Part CLXXX: Rivals Roulette
"Well folk, it's here!" Jillian said excitedly as she took the stage in Lumiose Stadium and waved to the cheering crowds that were clearly just as excited as she was for the upcoming battles. "The battle round of the first Kalos Grand Festival has begun! And what a battle do we have for you to kick it off!"
As she spoke Serena and Shauna walked out from the trainer's entrance in the stadium as the crowd roared even louder and cameras panned around the girls who strode out across the gangways to the battlefield. Yup, the random draw for the first round of battles had produced an opening matchup of Serena verses Shauna which had really set the Grand Festival alight with fevered anticipation for it. It was after all the perfect way to start the battles.
That had been yesterday after the appeals had ended and the random draw for the battles had taken place. Serena, Shauna, Miette, Tierno, Khoury, and Emily had all advanced to the battles, along with Brianna, Jessilina and 8 others so theoretically they should be able to avoid facing each other until the quarterfinals if the draw broke that way.
However, fate had decided to be cruel to them and pit the two girls from Vaniville Town against each other first while the remaining 6 that they knew were drawn against other trainers. That meant that their battle would be the only battle in the first round between friends and rivals, or at least big names, and to top it all off they were going first in the day's slate of battles.
Still, it was certainly a way to really kick it off and both girls were eager and ready for it as they made their way to the battlefield. They'd spent the night in their lodgings preparing the Pokémon they'd chosen for this battle, planning strategies, and getting ready for what was to com.
Then, this morning upon arrival, they had immediately gone to their starting points to kick off the battles right away. Naturally they were both wearing their Master Class outfits which only added to it all as they approached the spots where coordinators stood during a Contest battle. Of course, all this was accompanied by Jillian's excited commentary on the upcoming matchup that added to the hype immensely.
"This is a match for the ages, one that will be talked about in the history books because we couldn't have asked for a more perfect opening match to the inaugural Kalos Grand Festival." Jillian said to the roaring crowd as the girls walked along the bridges that connected the battlefield to the edge. "The battles will begin with a battle between two native Kalos performers both from Vaniville Town but more than that they are both talented performers in Kalos's traditional female only competition who met a little over a year ago along with one other performer who will be going later this morning in the Master Class final that blew our minds that year!"
Jillian paused at this as the girls reached the starting points and waited while the crowd was really going at it mainly because these were the two of the three Kalos girls who held the most home region support so were going to get the loudest cheer of the day. This was going to a battle everyone would remember for years and Jillian was properly preparing everyone for it.
"Not only that but they both had to qualify for this via the Wildcard so let's start with the winner of that Wildcard who despite her appeal successes is technically the underdog in this battle according to the blogs." Jillian said as she thrust an arm out to Shauna's side. "She was the highest scoring coordinator in the Wildcard, a score she then replicated in the appeals yesterday to record the highest score there as well but when she was in the Master Class she came second to her current opponent. Still, she's touched our hearts and more than earned her moniker so give a cheer for the Appealer from Vaniville, Shauna!"
The crowd erupted at that in even more cheers as Shauna smiled and waved to the crowd to really get to them. All this was hype by Jillian but both Shauna and Serena knew the importance of winning the crowd to your side thanks to their Showcase pedigree, so they really played into the cheers, something Serena had noted that Misty hadn't really done the year before but that just showed more of their differences in how they approached Contests.
Still, Serena was going to do her best to emulate Misty and May today and make them proud of her. She was actually a year older than the two girls but that didn't stop Serena from greatly admiring their skills and accomplishments so she would do her best to show that to them as she prepared for her first Grand Festival battle.
It wasn't her first double battle; she'd had one the year prior against Aria to help bond more with Pancham and Fennekin and it had worked as Fennekin had evolved in it, but this was her first Contest double battle, so she had to be ready for it. She was and Serena stood there smiling at Shauna as her friend finished waving to the crowd and Jillian began her introduction of Serena.
