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Chapter 55: It's Been a Long Time Coming
"This is truly a dish filled with forest essences!" Cilan proclaimed proudly over the stew he had cooked during their rest stop just on the outskirts of Driftveil City.
Much to his annoyance though, his trio of friends were too busy yelling and swinging around to acknowledge his latest creation.
"Woohoo, what a blast!" Ash cheered with excitement as he swung.
"Try it Cilan!" May encouraged her friend.
"Yeah, come on Cilan!" Iris joined in the encouragement as the Pokémon watched them swing from left to right.
Cilan continued to stir as he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the excited trio swinging over him. He stirred with as much focus as he could muster until he noticed a leaf fall over the stew. The green-haired chef gasped, and his face turned into a frown, having lost patience with his Tarzan-like friends. "Will you stop!" Cilan yelled as he angrily lifted his spoon and some stew splashed out of the pot.
The three friends noticed Cilan's angry disposition and immediately stopped their swinging. They dropped from their vines and looked at their friend with sheepish faces. "You look upset Cilan," Ash nervously laughed.
"Sorry about that," May joined in the apology as she also smiled with an ashamed face.
"You look almost as upset as the time I found out you used to be afraid of Purrloin," Iris was a bit surprised by Cilan's outburst.
"What?!" Ash and May shouted simultaneously.
"Ssssshhhh!" Cilan tried to hush Iris, but it was already too late.
May turned to Iris with curiosity. "When did you find this out?" the brunette asked Iris.
Now Iris chuckled nervously and told May, "When we were away fulfilling our mission for Roxas."
Ash rubbed his chin and looked puzzled. "You didn't seem too afraid when we first met May's Liepard as a Purrloin though Cilan," he noted.
"For everyone's information, I overcame that fear long before we met. However, it wasn't meant to be public knowledge," Cilan slightly glared at Iris as she continued to chuckle ashamedly. After a few seconds, he sighed and let it go.
As Cilan cleaned up his cooking area, Iris noticed the position of the sun and looked at her friends and the Pokémon. "We should get going before we miss the Driftveil Contest. It's almost time for May's performance," the purple-haired teen realized.
"Right!" May said excitedly and helped Cilan salvage what they could from the stew he had prepared.
Ash placed his hands behind his head and looked a bit sad for a moment. "You know, it's too bad Hilda and Hilbert couldn't join us after we left Nimbasa City," the auburn-eyed teen sighed.
"It's because they had to go east for Hilda's contest in Black City," May replied as she folded the picnic blanket.
"I guess, but why couldn't Hilbert at least join us?" Ash wondered.
Suddenly, his friends, Pikachu, Victini, and the other Pokémon groaned at him for his question. Ash asked May what was wrong with what he just asked but May sighed and told him it was nothing.
Ash snapped his fingers and excitedly declared, "Oh wait, I forgot Hilbert has a crush on Hilda! That's why he went." May and the others sighed at how slow Ash would remain about certain things related to romance, which caused the boy to laugh embarrassingly. As they continued to pack up and get moving Ash also added his disappointment over the Driftveil City Gym being closed upon their arrival.
Iris crossed her arms and told him, "Ash all your whining makes you sound like a kid sometimes." The girl just wished he'd hurry up with packing instead of expressing his grievances.
"I guess I was just really excited to showcase Krookodile for the first time in a gym battle. It'll just have to wait until we reach Mistralton City then," Ash continued to lament his recent misfortune.
May felt bad for her boyfriend and reached for his hand to comfort him. She smiled and admitted, "I was eager to see Krookodile in action too, especially after all the time it followed us since we initially arrived in Unova. I am sure the wait will be worth it."
Ash smiled back, noticing that May was trying to get his spirits up. "You're right May. We'll have a chance soon. The spotlight is on you now," Ash thought about his girlfriend's upcoming contest.
"When did you catch Krookodile anyways Ash? The last time I remember encountering Krookodile is when it saved us from Pierce near Castelia City as a Krokorok," Cilan questioned as they almost finished cleaning up.
"Not too long after I got the Nimbasa Gym badge, but shortly before we reunited with you guys," Ash recalled the event from a few days ago.
Iris laughed as they finished everything and began walking, "That's funny because Cilan's Dwebble also evolved while we were away."
"You know, I can't help but wonder what could've happened to Clay. The Driftveil Gym's reopening date is unknown, and it has never closed down before," Cilan thought about the unusual occurrence.
Ash, May, Iris, Pikachu, and Victini pondered on the thought as well as they entered Driftveil City. "You think Clay is also assisting Looker with his investigation into Team Rocket, both Team Plasmas, and Omega's group, like the other gym leaders?" Iris inquired.
