PokemonFreak90 - It's Pokemon NG's two year anniversary! Hard to believe that we're still writing this story after all this time! We thank all of you readers and reviewers for sticking with us for this long and we hope that you continue to support us and enjoy our story as much as we've enjoyed writing it.

XashXdawnX - Thanks to everyone who reads and supports this story. Glad you all enjoy it.

Dawn's POV

We were walking around, looking at the booths. Brittany had her hand in mine so she wouldn't get lost and just because she wanted to. She kept grabbing my hand whenever we were walking around, especially in crowds. She never wanted to leave my side.

"So how have you been?" I asked, looking at Zoey.

"Pretty good. I've taken to helping Candice at her school. I'm happily married and have two kids." Zoey explained.

"Two kids?"

"Yes, Blair and her brother, Brad. He's about Brittany's age."

"Oh, I didn't know that you had two kids. Is he at home?"

"Yes, he wasn't feeling well so he's home with his dad. I just hope that Blair isn't upset that they didn't come, but they're still supporting her."

"I'm sure she knows that."

"What about you, especially with Ash being missing for so long?"

"Well, it was perfectly fine until the day Ash went missing. I went into a depressed state and I felt this ache inside me every day that he was gone. I kept strong for Adam, knowing that I needed to be, but I know that he knew that I was hurting, just like he was. When he left to begin his journey, I kept myself busy. But at night, I couldn't sleep well. Then I saw that poll where everyone had said that he was dead and that the Elite Four planned to hold a competition to find a new Pokemon Master and that angered me. I'm much better now, though, since Ash is finally back...back and himself again."

Zoey looked at me. "I can't even imagine what that felt like, Dawn. I'm sorry that this happened, but I'm happy that Ash is back."

"I am, too. I don't know what I would have done if..." I trailed.

"Don't think like that. How does it feel with Adam home again?" Zoey asked, changing to a less depressing topic.

"It's strange, since he's been gone for so long, but I'm happy that he's home. I finally know how my mom felt when I was traveling. Having an empty nest isn't fun. I miss seeing him and hearing him every day."

"Wait until he goes off to a different region like Blair did. You'll definitely feel the sadness of missing your kid then."

"Oh, I don't even want to think about that right now." I said. "And you have another kid in the house, at least."

Zoey laughed and looked at a few booths.

Looking around, I spotted a snack booth that had a lot of candy.

"Hey Brittany, do you want some candy or ice cream?" I asked.

"I've never had that before." Brittany said.

I stared at her in shock.

"What? You haven't had ice cream before? Or even chocolate?" my mom asked.

She shook her head.

"Never?" Zoey asked.

"Never." Brittany confirmed.

"Well, you're about to find out what you've been missing." I said as we walked to the snack booth line.

After buying one of everything for her to taste and some snacks for ourselves, we continued on our way.

Brittany held a bag of cotton candy that was blue and looked at it. "It looks like a cloud." she said, looking up at the sky and looking at the clouds.

"It's really good, one of my favorite candies to get from a fair or a big event that has vendors." I said.

She bit into it and her eyes widened. She licked her lips to get the candy that stuck to her mouth. Before she knew it, her cotton candy was gone and her mouth was stained blue.

"That was really good! What was it called again?" she asked.

"Cotton candy,"

She removed a chocolate bar and bit into it. "I'm gonna have to tell daddy to get me some of this!" she cried.

Michelle's POV

I couldn't believe my eyes! The stadium where the Grand Festival was taking place was HUGE! I had never seen something this big before.

"Wow..." Amber said.

While Amber was distracted and Blair wasn't paying attention to us, Adam spoke quietly.

"Remember what happened in Team Rocket's base? Antonio said that he had a daughter named Amber. We should see if she's her." he said.

"You're right," Jason said.

"Hey Amber, can we talk to you...privately?" I asked.

She nodded her head and followed us, leaving Blair by herself.

"Amber, can you tell us about your family?" Adam asked, looking at her.

