After the high of May's win in the Johto Grand Festival and Dawn's first battle round win, the rest of the Sinnoh Grand Festival continued as normal. Mostly... Dawn took us all by surprise by using her two newest pokemon for the Top 16, one of them being a baby! Luckily she won it by clever use of Pollen Puff to poison her opponent's Bibarel and Wormadam, and then take them down by combining Ribombee's Fairy Wind with Cyndaquil's Flame Charge to create a ruby-pink armor. By the time the buzzer went off, Dawn had half of her points left, while her opponent had one-third left. For the Top 8, Dawn went back to her experienced pokemon and used Ambipom and Buneary against the other coordinator's Vespiquen and Chatot. That was an interesting battle, mostly because Dawn's opponent took the fight to the air, most likely expecting Dawn not to know what to do. Dawn's answer, took even me by surprise, she had Ambipom use Swift and then Buneary attack with Bounce while using the stars as an aerial platform.
That got a huge chunk of points deducted from her opponent!
However, it was in the semi-finals when things got interesting.
All four of our friends had made it, Jessie was facing Dawn, while Zoey was battling Nando.
They were going to be the battles for the ages! I exclaimed in my head.
"I hope I am not late," someone said from beside us.
"Johanna!" Ash exclaimed in surprise, before smiling at her and standing up to receive her with a hug. "What are you doing here?"
"My daughter made it to the semi-finals, did you not expect me to come and see her perform live?" Johanna laughed, sitting on Lucario's seat, who had offered it and decided to seat by the steps next to her. "She has grown up so much in such a small amount of time. She made it farther than most rookie coordinators could dream of... farther than I did on my own Grand Festival," she gave a watery chuckle. "Glameow and I got eliminated at the Top 16."
"Well, she did have a good mentor," Riley commented, smiling at Ash, who blushed under the compliment.
"That she did," Johanna smiled at my brother.
Before Ash could open his mouth and deflect the merit, Dawn and Jessie step onto the stage, getting the whole stadium's attention.
"This takes me back to the beginning of Dawn's journey," Ash commented. "Jessie was Dawn's first rival and now they are going to face each other on the biggest stage... I am so excited!"
"Vileplume, Piplup, spotlight!" Dawn called out, her pokemon coming out in a shower of pink flowers.
"Mime Jr, Arbok, show time!" Jessie released her pokemon in a cloud of white smoke.
"Piplup, Bubble Beam!" Dawn went for it as soon as the buzzer went off.
"Arbok, Poison Sting!" Jessie counterattacked, there was one spike for every bubble, and the accuracy and control were wonderful... or at least, it would have been if it had not been what Dawn was expecting. As soon as the Poison Sting clashed with the Bubble Beam, they exploded like fireworks. Which had Jessie's points lower by one-third. "You used Stun Spore hidden in the bubbles!" Jessie exclaimed in realization. "The poison and spores caused a chemical reaction, that ended in fireworks. Not bad!" Jessie laughed, before smirking at her challengingly. "But this is far from over!"
"I would not expect any less from you!" Dawn replied.
"Double Team!" Jessie ordered, and coordinated copies of Mime Jr and Arbok surrounding Vileplume and Piplup. Before Dawn could order their dissolution, Jessie continued her combination. "Dazzling Gleam!" All the copies of Mime Jr shone, creating a beautiful pink aurora around Dawn's pokemon, which lowered Dawn's points by one-fourth and blinded her pokemon. "Now Arbok! Iron Tail! Mime Jr, Charge Beam!" As soon as the blinding light disappeared, the copies of Arbok attacked in a pincer attack with electrically charged steel tails.
"That's so cool!" I exclaimed. "I want to do that!"
"If only it hadn't lowered Dawn's points another fourth," Ash replied with a grimace. "Now that I think about it, it's similar to the Electro Ball-Iron Tail combo that Pachirisu and Dawn used against Mimikyu and Jessie."
"Revenge is a plate better served cold," Glameow purred. "Dawn realized it as well," she pointed at Dawn's affronted expression with her tail in an almost lazy and uncaring way, but I could see the worry in her body expression.
"Vileplume, Razor Leaf! Piplup, Ice Beam!" Dawn was quick for the counterattack, and as soon as her pokemon were back on her feet, she dissolved the clones with frozen leaf blades. Lowering Jessie's points to the same as hers. "Piplup, Peck!" Vileplume, Petal Blizard!"
Piplup's beak elongated from contained power, he jumped and twirled in the air, with the petals following him close-by. It was a nice combo and the judges thought so, which left Jessie with only one-third of her points left. However, before Piplup could land the attack, Arbok and Mime Jr counterattacked with a Psyshock-Dark Pulse combo, that shredded the petals and sent Piplup realing back towards Vileplume. Now, once again, both coordinators had the same amount of points.
"She has grown up so fast," Johanna commented with a proud smile. "Being able to keep up like this against a trainer of Jessilina's caliber... my little girl is no longer a little girl."
"Arbok, Crunch! Mime Jr, Psychic!" Jessie ordered, with a victorious smirk, and Arbok was already flying forward with beautiful psychic wings.
However, before the attack could land, the buzzer went off.
Everyone froze.
I rapidly looked towards the screen and... my ears lowered in disappointment, while James and Meowth jumped in celebration.
"Only a few points," Riley commented in disbelief, shaking his head.
"The hit did not land, but the appeal was enough to discount a few points from Dawn... and that was all Jessie needed," Ash replied with a bemused smile.
"Jessie is going through!" James and Meowth continued to celebrate.