Cilan and the others agreed at the possibility, recalling the severity of the situation with the criminals roaming Unova.
"By the way, you guys still haven't told us what Roxas sent you to do when we split up in Castelia City," May remembered while looking at Iris and Cilan curiously.
Ash, Pikachu, and Victini also joined May in their curiosity as they looked for an answer. Iris smiled, "Oh yeah, Roxas wanted us to retrieve this from the Village of Dragons." The girl pulled out a multi-sided yellow orb.
"If I recall correctly, Roxas said it's called a 'Griseous Orb'," Cilan placed his fingers on his chin as the group admired the item.
Ash asked what the orb did, but Iris did not know too many details. "According to the Village Elder, the orb is meant to enhance the power of a certain Legendary Pokémon if it ever comes under its possession. She didn't share a name though," Iris stated her knowledge. Cilan added that Roxas seemed to know something they didn't but was not willing to share details before dispatching them to the village.
"Not only that, but when we arrived at the village the elder was already expecting us and gave it without a second thought. It was awfully strange," Cilan ended his recollection of the events. They all wondered deeper about the mystery behind the Griseous Orb and continued walking to the contest dome.
Soon enough the gang reached the building hosting the Driftveil City Contest and wasted no time getting backstage in preparation for the show. "Alright, I am so psyched. It feels like forever since I have been in a contest," May made a fist of excitement. Remembering she won her last ribbon in the Tao Competition in Flocesssy Town, but she technically had not participated in any contest since they were in Amor Town.
"Go get 'em May!" Ash squeezed May's shoulder with affection as she reached to feel his hand, thanking her beloved.
Pikachu leaped onto May's other shoulder and yelled encouragingly, "Pikachu!"
"We believe in you," Iris added with a cheerful grin while Axew added a cheer.
"There's no doubt you have the recipe for success under your belt," Cilan gave the brunette a thumbs up.
Victini, in its invisible state, approached and hugged May as well. "Tini," the fire-type looked into her eyes with admiration. May returned the little thing's hug and said, "Thank you to all of you."
From the corner of the room, a trio of suspicious individuals looked at them. "Remember what we came here for Jess. We need to fulfill this mission, or our necks are on the line," James reminded his teammate, disguised in a blue butler uniform and fake mustache.
"As grweat as it would be ta catch Pikachu, we can't afford ta upset our new boss," Meowth said with a concerned tone, also dressed in the same attire as James with a fake mustache.
Jessie nodded as she seemed less worried. "Yes, yes, I'll take care of the twerpette. Just because we are on a mission though does not mean I can't try to win this. It's been an eternity since this darling face has had a chance to shine in a contest," Jessie responded as she conceitedly looked at herself in a mirror while disguised in a dress and flashy glasses.
James and Meowth merely sighed at how full Jessie was of herself and they continued brushing her hair for the show. Their attention turned back to the twerps.
"Contestants please prepare for the show as we will commence the appeal round in 5 minutes," Jillian's familiar voice announced over the speakers. At that moment Ash gave May a peck on the lips as they all wished May the best of luck and hurried to their seats. May took one last look at a departing Ash, Pikachu, and Victini as she turned to the entrance towards the stadium.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed a woman who seemed somewhat familiar. She had long magenta hair, a pink dress, and goofy frames that she could've sworn she has seen somewhere. Before she could think any more of it, the contestants were summoned onto the stage and were welcomed by claps from a full audience. The brunette quickly spotted her lover and friends in the crowd and waved enthusiastically.
From the other side, Jessie waved at the crowd as James and Meowth gave her over-the-top cheers that made nearby audiences a bit surprised.
"Welcome one and all to Driftveil City's contest. The contestants, judges, and I are thrilled to see that all of you could make it here!" Jillian gave a loud welcome as the audience shouted with high energy.
"Whoo! We have a loud crowd here today. I am sure all of you are pretty familiar with how things are run in these contests, but as a reminder, the first round will be focused on appeals where all 8 contestants will be judged by the style of their Pokémon's performances. Only 4 contestants may advance to the battle round, which will be conducted as a double battle. Whoever has the most points by the end of the battle timer or has fainted all of their opponent's Pokémon will advance to the final round where the same battle rules apply. All performances and battles are judged by our local Nurse Joy, Mr. Sukizo, and Mr. Contesta. Are you ready Driftveil?!" Jillian capitalized on the crowd's emotion.
