Heyyo! I'm back with another chapter of WCFOOD!

In this one we have Nathan's contest, which I promise is action packed and fun!

If you do enjoy this chapter please consider smacking down a Review, because that encourages me to write even more stories for this!

Enjoy!

Chapter XVIII:

It was the day of Nathan's contest, and both myself and Nathan were doing some training in the Hayden families backyard. Nathan was training Beautifly and Swablu, and I was training Buizel.

I was instructing Buizel on what he needed to know to preform Ice Punch, when Drew walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder, making me turn around.

"I know I promised I would give you the Pokemon once you won the Gym Battle, but honestly I didn't think you would beat Lt. Surge on your first try Scarlet. You surprised me!" Drew smirked, flicking hair away from his eyes, the same way Nathan did.

"She surprises everyone Dad." Nathan groaned while rolling his eyes flicking his eyes away from Swablu for a moment. "Heck, she surprised me when I beat her in battle!"

I flushed and covered my face in embarrassment. "Are you ever going to let that go? It was one time! I bet if I battled you again it wouldn't turn out the same way."

Nathan just winked and returned to instructing Swablu and Beautifly. Nathan said he was going to give Mudkip a break for this contest. Today was just a regular contest, so he could wear his usual clothes as well.

Drew watched me closely as I interacted with Buizel.

"Alright Buizel, this is a great move because it will give us all kinds of type advantages in battle. Plus, I know you prefer using physical moves, so Ice Punch will work great."" I grinned, stroking the weasel Pokemon's head encouragingly with one hand while carefully holding my egg in the other. The water type cried out in agreement and turned to the tree we were practising on, marked with a large target. May had told me she had set up that tree a week after she moved in, perfect to train Pokemon with.

"Alright Buizel try it again! Use Ice Punch!" I beamed.

The weasel Pokemon's fist lit up white, and it charged towards the tree, smashing it's fist against the target. Buizel then jumped back, and I examined the tree cautiously. There was a few frozen marks, but other then that, it was just a regular punch attack.

"Hey that was great Buizel!" I grinned, patting the Pokemon's head. "We're getting closer. Just focus all your energy to freeze the water that comes from the attack and you'll get it down in no time at all! For now though, you should get some rest, sound good?"

"Bui!" The weasel nodded, and I laughed and returned the water type to his Pokeball.

Growlithe pawed at my leg, and I turned to my fire type with a raised eyebrow. "What's up Growlithe?"

"Grow! Lithe!" The Pokemon cried, and pointed with his tail at something behind me. I turned to see May standing next to me with a smile.

"Oh, hey Mrs. Hayden!" I grinned, and the woman chuckled. "Hello Scarlet. Sorry to bug you, but I was just wondering what that was?" She pointed to my belt, and I flushed red when I realized she was pointing at the place I had put Nathans rose.

"Um, Nathan gave that to me." I laughed nervously. "When we stopped Team Rocket from taking the daycare's eggs. Growlithe learned Flame Burst, so Nathan gave me the rose and said it was for Growlithe." I rolled my eyes at the memory and May surprise me by bursting into laughter.

"So he really is a picture of his father then." May chuckled, shaking her head although her eyes were swimming with memories.

I cocked my head and frowned. "What do you mean?"

May laughed and patted my shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll figure it out one day."

I huffed and looked down. "That's what my mom said."

May burst into more laughter and gestured for me to follow her inside. Nathan was already going over some last minutes strategy with his dad, and the brown haired boy was looking more flustered with each passing minute.

May rolled her eyes and smacked Drew over the head lightly with a newspaper. "Drew! Cut it out, you're making him nervous." Turning to her eldest son she smiled. "Don't worry dear, you're going to do awesome! I promise, and we'll be cheering you on from the stands."

Nathan flushed pink and twiddled with a Pokeball on his belt. "Thanks mom."

Drew rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah son, we believe in you. But honestly May, did you have to hit me that hard?"

(Line-Break)

"So are you going to enter the contest Jackie?" Jace questioned, hiding under his fedora. The three criminals were wearing matching disguises to hide in the contest hall, fedora's and a trench coat.