"It was a wonderful battle," Johanna said, standing up and clapping for her daughter and Jessie.
Soon we followed her example, and after us so did the rest of the crowd. Dawn looked up in shock, she stood there frozen for a minute, before she smiled and bowed at us. She then kneeled and hugged her pokemon with teary eyes. Jessie approached her and extended a hand. Dawn stood up and shook it, they were both standing proud and smiling.
As they should, I thought still clapping. Dawn made an excellent job for her first Grand Festival and Jessie has finally managed to get to the finals. They both did a wonderful job!
"Magnifique!" Fantina exclaimed. "Such sportsmanship! Je l'aime!"
"I better go down and be there for Dawn," Johanna told us with a small smile, as she stood up.
"Let me come with you," Ash offered.
"No, she needs to start learning that she won't have you every time things do not go as she planned," Johanna stopped him, as Glameow jumped down the railing to be with her trainer. "Stay and be there for your friends, I'll deal with it. It is my job, after all, I am her mother."
"Send her our regard," Ash replied with a smile.
"You good?" I asked my trainer, as we watched Johanna leave.
"Yes, she is right. Dawn is no longer the rookie she used to be, she has grown and I owe it to her to treat her as such," Ash answered in a very mature way.
"Wow... therapy makes miracles," I commented, only half joking.
"Shut it!" Ash snapped back without any heat and with a carefree chuckle.
"We better go too!" James exclaimed, jumping off his seat and rushing away with Meowth on his tail.
"I hope they never change," Riley chuckled shaking his head and Lucario took his seat back. "Oh, Zoey and Nando's battle is about to start!"
Mismagius and Leafeon come out in a shower of stars, while Kricketune and Lopunny are released in a shower of song notes.
"Leafeon, Energy Ball! Mismagius, Shock Wave!" Zoey commanded, and the Shock Wave fused with the Energy Ball to create an electrifying meteorite.
"Starting strong," I commented, watching Nando's points being deducted.
"Lopunny, Jump Kick!" Nando commanded, and his pokemon knocked Zoey's attack away. "Kricketune, Bug Buzz!" The attack was used to both, immobilize Leafeon, and created wraps and streamers, under which Lopunny danced around, creating an elegant effect. It took away a portion of Zoey's points. As the electrified Energy Ball started to, shoot straight down, Kricketune blasted it away creating a shower of rainbow sparks. Lopunny jumped and posed cutely in the middle of the whole thing, costing Zoey even more points.
"Nando is going all out," Riley murmured in awe.
"Kricketune, use Sing!" Nando did not stop and continued with his appeals. Music notes spiraled around Kricketune and Lopunny, while the bunny pokemon continued her dance. Which left Zoey with only half of her total points left.
However, Zoey did not take it laying down, she seem to have been expecting Sing and tells Mismagius to use Lucky Chant. The gems on Mismagius's body glow as Mismagius soars into the air. Purple tendrils then appear out of the gems and knock away the music notes created by Sing and Nando's points drop to a little bit less than two-thirds points left.
"Leaf Blade, Leafeon!" Zoey followed on, slashing through Lopunny's counter Focus Blast.
"Kricketune, X-Scissor!" Nando tried against Leafeon, but Mismagius intercepts it with a Psywave. "Lopunny, aid him!" At Nando's command, Lopunny leaped in the air and carried Kricketune out of danger, causing Psywave to miss.
"Leafeon, use Leaf Blade again!" Zoey used the time it gave her to counter the X-Scissor.
Kricketune and Leafeon then collide several times with neither of them giving an inch.
Both sides lose an eighth of their original point total.
"This is a clash between two coordinators and their pokemon in one of the purest and most amazing forms of contest battling I have ever witnessed," I smiled at Ash's awed comment, feeling the same thing as he did.
Down to the thirty-second mark, things got intense.
"Silver Wind and Blizzard!" Nando commanded, and Lopunny used Blizzard while spinning around Kricketune. The Blizzard and the Silver Wind combined to form snowflakes that float gently down to the ground while Lopunny continues to show off her elegant dance moves.
It was beautiful and so Nando, but Zoey was not backing down. She commanded Leafeon to use Aerial Ace, while Mismagius unleashed a Psywave. The combination gave Leafeon beautiful wings, and the leaf on Leafeon's head glowed white in preparation for a blade attack.
"Magnifique!" Fantina murmured on the microphone in awestruck, not that I blamed her, I was awed as well.
"Lopunny, Bounce!" Nando ordered ready to intercept Leafeon. However, Mismagius got in the way with Shock Wave. Lopunny's kick collides with Mismagius's shield of thunder, the crash caused an explosion that knocked both Pokémon back. "Kricketune, X-Scissor!" Nando was not giving up either.
The two pokemon collided and orange sparks flew off. The orange sparks caused Leafeon's psychic wings to disappear, but neither Kricketune nor Leafeon budged. The power level reached an apex and an explosion occurred that left the stadium dark as bright sparkles fell to the ground.
We could only stare at the... clash of titans in awe. It was marvelous! Magnifique! As Fantina was mostly thinking.
The time was up.
The lights are returned.
Both coordinators grinned at each other.
The difference in points is slim... but Nando won the round and will be advancing to the finals.
"Nando's advantage from the beginning of the battle sealed this win for him," Lucario commented, as we watched Zoey congratulate Nando on his win and wish him good luck in the finals.
"Magnifique!" Touched by the beautiful performance, Fantina jumped on the stage and raised both Nando and Zoey's arms up in victory.
The crowd went wild.
They deserved it.