The crowd roared in response and Jillian announced the commencement of the appeals round. To start the contest, Jillian called on none other than May to the stage and the Princess of Hoenn received a warm welcome from her spectators.
"Pikachu pi!" Pikachu waved its paper fans as it cheered with Victini and Axew. Ash, Iris, and Cilan smiled eagerly as May ran to the center of the stage with her Pokéball in hand.
May grinned confidently as she jumped midair and called on her Pokémon. "Petilil, take the stage!" the sapphire-eyed girl announced. Petilil happily emerged with a burst of sparkly magical leaves that decorated the stage.
"What a beautiful entrance!" Jillian acknowledged as Petilil landed gracefully.
Ash clapped with emotion at the sight, "Alright, that was a good start!"
Cilan nodded in agreement, "Last time May and Petilil botched their performance, but they've improved a lot more since then. This will definitely give them the flavor they need to win."
"That's the way May!" Iris shouted at the top of her lungs as the audience continued clapping.
"You haven't seen anything yet," May spoke confidently. "Petilil, use Magical Leaf Twister!" May instructed.
"Peti," Petilil moved into action and summoned more multicolored leaves that took the shape of a rainbow-colored tornado.
"Now use Rainbow Synthesis!" May raised her arm in the air. Petilil leaped upward into its twister and maintained itself in midair thanks to the gust built up from the twister. Its body began to glow various colors as the rays of light bounced off the leaves and created a disco ball-like effect in the large room.
So far so good, May thought as she recalled that the next part of her combination was what caused them to mess up last time. Nevertheless, they practiced enough to perfectly execute this time. She had full confidence in Petilil and knew they would fix past mistakes. "Finish this with Stun Spore," May triumphantly threw a fist in the air.
While maintaining its glowing state, Petilil shot out a burst of sparkly orange dust from the top of the twister that encircled the twister thanks to the gust it had built up. At this stage, Petilil's Magical Leaf Twister was radiating alongside a sparkly orange swirl that danced around it. The audience was in complete awe as May ordered Petilil to let the twister go. The pair wrapped up their performance by releasing the twister and letting the audience become showered with non-lethal magical leaves and orange spore dust. The effects tickled the audience and filled the room with color. It was a resounding success as the audience yelled and clapped.
"Absolutely tasteful!" Cilan shouted as the three friends and their Pokémon joined in the cheers.
Petilil landed perfectly and bowed alongside May. "What a memorable performance. The audience loved it!" Jillian cheered.
"A flawless execution from start to finish," Mr. Contesta handed May a perfect score.
"May and Petilil were in sync the entire time. Their bond is strong, and it clearly shows!" Nurse Joy also gave May a perfect score.
"Remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo was the last to give May a perfect score.
"Secured!" Ash made a fist, smiling proudly over his lover's performance.
"There you have it folks. Another terrific performance from the Princess of Hoenn. We will no doubt watch her with eagerness in the battle rounds," Jillian stated as she looked at May and Petilil. With that, May and Petilil exited the stage as the appeals round progressed.
As the appeals round nearly wrapped, there was one more contestant. "For our final contestant, we have Jessebella. Please give her a big welcome as we bring the appeals round to a near close!" Jillian maintained the excitement in the room.
Jessie walked onto the stage waving at the crowds, loving every second of the attention. "Doesn't she look familiar?" Iris raised an eyebrow.
"I can't quite put my finger on it," Cilan added.
"She does…" Ash seemed just as perplexed.
"Alright Frillish, let's give them a show they won't forget!" Jessie called upon the Floating Pokémon.
From her Pokéball emerged a thin, pink jellyfish-like Pokémon that hovered over the stage. "Frill!" the Water-type said gleefully.
"Frillish, use Bubble Beam!" Jessie stretched her arm out. Instantly, Frillish released Bubble Beam put it was unique from the usual Bubble Beam. This Bubble Beam fired out with a special glisten almost like sparkly bubbles. The room became filled with bubbles as spectators reached to pop any that came close. Jessie smirked as she followed up with a Psychic and Frillish took control of the hundreds of bubbles floating in the room. The Water/Ghost-type used its psychic powers to concentrate all the bubbles right behind it and began to structure them initially as a tower. As more bubbles gathered the spectators became astonished when they realized all the bubbles came together to form a giant version of Frillish. "Dance!" Jessie snapped her fingers upon command. With the use of Psychic, Frillish began to twirl and jump like a ballerina while the giant bubble form of Frillish mirrored its every move. It drove the crowds wild. The dance lasted for a few seconds, but it ended with a magnificent twirl and when the giant Frillish performed a curtsy, its bubbles burst as glistening particles floated around the room.
