Chapter 11: Emerald the Coordinator

Once the celebrations were over, Emerald was quick to take her prize money to Tony's family so they could pay for his treatment right away. As promised, Ruby also donated whatever money she could spare to add more to the total amount. She'd been able to spare another £20,000, which combined with Emerald's prize money made £70,000 overall. That along with Tony's family funds was enough to pay for the treatment. Tony's mother was so touched by the gesture that she'd barely been able to stop hugging Ruby and Emerald for their generosity.

"Oooooh bless you both!" she'd cried happily, her eyes streaming with tears, "Thanks to you, my baby boy will be cured at last! How can I ever repay you two?"

"Not crushing us would be nice!" Ruby croaked feebly as Tony's mother was hugging her rather tightly.

"What my sister actually means is that you don't need to repay us." Emerald said politely, "We're just glad that we could help save Tony. After hearing how serious his condition was, I couldn't just let him die! I knew once I won that contest, I'd give him the cash prize as he needed it more than I did!"

"And I can't ever thank you enough for such generosity. I didn't think anyone would be kind enough to help save my son." Tony's mother said gratefully, "But here you two are, the Champion of Galar and Galar's first contest winner, showing that kindness I've been looking for! You may not want to be repaid, but I assure you that my family is forever in your debt. Thank you again you two."

"Our pleasure entirely, Mrs. Summers." Ruby said kindly, "Your son's been a very good friend of ours since before we became trainers, it was only right we repaid him for that."

"I hope he'll recover quickly once his treatment's done!" Emerald added.

For now, all Emerald could do was wait as Tony was finally given the treatment he desperately needed to cure his illness. It wasn't going to be a quick process and Emerald knew that she'd have to be patient, even if it wouldn't stop her from worrying about her friend the whole time. Ruby suggested that they throw a party to celebrate Emerald's victory in the contest, but the bubbly girl politely declined.

"I'd rather we saved that for when Tony's able to join us." she said.

Ruby understood and so the party was postponed until Tony could leave the hospital. But that didn't stop Emerald from at least talking to Sapphire, Ashley and Hop about her victory. Naturally, they'd all been thrilled with her win and let her know how awesome they thought the whole show was.

"You and Dawn sure ended the contest on a high note." Sapphire said brightly, "It really was a close match between you two! But I'm glad you won in the end, sis. Congratulations!"

"I really thought Dawn was gonna win, but then you pulled out some big comebacks and just edged out a win in the end!" Ashley exclaimed, "I bet even you were amazed that you won in the end!"

"I thought I was imagining it at first!" Emerald giggled, "But it was no trick, and I'm glad for it!"

"Do you think this makes up for not winning the Galar Championship last year?" Hop asked curiously.

"To be honest, I didn't mind too much that it ended in a draw so it's not like me winning this contest "makes up for anything"." Emerald said with a shrug, "But to win at something new and not be up against my sister who already has a title to her name…that felt more satisfying than it ever would've if I had won against Ruby last year!"

"I get you." Sapphire said understandingly, "Because this is something else entirely and you're not in a position where you could take Ruby's crown, you feel this win's more special to you. That's a nice way to look at it."

"That and it helped her save her friend too, don't forget that." Ashley noted.

"How is he doing?" Hop asked.

"They're working on him now." Emerald informed, "They say if all goes well, he should make a full recovery in a few weeks. I'm hoping to get to see him next week if he comes round from his treatment."

"If he does, tell him we all wish him a quick recovery." Sapphire said kindly.

Emerald smiled appreciatively. She certainly would tell her friend that. It would make for something sweet to wake up to hear.

A couple of days after the contest had ended, Dawn had announced that she was returning home to Sinnoh. She felt that now the contest was over, she didn't have much of a reason to stay any longer. She'd been away for a whole year now and felt it was time to go home at last. After she'd packed up her bags, she gave Ruby and Emerald one last hug each.

"I hope to see you both again, and maybe get to meet Sapphire too." Dawn said kindly, "It's been a real blast training with you two and entering the contest and performing for everyone!"

"The pleasure's all ours, Dawn." Ruby said brightly, "You've been an amazing teacher to us and I can't thank you enough for helping us get as good as we did. Thanks to you, we got very far into that contest and Emerald ended up emerging victorious. If it weren't for you, I doubt we'd have even got past the qualifier round!"

"Aww, you don't have to thank me! It was the least I could do for such great friends!" Dawn said casually, "My friends have only done the same for me in the past!"

