Brittany's POV
I was sitting on the bed; dressed in my pink pajamas and ready for bed, but I was too excited to sleep. Grandma was sitting next to me, listening to me talk about the Grand Festival.
"Today was so...different! I had never seen a contest before, but now I love them and everything was so amazing!" I cried.
My grandma smiled at me.
"I really liked the Jigglypuff and Poliwag duo. Jigglypuff used Hyper Voice and made the bubbles pop! It was so pretty." I said, remembering one of my favorite appeals besides Michelle's and her friends'.
"Then there was the performance where Dig was used and the Flamethrower came out of the holes, making fountains of fire!" I smiled, remembering the contest.
"I'm glad that you had a great time and I'm happy for you." said grandma.
"It's so cool seeing a contest. I really enjoyed today."
"Well, you're in for more surprises tomorrow when the Grand Festival continues."
There was a knock on the door and grandma got up to answer it. When the door was opened, I saw that it was Michelle, who was in her pajamas, which were blue.
"Hey, Brittany. Do you want to come to my room for a little while? You can hang out with me and my friends." Michelle asked.
I looked at grandma, unsure of what to do. She smiled and nodded her head.
"Go ahead, it'll be fun. But don't stay too late and be back in time for bed."
I hopped off of the bed and walked over to Michelle and we went to her room. She walked in and I followed her, seeing the other three girls sitting on the floor. Amber was in orange pajamas, Blair was in green, and Nikki was in white.
Michelle joined the others on the floor and I sat beside her and Nikki.
"Hey, Brittany. Glad that you could join us." Blair said.
"We were going to watch some show, but then we saw this. It's a rebroadcast of the Grand Festival when Solidad won the Ribbon Cup here." Amber said.
I was going to get to see more contest-related things? I was more than okay with that!
The commercial that was playing ended and the contest started. I watched as it showed how Solidad won. As the re-run of the contest ended, the screen changed to show Solidad and Jillian sitting and talking.
"So Solidad, you just watched yourself winning the Ribbon Cup. How did it feel, winning the Grand Festival on this very same stage all those years ago?" Jillian asked.
Solidad was quiet for a few minutes, thinking. "Well, when I won, it was great but it wasn't easy. It felt like I had completed my goal and became a Top Coordinator, but I still continued to travel and enter contests afterwards to see just how much further I could go. I have to say, no matter what, I still get a thrill when competing in a contest."
"And how does competing in contests compare to judging them?"
Solidad laughed. "I have to say that it's a little strange being on the other side. I mean, when I was competing in contests, I was always analyzing my rivals to come up with ideas and strategies. Having to judge so many coordinators is really fun and a very different experience. I loved seeing all of the appeals and everyone did great. I know that tomorrow will bring a lot more excitement."
"Well, there you have it, folks. Solidad's view on judging and competing, spoken by the Top Coordinator herself. See you all again!"
A commercial came on and Amber switched the television off.
"So Brittany, what did you think of today?" Michelle asked.
I looked at her and smiled. "It was amazing! You all did great!" I cried.
"You seem like you enjoy contests a lot." Blair said.
"I do, they're really exciting to watch." I then thought of something. "How did you all meet...well, become friends?" I asked curiously.
"I met Michelle, Adam, and Jason outside of Cerulean City, near Cerulean Cape. They walked over to where my brother and I were training. I became friends with Michelle over a few contests. I met Amber and Blair through contests, too." Nikki explained.
"I met Michelle and the boys when the Butterfrees in Kanto gathered to find mates. My Butterfree and Jason's Butterfree loved each other and then I met them. Thanks to my contests, I got to be better friends with Michelle." said Blair.
"I met Michelle after she registered for the Cinnabar Contest. We became friends through training for the contest together." Amber said.
"It's great that you guys are friends." I said.
"And now you're our friend too, Brittany." said Michelle.
"Really?" I said, surprised. "I've never had any friends before."
"Well, now you have four of them." said Nikki, hugging me.
The other girls surrounded me in a group hug, too. It felt really nice.
