HELLO EVERYONE! I am so happy to be back with a BRAND NEW CHAPTER of A New Era! I know you have all been waiting forever for this chapter, and I sincerely apologize! If you all read Family Matters, you know that my school year was insane. But now I am graduated, I am free of schoolwork for the rest of my life (just regular work now, but I don't need to do that at home!) and I think these updates are FINALLY going to get back on track! For now, though, we have Michelle's next contest! Will she get her fifth ribbon and gain entry to the Grand Festival? Read on to find out!
LAST TIME: Michelle learns of a Contest in Cyan Town, which neighbors Cerulean City. Misty, though still worried about Ash, feels reinvigorated by her children and their budding strength, and decides to accompany Aiden, Michelle, and Brandon to Cyan Town. Elizabeth comes along as well, and the young trainers get to see what Misty was like when she was on a journey, though she still acts like a mother.
Chapter 55: The Final Ribbon Showdown
"Wake up, Mommy!"
Misty groaned as one of her eyelids was pulled up by a little hand. Still groggy, Misty gently swatted it away, earning an unappreciative whine from the culprit.
"Lizzie…" Misty moaned, squeezing her eyes shut tighter.
"Hey, you knew it was me!" Elizabeth giggled, jumping on top of her mother.
"Yes, well, no one wakes me up quite like you, sprinkle," Misty sighed.
Sitting up straight, Elizabeth shook her mother's shoulder and urged, "Come on, Mommy! No more sleeping!"
"Mmm, I'm not sleeping…" Misty sighed.
"But you're not up," Elizabeth whined.
Sighing, Misty rolled over onto her back, causing Elizabeth to slide off to her side. The child huffed, folding her arms across her chest.
"You hardly ever wake up before me," Misty mumbled.
"I'm up –cause I wanna see the contest!" Elizabeth giggled. "I'm so excited! I think Shelly will win!"
Misty smiled at this, her eyes still closed. "I do too."
"-sides, everybody else is up, too."
At this, Misty finally shot up out of her sleeping bag, causing Elizabeth to giggle. With her eyes now fully open, Misty realized that the twins and Brandon were bustling around their campsite, getting ready for the day.
"Wow, I was really out of it," Misty remarked, rubbing at her eyes with the heels of her palms.
"Yeah!" Elizabeth agreed with a giggle.
"Thanks, little girl," Misty teased, smirking at the child.
Misty climbed out of her sleeping bag, getting to her feet and stretching her arms up above her head. Once she was done, she followed Elizabeth over to the table that had been set up for breakfast. The little girl had already sat down, whining the second a piece of plain toast was put in front of her.
"Ick!" She spat, pushing the plate away from her.
"Elizabeth, that isn't nice," Michelle scolded. "Brandon worked hard to make that toast!"
"Nuh uh," Elizabeth argued. "All he did was burn bread. Daddy can do that!"
"No, Daddy can light bread on fire," Michelle sighed. "Besides, that toast is not burnt. It's perfect!"
"No, it's boring," Elizabeth grumbled.
"Relax, Michelle," Aiden snickered as his twin's face turned red with frustration. "Lizzie just doesn't want her toast to be plain, that's all! She needs something on it."
He reached across the table and grabbed a jar of strawberry jam, quickly catching his younger sister's attention.
"You like this on your toast, right, Lizzie?" Aiden asked.
"Uh huh!" Elizabeth chirped.
Misty approached the table with a sweet smile on her face, watching as Aiden opened the jar and began to spread the jam on Elizabeth's toast. "That's so sweet of you, Aiden!"
The boy jolted a bit, staring at his mother with wide eyes. "M-Mom?! I thought you were still sleeping!"
"I would have been, but I got a lovely wakeup call from your little sister," Misty drawled, pointedly eyeing the young girl sitting before.
"I jumped on her," Elizabeth squeaked before taking a big bite out of her toast.
"Well, I'm glad you're up!" Michelle said. "That means as soon as we're done with breakfast, we can start heading to Cyan Town!"