"Well we want to thank you anyway." Emerald insisted, "And I hope you'll come back soon, Dawn. I'd love for us to enter another contest together!"

"That'd be so much fun!" Dawn agreed, "Speaking of…how do you feel about coordinating? Do you plan to take it up full time or are you gonna be a bit like me in how I do battles and contests?"

"That's a good question." Emerald replied, "I've been thinking about it since I won the contest. I love Pokémon battles, but I honestly think I enjoy contests more. But I wouldn't want to give up one for the other! So I've decided I'll focus more on being a coordinator, but I'll still do battles too. I won't enter any big Pokémon Tournaments, I'll probably more battle in my spare time or for fun with my sisters. But if Galar hosts any more contests, I'll be ready for them!"

"And I don't think we're a one-hit wonder." Ruby declared, "The contest has not only been the biggest trending topic of the week, but Nessa's been revealing on social media that the contest has had great viewing figures overall with the finals being the most viewed programme of the week! I bet her crew's already demanding another show for the future!"

The girls giggled. They could practically imagine Nessa already signing contracts for another contest at this very moment.

"So it looks as if you're in for a steady coordinating career." Dawn said happily, "I wish you luck in all your endeavours Emerald and that you continue to enjoy contests as much as I do."

"As you like to say Dawn: no need to worry!" Emerald giggled, "I'm gonna have a great time performing! And I wish you luck in all your contests too."

"Thank you!" Dawn replied graciously, "Once I get home, I'll be training up for the next contest my home region will be hosting! I'll be sure to let you know how that goes. Oh, and before I go…be sure to tell Tony I wish him well." she added, "I hope to see him again when he's fully recovered from his condition."

"I'm sure we can arrange a video chat." Emerald offered, "I'll tell him you said that once he wakes up from his treatment."

Dawn smiled brightly. At least she could go home knowing that her friend was going to live in the end. With nothing more to say, Ruby and Emerald bid Dawn goodbye and she left their house to catch the first plane home to Sinnoh. Emerald felt sad to see her go. She'd enjoyed having Dawn around. She'd even felt like another sister to her and had gotten used to having her around for the year that had passed. But they'd see each other again soon and they both knew it.

Next week came and Emerald finally received the phone call she'd wanted to hear. Both she and Ruby were watching The Owl House on TV at the time until Emerald's Rotom phone went off and she answered it. Ruby could see from the glee on her sister's face that it was good news. Emerald excitedly replied to the voice on the other end and concluded the call by saying she'd be over right away. She turned to Ruby.

"It's Tony! The treatment was a complete success and he's come to at last!" Emerald screeched, "The doctors tell me I can come and see him right away!"

"Best not keep your man waiting then, Em." Ruby teased, "I'm sure he'd appreciate it if your adorable face was one of the first things he gets to see now he's awake again."

"You're still getting back at me for all the teasing I gave you and Hop in the past, aren't you?" Emerald snickered with an impish smile on her face.

"Now where would you get an idea like that?" Ruby said sarcastically, "In all seriousness, go to him. Maybe now, you'll have your chance to tell him how you really feel. And also, tell him for me that I'm relieved he's fully cured."

"Of course!" Emerald piped, "I'll be back soon. Look after my Pokémon while I'm out, OK?"

She made sure to let her mum know where she was going before leaving the house to catch a Flying Taxi to Hulbury Hospital. In a matter of moments, she had arrived and she quickly ran into the hospital. Emerald was directed to Tony's room and she ran there without a moment's hesitation. Upon arriving, she approached Tony's door but as she grabbed the handle, the teenage girl took a moment to pause and collect herself. She breathed in and out a few times to ease her nerves. Although Tony was awake now, she was slightly worried on what she'd see. Hopefully he wouldn't look in too bad shape despite having not long recovered from his treatment. Emerald pulled down the handle and opened the door. To her relief, what she saw was her love lying on the bed, looking a little tired but very happy to see her. It had only been a week since the treatment took place and Tony already looked much healthier. Emerald could swear he had more colour in his face than before and the twinkle in his eyes was much brighter, almost as if to visually inform her he'd been given a new spark of life. Emerald approached the bed, her hands trembling. She felt like she just wanted to throw her arms around Tony and weep with joy, but she didn't want that to be the first thing she did in front of him now he was awake. Emerald sat down on the bed and gazed at Tony. She couldn't help but notice that his hospital gown was a little undone so she could see some of his chest. It made her blush slightly but Emerald shook it off.

