Chapter 5: Alive
"Hey, my C-Gear says we're just several feet away from Striaton City," May read the map on her C-Gear.
"My C-Gear says that too," Ash checked to confirm what May said and a smile formed across his face. "Come on, May!" Ash ran ahead with Pikachu.
May ran and caught up with him, the couple and Pikachu were smiling as they went ahead. Iris and Axew sighed, "I guess, we have to run now too, kids," the brown-eyed girl said and ran.
When the group reached a hill that showed Striaton City, Ash, May, and Pikachu felt a feeling of adrenaline surge inside them.
Ash ran down the hill to the entrance of the city, "Striaton Gym, here I come!" The others ran after him and they entered a humble city with people walking around and shopping.
They stared at everything they passed and Ash noticed that some were gazing at his Pikachu. "Looks like Professor Juniper was right about you being rare pal," Ash smiled at the mouse and scratched his neck.
"Chaaa," Pikachu received Ash warmly.
"I wonder who the contestants are going to be," May placed her finger on her chin and wondered.
Ash placed his hand behind his head and wondered, "I wonder who the gym leader." The boy and his Pikachu had puzzled looks on.
"Pika pikachu!" the mouse told his partner.
"You're right Pikachu, guess we won't find out till we look," Ash said and ran ahead while May's face brightened as well.
"Ash, wait up, I'm right behind you," May ran behind the boy, but Iris stopped the pair.
"Hold it, do you guys, even know where the gym and contest are at," Iris put on sly eyes.
When the thought came to the couple's mind, May smiled sheepishly while Ash laughed nervously. "That's what I thought," Iris made a cunning smile and gave Axew an apple.
All of a sudden, a man came up behind Iris. "Excuse me, I couldn't help, but tell you that you have a marvelous bond with your Axew."
Iris turned around and the rest of the gang caught eye with him as well. He had green hair, emerald eyes; he also looked slightly older than the group. He dressed like a waiter and his hair stood up in a spiky fashion. Iris and Axew blushed at him, "Why, thank you," the young dragon trainer grinned.
The man nodded with a grin, but then he saw Ash's Pikachu and began to admire it with sparkling eyes. "A Pikachu in Unova, indeed this is a fine encounter!" the male picked the mouse up from Ash's shoulders and Pikachu smiled at him nervously.
Ash and May found his attitude a bit odd, but nonetheless grinned at the kind-looking guy. "Hey there, I'm Ash, from Pallet Town," the auburn-eyed teen introduced himself.
May moved forward and stood next to her boyfriend, "I'm May, from Petalburg City."
Iris got in front of the couple, "And I'm Iris, from Village of the Dragons!" The girl greeted him happily.
"Nice to meet you all, I'm Cilan," the boy smiled and introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you too, Cilan," Ash shook hands with the slightly older boy.
"So, you guys have come from pretty far, what brings you two here?" Cilan asked them politely.
Ash had a confident smile dance across his face, "I'm here to compete in the Unova League!"
May made a fist and formed a confident grin, "And I'm here to compete in the Unova Grand Festival!"
Cilan's eyes widened, "My, those are some impressive goals you have." The pair nodded while smiling at him. Cilan's gaze turned to Iris, "What about you, Iris?"
"I want to become a Dragon Master," the purple-haired girl answered with a beaming smile.
"That's just as impressive," Cilan admired the goals the trio had for themselves.
Iris popped up again, "What do you do, Cilan?"
The boy's green eyes started to spark and he opened his arms, "I'm a Pokémon Connoisseur!"
May, Ash, and Pikachu became confused. Cilan placed Pikachu back on Ash's shoulder and explained, "It's a job, only common here in Unova, so I understand why you wouldn't know, but a Pokémon Connoisseur is someone who analyzes the bond between a trainer and its Pokémon." The trio finally understood what Cilan meant and that explained why he went up to Iris like that earlier.
"That sounds so fascinating," May smiled, she didn't even know there were jobs like that.
"Hey Cilan, you think you can analyze the bond between me and Pikachu?" Ash inquired, interested in what someone else thought about the relationship between he and Pikachu.
May then jumped, "Oh, and then tell me about the connection I have with my Blaziken," May became just as intrigued as Ash and the two almost got on top of him.
Cilan laughed nervously and the trainers kept pleading until Iris spoke, "Hey, are you forgetting that we are supposed to be heading somewhere?"
"Oh, right!" Ash remembered and so did May, wondering how their matches could have escaped their heads.
"Cilan, do you know where the Pokémon Gym and Contest are at?" May questioned the male, assuming that he was from Striaton City.
The green-eyed coordinator smirked, "Why, yes I do!"
"Great, then let's get going!" Ash cheered and prepared to run until he heard someone say "but".
The raven-haired teen and Pikachu turned around. "You should probably know though, if you're going to participate in Pokémon Contest, then you should head there first because it's the last one being held here and it begins shortly," Cilan explained the situation to them so they wouldn't too hasty.
