Here it is everyone, Serena's attempt at her final ribbon. I had to make a change to this. Since there has been plenty of pre-contest material taking place, I've decided to make this a two-part chapter.
I will provide you all a little apology gift for turning this into two parts, there WILL be a Pokémon evolution in this chapter. I'll let you know there will be a surprise at the end of this two-part chapter which could play a role a few chapters from now.
There is also going to be a note at the end of this chapter that explains something that has happened during the time I wrote this chapter.
I do not own Pokémon in any form or way
Cinnabar Island-Beach
It was the next day, after Ash, Serena, and Leaf booked themselves rooms at the Big Riddle Inn, they decided to eat and call it a night. They got a good night's rest and now a new day as arose. They had breakfast and after eating, they made their way towards the beach.
The group wanted to look for a vacant spot to practice on where there isn't anyone around, so they don't interfere with their time on the beach. They find a nice quiet spot about a quarter mile off of civilization.
Serena decided to work on her double performance appeal, and then she would work on double battles. Serena thought about it during the night and decided who she was going to use in her contest. She looked down at Pikachu and figured he could get a shot at a contest. He wasn't in any official action since the Vermillion Gym. Though he did partake in the battles for Princess Day, it wasn't a fully official competition unlike contests and gym battles.
All Serena needed to do was give Pikachu a partner, but who? Serena was thinking about it and Eevee has been one of her Pokémon that Pikachu has fond interest in. In fact he has a little crush on the Pokémon. Maybe spending time together will influence them on creating a better performance.
Then there was the battle rounds. Serena needed two Pokémon to fight together in the contest battles. She decided to give Delphox another shot, even though she just won her most recent contest. She wanted to give her new Kangaskhan a chance to shine, but being a double performance, Serena figured it would be best to work with a Pokémon who already has experience.
As for Ash, he had his own issues right now. While he wanted to get ready for his gym battle against Blaine, he couldn't challenge the gym leader if we wanted to. Not to mention he has no clue where the gym is. So for the time being, Ash decided to work on another ongoing issue. Ivysaur.
Ash pulled out Ivysaur's Pokeball and wondered what he was going to do with that Pokémon. Anytime he interacts with Ivysaur, he growls or tries to attack him. This happened ever since he evolved. Ash knew Ivysaur wasn't happy with his evolution, but how could he help him move forward?
Ash released his Ivysaur. The Seed Pokémon was feeling dreadful inside and once he saw Ash, it felt a whole lot worse.
"How are doing Ivysaur?" Ash asked.
"Saur," Ivysaur muttered.
It sounded like Ivysaur was saying something disgusting to Ash. This Pokémon has been feeling completely bitter for the past few weeks and chose to be miserable rather than get used to his evolution.
"Listen Ivysaur, all you've been doing for the last couple of days is acting vile towards everyone about your new evolution," Ash told Ivysaur.
"Ivysaur," Ivysaur growled.
"You refused to do anything and let your bitterness get the best of you. You nearly cost me my gym battle against Sabrina because you refused to battle due to this grudge you have against me," Ash explained.
Ivysaur then shot a Razor Leaf right at Ash, but he was quick enough to take cover. Leaf saw the leaves coming her way and she ducked right before the leaves could reach her. Leaf saw that the culprit was none other than Ivysaur.
"What's gotten into that Ivysaur?" Leaf asked frantically.
"His evolution. Ever since he evolved after Ash's gym battle in Fuchsia City, Ivysaur has become miserable and turned on Ash. Not to mention Ivysaur refused to battle against Sabrina when our lives were on the line," Serena explained as she took some shallow breaths remembering that moment.
Serena heard from Ash about what Ivysaur did during his gym battle with Sabrina. Leaf wonders why Ivysaur could act like this. When her Bulbasaur evolved into Ivysaur, he was happy, and the same went for when he evolved into Venusaur. So why was this Ivysaur miserable?
"Maybe I should give Ash a hand," Leaf said as she got up, "You just work on your contest training."
"Okay," Serena replied giving a nod from her head.
Ash got up as Leaf came in from behind while Serena ran off with Pikachu and Rotom Dex to another part of the beach leaving Ash with Leaf, Munchlax, and Ivysaur. Ash was starting to give Ivysaur a glare. How dare he try to attack him like that again. Leaf let out a sigh and crossed her arms.
"You've been having trouble with Ivysaur?" Leaf asked.
Ash's glare started to weaken as it was replaced with his head hanging down feeling disappointed. He has made no progress with Ivysaur.
"I have. I'm trying to help him get used to his evolution, but all he does is ignore me. When I keep trying, he just attacks me," Ash explained to Leaf, "I just have no idea what to do."
Leaf approached Ivysaur and knelt down to his level. She looked Ivysaur in the eyes and Ash noticed something. While his eyes still showed sadness, they didn't seem to carry that dagger feeling when he was looking at Ash.
"What do you know about this Ivysaur?" Leaf asked.
"Well I learned that a year before I found him, he was abandoned by another trainer because he wouldn't evolve," Ash stated.
Leaf was intrigued by that. Shouldn't be a surprise that there are selfish trainers like that out there.
"I figure the reason he was upset with evolving was that he wanted to prove how strong he was as a Bulbasaur. I didn't ask for him to evolve, it just happened," Ash explained.
"So you never wanted him to evolve?" Leaf asked.
"No, and he's been bitter at me because I didn't stop it," Ash answered.
Leaf pulled out Venusaur's Pokeball. Leaf smiled at her Pokeball figuring maybe talking to a Pokémon who's experienced the same form of evolution will help him understand.
"I say we let my Venusaur talk to your Ivysaur," Leaf suggested.
"Your Venusaur?" Ash questioned.
"Yeah, maybe the best way for Ivysaur to come to terms on his evolution is by speaking to someone who's experienced it. Since Venusaur is in the same evolutionary line as Ivysaur, he would be the best candidate because he experienced going from Bulbasaur to Ivysaur. Also, he might help him out for when he becomes a Venusaur himself," Leaf explained.
Leaf opened up her Pokeball and released her Venusaur. Leaf turned to her Venusaur and spoke to him.
"Alright Venusaur I want to listen to me," Leaf said as Venusaur turned his head towards Leaf, "That Ivysaur has been upset about evolving. I'd figure since you were a Bulbasaur yourself, why don't you talk to him and tell him the good things about evolving and help him understand everything there is to being an Ivysaur."
"Saur," Venusaur nodded.
Ash stepped away from Ivysaur and let Leaf's Venusaur speak to Ivysaur. The Seed Pokémon talked for about a couple of minutes about the pros of evolving and how it was a reward for a trainer that took the time for him rather than someone who only cares about strong Pokémon.
