We'd finally returned to Dewford Town after exploring the island together. The girls would be competing in the contest tomorrow. Over the last few days, we had been exploring the island, training for the upcoming contest and gym battles respectively, and we were all feeling confident enough to win!
Jason had been working to train Taillow enough to evolve him, but hadn't been able to. So it looked like he would have to use Taillow in his gym battle and just go for it, since he had now run out of time.
We walked into the Pokemon Center and got a room big enough for all four of us. Since Amber would be competing with Megan, it made sense for her to room with us, to make things easier for both girls. Once we had gotten the room keys and settled into the room, I decided to go and call my dad at home. I needed to fill him in on our latest run-in with Team Rocket and Paul.
After waiting for a few moments, my dad answered the phone.
"Hey, Adam." he greeted.
"Hey, Dad. We're on Dewford Island. We've spent a while traveling and exploring it before the contest tomorrow."
"I remember having a lot of adventures when I was traveling there. What all did you do?"
"We went to a lot of the same places that you did when you were on your own journey. We explored Granite Cave, the secret Mudkip colony, and even to the place where you caught your Corphish."
"Did you have a similar experience with the Arons in Granite Cave?"
"No, thankfully. But we did run into Team Rocket while there. They were capturing the Arons, but we were able to free them and force Team Rocket to retreat. But Team Rocket wasn't alone. There was a Pokemon hunter with them. The hunter was Paul and he's a lot different from the last time we saw him. Some of his body parts are robotic, namely his eye and arms."
"Well, when I fought Paul last year, he was gravely injured. He was probably so wounded that they had to replace his arms and eye with robotics because of the damage done." my dad explained.
"Paul told me to relay a message to you, Dad. He said that you should've killed him last year when you had the chance."
"Well...I will admit that I wanted to kill Paul, after all that he had done to our family and to myself. But I would never resort to that, no matter how much I may have wanted to. It seems that people are always going to be after me for what I've done in the past. But I'll be training and on alert for when he strikes again. I do see that killing Paul might be the best option to end this cycle, but I believe that it can be avoided. The only way that I will ever do that is if it's the only choice left. At the time of our fight last year, I believed that because he was gravely wounded, he wouldn't go back to the same ways, or that Team Rocket would take him back. Obviously, that was wrong, but I'll be prepared for whatever they plan to do next. It's my responsibility as the Pokemon Master to protect people in times of danger."
I nodded my head, remembering how he'd helped stop Team Rocket in the past. I knew that my dad was a selfless person who would do anything to protect us and keep anything like that from happening again. He wouldn't let humanity be harmed. But if it came down to it, would my dad really kill if it meant saving the world?
I then focused on the second reason why I'd called.
"Dad, the only way that we were able to escape and force Team Rocket to surrender was because of my Aura. If I didn't have it, there's no telling what would've happened. I've been secretly practicing how to control and utilize it, mostly in the early mornings when Jason and Megan are sleeping. But they've noticed my disappearances and I've had to lie about what I've been doing.
"I hate lying to my friends. But if they knew, then they might start acting differently towards me or treat me differently. Jason is the only one who has seen me use my Aura on our past two journeys, but he doesn't know that I've been trying to control it and use it." I explained, hoping that my dad would know what I should do.
"Adam, at first, only May, Max, Brock, and your mother knew about my Aura because it had been mentioned to them. But none of them had ever seen me use it because I hadn't mastered it when I was traveling. I understand your dilemma, but the inner turmoil of keeping it a secret will eventually start affecting your behavior and mindset. If your friends are true friends, they'll accept you for who you are, Aura powers and all, just like my friends and family did when I showed them. Plus, once I told everyone, I was able to fully concentrate on mastering my powers without any worries."
"Thanks, Dad. I feel a lot better now. I believe in them as true friends, so I believe that they'll accept me and my powers. If they ask me about it again, I'll tell them the truth." I said, feeling like my mind was finally clear.
Megan's POV
Today was the day of the contest. Hopefully, this would be the day that Amber and I would win our first ribbons and finally be a step closer to the Grand Festival. We were standing in the lobby with Adam and Jason. Amber and I were about to go and get ready.
"Good luck, girls." Adam and Jason said.
Jason hugged me as Adam gave a hug to Amber, and then Adam hugged me, too.
"Thanks, guys. We'll see you after the contest." said Amber.
"Bye, guys." I added as we walked away.
Eevee would be watching with the boys, since I wouldn't be using her in this contest.
... ...
Once backstage, we changed our clothes and applied our lip gloss and perfume. We also made sure that our hair was perfect before we made our way to the waiting area.
"I called my dad yesterday and told him about our run-in with Team Rocket while we were traveling across Dewford Island. I hope that the International Police take action soon, now that they know Team Rocket is active in Hoenn." Amber explained.