"Last one?" May's eyes widened, believing she had enough time to participate. Cilan nodded and the brunette sighed, what should I do now…
Ash took note of May's sad expression and stared at her with grief. "Ash, do something," Iris knocked her elbow at him. The auburn-eyed boy knew that he go to the gym anytime for a battle, but a contest had a limited time for entry and participation. May, would have to wait till the next contest if they went to the gym.
"Guess we'll have to wait a little longer bud," Ash turned to his shoulder and informed Pikachu.
"Pikachu," the mouse let Ash know that he understood. His trainer's love for May came before personal satisfaction.
The boy walked over to May, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Let's go to the contest first, May." Ash told her while giving his girlfriend a warm smile.
May was caught by surprise, "But Ash, don't you want to have your gym battle?"
"It can wait, besides, gym battles are held at anytime. I want you to go and win that ribbon first, instead," the boy talked with a caring tone.
May blushed at Ash's consideration and pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you Ash, you're the best boyfriend anyone could have."
"Anytime May," Ash held the girl in his arms and grinned.
"What a fine couple," Cilan admired the pair's young love while Iris bobbed her head in agreement; those two were clearly made for each other.
When the duo separated from their embrace, Cilan volunteered to lead them to where the contest was being held at and after that, to the gym. "Thanks, Cilan," Ash grinned at Cilan for his generous offer.
The group began walking towards the area where the contest was being held at and May began to ask the green-haired boy some questions. "Cilan, what are the contests like here?" the sapphire-eyed girl questioned him.
"It's very much the same like in the other regions. The judges are a Mr. Contesta, the local Nurse Joy, and a Mr. Sukizo. The first round is the appeal round where it starts out with 16 contestants, the 8 with the highest scores move on to the battle rounds. The highest you can score is a 25, during the two rounds you must use a different Pokémon to battle until two contestants reach the final round. During the final round, it's just battling, but you also have to perform skillful attacks of course since it's not just an average battle and during the final round you must use another Pokémon that was not used in the appeal or battle rounds." Cilan informed May about how basic contests in Unova were; it was no different from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, or Sinnoh.
May shook her head during the whole time while the others listened as well. "You also need to remember that the battle and final rounds are five minutes with two yellow bars for each contestant. The one with fewer points on their bar is the loser or if they are unqualified to continue or if their Pokémon has fainted. A coordinator will lose points when their Pokémon are hit, if its attack fails, or if they break a rule. If you're interested, you should also know that the host is a woman named Jillian, she is a sister of the hosts in the four regions you are familiar with."
"Wow that sounds like a lot of stuff to keep in mind of. May, do you have your plan laid out," Iris asked her friend about her plans for the contest. Iris wasn't sure if she could ever compete in a battle with so many rules and requirements.
"You bet! I've done this long enough to feel prepared. It may have been at least a month since I've been in an actual contest, but I feel ready. All the training done with Deerling, Tepig, and Blaziken should help me win this one!" May felt pumped about her contest and put on her signature smile.
"How are you going to set it up?" Ash asked May, he too was confident about May winning, after traveling with her and seeing her skills, there's no reason why she would lose.
"Yep, Deerling for the appeal round, Tepig for the battle rounds, and Blaziken for the final round," May went into more detail about her strategy.
"I can't wait to see this contest, it has been such a long time since I've seen one and it's even more exciting knowing that you'll use your Blaziken, May. This will be one spicy, yet sweet performance!" Cilan stated with eagerness in his voice.
They all smiled at each other, they were all certain that May would dominate. "Pika pika!" Pikachu pointed out to the group and they all saw a large building that resembled Roman architecture.
"Wow, it's beautiful…" May became mesmerized by the place where her contest was going to be held in. It had three pairs of columns with banners extending downwards, promoting the Pokémon Contest. There were three large entrances to the building with arches at the top of each entrance.
May became so distracted though that wandered away from her friends and bumped into someone in front of her and they both fell. "Ouch," the girl May bumped into cried out.
"I'm so sorry!" May gasped, realizing what she had done. The brunette got up and lent the girl a hand, "I'm so sorry for making you fall, I was just so distracted with the building that I didn't see you. Are you hurt?" the sapphire-eyed girl asked the person with a worried tone.
The girl got up and smiled at her, "I'm fine, thank you." The dark-haired girl picked up the hat she had on and grinned at May, "It happens to all of us at least once."
May placed her hand behind her head and laughed nervously. "So, are you here to compete?" the female asked May.
"Yes, I am! I'm May, a Pokémon Coordinator from Hoenn," the girl from Hoenn answered eagerly and introduced herself.
"I'm Hilda, from Nuvema Town. I'm a coordinator too! By the way, it's cool that you're from so far away, I've never met anyone from Hoenn," Hilda introduced herself and talked to the brunette with a calm attitude.
May had a grin form across her face, "Does this mean you're going to compete in the Unova Grand Festival too?" Hilda nodded as a response to May's question.
