My. First. Ever. 10K. Chapter!

Holy crap. I knew it was going to happen! I just... didn't expect it to be in a Contest chapter of all things! I apologize for the long wait, but I hope this chapter makes up for the wait! Yeah, I have nothing else to say at this point! I hope you enjoy the chapter!


"Hmph! Those stupid judges haven't a clue on what true beauty and entertainment are!

James and Meowth both sigh, watching Jessie throw a tantrum over her loss. This wasn't something new; she always whined and cried about not getting anything done her way or results being different than what she expected. It just doesn't mean they want to put up with it. They watch Jessie pace around angrily, throwing her arms around in obvious displeasure. Her huffing and puffing grating their ears as her hysterical shrieks of anger come about, threatening to bust their eardrums.

"Oi, give it a rest, already!" Meowth snaps, rubbing his ears from the sniveling woman in front of him. His Unovan accent barely registered this time around as Jessie just grabs him, hoisting him up right in front of her. He pales as he stares at a demonic looking woman, her eyes flared up, a vicious snarl with a deep, dark growl emanating somewhere from this woman's throat. "Uh…"

Jessie starts to strangle Meowth, wringing his neck as she shakes him harshly, "I will not give a rest, you stupid cat!" She throws him down to the ground, immediately changing her mood to that of a melodramatic actress, clasping her cheeks with her hands as her eyes glimmer, staring off into the distance like a star-struck fanatic. "My adoring fans – didn't you hear them? They booed when they rushed me off the stage! It was tragic!" she places a hand over her forehead, leaning to the side as she dramatically poses.

"My devastated fans – Oh, how they cried for me! When their beautiful queen was rudely passed on, being thrown to the waste side as some worn out doll, they cried for such injustice! How can I, their loving Mistress of the Arts, let that happen? I must get back in that theatre and show those fraudulent panelists a thing or two!" Jessie finishes her posing, staring directly at James and Meowth with a demanding look, her arms now on her hips, "And you two buffoons are going to help me!"

James sighs, "Come on, Jessie… You had your fun, now we have to actually follow orders, or we're going to get in trouble with the Boss!" James attempts to reason with Jessie, knowing full well how scary their Boss is; he's a man so powerful that with a snap of his finger, he can erase your existence away. And that's before sending one of his top agents to get rid of you. While James hadn't been dealt with, he had heard a rumor that a simple grunt agent made a sly remark about the Boss, which led to his disappearance shortly after.

No one dared to insult the Boss or make a simple remark about him ever since.

"He'll be fine, James! What he won't know won't hurt him!" Jessie dismisses his concerns. She knows of the Boss' reputation as a frightening individual, and yes, she would never want to cross him, but this is more than just about what the Boss wants – this is payback for her pride as a performer! He'll understand… she hopes.

"Hm…" Meowth hums in thought. Although annoyed with Jessie's thrashing, he was able to recover without a single bruise on his neck. No one would be able to see it anyway due to his white fur, but as a Pokémon, he's a lot more durable than humans, so he wouldn't worry about having a sore neck or back from the wringing. Both Jessie and James turn their attention to him as he continues to think, his paw over his chin.

"You have an idea, Meowth?" James simply asks, curious to what their teammate has to say. Meowth is usually the brains of the operation, constantly thinking about the next step; he always has his mind riddled with ideas and what needs to be done. James is just the one that can actually help Meowth put those ideas into motion – it's like that one movie where a Rattata controlled a guy with his hair to become a world-class chef; Meowth is the Rattata and James is that weird guy that lets himself get told what to do.

Meowth nods, a devious grin ever present. He turns to Jessie, a glint in his eye letting them know he formulated the perfect plan. "Say… Yeah, let's go back there… but this time, as Team Rocket!"

Jessie and James both 'ooh' while clapping at Meowth, encouraging him to continue. It seems whatever plan he has is something that will benefit everyone – and by everyone, it means them three. Meowth loves the attention being given to him right now and decides to elaborate further.

"Picture this: as the Contest is about to end, and everyone has Pokémon too tired to continue, we swoop in and get the Pokémon that were involved! Especially those battling in the final round! We can get the potential winner and add them to our team and when there's all this chaos as people scramble in fear from us, we snatch that ribbon and give it to you, Jessie!" Meowth explains, imagining everybody as a chibi, their bodies deformed into smaller caricatures of themselves. In his mind, they're all crudely drawn and imagined like a child's drawing in primary school.

The chibi forms of them, in their hot-air balloon, crashing into the building, causing discord and confusion is quite the amusing scene, but to the other two – it's perfect. They both imagine it as well, each thinking of all the Pokémon they can snag for the Boss. In their minds, this can also improve their standings with the Boss, who views them as nothing more than a nuisance that can't handle the simplest mission without mucking something up. At least with this, they can at least say to him that they come bearing gifts for him!

"I love it! Oh, Meowth, never change! Your brain is what makes you so ever useful!" Jessie throws a backhanded compliment, making said Pokémon give her a beady eye look in response.

"Yeah, thanks, Jess…"

"Hold on," James interrupts their fantasies, forming an 'X' by crossing his arms, "how are we going to even crash the place? They have security everywhere, and last time I checked, we can't necessarily outnumber them."

Meowth dismisses the concern, "Oh, lighten up, Jimmy! I have something for that!"

With a hop, Meowth pulls both their ears, whispering maniacally to them. Both Jessie and James nod quickly, humming in agreement, both giggling maniacally at the ideas being thrown out again. They all rub their hands in excitement, their greedy little eyes shining brightly as all thoughts now are about how to do their perfect plan. All while, they begin to sing amongst themselves about how clever they are and how they're going to get promotions.

Episode 16: Victory! The Winner is…!

Lilian announced that there would be a 30-minute intermission, much to the relief of everyone participating in the Battle Round. The audience were more than eager to get up from their seats to get more snacks, head off to the restrooms, or congratulate friends and family that participated. Some even waited to congratulate or give their regards to those who didn't make it past the Appeal Round. Serena was bombarded by some people walking out the back room. They were praising her performance, despite being a rookie.

