We walked through the streets of Celadon City. I half-listened to what Jason and Michelle were talking about, my mind kept thinking of the Pokemon Hunter. Pokemon Hunters are usually hired by someone, but...

"Guys..."

"What?" Michelle asked, glancing at me.

"I just thought of something. Pokemon Hunters are hired by people and work alone. Oliver, he was ordering the Team Rocket grunts around. I think he's working with Team Rocket directly."

Michelle paled, I think she was slightly afraid of Oliver now, after what had happened to her. "We can tell Officer Jenny." she said.

"Ha! No, we can't." Jason said, laughing slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"We tried once before. In Cerulean City, before we met you. She didn't believe us. She said Team Rocket could never be back together after being defeated all those years ago." I replied.

"Without the police believing us, we're going to have to be careful when we run into Team Rocket." Jason said.

"Yeah, that's for sure. Just how much more powerful is Team Rocket now, compared to when they were around all those years ago?"

"Powerful enough to have a Pokemon Hunter on their side that will work directly for them and nobody else. Things just got a lot more dangerous."

We turned and walked to the Pokemon Center and walked to the front desk.

"Hello, how may I help you?" Nurse Joy asked.

"We need one room. Can you heal our Pokemon, too?" Michelle asked.

Nurse Joy typed in something on the computer and then she slid a key over to us.

"You're in room five, enjoy your stay." Nurse Joy said as she placed the tray onto the counter.

We put our Pokeballs on the tray while Eevee and Pikachu hopped onto the counter.

"Thank you,"

We walked to our room and Michelle opened the door. She walked to one of the beds and tossed her bag onto the bed.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm going to freshen up." she said.

Michelle left the room to head to the showers down the hall. Jason grabbed his bag and walked to the bathroom that was in our room and I left the room to use the showers down the hall, too.

I walked back to the room afterwards and walked in to see that Jason was out and ready. I was ready too, but Michelle wasn't back yet.

"Why do girls take forever to clean themselves up?" Jason muttered.

"I guess they just want to make themselves look nice for people. At least that's what my mom says." I replied. "I personally don't care that much about it, and neither does my dad."

I sat down on my bed and after five minutes, the door opened and Michelle walked in. We left the room and got our Pokemon back. As we turned around, I saw Nikki.

"Hey, Nikki." Michelle greeted.

"Hi, hi!" Nikki cried, running over to us.

"Hey," Jason and I greeted.

Nikki waved to us in reply.

"Nikki, when's the next contest in Celadon City?" Michelle asked.

Nikki thought for a minute and counted on her fingers.

"In three days. And guess what?! The contest is a double performance contest! Two Pokemon at once!"

"What?!" Michelle cried.

"Yeah, I'm kinda nervous, too. It's my first double performance as well."

"Don't be nervous. Those kinds of contests make awesome combinations and your Pokemon look twice as great, but the judges are tougher on how you perform." a voice said.

We turned to see Blair, the girl we had met when Jason had released his Butterfree.

"Hey, Blair!" Michelle greeted.

Jason and I nodded our heads in greeting.

"Oh, Blair, this is Nikki. Nikki, this is Blair." Michelle said, introducing the girls to each other.

"Nice to meet you." Nikki said.

"Likewise," Blair said.

"Oh! Ideaaaa! How about we all hang out, the three of us? A girl's day!" Nikki asked excitedly.

"I'm in for it." Michelle said.

"Yeah, me too." Blair said.

"We can go shopping!"

Michelle turned around, about to ask if Jason and I wanted to come, but we were long gone, only a cloud of dust was left where we were standing just a second before.

Michelle's POV

We left the Pokemon Center and headed towards the department store. We walked in and it was pretty busy. I had heard that Celadon City had the largest store in Kanto, but this was incredible!

We walked to the directory to see what all the stores were in here. We decided to go through the whole place floor by floor. We walked along the first floor in silence for a while.

"So Blair, how old are you?" Nikki asked.

"I'm fourteen," Blair replied.

"Really?"

"Yep,"

"Where are you from?" I asked.