When Hilda was about to ask something else though, Ash, Iris, Cilan, and Pikachu showed up. "May, why'd you go off like that, we were calling you back, but you went off with a zombie," Ash told May about what had happened.
"Sorry about that, but look. I made a friend," May apologized for the incident and then showed his friends, Hilda. "Hilda, these are my friends, Iris, Cilan, Ash, and Pikachu. Guys, this is Hilda, a Pokémon Coordinator."
"Nice to meet you," Hilda and May's friends said simultaneously.
"Ash comes from Kanto, so that's why he has a Pikachu if you were wondering," May giggled as she told Hilda about messy-haired teen.
"Hi there, so you going to compete in the contest with May?" Ash asked Hilda.
Hilda admired the foreigner and his Pikachu. She placed her hands on her hips and nodded in a cheerful fashion, "That's right!"
"Cool, do you have any ribbons?" Iris questioned the new girl.
"Yep, here," Hilda reached into her bag for a rhombus-shaped case and unfolded it. Inside was a red and blue with a golden centerpiece that took the shape of a pentagon. The pentagon had a crown on it like most ribbons and had a unique design on the center of the pentagon; it looked like a Tao symbol.
May's eyes shimmered with her hands clasped together, "That's such a beautiful ribbon!"
Hilda smiled and put it away, "Thanks, May."
"Now it's my turn to win a ribbon in Unova," the Petalburg coordinator spoke with a voice powered by confidence.
"Then, I look forward to competing against you May," Hilda stated and the girls exchanged self-assured, but friendly looks. When the pair finished, Hilda grinned at the entire group, "Well, I'll see you guys at the contest. Good luck, May." The girl the dark, brown hair gave May a smirk and walked away.
May returned the smirk and acknowledged that she had found a rivalry in Hilda. "Come on, let's go so I can sign-up," the brunette told her companions and they agreed.
Inside, they signed up thanks to the local Nurse Joy. "The contest starts in a few minutes, so I recommend you go to the lockers and get set," the pink-haired woman recommended and the group thanked her for the advice.
In the locker room, they all stuck together and May took a glance at her friends. "You know, I'm actually a little nervous. The rules may be the same and it's not my first time, but now I'm facing off against completely new people and Pokémon. There's no Harley, Solidad, or Drew," May admitted her feelings regarding the contest.
"I'm sure you'll do great," Cilan complimented the brunette.
"Yeah, after seeing you train so hard, I'm certain that you'll win," Iris assured May about a victorious outcome.
"Pika pi pikachu pi ka!" Pikachu also cheered for May while standing on Ash's shoulder.
"They're all right May, you're going to be fantastic and I know that you'll come out as the victor. After knowing you for so long, and seeing what you can do, I know that you'll show everyone here what a Hoenn Coordinator can do! Also, here, for good luck," Ash leaned in and kissed the girl on her lips.
The boy placed his hands on her waist and the girl ran her fingers through his hair. Their tongues intertwined and they both enjoyed it. When they separated, May placed her hand on her heart and smiled at Ash and all her friends, "Thank you, all of you." The brunette gazed at Ash's sweet auburn eyes and blushed, "Thank you Ash."
"I've got your back, May," the raven-haired teen winked at her.
Suddenly, a beeping noise went off and May saw on her C-Gear that it was time. "Here goes, wish me luck," May prepared to leave, but not before smiling at her friends and winking at Ash.
Ash and the others grinned at the sapphire-eyed coordinator as she ran off. "Let's go find some seats and cheer for May from there," Cilan suggested and they all agreed.
"Ladies and gents, thank you for being able to make it the yearly Striaton City Contest!" a woman with a similar appearance to Lillian and Vivian announced, except she wore tight black jeans, red high heels and a red tank top to match her heels.
"I'm Jillian, the host of the Unova Contests all over the region and the host of the annual Unova Grand Festival, it is an honor for me to be here with you all today, but how we get this contest started!" Jillian yelled, quick and to the point. Her voice encouraged the entire crowd to roar, whistle, and applaud.
"This is going to be one heck of a contest," Cilan smiled as he looked at the crazed people.
"People sure love Pokémon Contests," Iris stated, a little frightened by how excited the audience got.
"You've seen nothing yet," Ash told Iris while Pikachu sat on his lap, the boy smiled as he waited for the contest to begin.
"With us today, we have the local Nurse Joy, Mr. Contesta, and Mr. Sukizo as judges!" Jillian introduced the three judges, whom greeted at the crowd. "And with us we also have the first contestant of the show, all the way from Hoenn Region, she got into the Top 8 during her first Grand Festival in Hoenn, Top 4 in the Kanto Grand Festival, and winner of the Johto Grand Festival, I welcome May!" Jillian extended her arm to the left, the spotlight on the exit where May came from.
