After leaving Blaze at the Saffron City Dojo for training, Summer went to the Saffron City Gym for her last Gym battle. Despite overcoming Sabrina's strategies, her match ended in a draw. Sabrina, however, recognized her challenger's strength and rewarded Summer with the Marsh Badge. Now eligible for the Indigo League, Summer plans to train the last month before the tournament is up. Unfortunately, someone sways her into a training session she didn't really want to participate in. Who is this person and what is this 'training session'?

Chapter 45: The Princess Festival

"Congratulations!" my parents cheered on a green camera phone at the Saffron City Pokémon Center.

I chuckled as Lightning waved to my parents. "Yeah, I finally got all eight badges for the Indigo League!"

My dad was confused. "Eight? I thought they were allowing seven this year."

"Well...it was pretty complicated…" I nervously explained, trying not to worry them about how I obtained one of my badges.

"I'm sure you'll tell us later," my mom said, somehow knowing it was a dangerous event

"Are you guys coming to watch me compete?" I eagerly asked.

To my disappointment, my dad sadly replied, "Sorry, Summer. We can't... We have some very important business then."

"Don't fret, dear," my mom reassured. "We'll still cheer you on from the television. Your friends, relatives, and Professor Birch will root for you too!"

That cheered me up slightly. "I should get some rest. I have a slight headache from the mental training today."

"Well don't stay up too late!" my dad teasingly cautioned.

"I won't! Bye!" We waved goodbye, and I hung up the camera phone.

Suddenly, a loud burst of fangirl squealing aggravated my headache. I looked at the entrance and saw Weldon trying to slam the doors shut as a crowd of young girls tried to burst through. Some of them were so desperate that they were willing to injure their arms on the closing doors. He would've lost the fight if the orange-haired nurse hadn't used her Chansey's Sing attack to trick them it was bedtime.

Once the girls drowsily walked away, the boy slid to the floor and gratefully said, "Thanks, Nurse Crocus." He then saw me and Lightning staring at him. "What're you two looking at?!"

"Sorry…" I sarcastically apologized. "I was going to bed anyways."

"W-Wait…" He touched the brim of his cap. "Sorry. It's just…"

"Just…?"

He groaned, "I was…chosen to be a guest judge and 'prize' for this tournament tomorrow. I don't even know why they chose me!"

"What tournament is this?"

He angrily placed his hands into his black jacket. "The junior division for the Princess Festival battle tournament."

I thought about the event. "Isn't that the time when girls and women get discounts on all food and merchandise?"

He was surprised. "You know about it?"

"Well, we don't really celebrate it in Hoenn, but I've seen it on the news. Those women can really fight over the strangest things…"

"I wasn't asking about your opinion on them!"

I shrugged. "Why are you so worked up about this anyway? I thought you like the attention."

He deeply sighed. "Not this kind. I'm supposed to go out to dinner with the winner. That's the grossest thing ever!"

"Yeah... Anyway, anything else before I ignore the craziness tomorrow?"

He looked at me and pleaded, "Please, Summer. Participate in the tournament."

Lightning and I were shocked. "Is he crazy?" Lightning shouted.

"I don't know…" I wondered aloud. "I'd rather train for the League."

"You can use this as training!" he argued. "Besides...I'd rather give the 'prize' to someone I know…"

"Oh, I see how it is, Weldy…"

Th-that nasally voice…! Not again!

I looked at the door, and to my horror, it was Candy. Her pink hair and arrogant attitude were still intact.

"Please stop calling me that…" Weldon muttered.

She ignored his request and laughed. "So! We meet again, Summer."

I groaned. "Don't tell me...you're here for the Princess Festival."

She tossed her hair back. "Of course! It's a tradition of all women in my family to participate in the tournament."

Weldon was mortified, but Candy softly smiled. "When I win, I look forward to our romantic dinner, Weldy."

She snickered as she brushed past me and checked herself in.

When she disappeared into the dormitory hallway, Weldon grabbed my arms and begged, "Now you have to do it!"

Feeling a little awkward, I asked, "Why? It looks like you know Candy. She can win for you."

