Michelle's POV
"Well, folks, it's time! The final round of the Grand Festival is about to begin! Both coordinators are competing for the Ribbon Cup and the title of Top Coordinator! Now...to my left is Michelle, and to my right is Blair! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!" Jillian cried.
"Go, Michelle!" my friends shouted.
Grabbing my Pokeballs, I tossed them into the air. "Jolteon, Gastly, spotlight!" I cried.
"Roselia, Buneary, curtain!" Blair cried, tossing her Pokeballs.
Wasting no time, I called out the commands to my Pokemon. This was it...I had to give it my all.
"Jolteon, use Pin Missile! Gastly, use Dark Pulse!" I cried.
"Roselia, use Petal Dance! Buneary, use Ice Beam!" Blair cried.
Roselia jumped into the air and launched the Petal Dance, successfully avoiding my attacks. The Ice Beam and Dark Pulse were currently fighting against one another, but Pin Missile hit Buneary. My Pokemon couldn't avoid the Petal Dance, though.
"Use Agility, Jolteon! Gastly, Shadow Ball!" I cried.
"Buneary, dodge with Bounce and then use Ice Beam once more! Roselia, be ready to use Magical Leaf!"
I smirked. Buneary successfully dodged the Shadow Ball and Jolteon was speeding towards Roselia, who's roses were starting to glow white.
"Thunderbolt!" I cried.
"No!" Blair cried.
Jolteon continued to run towards Roselia and the Thunderbolt struck, stopping Magical Leaf.
"Gas!" Gastly cried as the Ice Beam hit it.
Roselia was recovering from the Thunderbolt. Gastly fell onto the stage.
"Gastly! No! Please get up!" I cried. "Jolteon, protect Gastly!"
"Use Solar Beam!" Blair cried.
"Thunder!" I cried.
Little did I know that I had just fallen into a trap.
"Do it!" Blair cried as the Thunder shot towards Roselia.
I looked at Gastly. "Gastly, please! You can't give up!" I cried.
Suddenly, Gastly started to glow white. I couldn't believe it! Gastly was evolving! When the light faded, Haunter was there.
"Unbelievable! Gastly evolved into Haunter!" Jillian announced.
"Dizzy Punch!" Blair cried.
Quickly looking, I saw that Buneary was behind Jolteon. The Solar Beam and Thunder were fighting for dominance.
"No!" I cried.
Both moves were able to get in some damage, since I heard both Pokemon cry out. Then, before Jolteon could do anything, Dizzy Punch hit her.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon fell to the ground, scratched and her breathing was uneven.
"Haunter, use Dark Pulse on Roselia!"
"Roselia, use Petal Dance!"
Before Petal Dance could do anything, Dark Pulse hit Roselia.
"Rose!"
"Buneary, use Bounce to finish Jolteon!" Blair cried. Jolteon had just managed to get up after getting hit by the Solar Beam and Dizzy Punch duo.
"Shadow Ball on Roselia!" I cried while Blair's Pokemon was still down.
The moves hit the Pokemon, who cried out in pain. And then, to my surprise, I heard the buzzers. X's lined the judges stands.
"Reaching the three minute mark, Jolteon and Roselia have both fainted and are unable to battle! It's now a one-on-one battle between Buneary and Haunter!" Jillian cried
I removed my Pokeball and returned Jolteon. "You did great, Jolteon. Thank you and take a well-deserved rest." I said.
Blair returned Roselia and looked at me.
Thanks to traveling and having Adam and Jason with me, I learned a lot more about the type advantages and disadvantages. This was going to be a battle between two Pokemon who could only use one move to attack. I could only have Haunter use Dark Pulse since Buneary was a Normal type. Blair could only use Ice Beam since Haunter was a Ghost type. Normal attacks don't affect Ghost Pokemon and Ghost attacks don't affect Normal Pokemon. This was going to be a little challenging.
"Buneary, spin and use Ice Beam!" Blair cried, breaking me from my thoughts.
"Haunter, dodge, then use Dark Pulse!" I cried.
I smiled as Haunter vanished, causing the Ice Beam to miss. Haunter appeared and fired the Dark Pulse.
"Bounce!" Blair cried. To my surprise, Buneary managed to dodge the attack. Blair's Buneary was really fast. I hadn't been able to figure that out when watching her battles.
"Ice Beam!"
"Dark Pulse!" I cried.
The two moves collided and fought for dominance. In the end, they canceled one another out, causing smoke to cover our Pokemon.
Hoping to hit Buneary through the smoke, I commanded Dark Pulse once more.
"Bun!" Buneary cried and fell towards the stage. Yes! A direct hit!
"Snap out of it, Buneary! Land on your feet!" Blair cried. Buneary managed to recover from the attack and spun, hitting the stage and launching back into the air to continue the battle.