That conversation eventually went south as Ivysaur fired off a Razor Leaf at Venusaur. The Seed Pokémon stood his ground and took the blow, but he was getting infuriated. He tried to talk some sense into him, but Ivysaur charged right at him with a Take Down.
Leaf stood in shock as she saw her Venusaur get pushed back a couple of yards. Venusaur was amazed at how strong that Ivysaur was. He wasn't even that strong in his second stage.
"Wow, your Ivysaur is powerful," Leaf said in amazement.
"Yeah I can see. I didn't think there would be a way he could overpower your Venusaur," Ash said in shock
Ivysaur was growling at Venusaur. Trying to talk to him about the good things about being an Ivysaur rather than knowing how upset he was that he still wasn't a Bulbasaur.
"It still doesn't help Ivysaur's behavior," Ash sighed.
"This is going to be a lot harder than I thought," Leaf said shaking her head.
Another part of the beach
As Ash and Leaf struggle to work with Venusaur, Serena is busy getting prepared for her upcoming contest. She had Pikachu with her, and she was holding Eevee's Pokeball. Pikachu's eyes lit up when he saw that Great Ball.
"Alright Pikachu, I'm planning on having you in the appeal round of tomorrow's contest and since this is going to be a double performance, I got the perfect partner for you," Serena told Pikachu giving a wink.
Knowing that winking gesture from Serena, Pikachu knew who Serena was going to bring out and pair Pikachu with. Serena tossed her Great Ball up in the air and released Eevee. Eevee was wagging her tail happily when she saw Serena until she heard a voice.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu called out waving hi which caused Eevee to turn around.
"Avi!" Eevee chanted as she jumped up and down.
"Hey Eevee listen," Serena told Eevee.
Eevee turned around and looked at Serena. The Evolution Pokémon was happy right now that Pikachu was here. What Serena was about to say would make her happier.
"Listen, I was wondering since you like Pikachu so much, how about you two take the stage together for the appeal round tomorrow," Serena suggested.
"Avi," Eevee responded.
"You see, tomorrow's contest is going to be a double performance where I have to have two Pokémon out at the same time working together. I'm planning to have you and Pikachu give out an appeal while Delphox and Kangaskhan take part in the contest battles," Serena explained, "So you, me, and Pikachu are going to work together to come up with something to excite the crowd."
Eevee looked back at Pikachu and smiled. So she was going to get to take part in a contest with Pikachu. Eevee knew that in order to become a Sylveon, she would need to have a great affection level with Serena and letting her be in a contest with Pikachu was something that would help raise that affection a lot.
"Avi! Avi!" Eevee happily cheered as she jumped up and down.
"That's great, I knew you would love that," Serena said.
Eevee was feeling that affection as she ran up towards Pikachu. Now all they needed to do was to think of something. How could Pikachu and Eevee put on a show together?
Serena can recall that Pikachu has a variety of electric moves, but how could she get Eevee to benefit with those moves? Could she have Pikachu fire Thunderbolts across the stage and have Eevee jump over them? No, while it would show Eevee's playfulness, it wouldn't fully showcase Eevee's full potential.
Serena tried to recall the moves Eevee knew. Eevee knew Tackle, Charm, Quick Attack, Take Down, Baby-Doll Eyes, and Swift. How could she get Eevee to use those moves with Pikachu's abilities? Maybe Eevee can learn another move.
"What could I have you and Pikachu do?" Serena asked Eevee while she tapped her chin.
"Maybe I can see if there is any other moves Eevee can use," Rotom Dex said.
"You really think so?" Serena questioned.
"I can take a look into Eevee's analysis," Rotom Dex said as it started processing data on other moves Eevee could learn.
For the time being, Serena stood there trying to brain storm what Pikachu and Eevee can do with the attacks they already knew.
"Serena is that you?" a voice questioned.
Serena turned around when she heard that voice. It sounded familiar and it was a friendly voice. Serena smiled when she saw who was standing there right behind her.
It was her friendly rival Calem. It was a surprise for Serena to see him here, especially knowing he already had all five of his ribbons, not to mention it was nearly impossible for anyone to book reservations onto this island.
"Calem," Serena said in a warm voice, "Hi there!"
"It's nice to see you again," Calem said as he approached his good friend.
Serena and Calem each gave each other a high five and a firm handshake. Despite being rivals in the world of Pokémon contests, they have definitely proven to be great friends.
"So how are you doing?" Calem asked.
"Let my ribbon case answer that question for you," Serena answered as she pulled out her ribbon case.
Serena opened her case in front of Calem to show off her four ribbons. Calem was intrigued to know that Serena got another ribbon after her victory in Fuchsia City. Calem smiled while on the inside he gave a sigh. Why did he sigh on the inside, well she was going to find out soon, probably tomorrow.
"Impressive that you got four ribbons," Calem said.
"Yeah, it's a funny story how I got this fourth ribbon," Serena said.
She didn't want to tell Calem that she entered that contest in Saffron City because of an abduction from Team Rocket throwing off their travel plans for the better somehow. She would tell him that she had an interesting battle with Ash on stage to beat him for her fourth ribbon.
"Well after seeing how you man-handled Amelia in Fuchsia City, there's no doubt that fifth ribbon will have your name on it," Calem told Serena giving a thumbs up.
Serena's face grimaced when Calem brought that name up. Apparently Calem wasn't aware of the fact that same spoiled brat was here on Cinnabar Island competing in that same contest.
"Is something wrong?" Calem asked.
"Yeah…Amelia is here. She's competing in tomorrow's contest as well," Serena sighed.
"What, really?" Calem questioned as his eyes widened.
"Yeah, and she was not happy to see me again. She was pretty much being a sore loser over the last contest," Serena stated, "We ended up exchanging some words."
Calem shook his head in disbelief. Why is Amelia even competing in this contest? She already has the ribbons required to get in, so why should she be entering contests to add more ribbons to her collection? Let another coordinator have a shot at getting those ribbons so they have a chance and not hog them all for themselves.
"Well you won that contest with your honest hard work and having such a great Pokémon in Pinsir. I'm sure tomorrow you'll be able to pull the same thing off," Calem assured.
Serena smiled at Calem's comment. It was true that she won with her own hard work along with her Pokémon, and not pay someone to train them for her. She earned all four of her ribbons with an honest effort. She could just do it again. After all, she did win a double performance back in Celadon City.
"Thanks Calem," Serena replied.
Serena then turned back to Pikachu and Eevee to figure out what they were going to do. Serena then turned to Rotom Dex for ideas.
"Know anything other moves Eevee can learn?" Serena asked.
"Let me analyze," Rotom Dex answered as it did an analysis, "Well this is interesting."
"What is it?" Serena questioned.
"You won't believe what this Eevee knows," Rotom Dex said in a surprised tone.