"No! She's crazy!" I thought he was joking until I saw the despair in his brown eyes.

I took a deep breath. "I'll do it if I get one more sign I should enter this tournament."

Suddenly, my Pokégear rang. Weldon released me from his grip as I answered it. It was my mom. "Oh, honey. I was wondering if you could buy us some souvenirs for people back home. I heard that the Princess Festival's happening tomorrow in Saffron City, and you know how much we love a good deal!"

"Okay, I get the picture. I'll go tomorrow."

"Great! Thanks, Summer!"

After I hung up, I sighed. "Fine...you win, Weldon…"

He was so relieved. I thought he was going thank me when he nervously looked outside and retreated into his room.

"Well, Lightning," I stated in the empty lobby. "I guess we have a tournament to enter…

The next morning…

Lightning and I fought our way past the hordes of female shoppers and finally struggled into the Pokémon Center. Despite us leaving early, the major shops were open and filled with visitors. I was able to get enough gifts before being crowded out by super-eager women competing for the last Pokéflute replica.

As we recovered in the lobby, Errol opened the doors with his psychic powers and flew in with my purchases.

"I could scarcely believe this crowd, Ms. Summer," Errol noted as he gave me two blue and pink lined bags.

"Yeah..." I panted. "That's why…we don't…celebrate it…back home."

"How are you holding up, Summer?" Nurse Crocus asked.

I walked over to her and said, "I barely made it out… I didn't know it was this crazy!"

She giggled. "Well, that's the Princess Festival! It's my downtime now since the tournaments haven't started yet. I have to go to the venue later to help with treating the Pokémon."

"Where's the signups?"

She took out a map of the city and placed it on the reception table. "Saffron Stadium. It's near the Bullet Train depot, about 2 miles northeast of here."

"Great, thank you."

She noticed my bags. "Are you going to send those to your family back home?"

"Yeah, I was going to ship them tonight."

"Why don't I pack them for you?" she offered.

I was surprised but happy of her generosity. "Oh, if you have the time, that'll be great!"

"Of course! I'll call you once I'm finished."

I thanked her and handed the shopping bags to Chansey, who was also eager to help. I returned Errol, and we headed towards the Saffron Stadium. After following the nurse's directions, we saw a medium-sized stadium where two lines formed by the entrance. A sign said "Princess Festival Tournament Signups" and pointed to the junior and senior division lines.

As I waited in line, I saw someone with a brown trench coat watching me. I was confused of the person's identity until I noticed the black and red cap.

When we arrived at the registration desk, the volunteer asked which two Pokémon I would use. Knowing they needed some extra battling time, I wrote down Flower and Rocky' names. Afterwards, I received a special pink Trainer participant pin and was told to wear it during the tournament, which starts promptly at 2pm. I thanked her and placed the pin into my wallet.

As I left the booth, the boy in the trench coat motioned me to follow him. I sighed but complied. Once we gained a good distance away from the over eager female Trainers, Weldon showed me his serious face.

"I've been scouting all morning," he discussed as we walked through a less busy street. "Compared to what I've seen, Summer, the only one who would give you any trouble would be Candy."

It was weird hearing advice from my rival, but I was grateful he did. Candy was tough, even though she lost to me. "I was wondering, how do you know her anyway?"

We walked past a noodle shop and Weldon led me inside. "Let's get an early lunch first. I'll pay."

I was going to pay for myself, but the solemn expression wasn't going to take no for an answer. We sat down and ordered some tonkotsu ramen. After the waiter brought our bowls to us, I gave a portion of the hot noodles to Lightning, who carefully ate them with a fork.

As we began to eat, Weldon began his story in between gulps. "During my time in Celadon City, I went to CTU to give a lecture for the rising Trainers there."

"Because of your family?" I asked while thoroughly enjoying the rich broth.

He nodded. "That and my unbeaten Gym battle streak. While I gave my lecture, a girl with pink hair kept smiling at me."

I smiled knowingly. "Let me guess...Candy?"

He reluctantly nodded. "Apparently, she has crushes on powerful Trainers, like Red and Lance."