"You think you're ready to compete?" Misty asked.
"I know I am," Michelle replied, puffing her chest out. "I'm ready to win that fifth ribbon!"
"That's what I like to hear!" Misty giggled. "You've got this, Shelly. I believe in you."
XXX
"Tada!"
Misty grinned as her older daughter revealed herself in her green and white contest dress, doing a little twirl for good measure.
"You sound like Serena," Misty giggled, moving closer to Michelle.
"This is the dress you got me before I competed in my first contest," Michelle said.
"I know it is," Misty murmured. "It looks lovely on you! Just wait one second…"
Michelle arched an eyebrow as her mother reached out, taking the flower clip out of her hair.
"This was about to fall off," Misty informed her daughter.
"Oh," Michelle breathed.
"It's okay, we can fix it!" Misty giggled. "In fact, I think it'd be fun if we tried something new today."
Misty brushed through her daughter's hair with her fingers, pulling the right half of it towards the back of her head. Opening the flower clip with her other hand, Misty fastened it in the middle of the section she'd just pulled back, letting go and taking a step back to examine her work.
"I think that looks beautiful!" Misty remarked, beaming at her daughter.
Michelle spun around to examine herself in a nearby mirror. Upon seeing her reflection, Michelle smiled and turned back to her mother, giving her a hug.
"It's great!" Michelle breathed. "Thanks, Mom!"
"Don't mention it, sweetheart," Misty giggled.
"Well, isn't this a surprise!"
Michelle pulled away from her mother and looked over her shoulder with narrowed emerald eyes. She found herself staring back at another girl; a familiar figure with black hair and silver eyes.
"Zella," Michelle stated simply.
For the Super Contest, Zella had pulled her long black hair up into a loose bun, her bangs still cascading over her eyes. Her dress was black and short with a full skirt, a metal belt wrapped loosely around her waist and hanging down one side. On her feet was a pair of silver sandals, laced up nearly to her knees.
"Interesting outfit choice," Misty muttered, earning a worried glance from her daughter. "What? Just being honest."
"I see you brought your mommy today," Zella crooned, causing Michelle to scowl. "Did she pack your lunch for you today, too?"
"Oh, shut it, Zella," Michelle hissed. "You're just testy because you know I'm going to beat you today!"
Misty raised an eyebrow in interest, but otherwise kept her mouth shut.
"Oh please, in your dreams," Zella drawled, though a wicked glint was shining in her silver eyes.
"Why? I already beat you once," Michelle teased.
"That was only once!" Zella stormed. "This time will be different. Mark my words."
"No," Michelle refuted simply. "You mark mine."
Zella stuck up her nose and marched away, earning a little huff from Michelle. Misty, on the other hand, giggled softly, catching her daughter's attention.
"What?" Michelle asked.
"That was funny," Misty replied simply.
"Funny?" Michelle repeated.
"I've never really seen you get on someone like that," Misty explained. "You sure are fired up!"
"Just because it's Zella," Michelle sighed. "She's such a pain, Mom! I met her for the first time at the Saffron City contest, and she just kept calling me a spoiled brat! Ask May, she'll tell you just how big of a jerk Zella is."
"I believe you," Misty assured. "She seems a bit much. But you can't deny that she's lit some kind of fire under you! That does make her a good rival."
"I guess," Michelle grumbled.
"Did we miss anything?!"
Aiden came hurrying back over to his mother and sister, Brandon and Elizabeth trailing closely behind.
"No, just Zella," Michelle grumbled.
"Ugh, why is she here?" Aiden groaned.
"Ah, so neither of you like this girl," Misty murmured.
"Mom, she called me weird!" Aiden whined.
"Don't let her get to you," Misty replied. "She wants you to get upset about it! Maybe she's just a bit miserable. I know lots of people like that."
"Not me, Mommy," Elizabeth commented, attaching herself to her mother's leg.
"No, not you, my happy little girl!" Misty cooed, reaching down and lifting the now giggling child up into her arms. "We should probably get going to our seats now. You're okay, Shelly?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Michelle replied softly.