"I was born in Snowpoint City in Sinnoh. There's snow there all year 'round." Blair answered.

"Oh, I couldn't live there. I hate the cold." Nikki said, shivering.

"I could deal with it, but I would rather live where's there's water nearby." I said.

"So you're a coordinator?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's been my dream ever since I was little. You see, my mom's a coordinator, so I guess she inspired me. I've been in a lot of Grand Festivals. Sinnoh Grand Festival twice, once in Hoenn, and once in Johto. My next stop is the Kanto Grand Festival."

"Wow..." Nikki and I said.

"But despite all of my success, I've never won a Grand Festival before." Blair added in disappointment.

"Who's your idol?" Nikki asked.

Blair looked at her shoes and her face was red slightly. "Umm...you two probably won't know who it is."

"We're coordinators, we'll know." Nikki said.

"Yeah!" I cried.

"Well...I'll let you guys guess by clues."

"Fine,"

"It's a Hoenn coordinator, originally."

"Hmm...that knocks out Dawn and Johanna." Nikki said.

"Kenny and Zoey are out, too." I said to myself. "Boy or girl?"

"Boy,"

"A coordinator that is from Hoenn who is a guy." Nikki muttered.

I thought of all the magazines I had read and all of the contests I had watched.

"May and Solidad are out." Nikki said.

I shivered at the name that just appeared in my head. "That leaves Harley or Drew." I said.

"Wow, you two do know your coordinators. Now who is it?" Blair asked, raising an eyebrow.

"By your red face...we would say..." Nikki trailed and whispered the name to me. "Tell her."

"Drew. That's your idol." I said.

Blair's face had a small pink hue to it, but she nodded her head. "How can you not like his performances? I love the performances with his Roserade and Masquerain. He's my favorite coordinator, even though my mom inspired me first."

We got on the escalator, not seeing any interesting shops on the first floor.

"Who's your idol?" Blair asked us as we stepped onto the second floor.

"Well..." Nikki trailed.

"My idol is Zoey." she said.

"My idol is Dawn." I said.

"Dawn?! As in, Dawn Ketchum?!" Nikki squealed. I sweat-dropped and nodded my head.

"Dawn is, like, amazing! I love her contest performances, but all of her combos were way too complex for me to pull off."

Blair had a thoughtful expression on her face. "Wait a second...I never realized it until now, but Adam...he looks like Ash Ketchum..." she trailed.

"Yes, Adam is the son of Ash and Dawn." I said.

"I knew something about him set off a bell in my head."

"Oh! I need to go in here." Nikki cried.

I glanced at the name of the store, which was called Kitchen's Corner. We walked into the store, which sold food and lots of it.

I should buy some more food for when we go back out on the road. The Pokemon need some more, too. We're low on bread and berries and cans of soup. We need more to eat 'cause that lunch meat didn't last long. I thought. I grabbed a basket while the other two did, too.

"Hey Michelle, what do you guys eat?" Nikki asked as she walked over to me.

I walked down the aisle that had canned fruit down it.

"Well, bread, berries, cans of different foods that we can cook over a fire, and a few times, lunch meat. We don't know how to cook so we get things that can be eaten without much prep." I said.

"Wow...well, cooking is easy." Nikki said.

"You cook?"

"No, Trevor cooks...I burn everything."

"Wow..."

"We usually eat soups and sandwiches." Nikki said.

I gathered a good bit of food that should last us for a while. I paid and waited for Blair and Nikki to finish.

"Let's go," Blair said as she and Nikki walked over as they finished.

We walked out of Kitchen's Corner and started towards the escalator. We stepped onto the third floor and started walking around. We talked about what we liked to do, what we had encountered while on our journeys (I left out Team Rocket), and what we missed back at home.

We entered a store on the fourth floor called Trainers General. I stocked up on potions and other healing items for myself and Adam and Jason.

We got to the last floor and into a clothing store, just looking at the clothes. I saw an outfit that was really cute, but I couldn't buy a new outfit. I liked my own outfit that I traveled in.

