The Galar Festival Tournament

"Ruff!" Rockruff barked out, her tail wagged in an excited fashion as Zach and Riolu stepped through the penthouse doors. "Ruff ruff!" She leaped up and down while saying how much she missed them, although she spent a fair amount of time with Ezekiel she was more attached to Zach as he was always around to play with her and keep her company.

"Hey Rockruff!" Zach scooped Rockruff up as she leaped up before laughing out as the rock puppy quickly took advantage of the situation and began licking his face. "I-It's good to see you too!"

"Rio!" Riolu waved up at Rockruff.

"Ruff!" Rockruff barked as she sprang from Zach's arms before nuzzling against Riolu upon reaching the floor. "Ruff ruff!" She then stopped in place as her snout began to twitch, Rockruff began sniffing at her trainer's leg before looking up at him with a questionable expression. "Ruff?"

"Ah right, you probably smell my new friends." Zach chuckled lightly while reaching for the Nest Ball and standard Pokeball that rested on his belt. "Rockruff, meet Poochyena and Scorbunny!"

Rockruff watched as the Pokeballs burst open to reveal a Poochyena and some strange looking rabbit Pokemon.

"Scor!"

"Pooch!"

Rockruff uttered out an excited bark before racing towards Scorbunny who laughed out as Rockruff began sniffing her body, Scorbunny was carrying a lot of strange and unique scent that Rockruff never encountered before. "S-Scor!"

"Rufff!" Rockruff wagged her tail as she greeted Scorbunny before proceeding to walk towards Poochyena. The rock puppy gave his fur a quick whiff before her facial expression changed as she realized that Poochyena was a male canine. "Ruff!" Rockruff ran her tail beneath Poochyena's chin causing the wolf pup to back away in a nervous fashion.

"P-Pooch!" He nervously exclaimed as he informed Rockruff he was already spoken for.

"Rio?" Riolu tilted his head as he gazed towards the wolf pup. Poochyena never mentioned having somebody special before, in fact Poochyena was rather reserved about his past.

Poochyena sweated as he avoided Riolu's gaze. Riolu narrowed his eyes, finding Poochyena's behavior rather suspicious. It was clear that Poochyena was hiding something from them.

"Is it that time already? Sorry Rockruff, I-" Ezekiel froze up upon realizing that Rockruff had been barking for a different reason than he initially thought. "Zach, what a pleasant surprise!" Ezekiel clasped his hands together as he raced towards his son. "I assume you're passing through on your way to Rustboro?"

"Yep!" Zach exclaimed while sharing a hug with his father. "May and I didn't intend on stopping here for the night but we kind of got held up." Zach spoke while gesturing towards Scorbunny. "We attended the Galar Festival and I ended up spending half the day chasing down a Scorbunny which was actually a Spinda that some scam artist painted. Eventually we found a real Scorbunny and after tracking down Spinda and making sure that it was okay, we headed back to the Galar Festival in order to track down Scorbunny's trainer who turned out to be Professor Magnolia's granddaughter. And after seeing how attached Scorbunny had become, she allowed me to keep her if I allowed my excess Pokemon to reside at her lab!"

"Scor!" Scorbunny hugged Zach's legs while affectionately nuzzling against him.

"Ah, well you have fine taste in Pokemon!" Ezekiel exclaimed before gesturing towards the hall. "Wanna join us for supper? Maxie and Archie are waiting in the dining room, just wrapped up some business discussions." 'Thank Arceus Lusamine didn't show up!'

"Archie and Maxie are here?" Zach perked up. He never really knew what to think of those two, they were friends with that Giovanni guy but they didn't bring that same cold sensation he felt whenever Giovanni or Archer were around. In fact they seemed rather nice. His answer was soon given as his stomach rumbled loudly. "Y-Yeah, I haven't gotten the chance to eat yet."

Ezekiel laughed as he began making his way back towards the dining room where Maxie and Archie could be seen, however unlike their previous visits the two weren't sitting directly next to each other and were seated at opposite ends of the table while sharing the occasional glare. 'They broke up, didn't they?' Zach thought to himself.