1 hour later
As Ash and Leaf struggle with Ivysaur, Serena has Eevee try out the newly discovered move Rotom Dex spotted in its data. After trying out the move, Serena tried to figure out how Eevee could showcase that with Pikachu. Serena stood there brain storming ideas and tried them out.
After about an hour, she decided to give her Pokémon a break. But now she was a little further down the beach as she was going to practice with Delphox and Kangaskhan.
"Thanks for offering to be my opponent for this battle," Serena commented.
"You're welcome. I'd figure since you're still trying to get into the Grand Festival, maybe a mock contest battle with an experienced coordinator like myself could help you and your Pokémon," Calem explained, "Besides, you could be getting a preview of what to expect from me if we should face off. And if we do, don't expect to see the same stuff I pull out here."
Serena looked over and barely could see Ash and Leaf. They didn't even notice Calem was here since they were too fixated on Ivysaur. That troublesome Pokémon proved to be so much work.
Rotom Dex floated over towards the side as it was going to act as the judge of this battle. While this was a friendly mock contest battle, Serena did want to see how much Calem has improved. He was right, they could face off in the Grand Festival.
"This will be a mock contest battle between Serena Gabena and Calem Anderson! Each trainer will have five minutes to drop their opponents points to zero with a great display from their Pokémon," Rotom Dex announced.
Rotom Dex's screen showed pictures of Serena and Calem with the number 100 under each picture and a timer in the middle set for five minutes. Both coordinators prepared to send out their Pokémon.
"Chesnaught, Sandslash, go!" Calem called out sending out his Pokémon.
Two Pokémon came out of Calem's Pokeballs. One of them was a Sandslash but the other one Serena wasn't familiar with. This humanoid Pokémon was beige with a beige shell on his back that had green along the edges and spikes. His face was white and almost like he had facial hair, and he had a red nose and on his hands were brown bark like claws, and he had a tail too. Rotom Dex took the time to analyze this new Pokémon.
#652-Chesnaught: Spiny Armor Pokémon
Its Tackle is forceful enough to flip a 50-ton tank. It shields its allies from danger with its own body.
"So I take it this is Quilladin's final evolved form," Serena stated.
"It sure is," Calem confirmed as he crossed his arms.
"Alright then, now here's my Pokémon," Serena responded as she held her Pokeballs, "Delphox and Kangaskhan, lets go!"
Serena tossed her Pokeballs and they opened up to release Delphox and Kangaskhan. While Serena would love to beat Calem, her real objective was to see how Delphox and Kangaskhan could work together in battle.
"Begin!" Rotom Dex announced as the timer started counting down.
"Alright Sandslash use Sandstorm and Chesnaught, Spiky Shield!" Calem called out.
Sandslash started to whip up a Sandstorm and with the extra sand on the beach, there was even more sand. Chesnaught curled up and used Spiky Shield to protect himself from the pellets of sand. Calem smirked at his Sandslash because his Sand Veil ability gives him a better chance to evade attacks.
Delphox and Kangaskhan tried to hold their footing and withstand the sandstorm. It was hard to think of something with all of this sand blowing around. Serena lost a few points due to that.
"Now Chesnaught, turn that Spiky Shield into a Rollout!" Calem commanded.
Chesnaught formed into a ball and started to roll across the sandy beach. Delphox and Kangaskhan couldn't make sight of what was coming their way. The only thing Serena could do is have them protect themselves.
"Kangaskhan, jump behind Delphox! And Delphox use Light Screen!" Serena called out.
Kangaskhan jumped out of the way and right behind Delphox. The Fox Pokémon started to use Light Screen as Chesnaught was coming closer. The Spiny Armor Pokémon slammed into Delphox's Light Screen stopping Chesnaught in the process, but they forgot about Sandslash.
"Sandslash use Earthquake!" Calem commanded.
Sandslash jumped up into the air while Chesnaught was trying to charge through the Light Screen, and Sandslash landed on the ground sending in vibrations to the ground. The ground shook up causing Delphox and Kangaskhan to lose their footing and concentration.
"Now Chesnaught, use Wood Hammer!" Calem retorted.
Chesnaught broke through the weakening Light Screen and smacked Delphox with a Wood Hammer. Despite it being weak against Delphox, the sudden surprise and loss of concentration caused Delphox to lose her guard and sent her flying right into Kangaskhan which caused both of them to fly back.
Kangaskhan was laying on her back with Delphox laying on top of her. Thankfully Kangaskhan was the bigger Pokémon, because if it were the other way around, this could've resulted in a knockout. Serena lost a huge chunk of points to that.
"Good work guys!" Calem called out.
Serena gritted her teeth and her Pokémon barely got any action, and Calem already worked out a game plan that worked in his favor. Serena needed to figure out how she can get these two Pokémon to work together. Not to mention there was also that Sandstorm going on.
Then something came to Serena's attention, if a Pokémon should use another weather-related attack, then the effects of the previous weather could be canceled out. Serena made the call, just to get one thing out of the way.
"Delphox use Sunny Day!" Serena called out.
Delphox jumped off of her feet and used Sunny Day. The Sandstorm started to suddenly die down and it was replaced with a clear sky and intense sunshine. Not only was Sandslash's Sandstorm gone, but Delphox got a boost in her fire-type attacks.
"So you cancelled out Sandstorm, then I'll just fix that," Calem called out, "Sandslash use Sandstorm again!
"I don't think so, Delphox use Psychic!" Serena commanded.
In the blink of a second, Delphox surrounded Sandslash with a blue aura to stop him in place. There was no way she was going to let Sandslash create another Sandstorm, and now Calem lost some points.
"Allow me to fix that, Chesnaught use Body Slam on Delphox!" Calem called out.
"No way," Serena muttered as she saw Kangaskhan get back up, "Kangaskhan use Headbutt!"
Chesnaught was coming at Delphox and jumped up into the air ready to crush Delphox, but Kangaskhan intercepted the attack with her own head. The Parent Pokémon used Headbutt in the torso area of Chesnaught causing him to fly back a couple of yards.
Calem was now in a sense of worry as Chesnaught was now laying on his back. His shell-like back is causing him to wiggle around, but he did have long enough legs and arms to have them touch the ground but finding the force to turn around on his front would take a couple of seconds which in a battle can prove to be vital.
"Use Stomp!" Serena retorted to her Kangaskhan.
Kangaskhan charged over to the Spiny Armor Pokémon and placed her foot onto torso at the force of a crusher. Chesnaught's back was now sunk into the sand leaving him completely stuck.
As Calem lost more points, he looked around seeing his Chesnaught stuck in the sand, and Sandslash caught in Delphox's Psychic. He was trying to figure out what he could do as Serena felt a little relieved that this battle took a better turn.