"Last year in Johto, when I was captured by Team Rocket, along with my dad, I was afraid of them. But I'm not afraid of them anymore. Not since Adam and his friends saved my life and I found the courage to deny my birthright as Giovanni's granddaughter and heir to Team Rocket's leadership role." she then added.
"I was never brave while I was growing up, unlike April. But seeing Adam and Jason stand up to Team Rocket and face them, despite the danger, it gave me the courage to do the same from that moment on." I admitted.
"Well, we should be proud of ourselves. We overcame our fear. It's okay to be afraid, but in the end, you can overcome anything." Amber said confidently.
I nodded my head and added, "Exactly, and it helps when you have good friends like Adam there to help you, protect you, and support you."
Soon enough, we were joined by April, Adrian, Ashlyn, and, to everyone's surprise, Skye. I scanned the area and I didn't see Christina anywhere. It looked like she wasn't competing. That gave me a sense of relief.
"Skye, I remember after losing in the last contest, you were on the verge of giving up on being a coordinator. What made you come back?" I asked.
"It was all thanks to Ashlyn. She approached me and invited me to be her partner for this contest. I accepted because I thought that, as a more experienced coordinator, Ashlyn could help me improve." Skye replied.
"And like Skye, I understand the struggle of pleasing your parents, especially if they're famous or accomplished. Like Skye's parents, my parents are also a gym leader and a coordinator. I understood the pressure that Skye was facing and I wanted to help her to not give up on her dream so easily.
"Back when I first started out, I knew that I would achieve my dream eventually. I knew that I would also have hardships, but I wanted to overcome them. I would meet friends on my journey who would believe in me, and so I grew to believe in myself, too. I'd make my parents proud, regardless. I just needed to accept that and stop worrying about living up to my parents' reputations. I'm my own person. And I think that Skye is realizing that now too, after our talks." Ashlyn explained.
"That's right. I'm not alone and I have all of you by my side. As much as we're rivals, we're also friends who want to see each other succeed in our goals. If I gave up, I'd be letting all of you down." Skye said, smiling at us.
Hearing that, Amber and I stood up and hugged Skye together as Ashlyn and April joined in, creating a group hug between us girls. We were all happy to have the old Skye back again.
As we all separated after a few moments, April spoke up.
"I'm partners with Adrian. He invited me to partner up with him and I agreed because he was a tough opponent in my last contest, so we'd make a great team with his strong Pokemon and abilities." April said.
"Admit it, you only agreed to be his partner because you know that he likes you! Remember the rose that he gave you when you won your first ribbon? It's a sign!" I whispered to my sister.
"You don't know what you're talking about! We're going to be an unstoppable team, just you watch!" April replied, before grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the others to speak privately with me.
"Anyway, enough about me. What about you and Adam? Did you make a move on him yet? Since you and Amber are partners, I can assume that she's been spending lots of time with you, and by extension, him." she whispered, wanting to know about any developments that had occurred.
"I haven't made a move. But I did figure out that Amber does care deeply about him. She and I are friends, regardless of that, and our feelings or lack of feelings towards him won't impact our performance today. I still need time to figure things out, though." I whispered back.
Any further conversation was ended as the contest introduction began, so we made our way back to our friends.
"We'll continue this talk later. This conversation is not over!" April whispered as she went and stood beside Adrian.
As the contest began, I was focusing on watching all of the performances. It was amazing to see all the combinations that other coordinators had come up with for the appeals round. I couldn't wait to show off what Amber and I had been working on! And before I knew it, our turn was next.
We stood behind the curtain, waiting for Sofia to announce us.
"Are you ready?" I asked.
"Yes. Let's just do what we've been practicing and we'll be fine." Amber replied.
I nodded my head and took a deep breath.
"Next up, we have Amber and Megan!" Sofia announced.
We ran through the curtain and jumped over the stairs, twirling, and tossing our Pokeballs.
"Torchic, spotlight!"
"Spotlight, Pidgeot!"
As our Pokemon appeared, surrounded by confetti, Torchic landed on Pidgeot's back and the two flew into the air.
"Use Ember, Torchic!" I cried. Torchic launched the Ember towards the confetti that still lingered in the air.
"Use Gust, Pidgeot!" Torchic jumped off of Pidgeot's back and was in the air as Pidgeot shot Gust towards the flaming confetti and a little twister with orange sparks was created. Pidgeot then caught Torchic on its back once more.
"Use Fire Spin, Torchic!" Torchic shot the attack off in front of Pidgeot, creating a tunnel of fire.
"Use Quick Attack, Pidgeot!" Pidgeot shot through the fire tunnel. With Torchic on its back, there was a combination of colors and Torchic's orange was brought out as the two went through the tunnel of fire. Pidgeot shot towards the little twister that was still going and flapped its wings, extinguishing it, and the two stopped in front of us as we curtsied together.