"Oh hey, a Fire type!" Maxie smirked as Scorbunny came into view. "Good taste, kid."

"What, no Water type?" Archie frowned.

"I haven't had the chance yet," Zach sweated. "I started with Riolu so I couldn't take Mudkip with me and I haven't been near any sources of water as of this moment. But I might choose a Water type tomorrow if I win the Galar Festival's Battle Tournament!"

"Rio!"

"Scor!" Riolu and Scorbunny pumped their fists, their expressions matched that of their trainer as they eagerly anticipated the upcoming tournament.

"Don't bother kid, Water type Pokemon aren't worth the time." Maxie scoffed.

Archie gritted his teeth before slamming his fists down against the table, a light crack formed beneath his fists. "Water types are more deserving of attention than your beloved Fire and Ground types!

Maxie rolled his eyes. "Please spare me from another of your monotonous speeches about 'the Water Pokemon being endangered', the earth is seventy five percent water. Pretty sure they're doing just fine, only a complete moron would think otherwise!"

Archie's eye twitched as he began cracking his knuckles. "Why you-How many times must I remind you that Corsola's typing transitioned to Ghost type, they're literally dying out there!"

"And Lapras is no longer near extinction, don't forget that land species are also going extinct! Our company and the Aether Foundation have worked together to improve the environment, we had to build habitats solely to prevent Grimer, Muk, Trubbish and Garbodor from going extinct. All while trying to prevent other Pokemon from going extinct!"

Archie pushed his chair back as he leaped from his seat, his breath grew heavy as he stared down his ex. "You're one to talk, on our first date we had fried Farfetch'd leek!"

"And I regretted it ever since." Maxie spoke while flashing Archie a mocking smirk.

"That's it, I-"

"Enough!" Archie and Maxie went quiet as Ezekiel quickly took his place between them. "I don't know what's gotten into you two lately but I thought you agreed to calm down and not fight in front of our guest."

"We did but she ain't here." Archie spat while shooting Maxie a death glare which was swiftly returned.

"True but my son is!" Ezekiel thumbed towards Zach. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't fight in front of him!"

Maxie and Archie turned their gaze towards Zach before sweating lightly, their heads lowered as they began mumbling out an apology. The two were willing to set aside their differences for a short while.

Ezekiel clasped his hands together while flashing a satisfied smile as Maxie and Archie took their seats. "Excellent!"

Zach glanced towards Riolu. "Was it just me or were those two giving off a lot of red flags?" He muttered out.

"Rio..." Riolu muttered while giving a swift nod of his head.

"I'm home!" May called out while entering her parent's house.

"That was fast! Let me guess, you came onto Zach and he rejected you!" Max hypothesized while flashing his sister a smirk.

May's eye twitched. "No, I-I kissed him and he didn't shoot me down... though he didn't really notice it." May sighed out.

"Haha!" Max fell onto his back as he began laughing out.

May lightly clenched her fists as she began fighting the temptation to punch her brother.

"Max, that's enough!" Caroline scolded Max who swiftly shut up upon her arrival. "Why don't you go feed your father's Pokemon? It's feeding time."

"Sure thing, mom!" Max eagerly raced off towards the rear entrance which led directly into Petalburg's Gym. Caroline watched him run off and waited until she heard the back door slam shut before turning back to face her daughter.

"You wanna talk about it?" Caroline asked while making her way towards the nearby couch. May was quiet for a brief moment as she took her place beside her mother, an anxious expression soon began forming across her face.

"Y-You heard that I kissed Zach...?"

"Of course," Caroline gave a light nod while offering her daughter a reassuring smile. She was certain it would happen sooner or later so the idea didn't bother her one bit, she knew Zach well enough to know that he'd take care of May. If the two decided to settle down in another region once he got a Champion title, nothing was stopping her and Norman from visiting their potential grandkids.