She shifted uncomfortably and Adam's eyes flashed with interest.

"You're hiding something from us." he said.

"My family isn't exactly a 'happy' topic for me to talk about. Why do you even want to know about it?" she asked with an edge to her voice.

"While we were traveling, we met a man who claimed to have a daughter named Amber. He said that she was around your age and we think that it might be you." Jason explained.

Amber's eyes flashed with sadness, but curiosity could be seen. "Fine...I'll tell you what little I know about my family from what my grandma told me."

After a few moments, she started to talk. "My father was from Kanto and met my mom while he was visiting Kalos, where my mom was from. They fell in love and got married, then moved back to Kanto to start a family. My grandma moved with them to be closer to her family and not live so far away."

She frowned and looked around. "They were happy until I was one. My dad apparently had to leave us and he said that he would be gone for a long time and would probably never see us again. And not long after that happened, my mom was killed. We never found out how she died or who did it. And that's how I ended up living with my grandma. She raised me."

Looking at Adam and Jason, we all had the same look in our eyes. Her story was almost identical to what Antonio had told us.

"What was your dad's name?" I asked

"His name was...Antonio."

A nearly identical story!

"Amber, the man we met...his story is almost identical to yours. His name was Antonio and he had a daughter named Amber." Adam said.

"He told us that if we ever found his daughter, then we give her this message: He's alive and safe and he misses you and will always love you and hopes that you achieve your goals in life." I said.

Amber looked at us in shock. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was opened slightly and would close and open as if she was trying to say something. She put her hands over her eyes as she began to cry and her body shook.

She wiped at her face and looked at us. "My dad...he's still alive somewhere out there? And he...he said that about me?"

We nodded.

"Thank you for telling me that. I'm glad that he's still alive and I hope that I see him again someday. Even though I don't remember him, I still love him and miss him, too."

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't know my dad and I'm searching for him." I said.

"Well, I think that we'll both find them...one day."

"Yeah,"

Amber wiped her eyes again and we headed back to where we had left Blair. I quickly noticed that she wasn't alone. Standing beside her was Trevor and Nikki! They came!

"Nikki!" I cried, running over.

She smiled, but I noticed that it didn't quite reach her eyes. I hugged her and she hugged me back.

"I'm glad that you came." I said, pulling away.

"Hey, guys." Trevor said.

We greeted him too, but I had to admit that it was strange. After him being so mean to us for so long, him acting nice would take some time.

"Oh yeah, Amber, this is Nikki and Trevor. Nikki and Trevor, this is Amber."

"Nice to meet you."

"What's happened since we last saw each other?" I asked.

Nikki looked slightly distant as she remembered. "We went back home for a while. While being there, I wasn't sure if I would come here to the Grand Festival. My spirit was broken and I was broken inside and out. But thanks to my parents and Trevor, they talked with me and comforted me, helping me get my courage and spirit back." Nikki explained.

"Well, I'm glad you're here and I know that you'll do great." I said.

"I'm happy you're here too, Nikki. You're going to be great, like always." Blair said.

"Do you have all eight badges?" Adam asked, looking at Trevor.

Trevor looked at him. "Yes, I do."

"We do, too." Jason said.

"Hey...Adam...I'm sorry." Trevor said.

Adam looked at him, confused.

"I'm sorry that I doubted that your dad was alive. I'm sorry that I said he was dead."

"Thanks, Trevor..."

We started walking again, looking around.

"Hey Blair, I just noticed, why don't you look like your mom?" Jason asked.

"Oh, I look more like my dad. He has blonde hair, like me. But my brother looks like my mom." Blair replied.

"Brother?"

"Yeah, I have a little brother. He's eight and he's really excited to start his journey. He can't wait to get his Pokemon and start traveling."

"I didn't know that you had a brother."

"You never asked, so I didn't mention it."

"What's his name?" Nikki asked.

"Brad,"

"Did he come here with your mom?" Jason asked.

