~ Chapter 99 ~
Ferry to the Pokémon League
"The Ferry to the Pokémon League was bitter sweet. As we left, the fireworks show went off at the Grand Arena in Sunyshore City. The Sinnoh Grand Festival had begun as we left, and Lyss was forced to watch the festivities disappear into the horizon as the ferry we took sailed towards my future…and left her dreams behind"
The group looked on from the railing of the boat, out to the city of Sunyshore on the horizon.
The sun was beginning to set, and fireworks were exploding over the city, coming from the Grand Arena.
The Grand Arena of Sunyshore, home of the Sinnoh Grand Festival.
It was the prize, the goal, of all Coordinators.
And Alyssandra, who now stood there, nestled up next to Sam, sighing as she watched the festivities begin without her.
The parade had ended, and could be heard across the city as they marched to the Grand Arena.
The group heard as they went to the ferry and boarded.
Now, they could see the Grand Festival opening ceremony begin, with a massive bang of fireworks that exploded into the visages of Pokémon.
The sights grew smaller as the ferry peeled away from the port, and the sounds of the announcer and the crowd petered out as they got farther from the city.
Sam's stomach did a backflip once they were out on the open ocean.
In two days time they would be at the Pokémon League, perched atop a massive cliff face in the middle of a lake that led to a waterfall crashing into the sea.
It was a grand statement.
And it was also the site of the strongest trainers in the Sinnoh Region; the five strongest trainers and the Sinnoh Government that's lead by them.
Alyssandra sighed as she turned from the balcony, Sunyshore shrinking in the distance.
It wasn't easy for her, seeing her dreams and goals, which she had proclaimed to the world when she set out from Twinleaf Town, slowly slip away onto the horizon, unable to participate because Team Galactic ruined her chances by attacking Celestic Town.
But, despite feeling somewhat defeated, she refused to give in, and it steeled her resolve to try again next year.
She refused to give up…and somehow; dating Sam had only made her stronger. She refused to be outdone by her boyfriend…if he could beat Valentina and take the League, she could win the Grand Festival.
Having high achieving friends helped too—Niya won two Grand Festivals and a Wallace Cup, and she was younger than Lyss when she did.
And Jeremy was about to become a Pokémon Ranger.
There was no slacking off.
Everyone supported her in her endeavours, and Alyssandra kept putting work into new appeals to prepare for next year.
"You'll get there next year, Lyss," Sam added, putting a hand on her shoulder.
She turned around and smiled, a fire burning in her eyes. "Oh I know I will," she exclaimed, "I'll practice my ass off until then, and when the next Contest Season starts, I'm retravelling Sinnoh and getting that last ribbon, and every ribbon I can get after that until I prove to myself and everyone else that I have earned that Grand Festival trophy and ribbon."
"I'm here to help if you need it," smiled Sam.
"And me!" cried Niya.
Jeremy smiled. "I wish I could say the same but…I may not be here."
Alyssandra laughed. "I understand, it's okay."
The group walked over to a set of chairs nearby and sat around it, looking out at the sea and the sunset.
"A future Sinnoh Grand Festival winner," stated Niya, "A future Sinnoh Champion, a future Pokémon Ranger…what a crowd we are."
"Don't forget a previous Grand Festival and Wallace Cup winner," added Jeremy.
There was silence for a moment.
Nothing but the sound of the ocean and the waves and the wind.
Even the wingull were starting to get too far from the coast for their liking and flew back towards Sunyshore.
"So," continued Niya, turning to Sam, "How do you plan on taking down the Sinnoh League? You've got six Pokémon, five battles to go through, and only what you can carry through that door."
Sam nodded. "I have the advantage in that the Elite Four each specialize in a different type of Pokémon," explained Sam, "First is Aaron, the Bug Type user. I figured I'd lean on Staraptor to deal with that. Next, Bertha…she's a tough nut to crack. Everyone who knows her or has battled her has said she'll be my toughest battle to come. She specializes in Ground, meaning I can trust Empoleon to deal with her. Then, it's Flint. Empoleon's going to be tired, so I'll try Garchomp or Rampardos…maybe the two of them, depending on how tough he is and how tired we're looking."
"And then there's Lucian…Psychic types are his special. Luxray has Dark type moves, and so does Garchomp…I've got Pokémon with move advantages, but not type advantages. Truthfully though, I feel confident with that."
"That's four battles down," smiled Alyssandra, "But there's still my sister after all of that."
"I slam the Full Restores at that point and it's all hands on deck," explained Sam, "She's got six Pokémon, of various types. I can't predict what she has…I know for sure a Luxray and a Shiny Staraptor, but I can't guess at the rest. I use my Pokémon as needed."
Alyssandra nodded. "Looks like you have this all planned out."
"For the last two months," nodded Sam, "I…I've been dreaming of this since we left Twinleaf Town."
"You mean since Professor Rowan made us leave," added Jeremy.
"You mean since Lyss kicked both your asses after Professor Rowan gave you that first shove," laughed Niya.
Everyone else laughed. Sam nodded.
Niya wasn't entirely wrong.
"All because of Starly," nodded Sam, "Staraptor now…what a long strange trip it's been."
Niya nodded. "I'm sorry I wasn't there from the start, but I've enjoyed it."
"Four kids from Twinleaf Town, and now we're heroes of the universe, who protected Sinnoh, Champion the Creator Gods, and are now Order of Sinnoh, First Class," smirked Jeremy, "I never imagined that when we took our first step out of Sandgem Town."
"I never would have guessed Sam would gather up the courage to tell Lyss how he felt this decade," laughed Niya, "And here we are, a world where the two of them finally admitted how they felt and are dating."
Sam and Alyssandra exchanged a warm glance.
In Sam's personal opinion, Alyssandra was his greatest victory on this quest, and come what may, whether he won this league or not…he had still come out a winner. He had his friends, his Pokémon, the woman he loved, and his family behind him.
That was really all he needed.
"Imagine if your grandfather could see you now?" asked Jeremy, "He'd be so proud."
Sam nodded. Smiling off in the distance. If only Jeremy had known.
"You think they'll all be there?" asked Alyssandra.
"Probably," nodded Sam, "They promised…there's going to be quite the crowd there watching me putting their hopes in my victory."
"You've become quite pupolar," smirked Niya, "Which means you better win!"
"Best way to ensure my victory is to practice," shrugged Sam.
"Was that a challenge?" demanded Niya.
"If you feel up for it," smiled Sam.
Niya raised an eyebrow, looked to Sam and then stood up. "You're on. Battle right here, right now, on the open deck."
"Oh, you're on!" cried Sam, standing up, knocking his chair over as he did.
Jeremy sighed.
"Please don't destroy the boat," warned Alyssandra.
"Never!" promised Sam as he and Niya went over to the wide-open space at the middle of the deck.
This wasn't Sam and Niya's first one on one battle. But it was definitely the most serious, and probably one of their last during their travels through Sinnoh.
It was a momentus occasion regardless.