"W-Would you know why he didn't react to it?" May questioned while glancing towards her feet. "W-What if he doesn't feel the same way and is trying to avoid hurting my feelings?"

"Oh May, it's obvious that Zach loves you." Caroline rolled her eyes lightly before placing her hand atop May's shoulder. "I've watched enough romance movies and seen it happen enough in real life to pick up on the signs. Zach's mood always lightens up whenever you're around him and he clearly enjoys traveling with you, he's even helping you get over your fear of Pokemon. Something Norman couldn't accomplish."

"H-He does...?" May's eyes brightened as a dark color flashed across her cheeks. "Then why doesn't he say anything?"

"Well..." Caroline began rubbing her arm as her gaze shifted to the side. "I-It's a bit complicated."

"Complicated? What do you mean...?" May questioned with a light tilt of her head.

"You're not the only one he has feelings for," Caroline added on while nervously rubbing her arm as she gave her daughter an apologetic look.

"Dawn." May immediately guessed, her fists clenched lightly as she came to the realization.

"Mhm!" Caroline swiftly nodded her head. "From what you told me, the two stay up late talking to each other and even visit the other's region solely to meet up with each other. I've also seen his eyes when he talks about her, it's complicated dear but you have to give Zach time and let him come to a realization on his own. I don't think it's possible for him to choose right now if he didn't even react."

"Too bad he's not a Draconid," Norman stated while carrying a fresh batch of badges down the stairs. "Their people are allowed to have multiple marriages." He only knew this because Clair of Blackthorn City had seven husbands which caused quite the controversy a few years back, not every Draconid followed those traditions though as Lance remained in an exclusive relationship with former Elite Four member Lorelei.

'Huh?' May stared off with a conflicted expression upon hearing that.

"Just give him time, May. I'm sure that you'll win him over in the end, your mother remained headstrong and won me over!"

"That's right, your father almost married the local Nurse Joy." Caroline giggled out.

Norman uttered out a nervous chuckle while shifting his eyes towards the back of their home. "Now how about we head to the kitchen and change the subject before Max gets back?"

"G-Good idea, I'm starving!" May gave off a quick nod before following her parents into the kitchen.

"You sure about this? I mean I'm not much of a battler, I wouldn't want to hold you back." May nervously rubbed her arm while avoiding Zach's gaze as they headed back towards the Galar Festival.

"No need to worry, I'm sure you'll do fine!" May couldn't help but blush as she felt Zach's hand touch her shoulder, she glanced towards him and saw him offering her a reassuring smile. "Every competing should be around our skill level, besides I couldn't think of a better partner to have fighting alongside me!"

"W-Well what about Barry?" May suggested. She knew that Zach was interested in a fair number of Galar Pokemon and feared him missing out due to her mistake.

"Barry? I'm pretty sure he already found a partner for the competition based on his wording." Though he had no idea who that'd be as Barry had just arrived in the Hoenn region. "Besides it's not like losing would be the end of the world, I'd rather be working alongside my best friend than fighting alongside some stranger."

May offered him an appreciative smile as their eyes briefly met.

"Arceus almighty, is that guy dressed like a viking?!" Somebody shouted out.

Zach and May quickly turned to see what appeared to be a trainer their age with a rather long fake beard and mustache which matched his long red hair make his way through the crowd while dressed in viking attire, he even appeared to have an axe strapped to his back!

"Well well well, you're late!" Barry could be heard shouting as the viking made his way towards him, Barry tapped his foot while giving off an impatient looking glare. "I oughta fine you for making me wait this long!"

"My apologies but my mother stuck my beard in the wash, it took forever to water out." The viking grumbled while stroking his fake beard, the occasional drop of water could be seen falling off it.

"Well I guess we know who Barry's teamed up with," Zach sweated lightly.

Barry noticed Zach and May making their approach and began eagerly waving his arm. "Hey Zach, meet Viking! He's going to help me crush the competition!"

"Hold up, his name is Viking?" Zach questioned while lightly tilting his head.