"I don't know...isn't that what you want? To become a strong Trainer?"

He quietly stirred his soup with his chopsticks. "I...don't really know…" He then looked at me, as if he wanted to change the subject. "Anyway, after the lecture, she kept trying to follow me around the city. Offering tours, meals, battle stories, you name it. Normally, I wouldn't mind, but her personality is as aggravating as her voice."

I slightly choked on my noodles while he looked like he was red from drinking the steamy broth. After I recovered, I commented, "I agree. I actually pushed her aside to alleviate a problem in the Underground Path. She was making things worse."

He chuckled. "Guess we have the same opinion of her."

We laughed and finished our meals. After he paid and we left the restaurant, he looked at his Pokégear. "I should head to the stadium. Good luck."

He glanced around to make sure he wasn't noticed, then ducked into an alley to avoid the lunch crowds. Lightning looked at some accessories while I answered a call from Nurse Crocus about her finishing the gift-wrapping and shipping. After I thanked her and hung up, we almost had to push our way back to Saffron Stadium since everyone was trying to get some last minute shopping in before watching the main events. When we arrived, I confirmed my entry, put on the pink pin, and returned Lightning. Although she wanted to stay outside and support us, the noodles made her drowsy.

While I waited in the locker room with 32 other contestants for the junior division, I noticed Candy kept staring at me with pensive eyes.

An announcer wearing a light blue suit stepped onto the large dirt battlefield, almost the same size as a tournament-regulated field and announced, "Welcome, one and all, to the annual Princess Festival here in Saffron City!"

The crowd, much larger than I was used to, cheered noisily. If this was what the Indigo League would be like, it was a good thing I entered the tournament.

The announcer continued, "We'll start off with our junior division, consisting of girls between the ages of 10 and 15. Afterwards, our senior division consisting of young ladies ages 16 to 25 will compete, signaling the end of this year's successful festival!"

As the crowd roared again, the very large screen television displayed another announcer with a black suit and Weldon walked into the white announcer's box and sat down. Another squeal, 100 times louder than the one yesterday, greeted the special guest.

"No introduction is needed for our guest judge and prize for the junior division, Weldon Leland from Pallet Town!"

Unlike on the S.S. Anne, my rival just nervously waved to the crowd. The large television screen then showed a four tier bracket, with Candy in the B block and me in the D block.

The announcer on the ground waved at the board. "Here are the matchups for this year! As a reminder, these battles are 2 on 2 singles, where the winner is determined when both of her opponent's Pokémon are unable to battle. We will start the first match in five minutes. Good luck to all you lovely ladies and have fun!"

The crowd cheered as the girls in the locker room whispered to each other. Instead of wishing each other luck, they were boasting about their chances of winning a meal from the young male Trainer.

I twirled my hair and thought, I can't believe this...how immature…

After the first pair left for the field, Candy haughtily made her move. "So Summer. Looks like we'll be seeing each other at the top. These girls won't know what hit them. Ready for a beating?"

I sighed with exasperation. "Look Candy. Can you give it a rest? You're always so hostile towards me, and I don't know why. Besides, I don't really want to be in this tournament."

Candy immediately became suspicious. "Then why are you battling to begin with?!"

I didn't know how to phrase it. "Coincidence?"

She chuckled halfheartedly. "Don't lie to me. It's because of Weldy, isn't it?"

I immediately became upset. "I don't know why you keep calling him that if he doesn't like that nickname."

"Something wrong, Summer?" she asked menacingly. "I thought he's your rival."

Feeling she wanted a fight before her battle, I backed away and said, "He may be my rival, but he's still a person. Maybe you should treat him like one."

Before she could respond, a volunteer backstage hand motioned Candy and another girl to the battlefield. The pink haired girl reluctantly stepped out of the room, allowing me time to breathe.

Lucky that happened. But she's right. Most likely I see her in the finale. Well all that's left to do is battle.

As the tournament went on, my battles were surprisingly easy. Either my Pokémon were really strong, or that the girls I battled used weaker Pokémon. I didn't watch her battles, but the smug look on Candy's face showed how strong and dominating she was. Although I was getting nervous, I remembered why I was battling, and what awaited me at the end. I shivered at the thought, but hopefully it'll be quick.