"Ice Beam, and spin!"
"Dodge it!" I cried.
Buneary fired Ice Beam and spun while Haunter vanished, but Buneary's Ice Beam landed the hit on Haunter. It was the spinning that caused Haunter to get hit, since the ice was being sent across the stage.
"Only one minute left!" Jillian cried.
Looking closer, I saw that ice was beginning to form on Haunter, just slightly. Ice Beam was close to freezing Haunter solid.
"Vanish!" I cried. Haunter vanished and Buneary landed on the stage.
"Dark Pulse!" Haunter appeared behind Buneary and fired, landing a direct hit to Buneary's back.
"Bun! Buneary!" Buneary cried, flying forward from the impact. Buneary managed to get back onto its feet and faced Haunter.
"Ice Beam!"
"Dark Pulse!"
Once again, the two moves collided and fought for dominance. Ice Beam managed to win out and hit Haunter, right as the buzzer went off.
"Time's up!" Jillian cried.
Blair and I snapped our heads towards the board and looked at our points. They were virtually the same! But looking closer, I saw that...
"The winner of the Grand Festival is...Blair!" Jillian cried.
Blair had won by just a hair or two higher than my score.
Looking up, I saw that Blair's eyes were wide and she was beyond shocked by the news. I saw her looking at the points before the screen changed and showed her picture. Then her face showed an expression of joy and relief as she hugged her Buneary.
I felt sad, but it was okay. I gave it my all and I did my best. For my first Grand Festival, I would say that I did really well, making it to the finals and managing to come in second, or runner-up. That's pretty good for a first Grand Festival. My idol, Dawn, had this happen to her in her first Grand Festival, too. But look at where she was now: a Top Coordinator, known by people all over the world. And I knew that I would become just like her someday...I just can't give up.
"Great job on evolving, Haunter. You were amazing. Thank you. Take a well-deserved rest." I said as I returned my newly-evolved Pokemon.
I walked across the stage to where Blair was. "You did great, Blair. You battled hard and you deserved to win, especially after coming so close, only to lose in four Grand Festivals before this one." I said, extending my hand.
"Thanks, Michelle. But you didn't make it easy for me, you battled really hard, too." she said, shaking my hand.
I left and headed backstage. As I walked off of the stage and to the backstage area, I felt my disappointment come. I stopped walking and closed my eyes in sadness. I was so close and I lost.
Hearing footsteps, I looked up and saw Adam and Jason coming towards me. They hugged me and I hugged them back.
"You were fantastic out there, Michelle. You should be proud of yourself and your Pokemon for even making it this far. So wipe that frown off your face." Jason said.
"Yeah, Jason's right, Michelle. I mean, look at my mom. She lost in the finals to Zoey; Blair's mom, in her first-ever Grand Festival. But my mom was able to become a Top Coordinator over time and I know that you'll do it, too. You just have to keep training and keep moving forward, don't let this discourage you or make you give up on your dream." Adam said.
After hearing their words, I felt a lot better. "You guys are right. Thanks," I said, smiling.
I went to the dressing room to change and once I was finished, I joined everyone else in the stands to watch the closing ceremonies of the Grand Festival.
Blair was standing on the podium with all of her Pokemon around her. Solidad walked over to her with the Ribbon Cup in her hands.
"Congratulations, Blair. When I first won the Ribbon Cup on this very stage, I had lost in a few other Grand Festivals before that, so I know exactly how you feel right now. You and your Pokemon were spectacular and I'm proud to present you with the Ribbon Cup as proof of your victory." Solidad said, handing the cup to Blair, who in turn, raised it above her head. The crowd cheered loudly for her.
Jillian then walked over to Blair as the crowd calmed down. "Blair, would you like to say anything to the people watching here and on TV, having become a Top Coordinator?"
Blair looked slightly nervous when the microphone was extended towards her. "Well, I would like to say to every coordinator here, win or lose, you all were amazing and you should be proud that you even made it into the Grand Festival." she said.
"I would also like to thank my mom, who helped me train and encouraged me to pursue my dream. My family watching at home in Snowpoint City. My idol, Drew, for inspiring me to become a coordinator in the first place. I would also like to thank my rivals and friends for pushing me to become a better and stronger person and coordinator. And lastly, I want to thank my Pokemon, because without my Pokemon, I wouldn't be here right now or even who I am now."
The crowd cheered as Blair finished her speech.
"Well, folks, the Grand Festival has officially finished with our new Top Coordinator, Blair, from Snowpoint City! Until next year, I'm Jillian and thanks for being here and watching!"
I put the last of my items in my bag. We were all packing up and getting ready to leave. As I pulled my bag close, I saw Amber pick up an envelope from her pillow.
"What's that?" Blair asked.