"Aye," Viking gave off a firm nod as he retrieved a Rotom Phone from his pocket before opening the Pokedex app to showcase the fact that Viking was his legal name. "A good friend of mine, Samurai McStabberson gave me the idea. Now that I'm a licensed trainer, I have the power to legally change my name!"

'And you chose Viking?' Zach found Viking's choice rather strange but he wasn't going to judge him for it. "Well good luck you two."

"Luck? Who needs luck!" Barry laughed out while a cocky look flashed across his face. "We're going to crush the competition, right Viking?!"

"Chimchar, chim!" Barry's Chimchar excitedly exclaimed.

"Aye, we'll dominate the competition!" Viking smirked.

"Well good luck with that." Zach sweated lightly. He knew it wasn't good to get full of himself, losing was a natural part of a trainer's journey.

"May I have your attention please?" Sonia's voice rang out across a set of speakers set up around the festival grounds. "The Galar Festival Tournament will be starting shortly, I'd like to request that all challengers gather up around the designated battle field so we can get started. If you're not here within the next twenty minutes, I'm afraid you'll forfeit the round!" They couldn't wait around all day as the festival needed to be shut down before dusk.

"Come on May, let's get registered for the competition!"

"R-Right," May blushed lightly as Zach took hold of her hand, the pair made their way through the festival grounds before arriving at Sonia's booth. The orange haired girl now had a set of Pokemon eggs on display across the booth's countertop; the first was primarily blue with a small patch of light blue coloring on the bottom half, the second had a color scheme quite similar to that of Scorbunny, the third was primarily green and had a patch of light green that resembled a bandit mask across the upper half, the fourth was primarily brown apart with a tan coloring splitting the egg into three different sections, the fourth was primarily white and had black lines zigzagging across it or perhaps it was black with white stripes.

"Whoa, look at all those eggs!" Excitement filled Zach's eyes as he gazed across the booth. Sobble could be seen sleeping behind the blue egg while Grookey was sitting behind the green egg with a bored expression. It was quite evident what the blue and green eggs contained but no Pokemon could be seen alongside the other two eggs.

"Hello Zach, May. It's good to see you two again!" Sonia greeted the pair with a warm smile. "I take it you've decided to enter the competition?"

"T-That's right, Zach and I are teaming up!" May exclaimed.

"Alright, I'll go ahead and write your names down." Sonia began scribbling their names on a notebook before suddenly pausing in place as she got to Zach's name. "Hold up-Phoenix? As in-?"

Zach sweated lightly as he glanced towards the ground, avoiding Sonia's gaze. "Yep, that's me."

"Oh wow, gran's going to be in for a shock when she finds out that you're the one supplying our lab with Pokemon." Sonia giggled out before resuming her progress. "Don't worry, I'll just leave out your last name." He appeared as anxious as a Sobble, she could tell that she made the situation a bit awkward for him.

"Thanks... c-can you leave May's last name out as well?" Zach questioned while slowly turning his gaze up towards Sonia's.

"Hm?" Sonia glanced towards May with a quizzical expression before performing a light shrug. "Sure, why not!" She had no idea who May was related to but she was willing to respect his wish regardless.

"Thanks, we appreciate that." May offered Sonia a light smile.

"No problem!" Sonia beamed while gesturing towards the eggs. "If you manage to win both of you will be allowed to choose from the selection displayed here. The first three are Sobble, Scorbunny and Grookey while the remaining two are eggs that gran and I received from an elderly daycare couple, the eggs were orphaned by their parent's trainers so they passed them onto us. I may or may not know what's inside those eggs but I'm leaving that a mystery! You can either choose a starter or a mystery Pokemon!"

Zach's gaze lingered towards Sobble's egg while Riolu's drifted elsewhere. 'Well that's an easy decision, if we win then I'll choose Sobble!'

May's eyes flickered between the eggs while an uncertain expression formed as she wasn't sure which she'd choose if they were to win this.

"Treecko is unable to continue battling, the winners of this round are Barry and Viking!" Sonia called out.