"That was really good," Iris was taken aback by how good the performance was as Ash and Cilan agreed but they clapped since they also enjoyed it.
"Atta gwirl Jessie!" Meowth pumped his fist in the air.
"If only she was this good when it comes to catching Pikachu," James smiled sheepishly but was delighted to see his friend advance.
"This crowd is ecstatic. Thank you Jessebella!" Jillian shouted as the coordinator received a perfect score from all three judges as well. With Jessie's turn over, the appeals round ended. "Now we turn the screen and see who advances to the battle round," Jillian looked at the giant monitor. To no one's surprise, May and Jessebella advanced but would not face off at the moment.
I am almost certain Jessebella is going to be my opponent in the final round, her performance was amazing, May stared at the results on the monitor.
"Well done twerpe- I mean May. I can't wait to see how far we go," Jessebella approached May backstage as she tried to play off her slip of the tongue.
"Thanks, Jessebella, let the best coordinator win," May grinned at her and the pair shook hands. The two women looked into each other's eyes with all the determination they had, but Jessie remained fully aware of her mission.
Without a moment's waste, the battle rounds began. May used Alomomola and Liepard for these rounds. With the experience May had under her belt, it was hardly a fair fight, and easily moved on to the final round of the contest. Similarly, Jessie swept her opponent using Frillish and Woobat, thus setting the stage for the final round.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have made it to the final round of the Driftveil Contest and boy has it been a ride. Please give our final participants one last welcome to the stage as we enter the final phase of the battle rounds. Let's give it up for May and Jessebella!" Jillian raised her arms towards the audience.
May and Jessie stepped up with confident gazes. Both coordinators were prepared for anything, and they could feel their blood pumping. May didn't anticipate having such a worthy foe going into this contest, but she was going to enjoy it. Likewise, Jessie was having the time of her life and recalled how she had missed this rush, which she hadn't felt since Sinnoh.
Ash's girlfriend reached for her two Pokéballs and released them, "Alomomola, Liepard, take the stage!"
"Frillish, Woobat, showtime!" Jessie called her Pokémon out.
All four Pokémon took their battle stances, and the bell rang to begin. "Liepard, use Shadow Ball and Alomomola, release a Water Pulse!" May commanded as her two Pokémon made the first move. The watery blue sphere and the purple energy ball merged into a swirly blue/purple beam that aimed for Jessie's Pokémon.
"Woobat use Air Slash and Frillish use Bubble Beam!" Jessie countered. Woobat's blades of energy merged with Frillish's Bubble Beam and the combination attack cancelled out May's. The force from the impact caused both sides to get pushed back a bit as both coordinators lost points. "Frillish, use Mist," Jessie moved quickly. Frillish released a large body of mist that covered the field and made it difficult for May to see. Not long after that, Jessie's Woobat unleashed another Air Slash.
May did not appear concerned though and ordered Liepard to rely on its hearing. Liepard could hear the sound of the Air Slash and Woobat's wings flapping. As soon it could determine the proximity of Woobat and Air Slash, the catlike Pokémon dodged and released a Dark Pulse. Unfortunately for Jessie, the Dark Pulse hit its mark and Woobat sustained significant damage. "Gotcha," May cheered arrogantly.
"Not quite, Frillish Psychic!" Jessie countered. The Air Slash that had initially missed Liepard began to glow in a blue outline and was redirected toward Alomomola. May's eyes widened with surprise for a second but quickly regained her composure.
"Alomomola, use Protect!" May threw her arm out and her Water-type fended off the attack in the nick of time with a glowing dome.
The twerpette is as good as ever, the guy wasn't kidding, Jessie gritted her teeth as she thought about her superior's comments about May's abilities.
"Uh-oh, Jessie's in twouble," Meowth gasped.
"Give it your best Jess!" James continued to cheer her on.
"May, you've got this. Let's go!" Ash shouted with high energy.
May heard her boyfriend and nodded at him with assurance. The brunette noticed the mist was nearly gone and took advantage of that, "Alomomola, finish Woobat with Aqua Jet and Liepard use Night Slash!"
"Woobat, use Air Slash on Alomomola. Frillish, use Bubble Beam on Liepard!" Jessie commanded one more time. Much to her dismay, Alomomola easily dodged Air Slash with the superior speed from Aqua Jet and sent Woobat flying when it made an impact. Liepard took on Bubble Beam head-on and easily decimated the beam with its Night Slash, sending the jellyfish Pokémon flying after delivering a triumphant Night Slash.