Some members of the audience became intimidated by May's achievements, but others simply roared loudly when they saw the brunette. The girl ran onto the field as she appeared on multiple screens. Boys wolf-whistled when they saw the brunette while girls felt jealousy toward the brunette, Ash couldn't help but feel irritated when guys wolf whistled at her and heard some inappropriate things being yelled at her. Iris, Cilan, and Pikachu laughed at Ash when they noticed his face get slightly red and told him to cool down, it's just how some people are.
The boy sighed and smiled, he just planned on enjoying the contest. May blushed at the compliments and roses thrown at her, but she thought of Ash and smiled, no one can ever replace my Ashy, May giggled as she thought.
"Ok May, the stage is all yours!" Jillian told the sapphire-eyed girl and moved away.
May got her Pokeball and threw, "Deerling, take the stage!" The brunette jumped and threw her arm upwards like she use to do in Hoenn and Kanto.
The Season Pokémon emerged from Pokeball and smiled at the crowd, feeling like a superstar. "Alright Deerling, let's show everyone what we're made of, start with Aromatherapy!"
Deerling nodded and the flower on top of its head started to glow a bright gold color. "Deerling, you know what to do next," May spoke and with that Deerling began changing the colors of the flower. The rays from the light given off Deerling's glowing flower reached the audience. It was like an aurora that scattered everywhere, the rays changed into multiple neon colors that fascinated the crowd.
"Now, release it!" May commanded and Deerling released the Aromatherapy, unlike the usual green-yellow powder it let out though, the powder also changed into different colors, it was like a powdered version of a rainbow floating throughout the stage. "Deerling, use the Nature Ball combination!" Ash, Iris, and Pikachu smiled when they heard the command, they had seen May prefect that combination yesterday and they knew the crowd was in for a delight.
Deerling released an Energy Ball larger than the average and bashed through the powder that continued to roam the area. The Grass-type followed it up with Nature Power, which everyone knew varied because it was an attack based on location. This time Deerling let out a Swift Attack that burst the Energy Ball. The collision caused a gust that spread the Aromatherapy everywhere, reaching the audience. The clash between Swift and Energy Ball created even more colorful sparkles that the crowd admired. Everyone in the audience also enjoyed the delightful smell Aromatherapy gave off when it reached them.
"And scene," May took a bow along with her Deerling.
"Amazing, May has given us a colorful and sweet-smelling performance with those combinations, judges what did you think of?" Jillian turned to the trio for an opinion.
The three buzzed in and on the screen appeared a large 25. "Wow, a perfect score, let's give a hand to May!" Jillian put the spotlight on May and everyone applauded her.
"It was a colorful experience," Nurse Joy praised the performance.
"That gave off a mystifying, yet marvelous fragrance," Mr. Contesta stated with a satisfied smile.
"Delightful," Mr. Sukizo gave us his simple, but cheery opinion.
May walked off as everyone continued to praise her, "I didn't expect to get a perfect score, but it feels great to know that I did that well!" May clasped her hands and cheered. "Good job, Deerling!" May smiled at Deerling, who walked next to her. The brunette thanked her for the fantastic job and returned it into its Pokeball.
"That was one of the best things I've ever seen and as a bonus, I got a chance to get a scent of sweetness," Cilan felt in harmony as he sniffed the last of Aromatherapy.
"She did fantastic; I knew she'd do great!" Iris cheered for her friend.
"Pika pi pika!" Pikachu also applauded May's performance.
Ash just smiled and stared at the image of May's face on the screen, I knew you could do it.
Hilda had also been watching May's performance and became impressed, "She's better than I thought. May lives up to her reputation. This is going to be exciting," Hilda made a fist and anticipated a showdown between her and May.
The next contestants were up, many of them used Pokémon like Pignite, Grabador, Purroloin, Lillipup, etc, but none could match the show May had given, making the brunette feel all the more proud of herself. The last contestant was Hilda though, and this is when May and the others wondered how good she was.
"Now here's our final contestant, please welcome Hilda from Nuvema Town!" Jillian welcomed the dark-haired brunette, causing the crowd to scream and applaud her.
"Seems like Hilda's given herself quite the reputation amongst contest viewers," Iris noticed the posters and drawings of Hilda.
"Then this might be interesting," Cilan grinned, expecting a good performance.
Ash and Pikachu were without a comment, they only watched quietly, waiting to see how good Hilda was. The Nuvema girl got her Pokeball and threw it, "Cubchoo, stage on!"
When Cubchoo appeared on the stage, it smiled happily and greeted the crowd, "Cubchoo!" The greeting was warmly received by the crowd that went, "Awww."
"What Pokémon is that," Ash got out his Pokédex to figure out.
The mechanic voice of the Pokédex began speaking, "Cubchoo, the Chill Pokémon. Cubchoo evolves into Beartic. Its constantly runny nose is the source of its energy and its sniffles power its moves."
When Iris and Axew saw the Ice-type she felt a cold chill crawl up her spine. Cilan got surprised when she felt the girl hold on to his arm. Ash and Pikachu also noticed and the auburn-eyed boy asked, "What's wrong Iris?"