"How do you feel?" she asked softly.

"Like a new man, honestly." Tony said casually, "I truly feel as if a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders and that I no longer have to go through life as if every day could be my last. It'll be so good not to faint for once."

"You bet!" Emerald exclaimed, "I tell you, when you collapsed, it was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life! And when the doctor told me how serious your condition was, it felt like someone tore my heart out of my chest! It's so good to see you looking more like your old self again, and feeling it too!" she added.

"And all this wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for you, little gem." Tony noted, "If you, Ruby and Dawn hadn't continued that contest to win the prize money for me, I'd probably still be hoping for a miracle to save me. I'm just so…gobsmacked that you did all this for me."

He put a hand over Emerald's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Mum always believed that truly generous people other than us existed, and I'm glad you could prove her right, Emerald." the brunette boy said kindly.

"Don't mention it! It was nothing, really!" Emerald said, trying to sound casual, "I couldn't just let you die Tony, you know I couldn't! God, I'd never be able to live with that on my conscience if I didn't try to help you!"

Her eyes began to well up as she began to get more emotional. Tony gently shushed her while rubbing her hand with his thumb.

"It's OK, darling. I'm cured now and I'm going to live. We don't need to think about the worst anymore." the young boy reassured her, "Nevertheless, I don't know if I could ever repay you for your kindness, Emerald. What you've done for me…it's just something I don't think could ever be repaid!"

"I told your mum already that I don't need to be repaid. Just you being alive is all the reward I need!" the young girl insisted, "You've been my closest friend alongside my sisters and I wouldn't want to imagine life without you."

Tony was touched by Emerald's heartfelt words. He didn't think anyone could ever say anything nicer than that.

"I really don't know what to say." he said with awe, "I'm certainly glad we met back in school all those years ago. Life without you would certainly have been less sweet."

Emerald blushed with pleasure.

"Although I think we need to talk about our relationship." Tony noted, "I don't think we can be considered "just friends" anymore, if you know what I mean."

Emerald felt her heart pound. She had been anticipating this conversation and had been preparing herself on what to say. Now was the perfect time to confess to her love now he was actually awake to hear it! She stroked Tony's hand, more to ease her nerves than to comfort him.

"I think we both knew we'd have to talk about this at some point, especially after we nearly kissed back at the stadium." Emerald acknowledged, "Boy did we get ahead of ourselves at that point! But yeah…Tony, I'm sure you might not feel the same way I do, but I'm not going to pretend any longer. Tony…"

She breathed in deeply as she said the three words she'd been dying to say to him all along.

"I love you." the teenage girl finished.

Tony only smiled with awe in response. He didn't seem weirded out or amazed that Emerald felt that way. He sat up in his bed, his gentle blue eyes gazing into Emerald's.

"And what makes you think I don't love you too?" he purred.

His soft, pleasant voice made Emerald shiver with excitement. She swore at times his voice was like honey to her ears!

"I dunno, I probably sound really silly for doubting it all, but you've always been a bit of a charmer, even back in school, and would never miss an opportunity to flirt with girls." Emerald explained, "I guess a part of me thinks that of all the girls you've hit on in your life, why would I ever be the one you'd pick?"

Tony just reached out and put a hand to Emerald's face. His touch felt warm and soft to her, like this was the hand of someone who would always treat her with love and care.

"Because you're the only one I've ever truly loved." Tony declared.

He then reached up for Emerald's hat. At first, Emerald put a hand around his wrist, silently asking him to stop. But then she changed her mind and let him carry on. If there was one way to show she truly loved Tony and trusted him above anyone else, it was to let him touch her hat. Tony slid it off her head and took in how cute Emerald looked without it on. True she hadn't been wearing it in the contest but she'd been wearing a bow so this was his first time seeing her with nothing on her head at all. Seeing her like this and with nothing in her hair too gave Tony Emerald's natural beauty and he liked what he saw very much. He then tenderly fingered some of her hair as he began to lean in close. Emerald placed her hands on his shoulders and caressed them softly. Then their lips locked and they deeply embraced. A warm, tingling feeling spread through their bodies as they kissed. They'd been longing to do this for so long and the feeling was as wonderful as they'd thought. They had found love with each other and they both couldn't be any happier…

The party Ruby had wanted to host was finally happening.