"Alright!" Barry shouted out while eagerly punching the air in front of him.

"Chimchar, chim!" Chimchar copied his trainer's action.

"That was a glorious battle indeed!" Viking smirked.

"Meowth!" A shaggy grey colored feline stood beside Viking's feet, it's gaze focused upon the downed Treecko as it's trainer returned it to it's ball.

"I still can't believe that thing's a Meowth. I thought they were supposed to be more elegant and clean." May frowned.

"That's because there are three different forms of Meowth, the one we encountered yesterday is the Dark type variant that typically resides within the Alola region while the more known Kantonian variant is Normal typed and has tan fur while that one? That's the Galar variant, it's Steel typed and evolves into this awesome Pokemon known as Perrserker!"

Confusion formed across May's face as Zach mentioned Meowth's evolution. "I-I thought that Meowth evolved into Persian...?"

"They do or rather the Kantonian and Alolan variants do, Galarian Meowth evolve into Perrserker." Zach explained as he fished out his Rotom Phone before flipping the device over as he showed off a picture of a grey feline Pokemon that appeared to have a long scruffy beard while the fur atop his head hardened and had taken the shape of a Viking helmet, it's claws had morphed together and now resembled a pair of daggers.

"Huh, that Pokemon sure suits him." May commented while silently thanking Arceus that the creatures weren't native to their region, they looked terrifying!

"The next battle will battle will begin shortly, Zach and May will be facing off against Joey and Ryan!" Sonia called out.

"You might as well go home now, my top percentage Zigzagoon is unbeatable!" One of the rival trainers eagerly shouted as they made their way towards the battlefield.

"Zig, Zigzagoon!"

"Don't forget about me and my Lotad!"

"Lotad, lo!"

Zach's eyes moved between his opponent's Pokemon before he reached for a Nest Ball. "Alright Poochyena, let's do this!"

"Pooch!" Poochyena howled out as he emerged from his Pokeball.

May stared off for a brief moment as she appeared more hesitant on her choice before eventually grabbing a Pokeball of her own. "L-Let's go, Wurmple!"

"Wurmple!" Zach wasn't certain but it sounded like Wurmple just yawned.

"Use Water Gun!" Ryan shouted out.

"Lo!" A light stream of water fired out of Lotad's mouth and shot across the field towards Poochyena.

"Roll out of the way then follow up with Howl!" Zach swiftly shouted out.

Poochyena dropped to the floor and rolled away, the Water type attack just narrowly missing him before he hopped back to his paws. "Poooch!" He howled out, raising his Attack stat.

"Tackle!" Joey shouted out.

"Zigzagoon!" Zigzagoon began racing towards Wurmple.

May was frozen in place, words stuttered out of her mouth as she wasn't sure what attack she should use.

"String Shot would slow him down or you could use Poison Sting and deal some damage." Zach suggested upon noticing May's uncertainty.

"R-Right!" May flashed him a brief smile of appreciation. "W-Wurmple use String Shot!"

"Wurmple!"

"Zig!" Zigzagoon fell to his knees as Wurmple ensnared her forelegs together with the help of her silky string.

"Great work, May!" Zach offered her a light smile before redirecting his attention towards Lotad.

"Lo!" Lotad blasted Poochyena back with another Water Gun attack but Poochyena remained on his feet, a deep growl emitted from his throat as he stared down his opponent.

"Alright Poochyena, let's use Tackle!"

"Pooch!" Poochyena charged across the field before hurling himself at his opponent causing Lotad to faintly grunt out as he was knocked back.

"Lo..."

"Wurmple use Tackle!" May shouted out.

"Wurmple!" Wurmple threw herself at Lotad, finishing the lily pad Pokemon as it dropped to the floor.

"Tad..." Lotad groaned out as swirls formed within it's eyes.

"Rio!" Riolu excitedly cried out.

"Alright!" Zach eagerly shouted out as Lotad fell down. "Let's finish things off with Tackle!"