"Now here are our two finalists: Candy from Celadon City and Summer from Littleroot Town!" the blue suit announcer declared.

The crowd clapped approvingly as Candy and I made our way onto the battlefield. Although Candy smirked at me from the south side of the field, I could sense a feeling of nervousness from her. The 20-foot walls around us released a light blue shield that met at the center of the field, creating a half-dome shape. Once it finished, the color became transparent and the background noise was slightly muffled so we could hear the referee.

The female referee flipped a silver coin and caught it with her hand. The heads and tails were based on the north and south sides of the field. She shouted, "The coin flip is tails, which means Candy will go first. Ladies, choose your first Pokémon!"

Candy tossed her Pokéball. "Soufflé, let's show them!"

Her Jigglypuff gently floated out and landed on the ground. The Balloon Pokémon pounded her arms together, wanting revenge from our last encounter.

Soufflé might still have Blizzard, which isn't good for either Flower or Rocky. But we might be able to overcome this.

"Go Flower!" I shouted. The Ivysaur jumped onto the field and shook her bulb in excitement.

Pictures of us and our Pokémon appeared on the television screen. The referee waved his arms and shouted, "Battle begin!"

Candy tossed her hair back and commanded, "Soufflé, Blizzard!"

"Flower, counter with Razor Leaf!"

The Ice type attack froze the leaves, leaving the Normal type open.

"Use Leech Seed!"

As Flower released a seed from her bulb, Candy countered, "Dodge and use Blizzard!"

The Jigglypuff inflated herself and floated into the air, avoiding the attack. I stayed calm and thought of another plan.

As Soufflé unleashed another snowstorm, I shouted, "Use Sludge Bomb!"

The Ivysaur braced the impact of the snow on her body and spit out a ball of sludge into the air. Soufflé became scared and forcefully dodged, trying to avoid the dirty attack.

Candy was undeterred. "Soufflé, calm down and use Blizzard again!"

Confused by her strategy, I knew there was only one reason why she kept relying on one attack, and I had to exploit it.

"Flower, aim your Sludge Bomb on the field, then use Razor Leaf!"

My Pokémon nodded and released the ball of sludge onto the battlefield, releasing a cloud of dust. Soufflé lost sight of her opponent and was forced to land, allowing the Razor Leaf to make contact. After the dust cleared, both Pokémon were panting hard.

Candy growled at me and yelled, "Fine, Summer! You're forcing me to use my newest attack. Soufflé, Flamethrower!"

I was shocked as the Balloon Pokémon unleashed a steady stream of fire from her mouth. But I couldn't let that phase me. "Flower, Sludge Bomb at max power!"

The Bulb Pokémon charged her Poison type attack and released it as the Flamethrower inched closer to her. The two attacks collided, but the Flamethrower caused the Sludge Bomb to heat up and violently explode. The expelled attack struck Flower and Soufflé, causing the Ivysaur to collapse and the Jigglypuff to smash into the wall right of Candy. Luckily, the crowd didn't have to suffer due to the shield, which absorbed the remnants.

The referee looked at the two exhausted Pokémon and shouted. "Both Pokémon are unable to battle! Ladies, please send out your final Pokémon!"

As the crowd cheered for the final battle, I returned Flower and thanked her for battling hard. Candy returned Soufflé and snickered.

I think I know what her final Pokémon is, and...I'm not sure if I like it.

Candy took off her green barrette and tied up her hair with a green scrunchie, acknowledging the seriousness of this outcome. "Crème, destroy her!"

Her Vulpix did a flip before landing on the ground, receiving more squeals from the female viewers.

I took deep breaths. Okay...it's just a Vulpix, a non-Hypnosis using Vulpix…

"What's wrong, Summer?" my female rival taunted. "It's just a Vulpix…"

I nervously clutched onto my last Pokéball and stuttered, "G-Go, R-Rocky!"

The Onix caused the ground to shake, with those on the battlefield only feeling his weight. "Summer!" he encouraged, looking at me. "Don't listen to her. Remember what you told me when we last battled her?"