We finally walked out of the department store and said goodbye.

"See you at the contest." I said.

"Bye," Nikki said.

"See ya," Blair said.

After a day with Nikki and Blair, Adam was once again helping me train in preparation for the contest.

"Pidgeotto and Machoke, lets show 'em!" Adam cried, tossing his Pokeballs. It was his first-ever battle with Machoke and his first battle with Pidgeotto since it evolved.

"Pidgeotto!"

"Ma! Machoke!"

I had planned to let Eevee sit out this contest and cheer me on with Adam and Jason. I was going with a Fire and Water duo in this contest.

"Showtime, Poliwag and Growlithe!" I cried, tossing my Pokeballs.

"Poli!"

"Growl!"

"Alright. You can go first, Adam." I said.

"Pidgeotto, use Gust! Machoke, use Low Kick!" Adam cried.

"Poliwag, counter Machoke with Water Gun! Growlithe, use Agility and then Flamethrower!"

Growlithe was able to move out of the way of the Gust thanks to Agility and hit Pidgeotto with Flamethrower. Poliwag waited and jumped in the air, avoiding the Low Kick and used Water Gun on Machoke.

"Yes!" I cried.

"Good job, Michelle. You know how to think on your toes." Adam said.

"Thanks, Adam." I replied as we continued training.

The day of the contest was here. I stood backstage, talking to Nikki. Adam and Jason had left just a few moments ago along with Eevee.

"I'm so nervous." Nikki said.

"I know, I am too." I said. Neither of us had done a double performance before.

"Like I said before, don't be scared. These contests are just like any other contest, just with two Pokemon and the judging is harder." Blair said.

"Wow Blair, that's so pretty!" I cried, seeing her outfit.

"Oh, thanks!" Blair said.

"It is pretty. Love the accessories." said Nikki.

Blair looked completely different from her tomboy appearance. She was wearing a dress that reached just below her knees. It was two-toned black and red and she had short black boots on her feet with slight heels. She had a large ruby gem necklace around her neck and a fake rose in her hair. Her blonde hair, which was normally in a bun, was now curled and falling down her back.

"Good evening, everybody! It's time for another contest! This contest is taking place in wonderful Celadon City! The contestants will be competing for the Celadon Ribbon in this Pokemon Double Performance Contest! The goal is to wow the judges with two Pokemon, making brilliant combinations! I'm Jillian, your host! Let's meet our wonderful judges!" Jillian announced.

"We have Shawn Contesta!" Jillian cried.

"I am looking forward to what each Coordinator has planned with their Pokemon." he said.

"Now, the President of the Pokemon Fan Club, Mr. Tatsu!"

"Double Pokemon! Twice the fun!" he exclaimed.

"Lastly, we have our very own Nurse Joy!"

"I can't wait to see the types and the combinations in store." she said.

"Now that you've met our wonderful judges let's meet our wonderful coordinators! Entry number one, you're up!" Jillian cried.

"Oh, that's me!" Blair cried, running.

"Entry number one is Blair!"

I looked at to the screen to see the curtains start to rise. Blair ran out, jumped over the steps and she landed, giving a little twirl. While she twirled, she raised her arms and tossed her Pokeballs.

"Roselia, Buneary, showtime!"

Many flower petals appeared as both Pokeballs opened and formed a flower before it exploded, revealing Roselia and Buneary.

"Roselia, use Magical Leaf!" Blair cried. Dark leaves appeared and shot towards the fans.

"Ice beam, Buneary!" Ice shot at the leaves, covering them in ice with a dark purple glow around them.

"Roselia, now use Energy Ball! Buneary, use Dizzy Punch!"

Both moves hit the frozen leaves, shattering them and making sparkles fall across the stage. Blair and her Pokemon waited for the judges' reactions as cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Wonderful!" Jillian cried.

"A wonderful performance, using a Grass type move with an Ice type move." Shawn said.

"Roselia and Buneary looked like they were having fun!" Mr. Tatsu cried.

"Such a splendid performance. Great way to start off the contest." said Nurse Joy.