Jackie shook her head. "Not this time. I didn't have time to go and get my nails done! Besides we have better things to do. Mom and Dad recommended selling merchandise correct? So let's get on that!"

Zorua snickered evilly. "Not to mention the punk is going to enter the contest. Punkette will be so caught up in the contest we can snatch Growlithe right away afterwards! It's genius!"

The three thieves crackled and then threw their coats up in the air, revealing contest hall uniforms. In their hands were an assortment of candies and souvenirs, and they grinned widely.

"Get your contest merchandise right here right now! Only for limited time!" Jace called, and people began to swarm Team Rocket in excitement.

(Line-Break)

"Welcome everyone to this years Vermillion City Contest!" Lillian cried out in excitement, throwing one hand into the air. "Today's contest winner will receive the beautiful Vermillion ribbon!"

The crowd oohed at the pretty ribbon that was on display. It was sky blue and had white markings to look like clouds. The gem in the middle was white in colour and gleaming in the sunlight.

"The ribbon is designed to resemble the port in Vermillion." Drew explained. We had all taken a seat in the stands in preparation for the contest, May and Drew sat behind us with Mikey in May's lap, and Grace, Bryce and I sat together in front with Growlithe sitting on my legs.

"It's beautiful!" I sighed, completely astounded by the gorgeous ribbon.

Mikey perked up and nodded persistently. "Yeah! Beautiful like Scawet!"

I flushed red. "Thanks?" and everybody laughed, but May just rolled her eyes and glared at Drew. "Deal with your son Drew."

Drew chuckled and took the little boy from May. "Hey tyke, if you're going to go to impress, you need a signature gift. Like a rose for example-"

May groaned and pulled the blue eyed boy away again. "DREW! That isn't what I meant!"

Everyone laughed again, including me, and even May cracked a small smile at the situation.

The first five coordinators had interesting appeals, one boy managed to stand out, using an elegant Riolu that managed to send he whole contest hall in a beautiful hazy purple aura.

"That Riolu is going to be hard to beat." Bryce whistled. I couldn't help but nod, even though it was against who I was cheering for. "Maybe, but Nathans been training hard. He can do this." I stubbornly argued."

Once the boy had recalled his Riolu, he proudly walked off the stage with a solid 25 points.

"Now we have the handsome young Nathan Hayden!" Lillian cheered, and the crowd burst into cheers, with us being the loudest. Or... well me. I didn't realize it until after, but I had hollered so loudly that people looked at me in amusement. When I turned to Nathans parents, I explained.

"Nathan is always the one to encourage me!" I grinned. "Now it's my turn."

Nathan appeared with a cocky smirk, and he tossed a Pokeball effortlessly. "Beautifly! Center Stage!"

Beautifly burst out of her Pokeball, spinning rapidly into the air before flapping her wings, making them shimmer and sparkle.

"How wonderful! Beautifly appears showing off her bright and sparkly wings!" Lillian cried out, and Nathan smirked as Beautifly cooed in appreciation.

"Hey, Nathan's Beautifly is a lot like mine. She loves getting on the stage and preforming!" May giggled.

Bryce nodded. "Nathan must have done all kinds of work to make her wings shine like that."

I didn't say anything, but I grinned at the sight of Nathans hard work paying off.

"Alright Beautifly! Show everyone your string shot!" Nathan cried, and Beautifly trilled in excitement and began to shoot string from her long nose, diving back and forth with the string trailing her. The string soon began to take shape with Beautifly working hard, and soon formed a butterfly shape. The crowed oohed at the art, and Nathan nodded in approval.

"Oh wow!" I gasped. "How did Nathan come up with that idea!"

Drew chuckled in approval and pride. "He is full of surprises."

"Amazing! Looks like Nathan and Beautifly have worked together to form a butterfly design out of the string shot! It's simply stunning!" Lillian gasped, and the crowd cheered wildly.

