Megan's POV
It was the day after Jason's gym battle with my grandpa. April and I were spending some time together, sitting in our backyard under the shade of the tree where Altaria's nest was. Swablu was still with us, being my newest Pokemon, since I had decided to catch her that morning after she'd made it clear that she wanted to come along with me on my journey.
"It's nice that we can talk like this. When we were younger, we were always arguing and getting on each other's nerves instead." I said.
"Yeah. All of the good times and bad times over the last few months have brought all of our family closer together." April said, nodding her head at my previous statement.
Our family had indeed gone through a lot over the last few months, with the possible cheating that we all thought that my dad was guilty of doing but was, thankfully, all a lie, and the birth of Zachary, and April and I leaving for our journey.
"So how did your date with Adrian go? What did you do? Where did you go? How were you two acting around one another?" I asked, curious as ever to hear about this story.
"We stayed in Petalburg City. Adrian didn't want to take me too far away and risk being late at getting me home. We walked around the city and just hung out with one another, talking. I really seemed to connect with him on a deeper level this time. We showed each other some of our favorite spots in the city, too. As it turns out, we have a lot in common.
"Then he led me to a surprise picnic that he had planned by a lake, where we had lunch. Afterwards, we just laid in the grass and looked at the sky and just enjoyed one another's company. At first, I was a little nervous, because I was going to be alone with him. But throughout the day, my nerves eased up and I was able to enjoy my time with him. It was the perfect day and the perfect date. I really enjoyed my day with Adrian."
Her cheeks were tinged pink as she talked about her date. But I also sensed that she was keeping something from me.
"Did something else happen?"
Her blush deepened.
"Oh! Tell me!"
"Well...when we were getting ready to leave and head back home...Adrian held out his hand to help me off the ground. Once I was up, he continued to hold my hand. He brushed a stray piece of my hair back from my face and said my name softly. Then next thing I know, he's kissing my cheek. I've never had a boy kiss me before, not even just on my cheek. I figured that he had a crush on me, but this confirmed that his feelings for me were genuine." she confessed with a dreamy smile.
I was happy for my sister. Adrian was a good match for her.
"So does that mean that you two are boyfriend and girlfriend?" I asked.
"Technically...yes, it does. It's all so new and exciting for me, but I'm happy."
"I'm happy for you too, April. Adrian is a good match for you."
"Thanks, Sis. Although...I always thought that you'd find someone before I did, since you're prettier than me."
April had found someone for herself. Sure, it was still new, but it could still develop into something deeper along the way. She could be like Mom and Dad with their love story.
I also wondered if I should take the plunge and tell Adam my feelings, whatever those may be...just let my heart speak like it had done to him in the past. I had to figure out what to do and I didn't have long to decide.
"My next destination with Adam and Jason will be Fortree City, which is a very long ways away, being almost on the other side of Hoenn, so we have a LOT of traveling ahead of us." I said to my sister.
"The next contest will be on your way there. It's in Rubello Town."
My mind came back to the present time as I remembered my talk with my sister. Two weeks had passed since that conversation with April.
Currently, I was with my friends, sitting in the waiting area of the contest hall. The Rubello City Pokemon Contest was about to begin. We all had two ribbons each, except for me, since I had three ribbons. So if any of my friends won, they would be tied with me in the number of ribbons won.
Christina walked over to us and looked at all of us. April and I had told the others about how Christina had apologized to us and that we were now friends with her.
"I know that April and Megan told you all about our reconciliation, but because of how I treated the two of them, all of you are likely mad at me as well, since they're your friends. So I just wanted to apologize to all of you as well for my actions towards April and Megan. Would you all be willing to forgive me for how I treated them?" Christina said, and bowed her head.
I watched as all of my friends nodded their heads.
"We forgive you." said Ashlyn.
"Yeah, we heard the whole story and it's understandable how you acted. But once you realized the truth, you realized the errors of your ways and changed. You grew as a person." Amber added.
"It's nice that everyone forgave each other." April said.
I nodded my head. It was nice to see that despite the rough start, we had all managed to forgive Christina.