Blair shook her head. "No, my mom said that he wasn't feeling well, so he stayed home with my dad. Because Snowpoint City is so cold, it's not uncommon for young kids, who have weaker immune systems, to regularly catch colds."

"Well, they're watching you on TV. You know that, right?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, I know. They may not be here in person, but I know that they're supporting me from home." Blair said.

During the whole time that we walked around, Trevor was talking and not once did he insult us. He wasn't being quiet like he always was. Nikki was acting more like herself too, but at times, you could see that she was still upset about what had happened, but who could blame her?

I was sitting in front of a mirror, checking over my appearance one more time. My stomach was in knots and my palms were clammy. Today was the day that I had been preparing for and dreaming about since I was a little girl. Today was the start of the Grand Festival. I reached into my bag and removed the bottle of perfume, spraying some on.

"You ready for your first Grand Festival?" Amber asked, stopping by my chair.

I put the cap on the bottle and looked at her. "Yes, are you?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. Did you get that perfume from Erika in Celadon City?"

"Yes, it's the apple scent."

"I have one from her too, except I picked the lavender scent."

"You smell really nice." I commented.

"So do you." she replied.

I stood up and we walked out into the waiting area. I stopped in my tracks. The waiting area was packed with over two hundred coordinators competing!

"Wow...I've never seen so many people."

"Same here," I replied.

Scanning the room, I found Nikki and Blair standing against a wall. We headed over to them and greeted them. As I looked around at everyone, my stomach started getting Butterfrees.

"I'm so nervous. There's so many coordinators here." I said.

"This is going to be really tough." Nikki said, looking around.

"I feel sick, my nerves are making me feel sick. There's so many people." Amber said, frowning.

Blair didn't seem affected by the number of people. Then again, this was her...fifth Grand Festival. "Don't worry about it, just do your best and treat it like any other contest. You'll be fine." Blair said.

Looking up, I saw that Dawn, Zoey, Adam, and Jason had made it into the waiting area and found us.

"Hey, you'll be great, Michelle." Adam said.

"Yeah, you always do great." Jason added.

"Thanks, guys," I said, giving a nervous grin.

"Don't be scared, you'll do great." they said, hugging me. I hugged them back and nodded my head at them when I pulled back.

"I remember when I was in my first Grand Festival. I know how you're feeling." Dawn said, talking to me and Amber. "Just do your best and have fun. You've made it this far, so don't let your nerves ruin your chances. I wish you both the best of luck and I can't wait to see what you have in store for us. No need to worry."

"Like I always thought when I was in this position, treat it like any other contest. It's just like any other contest and you'll both do great. I wish you both good luck and remember to have fun." Zoey said to Blair and Nikki.

With one last goodbye and good luck, they left to get their seats before the Grand Festival started.

Normal POV

Jillian walked out onto the stage. "Good afternoon! It's time for the Kanto Pokemon Grand Festival, where all contestants who have earned five ribbons compete for the ultimate prize: The Ribbon Cup! The Grand Festival will be a double performance and every coordinator is competing to win the title of Top Coordinator! Now to meet our wonderful judges!"

"First is Shawn Contesta!"

"I'm looking forward to see what every Coordinator has planned."

"Next, we have the President of the Pokemon Fan Club, Mr. Tatsu!"

"The biggest day for coordinators and Pokemon!"

"And our very own Nurse Joy!"

"I wish you all the best of luck and I'm excited to see the performances."

"And finally, we have our very special guest judge! She's no stranger to the Grand Festival. She competed here on this very stage years ago, wowed the audience with her Pokemons' moves and performances, and won the Ribbon Cup, earning the well-deserved title of Top Coordinator! Please welcome from Pewter City right here in Kanto...Solidad!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd as Solidad walked onto the stage, waving. She was now in her forties. Her pink hair was still long and her bangs were barely falling into her blue eyes. She wore a light orange jacket with a red knee length skirt and red boots. A red belt was around her waist, keeping her jacket closed and she wore some red gloves.