Ever since I was allowed to be with my family, my life had become a million times better! I now had a family that loved me and friends who cared about me. Those were two things that I never thought that I would ever have in my life. I also didn't feel shy or scared of people anymore.
The only thing that was missing now was my daddy. I hoped that he would be released from custody soon.
Michelle's POV
It was now the day of the battle rounds. I stood backstage with Amber, Blair, and Nikki. We were all waiting to see who we were going to be facing.
I hope that I don't have to battle any of my friends right now. Not this early in the Grand Festival. I thought to myself.
I watched as the pictures were shuffled randomly and once the pictures popped up, I let out a sigh of relief. I wouldn't have to face any of my friends in the first round.
As the battle round began, to determine who would make it into the top thirty-two, I waited. I was close to the end of the round, so I had to wait a while, along with Nikki.
... ...
"Pidgeot, use Aerial Ace, and Jigglypuff, jump and use Hyper Voice!" Amber cried.
Amber was currently battling against a girl, facing off against a Bellsprout and Bellossom.
Pidgeot landed the Aerial Ace on both Bellsprout and Bellossom before they could dodge in time. Amber had speed and a type advantage in this battle.
"Now, Jigglypuff! Use Sing!"
Right as the attack hit, the time ran out. Amber had won.
"Amber wins!"
... ...
"Dodge! Pachirisu, use Discharge, and Buneary, use Ice Beam!" Blair cried.
"Counter the Ice Beam with Flamethrower, Ponyta! And Pichu, use Thunderbolt!"
Blair was barely managing to hold on to the lead at the moment. The battle could go either way. Her opponent, Josh, had a lot of tricks up his sleeve and was countering almost every attack that she used. Her points were now slightly lower than his and there was almost a minute left.
"Use Ice Charge!" Blair cried.
"What?!"
Pachirisu used Thunderbolt and Buneary used Ice Beam. The two moves slightly blended together and hit Ponyta and Pichu, causing them to get hit by electricity and then become frozen solid.
"Incredible!" Jillian cried. "The winner is Blair!"
... ...
"Arcanine, use Flamethrower! Poliwhirl, use Hydro Pump!" I cried.
I was currently facing off against a guy named Kyle, who was using Jolteon and Flareon.
"Jolteon, use Thunder! Flareon, use Flamethrower!"
The Thunder hit the water and shocked Poliwhirl. The two Flamethrowers collided and fought for dominance. They canceled one another out and created smoke.
"Arcanine, use Hyper Beam! Poliwhirl, use Hydro Pump!" Since the smoke was still heavy, the two moves broke out and hit Jolteon and Flareon before Kyle could command his Pokemon to dodge.
Glancing at the clock, I saw that Kyle's points were halfway gone and mine were slightly higher than his.
"Time's up! The winner is Michelle!"
... ...
"Dodge it!" Nikki cried as a Flamethrower and Shadow Ball headed towards her Pokemon.
"Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt, and Dratini, use Agility!"
"Charmander, Smokescreen!" Dratini was covered by the smoke.
"Electabuzz, use Swift and clear the smoke! Dratini, do it!" The smoke started to clear and Dratini used Dragon Rage, hitting Charmander and Eevee before they could be commanded to dodge the attacks.
"Time's up! The winner is Nikki!"
The battles continued and soon the first round was over. We were now all waiting to see who would be facing who in the top thirty-two.
I was one of the first people to battle in this round.
"Togetic, use Magical Leaf! Gastly, multiple Shadow Balls!"
"Counter with Surf and Aqua Jet!"
The stage had been turned into a pool since my opponent's Pokemon were Water types. I watched as the Surf took out the Magical Leaf and stopped the Shadow Balls.
"Yawn, Togetic!" Thankfully, Togetic was able to learn a new move recently and this move would help me.
"Now, Gastly! Use Shadow Ball!" I cried as the Pokemon fell asleep.
"...Michelle wins!"
... ...
"Beautifly, dodge! Umbreon, jump and use Shadow Ball!" Blair cried.
I watched as Beautifly flew in a circle and dodged the Whirlpool that headed towards it. Umbreon jumped and used a few Shadow Balls to break through the Whirlpool, making it break and crash to the ground.