Some made some snide comments about beginner's luck, but she took it as a sign she did great and didn't let those comments affect her. She knew she did great! To those that complimented her, she gave them her thanks and appreciated their kind words; for the negative remarks thrown at her by some of the saltier and bitter losers or fans, she took them in stride and bade those who attempted to demean her a great day. What better way to affect someone than by killing them with kindness?

She knew that some would not take kindly to a rookie such as herself to make it past the Appeal Round, it rarely happens anyway, and she knew that. She knew that she had to work hard to make it past that round and the fact that both her and Leaf, another fellow rookie Coordinator, also made it past the Appeal Round, made it special. For many, some would view it all as a fluke, and some would eagerly cheer for her loss.

Even if she lost, she wasn't going to give in and falter; she's so far in it now in this one contest, that she just can't quit. She wouldn't let it happen. She won't let it happen.

Leaf told her that she would go off to get some fresh air shortly after the announcement and suggested Serena do the same. She suggested to Serena that heading outside can help clear the mind off things, to remove any sort of anxiety just by being in a room with the remaining contestants, and to avoid the "salty" coordinators, in Leaf's own eloquent words. Serena didn't opt to do that as she felt like it wasn't that big of a deal, especially since she's looking for her friends right now.

In the lobby were Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu and Froakie, all of whom were indeed waiting for her.

Ash, as always, had a snack in his hand; but it was quickly handed over to Froakie, who just shared the remnants with Pikachu. Seeing Serena, he bolted over to her with an emphatic grin, one that made her wish she didn't have to separate from him or their friends. Brock and Misty also came over, though not in the same manic speed Ash was able to exert. Pikachu and Froakie came over, just as happy to see Serena like their trainer, though the small crumbs on their mouths made her cover her lips so as to not laugh at them.

Wiping the crumbs stuck on his face, Ash exclaims, "Serena, you were fantastic out there!"

Brock adds on, "Yeah! All your training really paid off! You made it look so easy!"

Misty winks, "And we all know you'll blow it out of the water in the Battle Round! You're on your way to winning that ribbon!"

Serena rubs the back of her head, blushing at everyone's compliments. Froakie and Pikachu both spoke out to her, both giving her nods and thumbs up, smiling at her. She looks at everyone and bows to them, appreciating their kind words. "Thank you, guys… I'm just happy to have made it to the second round! It was nerve-wracking…"

Ash nods, "I can imagine, but you held strong! You and that other girl, what's her name?" He thinks, trying to remember the other girl who participated, "Leaf! Yeah, she was also new to the show, but you both did great! Personally, I liked yours better!"

Misty nudges Serena, whispering to her, "Of course he would say that." Misty snickers. Serena rolls her eyes at the redhead while appreciating Ash's praise.

Brock crosses his arms, a pensive look on his face ever present, "Just be careful from here on out. The competition is going to be stiff, especially going in as a newcomer." Serena nods, knowing that she's not necessarily a strong battler, or much of one anyway. Ash is the battler of the group, hence why he would often train with her in their downtime to make sure she has some confidence going in for battles. She may not be the best, or even good, but she'll do the most she can to pull out a win!

"Right."

Misty offers her a bottle of water, to which Serena graciously accepts. She begins to sip on the bottle, before gulping it down. She didn't expect herself to be that parched, but it luckily did the trick as Serena feels a lot more refreshed. Was it her nerves again? Possibly. At this point, she's too far in to just let her anxiety get the best of her.

Despite time ticking slowly, the intermission ended, and everyone was heading back to their seats to watch the next set of rounds. Before leaving with his friends to get back to their seats, Ash pulls Serena to the side. Curiously, Serena watches him as he fumbles around, trying to grab her wrist to pull her with him. He had Froakie and Pikachu go with Brock and Misty as he wanted to talk to Serena in private, to which his Pokémon were more than receptive in doing. Despite the small teasing from the two, they waved and headed off with Brock and Misty. Serena stares at Ash. Is he okay? Why is he pulling her away? While she knew she wouldn't be battling first, the fact Ash had kind of pulled her away so suddenly does seem strange to her.

"Is there something the matter, Ash?" She asks him, with some concern laced in.

Ash closes his eyes, trying hard to think of what to say or do. He knows she doesn't have much time, and the more he just stumbles, the less time he'll have with her. Why is he so nervous? This is his best friend after all! He ignores something in the back of his mind, taunting him saying they're more than just friends. He ignores it all. Right now, he just wants to give Serena words of encouragement! Is that so hard to do?! Well, right now, it is for him.

Serena repeats her question, even more concerned. "Do we need to get you to see Nurse Joy?"

With a violent shake of his head, almost wincing from the slight neck cracks, Ash finally responds, "No! No… I… I just wanted to say that I thought you were looking great out there and that, uhm…" He looks away nervously. Ash then sighs and rubs the back of his head, turning back to face Serena, noticing her blushing a little bit from his praise. Why does she always turn red? Is she sick? Is she allergic to him? God, he hopes not! Ignoring those thoughts, Ash gives her a warm smile, "I just wanted to tell you that… I'm proud of you… Y'know? I… I know this is scary and, well, I'm not going to lie, I was scared for you. I didn't want you to get upset if you were to somehow lose and… I also want to apologize for being afraid of that… You've been my best friend for so long, easily the only friend I've had or wanted up until meeting Misty and Brock… and I wouldn't forgive myself if you lost, because I didn't support you or something… Just know that I'm proud of you for doing this and that, win or lose, you'll always have my support."

Staring at the boy, Serena slowly snakes her arms around him, pulling herself into him. She hugs him tightly, which he reciprocates. She's almost certain she can hear his heartbeat. It's beating so rapidly, she's almost afraid he can have a heart attack. She looks at him, to which he looks back at her. She blushes but doesn't look away. Serena slowly pulls away to stare at Ash with a warm look, "Ash," she begins, "don't ever apologize for something like that." She almost laughs, "Heh, it's just like when I got scared and thinking you'd lose against Brock… remember?"

He gives her a small, quiet laugh, "Hehe, yeah. Misty told me the same thing… I was worried, y'know? Then when I told them, Misty told me how you were afraid for me. I remember you apologizing for it, too. Looking back, I didn't really pay no mind to it, because I knew that you were still going to support me. I guess, I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you no matter what."