"And facing her is arguably the home region favorite in terms of popularity who you've all come to love." Jillian said moving her arm to Serena's side. "She won the Master Class over Shauna and Miette before losing to Aria but is recognized by Aria as a rival which is a testament to her performer skills but as a coordinator she shouldn't be underestimated either. That's because despite needing to qualify via the Wildcard she still shocked the Contest world with her win in the Wallace Cup this year. We've been calling her the Kalos Princess but that's a nod to her Showcase pedigree, it's time we truly acknowledge her Contest skills so presenting the Darling of Kalos herself, it's Serena!"
Serena blinked at that as the crowd gave a cheer even louder than the one they'd given Shauna. She'd finally grown accustomed to being called the Kalos Princess and even accepted it as a good moniker for her as she wasn't the Kalos Queen but considered to be one of the challengers to Aria and it was like May being the Princess of Hoenn, so she got to pay tribute to her mentor in a way as well as referencing Showcases.
Now, though, it seemed that she'd gotten her own true moniker for Contests and at that Serena just smiled and waved enthusiastically to the crowd. She'd do her best to live up to the expectations and embrace this new title she'd earned from Contests alone rather than as a talented performer trying her hand at Contests to improve her performing.
"That fits you better Serena." Shauna said with a smile from the other side of the battlefield. "You are our darling after your victory in the Wallace Cup and what it means for Contests in Kalos but that doesn't mean that I'm going to lay over and take it. No, I'll show you that I'm the best in Kalos and get a little revenge for the Master Class, all in good fun of course."
"Bring it Shauna, I wouldn't want to start this Grand Festival any other way than by facing one of my closest friends and the person who showed me the beauty of Showcases and the path I wanted to walk as a trainer." Serena said smiling broadly at Shauna as she pulled out her two Poke Balls and meaning what she'd said as Shauna was the one she thanked the most for showing her what would become Serena's dream. "And I've got a debut for the Grand Festival that I can't think of a better opponent to show him off to. Let's show everyone what the women of Kalos can do."
"Yes, lets." Shauna said pulling out her own two Poke Balls eager for the challenge Serena had laid down. "A double battle between two performers, a grace that has never been seen before. This will be like our show in Lumiose last year after the incident."
"Only with a battle rather than as a freestyle." Serena agreed. "It's the perfect way to kick off the battles of the first Kalos Grand Festival and set the tone for years to come as our region embraces the new possibilities of Contests."
"That's it ladies, we love it when you show your friendly rivalry and regional pride like this." Jillian said excitedly. "And on that note, battle begin!"
"Venusaur, Gothitelle, let's perform." Shauna said tossing out her Poke Balls with an elegant flourish.
"Sylveon, Rhyperior, go!" Serena said grinning as she threw her own balls out with a similar grace to Shauna's only more in keeping with her style. "Mom gave me the needed item and instructions to evolve my Rhydon and he took it when I presented it to him. I learned that you can't be predictable or fit a specific style if you want to grow."
"Misty's a great girl for teaching that, isn't she." Shauna said as all four Pokémon appeared and she was still taken aback by the large rock and ground type that burst from one of Serena's Poke Balls, it really didn't fit her and yet still felt right somehow as it landed with a thud in front of her a grin on its face. "But that won't be enough to best me. Venusaur, use Vine Whip on Rhyperior, Gothitelle Psybeam."
"Grab those vines Rhyperior and hold on to get a Rock Blast off, I know you can do it." Serena said as the battle began. "Sylveon, dodge and counter with Dig."
"Pull those vines back the moment you land them." Shauna said as she tried to work around Serena's orders and be ready for the impending attacks. "And be prepared Gothitelle, try to avoid the Dig and then strike with Feint Attack."
Rhyperior raised his left arm as the vines tore at him while Sylveon just leapt forward and dug into the ground so that the Psybeam shot over it as it reached her thus registering a miss and shaving some points off Shauna's score. A second later the vines reached Rhyperior but as they did he took a step back to ensure that they wrapped around his left arm, lashing it in the process and her grunted from the pain of a move that was super effective against both his types, and held it there, gripping it such that Venusaur couldn't recall them.
The moment Venusaur showed trouble, Rhyperior raised he right arm and fired off 4 rocks from the hole in his palm at Venusaur. This was one of the advantages of evolving and the moment Rhyperior had been presented with that Protector after the last Contest when he was still a Rhydon he knew that he wanted it and to evolve one more time to protect and fight for Serena.