Christina continued, "My mom has actually kicked my dad out of the house for how he tried to frame Megan's dad, and they may end up getting divorced. But it's my dad's own fault, since he's the one who made the choices leading up to this. He chose to risk someone else's relationship and damage his own in the process. I don't blame April or Megan at all for what may happen to my parents' relationship. I solely blame my father. He not only ruined his relationship with his wife, but with me as well."
"I'm sorry for what's happened to your family. It's never easy to think that your family may end up being torn apart." April said.
"I'm sorry that they may end up divorced. But we'll be here if you need someone to talk to." I added.
She really had changed as a person. When we had first met her, she was quick to blame us. But now, she wasn't blaming us for the actions that her dad had committed.
"Could we...all be friends?" Christina asked, looking at the rest of our friends.
All of the others stood up and nodded their heads and we all hugged Christina in a big group hug. Our circle of friends had grown even bigger!
As we released Christina from the hug, I saw something I had never seen from her: tears. Tears of joy were falling from her eyes and down her cheeks, but she was smiling through the tears.
Christina really had changed and she was so happy to finally be forgiven and have real friends.
Christina wiped her eyes and the contest introduction then began. Our focus went to the TV.
It wasn't long before it was Amber's turn.
"Next up is Amber!"
Amber ran out and jumped over the stairs and spun as her hand went up to toss her Pokeball.
"Spotlight, Absol!" Absol appeared, surrounded by multiple hearts.
"Use Night Slash!" The attack burst the hearts and caused glitter to rain down.
"Use Double Team, then Quick Attack!" Copies of Absol formed a circle on the stage and then began running so quickly that the original was hard to find.
"Now use Sucker Punch!" One by one, the copies were vanishing as the attack hit them. Amber tossed a frisbee and Sucker Punch slammed into it and shattered it.
Amber curtsied as the cheers started and she waited for her score. She had showcased Absol's speed and strength with this appeal combination.
Her score was: 8, 8.2, and 8.5, which totaled to 24.7 points.
... ...
The stage had been transformed into a pool as a younger boy had just finished his appeals. Ashlyn had been called back a few moments prior, so she was up next and must've been using a Water Pokemon.
"Next up, we have Ashlyn!"
Ashlyn ran out and spun.
"Dewgong, showtime!" Dewgong appeared, surrounded by confetti, which also landed in the pool.
"Use Ice Beam!" Dewgong leaped up and shot Ice Beam at the pool, freezing it as it was in the air.
"Now slide and use Aurora Beam!" Dewgong glided across the icy pool and used Aurora Beam to make it glow. Aurora Beam was then shot down towards the frozen pool as Dewgong jumped into the air to get some height for the attack. The impact shattered the pool and pieces of ice flew up into the air.
"Use Take Down!" Falling from the air gave Dewgong more momentum and more power as it hit the pieces of ice and shattered them into smaller pieces as Dewgong landed in the water and the pieces of ice fell around it.
Ashlyn curtsied and awaited her score. 7.5, 8, and 7.8, totaling to 23.3 points.
... ...
As a girl and her Growlithe were performing, I was told that I was up next. I was now waiting backstage for my turn.
"Next up is Megan!"
I ran out and jumped as I tossed my Pokeball.
"Spotlight, Beautifly!" Beautifly appeared in a giant heart.
"Use Gust!" The attack caused the heart to burst and Beautifly flew out.
"Now use Silver Wind!" Beautifly flew high into the air and then flew in a diagonal pattern and used the move.
"Now use Aerial Ace while using Silver Wind!" As Beautifly shot forward with speed from Aerial Ace, Silver Wind rained down on the field and a pretty glow was cast around my Pokemon.
Beautifly came and landed on my head as I curtsied and waited to see my score. 8, 8, and 7.8, totaling to 23.8 points.
As I made my way back to the waiting area, I saw that my sister was gone, so she was likely up next. Looking to the TV screen, I saw her spinning and tossing her Pokeball.
"Curtain time, Roselia!" Roselia appeared, surrounded by sparkles.
"Use Petal Dance!" Pink petals flew across the stage.
"Now use Magical Leaf!" The two different types of petals meshed together before scattering across the stage.