"And even now, I know you're still going to support me, so never apologize. I know you're worried for me, and I appreciate your concern, Ash. I really do." Serena rubs his cheek with her thumb, Ash tenses at the feeling. He relaxes soon after, enjoying the feeling. "It means you care for me and for my feelings. In this case, you're the spectator this time around and I'm the one in the spotlight, so of course you'd be worried for me. Just like how I was for you when you battled Brock. And just like you said, even if you were to lose, you wouldn't give up until the end… This time, win or lose, I refuse to give up until everything is over. You taught me that, Ash."

Ash slowly nods, his smile hitting his eyes, "I honestly think you're a better follower of my little catchphrase than me."

She chuckles, winking at him, "Well, one of us has to be the better student. I still remember you needing help doing your homework, mister!" Back when Ash was studying at Professor Oak's lab, the professor would oftentimes give Ash homework, research papers and poor Ash just never knew what to do or say. In some cases, he would procrastinate with them and when they were close to being due, he would call Serena to have her help him. Despite her chastising Ash and threatening to never help him with his homework, she would always cave and help him. She could never resist his puppy-dog eyes. It's a good thing he forgot how to do them.

Laughing at the small jab, Ash rolls his eyes at her, sticking his tongue out childishly. She joins in on the laugh, never really realizing that they've still been holding onto each other. Over on the intercom, they begin to announce the next battle: Serena of Vaniville Town vs Anna of Lavender Town. Ash widens his eyes, realizing he made her stay with him a lot longer than anticipated. He begins to apologize, but she shushes him by putting her finger over his lips. She gives him a wink, "Just go back to your seat and root for me!"

They pull away and Serena hurries on over to the stage.

Ash stares at her disappearing figure. In the back of his mind, he begins to miss having her near him.

Serena quickly was able to get to the stage, panting slightly as her opponent was already waiting for her. Anna of Lavender Town is a purple haired girl, with a rather average face. No discernable features, except for her Gastly – a Ghost-type that continues to giggle in a haunting manner. Serena almost shivers seeing one. She's not much of a fan of ghosts, always thinking they can trap her soul in a dark, frightening realm where she'll be tortured for all eternity. She shakily sends out Beedrill. "Bzzt!" Beedrill buzzes happily, ready to fight for its trainer.

"Alright, everybody!" Lilian begins, "As said in the previous battle, the timer will begin shortly! Remember: it's five minutes! Each contestant has a certain amount of 'health' for their performance battling! Whoever has the most points remaining or whoever knocks out their opponent's Pokémon first gets to advance to the next round!" Lilian explains to the crowd and to Serena and Anna, both of whom nod. They understand the ruleset and with that nod, Lilian snaps her fingers for the screen to flash their health bars and the timer in the middle.

"Let's get showy!"

The battle begins.

5:00...

4:59…

4:58…

"Gastly, use Astonish!" Anna calls out, quick to attack.

Before Serena or Beedrill can react, Gastly vanishes right in front of them. Beedrill begins to hastily scan the area, trying to find the gaseous Pokémon. To the bugs' surprise, it appears right next to it. Serena tries to call out for Beedrill to not get surprised, but Beedrill flinches from the move, as Gastly scares it and whacks it. Serena swiftly looks over to the scoreboard and notices that her 100% health has dropped down to a 94%. She can manage that… With a chance to strike, due to Gastly being in close proximity, Serena calls out, "Use Twineedle!"

Beedrill rushes to jab Gastly, with Anna calling out for Gastly to evade the attack.

Serena's health bar drops down to 88% from the attacks missing every strike.

"Get close and use Lick, Gastly!" Anna orders.

"Ga-Gastly!" Gastly obliges, rushing in, its tongue sticking out as it giggles along the way. Serena and Beedrill both shudder when they see its gleeful face rushing towards Beedrill. Beedrill flies up to dodge the move, making Anna finally lose points. She drops down to 95% from the miss, but Anna is nonplussed about it. She continues her onslaught of using Lick, all of which keeps missing as Beedrill just flies around. Each miss continues to make Anna lose more and more points.

She then smirks, "Disable!"

Gastly laughs menacingly as it glares at Beedrill, a blue outline around said bug, freezing the poor bee in place. Serena gasps in horror as Beedrill is constricted in place, unable to fly. Beedrill begins to descend to the ground. "Beedrill! Try to regain control!" Serena pleads, her points now dropping to 65%. She didn't realize that Gastly was only using Lick to tire Beedrill.

"It looks like the newcomer is in trouble, folks!" Lilian calls out, commentating the battle, "Anna is in direct control of the battle! Using Lick to tire out poor Beedrill, then following it up with Disable to prevent it from flying! While not packing much heat, Gastly is sure to make up for it with clever tactics! What can Serena do in this situation? She only has three minutes and counting! It's either that or her health – which will go down first?!"

"B-Bee…Bzzt… Bzzt…!" Beedrill tries to get up, its wings unable to flap as Disable is still in effect. With a quick command, Gastly immediately follows up with a Lick – making Beedrill shudder. It then feels its body stiffening soon afterwards. It was then both Serena and Beedrill realize that he has been paralyzed by Lick. With its body tensing, it weakly cries, unable to cope with the fact it may lose its first battle. It slowly, and painfully, turns its head to see Serena tearing up. "Bee…" I'm sorry… Beedrill says to his trainer.

"Beedrill… It'll be okay," Serena says calmly, putting her hand on her chest, "We can pull through this together, my cute Bug-Man…" She attempts to soothe her Pokémon. Beedrill's tears drip down to the ground, "We can call it quits, okay?! We can forfeit and train for the next one! It'll be okay, Beedrill… It'll be okay!" She gives him a smile, reminiscent of her mother whenever she begins to cry over something. Her and Beedrill are truly alike. If forfeiting means Beedrill getting out of this without too much damage, then so be it…

Beedrill's heart aches, "Bee…" Is she really giving up just because of him? She worked too hard for this and he's letting her down…

1:40…

1:39…

Serena's points drop down to 30%.