"Alright Beautifly, now use poison sting!" Nathan beamed, and the butterfly Pokemon trilled again, shooting an array of needles directly into the butterfly shape. The shape began to glow purple, and expand, making a larger string shot and making the shape more defined. After a moment or two, Nathan narrowed his eyes in concentration and beamed. "Alright now! Beautifly use Silver Wind!"

"Silver Wind!?" I gasped, and Bryce looked at me in surprise. "Did you not know Beautifly knew that move?" He questioned. "You're Dad taught it to him. He said, and I quote, "May was obsessed with that move. Of course I know how it works!"

May huffed and turned away. "Ash is a real pain sometimes." When Drew shot her an approving grin, she narrowed her eyes. "Don't even think about it Drew. You are ten times worse."

I giggled, and turned back to Nathans performance. Beautifly shot out rays of silvery wind that spun through the butterfly design, and it expanded to the point of bursting. When it exploded in a range of silver and purple sparkles, Nathan called his final move.

"Alright Beautifly! Finish this with gust!" Nathan called in encouragement.

Beautifly flapped her wings furiously, making the sparkles dance along the stadium. I held out my hand in glee as one of the sparkles landed on my hand. "Wow!" I gasped.

Beautifly and Nathan shared equally proud looks, and Beautifly landed on Nathans head effortlessly. The crowd roared in approval, and Lillian had trouble being heard over the crowd.

"Incredible! Nathan has shown both Beautifly's grace, elegance, and power all in one appeal! This is one amazing coordinator ladies and gentleman!" Lillian cried, and flicked her hand to the judges table. "Let's see what the judges have to say!"

The score marks flashed onto the board.

9, 9.5, 9

"An astounding score of 28.5! Congratulations Nathan!" Lillian cheered, and I jumped up and down in excitement. "Wow! That performance was awesome!" I whooped, giving the person beside me, who happened to be Grace, a high five. "What do you think Growlithe?"

"Grow... Growlithe!" The puppy barked in excitement, and Bryce crossed his arms in satisfaction. "I'm going to have to agree with you Scarlet. Nathan did awesome today!

"Mommy! Nathan did pretty Pokemon!" Mikey squealed, and May's face softened at her youngest son. "You sure are right Mikey! Nathan has gotten so much better!"

"But I suppose it's because I taught him everything he knows." Drew slyly added, and May didn't even hesitate as she smacked the back of Drew's head, causing the older man to squeal like a little kid. "Alright! Sorry! You helped!"

I jumped to my feet and pushed down the backwards cap on my head, before tightening my grip on my egg enthusiastically. "Come on guys! Let's go meet Nathan!" Growlithe jumped up twice in excitement as well, barking enthusiastically.

Drew smiled and got to his feet, but May crinkled her nose and gathered her other two kids. "Drew, you go with Bryce and Scarlet, I'll take the kids to get some food. Tell Nathan he did a great job for me!"

The three of us headed down to the coordinator room, easily given access since Drew was a manager. Nathan was watching the screen with interest, a look of determination set on his face. I ran up behind him and grabbed the boys shoulder, and the cocky brown haired boy cried out in surprise when I dragged him towards us.

"Hey you did awesome Thanny!" I squealed in excitement, plopping him beside his Dad, who was grinning, and Growlithe barked in approval when the boy flushed.

Getting over his surprise, Nathan smirked and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I know."

My grin turned into a frown, and I glared at him. "Shut it."

"Hey you said it first!" Nathan snickered, flicking my forehead.

My face flooded red, and I glared menacingly at Nathan. "You did not just do that!"Bryce paled. "Oh no, Scarlet! Come on, it was just a flick!"

Nathan backed up worriedly, and I lunged forward, grabbing his shirt collar with one hand and pushing him backwards. "If you didn't just impress me, I would have flung you across the room. You're lucky."

I turned away from the arrogant brown haired boy, who's smug look had returned since I had let him go. Drew had been watching the whole argument with a knowing twinkle in his eyes. "Ah, you three are very similar to your parents. Scarlet, you're just like your Mom with your fiery attitude, and Bryce, you're just like your uncle, very controlling of emotions.