He'd taken the Protector without hesitation and so on the way back Serena had sent Rhyperior as a Rhydon through the Pokémon Transfer system while he was holding the Protector in his Poke Ball to the machine that was located in the Lumiose Gym. Thus, when she got there and retrieved the ball he was able to evolve right after emerging giving him a week as Rhyperior to adapt to the change and properly train for his Contest debut in his final form.
Now it was time for that debut and a chance to help Serena, so he was showing it for her as the let off the Rock Blast the tore across the battlefield and slammed into Venusaur's face. Thanks to holding the Vine Whip it couldn't defend itself and took the attack that it was neither weak nor resistant to head on.
However, that wasn't the only part of the attack as this had been a combo attack. Serena had prepared to use Rhyperior and Sylveon together in battle and had devised a cunning strategy that was about to be revealed though Venusaur's grass type negated the poison weakness to the move that Sylveon knew to counter her own weaknesses. That was because right after the rocks hit and Venusaur was still reeling, Sylveon burst from the ground beneath Venusaur.
The plan was to attack the same Pokémon with both Rock Blast and Dig and through off Shauna which Serena had managed as Venusaur roared in pain and frustration as it was lifted off the ground from Sylveon slamming into its belly as hard as she could manage though Venusaur's weight did mean that she didn't lift him up that much. Regardless, the move set Serena up for everything she needed to launch the next set of moves and Shauna had already tipped her hand with the Feint Attack call.
"Sylveon, use Protect to prevent that Feint Attack." Serena ordered as Sylveon was in the air to protect her from Gothitelle's upcoming Feint Attack. "Then counter with Swift. Rhyperior, pull Venusaur in and await my command."
"Venusaur, resist and then do what you can to alter your trajectory if Rhyperior pulls you in." Shauna said realizing instantly what Serena was planning. "Then use Energy Ball, let's use this hold to our advantage as we have a serious type advantage over Rhyperior. Gothitelle, brace for that Protect then grab Sylveon with Psychic."
As Shauna had been speaking Gothitelle had launched herself at Sylveon with the dark type move that never missed other than against a move like the Dig during the transition phase that Sylveon had used earlier at the ready. However, while it never missed, it wasn't like the Feint move in that it couldn't get past a Protect and so Gothitelle slammed into the defensive move that formed around Sylveon before she reached her and bounced off it to drop back to the ground.
The order had been to take hold of Sylveon with Psychic and slam it into the ground but as Gothitelle's eyes glowed blue in preparation to take hold of Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokémon opened her mouth and unleashed the stars of Swift the second the Protect fell. As Gothitelle was focused on Sylveon she couldn't stop or avoid the Swift, so the stars slammed into her long body and drove her down to the ground where she crashed into it with a thud on her back as Sylveon gracefully landed on her feet facing Gothitelle.
At the same time as the Swift was landing, Rhyperior gave off a roar and yanked Venusaur just as it landed on the stage following taking the Dig attack towards him with all his considerable strength. Both may be fully evolved Pokémon, but he had the raw strength on Venusaur and hauled it towards him with enough force to pull it off the ground though Venusaur remained low to it as it wailed and flailed its feet in the air. That was just what Serena wanted as she waited for the moment and Rhyperior began to spin his horn in anticipation.
"Now!" Serena yelled as the point reached them that she was sure the hit would land. "Horn Drill. Sylveon use Fairy Wind on Gothitelle to keep it at bay."
"Avoid it at all costs Venusaur." Shauna retorted. "Feint Attack again Gothitelle."
The move required precision timing to land, it had a terrible accuracy rate but that was a trade off for the one hit knockout nature of it. To compensate for that, as Serena had proven when she used it to win the Wallace Cup against Ash and Talonflame, she'd employed the timing a freestyle required into the move to make sure it landed, something only a trained performer could manage and what they brought to Contests.