Anna still has 60% remaining.

Normally, Beedrill would wallow in self-pity, but something else is bubbling inside him. Instead of sadness, anger begins to take root in Beedrill. Why is he losing? Why is his first battle for his trainer such a disaster? Why can't it do anything right?! All its life, it was just a simple Weedle, weak and tossed aside by its own family. Even after evolving into a Beedrill, it could never have garnered any support from the family that disowned it – never once wanting him to return back to their swarm. Ever since being under Serena's care, she has been treating him with so much love and affection! Her, Fennekin, and Eevee – they all care for him, even if he cries a lot! They go out of their way to comfort him! And this is how he repays them?! No! He will not let Serena down!

Light green energy swirls around Beedrill. Swirling. Engulfing it. Empowering it!

"Bee… BEEDRILL!"

Beedrill roars mightily, breaking hold of both the paralysis and being disabled! Its wings begin to flutter quickly, making it shoot up into the air! The aura around Beedrill continues to increase. Serena stares in shock at the phenomena and is unable to grasp what's going on. Luckily for her, Lilian was able to react fast enough, "Oh wow! It looks like Beedrill just used its ability 'Swarm' to increase its power and to get out of being paralyzed!" Anna's points drop due down to 52%.

Beedrill looks at Serena, nodding. "Bzzt! Bee-Bee!" Don't give up! Beedrill tells her emphatically. Feeling her Pokémons emotions, Serena wipes the tears forming, and instead gains a second wind.

Her countenance changes, "Right! I believe in you, Beedrill – as you do with me! Let's go!"

Beedrill nods, ready to get back into the match!

With Anna and Gastly still gawking at the newfound strength in Beedrill, Serena decides its time to take advantage of the well-timed buff! "Alright, Beedrill! Head straight to Gastly with another Twineedle!"

The ability 'Swarm' not only buffed up Beedrill's strength, but miraculously its speed as well! It zooms towards Gastly, appearing in front of it like an apparition itself! Unable to react, Beedrill begins its onslaught against Gastly! "Bee! Bee! Beedrill!" Beedrill cries out with every jab! Gastly winces from the pain but holds firm. Anna attempted to counter, but Serena was quicker. She calls for Beedrill to then attack with Bug Bite! Biting down on Gastly wasn't as difficult as one would think, since it still has a physical body. Beedrill begins its onslaught of bites, powered up by Swarm.

"Now, use String Shot!"

Pulling away with its pincers, Beedrill flies around Gastly, forming its webbing around the gaseous Pokémon. Understanding what Serena wants to do, Beedrill begins to throw Gastly around with its String Shot, Gastly groans at being tossed around. Anna gasps, "Oh no! Gastly, try to break free!" Her confidence is now breaking as her points begin to diminish rapidly.

However, the timer buzzes, signifying the end of the battle.

Everyone looks up, minus a dizzied Gastly, as the points reveal a 25% to 10% ratio. Lilian then makes the call.

"And with an amazing comeback, Serena gets to move on!"

Everyone roars with excitement, clapping for the winner! Serena stares in shock, looking over to an equally shocked Beedrill. Her face slowly breaks out into a smile as she jumps up and hugs Beedrill tightly, "Oh my God! You did amazing! My amazing Bug-Man! I'm so proud of you!" Beedrill stares at her… before breaking down, hugging his beloved trainer carefully yet still excited in its first ever victory! Beedrill cries dramatically, nuzzling its face into Serena's neck. Some people are quite bemused at the sight of a Beedrill being so affectionate, but Serena doesn't care! Her Pokémon are adorable the way they are!

"Beginner's luck…" Anna harrumphs, storming away after recalling Gastly.

Ash and the others cheer loudly for Serena, relieved to see her pull through in the end! They were worried as they thought she was going to give up, but when Beedrill pulled through, she took the opportunity and went on the offensive! Froakie and Pikachu both cheer for Beedrill, amazed at seeing the power the Bug-type has when it can reach deep down to obtain it!

Leaf would be the first to see Serena, who was entering the backroom with her exhausted Pokémon. Leaf claps enthusiastically, grinning at her rival, "That was one Hell of a comeback, Serena! I thought you were going to lose for sure!" She looks over to Beedrill, proud of its victory, but also extremely tired.

Nodding, Serena rubs the antennas of her bug gently, "Yeah, Beedrill really pulled through today and I couldn't be happier!"

"Although, I will say luck played a huge part in that battle," Leaf critiques, "and that's not a bad thing; I've seen so many battles on TV that end because someone got lucky and took advantage of their sudden predicament. I'm just saying don't expect their abilities to always kick in, you know?" Serena ponders what Leaf says and glances at her exhausted Pokémon, who glances back at his trainer. The two have a sudden understanding and the two of them nod. Although they are happy to have won, they both realize they need to get stronger and not rely on an ability to come in clutch for them.

"You're right," Serena agrees. She recalls Beedrill, who is eager to nap in the Poké Ball, "I may not be a battler like Ash, but if I want to have a chance at winning, I need to put more effort in not only the Appeal Rounds, but the Battle Rounds as well." Serena sighs but shrugs it off with a smile.

Leaf's ears perk at the name 'Ash'. She then stares at Serena, "Uh…"

Serena glances at her friend, "Hm?"

"Who's Ash?" Leaf asks, not wanting to give away her secret.

Serena chuckles, "Oh right, I guess I've never had you meet him or my other friends!" Serena rubs the back of her head slowly, "Would you like to meet them?"

Leaf begrudgingly shakes her head, "Nah, I think I'll be up in a couple of minutes anyway, so I'd rather just wait for my turn to battle. Although, who are your friends anyway? I don't think I've seen them anywhere," she then barks out a forced laugh, not wanting to give away anything to Serena, "or maybe I'm just blind! I don't always have the best spatial awareness, or however papa calls it!" Serena was more than happy to talk about her friends, especially about Ash.