Looking at his eldest son he smirked, and standing right next to each other, I could see that both Nathan and Drew were so much alike it was scary. The only difference really was the hair colour, and perhaps Nathans slightly more fearful attitude.

"You Nathan, are a mirror of myself. I don't think I need to elaborate." Drew snickered.

Nathan shrugged, and I shifted the egg in my hands while grinning at the young coordinator. "So, have you decided which Pokemon you're going to use in the next round?"

Nathan grinned and nodded. "Yep. It's time for Swablu to show her stuff."

(Line-Break)

Nathan's Swablu was incredibly trained. More so than I had originally thought. Nathan and Swablu easily breezed through the battle rounds, until he finally reached the final battle.

It was Nathan against the boy with the powerful Riolu, who we learned was named Jasper.

Both boys met in their battle spots, and I got a closer look at Jasper. He had windswept white-blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He was easily in his teenaged years as well. Probably about fourteen.

"Jasper is going to be difficult to beat." Drew stated, his green eyes that matched Nathan's narrowed in concentration. "I hope he has a strategy."

May rolled her eyes and adjusted Mikey on her lap. "Probably. Nathan is always prepared with something."

I frowned and looked at Bryce in question. "Won't Nathan have an advantage if Jasper uses Riolu? A fighting type against a flying type will work well."

The training breeder shrugged. "I guess so. Jasper has been using Riolu the whole contest. Maybe Nathan will have an advantage."

"And the battle for the Ribbon is about to begin!" Lillian cried in excitement. "The coordinators competing for this ribbon are Jasper and Nathan! Both trainers will have five minutes on the clock, and the winner will receive the Vermillion Ribbon! Trainers release your Pokemon!"

"Alright Riolu! It's showtime!" Jasper called, tossing a Pokeball effortlessly. The tiny fighting type appeared, and it flipped through the air once to land on his feet and cross his arms. "Ri! Riolu!"

"So he did use Riolu!" I gasped, and reached in my pocket for dex.

Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. When sad or scared, Riolu's aura becomes stronger as a way of signalling its allies.

"Nathan has this in the bag." I stated confidently. "He's been training so hard, he has to win!"

Drew clicked his tongue in thought. "Perhaps. But I have a feeling there is a specific reason Jasper picked Riolu. He knows Nathan has a Swablu."

Nathan bit his lip and reached for a Pokeball, tossing it while nodding. "Okay! Swablu Show Time!"

The cotton bird Pokemon appeared, twirling through the air with grace. "Swablu!"

"Nathan's Swablu sure is energetic!" May giggled, and Grace jumped excitedly. "When I become a trainer I want a Swablu like Nathan!"

"Now that both trainers have chosen their Pokemon, the match will begin!" Lillian cheered.

"Alright Swablu let's take care of this right away!" Nathan shouted. "Use Aerial Ace!"

Swablu flapped her wings once and raced off, flashing white and flying directly towards Riolu.

Jasper flashed a quick grin and nodded. "Alright Riolu! Counter let's go!"

"Counter?" I questioned, scratching Growlithe behind the ears while watching the match intently. "Sounds interesting."

Bryce nodded slowly. "Counter is a move that reflects other moves, sending them back at an opponent."

Riolu quickly held out his palm and sprinted towards Swablu, grabbing her beak and throwing her backwards with much more force then everyone expected, and Nathan gasped when the flying type flew towards the arena wall. "Swa!" The bird squawked.

"Oh my! Swablu's attack fails, and Riolu's counter sends her spinning towards the arena wall!" Lillian gasped.

"Quick! Spin to avoid collision!" Nathan yelped, and Swablu spun around quickly and extended her wings to slow herself down, effectively missing the wall. Some of Nathan's points did drop from the failed attack however, and Nathan bit his lip in worry.

"Alright Riolu! Our turn now! Use quick attack and then force palm!" Jasper called. Riolu sprinted forward with incredible speed, and flew towards Swablu, extending his palm to throw the bird to the floor.

Nathan gritted his teeth and shook his head. "Not happening. Swablu use Ice Beam under Riolu's feet!"