Tony had been discharged from the hospital by the end of his first week after his successful treatment so now was the time to host the party. Of course once Emerald had come home from visiting Tony, she'd been quick to tell Ruby that they were officially a couple now.

"About damn time if you ask me." was all Ruby could say in response.

Annie and Michael were delighted with the news too. All three of their girls had found love at last and all with people that couldn't be better for them! Annie joked that this would mean she'd have a lot of grandkids to look after in the future, much to Ruby and Emerald's exasperation. Once everyone was free to attend, the Silverlock Family set up their celebration party for Emerald's victory in the Pokémon Contest. They had set it up in the back garden with enough seats for everyone and a table for a beautiful buffet with all sorts to eat from things on sticks to sandwiches to savoury snacks and much more. Sapphire and Ashley had come back from the Isle of Armour to attend and Ruby had of course invited Hop to join them. At Emerald's request, Marnie from Spikemuth Town had also been invited to join the party. While Marnie wasn't much of a party person, she'd been happy to accept anyway. She felt she at least owed Ruby that much for helping to save her home town and Emerald for helping to weed out Team Royal when they'd hidden out in Spikemuth last year. To the girl's surprise, Marnie had casually revealed she and her brother had actually been watching the contest back at home, and that they'd been rooting for them and were glad Emerald had won.

"So do you think you'll give contests a try?" Emerald asked sweetly.

"I can imagine her Morpeko being quite a performer." Ruby agreed.

"If you think you can get me in a cute outfit up on stage and performing in front of everyone, you can get stuffed." Marnie muttered, "I don't do cutesy things like that."

"Oh reeeeeeeally?" the sisters teased, making Marnie blush with embarrassment.

"So you're Marnie, I take it?" Tony asked, joining in on the conversation, "You know, you're much cuter in person." he complimented. This only made Marnie blush even more

"Tony, what have we said about that?" Emerald said in a teasingly stern voice.

"What, I was just being nice!" Tony replied in a mockingly indignant voice.

The two just giggled over their playful bantering.

"You're not the first person to be nice like that." Marnie said bashfully, "I'm not sure if I'd say I'm "cute" but I guess I don't mind too much if people think that about me. It's better than calling me something horrible, that's for sure!"

"Of course." Ruby agreed, "Oh, this is Tony by the way. You might remember he was that coordinator that had to drop out for…well, we don't talk about that anymore." she said hastily.

"Oh I remember." Marnie declared, "Me bro and I honestly thought he had a real chance of winning. We really liked his performances with his Roserade and Alcremie. Pity you had to drop out, but I suppose there's always next time, right?"

"Of course." Tony confirmed, "And hopefully you and your brother will be rooting for me again. And maybe we can have a Pokémon battle together one day."

"You'll have to line up." the goth girl said bluntly, "Ruby and her sisters got 'ere first."

Ruby, Emerald and Tony just chuckled. Somehow, Marnie's blunt and direct replies managed to sound humorous at times, even if she wasn't trying to be funny. The party got under way with plenty of socializing, dancing around, eating, drinking and letting the Pokémon in on the fun. Emerald especially had fun showing everyone her Pokémon's contest moves and performances and Tony even showed them what his Pokémon could do too. Marnie enjoyed getting to see Blossom and Flossy perform in person while Sapphire was enjoying getting to see everyone perform for herself. Even Ashley was impressed and wondered why they didn't do contests back in Unova. Ruby took a moment to catch everyone's attention so she could make a speech. All eyes were on the Champion as she spoke.

"Let us not forget why we're here everyone." Ruby announced, "This party is in celebration of a great achievement on behalf of my adorable, funny and wonderful sister, Emerald Silverlock. She has truly impressed us all and proven herself to be an amazing Pokémon trainer and coordinator by winning at Galar's first ever Pokémon Contest! May this win be the first of many as she continues on her newfound path as a Pokémon Coordinator!"

"Here, here!" everyone chanted in response.

"Thank you so much everyone!" Emerald replied graciously, "And I'm happy to announce that I won't be on this path alone as I have my darling Tony to keep my company all the way!"

She kissed Tony on the cheek, prompting everyone to awe in response.

"And I'll be glad to." Tony put in, "My little gem has not only proven what a talented coordinator she is, she's also proven to be the kindest, most generous person I've had the fortune to meet. She helped save my life, and I'm forever full of gratitude for doing so!"