"Now use Sweet Scent, then use Synthesis!" A pink-colored mist covered the stage and as the color hit Roselia, Roselia began to shine brightly and glow from the Synthesis.
Both April and Roselia curtsied. April's score was 8.1, 8, and 7.5, totaling to 23.6 points.
... ...
A few more coordinators went before it was Adrian's turn.
"Next up...Adrian!"
Adrian ran out and tossed his Pokeball.
"Kadabra, go!" Kadabra appeared, surrounded by bubbles.
"Use Psychic!" The bubbles were now glowing with a blue glow around them. Kadabra moved the bubbles around the stage for a bit before Adrian commanded his Pokemon to use Psybeam, since the bubbles were now lined up in a straight line. The attack hit the bubbles and caused them to burst and rain down droplets of water.
"Now use Psybeam once more! Then Teleport!" Psybeam was launched and Kadabra teleported to the other side of the stage where the Psybeam was now heading straight towards it!
"Disable!" Kadabra protected itself and Psybeam stopped.
I had to admit...that was an impressive technique, being able to time everything perfectly. Adrian had to make sure that Kadabra wouldn't get hit, but also have enough time to protect itself and make sure that the combination would work out perfectly. I was very impressed.
His score was 8.5, 8, and 8.5, totaling to 25 points. So far, Adrian had the highest score out of all of us in our group of friends.
... ...
"Next up is Skye!"
Skye ran out and spun, tossing her Pokeball.
"Spotlight, Taillow!" Taillow appeared, surrounded by hearts. I also noticed that Skye had a little bucket that looked to be filled with balls beside her.
"Taillow, use Agility!" Taillow shot forward with incredible speed. Skye then picked up a few of the balls and tossed them into the air. But I then realized that they were balloons, not balls, when I saw how they floated a bit and didn't fall quickly.
"Use Quick Attack and Peck!" The balloons were popped by the attacks.
"Now use Aerial Ace!" Skye cried, tossing more balloons. The balloons were popped once more.
Skye had focused on showing off Taillow's speed with this performance. Taillow had popped them all and not a single balloon had hit the ground.
Her points were 7.8, 8, and 8, totaling to 23.8 points.
... ...
"For our last coordinator of the appeals round, we have Christina!"
"Curtain, Dustox!" Christina cried, spinning and tossing her Pokeball. Dustox appeared, surrounded by ribbons.
"Use Whirlwind!" The ribbons were sucked into the Whirlwind and now a colorful twister with the ribbons in it was in the center of the stage.
"Use Sludge Bomb!" Purple blobs of poison were sucked in the twister.
"Now use Confusion!" Dustox stopped the twister in place with the Psychic attack.
"Do it!" With Confusion in affect, Dustox slammed the twister into the stage, destroying it in a shower of color.
Her points were 7.5, 8, and 8, totaling to 23.5 points.
... ...
Adrian had scored the highest score, while April, Ashlyn, and Christina were the ones with the lowest scores out of our friend group. We had all scored very close to one another and the scores were very close to being even.
I knew that making it into the top eight to qualify for the battles would be very tough. If any of the top scores had tied in points, the judges would vote on their favorite coordinator and their performance, meaning that the one who performed better between the tied coordinators would advance. It wouldn't be easy and I could tell that we were all nervous as we waited to see the eight coordinators who would be moving on.
"Folks, it's time to show the coordinators who will be moving on to the next round! These are our top eight!"
Adrian, myself, Amber, Skye, a random guy, Ashlyn, April, and Christina. My mouth dropped open and I saw the shock in my friends' faces. We had all made it past the first round together! Normally, one or two of us would fail to qualify. But today, we had all made it!
"Now to show which coordinators will be battling who in the quarterfinals!"
Amber was going up against Adrian, I was facing Christina, April was going against the random guy, and Ashlyn and Skye were paired against one another.
"It's time to begin the second round of the contest! To my right is Amber and to my left is Adrian! There will be five minutes on the clock and...begin!"
The battlefield was a pool, so one of them was using a Water Pokemon.