Misty smiled confidently at her daughter before turning her head towards Aiden and Brandon. "Come on, boys. Let's go get settled."
They both nodded and turned towards Michelle for some final words of encouragement.
"You got this, Michelle!" Aiden cheered.
"Yeah, we believe in you!" Brandon added.
"Thanks, guys," Michelle breathed, smiling at the boys. "I promise I'll do my best!"
XXX
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Cyan Town Pokémon Contest!"
The crowd went wild as Lilian appeared on stage. The announcer grinned as everyone cheered and applauded, excitement buzzing through the entire hall.
"On the line today is this beautiful Cyan Ribbon!" Lilian announced, holding up the prize for that day's contest. "For several of our coordinators, this ribbon will grant them entrance to the Grand Festival!"
Watching on a TV screen backstage, Michelle's eyes sparkled as soon as the camera zoomed in on the ribbon. It was greenish-blue in color, a regular shaped ribbon with a silver heart shaped charm surrounded by aquamarines in the center. It was such a gorgeous ribbon…Michelle would've loved for that one to be her key to the Grand Festival!
"As always, our three judges will be on hand to critique today's contestants," Lilian continued. "Now, let's get underway with our appeal round!"
Several coordinators went, showing off spectacular appeals that left the audience in awe.
"Wow, stiff competition today," Brandon commented.
"Shelly's better," Elizabeth huffed, earning a giggle from her mother.
"Aw, Lizzie, you're your sister's biggest fan!" Misty cooed. "Isn't that sweet?"
"Up next, we have Zella!"
"Well that's not sweet," Aiden muttered, resting his head in his hand.
The black haired girl appeared on stage and smirked, whipping her poke ball as she spun in a sharp circle.
"Nidoqueen, show off!"
A cloud of black hearts flew out of the ball thanks to its seal, floating in one giant mass before exploding into gray smog. Once the smoke cleared, the giant blue drill Pokémon appeared, roaring loudly as a show of strength.
"Wow, a Nidoqueen," Misty breathed.
Aiden scowled and pulled out his pokedex to scan the creature.
Nidoqueen, the drill Pokémon, and the evolved form of Nidorina. Nidoqueen is fierce by nature and very protective of its young. The spikes on her back contain poison and the simplest contact can lead to a bout of poisoning.
"Nidoqueen looks very strong," Brandon noted.
"Then why wouldn't Zella save her for the battle portion?" Aiden asked.
"Maybe Nidoqueen's got some really good appeal moves," Brandon suggested.
"Or maybe Zella is worried she won't make it that far," Misty speculated with a little smirk.
"Nidoqueen, use venoshock!" Zella demanded.
The dual type Pokémon spun around so her back was facing the audience. The spikes running down her back began glowing white, and soon globs of poison were being shot up into the air.
"Now, earth power!"
Nidoqueen spun back around, her entire body glowing gold as she pulled her arms back to open her chest up. In one swift motion, Nidoqueen pulled one of her arms forward, slamming her first onto the stage. The force of her punch sent gold energy flying upwards, engulfing the globs of poison she'd unleashed earlier. They burst into a flurry of gold and white sparkles, showering down on Nidoqueen like a rain of glitter.
"Or not," Misty murmured, her eyes wide and unblinking.
"A fabulous performance by Zella and her Nidoqueen!" Lilian cheered. "The combination of power and beauty exhibited by this team was incredible!"
Zella and Nidoqueen bowed to the cheering audience, with Zella throwing a mischievous wink as she stood back up. She returned Nidoqueen to her pokeball and headed off stage, passing by Michelle just as they had the last time they'd been in a contest together. This time, Zella smirked and swung her shoulder into Michelle's, causing the redhead to cry out in surprise as she took a small stumble backwards.
"Oops," Zella drawled, rolling her eyes.
"What was that for?!" Michelle demanded.
"Not my fault you were in my way," Zella quipped.
"You did that on purpose," Michelle growled.