"Pooch!" Poochyena raced across the field before hurling himself at the ensnared Zigzagoon, the raccoon grunted out before collapsing onto his side as swirls began forming within his eyes.

"Zigzagoon..." Zigzagoon groaned out.

"Noooo, not my top percentage Zigzagoon!" Joey fell onto his knees as the crowd began cheering.

"Zach and May are the winner's of this round!" Sonia cheerfully exclaimed. "Just t-oh, what's this?" Sonia turned her attention towards Wurmple as a bright blue light surrounded his body.

May's eyes lit up as the blue light surrounded Wurmple's body. "I-Is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah, Wurmple's evolving!" Zach exclaimed as a silky spiked white cocoon formed around Wurmple's body.

"Silcoon..." The cocoon faintly muttered out before closing it's eyes as she fell asleep.

"Silcoon the Cocoon Pokemon, it conserves its energy by moving as little as possible. It awaits evolution while drinking only a little rainwater." May's Rotom Phone read out as Silcoon was registered into her Pokedex.

"Wow... s-so this means it won't be long until I have a Beautifly!" May exclaimed, stars filled her eyes as she envisioned the beautiful butterfly Pokemon flying about.

"Yep, just a matter of time now!" Zach grinned.

The next round went relatively smoothly, Barry and Viking defeated a team of sailors while Zach and May fought against another team of rookie trainers. Scorbunny easily took care of their opponent's Treecko with a singular Ember attack while May's Torchic struggled to overcome her opponent's as they appeared evenly matched but as soon as Scorbunny took care of Treecko, she raced to assist her partner in taking out the rival Torchic!

"Torchic is unable to continue battling, May and Zach win the match!" The crowd cheered. "May and Zach will be facing off against Barry and Viking in the finals."

"Alright, we're totally going to crush them!" Barry eagerly exclaimed.

"Aye and it'll be a glorious battle!" Viking exclaimed as the pair approached the opposite end of the battlefield.

"You ready for this?" Zach asked while looking towards May.

"O-Of course!" She did feel a bit nervous about this but she wasn't going to drop out now and let him down.

Zach placed his hand on her shoulder while offering her an appreciative smile before directing his attention towards the battlefield. "Alright Riolu, it's your turn now. Let's do this!"

"Rio!" Riolu leaped onto the battlefield before taking a combat stance.

"Torchic, let's help Riolu out!" May shouted while tossing a Pokeball forward.

"Torchic!" Torchic cried out as she burst from his ball.

"Rio..." Riolu gave Torchic a respectful look before looking towards his opponents as Chimchar and Meowth took their positions on the battlefield.

"Perfect, just in time!" Ezekiel clasped his hands together as he made his way through the crowd, Rockruff hot on his heels while Maxie and Archie followed after while maintaining a considerate distance from the other. "Let's see what my son has in store for us!"

"Alright Meowth, use Scratch!" Viking shouted.

"Meowth!" The Galarian Meowth unsheathed his dagger-like claws as he raced towards Riolu.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Zach countered.

"Rio!" Riolu swiftly evaded his opponent before striking Meowth from behind!

"Meowth..." Meowth grunted out.

"Torchic use Scratch!" May shouted out.

"Torchic!" Torchic raced towards Chimchar before slashing his opponent across the chest.

"C-Chimchar..." Chimchar grunted out.

"Counter with Leer then follow up with your own Scratch!" Barry shouted out.

"Chimchar..." Chimchar gave his opponent a swift leer before slashing her across the face!

"Torchic..."

"Let's increase today's bounty with Pay Day!" Viking eagerly shouted out.

"Meowth!" The Galarian Meowth began tossing coins into the air, scattering them across the battlefield.

"Use Aura Sphere!" Zach shouted out.

"Huh?" Sonia's eyebrow raised up as she glanced towards Zach. 'His Riolu shouldn't know that attack yet.'

Archie and Maxie shared similar looks of confusion while Ezekiel formed a light smirk but remained silent.