Amber opened it and removed a piece of paper. "A letter...I think." she replied, slowly unfolding the paper.
Blair and I gathered around Amber to see.
Amber,
I saw you in your first-ever Grand Festival and you performed wonderfully, making it into the top four! That's just amazing. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there in person to see it, but I watched you on TV. I wasn't there in person, but I was with you in spirit and in memory every step of the way on your journey. No matter what happens, don't give up on your dream to become a Top Coordinator. I know that you will make it someday, because you have the courage inside of you to do anything that you set your mind to. I hope that I can see you one day and I love you very much and I miss you.
Your father, Antonio
Amber smiled at the letter. "My father...he saw me. He was watching the whole time." she said.
"He's proud of you." Blair said.
"Yes, very proud of you. You now have something to know him by. If you ever feel discouraged, look at your father's words for encouragement." I said.
Amber smiled and said, "Thanks. You two are great friends. Ever since he disappeared when I was a baby, I always wondered about him and wondered if he's ever thought about me. It's really heartwarming to know that he still remembers me and loves me."
Adam's POV
It was finally time for everyone to part ways and say goodbye for the time being. We were all gathered outside, saying our goodbyes.
"Well, my mom and I are heading home to Snowpoint City. We're going to see our family and celebrate my victory." Blair said. "Bye, and see you all again someday."
Zoey hugged my mom, and they said goodbye to one another, promising to keep in touch. Zoey then walked over to Nikki.
"You did a good job, Nikki. Just keep following your dream and never give up. You'll become a Top Coordinator one of these days. I can see your potential." Zoey said.
"Thank you, and I won't give up."
With a final wave, Blair and Zoey walked away.
"You know, a few weeks ago, I wasn't even sure if I would come here to the Grand Festival. I'm so glad that I did come, though. And I finished in the top four, which is great, in my opinion." Nikki said and then gave Michelle a quick hug.
"Bye bye! I'll see you guys again at the Pokemon League with Trevor next month." she said, backing up and waving.
"Bye, and I'll see you two in the Pokemon League." Trevor said to Jason and I, giving a small wave and walking after his sister, heading home to Neon Town.
"Well, I'm heading home to see my grandma." Amber said.
My mom walked over to her. "You did a great job in the Grand Festival, Amber. Just keep chasing after your dream and never give up on it. Make that dream a reality." she said.
Amber nodded her head. "I will. It's what my father would want, too."
"Hey, Amber...I hope that you see your father again someday." Michelle said.
Amber smiled and nodded her head. "I hope that you meet your father one day, too." she replied.
Amber said one more goodbye before she walked off. Michelle then faced us.
"I'm heading home to Cerulean City to see my mom again. I'll meet you guys next month right here at the Indigo Plateau for the Pokemon League." she said.
She started to hug everyone, thanking my parents for allowing her to stay with us for the past month and welcoming her into our home. She also thanked my mom for training her for the Grand Festival.
Then she knelt down and hugged Brittany. "I'll miss you, Brittany. I hope to see you again and remember that you have me and the other girls as your friends."
"I'll miss you, too." Brittany said, hugging her back.
Finally, Michelle stood up and walked over to Jason and I. She hugged us both, saying, "Thank you guys so much for everything you've done for me on our journey. If I never met you guys in Cerulean City and started traveling with you, I wouldn't be where I am right now or who I am now. I love you guys."
"We love you too, Michelle." we said and then separated.
"You know, I hate to admit this, but you've helped me. By watching you in contests, I've been able to come up with great strategies and techniques. I never thought that I would be able to learn from a coordinator. I'm glad that you traveled with us, and you'd better be there supporting us at the Pokemon League." said Jason.
"I'm glad that you traveled with us, Michelle. You've also helped me come up with even more ideas than I had before, so thanks. I'm glad that I met you too, because I think that I would have gone insane traveling with just him." I said.
"Hey!" Jason cried.
We all shared a laugh and gave each other one final hug.
"And like Jason said, you'd better be there cheering for us, and we know that you will." I said.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't miss it for the world. After all, you two were supporting me and cheering me on in every contest. See you guys in a month." she said, waving and walking away.
Michelle...she's really something...something special. I thought to myself as I watched her walk away.
With everyone gone, it was time that we headed home to Pallet Town. It was time to go home and start training for the Pokemon League.
Author's Note: The Grand Festival has come to an end with Blair defeating Michelle and winning the Ribbon Cup. Sorry to disappoint everyone who thought that Michelle would win.
Everyone has gone their separate ways for now, but they all hope to see each other again someday. And as Michelle leaves Adam and Jason, she promises to be back for their battles in the Pokemon League in a month's time.
Be sure to stay tuned for the next chapter of Pokemon NG, where Adam and his family adjust to having Brittany living with them.