"I'm so glad to be here back here on this stage. But this time, it's from a new perspective. Coordinators, good luck to you all, and to your Pokemon, too. I'm excited to see what you have planned." Solidad said to everyone.

"And I'm your host, Jillian! The Kanto Pokemon Grand Festival will now begin!" Jillian cried.

"First up, we have Blair!"

As Michelle looked at the screen from backstage, she was glad that she wasn't Blair. She would never be able to go first at this contest.

Blair ran out onto the stage and jumped over the stairs, twirling, and tossing her Pokeballs into the air.

"Beautifly, Roselia, showtime!" Blair cried. Both Pokemon appeared, surrounded by confetti.

"Roselia, use Petal Dance! Beautifly, use Silver Wind!" Blair cried. The petals swirled and Silver Wind hit the petals, merging the two moves together into a beautiful breeze of flower petals.

"Now finish it with Solar Beam, Roselia! Beautifly, use Psychic!" The petals were frozen in the air by Psychic and the Solar Beam hit the petals, causing sparkles to rain down as they burst.

In the audience, Brittany looked at the sparkles with a smile on her face, her eyes shining.

"Incredible!" Jillian cried.

Beautifly landed on Blair's head and Roselia and Blair did a bow.

"A wonderful way to show off the moves and power." Shawn said.

"Wonderful!" Mr. Tatsu cried.

"Excellent timing and precision." Nurse Joy said.

"An excellent combination to show off both of your Pokemons' skills and power." Solidad said.

Blair walked back through the curtains.

The contest continued on and it was soon Amber's turn.

"Wish me luck?" Amber said, standing up.

"Good luck," said Michelle.

"Next up is...Amber!" Jillian cried.

Amber ran out and jumped over the stairs, crossing her arms and tossing her Pokeballs.

"Take the stage, Psyduck and Ponyta!" Amber cried. The two Pokemon appeared, surrounded by hearts.

"Ponyta, use Flamethrower! Psyduck, use Water Gun! To the sky!" Both moves shot into the air.

"Ponyta, use Fire Spin at the water! Psyduck, use Water Pulse at the fire!" The two moves swirled around each other in the air.

"Outstanding!" Jillian cried.

"Now use Hidden Power!" Both Pokemon used Hidden Power, hitting the now twisters, causing rain drops and embers and sparkles to fall.

Brittany stared wide-eyed at the result and a big smile was on her face.

"A great display of fire and water." Shawn said.

"Outstanding!" Mr. Tatsu cried.

"A lovely performance and your Pokemon showed their skills wonderfully." Nurse Joy said.

"A great way to show how a Fire and Water type can work together instead of against each other." Solidad said.

Amber curtsied and walked backstage.

As Michelle made her way to the curtains, she looked at her Pokeballs. She took a breath and released it, waiting for her name to be called.

"Next up is...Michelle!" Jillian cried.

"Yay!" Brittany cried.

Michelle ran out onto the stage, jumping over the stairs, twirling, and tossing her Pokeballs.

"Jolteon, Gastly, spotlight!" she cried. A heart appeared and it became dark, and then covered by electricity, causing it to break and causing sparkles to fall.

"A wonderful entrance!" Jillian cried.

"That was so cool!" Brittany cried.

"Gastly, use Shadow Ball into the air! Jolteon, Quick Attack and Thunder Fang!" A dark purple ball was shot into the air and Jolteon ran forward and jumped into the air, her jaws sparking with electricity. Jolteon bit the Shadow Ball and caused it to break, making dark electric sparks fall.

"Now use Discharge! Gastly, use Psychic!" Jolteon released the electricity and was suddenly outlined in blue, the sparks still active.

Brittany stared at the stage with wide eyes.