"Whoa!" Barry's eyes lit up as Riolu began charging up a large sphere of aura, the jackal's gaze fixated upon Meowth before he proceeded to fire off the attack. The aura sphere shot across the field before exploding upon making contact with Meowth.

"Meowth!" Meowth was launched into the air, his arms and legs flailed about in a desperate manner before he faceplanted against the ground. "Meowth..." He groaned out shortly before going limp.

Viking's jaw dropped. "What the..."

"Incredible!" Sonia couldn't help but gasp out. "That Aura Sphere was quite the impressive size for such an inexperienced Pokemon, those two are clearly quite close!" She was certain the attack would become even stronger over time but there was still the mystery of how Riolu came to learn the attack.

"N-No way..." Barry gasped before quickly shaking off his surprised expression, replacing it with a look of determination as he wasn't going to throw in the towel just yet.

'Your mother would be proud.' Ezekiel thought while gazing towards his son with a proud expression.

"Ruff..." Rockruff's eyes sparked shortly before jealousy overtook her. "Ruff..." She whimpered out, wishing it were her out there.

"Return!" Viking hung his head as he recalled Meowth to his Pokeball.

"Alright Chimchar, use Leer on Torchic then follow up with another Scratch attack!" Barry eagerly shouted out.

"Chim..." Chimchar leered at Torchic. "Char!" The monkey zoomed across the field before slashing Torchic across the face.

"Torchic!" Torchic cried out before collapsing against the ground as swirls formed within her eyes. "Chic..."

"Torchic!" May cried out.

"Quick Attack!" Zach shouted out.

"Rio!" Riolu quickly shot towards his opponent before striking his chest.

"Char..."

"Ember!" Barry shouted out.

"Chim...char!" Fire balls shot out of Chimchar's mouth and flew towards his opponent, Riolu faintly grunted out as the attacks struck his body.

'That's sure to hurt when he evolves.' Zach acknowledged the fact that they'd be fighting with a disadvantage in the future. "Riolu follow up with Aura Sphere!"

"Rio..." Riolu clasped his paws together as another sphere of aura began forming between them, the pup's eyes fixated on his opponent before firing off the attack. "Rio!"

"C-Chimchar!" Chimchar cried out as the attack exploded against him, the fire monkey swiftly fell onto his back as swirls formed within his eyes. "Chimchar..."

"No way, we lost?!" Barry exclaimed while lightly pulling at his hair.

"W-We won..." May smiled lightly while Zach and Riolu uttered out an excited shout.

"Alright, we did it!"

"Rio!" The pair high fived each other before directing their attention towards Sonia as she shouted out.

"Zach and May win the Galar Festival's Battle Tournament, congratulations you two!" Sonia offered the pair a congratulatory smile while gesturing towards the nearby table. "You've earned the right to choose from our vast selection of Pokemon eggs, you can either choose from the starter pool or you can take home the mystery eggs instead! It's completely up to you."

May returned Torchic to her Pokeball while Zach began making his way towards the table, his eyes fixated upon the blue egg that contained Sobble. 'Well I know what I'm choosing!'

Riolu hopped onto the table and began looking over the eggs, his eyes turned a bright blue color as he read the egg's auras before performing a quick doubletake upon noticing what resided within the brown and tan colored egg. "R-Rio..." Riolu quickly shot around and began pulling at the sleeve of Zach's jacket to get his attention. "E-Eevee!"

"Huh?" Zach paused in place, his hands a few inches away from Sobble's egg. "D-Did you just say something...?" Zach stared at Riolu, surprise and disbelief flowed through him as Riolu's own eyes widened shortly before the jackal nodded in response. "Eevee...? So you're trying to say that that egg contains an Eevee?" Zach asked while pointing towards the brown and tan colored egg.

"Rio!" Riolu swiftly nodded in response.

Sonia's jaw dropped from disbelief. To her and everyone else, Riolu's word was simply another 'Riolu' but Zach appeared to have heard his partner and understood him. The fact that he mentioned the egg's contents was proof enough as there was no other possible way that he could have figured it out.