The cotton bird shot out a light blue orb, freezing the floor around Riolu. The fighting type yelped and slipped, slidding across the floor and hitting the ground with a painful thump.

Lillian clapped excitedly. "Would you look at that! Nathan uses an interesting tactic to send Riolu hitting the floor hard!"

"Riolu!" Jasper gasped. Jasper's points began to drop until they we're lower than Nathan's.

Nathan grinned and nodded. "Awesome job Swablu! Now use fury attack!"

Swablu dove towards Riolu, and the tiny Pokemon cried out in fear as the bird got closer and closer, his beak reaching down and hitting the tiny fighting type.

"Use Endure!" Jasper shouted, and Riolu's eyes flashed, and the Pokemon crossed his arms as Swablu hit the tiny Pokemon over and over again with his beak. Lot's of Jasper's points began to drop at this point, as Riolu was pecked over and over again.

"And Swablu attacks Riolu over and over again! Will the fighting type recover from these powerful pecks?"

"Oh no!" I gasped. "Riolu is going to be seriously hurt!" Bryce, Mikey and Grace nodded in fear for the small Pokemon.

Drew and May just shared amused looks, knowing Nathan was going to have to think of another strategy.

Nathan called Swablu off, thinking the tiny fighting type had had enough, but then I realized what had happened. Riolu got to his feet, looking frazzled, but other wise alright. This caused some of Nathan's points to drop, so Jasper and Nathan were tied.

Nathan gasped, and then smacked his forehead. "Endure is a move where the Pokemon using it cannot faint, even if it is very close to." He mumbled to himself.

"Great job Riolu!" Jasper praised to the tiny fighting type.

Nathan huffed and thought for a moment, before his eyes lit up. "I have an idea! Swablu use Ice beam to try and encase Riolu in ice!"

As Swablu began to charge up the attack, Jasper called out his next move. "We're not falling for that one! Riolu, use double team!"

Swablu fired off his attack, only to stop in confusion as Riolu was doubled, then triple, and soon there was 16 Riolu's surrounding Swablu. A few of Nathan's points dropped, and while Nathan growled lowly at the failed attack.

"And Riolu uses double team! Nathan may be in a pickle now!"

"Come on Nathan!" I called, getting frustrated from where we we're sitting. "Don't fall for that again!"

"Again?" May questioned, and Bryce turned to Nathan's mom with a snicker.

"Scarlet used that one on Nathan when they battled after Nathan's first contest." He explained.

Drew didn't say anything, but narrowed his eyes at his son in thought.

"Now there is 30 seconds on the clock! With Jasper just in the lead, will Nathan be able to pull through?" Lillian announced, and Nathan gritted his teeth. "I need to think of something quickly." He mumbled.

"Alright Riolu!" Jasper grinned. "Finish this up! Poison Jab!"

With a flash, all of Riolu's copy's vanished and the tiny fighting type leaped up, raising his fist which lit up purple.

Drew gasped suddenly, and glanced at his son, who just happened to look our way. Drew and Nathan's eyes met, and suddenly Nathan grinned.

"Alright Swablu! Now's our chance!" Nathan beamed. "Use Aerial Ace while shooting Ice Beam!"

I cocked my head in confusion and around me I could see Bryce and May doing the same thing.

Swablu seemed to understand however, and raced off, flashing white while shooting the blue beam from her mouth. The ice beam attack hit Riolu head on causing the Pokemon to cry out, before Swablu crashed into the fighting type for a second attack, and Riolu spun towards the ground before hitting with a thump.

"No! Riolu!" Jasper gasped, just as the timer for the contest match went off. Both trainers looked towards the scoreboard, even though the winner had been obvious.

"And that marks the end of this contest! The winner of the Vermillion Ribbon is Nathan Hayden!" Lillian cheered, and the crowd erupted into cheers and applause.

"He did it!" I cheered, and Growlithe jumped up and down in glee. "Growl! Growlithe!"

Bryce laughed along with me, and Nathan's sibling jumped up as well, Mikey running into my arms and giggling in excitement while Grace violently shook Bryce's arm in delight.