"Now let's finish this, guys! Gastly, use Shadow Ball! Jolteon, use Pin Missile!" Jolteon flipped after being released from the Psychic and still having Discharge, the Pin Missile had sparks with it. It was like Jolteon was rapidly shooting out hundreds of tiny lightning bolts! Gastly fired the Shadow Ball and the moves hit one another, causing sparks and sparkles to fall. Jolteon landed on the ground.

"What a wonderful performance!" Jillian cried.

"A unique performance." Shawn said.

"Absolutely wonderful!" Mr. Tatsu cried.

"A shocking and powerful performance to watch." Nurse Joy said.

"This was very exciting to watch and showed just how much time was spent training to make your Pokemon shine. Wonderful!" Solidad said.

Michelle curtsied and went backstage.

"Next up is...Nikki!" Jillian cried.

Nikki ran onto the stage and spun, tossing her Pokeballs.

"Vulpix, Gastly, take the stage!" she cried. A ribbon was shown and as it faded, Vulpix and Gastly were seen.

"Vulpix, use Will-O-Wisp! Gastly, Shadow Ball!" The two moves merged together to create a dark flame.

"Vulpix, use Safeguard!" Since the Will-O-Wisp and Shadow Ball combo was still around Vulpix when its body started to glow, it created a very pretty sight.

"That's so pretty!" Brittany cried.

"Now that's a sight to see, folks!" Jillian cried.

"Gastly, use Double Team!" Gastly surrounded Vulpix.

"Shadow Ball, Gastly! Vulpix, use Flamethrower!" As various Shadow Balls headed towards Vulpix, Vulpix started using Flamethrower and started spinning. The moves hit one another and as the fire hit the Shadow Balls, the flame became dark for a few moments. It was like Vulpix was breathing a stream of dark fire!

"A great performance!" Jillian cried.

"A wonderful combination." Shawn said.

"Marvelous!" Mr. Tatsu cried.

"It was a wonderful performance to watch." Nurse Joy said.

"A wonderful way to show how Fire and Ghost types can work together. Well done," Solidad said.

Nikki curtsied and went backstage.

After all of the coordinators had performed, the girls sat waiting backstage as the results were being decided. Over two hundred coordinators and only sixty-four would be moving on.

"Great job, Michelle. The training with my mom really paid off. You've improved a lot!" Adam said.

"Thanks, Adam. And thank you for helping, Dawn."

"You're welcome, Michelle. You did great, you all did." Dawn said.

"It was so cool watching all of the performances! I've never seen anything like it." Brittany said, still in awe of everything she had seen.

Dawn saw how enthralled Brittany was now and during the performances. She seemed to be really interested in contests and maybe she would choose to be a coordinator when she got older.

It took a while, but the results were finally posted. "And the results are in. The sixty-four coordinators who will be moving on to the battle round will be..." Jillian said as the pictures started showing up on the screen.

Blair's picture was shown, then shortly afterwards was Amber's, and then Nikki's. As the pictures started to get towards the end, Michelle had yet to see her picture. She bit her lip, and then finally, the picture second to last was her. She let out a sigh of relief.

"You all made it. Well, that was just the easy part, girls." Dawn said.

"Because starting tomorrow, the real challenge begins." Zoey said.

"Don't worry, we're ready." said the girls.

Author's Note: The Grand Festival has begun. Amongst all of the spectacular performances, Michelle, Amber, Blair, and Nikki were able to pull through and make it to the next stage.

Watching contests for the first time, Brittany was instantly hooked and displayed a strong interest in them. Maybe she'll follow in the footsteps of her aunt and grandma and become a coordinator someday, too?

The kids also learn that Blair has a little brother named Brad, who's Brittany's age. And Nikki found it in herself to overcome her fears and show up to compete at the festival!

Also, Adam and the others finally break the news to Amber about Antonio and discover that he is indeed her father! Amber has finally learned that her family is not entirely gone after all!

What challenges await Michelle and her friends in the next round of the Grand Festival? Who will emerge victorious and win the Ribbon Cup?

Find out as the Grand Festival continues in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!