"Incredible!" Jillian cried.
That was really impressive. I thought to myself.
"Now, Beautifly! Use Silver Mist, and Umbreon, use Night Shade!" The two moves merged together and made a beautiful sight.
"Dodge it!"
Blair's move hit the target and the battle was over. Blair had won.
... ...
"Dratini, use Twister! Vulpix, use Fire Spin! Do it together!" Nikki cried.
I was a little shocked that Nikki was using Dratini again, but it was her choice.
The two moves combined together and created a twister with fire surrounding it.
"Use Dig, Sandslash! Eevee, hide!"
The camera showed a glimpse of Nikki and she was smirking.
"Vulpix, use Flamethrower into the holes!"
Looking at the field, I saw that there were multiple holes from Sandslash using Dig. She had made a counter move while in the middle of the battle. Impressive.
"NO!"
"Dratini, use Dragon Rage!"
With Vulpix on one side and Dratini on the other, the other two Pokemon had no escape.
"Do it." The moves were fired into the holes and the ground broke, sending Sandslash and Eevee into the air, being hit by the broken ground. Looking at the points, I saw that the combination had just managed to give Nikki the win.
... ...
"Razor Leaf, Ivysaur! Roselia, Magical Leaf!"
"Psyduck, stop those with Confusion! Ponyta, use Flamethrower!" Amber shouted.
With the two moves frozen in the air with Confusion, the leaves were then burned by the Flamethrower.
"A wonderful display!" Jillian cried.
Amber went on to win her battle, too.
Once again, we were waiting to see who would be facing who in the top sixteen. I was in the middle battles this time.
... ...
"Buneary, use Ice Beam! Roselia, use Solar Beam!" Blair cried.
"Counter with Thunderbolt, Pikachu and Pichu!"
As Jillian had said, this was a battle of cute Pokemon. So far, Blair was winning the battle, but not by much. The two moves collided with one another and canceled each other out.
"Magical Leaf! Buneary, Bounce and Dizzy Punch!" The Bounce and Dizzy Punch combo looked like something that Dawn had done before or something similar to something that she had done.
"Pichu, use Sweet Kiss! Pikachu, use Double Team!" As Buneary came close to Pichu, she was hit by the Sweet Kiss. Magical Leaf missed as Pikachu made copies of itself.
"A wonderful counter!"
When the battle ended, Blair had just barely managed to hold on and win.
... ...
"Pidgeot, use Aerial Ace! Jigglypuff, use Rollout!" Amber cried. Amber had this all planned out. If the opponent's Pokemon went up, they would be hit by Aerial Ace. And if they stayed on the ground, they would be hit by Rollout. Clever.
I had only watched Amber compete in a contest once before the Grand Festival, so out of all of my friends, she was the one that I knew the least about when it came to contest performances and battles. As she was being declared the winner of her battle, I knew that I had my work cut out for me if I had to face her.
... ...
"Jolteon, use Thunderbolt on the wave! Gastly, go up higher!" As the wave of water came closer, Jolteon jumped and used Thunderbolt. As the Thunderbolt hit the wave, it also hit the Gyarados that had used the attack. Electricity and water never mix.
"Gastly, Shadow Ball!" I cried.
"Protect!"
I frowned as the Shadow Ball was blocked. My points were lower than my opponent's, but I still had plenty of time to catch up. Like Dawn had said to me, treat it just like any other contest.
... ...
"Use your own Shadow Ball, Gastly! Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!" Nikki cried. The two Shadow Balls collided with one another. Bulbasaur's Vine Whip managed to hit Psyduck and wrap around its body.
"Night Shade, Gengar!"
"Bulbasaur, slam Psyduck into the ground! Gastly, be ready to stop Night Shade!"
In the end...Nikki managed to hold onto the lead and win.
"...And that's it, folks! The coordinators who are in the top eight have made their way here and now we're showing who will be facing one another in tomorrow's battle round!"
As the pictures were shown, my smile faded. I was glad to make it into the top eight, but now it was me and my friends going against one another tomorrow, if we all made it to the top four. The semifinals were so close and if we all won in the top eight...we would face one another.