"Spotlight, Rapidash!" Amber cried.
"Sharpedo, go!" Adrian cried.
I saw Amber frown as Adrian said that. She was at a type disadvantage.
"Use Bite, Sharpedo!"
"Dodge and then use Quick Attack!"
Rapidash jumped to another floating platform.
Adrian smirked and said, "Aqua Jet, quick!"
Amber wasn't about to have an easy battle. It was already going south for her, it seemed.
... ...
"Sharpedo, Aqua Jet!"
"Use Flame Wheel, Rapidash!"
The two moves collided quickly.
"Push through it, Rapidash!" The Fire and Water attacks exploded in a blast of hot steam.
The buzzer sounded.
"Adrian wins!"
... ...
"To my right is Christina and to my left is Megan! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Spotlight, Combusken!" I cried.
"Curtain, Seviper!" Christina cried. "Use Poison Tail!"
"Meet it with Double Kick!"
The two moves collided with one another. But using his other foot, Combusken landed a hit on Seviper while it was occupied with blocking the first foot.
... ...
"Use Wrap!" Christina cried as Combusken was recovering from taking a hit. Combusken cried out as Seviper wrapped around his body.
"Stay calm, Combusken! Use Flamethrower! You have to break free!"
"Stop the attack!"
Seviper moved so that Combusken couldn't use the attack, blocking the fire-breathing technique needed.
"Use Bounce!" I yelled, since Combusken's feet weren't trapped. Combusken kicked off of the ground and into the air with Seviper.
"Land on where it'll impact Seviper!"
"No! Let go of Combusken!" Christina cried.
Seviper started to loosen its grip, but Combusken fell too quickly and Seviper took the impact of the hard landing.
"Use-"
Too late. The buzzer sounded.
"Megan wins!"
Unlike our past battles, Christina seemed happy for my victory, and even gave me a friendly hug to congratulate me.
... ...
"To my right is April and to my left is Juan! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Let's go, Minun!" April cried.
"Totodile, go!" Juan cried.
He was at a type disadvantage, which was good for my sister.
"Use Scratch!"
"Meet it with Quick Attack, Minun!"
... ...
"Use Thundershock!" April cried as Totodile was recovering from the previous attack.
"Hydro Pump!"
The counterattack didn't work how Juan had wanted it to, since the Thundershock traveled along the water and zapped Totodile directly.
Then the buzzer sounded.
"April wins!"
... ...
"To my right is Ashlyn and to my left is Skye! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Breloom, go!" Skye cried.
"Curtain, Cloyster!" Ashlyn cried.
"Use Absorb!"
"Dodge it!" Ashlyn cried.
Cloyster jumped into the safety of the pool below.
... ...
"Mach Punch!"
"Stop it in its tracks! Use Ice Beam at its feet!"
Cloyster used Ice Beam and froze Breloom to the platform.
"Use Icy Wind!"
"Use Mach Punch and break free!"
The Icy Wind caused more ice to cover Breloom's body. And the Ice attacks were taking a toll on Breloom, being a Grass Pokemon.
The buzzer sounded.
"Ashlyn wins!"
... ...
"Now to show the coordinators who will be facing off against one another in the semifinals!"
Adrian was facing me while April was going up against Ashlyn. I was already at a type disadvantage, since Adrian was using Sharpedo and I was using Combusken. Still, Combusken knew Fighting attacks and Sharpedo was partially a Dark Pokemon, so I still had a chance of winning. I just had to remain positive and confident.
... ...
"To my right is Adrian and to my left is Megan! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Spotlight, Combusken!"
"Go, Sharpedo!"
"Use Double Kick!"
"Dodge it!"
... ...
I was struggling to get decent hits on Sharpedo. Whenever I would think that I had an opening, Adrian would get it to where it was gone in a heartbeat, or Sharpedo would go under the water to avoid my long range attacks and trying to get close was the same result. This battle wasn't going in my favor and I couldn't figure out how to fix it.
"Use Bite!"
"Dodge it, Combusken! Then use Double Kick when Sharpedo's close!" I finally landed a decent hit!
"Flamethrower!" I cried while Sharpedo was still recovering.