It was a good tactic but the problems with it were that now it was well known after Serena used it on such a big stage and Shauna was also a performer, so she also understood timing on the same level as Serena did. That was why she'd given the dodge order, she knew that this was coming, and so Venusaur focused on what it could do as the horn on Rhyperior began to rapidly spin and it came up with the genius idea to slam its toes into the ground with all it could as it neared Rhyperior, and the vines were slack enough to avoid being an issue.
The result was Venusaur using the impact with the ground to effectively bounce off it and flip over the head of a Rhyperior as Rhyperior launched upwards with the Horn Drill and missed thanks to the sudden change in direction which also staggered Rhyperior forward from his own momentum. Venusaur used this to twist 180 degrees as he finished his flip and land on his feet behind Rhyperior and skid on the ground a few feet, opening his mouth as he did.
While this was going on, Sylveon had unleashed the pink mist of Fairy Wind at Gothitelle as she got up, so it covered the Astral Body Pokémon and blinded her while doing damage in the process. However, she'd made note of where Sylveon was so that the moment she was on her feet she launched herself at the fairy type evolution of Eevee despite engulfed in pink mist.
Sylveon had only just finished the Fairy Wind when suddenly Gothitelle shot out of the mist right in front of her and struck Sylveon across the face with Feint Attack. Sylveon was resistant to the dark type attack thanks to being one of the formally normal turned fairy types, but it still staggered her. Still, their little fight was nothing compared to what was going on with the other one.
That was because the moment Venusaur had landed it had prepared an Energy Ball as ordered and with the vines Rhyperior was still holding it would land and do serious damage to the rock and ground type. At least that was the plan, but Serena was ready for it.
"Drop the vines, pivot to dodge it and use Earthquake." Serena ordered as the Energy Ball was released. "Sylveon, Protect!"
The vines were pretty loose by this point, so Rhyperior just let go of them and used his right hand to swipe them off his left arm right before he pivoted on his left foot and spun gracefully away, a sight that was strange to see coming from a Pokémon of his size and bulk, as he avoided the Energy Ball. At the same time, he clenched his right fist and raised his arm so that when he finished his spin he was able to drop to a knee and slam his fist into the ground as he used the momentum of his spin to add to the force.
As expected, the entire stage shook violently as the Earthquake was unleashed but thanks to the Protect order, and the move not being used in succession thanks to the Fairy Wind and Swift attacks, the protective shield appeared around Sylveon as the Earthquake began. As a result, any potential friendly fire from the area affecting ground type attack was avoided while Venusaur and Gothitelle took the full brunt of it.
Both wailed as Gothitelle fell over and Venusaur fell to its knees, its grass type keeping it in the game by negating the poison type's weakness, but Venusaur had taken a fair bit of hits so far in the battle. Only it's fully evolved status and none being super effective kept it conscious.
"Now, Dig and Thunder." Serena ordered as the shaking came to an end, her knees having been braced for it while Shauna and Jillian had been forced to basically dance around to avoid falling over but they managed it. "Switch it up."
"Razor Leaf." Shauna said. "Take down Rhyperior and brace for it, Gothitelle use Rock Slide."
Rhyperior didn't even get up, he just angled his horn at Gothitelle, and the ball of electricity formed on it before it shot off his horn in an arc while Sylveon leapt up and twisted to face Venusaur before she dove into the ground. Venusaur was able to get up and send out several sharp leaves at Rhyperior's broad, exposed, back but Gothitelle wasn't able to manage it as she tried to rise to her feet after the Earthquake.
The result was a blast of electricity that took Gothitelle directly in the face and she was send crashing back to the ground wailing for the third time that battle and pushing her to the edge of her limit though she was just about still in it. At the same time though the Razor Leaf slammed into Rhyperior's back and he fell forward and faceplanted the ground with a crash.
The second grass type attack was a lot and now he too was barely holding on, only his will power and fully evolved status kept him in it. Well, that and the Dig landing a moment later preventing a follow-up attack that would have ended him.
Venusaur let out a wail as it was again launched up from the ground by Sylveon bursting from beneath it. That sent Venusaur to the side and allowed for a battered Rhyperior to get up though he knew he'd faint if he took even one more attack. Still all four Pokémon were in the battle and giving it their all to win as were their trainers.