Everyone cheered loudly at this with Tony's mother cheering the loudest for the young girl. Emerald threw her arms around Tony and hugged him tightly, grateful for the lovely words. Everyone gave a toast for Emerald for her amazing win and her generosity in saving Tony's life. She'd more than earned it for what she'd done.

Later on, the party came to a close and everyone went home for the night. Sapphire decided to stay home until tomorrow instead of going back to the Isle of Armour as she'd been away from home for a while and wanted to stay a little longer. Emerald went to bed that night feeling full of joy for the wonderful celebration. She couldn't feel more proud of herself for all she'd achieved this year, as well as finding her new calling and what to do with her talents as a Pokémon trainer. She couldn't wait to continue her coordinating career. How exciting it was to think she might be competing in another contest sometime soon!

The next morning, the sisters were all together in the living room chatting together.

"Honestly girls, I think all three of us are in a place we're all comfortable with now." Ruby declared, "We're all great Pokémon trainers with many Pokémon to be friends with and we all have our own lives to lead now. The Champion, the new Dojo Master and the Master Coordinator…sounds pretty cool when you sum it up like so, doesn't it?"

"It does, it does, it does!" Emerald piped.

"To think all three of us are using our skills as trainers in three different ways." Sapphire acknowledged, "Defending your title," she pointed to Ruby, "performing in contests," she pointed to Emerald, "and training new trainers on the Isle of Armour. To say we've reached far into the corners of Pokémon training is an understatement!"

"Too right Sapph. And I think we all have bright futures ahead of us." Ruby agreed, "Especially as we not only have our own paths made clear ahead, but we all have someone to love and share those paths with."

Emerald and Sapphire agreed. With Hop, Tony and Ashley as their partners respectively, their lives were going to be more fun than ever. What could be better than having Pokémon and their loved ones by their side for whatever challenges lay ahead for them?

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Ruby had a feeling she knew who it was as she stood up to answer the door. As expected, it was Postman Tad again with some post for the Silverlock family. There were only a few letters, but one of them stood out to Ruby. She thanked Tad for the delivery and closed the door. She put the rest of the post down and looked at the one letter that stood out to her more than the others. It was addressed to her, Emerald and Sapphire and the address and name were written by crayons instead of pens. Ruby recognized the messy handwriting instantly and opened up the letter. She wasn't at all surprised to see who it was from. The letter read;

Hey cousins!

It's been a while since I've seen ya! How have ya been, lassies?!

Never mind, tell me about it when ya get here! I'm inviting ya for a trek around the Crown Tundra! I swear it's gonna be an epic adventure and you'll love it up here, though ya might find it a bit nippy so bring something warm to wear! Very important!

I'd love for you to come to my humble home for a catch up and maybe even go catching some Pokémon that ya can't find anywhere else. Just don't mind Peony if we run into him. He's a bit of a numpty but he's a fun guy really. His daughter might even appreciate the company of girls closer to her age too.

Hope to hear a reply from ya soon, cousins!

Your delightful cousin, Gloria

P.S. I'm also hoping to become a trainer myself so maybe you can also help in getting my Pokémon journey started!

"Who's it from, Ruby?" asked Sapphire.

"It's Gloria. She's inviting us for a visit to her house." Ruby replied, "We better start making preparations girls, because we're going to the Crown Tundra!"

"Ooooh, that'll be exciting! We haven't seen Gloria in ages!" Emerald said excitedly, "We also haven't seen much of the Crown Tundra given we were too young to venture further, so I bet now we're all grown-up and with our own Pokémon now, we might be able to explore more of the place!"

"Just what I was thinking!" Ruby cried happily, "I bet we might even catch some new Pokémon to make friends with while we're there. I'm honestly looking forward to this. Like Gloria promised, this oughta be pretty epic!"

She looked at the letter again. Gloria better be ready because they weren't going to say no to this! They would arrange the best time to go and then by on their way. But this visit to the Crown Tundra wasn't just going to be a simple visit and a grand adventure. It was going to be bigger than any of the girls could even imagine…

And so another story comes to a close. Emerald and Tony are a couple now, Emerald has found her calling and is now going to be a coordinator and Tony's illness is gone for good! But the adventure has only just begun for our heroes. What will they get up to now they've been invited to visit their cousin in the Crown Tundra? Let's just say that they're in for a legendary encounter...maybe several. ;) Tune into my next fanfic as we go adventuring in the Crown Tundra with "The Crown Tundra: A Pokemon Story". Hope to see you all then guys! :D