"Oh please, you can't prove that," Zella scoffed. "Why don't you just get out on stage and show what your Pokémon can do? Nothing else really matters, after all."
And with that, Zella continued to march on. Michelle scowled at her back, her hands balling into fists at her sides.
"Chu?" Pichu murmured, shyly peeking over from Michelle's other shoulder.
"I've got this, Pichu," Michelle breathed. "She doesn't throw me off. Not one bit."
"Up next, it's Michelle!"
The young girl smiled at her partner Pokémon. "Wish me luck, Pichu!"
"Pi!" Pichu squeaked, gently patting her trainer's head with a paw.
Running up on stage through the curtains, Michelle tossed her pokeball in the air, calling, "Ponyta, curtain call!"
The ball popped open, embers swirling around like a cone. They burst into steady flames, dying down and revealing the fire horse Pokémon.
"Nice entrance," Brandon noted.
"Go Michelle!" Misty cheered, causing Aiden to blush.
"Jeez, Mom," Aiden groaned.
"What, I'm not allowed to cheer your sister on?" Misty teased.
"Maybe not that loud…" Aiden muttered.
"Ponyta, flare blitz, let's go!" Michelle commanded.
Ponyta stomped her paws twice before her body became engulfed by powerful flames, her beady black eyes glimmering through the haze.
"Take down!" Michelle cried.
The fire type charged forward, the flames fanning out behind her and forming a fiery likeness of herself, mane and all. The audience made sounds of fascination, obviously enamored by Michelle's appeal.
"Let's finish this up, Ponyta," Michelle called. "Fire spin!"
Stopping short, the fiery shadow of Ponyta disappeared, floating up towards the ceiling and sending the flames Ponyta was engulfed in higher. Ponyta lifted her head and unleashed a swirl of fire, which emerged from the fire surrounding her. The flames surrounding her began to pick up with the fire spin, making the cyclone larger and larger. Soon, Ponyta was no longer surrounded by fire; it was all above her head in a swirling vortex. Ponyta lowered her head and allowed the fire spin to fall back on her, swirling around her like a ribbon. As the flames hit the stage, they evaporated into nothing more than amber colored sparkles, which reflected off of Ponyta's hooves and made them shine like diamonds.
"That was perfect!" Misty breathed.
"Michelle used her appeal to show off how controlled Ponyta is with her movements," Brandon commented. "She also showed just how healthy Ponyta is! That shine on her hooves is incredible."
Michelle and Ponyta bowed to the audience before Michelle returned Ponyta to her pokeball with a small giggle. "You were great, Ponyta! No way we don't move on to the next round!"
XXX
Michelle's guess had been correct. She'd made it through to the battle rounds with flying colors.
Much to her chagrin, however, so had Zella.
The young coordinator was fuming. She was excited, of course, that she was going to get to move on in the contest and keep fighting for her final ribbon. But she wasn't happy that Zella had that chance too, and what more, that she now risked having to face the other girl in battle.
"Michelle, sweetheart, why don't you take a seat?" Misty tried.
"Why?" Michelle huffed.
"Because if you keep that up, you're going to burn a hole in the ground," Misty replied, her eyes darting back and forth as she watched her daughter pace.
Michelle stopped for a moment to stare up at her mother, her emerald eyes burning. "Good."
Misty sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Oh well, I tried."
"What, you're not going to yell at her?" Aiden demanded.
"That's not going to do me any good," Misty refuted. "She gets like your father in this kind of situation, and me talking to her is no different than trying to talk to a brick wall."
Aiden scowled at his twin. "Michelle, come on! It's no big deal that Zella moved on with you! Just kick her butt and get it over with."
"Your brother has a point," Brandon tried. "Don't be worried about Zella, just find a way to get through her if it comes down to that."
"That's not my problem!" Michelle snapped.
Elizabeth recoiled in her mother's arms, holding Teddi over her mouth. "Shelly's scary…"
Michelle sighed and hung her head. "Sorry, Lizzie. It's just…why did Zella have to move on too?!"