"Now Delphox, turn that Psychic into a Flamethrower!" Serena called out.
That may be it! Delphox probably hasn't learned to use multiple attacks yet. As her grip on Sandslash weakened, Calem saw an opportunity to help his teammate.
"Sandslash hurry use Quick Attack to get to Chesnaught and then use Crush Claw to throw him up!" Calem retorted.
Sandslash felt the grip of Psychic weakening. Delphox pulled out her stick and unleashed a monstrous Flamethrower, but Sandslash evaded the attack at the last minute.
"What the," Serena stuttered.
Sandslash's claw started to glow and was aimed at Chesnaught's back. He thrusted his claw upward and hurled the Spiny Armor Pokémon into the air. Chesnaught flipped in the air a couple of times while Calem used this as a chance to attack.
"Now Sandslash, use Gyro Ball!" Calem retorted.
Sandslash's claws generated a grey ball and directed it at Kangaskhan. Kangaskhan's eyes widened as he and the child saw the attack come right at them. Kangaskhan was sent flying right at Delphox.
Serena's eyes widened as she saw what was happening, not to mention she lost more points.
"Hurry Delphox, use Psychic to stop…" Serena called out before she paused.
It was too late as Kangaskhan landed on top on Delphox. The Fox Pokémon was completely stuck and was likely knocked out. Rotom Dex couldn't make a call as Chesnaught landed on his feet.
"Now Chesnaught, use Hammer Arm!" Calem called out.
Chesnaught made a run towards Kangaskhan who was still laying on her back, and the Spiny Armor Pokémon wanted her to pay for what she just did to him a second ago. With all of his might, Chesnaught slammed his arm right at Kangaskhan's head which caused her to flip over and knock her out.
As Kangaskhan flipped over knocked out, Delphox was seen laying on the ground not moving at all. The Fox Pokémon was completely knocked out as well. Rotom Dex made the call putting an X over Serena's picture.
"Both Delphox and Kangaskhan cannot continue! The winner of this mock contest battle is Calem!" Rotom Dex announced as the screen showed a picture of Calem with the words WINNER underneath.
Serena looked at both of her Pokémon and sighed. These two Pokémon did a good for part of the battle, but it was going to be a challenge getting them to work together. Delphox fared well with Wartortle back when they were Braixen and Squirtle, but that's because he had some contest experience. Kangaskhan was still fairly new to the group.
She wanted to win this contest and beat Amelia yet again, but it was tough to figure out how these two Pokémon could work together. She wondered if this was a good pair up for the upcoming contest. But she made her mind clear that this was what she wanted as she needed to figure out a way for Kangaskhan to get some contest experience.
"You did a good job Serena," Calem complemented.
"Really?" Serena questioned.
"Yeah, sure it looked ugly on your side, but you and your Pokémon made an effort," Calem commented.
"Thanks, but I don't know if this will be enough," Serena sighed.
"Hey, who has four ribbons and is one ribbon away from the Grand Festival?" Calem questioned as he had his hands on his hips.
"Um…me," Serena answered.
"Exactly. So when work hard and win four contests, that's saying you're a legitimate coordinator," Calem stated.
"Thanks, I just don't know if having Delphox and Kangaskhan battling together would be a good idea," Serena said, "I mean I should be set with Pikachu and Eevee, but it almost feels like Delphox and Kangaskhan are a mismatch."
"But you're still doing better than Amelia," Calem complemented as he quietly said the next sentence in front of her face, "Because you're actually working together rather than paying someone to do it for you."
Serena smiled at that comment Calem made. It didn't make her feel completely sure about herself, but it did reflect that at least she was being honest with her work. She looks over at Kangaskhan and Delphox who were getting up. Sure there were some issues working together, but they gave it their all in that practice battle. That was showing that they cared for Serena.
"I can see where you're going with this," Serena said, "Maybe I just need to give them a little more time and we can pull this off, together."
Serena had a smile on her face. Sure Delphox and Kangaskhan weren't completely tangible, but she was willing to make it work. Serena went over to Kangaskhan and rubbed her back.
"You did great Kangaskhan," Serena kindly said as she returned the Parent Pokémon, "Take a break, you earned it."
Serena then approached Delphox and knelt to her level. Delphox opened her eyes with a sad smile. She figured that she let her down and didn't do great with Kangaskhan.
"You were amazing out there, but you and Kangaskhan could use a little more work," Serena said as she returned Delphox, "Rest up for a bit and then we can resume our training."
"So where's Ash?" Calem asked as that just came up to him.
Serena then looked on over the direction she came from. She can recall that her boyfriend and Leaf were spending some time on Ivysaur. Since she was taking a break, she could check in on them.
"Oh, he's a little further down on the beach," Serena answered, "Would you like to see him?"
"He's your boyfriend so of course," Calem giggled.
"Alright, follow me," Serena said as she gestured Calem down the beach.
5 minutes later
Ash and Leaf were starting to back away from Ivysaur. The Seed Pokémon was becoming more hostile. While Leaf had her Venusaur speak to Ivysaur, he wasn't reaching out to him and proved to attack him more. They tried to peacefully talk to Ivysaur, but it got nowhere.
Ash was almost feeling like he was wasting his time. While he could be preparing for his next gym battle, he spent most of his time working on what he fears could be a hopeless situation. Ivysaur was completely miserable and would get aggressive on anyone who tried to show him kindness. This evolution took an emotional toll on him.
"He won't listen to us or Venusaur," Leaf muttered.
Munchlax looked over to his pseudo dad and then back to Ivysaur. Munchlax was mumbling to himself how dare Ivysaur treats Ash like that. Munchlax marched on over towards Ivysaur and stood there with his hands on his hips.
"Munchlax don't," Ash called out.
"Munchlax!" Munchlax exclaimed.
Ivysaur glared at Munchlax. Munchlax was getting sick on how Ivysaur was treating everyone.
"Look, I'm sorry you evolved but have no Arceus damn reason to make everyone miserable as you are! Just adjust to what you've become and move on!" Munchlax argued.
Then Ivysaur charged at Munchlax with a Take Down sending him flying. Ash gasped and caught Munchlax in his arms where the force allowed him to take a tumble. Ash was getting reluctant that he may have to send Charmeleon out to calm him down, but he didn't have it within him to attack Ivysaur. Despite how upset he was, he was still his friend and Ash didn't want to retort to attacking his friend.
"Ash let's just call Ivysaur back for today. Nothing seems to be working right now," Leaf sighed.
Ash looked at Ivysaur and his upsetting look. All he did was attack when someone tried to help. He didn't know how to get through to him. Maybe it would be best to take a break.