"Sludge Bomb on Sylveon." Shauna ordered. "Gothitelle, defend anything and if possible sent it back with Psychic."
"Dodge and counter with Swift." Serena ordered. "Rhyperior, Rock Blast. Use that to occupy Gothitelle."
All Pokémon acted at almost exactly the same time. Venusaur and Sylveon were still in the air but that didn't stop the former form concentrating all its toxins and unleashing them in balls of poisonous sludge at Sylveon. Sylveon in turn sent one of her ribbons to Rhyperior and grabbed the protrusion thing on his upper left arm to pull herself clear of the super effective move while opening her mouth and unleashing a series of stars at Venusaur that peppered him as he crashed into the stage with a grunt but somehow pushed through it as he skidded on his side.
As for Rhyperior, he ignored his teammate pulling herself to him and then flipping over him to land on her feet facing Venusaur next to him as he got up from the ground, raised his hand and sent two rocks from the hole in his right palm at Gothitelle who had just managed to get to her feet once again. Her eyes glowed blue as the rocks flew at her before they stopped well short of her and began to get ready to send them back. Serena had just the counter for this thanks to all she'd seen this year when dealing with Psychic attacks and how to deal with them.
"Rhyperior, thun…" Serena began as Shauna also opened her mouth for an order but suddenly the bell rang to signal the end of the 5 minutes and thus the end of the battle.
Both girls had, as they'd had many times before, been so engrossed in the battle that they'd forgotten about the fact that Contest battles had a 5-minute time limit until it actually ended. The moment it did though they came back to their senses around them as Gothitelle dropped the boulders and Venusaur got to his feet to slowly make his way back to Shauna. The first battle of the first Kalos Grand Festival was now in the books.
"What a battle from two top tier performers, I know that I was mesmerized by it and didn't want it to end." Jillian said as the crowd roared in agreement at the battle that they'd just witnessed. "But end it had to and now we have our first winner who has advanced to tomorrow's quarterfinal, and that winner is…"
Both girls looked up to the board where their points bars were but even as they did they knew what they'd see. Both had noted during the battle the hits and misses that were inflicted and it was clear one of them had landed more hits than the other at the very least. The points showed what they were expecting with one of them just below 40% and the other below 30% for a decisive victory.
"…Serena!" Jillian said as the crowd roared at the announcement of the first winner of a Kalos Grand Festival battle. "She moves onto the quarterfinals but after such an intense battle and so many great appeals we hope to see Shauna in more Contests in the future and wish her luck in getting the final two ribbons she needs to permanently secure qualification so that we can see her in the Kalos Grand Festival again."
"Sylveon, Rhyperior return." Serena said ignoring Jillian's words as she smiled while recalling her Pokémon and looked at the Poke Balls in her hands as the crowd cheered. "You did well you two, I couldn't have asked for more from you in that battle. Take a good rest, you earned it, and you won't be needed until the semifinals at the earliest and only if I make it there, so you've got a bit of a break now. Thank you."
"Venusaur, Gothitelle, return." Shauna said at the same time as Serena a smaller, sadder, smile on her face. "You were great, but Serena really understands battles and how to incorporate our style into it more than I do at this moment in time. That is where I have to improve but I promise I will so we can all improve overall. Let's support Serena as she continues, and Tierno, Miette, and the others as well of course."
At that Shauna put her Poke Balls away as did Serena and she looked up to catch her friend and rival's eye. Then, as was proper and because the handshake wasn't going to happen in the Grand Festival even in the final due to timing constraints, Shauna daintily held her dress and gave Serena a low curtsy, lowering her head as she did in a sign of deep respect for her friend. Serena returned the gesture though not as deeply as was proper before they rose, smiled at each other and left the stage while the crowd cheered.
Shauna had given it her all, but she'd fallen short of moving on in the battles. Still, she'd at least reached them putting her in the top 16 of the Grand festival and she knew that she'd grown and what she had to do to improve so she was going to learn from this loss.
Now it was time to change as her year ended but seeing the world would have to wait as she had to support Serena and the others throughout the Grand Festival followed by attending the Lumiose Conference to support Trevor and Tierno. Only after that would they decide what she wanted to do next year.