We praised our Pokemon and looked to see what our scores were. 8.4,7.8, and 8, totaling to 24.2 points.
"That turned out even better than in practice!" I exclaimed as we made our way back to the waiting area.
"Yeah, it did! I'm so proud of Pidgeot and Torchic." Amber agreed.
After three more pairs, it was April and Adrian's turn. I was curious to see what they had come up with and see what other kinds of Pokemon Adrian had.
"Next up, we have April and Adrian!" Sofia announced.
April ran out and spun, tossing her Pokeball while Adrian ran and tossed his Pokeball.
"Curtain, Surskit!" April cried.
"Abra, let's go!" Adrian cried.
"Use Bubblebeam, Surskit!"
"Psychic, Abra!"
As the bubbles were floating in the air, they began to glow light blue. Abra then began to move the bubbles around the stage with its powers.
"Sweet Scent, Surskit!" Now a pink haze filled the stage and the bubbles still glowed and floated around.
"Dazzling Gleam!" Abra released a bright, sparkling light and the bubbles burst and as the light faded, the stage was left with fragments of water and light and the pink haze.
April curtsied as Adrian bowed and the two waited for their scores. 8.8, 8.5,and 9, which totaled to 26.3 points.
That appeal had really been something. It was calm and peaceful and colorful.
After another handful of pairs, it was Ashlyn and Skye's turn.
"Showtime, Electrike!" Skye cried.
"Spotlight, Misdreavus!" Ashlyn cried as she spun and tossed her Pokeball.
"Use Psywave!"
"Thunder Wave, Electrike!"
The two moves blended with one another to create a pink wave with electric currents in it.
"Now use Shadow Ball, Misdreavus!"
The Shadow Ball hit the beam and caused it to burst and sent little electric currents in the air.
"Use Discharge, Electrike!"
"And let's finish with multiple Shadow Balls!"
The Shadow Balls hit the Discharge and went through it and created purple spheres with electricity around them.
"Quick Attack!" Electrike leaped into the air and hit the Shadow Balls and they burst. Electrike did a flip and landed on the stage as Misdreavus floated happily above.
Their points were 7.6, 8, and 8.2, which totaled to 23.8 points.
We were all going to make it to the battle rounds, as long as no other pair scored higher than 23.8 points.
The appeals round was soon over and it was time for the first round of battles. Amber and I were up first against a pair of twins.
"To my right are Amber and Megan, and to my left are Reese and Scarlet. Five minutes on the clock and begin!" Sofia announced.
"Spotlight, Rapidash!" Amber cried.
"Kirlia, spotlight!" I cried.
"Showtime, Pinsir!"
"Let's go, Delcatty!"
... ...
"Dodge it!" Amber cried as Pinsir came towards Rapidash with X-Scissor. "Now use Flame Wheel!"
... ...
Pinsir was currently meeting Kirlia's Psybeam with Headbutt and both moves were fighting against one another.
"Kirlia's distracted! Use Return, Delcatty!"
"Keep Kirlia safe, Rapidash! Use Flamethrower!" Amber cried.
Rapidash blasted Delcatty with fire, sending it flying across the stage. Because of this, Kirlia was able to focus on her Psybeam and win the duel with Pinsir!
Then the buzzer sounded.
"...Amber and Megan win!"
As everyone cheered for us, I thanked Amber for having my back when I needed it most in that battle.
"That's what friends and partners do. They look out for each other and cover their weaknesses. That way, we can both win." Amber replied. "And I know that you'll have my back too, right?"
"Always." I said with a smile.
Our hard training had paid off and we'd won this battle, but we both knew that it wasn't over yet and we weren't about to get ahead of ourselves! We couldn't celebrate yet, not until we'd won our ribbons.
... ...
"To my right are Diamond and Raymond, to my left are April and Adrian. Five minutes on the clock and begin!"
"Curtain, Treecko!" April cried.
"Let's go, Ninjask!" Adrian cried.
"Charmeleon, go!"
"Linoone, showtime!"
... ...
"Dodge it, Treecko!" April cried as Flamethrower headed towards her Pokemon.
"Use Aerial Ace, Ninjask!"
... ...
"...April and Adrian win!"
Charmeleon's Fire attacks had given Treecko and Ninjask a run for their money, but they'd managed to hang on for the win!
... ...
"Spotlight, Swinub!" Ashlyn cried.
"Taillow, spotlight!" Skye cried.
... ...
"...Ashlyn and Skye win!"
They had managed to turn around a rocky start and pull off the win.
... ...
The second round of battles were about to begin. April and Adrian were going up against Trenton and Fay while Amber and I would be going up against Ashlyn and Skye.
... ...