"Where do I begin?" Serena asks rhetorically, putting her hand over her chin in a thinking gesture. She snaps her fingers and grins, "Well, let's start off with Ash, since I did mention him first." Here, Serena started explaining how she and Ash met, from her time in Professor Oak's Summer Camp, to becoming pen-pals, to visiting each other occasionally, and then finally starting their journeys together. The only two things Serena omitted were the dangerous situations they were put in and her own feelings towards the boy. She then begins to talk about how Ash was able to get two Pokémon as starters, the Kalosian Pokémon Froakie, and the Kanto Pokémon Pikachu. She also then began to mention how they met Misty and Brock, also omitting parts of their story, as to not give Leaf too much personal information about her two friends.

Leaf listened in with such enthusiasm that one may think she was listening to the best story ever aurally told; her mouth agape as she hears everything said. She then begins to feel some sort of envy towards the girl in front of her, wishing she had someone special like that. However, despite the envy, she knew that Serena didn't deserve her ire at all. It's not like she was the reason Ash doesn't know her or anything. She knows Ash, or rather knows of Ash, but she desires the opportunity for Ash to know who she is.

The intercom interrupts their thoughts, the announcer calling for Leaf and another person to head on over. Leaf blinks out of her stupor, looking at an equally surprised Serena, who didn't realize she took up most of Leaf's time. With a hasty bow, Serena apologizes to her friend, similar to how Ash apologized to her moments prior. Leaf waves it off, laughing at her in good nature. Leaf winks at Serena, "Watch how a true coordinator battles – I say take some notes!"

Serena playfully rolls her eyes but wishes Leaf luck.

Leaf strides out confidently, looking around at the crowd, waving at them all. Her opponent just blandly stares at her, with his arms crossed. Growing up, Leaf played a lot of video games whenever she didn't have the chance to play with Pokémon at the school that she used to attend in Celadon City. Whenever the school would shut down for the weekend, she would just play games in her room and the one genre she loved playing were RPGs. In her mind, she is the protagonist of her own story and the guy she's about to face is just some nameless, and faceless, NPC. He doesn't have any notable features that make him stand out! How boring!

She licks her lips in anticipation, ignoring what Lilian is saying. She wordlessly calls out Doduo; her opponent calls out loudly for Venomoth.

Not even a second after Lilian calls for the battle to begin and the timer starts counting down does Leaf issue a command. Her personality shifts, her playful demeanor turning into a girl ready to obliterate anyone that stands in her way. Serena, watching from the lobby, shivers at the sight. It's almost like how Ash battles. Serena even notices that Leaf has a devil may care smirk just like Ash's, and she swears she can see a flame ignited in Leaf's eyes.

'Oh boy, another Ash,' Serena muses, exasperated that someone can remind her of Ash, 'it's like they're siblings or something.'

"Rush in with a Fury Attack!" Leaf commands loudly, her voice dripping with confidence. Serena begins to think that Leaf, within a mere second of the battle starting, already has control of the battle and is looking to keep it that way. She watches as Doduo strikes quickly at Venomoth. Leaf's opponent barely registers what happened, his eyes widening when realizing how fast the two-headed bird is. He would call for Struggle Bug, a move that inflicts damage to the opponent while the user is taking damage from the opponent. Doduo winces at Venomoth, vibrating against it, striking at it with its body, using every opportunity to get away from the Flying-type.

Both Leaf and her opponent's points drop. Leaf's drop down to 89%, while her opponent drops down to 80%. Leaf doesn't seem interested in it, instead focusing more on attacking Venomoth. Yet again, she goes straight for the offensive play, opting for her Doduo to use Wing Attack to smack it harshly away from it. Venomoth winces in pain, flying back from the attack. Doduo preens itself, making sure none of its feathers were damaged from the attack.

"Now, use Growl!"

Doduo growls at the flying bug, causing it to weaken in its defenses.

More points drop for the opponent, much to his chagrin.

Leaf sets off another flurry of attacks, Doduo using every bit of its strength to attack a defenseless Venomoth. Each Fury Attack issued, causes it to fly off in pain. Even when Venomoth would dodge the attack, Leaf would have Doduo immediately counter with a Wing Attack, to ensure it doesn't evade every attack she can muster. Even with some of the dodges, Leaf still has about 70% of her points remaining. Her opponent only has about 25%.

It's only about 3 minutes in when her opponent just forfeits right away.

He recalls Venomoth mid battle, much to everyone's dismay. However, Lilian congratulates him for surrendering without putting his Pokémon in harm's way. Leaf sighs, seemingly releasing every bit of tension in her muscles. She bows to her opponent, who simply walks off, despondent. She rolls her eyes at him.

And giving Leaf her own medicine, Serena waited for her. "You know, I'm glad I didn't get to battle you in the first round," Serena jokes. Leaf smirks, winking at her friend, before plopping down on the bench. Serena follows suit and sits beside her.

The two don't talk to one another as another battle ensues. Right now, the two just both won their first-round battles. This was a sign for them both: not to underestimate the other. By watching Leaf's battle, Serena is aware of her shortcomings. Leaf will do anything she can to dominate the battle, through sheer strength, and quick thinking. Serena knows she has her work cut out, especially since she knows her Pokémon aren't as strong as something like Leaf's Doduo. Maybe Eevee or Fennekin can have a chance of battling it, but only possibly Beedrill may have a chance at winning – that is, if Beedrill's Swarm ability can activate. It's a crutch, yes, but it's something that if she can get it to activate, it can help bridge the gap between her and Leaf. Possibly enough for her to claim victory.

It just depends on who Leaf will send out next.

Unfortunately, Leaf knows all the Pokémon she has in her team. She wasn't expecting the girl to come to her earlier in the morning; and in the back of her mind, she thought it was a ploy by Leaf to figure out who is who and how to plan accordingly. However, from what it seems like, Leaf isn't the type of girl to just formulate a plan like that and think about every counter option. By watching Leaf battle, Serena surmises that Leaf is more like Ash in terms of battling style, albeit probably not as outwardly thinking. To win, she must play this smart – or at least smart enough to tire out Leaf's Pokémon.