"Because her appeal was actually pretty good," Aiden replied.
"Aiden is right, again," Misty continued with a smirk. "Zella may not be a very nice person, but she is a pretty talented coordinator."
"She doesn't deserve it," Michelle huffed, finally sitting herself down.
"You're right," Misty sighed, much to the kids' surprise. "Personality wise, she doesn't. But as a coordinator, she does. It might not seem fair, because she's so hard on you and won't give you a break. And if this was a contest where you got points for personality, then Zella would come in dead last. But it isn't. This is a Pokémon contest. And Zella is good at what she does."
"I know," Michelle grumbled, looking down at her feet.
Giggling, Misty sat down next to her daughter, lifting her head with her fingers beneath her chin. "You go out there and do your best, Michelle. You put all of your heart into those battles. Don't give your opponents anything, whether it's Zella or anyone else. Understand me?"
"Yes," Michelle murmured.
Misty smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead. "That's my girl."
"Our first battle will be between Jackson and Michelle!"
The young coordinator looked up and found one of the contest officials standing in the doorway, clipboard in hand.
"I have to go," Michelle said. "Mom, will you keep an eye on Pichu for me?"
"Of course I will," Misty replied, lifting the little electric type off her daughter's shoulder. "What's one more baby to look after?"
"Hey!" Elizabeth cried. "I'm not a baby!"
Michelle giggled and got to her feet. "Thanks, Mom. I promise I'll do my very best!"
Misty just smiled at her daughter as she ran off to meet with the official. Aiden and Brandon, on the other hand, watched after her intently.
"Think she's got this?" Brandon asked slowly.
Aiden smirked and glanced over at his best friend. "I know she does."
XXX
Michelle made it to the final round with unprecedented ease. She would've surprised herself, had she not been so determined to win. Michelle knew that was what had carried her through all of the battles so far. She refused to go down, just like she had promised her mother, and it was showing.
Now Michelle was waiting on the last semi-final battle, between a coordinator named Rita…and Zella. It was actually a fairly close battle, but in the end, it was Zella who won. Michelle grimaced, knowing she'd have to face that loudmouth in the finals.
Don't give your opponents anything, whether it's Zella or anyone else.
Her mother's words flashed in Michelle's head, and the young coordinator smiled.
"I won't give her a thing, Mom. No way."
XXX
"Well folks, here we are. The final battle of today's Cyan Town Pokémon Contest! We've got what's sure to be a great battle brewing between coordinators Michelle and Zella! So, without further ado, let's see what these young ladies have in store for us!"
Zella smirked across the stage at Michelle, who glowered in response. Holding out her pokeball, Zella tossed it in the air, crying out, "Mismagius, show off!"
The pokeball opened and released a puff of black smoke, which faded away to reveal a purple ghost Pokémon who strongly resembled a witch.
"Spooky," Elizabeth whined, furrowing her brow.
"Zella's Misdreavus must have evolved," Brandon murmured.
Aiden growled and pulled out his pokedex to scan the Pokémon.
Mismagius, the magical Pokémon, and the evolved form of Misdreavus. Mismagius can bring different emotions to people, as well as insert them into realistic nightmares. Its cry can cause headaches and hallucinations.
"Great, it's a Pokémon just as creepy as her," Aiden grumbled.
"I'm sure Michelle has the perfect Pokémon to combat Mismagius," Misty piped up, smiling at the three children. "She's got this!"
Pulling out her own pokeball, Michelle smiled at the purple capsule covered sphere and threw it above her head, calling, "Butterfree, curtain call!"
Purple flower petals began to rain down on Michelle, with one giant purple flower forming above her head. The petals on the flower began to fall off, slowly floating down on Michelle with the rest of the shower. When the flower broke apart, Butterfree was revealed, its wings snapping outwards and swatting away the remaining petals.
"Butterfree!" Elizabeth squealed, reaching out for the butterfly Pokémon.
"An air battle?" Aiden murmured, his eyes sparkling. "This is gonna be good."