Drew and May turned to one another and shared smiles. "Our little boy won a contest!" May squealed, clinging onto Drew's arm.

Drew chuckled and put his arm around May. "Yes he did. You know it was me who told him to use combo moves."

May rolled her eyes, and all of us laughed before turning our attention to the young winning coordinator.

Nathan's eyes sparkled, and Swablu cooed in happiness and rushed into Nathan's arms. The brown haired boy grinned in delight and hugged the small Pokemon before whispering something to it and returning her to her Pokeball.

Nathan met with Jasper in he middle and the two gladly shook hands.

"Thanks! That was a great battle!" Nathan grinned.

Jasper nodded with a smile. "I agree. I hope to see you around sometime."

Nathan nodded once and then turned to Mr. Contesta, who had called the young boy forward to receive his ribbon.

The brown haired boy took the ribbon with a grin. "Thanks! This was the best contest ever!"

(Line-Break)

"Alright you three! You take care of yourselves now!" May instructed, looking directly at her son.

It was now almost three in the afternoon, all of us ready to keep going on our journey. Nathan's family were seeing us off, making sure we were all packed and ready.

"We will Mom! Thanks for everything!" Nathan beamed, and that gave me a chance to catch a gleam of his ribbon case on the side of his belt. Knowing him, I would hear about that ribbon for the next month. Great.

Grace was leaning against the door with Mikey by her side. "You three will come back soon right? And tell us more of your stories?"

Mikey nodded fervently. "And let us play with your Pokemon!"

I laughed and nodded. "Absolutely! Tell Austin I said hey the next time you see him alright?"

Bryce was checking his Pokenav, pulling up a map. "Looks like our next city is Lavender town. It's actually a contest Nathan!"

I frowned, and from my side Growlithe cocked his head. "Where is the next Gym again Bryce?"

Bryce frowned at the machine. "Saffron City. It's after Lavender town."

I nodded slowly, and just as I turned to say my final good-byes, I saw Drew step forward with a smirk.

"Alright Scarlet! I've been think long and hard, and I decided you've impressed me. You and Aron worked amazingly together during that Gym Battle, and you trained your Pokemon well. You're not to soft, but you don't push them hard either. You've earned your Pokemon."

I bounced up in excitement, shifting the egg in my hand and gave Drew a huge smile. "Really!?"

Drew grinned and nodded. "Yep. Here you go! She's a big softie." He pulled out a Pokeball and handed it to me with a grin.

I pushed the button on the Pokeball, and my eyes widened at what I saw.

"Oh no way!" Nathan cried out in shock.

Standing in front of me was a small green Pokemon with a bud like head and round eyes. When I knelt down next to it, the Pokemon tilted it's head. "Budew?"

"It's a Budew!" I gasped, reaching for my Pokedex.

Budew, the Bud Pokémon. In winter, it keeps its bud closed to survive the cold, but then opens it again in the spring. Budew knows the moves Mega-Drain, Grass Knot, Growth and Stun Spore.

"This Budew is my Roserade's egg." Drew smiled. "I was going to give him to Nathan until your Dad told me he found a Swablu that loved showing off. Besides, this little guy just loves to battle! When he evolves I recommend the moves Petal Dance, Solar Beam ad Magical Leaf."

I swallowed nervously. "One step at a time." I managed to squeak out, causing Drew to chuckle.

"Hello Budew!" I smiled softly at the green Pokemon. "I'm Scarlet! Your new trainer! Do you want to come with us and help me become a Pokemon Master?"

Budew tilted her head again, before cooing and jumping into my free arm. "Bu!"

May laughed and leaned down to pat her Glaceon, which had wrapped around her legs again.

"Well I guess that settles that. Good luck you three! And call home soon!"

Phew! That was a long chapter! But soo worth it! I think it was one of my best ones yet!

Next Chapter: The group are lost in a forest! They end up meeting an evolution master named Damian who is more then happy to help the group through the forest, while explaining all about his research in the process!

If you would like to see another chapter soon, be sure to Review! When I get 5+ Review's of nice things you have done for someone else, I'll post another chapter right away!

Love y'all

Shelbs