Blair returned Buneary and walked backstage with Roselia walking beside her.

"Wow, that was awesome!" Nikki cried.

"You did great." I said.

"Thank you both. Oh, I would like you to meet my partner, Roselia. She was a Budew when I first got her."

Nikki giggled to herself as she looked at Roselia.

"It's so cute! If I ever come across a Budew or Roselia, I'm gonna catch it." I said.

The contest continued for a little while and soon, it was my turn. I waited for my name to be announced.

"Our next entry is Michelle!" Jillian cried.

I ran onto the stage as the curtains rose and I jumped over the steps.

"Growlithe, Poliwag, spotlight!" I cried, spinning and tossing the Pokeballs. The Pokeballs opened to reveal flames.

"Water Gun, Poliwag! Growlithe Agility!" I cried before anyone had even seen my Pokemon appear. Water Gun hit the flames, canceling them out and steam appeared, shadowing Growlithe and Poliwag. The stream cleared to reveal my Pokemon.

"Growlithe, use Ember! Poliwag, Bubblebeam!" Both moves hit one another causing sparkles to fall. It was a type of combo move I had seen Dawn do before.

"Growlithe, use Agility and then Flame Wheel!" Growlithe used Agility and then followed quickly with Flame Wheel and was moving along the stage in a spinning wheel of fire at a very fast pace.

"Bubblebeam!" I yelled to Poliwag. The bubbles shot towards Growlithe and they were popped, but the fire didn't go out. The crowd let out "Ohh" and "Ahh" as it happened.

"Now wrap it up!" Growlithe was now in the air and Poliwag shot a lot of bubbles. The bubbles put the fire out and Growlithe flipped and landed on the stage. The plan for this was to cause shimmering sparkles from the water to fall after hitting the flames, and to also to show that Growlithe was a strong Fire type against the Water type moves. The crowd cheered for us loudly.

"A unique performance!" Jillian cried.

"What a wonderful way to show the power of Growlithe against Poliwag." Shawn said.

"Water and Fire! Perfect performance!" Mr. Tatsu cried.

"Your Pokemon showed great moves and strength." Nurse Joy said.

I walked backstage where Blair and Nikki were.

"That was different, but really good." Nikki said.

"That was a good job. I've never seen anything like that." Blair said.

"Thanks,"

Nikki's turn was next.

"Next up is Nikki!" Jillian cried.

Nikki ran onto the stage and walked down the stage. She tossed her Pokeballs.

"Curtain, Vulpix and Dratini!"

Hearts appeared all around Vulpix and Dratini as they landed on the ground.

"Okay! Vulpix, let's use Fire Spin! Dratini, Thunder Wave!" The Fire Spin was covered by electricity.

"Now Hyper Beam, Dratini! Flamethrower, Vulpix!" The two moves broke the electric-covered Fire Spin and collided with one another. Both Pokemon didn't back down and the moves caused sparkles to fall onto the stage along with a few embers and sparks from the electric/fire twister.

"Wow! Wonderful!" Jillian cried.

"What an amazing performance! It showed power and class!" Shawn cried.

"Incredible!" Mr. Tatsu cried.

"A great performance and a lovely pair." Nurse Joy said.

Nikki returned her Pokemon and went backstage.

"That was really good." I said.

"Yeah, that was a great performance." Blair said.

"Thanks,"

After one more performance, the appeals were over and we were now waiting. Adam and Jason had walked backstage to talk to me.

"You did great, Michelle." Adam said.

"Yeah, you did." Jason agreed.

"Thanks, guys." I replied.

I was nervous that I wouldn't make it to the next round. All of the techniques performed by the coordinators were amazing.

"Now it's time to show who will be moving onto the second round! The eight Coordinators moving on are..."

On the screen it showed: Blair, Nikki, some guy, some guy, me, some girl, some girl, and some guy.

"Yay!" I cried, happily relieved.

"Good job, Michelle. And good luck," Adam said, turning to go back to the stands.

"Good job, best of luck." Jason said, leaving.

"Now to show who will be facing off against who in the battle round!"