"We've got five minutes on the clock," Lilian announced. "Let's go!"
"Let's knock those two down a few pegs," Zella snarled. "Mismagius, confuse ray!"
Mismagius' eyes started to glow a fierce purple as it stared down Butterfree.
"Oh no you don't," Michelle hissed. "Butterfree, gust!"
The butterfly Pokémon rapidly flapped its wings, sending a rush of wind towards the ghost type. It ended up distracting Mismagius, preventing it from confusing Butterfree.
"Alright!" Michelle cheered. "Now, use psybeam!"
Butterfree pulled its head back and fired off a rainbow beam from its eyes. Zella, on the other hand, scoffed.
"That's so cute," Zella crooned teasingly. "Mismagius, you use psybeam too!"
Just like Butterfree had, Mismagius shot off a psybeam from its eyes, its attack meeting Butterfree's at center stage. The psybeams collided and cancelled one another out, decimating into nothing more than a flurry of multicolored sparkles.
"Ugh," Michelle spat, narrowing her eyes at her rival.
"Don't be mad just because you can't outsmart me," Zella giggled. "Mismagius, dazzling gleam!"
The ghost Pokémon floated closer to Butterfree, and before the butterfly Pokémon could move out of the way, Mismagius' entire body flashed in a bright light, sending Butterfree flying back towards her trainer.
"Butterfree!" Michelle gasped.
"Look at that, the spoiled baby can't fight back," Zella babbled.
Michelle snarled at the other girl. "That's it! I've had enough of you and your little comments! Butterfree, gust again!"
Butterfree flapped its wings strong enough to get itself back up in the air, and at the same time, sent Mismagius flying backwards.
"What?!" Zella hissed.
"Now use super sonic!" Michelle commanded.
Butterfree flew back up, using the remaining gust to propel herself as she let out a high pitched screech. A series of transparent circles went barreling towards Mismagius, but the ghost type was unaffected by the attack.
"Oh no," Misty groaned.
"What just happened?" Michelle breathed, her shoulders slumping.
"Unreal!"
Michelle turned her attention back to Zella, who was grinning deliriously.
"You mean to tell me the daughter of the Pokémon Master doesn't know that normal type moves don't affect ghost types?" Zella gasped. "Maybe you're not as spoiled as I thought! In fact, I almost feel sorry for you!"
Michelle's entire face turned red. "Why you…Butterfree, use-"
"Back off, Shelly!" Zella cried. "Mismagius, hex!"
The ghost type's eyes turned a glowing red and purple, with a shadowy black and purple light engulfing its elongated body. With just one look in Butterfree's direction, Mismagius was able to freeze the dual type in its place, leaving Butterfree unable to move or attack.
"No…" Michelle gasped.
"Yes!" Zella bit. "Mismagius, psybeam!"
Mismagius spun in a tight circle, the black and purple hue disappearing from its body. The ghost type flew down low, escaping the darkness it had just been enshrouded with, and fired off a psybeam at Butterfree from close range. The dual type cried out in pain, falling back towards Michelle just as it had before.
"Butterfree!" Michelle cried.
"This isn't looking good…" Brandon sighed.
Michelle was standing in her box, feeling completely lost. She thought she'd had the edge on Zella, but now the girl was outsmarting her in every possible way. She didn't know if there was any way to come back from this.
Aiden growled and smacked his fist against his thigh. "Michelle can do it. I know she can! I believe in her!"
And suddenly, Michelle felt a surge of confidence swell in her chest. She glanced up towards the audience, and within a matter of seconds, her eyes were locked with Aiden's. His were narrowed in determination, and soon enough so were hers. She gave a single nod and looked back at the stage, clenching her hands by her fists.
"Butterfree, you use psybeam!" Michelle ordered.
"Right, like that'll work," Zella quipped.
"On the stage!"
"What?!"
Butterfree flipped herself so she was facing down. Firing off a psybeam, the rainbow colored burst of energy hit off the stage floor, the force sending Butterfree back up in the air.
"Stun spore!" Michelle called.