With that, Ash got Ivysaur's Pokeball and returned him. He clipped the Pokeball back on his belt and sadly looked at it. What was it going to take to finally get to him.
"Ash," a voice called out.
Ash and Leaf turned around to see that it was Serena. His frown turned into a smile when he saw Calem next to her. So he was here on Cinnabar Island too.
"Serena…and Calem," Ash said.
"Hey there Ash, how are you," Calem commented.
"I'm doing okay," Ash sheepishly said.
Serena looked around and saw Leaf and Munchlax, but Ivysaur was nowhere to be seen. Serena went up to Ash's face.
"So where's Ivysaur?" Serena asked quietly.
"We weren't getting anywhere right now, so I returned him and giving in for today," Ash answered quietly, "I just don't know what to do."
Serena let out a sigh in front of Ash. She knew how hard this was for him. Ivysaur has been on such a bad streak lately, and they wonder when it would get better.
Leaf looked at the boy as she never saw him before. While Ash and Serena have met him on a few occasions such as Viridian City, Vermillion City, and most recently Fuchsia City, Leaf has never met him.
"So Serena, who's this?" Leaf asked gesturing towards Calem.
"Oh my bad, you've haven't met him yet," Serena said, "This is Calem and he's a Pokémon coordinator just like me. Calem, this is Leaf."
Serena introduced Calem to Leaf. So this was one of Serena's rivals in the contest world. Leaf walked on over and shook Calem's hand.
"It's nice to meet you, I'm one of Ash's and Serena's closest friends," Leaf said while shaking his hand.
"Pleasure to meet you too Leaf," Calem said shaking Leaf's hand, "It's kind of surprising that the number of times I've met them, they've never mentioned anything about you."
Serena rubbed the back of her head. Despite being a friendly rival, she didn't know him long enough to talk about her friends just yet. But now after four meetings which all have been good, it was time for him to learn about their friends.
"It's alright, I think they just needed time to know the friends they make from traveling to share their lives," Leaf stated, "As for myself, I'm traveling around to meet every Pokémon there is so I can complete the Pokedex."
"Ah, a big traveler I see," Calem said.
"A feisty one," Leaf said with a wink.
Calem was starting to blush. Was Leaf trying to turn him on or something? Leaf then let out a giggle.
"Calem, I wasn't trying to get to flirt with you. It was just a way to show how ambitious I am of seeing every Pokémon out there," Leaf stated.
"Oh," Calem said with a sweat coming to his forehead.
Serena giggled at Leaf's comment, but she also went into some thought. Did Calem ever happen to meet someone he could consider to be his mate like Ash was to her? Ash and Serena have met their fair share of people, but could Calem have ever seen someone that could be special to him, or did he not meet her yet?
"So what are you doing here Calem?" Ash asked.
"Well, tomorrow is the Cinnabar Island Pokémon Contest and I want to watch the coordinators compete so I can study them just in case any of them are competing in the Grand Festival," Calem explained.
"Ah interesting, you always should study your opponent just in case you square off against them," Leaf said raising a finger until something struck her, "You said you're a rival of Serena's, is that correct?"
"Correct," Calem answered.
"Then why are you watching the contest rather than competing in it?" Leaf asked.
"That's an easy question," Calem answered as he reached into his pocket.
He got out his ribbon case and then turned his back towards everyone. It looked like he was picking something out and placing it in his pocket. He knew Serena would eventually find out about this. It's not that he wanted to hide something horrible, it's just he wasn't sure if she knew and if she didn't, she wouldn't think about it for right now.
Calem then pulled out his ribbon case showing all five Kanto ribbons in his case. Ash and Serena have already seen those ribbons and Leaf looked at them in awe. Ash put his hand on his hip hoping his girlfriend could complete her collection tomorrow.
"You got all five ribbons," Leaf said in amazement.
"Yes I do," Calem proudly stated.
"Calem will be competing in the Grand Festival this year, and I hope to join him tomorrow in being eligible," Serena said.
"Yeah," Calem nervously said as he changed mood, "And I was just helping her recently."
"You did," Ash said.
"Yes, she and Calem had a mock contest battle together, but Calem won," Rotom Dex confirmed but then let out a sad sigh.
"Yeah, I got some work to do with Kangaskhan and Delphox," Serena told everyone as she looked at Pikachu and Eevee, "I'm giving them a break right now, but in a little bit I'm going to work on my routine with Pikachu and Eevee."
Serena looked at Pikachu and even felt a wiggle from Eevee's Pokeball. It appears Eevee was looking forward to another training session with Pikachu.
"Delphox and Kangaskhan need some time working together, and so I can learn more of Kangaskhan's moves. Hopefully, they'll be ready by tomorrow," Serena stated, "And after I take a nice break, I'm going to have Pikachu and Eevee get some more work in."
"That sounds like a good idea, a break is something you probably need," Leaf stated.
"Yeah," Ash muttered as he could use a break from Ivysaur.
Later in the evening
The group continued to chat for the next hour before getting back to training where decided to train with his Pokémon while Serena continued to work on her appeal with Pikachu and Eevee. Eevee's newly discovered move might give Serena a big boost in tomorrow's contest.
The group went out for dinner and then went back to the Big Riddle Inn. They asked the mysterious hotel manager if Calem could join them, and he agreed. There was nowhere on the island where Calem could lodge for one night.
Right now Serena was out alone on the beach. While she got work in for her appeal, she was now working with Delphox and Kangaskhan in battling together. Aside from Headbutt and Stomp, Kangaskhan also knew Focus Energy, Mega Punch, and Mega Kick. Those seem to be two moves that could be useful for the upcoming contest.
Serena was rubbing the temples on her head. How could she get Delphox and Kangaskhan to present a combination that can be both effective and dazzling?
"You guys are doing great, I'm just not sure what combinations we can come up with," Serena sighed.
Delphox and Kangaskhan looked at their trainer and friend. The baby within Kangaskhan was looking at Serena too. While it was her mother that would be doing the work with Delphox, she was still part of her and wished for a way to help.
The baby waved her arms, but the mother groaned at her telling her that she was too little to help. The baby looked down sadly. Then Delphox and Kangaskhan were talking with each other on what they could do.
"What are you two talking about?" Serena asked.
Delphox and Kangaskhan continued talking, and then they had an idea. Delphox used her Psychic attack on Kangaskhan but kept it light so she didn't hurt Kangaskhan or the cute baby in the pouch.
"What are you doing Delphox?" Serena questioned as she was curious.
Delphox lifted Kangaskhan in mid-air. Serena was a little worried for Kangaskhan as Delphox was using Psychic to lift her up. Then Kangaskhan was flung forward with her reaching her arm out and using Mega Punch. Kangaskhan was freed from the psychic grip and she landed on her feet.