I was facing off against a guy who I believed was Francis. Nikki was facing off against Julie. Blair was facing off against who I believed was Renee.

I walked towards the stage, since I was battling first.

"It's time for our first battle of the second round. To my right is Michelle and to my left is Francis! Five minutes on the clock and...BEGIN!" Jillian cried.

"Poliwag, Growlithe, spotlight!" I cried, tossing my Pokeballs.

"Rapidash and Nidoran, curtain!" Francis cried, throwing his Pokeballs.

… …

The buzzer went off and I looked at the points.

"The winner is Michelle!"

… …

"Roselia and Pachirisu, showtime!" Blair cried, tossing her Pokeballs.

"Igglybuff, Squirtle, dazzle them!" Renee cried, tossing her Pokeballs.

… …

I wasn't surprised when Jillian announced Blair as the winner. Blair had countered most of Renee's moves with even better moves, deducting Renee's points.

… …

"Curtain, Dratini and Electabuzz!" Nikki cried, tossing her Pokeballs.

"Jigglypuff and Ninetails, go!" Julie cried, tossing her Pokeballs.

… …

"The winner is...Nikki!" Jillian announced.

Nikki's battle was a close one. With Julie having a Ninetails, it was hard to counter, but Nikki pulled through in the end.

… …

"Growlithe, Poliwag, spotlight!" I cried.

I was determined to go to the finals and maybe face off against Blair to see how tough of a rival she really was. I had seen what she could do, but I wanted to experience it myself.

"Venusaur! Chansey! Showtime!"

… …

"The winner and who will be moving on to the finals is...Michelle!" Jillian announced.

… …

I sat backstage, awaiting the next battle. Nikki and Blair were waiting for their battle to start. The winner would face me for the ribbon.

"To my right is Blair and to my left is Nikki! Five minutes on the clock and...BEGIN!"

"Roselia and Pachirisu, showtime!" Blair cried.

"Curtain, Dratini and Electabuzz!" Nikki cried.

I noticed just then that even when Nikki battled, she kept her peppiness, but her eyes showed the fierce determination she hid.

"Petal Dance! Pachirisu, Discharge!"

"Counter with Twister and Thunder!"

I watched in shock as some of the petals got hit or sucked into the twister, but some also hit Dratini and Electabuzz. The two Electric moves also fought for dominance, creating a cloud of smoke.

Nikki's points were lower than Blair's.

"Magical Leaf! Pachirisu, get ready."

"Hold your ground! Dratini, use Hyper Beam! Electabuzz, Thunder Punch!"

"Now, Pachirisu! Hyper Fang!"

Nikki had made a mistake by calling out Hyper Beam. Pachirisu was heading towards Dratini, who was charging the Hyper Beam, unable to protect itself or dodge!

"Electabuzz! Protect!" Electabuzz stopped its Thunder Punch and jumped in front of Dratini, shielding Dratini from Hyper Fang.

"Oh no...she-" I muttered, but stopped.

"NO!" Nikki cried, realizing her mistake.

Blair had tricked Nikki into having Electabuzz get in front of Dratini, who was charging a Hyper Beam. Now the Hyper Beam was charged and was being released...right into Electabuzz! Electabuzz took the attack and was thrown towards Blair's side.

The buzzer went off and Nikki's points were almost gone while Blair's were only halfway gone. Nikki looked at Blair in complete shock. Blair hadn't shown that strategy until now. She must've either known or took a chance on a hunch that Electabuzz knew Protect.

So here I was. Blair and I in the final round. Winner gets the ribbon. I walked towards the stage, took my spot and waited. I knew Blair was a much more experienced coordinator than me, so I would have to be at my best here.

"It's time for the final match! To my left is Michelle and to my right is Blair! Five minutes on the clock and...BEGIN!"

"Roselia and Pachirisu, showtime!" Blair cried.

"Growlithe, Poliwag, spotlight!" I cried.

"Petal Dance and Discharge!"

"Fire Spin! Water gun!" I cried.

But I commanded it a second too late and the Petal Dance and Discharge attacks hit my Pokemon.