For Serena, she just headed back to the waiting room to cheer the others on and wait to see who else advanced to the quarterfinals. She'd get a chance to properly console Shauna later, for now the others needed her support and she'd be there for them as the Grand Festival continued with the only battle in the first round not to feature any of her friends, the annoying girl who had declared Serena her archenemy, or Jessilina.
"That was a good battle for Serena." May said with a nod as the next coordinators, one a wildcard the other someone here via the hybrid approach, were introduced in the only match that had no one their group of spectators knew in it. "She held it together well, used some good tricks and a little grace when necessary along with plenty of ingenuity in it."
"True, that Protect in conjunction with the Earthquake was very clever." Misty added, there was no need to mention the evolution as they'd explained it to those not in know back at the start of the battle. "Great way to defend against an area move that hurts friend and foe alike unless your second Pokémon is a flying type. Usually those moves aren't conducive for double battles, but Serena did well to find a way around it. That really helped her in it but overall, she's just a better battler."
"That's not a surprise." Trevor said as he looked at the pictures of the battle that he'd captured before preparing to take more of the next and subsequent battles that they'd all be watching today. "Shauna's got a lot of grace and elegance, but she's not yet managed to put it together into a battle like Serena and Miette have managed. It's why here appeals are great, but battling has been a bit of a struggle for her."
"That certainly explains the 3 ribbons and no wins over notable names like the others have managed in the Grand Festival though in Serena's case it's more the quality of two of her wins as she only had 3 in the end." May said. "I'll give it to Shauna; she held her own well and did better than when she lost to Serena in the Lagoon Town Contest but in the end Serena was still a stronger battler."
"It's a shame that Shauna had to lose." Bonnie said. "But Serena was so graceful there. I can't wait to see how far she goes; I really hope she wins I just wish it wasn't through such a close friend."
"It will all depend on the draw which is going to be unpredictable but facing friends is an inevitability of it if they all start winning." Misty said as the second battle started. "That will be the deciding factor in who advances I'd say as we could see a Bog 3 matchup in the quarterfinals which would break the Grand Festival wide open. I don't think the others will lose their matches today, however, they're either strong battlers, favorites, or understand this well."
"Khoury won't lose, he'll make it to the quarterfinals." Lyra said confidently though they all knew her clear bias for her boyfriend. "I know it."
"Tierno is a battle expert, I doubt he'll have a problem advancing." Trevor said. "For him it will be the top tier talent and the styles they use that will be tough for him as a coordinator who can actually challenge for the Ribbon Cup has really honed the style to a level that can match a trainer of Tierno's skills when you factor in the Contest battle setting and rules."
"Similarly, Miette's battle style is as strong if not stronger than Serena's albeit a shade less graceful when needs be." May said as she thought back on the Aquacorde Contest and how well Miette had done in it to beat Serena in the final. "She'll be fine in this round; it will be the next one when she might face a friend or favorite that will be really interesting."
"Emily has a good team prepared so I trust she'll make it." Adam said as they all watched him continued to make notes on the battle. "She'll be fine until she faces one of the other Big 3 girls at least. She may struggle against Tierno as well as she's not as good against a regular trainer as someone like Brianna would be, but I think Miette and Serena will be easier, neither really can counter fairy types."
"True but as Emily herself proved in the Kanto Grand Festival last year when she upset Nando, anything can happen in a Contest." Misty said though she did leave out how it was an extremely lucky and at the time known break regarding the as of yet unannounced new fairy types that had led to Emily's shock win. "But at least for now they're all set I think."
"The quarters will be where it really is at." May said with a nod. "That will really separate the contenders from the rest, if you can make a Grand Festival semifinal then you're a true threat for the Ribbon Cup. So, let's sit back and enjoy the show while supporting our remaining friends before the real intrigue begins."
The others nodded as they settled in for the remaining battles of the day while being ready to be there for Shauna when she returned and to praise the others when they won, if they won that is. It was going to be a long but fun day, they knew it, and all were looking forward to how the first battles of the first Kalos Grand Festival went.
"Well, was that a surprise to anyone?" Khoury asked their group as they watched the battle end and looked to the points to note that Serena had won the battle by around 10% points. "Serena won that comfortably I'd say."