As the third battle is underway, outside from the venue is Team Rocket. Right now, it seems as though only James is busy building the invention that Meowth had blueprinted. Meowth and Jessie are aware of their own shortcomings with engineering, so they left it to James to do all the work. Usually, the blue haired man would whine and cry about it but considering it's a rather beautiful day and it's not as hot outside as it normally is, he's enjoying doing the work for once. He just needs to ensure that the others don't find out. He doesn't always want to be the one doing all the work, as always.

"You almost don't, James?" Jessie huffs, sipping on some iced tea. She never believed in drinking alcohol, and she intends to keep it that way.

"Can it, woman!" James snaps. Sure, he doesn't mind doing the work, but his tolerance for impatience is making his patience run thin. "I'm almost done. It would have been done a lot faster if any of you even tried to help!"

"Aw, but Jimmy, we both know you're the only one good with this stuff. Honestly, if we tried to help you out, we could have messed something up," Meowth defends their laziness. Despite trying to sound genuine, his patronizing tone was apparent to James.

"… It's literally just screwing in some – Oh, forget it." James decides it wasn't worth arguing over it and continues to screw in more nails, continuing his work.

The plan was simple: create a robot to break into the venue, steal the Ribbon, and steal the winner's Pokémon. They can either sell the Pokémon or use it for their own nefarious deeds. Either way, for the trio, this was a plan to hit two birds with one stone. The robot has a feature where it will suck in the necessary items, and Pokémon, and store them in a container. From its appearance, the robot is about twice the size of James. It's not meant to be entered, but rather controlled with a remote. This is their stone. For Jessie, it's all about revenge for being thrown out like some mad man, or mad woman. For James and Meowth, it's to make sure that they're still trying to keep their Boss happy, or at least tolerant of what they're doing if it all goes according to plan.

As he finishes up, he once again snaps at Jessie for the fact she kept making snide remarks about how long it's taking to build their robot.

The battles commence, without much of a hitch. Serena battled her next opponent, a boy that used a Magnemite. She sent out Fennekin, and with the type-matchup in her favor, she won without any difficulty. The only thing that made the battle annoying was that her opponent was relying on using Thunder Wave and Confuse Ray, to not only prevent Fennekin from moving, but giving her poor fennec trouble with being confused. Sometimes Fennekin would hurt herself in confusion, warranting her losing points, but Serena held steadfast and was able to make Fennekin recover from the confusion. While the paralysis made evading moves difficult, Fennekin was still quite the trooper and was able to use Flame Charge to regain some speed and hit Magnemite harshly enough and knock it out after a while.

Leaf battled her other opponent and won with aplomb. Her opponent was using a Ratticate. The Ratticate quickly lost to Leaf's Jigglypuff, a Pokémon Serena found herself admiring a lot. The little puff ball was actually quite the battler, despite fooling everyone with its big, blue eyes. It would use it to lull its opponents in a false sense of security, before unleashing its true strength. Leaf commanded the Balloon Pokémon to use Sing, controlling its area of effect to only affect Ratticate. Once the rat fell asleep, Jigglypuff would begin attacking using Pound and Disarming Voice; to which the Raticate had no chance of dodging or countering. As a result, it became a clean sweep for Leaf.

"With that, Serena and Leaf, our two newly christened coordinators, will be facing each other off in the finals!" Lilian exclaims, posing dramatically, "Only one will win and get the coveted Cerulean City Ribbon! Who will it be?! Let's give it up to the two participants, everyone!" She points to the two of them as they both stand opposite of one another, their gazes directed at one another. Any semblance of friendship thrown out the window as the two need to bring their A-Games. Serena clenches her fists, excited and nervous all at the same time.

'Leaf… Thank you for making my first contest such an amazing experience,' Serena thanks her rival, gripping her Poké Ball, 'but I won't go easy on you… and I hope you do the same for me.' She enlarges the ball and throws it high in the air, "Come on out, Beedrill!" Beedrill appears, flexing, ready to battle and win. Serena gives her bug an encouraging smile, knowing it won't fail her. She then stares at the girl in front of her, who wordlessly sends out her Pokémon.

"Serena has sent out her Beedrill! And it seems Leaf puts herself at a disadvantage by sending out a Weepinbell!" Lilian commentates with a surprised look, staring at the battle about to happen. "What is Leaf planning?! Does she not know that Bug-types are super effective against Grass-types?! How will she fare against a Beedrill, especially one with the Swarm ability!"

Leaf smirks, giving Serena a look of sheer confidence, "Serena," she calls out, "I wanted to see what you're made of, and I hope you won't disappoint me. Show me the resolve that you had last night! Let's give it our all here!" Her eyes alight with a fire, tensing herself as both her and Weepinbell ready themselves for a battle.

Both their hearts begin to beat rapidly.

They hear the timer buzz, signaling it's time to begin their battle. Their first battle.

5:00

4:59

4:58

4:5-

"Beedrill, go and spray the stage with String Shot!" Serena commands, Beedrill obliges.

Beedrill unleashes its webbing all over the stage, making those in the audience what her plan is. Ash watches in excitement, knowing what she's planning on doing. He begins to think about their time in Viridian Forest, Beedrill and Butterfree, who was a Metapod at the time, using all their String Shot possible to slow down the swarm of Beedrill that were waiting to terrorize them the moment they escaped the cabin that they were stuck in, all because of a certain Weedle. He bites his lip gently, watching aptly, 'Come on, Serena. Just stay focused.'

Weepinbell groans at the webbing, having gotten some of it stuck on its leaves. Leaf raises an eyebrow at the idea, not understanding where Serena is going with it. However, it did cause her to lose some points as a result, but that's not something she's caring about right now. "I don't know what you're planning on doing, Serena, but this won't stop me!" Leaf smugly calls out. "Alright, Weepinbell, use Acid to melt away the String Shot!"

"Bell!" Weepinbell cries out as it shoots a gunk of acid all over. The acid hits the String Shot. Smoke appears as the acid eats away at the webbing.

"Now, go in and attack with Poison Sting!" Serena retaliates. Beedrill spews out thin needle-like projectiles at Weepinbell.

Leaf growls, cursing herself for not figuring out Serena's plan earlier. "Darn! Weepinbell, Sludge Bomb at the Poison Sting! Let her have a taste of what real poison is like!" Weepinbell narrowly avoids the Poison Sting, unleashing its own projectile back at the bug. The projectile hits Beedrill, making it wince from the attack, but it regains its balance in the air. Serena clicks her mouth in frustration as her points drop down as a result.