I smiled, grateful for Rocky's awareness. "Yeah. Let's win, Rocky."

He nodded then glared at the Fire type, who slightly retreated.

"Battle begin!"

Candy adjusted her ponytail. "I've been waiting for this rematch. One that I'll definitely prevail! Crème, use Flamethrower!"

It was a little strange to see her use an ineffective move, but I remained cautious. "Rocky, use Iron Tail on the ground!"

The Rock Snake Pokémon lifted his tail towards the sky then smashed it downwards, the silver energy cutting through the flames with no effort. I thought we'd have the advantage until Candy laughed.

She cracked her knuckles with a big grin. "Crème, you know what to do."

The Fox Pokémon smirked and easily dodged the attack. To our shock, she leaped onto Rocky's body and ran towards his face, her tail glowing silver. Rocky could only brace for the impact of the Iron Tail hitting his left cheek and he winced in pain. Crème proudly landed with a triple back flip, gaining more support from the crowd.

"Are you okay Rocky?" I asked.

He shook his head to reduce the pain and roared, "I'm fine. That girl's tough."

"You can say that again. Let's try this, use Dragonbreath!"

As Rocky released the light green flames, Candy happily responded, "All according to plan. Crème, use Will-o-Wisp!"

The Fire type planted her feet on the field and coughed out five dark blue and purple embers. The Will-o-Wisp circled around the incoming Dragonbreath and lightly touched the Onix's head and tail. Rocky roared in pain as his skin turned a light red, and I could feel the heat emanating from his body. Meanwhile, Crème didn't take as much damage from the flames as I thought.

"How perfect," Candy smugly said. "We got the burn and the resistance from Flash Fire."

I gritted my teeth as I was powerless to help my Pokémon.

What can I do? Rocky's going to keep taking damage and all of his attacks won't work as well… But I can't think about the current situation anymore. It's time to fight back!

"That prize is as good as mine!" Candy shouted triumphantly. "Crème, Iron Tail once more!" Her Pokémon nodded and charged and the burned Onix.

"Summer...don't worry…" Rocky muttered in between pants. "I know...what to do..."

"You haven't really mastered it yet…but I trust you. Use Crunch!"

He nodded as the creature climbed on him. He opened his mouth wide and clamped onto Crème's tail. Despite the super effective attack, he bit down harder until the Iron Tail faded, giving him full control. The Vulpix was so shocked that she couldn't defend herself as he picked her up and threw her into the battlefield. She took quite a bit of damage, but slowly freed herself from the small crater.

"Great job, Rocky!" I happily shouted. "You used Crunch successfully!"

He growled with delight but continued to wince from his burns.

Candy clenched her fists and growled herself. "This...Onix...is ridiculous! No Onix is supposed to be this strong!"

"Rocky is different!" I countered. "Use Rock Throw to surround Crème!"

He grinned and hurled boulders at his opponent, despite the difficulty. Crème was able to dodge most of them, but eventually, she was too tired to dodge one of them. It knocked her back, but she recovered and growled at Rocky. Rocky growled back as their eyes shot daggers at each other.

I understood what they wanted to do, as Candy's determined expression cemented my thought. "Rocky, finish this with Dragonbreath!"

"Crème, destroy him with Flamethrower!"

Both Pokémon unleashed their attacks, once again colliding in the center of the field. As each Pokémon tried to continue their moves, Rocky started to tire, allowing to orange flames to slowly push towards him.

I saw Rocky's fear of losing control so I shouted, "Rocky, don't give up! I know you can do it! Full power!"

His eyes gleamed, and he regained his composure. He increased the output and slowly, the green flames overpowered the Flamethrower. Crème tried to continue attacking but her legs gave way, and she narrowly dodged the Dragon type move. However, she couldn't stand back up while Rocky hung in, breathing deeply.

The referee scanned the two Pokémon and declared, "Crème is unable to battle! The winner is Summer and Rocky!"

As the shield slowly receded and the crowd became louder, I immediately grabbed several Rawst and Sitrus Berries from my backpack and ran over to Rocky. He slowly collapsed to the ground but was still conscious as I fed him.