Serena was kind of impressed by Delphox's antics. She had to remember that while Psychic was an offensive attack, it could still do wonders for her ally Pokémon like giving Kangaskhan the support to charge in and attack while floating in mid-air.
"I have to say, that looked rather impressive," Serena complemented.
It looked like there may be something to work on with these two Pokémon after all. Serena gave out a big smile as she might have something that could help.
"Alright you two, I think there might be a combination we can try working on," Serena commented, "Do you want to practice what you just did?"
"Delphox," Delphox confirmed.
"Kangaskhan," Kangaskhan confirmed.
"Roo," the baby roo confirmed.
"That's great, alright now let's spend the next thirty minutes trying to perfect this technique. If we don't perfect it, then let's hope it's good enough for the contest," Serena said to her Pokémon.
Little did Serena know a familiar man was watching her interact with her Pokémon. It was Chad, Amelia's personal trainer. Chad was out to do some last-minute training with Amelia's Pokémon, but he got interested with how she was talking with her Pokémon and encouraging them.
This was why he loved his job as a Pokémon breeder. He got the joy not only to make the Pokémon look at their best but get the chance to know them so he could help them feel their best. Serena was no breeder, but her Pokémon enjoyed being with her.
Sometimes, he wished that Amelia could see the joy in being with her Pokémon, but he couldn't say anything because he didn't want to suffer any consequences from his client. Sure he loves his job, but he still needs the money to take care of himself and he already has suffered a pay cut for losing one contest.
Chad even starts to think that he might be training his own Pokémon rather than Amelia's. Not to mention when she does win a contest, Amelia doesn't thank him. He gets the money, but not recognition.
The Next Day
Cinnabar Island-Contest Hall
It was the day of the contest, and people were gathering around the contest hall to watch. This wasn't an ordinary contest hall, this one actually looked to only have a front as it was just a building. On the other side were seats along with a big board and the contest stage was surrounded by water. There was no roof as the whole contest was meant to take place outside in the sunshine of Cinnabar Island.
Waiting Area
Serena was in the coordinators dressing room as she was getting into her contest attire. While she was wearing her usual outfit and shoes and had her hair styled as always, there was one subtraction to her outfit.
She wasn't wearing her black pantyhose.
Since the contest stage was outside in the sun, Serena decided not to wear her black pantyhose because the heat would absorb them and cause Serena to get more exhausted and uncomfortable in the sun. She didn't have another color pantyhose, so she had to just go with her bare legs.
Other than that, Serena was rather confident as she was ready for this contest. The Grand Festival was approaching and there weren't many contests remaining. It was reported after this contest, the circuit would make its final run of the year in the Kanto Region. That meant after today, only eight contests would remain this year. Serena however wanted to get that final ribbon today.
"That last ribbon is in my sight, I know we can win this," Serena said to herself in the mirror.
"No you won't peasant," a familiar voice spat.
Serena turned her head and saw a face that disgusted her. It was Amelia who flipped her hair as she walked by and glazed at the honey-blonde coordinator.
"What makes you think you're going to win?" Serena questioned, "I'm just going to beat you again."
"Oh please, the last contest was a completely fluke. I don't know what happened there, but I made sure Chad did double overtime with the training. This time my Pokémon are now trained well to NOT lose!" Amelia ranted.
"You really think your personal breeder is going to be the reason you win. It wasn't last time, and I can prove it!" Serena ranted as she stomped her foot.
Serena wasn't going to let Amelia have her way. Last night, she trained hard with Delphox and Kangaskhan to work together. They found a few combinations that could work in their favor, and what better person to use them on than Amelia's Pokémon.
"Good luck," Amelia uttered.
Amelia walked away from Serena as all she could do was look on. Right now Serena needed to keep her mind off Amelia and focus on the contest. She could worry about her when they face each other on stage.
Contest Hall-Main Stage
There were many people sitting outside in the hot sun for this contest. Some people were wearing sunhats and sunglasses. Ash, Leaf, and Calem all sat together with Pikachu, Munchlax, and Rotom Dex. The heat and intense sun didn't bother them as they were too focused on rooting for Serena.
Ash was feeling Munchlax's hand as he was tugging his pant leg. Ash looked over at Munchlax and gave him a disapproving look.
"No Munchlax, I'm not getting you any cotton candy," Ash told Munchlax.
"Munch," Munchlax sighed sadly as he slouched in his seat.
Then Lillian was making her way to the stage with Mr. Contesta, Mr. Suziko, and Nurse Joy right behind her. Lillian was her usual energetic self as she fired up the crowd.
"Thank you ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Cinnabar Island Pokémon Contest! Today we got thirty talented coordinators taking the stage for all of you to give you a great show!" Lillian announced.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause as Lillian began her usual introductions of the judges. All three judges gave their comment from Mr. Contesta hoping for great performances, Mr. Suziko saying he'll see great performances with his usual "remarkable" said in every sentence, and Nurse Joy hoping all the Pokémon are healthy and well.
"And now everyone, the show is about to begin! Give it up for our first coordinator of the day, Amelia!" Lillian announced as she introduced Amelia.
Amelia flipped her hair and waved to everyone in the stage with a big smirk. Chad was sitting there completely nervous about Amelia messing up. He has been that way since Serena beat her in Fuchsia City.
Ash, Leaf, Calem, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex narrowed their eyes at the raven-haired coordinator. They were not fond of her not only because she hasn't trained her Pokémon honestly, but how she treats Serena. Munchlax also glared at Amelia, he didn't like how he treated his daddy's girlfriend.
"Well, she's up first," Ash muttered.
"You know what would be cool, if some big blonde guy came up on stage and farted in front of her face, and he had a sarcastic friend saying he must've had burritos for breakfast," Rotom Dex said as it was thinking about a misfortune that could bestow on Amelia, "And that sarcastic friend of his is dating a lawyer."
"I wouldn't count on that happening because it doesn't feel like it makes sense," Calem told Rotom Dex, "I wished she were exposed for her methods of winning contests."
"I wish Pokémon attacks somehow dissolved all of her clothes on stage including her bra and underwear," Leaf quietly said to herself as she giggled to that unlikely scenario ever happening.
Amelia was holding her two Pokeballs in her hands. Serena was in the waiting area watching Amelia on TV along with the other participating coordinators. Serena wanted to see what she, or should she say Chad, had in store for them.
"Now, Espeon and Dragonair, take the stage!" Amelia announced as she released her Pokémon.
Emerging from the Pokeballs were her Espeon and her Shiny Dragonair. These two Pokémon were familiar with the group as these were the Pokémon she used in her last contest with Espeon being her appeal Pokémon and Dragonair being her battle Pokémon.
Serena was watching on TV as she knew those Pokémon as well, but it was Dragonair she was more familiar with as she went up against the Dragon Pokémon.