"Continue with String Shot! Wrap Weepinbell around it to stop it from moving around!"

"Sludge Bomb! Stop her from doing so!"

The two continue their attacks, Weepinbell beginning to get wrapped in the webbing and Beedrill dealing with all the poisonous barrages.

"Rush in using Twineedle!"

Beedrill charges forward, readying its attack to jab Weepinbell. Leaf's eyes widen at the fact her Grass-type is unable to move and watches in annoyance as Beedrill jabs it twice, the second hit sending the Flycatcher Pokémon flying in the air. Serena uses that to her advantage, "Once again! Use Twineedle!"

"Wrap!" Leaf roars out and Weepinbell recovers, waiting for Beedrill to come near it. Before Serena can issue a command to stop it, Weepinbell wraps Beedrill up, squishing the bug. Its mouth begins to water, salivating at the thought of eating Beedrill, much to the bee's disgust. It tries to squirm away, but the grip is too strong for it to slip out. "Now, use Poison Powder!" Weepinbell unleashes poisonous spores around itself and Beedrill, which only affects the bee. In a matter of seconds, Beedrill becomes queasy, its face showing signs that it is poisoned, much to Serena's chagrin.

"Sludge Bomb! Direct shot!"

"Bug Bite!"

The two attacks hit each other, with Beedrill biting down harshly first, but the Sludge Bomb socks it in the face. Due to how close in proximity they are to one another, the Sludge Bomb hits both of them, causing them both to fall down to the ground. Both Pokémon collapse to the ground, with both trainers' points dropping down to less than 20%. The two Pokémon attempt to get up, both trembling harshly. Beedrill spits out some poison, whereas Weepinbell nurses the bite wounds on its body, it too feeling the effects of being poisoned. Both Pokémon breath haggardly, glaring at one another.

1:45

1:44

1:43

"Both Pokémon are giving it their all! This is one close match as both coordinators are trying to gain dominance over one another! Both Pokémon are poisoned! Which one of these bright up and comers is going to come out on top?!" Lilian rhetorically asks, invested in the battle before her

The two girls stare at one another, realizing they're both at their limits. They both realize that they need to end it now.

"Sludge Bomb!"

"Poison Sting!"

The two attacks collide, causing a small explosion. Both Leaf and Weepinbell cover their eyes, but that's all it took for Beedrill to swoop in! Raising one of its pincers it readies its Twineedle attack to end the battle! Both Leaf and Weepinbell watch, petrified as the final attack is about to hit… until Beedrill falls over, much to Serena's horror. Beedrill collapses, mere moments before landing its final hit. Beedrill's pincer mere inches from hitting Weepinbell square in the face, the Grass-type shakes in fright.

No one spoke. No one made a sound. Serena begins to tremble, knowing what the outcome is. Three buzzers ring simultaneously, with the screen showing Leaf's face as the victor of this match. "And there we have it, folks! Beedrill is knocked out! I repeat – Beedrill is knocked out! With the attack an inch away, this could have ended differently! It fought valiantly, but only one stands strong! Let's give our warmest congratulations to our new Cerulean City Contest winner: Leaf!" Lilian screams in the mic. The battle was incredible! To think, these two girls were absolute newbies to the field! They pulled it off with finesse, the likes you don't see in beginners!

The crowd cheers loudly, although minus a certain set of people. Though they clapped politely, they were still saddened by the end results. Froakie and Pikachu stare, whining silently at Serena and Beedrill's loss. Ash sighs silently, hoping Serena will feel alright in the end. She was amazing; she did so well for her first attempt. He just hopes the loss doesn't affect her too much. He watches as Leaf is about to be handed the ribbon, Serena's eyes hidden as she looks down the floor. Her fists shake, clenched tightly. He wishes he was down there to tell her it was alright…

Before Leaf can officially take the ribbon, everyone turns their attention to the right side of the venue as the wall crumbles.

People begin to panic as a mechanical Meowth barges into the building! It breaks through the wall, creating a massive hole on the side of the building, and as the smoke from the rubble begins to fade away, three individuals laugh haughtily at their entrance. Ash and Misty both frown, remembering those exact laughs. They thought they got rid of them back in Viridian City!

"My, my, what a boring battle!" Jessie mocks, staring at the gaping crowd.

"And look! We got ourselves two free snags!" James smugly responds.

"Let's hit it!" Meowth snaps his fingers.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie dramatically begins.

"Make it double!" James continues.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth~! That's right!"

"Team Rocket!" Ash and Misty call out, Pikachu and Froakie already making their way down to the center stage, ready to fight the trio. They did it once, they'll beat them again!

"It's the twerp that beat us before," Jessie says nonchalantly, "it's a shame we're not here for your Pikachu or that Froakie of yours, because they would make quite the catches for us! But, right now, I'm here for that ribbon!" Jessie points to the panelists, all three cowering from Team Rocket. Shaking off the loss, Serena gets in front of them, sending out her Fennekin and Eevee, both of whom are ready to fight. They all glare at Team Rocket. Serena has heard of them from Ash and Misty, but she didn't expect them to be here suddenly!

"So, you're that Team Rocket, Ash and Misty told me about!" Serena narrows her eyes at the thieves, "Honestly, I'm not that impressed."

Jessie growls, "I'll show you impressive, twerp! At least I didn't just lose by a hair!" She counters back. Serena's eye twitches but says nothing.

Leaf stares in shock at Team Rocket. She has never seen Team Rocket in person before! And now they're looking to steal her ribbon?! Are they going to do anything else? She's heard of the organization's reputation for stealing people's Pokémon, so she clutches her Weepinbell close to her in response. As the thugs are right in front of her, she begins to shake in absolute fright. Noticing this, Ash steps in front of her protectively, "Hey, you okay?" He continues to face Team Rocket as he asks her that. He then turns his head enough to stare at the girl behind him, he then looks back at Team Rocket, "You need to get out of here, we'll deal with them!" Ash gives her a thumbs up, grinning confidently.