That night, we were all in my room. Amber, Nikki, and I were feeling strange.
"I never imagined that I would make it this far in my first Grand Festival. Now I have to battle against my friends in the semifinals if I win." I said.
"It's strange, but kind of exciting...I guess." Amber said.
Blair was the only one who wasn't exactly freaked out with the news. She had been in four Grand Festivals already, having lost in the top eight once, the top four twice, and the finals once. She was trying her hardest to win this time.
"Girls, there's no need to be scared. We've been in your position countless times before." Zoey said.
"Zoey's right, just give it your best and at least you can say that you made it this far in your first Grand Festival." Dawn said.
Before I knew it, the top eight battle round was over and the next battles were being decided. It was the semifinals round.
"And here's the semifinal lineup!"
I was facing Nikki and Blair was facing Amber. Winners go to the final for the Ribbon Cup. We all looked at one another. This was it...
"The first battle will be Nikki and Michelle!" Jillian announced.
I stood up and walked over to Nikki. "Let's both give it everything we've got. And whoever loses, no hard feelings, right?" I said.
"Right. Our friendship is stronger than this. We're friends, no matter who wins. I'm happy that I made it this far. Don't hold back and I know that if I win or lose, we both gave it our all." Nikki replied with a smile.
I nodded my head and we walked out towards the stage.
"The first semifinal battle will now begin! To my right is Nikki and to my left is Michelle! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!" Jillian cried.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself.
"Dratini, Electabuzz, showtime!" Nikki cried, tossing her Pokeballs.
"Jolteon, Gastly, it's time! Spotlight!" I cried, tossing my Pokeballs.
"Remember, don't hold back!" Nikki called.
"I won't! You do the same!" I cried.
"Dratini, use Agility! Electabuzz, use Swift!"
"Jolteon, use Agility and Pin Missile at that Swift! Gastly, use Shadow Ball!"
Jolteon used Agility and when the Swift came towards her, she used Pin Missile, piercing the stars while the Shadow Ball took care of the rest. Sparkles fell around my Pokemon from the burst stars.
"Incredible!"
"Use Dragon Tail on Jolteon! Electabuzz, Thunderbolt!"
"Dodge, Jolteon! Gastly, use Dark Pulse!" I cried.
Before I could even blink, Dratini had hit Jolteon. That was too fast for Jolteon, but she had used Agility before in order to be faster. To my surprise, Electabuzz used Thunderbolt and Gastly used Dark Pulse. The two moves fought one another for dominance.
Nikki wasn't holding back and I was glad about that...but this was tough!
"Use Twister!"
"Use Thunderbolt on it!" I cried.
I was going to steal her own move. Dark Pulse and Thunderbolt canceled one another out, causing smoke.
"Gastly, use Night Shade! Jolteon, use Quick Attack to dodge the Twister!" I cried. The electricity had just hit the twister and was heading towards Jolteon. Jolteon ran and headed towards Electabuzz.
"Low Kick!" Nikki cried when Jolteon was too close for me to command. Jolteon cried out as she was hit full force and flung across the field. Gastly's Night Shade hit both of Nikki's Pokemon.
"We're rounding the two minute mark!" Jillian announced.
I wasn't going to look at the points...not until it was over.
"Use Swift! Dratini, use Hyper Beam!"
"Gastly, protect Jolteon! Use your Shadow Balls!" I cried.
The Swift attack wouldn't hurt Gastly, but it would hurt Jolteon. I had to give Jolteon time to recover, but it had to be quick.
Swift was mostly deflected by the Shadow Balls and a few of them hit Electabuzz. Dratini was close to firing the Hyper Beam.
"Thunderbolt!" Nikki cried.
"Dark Pulse! Jolteon, get up!" I cried.
Jolteon managed to get up right as Nikki cried, "Do it!"
"Jolteon, use Thunderbolt, quick!" I cried.
Jolteon planted her feet firmly on the ground and electricity shot from her body towards the Hyper Beam. But I had never seen a Thunderbolt that huge! What move was that?
"That's Thunder!" Nikki cried, shocked.