The girl let go of Cilan's arms and responded, "I just have a phobia related to Ice-type Pokémon. It's something I've had since I was a kid, but it's nothing. Axew also caught that from me, so he tends to be afraid too."
The boys and Pikachu laughed at Iris and Axew's fear of Ice Pokémon, but the girl and Axew shrugged it off and the four went back to watching.
"It's so cute!" May exclaimed when she saw the screen and thought she would catch one if she ever found Cubchoo roaming in the wilderness.
"Don't let his small and cute size fool you, Cubchoo split into 7!" Hilda demanded and her Cubchoo used Double Team to make 7 copies. "Alright, two of you use Brine!" Hilda commanded and the two Cubchoo shot out a stream of water, but what was unique about it was that they could manipulate the trajectory.
The double Brine swirled and twirled so much that it began to resemble a water slide in midair. "Two of you use Icy Wind now," Hilda instructed two other Cubchoo. The pair opened their jaws and gathered light blue sparkles that were then blown out like wind. The Icy Wind began freezing the water slide created by the other two Cubchoo and it became an ice sculpture with a whirling or twisting motion, it could be considered an ice slide.
The audience and the gang admired the twinkling ice sculpture with awestruck eyes. "You three are up!" Hilda smiled and pointed at the three remaining Cubchoo. They grinned happily and got on the ice slide, the three began cheering happily as they swirled and twirled all the way through the structure, which resulted in another "Awww," from the crowd. When they reached the end of the ride, the three flew in midair and Hilda snapped her fingers as a sign for the next command.
The trio then let out a violent scream aiming at the sculpture. Echoed Voice wasn't strong enough to damage or bother anyone's hearing, but the shriek was enough to break the ice. The ice sculpture slowly began cracking and broke into tiny pieces that dropped like diamonds onto the stage. The Cubchoo dropped down and they all became a single Cubchoo again.
"And that's that," Hilda smiled when she declared her performance over.
All members of the audience admired the dropping ice with captured eyes. Jillian stared at the twinkling pieces until she thought it was time to get on with the show. "Alright folks, we got yet another fantastic performance from a talented coordinator, but let's see what our judges thought!" Jillian turned to the three judges.
The judges buzzed in and the screen revealed a large 25. "Incredible, Hilda is the only other coordinator aside from May that achieved a perfect score. Guess from this, we know which two contestants are certainly moving on." Jillian winked at the crowd after finishing her remark.
"It was an adorable presentation!" Nurse Joy complimented Hilda.
"That proved charming and majestic at the same time," Mr. Contesta praised Hilda's act.
"Delightful," Mr. Sukizo commented with a pleased tone as well.
"That was a really good performance," Iris was extremely impressed by what she saw and she was even more impressed that Hilda got a perfect score.
"Talk about cold, but heartwarming," Cilan became amazed by the icy yet adorable presentation.
Ash frowned a little, after seeing such a performance he was certain that May and she would go up against each other because no one else was on par with them. May had to be ready for the challenge. Pikachu noticed the look on Ash's face and thought the same thing, this was going to become very intense when May and Hilda clashed.
"She's…phenomenal, this is not going to be easy," May realized when she saw Hilda's performance and the score she received.
"Now, let's see who made it into the Battle Round, there were many talented coordinators here today, but only a few will get to advance!" Jillian announced and turned to a screen with a blank white display.
When the screen finally showed something, everyone saw the people who got into the Battle Round. It was no surprise that Hilda and May got in though; they were clearly the best of the best. They also saw who each person would go up against, luckily May and Hilda hadn't been paired up…yet. May went up against a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and Hilda went up against a random stranger as well.
"For now though, let's take a short 5 minute break folks, catch ya then," Jillian winked at the audience.
Ash and the others went to the locker room where they found May sitting. "Hey, May," Ash walked over to her with the others.
"You did great out there, I had never seen anything like it," Iris complimented her friend.
"Pi pika!" Pikachu congratulated May as well.
"Indeed, you left the crowd amazed," Cilan further supported Iris and Pikachu's opinion.
"It was no surprise though, I know you could do it," Ash sat next to May and placed his arm around her waist.
May blushed and grinned at him, "Thanks, but I don't know how I'll do now. I mean for now everything will be fine, but what will happen when I go against Hilda?"
Ash ran his fingers through her hair and smiled at his beloved, "Don't say that May, you have done great throughout your whole career as a coordinator. I have never been more proud of you and you just keep improving, impressing more and more. You've beaten Harley, Drew, and Solidad in the past, you've won a Grand Festival, you shouldn't let Hilda's abilities scare you because you have what it takes to win."
There was nothing in the world more reassuring than Ash's words, than his presence, I love him, May grinned at him adorably and leaned on his shoulder while Ash leaned his head on hers.
"Where's Hilda?" Iris looked around for the Unova Coordinator.