With 2 minutes left on the timer, Woobat and Frillish fainted at Jessie's feet. The monitor revealed May as the victor of the Driftveil City Contest. "And there you have it, May is the winner of this year's Driftveil City Contest. Please give all our contestants a round of applause for their participation. Without further ado May, here's your ribbon!" Jillian celebrated as she handed May her latest ribbon.
"Oh well, we gave it everything we had you two. Thank you," Jessie sighed and returned her Pokémon, not even feeling sorry for herself. Much to her surprise though, the audience cheered for both females' performances and they both thanked everyone.
"She lwost, fow a moment I thawt she could've had it," Meowth sighed.
"She doesn't look too upset Meowth, look at her," James crossed his arms and smiled as Jessie seemed content for once. Perhaps their most recent experiences made them a little more grateful for the simpler things in life.
May admired her ribbon with Liepard and Alomomola. "Alright guys, we got the Driftveil Ribbon!" May posed with her ribbon while her two Pokémon cheered.
The brunette noticed Jessebella heading backstage and decided to go after her to thank her for a good battle. Just as she was about to catch up with her though, Ash and the others called out to her.
"Ash!" May shouted happily as she saw her favorite person and her friends approach them. Ash ran up to her and hugged her while lifting her up, spinning her around for a moment.
"You did it May, I am so happy for you. You never stop being incredible no matter what," Ash put May down and looked into her glistening eyes.
"Thank you," May grabbed his face with both her hands and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.
Iris, Cilan, Pikachu, Axew, and Victini smiled happily at the pair while praising May for her abilities every step of the way. "Thank you for all the encouragement, guys, it really means a lot," May blushed.
"The way you and Petilil improved upon your performance from last time was exquisite," Cilan nodded approvingly.
"And the way Liepard used its hearing to dodge and attack Woobat was phenomenal, well done!" Iris also gave her two cents.
May continued blushing, "Oh you guys are too much. Let's go find Jessebella. I actually want to thank her for the fun I had. I know she's just down this hall." May's friends followed her, and they made a turn around the corner to find Jessebella in a Team Rocket uniform along with James and Meowth.
"No way!" May's eyes grew.
"I knew she looked familiar!" Iris yelled.
"It's Team Rocket!" Ash frowned as Pikachu, Victini, and Axew became serious.
"Well, that was an unexpected twist," Cilan was also surprised.
"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie threw her fake glasses aside.
"Make it double!" James stood proudly next to her.
"To protect the world from devastation," Jessie twirled as James spun her.
"To unite all peoples within our nation," James twirled as Jessie spun him.
"Meowth, they know the rest and we are nearly out of time to complete the mission!" Meowth interjected as he leaped in front of the Rocket duo.
"Oh right," James and Jessie replied with embarrassed tones.
"You're not getting Pikachu!" Ash countered.
"Pika!" Pikachu angrily proclaimed.
"Relax twerp, that's not what we're here for," James urged them to calm down.
"Then what?" May frowned, frustrated that her rival was a crook.
"Real quick, let me just say that you got lucky back there twerpette but the whole reason we got involved in this contest was so we could get close to you twerps to deliver a message," Jessie revealed.
"To get close to us?" Iris raised an eyebrow.
"Ax?" Axew was just as confused as its master.
"Yeah, if wez had come up ta ya on the street youse would've blasted us off ASAP," Meowth claimed, which none of the teens denied.
"What message did you need to deliver?" Cilan became intrigued.
"We were assigned to this contest by the guy you know as Genesis. You know, black coat and red helmet, right?" James clarified.
May gritted her teeth with fire in her eyes, "You're working for Omega now?"
"No twerpette, it's not what it seems. Genesis merely wanted us to tell you that he wants you to meet him in Eindoak Town," Jessie became intimidated by May's attitude as she shook her hands frantically.
"Why not just meet us himself?" Ash continued frowning alongside Pikachu.
"Cuz he wouldn't get az warm of a reception az us," Meowth glared at them.
"Why should we even meet with a guy like that?" Iris was also suspicious.
The Rocket Trio sighed over the abrasiveness they received, but they understood where the twerps were coming from. "Look you have a right to be as suspicious as you are, but we know that this is a matter of life or death and if you don't meet with Genesis, then a conflict between the Swords of Justice and the Forces of Nature will tear Unova apart. He needs your help," James tried to summarize everything as plainly as possible to make them understand.
The words the Rockets uttered left the friends shaken. Ash and May felt like they were out of the frying pan and thrown into the fire. They were prepared to hear Jessie, James, and Meowth out.