Butterfree began doing somersaults as she flapped her wings hard enough to produce orange dust.
"Mismagius, dodge it!" Zella cried.
The ghost type tried, but Butterfree's constant spinning had sped up the rate at which the stun spore was moving. Mismagius was struck by the residue, and was left unable to move.
"Mismagius!" Zella shrieked.
"Michelle just got really confident really fast," Brandon breathed. "Where did that come from?"
Misty giggled and looked over at her son. "I think I have an idea…"
Aiden said nothing, didn't even look at his mother. But he smirked, all to confirm he knew exactly what she was thinking.
With Mismagius stuck in place, Butterfree let out a high pitch shriek, much like it had before with super sonic. Michelle started to panic, afraid that Butterfree was using the ineffective attack without her command. Instead of translucent circles, however, red ones emerged, much to Michelle's shock. And this time…they did hurt Mismagius.
"What was that?" Michelle breathed. "That wasn't super sonic!"
"I think Butterfree just learned a new attack," Misty murmured.
"It did!" Brandon laughed, his eyes lighting up. "That was bug buzz! It's similar to super sonic, but because bug buzz is a bug type move, it does work on Mismagius!"
Michelle grinned to herself and pumped a fist. "You're awesome, Butterfree! Time to finish this off! Psybeam, close range!"
Butterfree flew through the red rings it had created with bug buzz, heading straight towards the stiff Mismagius. Once Butterfree was just inches away from Mismagius' face, it fired off its psybeam attack, sending the ghost type straight down towards the stage. Mismagius' body collided with the floor, and between the strength of the attack and how hard Mismagius had hit the floor, it was left unable to battle.
"What a battle!" Lilian's voice came over the loudspeakers, floating above the excited cheers of the crowd. "It was close and intense, but Mismagius is unable to battle, which means the victory goes to Butterfree!"
Michelle was acutely aware that the audience around her was screaming with excitement, and that Lilian had just declared her the winner. But she couldn't move. Now she was frozen, barely able to blink her eyes.
"Freee!"
Michelle finally managed to lower her emerald eyes, and found them staring into the round red orbs of Butterfree. The dual type had flown right up to her, antennas bobbing with excitement.
"B-Butterfree…" Michelle breathed before breaking out into a huge smile. "We did it! We won! We won our fifth ribbon!"
"Free! Free!" Butterfree chirped, nodding its head.
"You're the best, Butterfree!" Michelle squealed, hugging her butterfly Pokémon. "I couldn't have done it without you!"
Up in the stands, Michelle's family was beaming down at the girl, all of their faces overflowing with sheer joy.
"Michelle did it!" Brandon cheered.
"Yay, Shelly!" Elizabeth giggled.
Misty smiled and once again glanced at her son. "You knew your sister needed a little boost of confidence, didn't you?"
Aiden smirked again, but this time, he actually looked at his mother. "Of course. I always know when Michelle needs a little extra push. After all, she knows when I need it, too."
Back on stage, Michelle let go of Butterfree and slowly walked across the stage towards Zella, a tentative smile on her face. As Zella dejectedly returned Mismagius to its pokeball, she looked up at Michelle with a deeply furrowed brow.
"Good job, Zella," Michelle complimented. "That was a really great battle!"
"I know, that was all me," Zella sighed, causing Michelle's eyebrow to twitch. "Listen, don't get full of yourself just because you won your fifth ribbon. I'll get mine in due time, and when we meet at the Grand Festival, our battle won't end this way. Not again."
And with that, Zella brushed past Michelle, once again knocking shoulders with her. This time, however, it wasn't as harsh, and Michelle wasn't angry. She just turned around and watched Zella go, her eyes barely blinking.
"We'll just see about that," Michelle muttered, eyes glimmering with anticipation.
And there you have it - Michelle is in! She's got all her ribbons, and Aiden's got all his badges. Now the fun REALLY begins!
The next chapter begins the big villain arc of the story. What will happen then? As always, you'll just have to stay tuned and find out!