"Shake it off! Use Aqua Jet!"
Sharpedo was quicker to recover than I had anticipated. Both moves collided with one another.
The buzzer sounded.
"The coordinator moving on to the finals is...Adrian!"
I was frustrated and dejected, but I had to admit defeat.
... ...
"To my right is Ashlyn and to my left is April! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Spotlight, Cloyster!"
"Curtain, Minun!"
"Use Swift, Cloyster!"
"Use Quick Attack, Minun!"
... ...
"Shake it off, Cloyster!" Ashlyn said as Cloyster took a direct hit from Thundershock.
"Now use Icy Wind!"
"Jump up, Minun! Use Thundershock! Get above that attack!"
Minun jumped and spun to get above the Icy Wind, then launched a Thundershock directly at Cloyster.
"Get into your shell!" Cloyster managed to take minimum damage, thanks to Ashlyn's quick thinking.
... ...
The buzzer sounded.
"The coordinator moving on to the finals is...April!"
So it would be Adrian and April in the finals. The new couple facing off against one another. April would have the type advantage against Adrian.
... ...
"The finals will now begin! To my right is April and to my left is Adrian! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Curtain, Minun!"
"Let's go, Sharpedo!"
"Use Agility!" Adrian commanded.
"Get ready, Minun. Sharpedo's gonna be a lot quicker. Use your own Agility as well!" April shouted.
"Aqua Jet!"
"Meet it with Quick Attack!"
Both attacks struck with amazing speed.
... ...
The battle was staying pretty even, despite April having a type advantage. Adrian was very good at keeping openings from being weak points for long.
"Use Thundershock on the pool!" April cried as Minun was flung up into the air after taking a hit. Minun recovered and launched the attack. Sharpedo had no where to go, being in the water. Even if Adrian commanded his Pokemon to dodge by jumping out of the water, April could still direct the Thundershock to Sharpedo. Sharpedo took a direct hit and that critical hit caused Adrian's points to decrease a good bit.
... ...
The buzzer sounded.
"The winner of the contest is...April!"
April had won her third ribbon!
April and I made our way outside to find Adam and Jason once the contest was over and we had changed back into our regular clothes. I was slightly disappointed that I had lost, but I knew that I did the best that I could. Besides, I was proud and happy that my sister had won. She had been practicing a lot with her Pokemon.
"We both have three ribbons now. So that means we're progressing at the same pace." April said to me.
I smiled. It made me happy to hear that April thought that neither of us were falling behind the other in our training. She had cheered me up with those words.
We found Adam and Jason waiting for us and they congratulated April on her win.
Adrian then walked up to us with his hand behind his back.
"Here you are, in honor of your third contest victory." he said as he pulled out three red roses from behind his back and handed them to April. With each ribbon that she'd won, he'd given her one more rose than he had given her the previous time.
"Thank you!" she said happily, and hugged him.
He hugged her back and when he released her, he placed a kiss on her cheek, causing her to blush. It was the first time that I'd seen them be so open about their feelings for each other.
"April, I have a question." said Adrian.
"Yes?"
"We've both been traveling alone on our journeys so far. I'd like to invite you to travel with me for the rest of your Hoenn journey...if you would like it, that is."
Adrian had just invited April to travel with him!
"I'd really like that, Adrian. Being with you makes me so happy." she said with a loving smile.
I was happy for April as I saw the two of them interact with one another. She was clearly happy and smitten with Adrian and I could tell that he would be a good match for her. And with him now traveling with her, I knew that she would be perfectly safe and no longer be alone. It was much more fun to travel with others, anyway. It would also give the two of them time to explore their new relationship.
As I looked at my sister, I wondered if I would have that kind of special relationship someday? And would it possibly be with Adam? Would he be it for me? I really needed to sort out and figure out my feelings, especially since April had found someone special in her life!
Author's Note: April wins her third ribbon, matching Megan's total. But what's even better is that she's continuing her journey with Adrian, who is her first-ever boyfriend!
Will Megan ever find someone special like that? (Like Adam, maybe?)
And what awaits the group in Fortree City?
Find out in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!