It may not be happening, but to Leaf, it feels like time is slowing down for her as she stares at Ash. All her fears disappear since he's right there. She has him so close. It's really him… In front of her… 'Does he… remember me?' She thinks to herself, hoping it may be the case. She raises an arm to him, wanting to speak to him, but Team Rocket interrupts her movement by sending out Ekans and Koffing, two Pokémon that Ash fought previously. Ash calls for Pikachu and Froakie to use ThunderBolt and Water Pulse at them, but the Mechanical Meowth blocks the attacks, much to his surprise. The trio arrogantly laugh, with Meowth smacking the robot in pride.

"This here robot is invincible to all your attacks! Now," Meowth hunches over, a predatory grin on his face appears, "Let's get showy!" He laughs loudly. He presses a button and the mechanical marvel springs into life, racing over to where the three judges and Lilian are hiding at. They scream in terror as it looms over them, ready to swipe at them.

"Sandshrew, use Rollout!" Brock calls out, throwing Sandshrew's Poké Ball towards the mecha, with Sandshrew using the attack the moment it was called out. Sandshrew collides into the mecha, moving it away from the judges, much to their relief. Brock, knowing now is not the time to flirt with Nurse Joy, goes to grab them and get them to safety. The crowd long since gone from the venue. He turns back, "Guys! I got Lilian and the judges, just hold off Team Rocket until I can get them away!"

Ash and the others nod. Serena runs over to Leaf, putting her hand on her rival's shoulder, "Hey…"

Leaf looks over to a smiling Serena, "It'll be okay," Serena consoles her, "we're going to stop them. You in?" Despite losing, she's not going to let anything happen to Leaf. The taste of defeat still lingers, but pride means nothing to Serena in that regard. She has more pressing things to concern herself over, like protecting Leaf and everyone else!

The brunette stares as Ash and Misty command their Pokémon to stop the mecha from chasing after Brock, with Ekans and Koffing battling Eevee and Fennekin in a stand still. Beedrill is slowly getting itself up, nudging Weepinbell to get up as well. The flycatcher Pokémon stares at the Pokémon it was battling mere minutes ago, and it nods with a look of determination. Leaf realizes her own Pokémon want to help as well. Shaking herself out of her stupor, Leaf pushes Serena's hands off her and winks, "You think you look so cool just doing that? Well, I see through you, Serena," she then gives the honey-blonde girl a genuine smile, "I'll help out!"

Serena nods approvingly, and Leaf calls out her Squirtle. "Squirtle! Ice Beam!" She points towards where Ekans and Koffing are, and Squirtle unleashes its Ice Beam.

Ash grins, his eyes igniting with passion. He then has his Pokémon help, his Froakie using Bubble and Pikachu using Thunderbolt. Serena calls for Eevee to use Shadow Ball, with Fennekin using Ember. The attacks merge, forming a massive force of energy hurdling itself towards Team Rocket. Team Rocket laughs maniacally, thinking the robot will just take the damage like a champ. Meowth just pulls down his eyes in a rude gesture, thinking the attacks were all for naught. "Nyeh! It seems like you twerps just can't defeat our mighty – eh?" He looks and Team Rocket pale as their Meowth Marvel begins to chip, static erupting from each crevice of the machine.

The left arm thuds down to the ground.

"Oh, no!" They scream in anguish, seeing their mech just crumple right in front of them!

"Continue your attacks!" Ash roars out.

"Starmie, Thunderbolt!" Misty calls out.

Brock calls for Sandshrew to use Mud Shot. Leaf has her Weepinbell and Squirtle to use Acid Spray and Ice Beam respectively. Serena and Ash both call out their Pokémon to attack with Thunderbolt, Ember, Water Pulse, and Shadow Ball.

All the attacks go straight to the pale looking Team Rocket members, they clutch one another in absolute fear. Ekans and Koffing recall themselves, hoping their trainers can somehow survive the barrage of attacks barreling towards them at once.

The attacks collide to the mech, triggering a massive explosion that propels Team Rocket straight into the atmosphere. They scream from both the pain and fright from being catapulted in the stratosphere, "Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!" The entire group can hear the trio cry out, before a star twinkles in the distance.

Once Team Rocket were finally dealt with, Lilian and the judges were led back towards the stage. To their dismay, the building is incomplete shambles. Serena and Leaf both apologize profusely, but Nurse Joy dismisses their apologies. She then tells them that without their help, Team Rocket could have seriously destroyed the entire Contest Hall. Unfortunately, due to the crowd leaving from the attack, the ceremonial ribbon giving was left rather anticlimactic. However, no one really cared as they'd rather just be away from the Contest Hall in its entirety right now.

When they all head off to the Pokémon Center late that night, Leaf was invited to come with them to eat. She was rather amused to see Ash's table manners. As the sun sets, they realize they should all prepare for their travels tomorrow. Leaf watches as Ash, Misty, and Brock both talk amongst themselves. She grips her skirt nervously, wanting to talk to Ash. She bites her lips. She supposes it's go-time! With an assertive nod, she gets up from her chair to talk to them. She can do this!

… Until she gets pushed to the side as three women rush past her to talk to Misty, who stares at them in shock. Madness ensues and both Ash and Brock head to their rooms, with Misty snapping at her sisters to let her go. They just drag her away, crying uncontrollably and apologizing profusely to her. Leaf cries silently as Ash walks away, not knowing she was just pushed away. 'Just my luck…' Leaf thinks bitterly to herself.

When Ash and Brock both get to their room, they see Serena already asleep. Shushing themselves quietly, Ash and Brock both lay down in their beds. Froakie and Pikachu both begin to snore lightly on top of Ash, as he too falls asleep shortly after. Brock stays up a little longer, to read on his tablet, before falling asleep. "Nurse Joy…" He talks to himself, a dopey smile forming when his dreams become too creepy for anyone under a certain age group.

They never noticed Serena's bitter tears streaming down her face. She curls up, chewing on her lips as the final moments of the battle continue to replay in her mind. As silent as she can be, if one were to pay close attention, they can almost hear her whimpering through the dead of night.