"Dragonair, use Rain Dance," Amelia commanded.
The gem on Dragonair's head glowed as he summoned a giant rain cloud. This actually gave the audience needed relief from the sun as Dragonair allowed it to rain on stage and around the entire hall. Some people were embracing the rain while others tried to shield themselves from it.
"Jump into the air Dragonair and Espeon, get on top of him!" Amelia told the two Pokémon.
Dragonair made a majestic leap into the air with Espeon hopping on his neck area, and it was a perfect landing. It was amazing to see how Espeon nailed the landing on a moving Dragonair.
"Dragonair use Dragon Dance and Espeon use Swift!" Amelia commanded.
Dragonair continued to leap in the air, but at a much faster pace while Espeon unleased a series of stars across the stage until Amelia called out the next command.
"Psychic!" Amelia retorted.
Espeon used Psychic on the stars to hold them in place while Dragonair finished his Dragon Dance. Espeon did not fall off of Dragonair at all, in fact she didn't lose her balance.
"Aqua Tail followed by Sunny Day!" Amelia called out.
Espeon jumped off of Dragonair as he started to whip all of the stars with his Aqua Tail. The stars dissolved into blue sparkles with water drops while Espeon summoned the sunlight once more with Sunny Day. As soon as all of stars were obliterated on que, the sun came out with one more call from Amelia.
"Morning Sun," Amelia said as she snapped her fingers.
Espeon glowed white in the majestic sunlight as the water sparkles came falling down with Dragonair making a perfect landing. Amelia, Espeon, and Dragonair gave a bow to the audience to inform their performance was complete as the crowd erupted in applause.
"Wow, such a graceful performance by Espeon and Dragonair. The two were absolutely in sync and even gave the crowd something that could make them happy!" Lillian announced.
"I hate to admit it, but that was pretty good," Calem confessed.
"Even though that probably wasn't her work," Ash questioned.
"Yeah," Calem muttered.
Calem looked down and remembered that breeder who has trained her Pokémon. He wonders to himself if maybe Chad himself should become a Pokémon coordinator since he has created all that talent with Amelia's Pokémon.
The judges gave appraising complements while Serena looked at the TV with her eyes completely focused on Amelia and her Pokémon. While it wasn't her work, it was definitely something that could make her a dangerous opponent.
"Now stick around as we have many more performances to give all of you!" Lillian announced, "Now let's bring out our next coordinator."
Many appeals later
More coordinators took the stage and gave out their double performances with their Pokémon. Some were good while others were just alright, but sadly no one was able to top the performance by Amelia and her Pokémon.
Now Serena was taking the stage as she was the last coordinator.
"And now ladies and gentlemen, lets give it up for our final contestant. Serena!" Lillian announced as Serena made her way to the stage.
The crowd erupted in applause and cheer as Serena took the stage. She had both Pikachu and Eevee on her side figuring it would be better to present both Pokémon since Pikachu doesn't go in a ball and she didn't want Eevee to be left out. Serena didn't search the crowd for her boyfriend or the others, but she assured herself that they were cheering her on.
Pikachu and Eevee jumped forward as the two began.
"Eevee use Swift! Pikachu use Agility!" Serena called out.
Eevee started to shoot out stars across the stage while Pikachu used his Agility to boost his speed and avoid those stars.
"Pikachu, Electro Ball!" Serena commanded.
Pikachu whipped up and Electro Ball and thanks to his high speed, it got a lot bigger and covered all of those stars up. The Electro Ball was well control that it kept the stars from Eevee's Swift inside. Now Serena smirked as she called out her next move. This was a move that Rotom Dex helped discover and Serena found a way for Eevee to showcase it.
"Eevee…Weather Ball!" Serena commanded.
Ash was astonished when he heard Serena say that. Since when did Eevee learn Weather Ball? Must've been from yesterday's training.
Eevee started to form a clear sphere, but all of a sudden that sphere turned red. Serena knew this would happen from the sunshine brought to Cinnabar Island. Eevee shot her flaming Weather Ball inside the Electro Ball and Serena and her Pokémon were quick to their next course of action.
"Quick Attack on that ball both of you!" Serena hollered.
Pikachu and Eevee jumped into action together and charged right into the flaming electric ball. Then at that exact same moment…
"Eevee, Charm!" Serena retorted.
The force of their Quick Attack caused a majestic fiery explosion, but with a little help from Eevee's Charm, not only did it reduce the blast to majestic red, yellow, and pink sparks with stars, but it also weakened the power of the attack so that it didn't do much damage to them or others.
Pikachu and Eevee then front flipped onto the stage on all fours. The love put into that performance made Eevee appreciate Serena even more as she was so happy to be on stage with Pikachu. That's when a big surprise took place.
Eevee began to glow white and change form. Pikachu, Serena, Lillian, the judges, and everyone in the audience were amazed with what was going on with Eevee. After Eevee finished glowing, she was replaced with a light whitish pink creature with baby doll blue eyes, a bow on her neck with feelers, and pink on her tips of her ears, feet, and tail.
Without a warning, the newly evolved Eevee…no Sylveon opened her mouth and sent out a pink sound wave that dissolved the last of the sparks and turned them into sparkles. Without the guidance of Serena, Sylveon gave the audience a great grand finale.
The crowd roared in applause of not only that amazing performance, but Eevee's evolution. Serena didn't give a bow; she was standing there shocked realizing what just happened. Her Eevee just evolved during her appeal round.
"This is amazing performance! Not only did these two Pokémon come together to give us an amazing display of strength from each other, but it rewards Serena with one of her Pokémon evolving in the process! This is a special treat for everyone watching today, including us!" Lillian announced.
The group looked on in astonishment. Eevee just evolved right during the appeal round. No one saw that coming.
"Eevee evolved into Sylveon," Calem said.
"Sylveon?" Leaf questioned.
"Yes, one of Eevee's eight evolutions. When an Eevee has a great level of affection for their trainer and knows a fairy-type move, Eevee will evolve into Sylveon," Calem explained.
Ash and Rotom Dex were surprised by this. They knew Serena only had Eevee for a short amount of time, but they didn't expect her to gain a level of affection so quickly to evolve. Rotom Dex would share Sylveon's data, but not until they met with Serena.
Contest Hall-Waiting Area
Serena ran back into the waiting area with lots of glee. She gave Pikachu and Sylveon a big hug for such a great performance. But Serena was most impressed with Sylveon when she evolved.
"You guys were amazing," Serena complemented as she hugged them and then turned to Sylveon, "But you Eevee, I'm most impressed with you. You evolved right on stage."