"Magical Leaf!"

"Flamethrower!"

The flames easily burned through the attack and damaged Roselia, but I was still behind.

"Electro Ball!"

"Water Gun!"

I quickly realized my mistake. Water was weak against Electric attacks. The Electro Ball hit the Water Gun and it sent shocks through the water towards Poliwag. Poliwag was electrocuted.

"Roselia, use Energy Ball!"

"Growlithe, protect Poliwag with Flamethrower!"

The battle continued until Jillian said, "We're reaching the halfway point and Blair is leading by a long shot!"

I looked at the points. Blair's were down by a fourth, while mine were halfway gone.

"Discharge!"

"NO!"

Pachirisu released the attack and it hit Growlithe and Poliwag. My Pokemon laid on the ground for a few moments.

"Come on, you can do it!" I cried.

Growlithe stood up and shook her head. "Growl!"

"Alright, use Agility and Flame Wheel!" I cried.

"Get ready!" Blair yelled.

Poliwag was still lying on the ground.

"Poliwag, I know you can do this. Come on!" I cried. And then...Poliwag started to glow with a white light.

"What?! Well, it looks like Poliwag is evolving!" Jillian cried.

The light vanished and where Poliwag once was, now stood a fully healed Poliwhirl!

"Poliwhirl, do it!" I cried, pointing. Poliwhirl used Hydro Pump.

"Dodge!" Blair cried.

"Growlithe, Flamethrower!" I cried.

Maybe now, I could turn things around. I then realized Growlithe had gotten to Blair's side of the stage and was behind her Pokemon.

"Do it!" Both attacks hit Roselia and Pachirisu. When the dust cleared, Roselia was struggling to get up, having taken a lot of damage from Flamethrower.

"Growlithe, use Flame Wheel with Flamethrower! Poliwhirl, Hydro Pump!" Growlithe spun towards Roselia, who was still struggling to get up and Pachirisu was waiting for orders.

"Protect Roselia, Pachirisu! Use Discharge!" Pachirisu used Discharge, but Growlithe continued towards the two, not stopping. Poliwhirl was able to avoid the attack and used Hydro Pump.

Growlithe slammed into Roselia with Flame Wheel and then blasted Roselia and Pachirisu with Flamethrower. The Water Gun slammed into the two shortly after.

"Time's up!"

"The winner of the Celadon City Contest is..." Jillian trailed.

"Michelle, with an amazing comeback!" she cried.

I was shocked as I looked at the points. I had barely won against Blair. I almost thought I was done for, but with Poliwhirl, I turned the battle around and won!

"You both did great. Thank you. Poliwhirl, good job with evolving." I said, returning my Pokemon.

Blair had returned her Pokemon and was walking to the middle of the field to meet me. I hurried over and stuck out my hand.

"Well Michelle, you're a great rival to have. You're an awesome coordinator, too. I didn't expect that you'd be able to turn things around like that." she said.

"Thanks, Blair. You are, too. And your strategies are just...wow."

"I try. Well, go and get the ribbon. You've earned it."

I walked to the stage and was handed the ribbon. I added my second ribbon to my case and went to change. After I was done, I walked out of the contest hall to find Adam, Jason, and Eevee waiting. Eevee ran and jumped into my arms happily.

"Good job on winning." Jason said, nodding his head.

"Congrats on getting your second ribbon, Michelle. I think that's the best that I've ever seen you perform!" said Adam.

"Thanks, guys." I said, smiling.

"Now it's our turn!" said Adam. "Time for Jason and I to battle the Celadon Gym Leader and win our badges!"

"We'll head over there tomorrow. I get to challenge the gym first this time." said Jason.

Author's Note: And so, after piecing together some things about Team Rocket, the gang reaches Celadon City. Michelle gains a new rival in Blair and manages to mount a giant comeback and defeat her in the contest to win her second ribbon, evolving her Poliwag into Poliwhirl along the way. Up next, Jason and Adam's gym battles!

See if the boys will win their badges next time on Pokemon NG!