"Dodge it!" Fay cried as an attack headed towards her Pokemon.
But Treecko was quick to follow through with the attack that April had commanded and hit Whismur as it dodged Ninjask's attack.
I had to hand it to April and Adrian as I watched them during the contest. They made a good team and worked well together. They were able to predict a move and have their Pokemon be ready to counter so that the opponent didn't get a chance to dodge.
... ...
"...And the team moving onto the finals will be...April and Adrian!"
... ...
"Flame Wheel!" Amber cried. Rapidash melted Swinub's Ice Shard and slammed into it.
"Aerial Ace!" Skye commanded.
"Get ready, Kirlia." I said. "Now! Teleport!"
Aerial Ace missed as Kirlia vanished and reappeared behind Taillow.
"Psybeam!" Kirlia hit her mark with the attack.
... ...
The buzzer sounded.
"The pair moving onto the finals will be...Amber and Megan!"
We would be going against my sister and Adrian. Would this be the moment where Amber and I would win our first ribbons?
... ...
We stood across from April and Adrian, waiting for Sofia to do the introductions.
"Folks, it's time for the final round to determine which coordinators will take home the Dewford Town ribbons! To my right are Amber and Megan. To my left are April and Adrian. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Let's go, Ninjask!"
"Treecko, curtain!"
"Spotlight, Rapidash!"
"Kirlia, spotlight!"
... ...
So far, the battle wasn't going in our favor. Adrian had Ninjask use Agility, making it even faster, and it struck quickly before retreating out of range. And despite Rapidash being a fast Pokemon, Amber hadn't been able to land a single hit on Ninjask!
There has to be a way to turn this around! Think, Megan, think...
"That's it!" I cried. "Kirlia, focus and watch Ninjask's movements. Find Ninjask and use Psychic!"
"You can halt Ninjask's movements so that Rapidash can land a super-effective hit, having a type advantage. Perfect!" Amber said, catching on to what I was planning.
All of that training seemed to have made us be able to predict each other's moves before doing them!
"Rapidash, use Flamethrower!"
"Treecko, use Energy Ball on Kirlia!"
"Rapidash, protect Kirlia while she traps Ninjask!"
... ...
Finally, things were turning around! Rapidash's super-effective Fire attacks were doing a lot of damage to April and Adrian's Pokemon.
"Use Psybeam!" I cried.
"Dodge it!" April cried.
"Flame Wheel!" Amber cried.
"No!" April cried as the attack hit her Pokemon.
Treecko stood, but cried out as it fell forward and fainted. A buzzer sounded to signal that April's Pokemon had fainted. Only Ninjask was left now.
... ...
"Thirty seconds remain!"
"Kirlia, Psychic!" I yelled. She used her powers to trap Ninjask and keep it still. "Do it, Amber!"
"Got it, Megan! Use Fire Spin!"
"No!" Adrian cried.
Ninjask was blasted with fire one last time and fell to the ground as the buzzers sounded.
"The contest winners are Amber and Megan!"
"We did it!" I cried as the crowd cheered loudly.
Amber laughed and pulled me into a big hug, which I returned in kind. At last, we had won our first Hoenn ribbons! As we released each other, we turned to our Pokemon, who ran up to us.
"We did it! Thank you, Rapidash!" Amber shouted, wrapping her arms around its neck as Rapidash let out a joyful neigh.
Kirlia levitated herself right up into my arms and I hugged her as I said, "We did it, Kirlia! At last! Thank you so much!"
... ...
As we stood on the stage with our Pokemon beside us, Mr. Contesta presented us with our ribbons. We took them and held them up in the air with our arms around each other's shoulders as the crowd cheered once again.
This moment was something out of my dreams. I was over the moon with happiness! After so many losses, I was finally a step closer to the Grand Festival! I had finally won for the first time in my life!
As we made our way out of the contest hall, we found Adam, Jason, Ashlyn, and Skye all waiting for us with excited looks on their faces.
"Way to go!" Adam and Jason cried as they hugged us both.
"That was a great battle. Congrats!" Ashlyn said.
"You guys rocked! Way to go!" Skye added.
"Well, Sis...you beat me this time." April said from behind me.
I turned and looked at her as she approached from behind with Adrian.
"I'm happy for you. Looks like you're proving to be a real challenge now, after learning some things from Amber."
"Thanks, April." I said, gaining an unexpected but not unwelcome hug from my sister.
We all decided to spend the rest of the day celebrating together at the beach. Even Adrian joined us for the day.
Author's Note: With some help from Amber, both she and Megan win their first ribbons in Hoenn at last!
Plus, Ash gives Adam some words of wisdom about his actions in the past and Adam's Aura dilemma.
Will Adam and Jason have the same success in their gym battles that Megan had in her contest? Find out in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!