"Thanks, Summer…" he gratefully moaned. The Berries immediately took effect, and Rocky was able to stand up.

Candy sadly returned her fainted Pokémon, and I felt a little bad for her. She stayed on the field as the blue suit announcer ran forward.

"That was some battle, ladies!" He praised. "Let's give them another round of applause!"

The stadium shook from the cheers, stomps, and claps. A woman in a long white dress walked out of the west wing, carrying a purple pillow with gold trim and tassels. An ocean blue tiara decorated with pink pearls delicately sat on it.

The announcer gently took the crown from the pillow and lifted it up. "As well as this tiara, we will also send you a set of exclusive Pokémon dolls for your family back in Hoenn. Now, I crown Summer as the winner of this year's junior division!"

I took off my visor and allowed him to place the crown on my head. It was lighter than I thought, but it felt very regal. Rocky and I waved to the crowd, who shouted my name. I was going to give Candy a handshake, but right after the ceremony, she stormed off the field. After the announcer declared a 30-minute break to allow the senior division to prepare, I returned Rocky and ran after her.

Once in the hallway, I was about to talk to her when Weldon approached us. Candy wiped away her tears and tried to leave when Weldon said, "Not bad, Candy. You're stronger than I thought."

She was caught off guard. "W-What…?"

I smiled at her, making her more surprised. "Yeah! You really gave me a harder time since our first battle."

She tried to hide her joy by bragging, "Y-Yeah! I guess all of the graduation training paid off. Soon I'll be one of the best students to graduate from CTU!"

Weldon chuckled, causing the pink haired girl to blush. "I look forward to battling you in the Indigo League."

She almost exploded from excitement after receiving praise from her crush, but she breathed deeply and said, "I look forward to it. Summer… Weldon…" She then walked out of the stadium and back into the city. I grinned, knowing she really took my words to heart.

He saw my face and asked, "Something wrong, Summer?"

"Oh, it's nothing!" I laughed, but he didn't push it any further.

"So, she actually called me by my name." Weldon chuckled again. "Feels good, that's for sure."

"Well, yeah. You did seem really disturbed by it."

He nervously touched his cap. "Yeah, it's something I'd rather not talk about."

I nodded and started to head outside.

"Wait, Summer." I look curiously at Weldon, who looked a little red. "What about the dinner?"

"Dinner? I thought you didn't want to do it."

He was taken aback. "W-Well… I mean… You're the winner...so..."

I smiled softly, which strangely made him redder. "Why don't you have dinner with your mom instead? It'll be nice. If people ask, you can just tell them I got sick from heat stroke and you chose the 'princess' in your life."

He cleared his throat and said firmly, "Sure. I did say that, didn't I?" He smirked and took out his Pokégear.

I playfully shrugged my shoulders and went back to the Pokémon Center for some rest and casual food. As I played with Lightning after dinner, she noticed my somewhat sad face.

"What's wrong, Summer?" she asked. She looked at the tiara on the nightstand. "Aren't you happy you won?"

I sadly smiled. "Yeah...but I do miss them…"

"Don't worry, Summer! We'll see them after the tournament, right?"

I giggled and petted her. "Yeah, we will… Let's continue training for the Indigo League and they'll see how strong I've gotten on TV."

Pokémon: Blaze (Blaziken, male): Brave Nature, moves: Fire Punch, Double Kick, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick [training with Master Kiyo]

Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, moves: Psychic, Confusion, Hypnosis, Peck

Swirls (Poliwhirl, female): Relaxed Nature, moves: Water Pulse, Hypnosis, Water Gun, Ice Punch

Lightning (Pikachu, female): Adamant Nature, moves: Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Iron Tail, Thunder Punch

Flower (Ivysaur, female): Gentle Nature, moves: Sludge Bomb, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder

Rocky (Onix, male): Lonely Nature, moves: Rock Throw, Crunch, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail

Questions for the Chapter:

What did you think of the Princess Festival and the tournament?

What was Summer's parents' reason for not coming?

How are Summer's relationships with her rivals going?