Sylveon bowed to Serena and smiled while Serena started to pet her feelers. Serena wasn't sure what this Pokémon was, but she knew this was one of Eevee's many evolutions. That evolution was uncalled for, but Sylveon handled it like a pro and continued the routine. Maybe Serena might want to prepare for that scenario again in the future.
"Impressive, but not impressive enough," a voice called out.
Serena turned around to see Amelia standing there with her arms crossed. She had a stern look on her face.
"I don't care what you think, my Pokémon did great," Serena protested.
"Yeah, but my performance was better. The judges might give you more points because they were wowed by the evolution," Amelia spat.
"At least I was there when my Eevee evolved," Serena retorted, "We're you there when your Eevee evolved into Espeon?"
"I was out getting a manicure. Chad was working on routines when suddenly Eevee evolved into Espeon. When that happened, I gave him a bonus for the lucky evolution," Amelia answered, "It increased my chances of winning contests."
"You weren't there when your OWN Pokémon evolved because of a manicure and that you were simply happy that your chances of winning a contest went up because of that. That shows how much you care about your Pokémon," Serena spat.
This girl seems despicable. She was out for a manicure when her Pokémon evolved and all she did was give her specialist a bonus, and all she could think about was getting a higher chance of winning rather than be proud of her Pokémon. Not to mention since Eevee evolves into Espeon by happiness, it must've been the happiness Chad gave her.
"Well, looks like you're not cut out to be top coordinator. Your four ribbons are a fluke, and my money has won every single one of them. Something you don't have," Amelia said as she walked away, "I must take my leave. Save your anger for when you lose to me. And you will this time, that contest was fixed, and I'll make sure this one isn't."
Serena just couldn't stand this rich girl. She just treats her Pokémon has objects to help her gain glory in contests. She didn't consider her to be an actual coordinator. That specialist seems to be at least half, or a coordinator more than she is.
Serena then took a deep breath and looked at back at Pikachu and Sylveon. Her thoughts of what Amelia said instantly vanished when she looked at them. Serena smiled as she can remember that she worked together with her Pokémon and was there for them for all of their achievements. The only thing she wasn't there for was when Braixen evolved into Delphox, but there was a defendable reason behind that.
"I shouldn't think about what she says. We're better than her and we can prove it to her. We're a team," Serena told Pikachu and Sylveon.
"Pikachu," Pikachu replied.
"Sylveon," Sylveon replied.
"Serena!" a voice called out.
Serena turned around to see that it was Ash, Leaf, Calem, Rotom Dex, and Munchlax. All of them came over to congratulate Serena on her great performance.
"Hey guys, did you see me," Serena said.
"We sure did Serena. We even saw Eevee evolve," Ash said looking over at Eevee, "Congratulations Eevee."
"Sylveon," Sylveon replied.
"Oh, just for a refresher, what did Eevee evolve into?" Serena asked as Rotom Dex presented the data on Sylveon.
#700-Sylveon: Interwining Pokémon
By releasing enmity-erasing waves from its ribbonlike feelers, Sylveon stops any conflict.
"Oh Sylveon," Serena happily chirped, "Congratulations once again."
"Syl," Sylveon replied.
"Let me just tell you, I say among the real coordinators, you had the best performance among everyone out there," Calem said giving a thumbs up.
"Thanks Calem," Serena commented.
"Hey guys, Lillian's on TV," Rotom Dex pointed as Lillian appeared.
The group looked on at the TV along with the rest of the competing coordinators. Amelia stood there looking at the TV and smirked.
"Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your patience, we are now going to present the eight coordinators who will advance to the second round of this contest. To the eight coordinators competing, remember this will be a double performance meaning you will have to use the two Pokémon you've selected for all the battles," Lillian announced.
The screen was now coming down as Serena looked on nervously. There were some pretty great performances today so she might have some competition.
The screen was now showing pictures of the eight coordinators moving on to the next round with Amelia coming out at number one. Another coordinator appeared on screen until Serena's face came up third. Serena's face lit up with excitement as the rest of the coordinators appeared on screen. Serena passed the appeal round.
"Third best performance! Way to go guys!" Serena exclaimed as she gave Pikachu and Sylveon a big hug.
"You should be hugging them, they're the ones who got you this win," Leaf said.
"Alright guys, you did your part. Now I'm going to leave it to Delphox and Kangaskhan," Serena replied.
Serena did feel a little nervous about the contest double battles. While Pikachu and Eevee looked to be in sync, Delphox and Kangaskhan seemed questionable. She made a commitment to having those two take the stage for the battles, and she was going to stick by it. She did give them some training together, but was it going to be enough.
"Now ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention as we will show you the matchups for round two!" Lillian announced as the pictures started to shuffle.
The pictures were randomly being shuffled all over the screen and then a bracket was shown. Amelia was on the far left against an unknown boy as she would have her battle first. Serena did give a sigh of relief as she was on the far right facing off against an unknown girl in the last battle. At least she didn't have to face Amelia in the first round this time.
"At least you don't have to face Amelia first," Calem smiled.
"I know, but I will have to face her eventually," Serena sighed.
The scenario did show that if these two were to win their contest battles, they would meet on the final stage. Serena wanted to put Amelia in her place again, but she also wants to stick to her beliefs on the Pokémon she wants to use.
Calem looked at Serena with a little worry. She probably wasn't going to be in a good mood at the end of the day. He was keeping something from her unsure if she knew, but if she won today, she would find out. Right now, he was going to root for her to beat that rich girl a second time.
With her final ribbon on the line, Serena Gabena was determined not to lose.
That concludes part one of the Cinnabar Island Pokémon Contest. This chapter featured lots of pre-contest material and the appeal rounds. Ivysaur is still upset about his evolution, and let's just say a turn for the worse is coming in for Ivysaur.
I do feel like it could've happened too soon but believe it…Eevee has evolved into Sylveon!
Don't worry Charmeleon, your evolution is close. You should be the first Kanto Starter to hit their final stage…unless something happens.
Anyway the next chapter will include the contest battles and a big surprise that I've included in this story that is going to really shake things up. Stay tuned as the second part is coming up.
Chapter 68: Double Sensation Part 2
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Now I wanted to talk about something that has happened in the fanfiction world. As you know the fanfiction that gave me the inspiration to write this story, "The Road to be a Pokémon Master" by FanaticLAguy06 was discontinued.
I was pretty shocked to hear that as it was my go-to Pokémon fanfiction. That was the amourshipping fanfiction I was truly hooked to. He explained why he decided to stop, and I respect his decision.
It's a life lesson to know that as life goes by, your mindset and inspirations can shift towards something else.
While I did leave him a review, I will say it again. FanaticLAguy06, thank you for that great story and giving me the mindset to write an amourshipping fanfiction of my own, and I wish you, your friends, and your family the best in the future and to stay safe out there.