"She's a better battler than Shauna and so all she had to do was avoid getting overwhelmed by the type disadvantages Rhyperior and Sylveon had to Venusaur, and she'd come out on top." Miette said though she was about to head out as she had the third battle of the day. "Once she managed to do that despite Rhyperior taking 2 grass type attacks, it has to be newly evolved by the way as it was a Rhydon in the Aquacorde Contest, she had it. A good display of skill out there for sure and the grace of Sylveon avoiding that Sludge Bomb was quite impressive."
"Serena must have gotten a Protector at some point and used it as I'm sure that's the same Pokémon as the Rhydon she used to win the Wallace Cup." Khoury said. "That's what one needs to evolve a Rhydon, along with a transfer or trade machine to provide the necessary energy. Impressive that she used it."
"It's Serena, she's always impressive so I am not surprised that she can use a Pokémon that doesn't appear to fit her beautiful style." Tierno said. "And if I recall her mother gave her that Rhyperior back when it was a Rhyhorn as she raises and races them so no doubt she got that Protector from her mother."
"She picked that concept up from Misty." Emily noted as Miette took her leave to wait for her battle as the second battle coordinators were being introduced. "Misty said to be broad with Pokémon to me and she's shown her unique and unlikely Pokémon in the past. This must be Serena's version of it, and I bet that if she travels on her own we'll see Serena with an even broader range of Pokémon in the long run."
"True, Misty did show off her Spiritomb and Banette last year to win it all in Kanto." Khoury said recalling that final well. "And we saw her Malamar and Machamp in the Master Class, so we know she has some strange Pokémon."
"I wonder what's next for her." Emily said. "Misty that is, she's always surprising me with her Pokémon."
"It's Misty, it could be anything." A new voice said, and they turned to see Serena returning to their little group having only heard Emily's final statement about Misty. "Expect the unexpected with her thanks in no small part to Ash and his influence."
The others nodded before they mobbed her to congratulate her while Serena just smiled and thanked them though she did praise Shauna's effort as well which the others agreed with. She was glad for this support and reminded them that she was here for them as well because they'd all be going soon and until the next day none were rivals, yet. They all agreed and settled in for the rest of the day as they watched the second battle getting ready for their own ones as all strove to join Serena in the quarterfinals of the Grand Festival.
After the second battle which had none of their group or the other two Big 3 in it, and was won by the third wildcard to make the battles, they settled back to watch the rest of the battles in the first day. They were all facing other coordinators who they'd seen around over the year but who they didn't know so there wasn't the pressure of facing a friend, rival, favorite, or enemy in their first battles of the Grand Festival unlike the opening match between Serena and Shauna.
What they all did know was that a win meant that they'd join Serena in the quarterfinals. As such they had to give it their all for that chance to join in it be it for the rivalry they had with each other, personal pride, or in Brianna's case her twisted sense of justice on those who she thought had wronged her but naturally hadn't. Well, all that and the main reason which was the chance to win the Ribbon Cup and claim the title of Top Coordinator and the honor of winning the first ever Kalos Grand Festival.
The first of their group up to try and join Serena in the quarterfinals was Khoury who was up against another Johto trainer who'd made the Grand Festival with 5 ribbons just like Khoury had done. It wasn't as graceful as Serena and Shauna's was, but it was more like a traditional Contest battle as Khoury's Pokémon countered his opponents well in a well-balanced match that he ended up winning on points thanks to a pair of well-placed hits in the last 10 seconds that dropped his opponent's points too low to recover from.
He was followed by Miette to end the morning slate before the lunch break, and she was up against a Hoenn coordinator who was another of the pure qualifiers in the Grand Festival having secured 5 ribbons that year as well and who was clearly classically trained in Contest battles. That was a good thing, the girl had grace and elegance, but she seemed to lack a battle edge that Miette was known for and with Miette's improved battle style she really showed it.
Miette showed that when her Lopunny and Clauncher ran circles around her opponent's Pokémon striking with precision and avoiding with the moves a freestyle trained Pokémon would have though as neither held type advantages or disadvantages neither really broke through in the match. As such, Miette was able to easily win on points and advance much to the crowd's joy at another Kalos native advancing.