"D-Did you just understand Riolu...?" May asked while looking towards her best friend with a quizzical expression.

'Their aura is close to synching.' Ezekiel smirked.

Barry didn't appear to have noticed as he'd already ran off, having let his impatience get the best of him as he made his way towards Petalburg Woods.

"I-I think so..." Zach offered Riolu a light smile before looking towards Sonia. "W-We'd like the mystery eggs please!"

"Huh?!" May's eyes widened. "B-But I thought you wanted to choose Sobble?" May questioned.

"I do-I did but this egg contains one of the Pokemon that you always had a fondness for." Zach spoke while motioning towards Eevee's egg. "It's Eevee, they're incredibly rare and there's no known habitat for them in the Hoenn region. I'd like for you to get one of your favorite Pokemon, I can always catch another Water type."

"Zach..." May stared at Zach with a dreamy expression before throwing her arms around him, her head nestled against his chin as he placed an arm around her in a more friendly fashion. "Thank you..."

"Aw." Sonia gushed at the sight. 'Those two sure make a cute couple!'

May lingered for awhile before eventually pulling away from the hug, her cheeks burned a dark shade of red as she picked up Eevee's egg while Zach's cheeks glowed a light pink color as he picked up the black and white zigzagged egg.

"Mind telling me what's in this one?" Zach asked while looking towards his Pokemon partner.

Riolu's eyes glowed blue once more as he read the egg's aura. "Riolu, rio!" Riolu exclaimed while waving his arms about.

Zach stared at Riolu for a moment before shrugging. "Sorry but I can't understand what you're saying, guess it'll be a surprise for now." Though he did wonder why he was able to understand Riolu a few minutes ago, was it just a fluke or was there something more to it?

"Good work, son!" Ezekiel clapped his hands together as he made his approach.

"Ruff ruff!" Rockruff excitedly barked, her tail wagged as she followed after him.

"Dad!" A large smile crept across Zach's face upon realizing that his father showed up. He wasn't expecting that as he was certain he'd be busy with work. "You showed up!"

Archie and Maxie watched from a distance, their expressions unreadable.

"Well I wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to see my son fight an official Pokemon battle!" He did have an appointment scheduled with Cyrus of Akagi Tech but he figured it wouldn't hurt to show up late. Truth be told he was trying to avoid the confrontation as he always found Cyrus rather creepy. "I must say that was quite the pleasant turn out, Riolu really pulled through and helped secure your victory! How about we celebrate by going down to the local café? Get you a nice meal before you're out on the road again!"

"Sounds good to me!" Zach grinned.

"Yeah, I could go for some food about now." May sweated lightly as her stomach rumbled out.

Ezekiel chuckled lightly before motioning for them to follow him as he made his way through the crowd. Archie and Maxie silently watched them leave before giving the other a light leer as they went their separate ways.

"Goodbye you two and good luck on your adventure!" Ezekiel waved after Zach and May as they left Petalburg City and began making their way towards the distant Petalburg Woods, their new eggs rested safely within their arms.

"Bye dad and don't worry, I'll drop by and pay you a visit when I'm ready to face off against Norman!"

"Just remember to call first!" Ezekiel shouted after him with a pleading expression.

"I will!"

"Ruff..." Rockruff's ears flattened against her head as she watched Zach and Riolu leave. A light whimper escaped her throat as she stared after them with a pleading expression.

"Don't worry Rockruff, I'm sure they'll be back before long." Ezekiel gave Rockruff a comforting pet but her gaze remained locked in place as the group disappeared over the horizon.

This one took a bit longer to finish than I initially anticipated. Viking's character is inspired by Samurai, I'd like to imagine they're part of the same roleplay group. Barry may have lost but it won't be as easy to beat him in the future, I like Barry but he's not exactly a 'serious' rival so there's no harm in having him lose the first battle.

The contents of the other egg is a bit obvious but the character's are in the dark about what's inside for the time being.