"She must be getting ready, it's about to start again," Cilan pointed out when he read the clock.
"Then that means we have to go," Ash got up, but not before caressing May's hand a bit as they separated. The smile Ash gave her was good enough to encourage her for the rest of the contest and May returned a warm smile.
The friends got on their way as the contest started again. When it started, it took some battles before May or Hilda were up, but Hilda was the first to fight when it was time and made quick work of the opponent's Zebstrika with her Jellicent, which amazed the crowd even more because of the type disadvantage Hilda had and the power her Jellicent had shown. Right after Hilda's battle was May and she went up the girl from the picture.
"Ok folks, we've seen some great battles up until now, but let's see how these two go up against each other, I'm sure they won't disappoint, begin!" Jillian made a karate chop motion while the woman's face and May's appeared on the screen with yellow bars under and 5 minute time limit.
"Tepig, let's win this!" May threw Tepig's Pokeball and the pig emerged with a grin on its face.
"Tepig!" the pig quickly got serious and got into a battle stance.
"Scolipede, show no mercy. Use Sludge Bomb!" the woman ordered with her French accent. The moment the woman threw her Pokeball, a Sludge Bomb shot out along with a giant centipede-looking Pokémon.
The Pokémon towered over Tepig fearsomely as Sludge Bomb shot at him. May panicked for a moment, but knew how it handle it, "Tepig, use Defense Curl!"
Tepig rolled into a ball when Sludge Bomb hit the pig, but it didn't seem to damage the pig too much as it rolled back out. The woman's points dropped slightly while May's only dropped by a bit.
"Scolipede, show them that we mean business, use Steamroller!" Scolipede rolled into a ball that spun towards Tepig at a rapid rate.
"Dodge that Tepig!" May called out and the Fire-type dodged just in time, but Scolipede spun around and hit Tepig without a miss this time.
"Te...pig!" the fire Pokémon cried out as it flew. May's points dropped slightly.
"This isn't good, this battle has become surprisingly sour," Cilan commented as he looked at Tepig.
"Scolipede is too much of a powerhouse for Tepig!" Iris yelled out, stressed over the battle.
"C'mon May, you can do this. I know you can," Hilda murmured as she watched the screen with an intense look in her eyes.
Ash and Pikachu stared at May and Tepig calmly, May's been through worse situations, she could handle this one too, Ash recalled moments where May almost lost to Harley and Drew.
"Quick, now use Venoshock!" the woman called out.
May grinded her teeth, we're going to have to count on speed for this, the brunette had an idea in her mind. "Tepig, dodge and then use your strongest Tackle!"
Scolipede shot out green acid at Tepig, but the pig swiftly moved across the battlefield and managed to get close enough to send a blow that sent the bug backwards a bit. The woman's points dropped a good amount, which gave May the lead again.
"Fight back with Poison Tail!" the woman got frustrated when she saw how much her points dropped.
"No you don't! Tepig, jump off its tail and use Ember!" May commanded and when Scolipede aimed its tail at Tepig, the pig jumped off it and shot Ember at Scolipede's face.
The attack was a critical hit and made the Bug/Poison-type squeal in pain. The woman's points dropped again significantly. "That's the way!" Iris stood up and cheered as other parts of the crowd also cheered for May.
Told ya, Ash grinned happily.
"Tepig, you're doing great, keep it up!" May praised Tepig's performance against Scolipede.
"Enough, Scolipede use Hyper Beam!" the woman yelled and her Pokémon unleashed the powerful attack.
"Tepig, dodge!" but it was too late for Tepig to move away and the attack hit.
May and the crowd's eyes widened, wondering if it was over. The woman smiled slyly, "Fini." The woman's eyes became startled when she saw that Tepig wasn't there though, "What, where's the pig?"
May didn't know what happened either and only saw a hole where Tepig stood. "Tepig must have used Dig as an escape attempt," Cilan pointed out, but where was Tepig now?
Suddenly, the starter burst in front of Scolipede and hit the Pokémon by the chin like if it were a Sky Uppercut, but it didn't stop there. Tepig shot out Ember in its face again, which made the Pokémon squeal in pain.
"Tepig, great thinking and you learned Dig!" May cheered in happiness while Tepig nodded at her with a joyful grin.
"This isn't over, Scolipede use one more Hyper Beam!" the woman shouted, but then the buzzer was heard. Everyone stopped what they were doing and saw that the five minutes were up. May and Tepig's faces had smiles on them when they saw that they had more points than their opponent.
"And the winner is May!" Jillian happily declared and the audience cried out with joy.
May's opponent returned Scolipede and walked away without a word. May hugged Tepig and smiled gleefully, "Tepig we did it! You were great!"
"Yay May!" Iris cheered for her friend again while Ash, Cilan, and Pikachu clapped for their friend, but they knew May wasn't in the clear yet.
Hilda put on a satisfied smile on her face, "She really is something else."