Thunder...Jolteon had learned a new move just in time!
The four moves, Thunder, Thunderbolt, Dark Pulse, and Hyper Beam, were all fighting for dominance now. Electabuzz and Gastly's moves canceled one another out, creating smoke and covering both Dratini and Jolteon. The only thing that you could see was the occasional spark or light.
The smoke cleared slightly and Dratini had sparks lingering on its body. Thunder had won out.
"Dratini!" Nikki cried.
I opened my mouth to issue another command when the buzzer went off. Nikki and I looked towards the screen.
"The winner of the first semifinal round, who will be moving on to the finals is..." Jillian trailed. "Michelle!"
Looking at the points, I had barely managed to beat Nikki. This was the toughest battle that we had ever fought. I felt a huge sense of relief.
I looked over and Nikki was kneeling next to her Pokemon, praising them before returning them. She stood up and walked across the field to me.
"Great battle, Michelle. That was by far our best battle." she said.
"I agree. You were amazing, Nikki." I said.
"Good luck in the finals. The top four...that's amazing for my first Grand Festival ever." she said, smiling and holding her hand out.
"Thanks again, great battle." I said, shaking her hand.
... ...
"The second round of the semifinals will now begin! To my left is Blair and to my right is Amber! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!" Jillian cried.
"Pidgeot, Ponyta, spotlight!" Amber cried, tossing her Pokeballs.
"Pachirisu, Buneary, curtain!" Blair cried, tossing her Pokeballs.
A strange choice for Blair, but her cute Pokemon had proven to be very strong.
"Ponyta, use Fire Spin! Pidgeot, use Quick Attack!"Amber cried.
"Pachirisu, use Quick Attack and Super Fang on Pidgeot! Buneary, Bounce!" Blair cried.
Pachirisu ran towards Pidgeot, who was coming towards Blair's Pokemon quickly. Pachirisu jumped into the air with its front teeth glowing and hit Pidgeot with its teeth and then used Quick Attack. Buneary came down from above after using Bounce and landed on Pidgeot and then hit Ponyta after bouncing off.
Amber looked shocked. Blair was the most prepared and experienced coordinator in the Grand Festival and she wasn't going easy. Amber needed to start fighting back!
"Pachirisu, use Swift! Buneary, Ice Beam!" Blair cried. The Ice Beam froze some of the Swift and the rest headed towards Amber's Pokemon.
"Twister! Ponyta, use Protect!" Amber cried. Pidgeot unleashed the twister and Protect came up just in time to protect Pidgeot and Ponyta.
"Aerial Ace!" Amber cried. Pidgeot zoomed through the air.
"Buneary, use Dizzy Punch on Ponyta!" Blair cried.
"Ponyta, use Fire Spin!"
As Buneary ran towards Ponyta, Blair noticed Pidgeot.
"Discharge!"
"NO!" Amber cried, realizing what had happened.
Ponyta was too busy with Buneary to protect Pidgeot. The electricity hit Pidgeot, who fell towards the field. The Fire Spin surrounded Buneary, trapping it.
"Bounce to get out!" Blair cried. Buneary jumped out of the attack and spun in the air.
"We're nearing the final minute!" Jillian cried.
"Aerial Ace! Flamethrower!" Amber cried.
"Ice Beam on Pidgeot! Dodge with Quick Attack!" Blair cried.
Ice Beam wouldn't work, Protect was probably still up so Ice Beam wouldn't be too effective if it even worked. The dome closed around Pidgeot as the Ice Beam hit. Buneary managed to dodge the Flamethrower.
"Time's up!" Jillian cried. "The winner is...Blair!"
Blair had managed to win by a few more points than I had in my battle.
"So the final battle will be Blair vs. Michelle! Who will win the Ribbon Cup and earn the title of Top Coordinator?"
Author's Note: As the Grand Festival nears its end, only Michelle and Blair are left and will battle for the championship and the Ribbon Cup. Who will win and become a Top Coordinator?
Will it be Michelle, in her first Grand Festival ever?
Or Blair, who has competed in the Grand Festival four times already?
Find out as the Grand Festival concludes in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!