Scene 27: A Child's Dream! Part 1
It's the end of October, another day closer to Spring, meaning it's almost Shelly's 10th birthday. And everyone knows what that means: that she can go to get her Pokémon License! But it seems that Nick is more excited for he than she is.
Nick is sure to remind her of all she needs to prepare in order to submit the paperwork, "You just need to take a ferryboat to Pallet Town to meet with Prof. Oak. Oh, wow! He's a great researcher. I'm jealous that you'll get to meet him!" Nick continues to talk about the idea of her registration without realizing how squirmy she becomes at the thought.
"Which Pokémon are you going to choose as your Starter, huh? Huh? Huh?" Shelly doesn't know. She doesn't want to think about it- the idea of leaving home and starting a journey on her own makes her nervous.
While Shelly is watching this season's Hoenn Grande Festival, part of her is excited to see who'll win, but part of her is nervous at the thought of being on that large of a stage. Could she really be like those Coordinators? Her family took bets on who they thought would win the Ribbon Cup this year- Shelly was the only one that had gotten it right.
Kari may have been younger than all the rest, but she also surprised the world when she won the Kanto and Johto Contest Circuits in the past year. She was small but spunky, and she never gave up when it came to competing. Her skills weren't refined, or even close to being perfect, but she was special in the way she trained and battled with her Pokémon. All the judges were impressed with her unique style. And Shelly could tell by the way the Pokémon battled fiercely for her and the way their fur shined that she took great care of them. Kari had won herself the Hoenn Ribbon Cup.
Cleo smiled at her daughter, "I'm impressed that you were right, Shelly. I didn't realize that you knew so much about Pokémon Contests!" Nick looks at their mother, "Well, of course she knows a lot, Mamma! Shelly's going to be a Top Coordinator someday!"
"Oh she is, is she?" Axel gives his son a look. He's not so sure about that. He pats Shelly's head, "Guess we'll have to wait and see about that." He laughs. Nick watches his sister. Why isn't she defending herself? But Shelly thinks that her parents might actually be right. What if she's not good enough..?
As the weeks progress, this thought continues to nag at her. Nick notices. Her Training isn't going as well, she has less of a pep in her step than usual, and her Pokéblock recipes aren't as bright and sweet like normal. Nick finally corners her in the yard. He wants an explanation. But Shelly doesn't know what to say to him.
He's always looked up to her, but it's so much more pressure now that she thinks about it… "What if I'm not good enough?" Nick gives her a hard shove, "Well how are you supposed to know?" She gives her brother a look.
"You never know unless you try and the only way to do that is to compete in an actual Contest!" Shelly stares at him, "I know Mamma and Papa may not understand, but you're going to become a great Trainer, Sis. I just know it!" He stares her down.
"You may just be a child, but this is your dream. And you know what?" She looks at him, "I believe in you, Shelly. Now you just have to believe in yourself, too." Shelly takes a deep breath.
"You're right, Nick." She clenches her fist, "I want to become a Top Coordinator… I've never wanted anything more in my life." She gives him a triumphant grin, "And I refuse to give up on my dream!" [ "That's right. I know I can do this..!" ]