The pig licked her as a sign of affection and they returned to the locker room. When the first part of the Battle Round ended, Hilda and May were among the ones that came out victorious, but they still hadn't been paired up against each other.
There were no breaks this time and the contest quickly got on with the event. Hilda once again made quick work of another opponent while May also handled her opponent with ease, despite the Pokémon being a Tympole.
After that it was the second part of the Battle Round ended, Jillian prepared for the final round and like everyone had predicted. It was May vs. Hilda. "Alright ladies and gents, I'm happy to announce that we are up to the final round of the contest. Now we have Hilda vs. May, please give me an applause," Jillian ordered the crowd and they all began clapping.
Hilda and May got on stage, smiling at each other. "This is, May and Hilda's match," Ash grinned, anticipating a great battle.
"This is going to be spicy," Cilan watched with eagerness.
"I'm so nervous," Iris ate her apple anxiously while taking turns with Axew.
"Pika chu pika chu!" Pikachu got out pompons and began cheering for May; it was something he had picked up from Dawn during their time in Sinnoh.
"Time for our showdown May, let's see who makes it. I'm not holding back just because I think you're a nice person, I'm going to give it my all," Hilda reached for her Pokeball.
"I don't plan to either Hilda, let's battle our best and give these people a show ok? Now show me what you got," May reached for her Pokeball and they both smiled confidently.
"Begin!" Jillian announced and it began.
"Musharna, you're up!" Hilda released her Pokémon.
When May saw it, she took out her Pokédex to learn about the tapir-like Pokémon. "Musharna, the Drowsing Pokémon and the evolved form of Munna, the mist from its forehead takes the form of things present in the dreams it has eaten."
"It's a Psychic-type huh? We'll just have to find a way to beat, Blaziken, I need you," May released her Hoenn Pokémon.
When the starter got on stage, it stood proudly in front of the crowd. Hilda and the audience became amazed by the majestic Fire-type, half the crowd had never seen the Hoenn Pokémon before so it was an honor.
Cilan was taken back by how powerful May's Blaziken looked while Iris, Ash, and Pikachu grinned slyly, the audience was about to see real power.
Hilda smiled, "Just because it's from some far away region, doesn't mean I don't know anything about it May, prepare to see what I can do, Musharna, use Psyshock!"
Musharna formed three thick masses of light blue, blue, and purple energy forms and fired them at Blaziken. "Blaziken, counter that with Flamethrower!" May countered.
"Blaziken!" the starter yelled and shot out a stream of fire to counter.
"Musharna, dodge and manipulate with Psychic!" Hilda extended her arm outward. Musharna moved from the direction Flamethrower was coming from and used Psychic to change the trajectory of Psyshock. The orbs moved away and avoided Flamethrower, they aimed for Blaziken from a different angle and sent the Fire-type flying, but the bird quickly got its composure and landed calmly.
"Psychic attacks won't work so easily on Blaziken, Hilda, you'll need to try harder," May stated with a calm demeanor.
"Don't worry, I will May," Hilda smirked cunningly.
May acknowledged what she said, "Alright Blaziken, use Quick Attack!"
"Musharna, use Psychic to stop Blaziken," Hilda ordered with a neutral tone.
"Stop it with Sand-Attack!" May smirked and commanded, having prepared for this.
Before Musharna could use Psychic, Blaziken kicked a furious amount of dirt at Musharna that blinded the Psychic-type. "Now Blaziken, kick it up a notch with Flare Blitz!"
"Blaz," the starter nodded and charged at Musharna with a fiery speed. The attack hit Musharna head on and sent the Psychic-type flying against a wall.
Hilda gasped and grinded her teeth, realizing that things had just become serious, "That's the last time I fall for that one May, but well-played," Hilda smiled.
"Thanks, there's more where that came from," May grinned at her.
Musharna got up and glared at Blaziken, who only smirked slyly. "Musharna, use Hidden Power!" Hilda commanded with a demanding voice.
The Psychic-type gathered enough energy to create a set of green spheres that were launched at Blaziken. "Dodge that," May instructed and the Fire-type easily avoided the spheres thanks to its fast movement.
"Now use Psychic and hit repeatedly," Hilda instructed and Musharna controlled the spheres however it pleased, stressing Blaziken. May kept instructing Blaziken to dodge, but the starter was getting tired and began getting battered.
May began sweating a little when she saw that she had half a bar while Hilda still had three-fourths. Iris began chewing on her apple more viciously, "This isn't good. May's losing!"
Cilan also knew that things didn't look good, "She needs to come up with something quick or it's over!"
"Pika pika pikachu pi!" Pikachu became stressed and began cheering harder.
Ash got up from his seat and yelled at May, "May, come on, I know you can do this. Don't give up, you're a top coordinator and you're the best coordinator I know, don't let yourself get beaten now. I believe in you more than anyone, you have the strength, just stop stressing and focus. This battle is yours!"
