After Dawn's incredible win over Kenny in a hard fought battle, it's time for our next match which will be...she was the runner up in the Jubilife city contest, all the way from Twinleaf town...Taylor! and she will be facing a familiar face as it's none other than Floaroma town's very own Maxwell!"

Once Taylor found out who she was facing she smiled as she said, "I can't wait to see how much stronger Maxwell has become! Because I have gotten stronger too!" and Zoey also smiled as she stood next to Taylor and said,

"Wow, look at you kiddo, you faced off against Maxwell in the Jubilife city contest and it seems you two are fated to face each other again in the Eterna city contest."

Emily then smiled as she said, "Yeah, last time Taylor and Maxwell faced each other, Maxwell had the type advantage over Taylor even though he lost in the end, I wonder how things will play out this time?" and Taylor smiled at Emily as she replied,

"That's true, last time Maxwell had the type advantage when he faced off against my ChimChar with his Sharpedo, but I wonder what Pokémon he will use this time?"

Before Taylor then made her way towards the stage and she could hear the roar of the crowd as she held Riolu's Poke ball in her hand as she said to it with a smile on her face, "Well Ryu, I may be facing a familiar foe in Maxwell, but...as long as we trust each other and put our faith in each other nothing can stop us!"

To be continued...

A/N: I know I'm evil leaving this chapter on a cliff hanger but...a lot already happened in this chapter and I didn't want to overcrowd it with a Pokémon battle on top of everything else, but don't worry the next chapter will have plenty of action and Pokémon battles for y'all to sink your teeth into.