May saw Ash cheering for her, his words touched her. Ash believes in me, I can't lose like this, he's right, I can do it, I won't lose, I won't let him or anyone down! May thought in her mind and realized that she had what it took to win.
"Blaziken, use Fire Shield!" May shouted and Blaziken followed the command.
The starter began dodging Hidden Power as best as he could and used Flare Blitz. Blaziken became engulfed in intense flames and became to take the shape of a flaming disk. "You know what to do!" May extended her arm to the left. Blaziken released Flamethrower from inside his fire barrier and shot out like an intense lighting.
The multiple fire streams released shot out like lighting and destroyed Hidden Power. The attack eventually hit Musharna, who was unable to control the incredible power with Psychic and began getting burned by an intense inferno. May knew she had Musharna and Hilda where she wanted now and smiled. Ash also grinned when he saw what move May had used, it was a variation of the Counter Shield, Infernape used and he remembered teaching it to her while on the S.S Kennedy.
Musharna squealed while being burned in Blaziken's fire, "Musharna!" Hilda yelled out in fear.
"Wrap it up Blaziken, use Overheat!" May commanded and her starter shot out its most powerful Overheat at Musharna from within its fire shield. The intense flame enveloped Musharna and made the Pokémon scream in pain.
Blaziken immediately escaped from its shield when it sensed that it was over and the fires vanished. May's strongest Pokémon gently landed on the ground and saw a fainted Musharna, she had swirl eyes on her facing, indicating that it could no longer go on.
The three judges buzzed in and declared Musharna unable to battle. "Musharna is unable to battle, therefore, the victory goes to May and Blaziken from Hoenn!" Jillian announced and the crowd applauded May's victory. It ended just in time because Hilda still had a slight lead on May regarding points and with ten seconds to spare.
"May, you did it, I told you that you could," Ash congratulated his girlfriend from his seat and May blew a kiss at him, making all the other boys jealous.
Cilan, Iris, Axew, and Pikachu danced together in join. "Here you go May, you've earned it," Jillian handed May a black and white ribbon with a golden star as the centerpiece. The star had a small carving of two dragons in it.
"Thank you," May received it and admired the ribbon. She turned to Blaziken and smiled at it, "Good job Blaziken, we did it and we won our first Unova ribbon!" May squealed in joy while Blaziken gave her a half-grin, it was clearly exhausted from a well fought battle. The brunette thanked it and returned it into its Pokeball.
Hilda walked over to May and smiled at her cheerfully. "Well done May, you beat me and you won your first contest in Unova," Hilda congratulated her on first victory.
"Thank you for putting up such a great battle," May thanked her rival and grinned.
Later that day…outside the building…
Ash, May, Iris, Cilan, Pikachu, Axew, and Hilda stood outside as people left the building. "So where you gonna go now, Hilda?" May asked her new rival.
"Get some training done, before competing in the next contest that's somewhere by Nacrene City. I need to rethink my strategy so I can beat you," Hilda gave May a confident smile.
"Who says I won't be training," May returned the gesture, but her eyes showed confidence as well. "I look forward to competing against you again," the brunette showed that she enjoyed the clash against Hilda.
"I look forward to it to…well, I should get on my way. Good luck in your gym battle Ash, and goodbye to all of you," Hilda said her goodbyes and ran off in a hurry; she was clearly eager to get training done and get into the next contest.
The entire group waved goodbye to Hilda and the Unova girl waved back at them while giggling happily, the two girls were equally satisfied with how today turned out. May, had found a rival and friend in Hilda and vice versa.
May turned around and faced her friends. May cheered in happiness and posed like Ash while mimicking his voice, "I got my first Unova ribbon!" making the others laugh.
"Very funny May," Ash crossed his arms and glared at her.
The brunette giggled and hugged him, "I'm just kidding Ashy, if you hadn't encouraged me like you did, earlier, than I probably would have lost, thank you for helping me find the strength to fight back," May pecked him on the lips and dug her face in his chest in an adorable fashion.
When May got her face out and smiled at him, the boy grinned, "You're welcome, May, that's what I am here for, to encourage you, look after you and love you." The two blushed at each other and Ash kissed her forehead.
"Awww," Iris couldn't help, but admire true love.
"Love, a dish best served warm," Cilan stated.
The couple stopped embracing each other and just held hands. "Now, time for me to get my first gym badge, Striaton Gym, here I come!" Ash, fist-pumped in the air, he was ready and eager to win his first Unova badge.
I hope you all enjoyed. How many of you were expecting Hilda? Review about that if you wish. These last two chapters have been filled with character debuts, first N and now Cilan and Hilda. There are many more chapters that will reveal significant characters, so stay tuned for that. By the way, I'm going to post up a Christmas One-shot either tomorrow or Tuesday that focuses on Ash and May, of course, but it won't have any relation to One Love, One Heart, or Advanced Wishes. How many of you excited about that, it'll be my gift to you guys for all your support. Well, got to go, catch ya soon!