After Miette's match there was a lunch break that they all enjoyed, chatted about the matches that had happened, and ate with Serena, Khoury, and Miette all more relaxed than the others as they'd already secured their spots in the quarterfinal. Two more in their little group were still to go and both wanted to advance. First though they had to watch Jessilina's battle as she was the first one up after lunch.
As expected Jessilina dominated her match with her Seviper and Frillish, even taking out one of her opponent's Pokémon with Seviper's poisoning it to knock it out with one minute remaining while using Frillish's mist well to strike from within it with clean, quick, shots that showed her experience and the style that Jessilina seemed to prefer with her Frillish. With one Pokémon out, the other trainer, a Kanto man who had 3 ribbons in Kalos and 2 from his native Kanto for a hybrid qualification, wasn't able to overcome it and lost the most lopsided battle of the day so far.
That honor only lasted one battle however as next up was Tierno and he was a battle specialist who showed it in his battle. His first match of the Grand Festival lasted 3 minutes before his Politoed and Raichu took down his opponent's Pokémon for a victory by Battle Off though he did have the types on his side. Still, it was a match that showed how the battles were a fresh start on the Grand Festival as the person he beat had come 5th in the appeal.
With Tierno's win that just left Emily who was after him in their group to advance before Brianna wrapped up the day. It seemed fitting that Brianna would be the last one to end the day though she'd actually been quiet all day which was a blessing to them for once, but none expected it to last much longer.
Naturally Emily finished their winning streak when she went up, but she wasn't a Big 3 for nothing. Even facing an opponent who was using a pure steel and pure poison type as her Pokémon in an attempt to counter Emily, who's own Pokémon weren't suited for that with Whimsicott and Carbink, she still managed to win it.
Emily did so by showing her expertise and a style that Serena had to admit was better than the year before where she incorporated a lot of dodges, counters and really used the air to avoid and then land hits to win comfortably on points. It really showed the young Kanto girl's growth and why she was going to be one of the toughest to beat in the Grand Festival.
With that they had all advanced and so it was just a matter of watching Brianna battle and wincing at what was going to happen in it. With everyone she hated or wanted to beat advancing Brianna was going to be quick and ruthless in her battle to get it over with and she showed that by dispatching her opponent in just over two minutes with her Flygon and Ledian for a Battle Off and then walking off with the barest curtesy to be polite and avoid triggering her warning. It showed her attitude but also her skills because it was a good battle.
"Well, there we have it, the 8 coordinators who have advanced to tomorrow's quarterfinals have now been fully determined." Jillian said as Brianna left, and the cards appeared on the board showing the remaining coordinators in the Grand Festival. "Let's see who they are all facing next."
Serena, Miette, Tierno, Khoury, and Emily all stood in their group as they watched the cards flip and shuffle while Jessie watched from her corner, Brianna returned to the room and the one guy who wasn't associated with any of them just calmly looked at the screen. It only took a moment for the cards to be shuffled before they formed two columns of 4 with vs. between them showing the order. Only once all this was done did they flip over.
With only 8 of them it only took them a moment to see the results and gasp at the matchups and order in which they would be going, or in Brianna's case just smirk as she had a good matchup. Still, she needed her main enemies to win so she could properly crush them but rather than confront them and risk triggering her warning she just turned and left as they discussed the upcoming matches. Tomorrow would decide things, they all knew it.
"So that's who they are facing off against." May said as they all looked at the matchups for the next day. "After only one today it was bound to end up with three matchups between people we know but seriously, again? What is going on with these random draws? What are odds of that draw happening?"
"It's as if Arceus was deciding that the Grand Festival needed even more hype than it was already receiving." Misty said looking at the matchups and finally voiced them aloud despite all of them able to see what the matches were. "Serena's starting tomorrow and she's against Miette. Then we have Brianna verses Tierno before lunch. That's followed by Khoury verses Jessilina and then Emily gets that other wildcard guy in the final match of the day to end it. I'd say she has the easiest path to the semifinals. The others, well those are more hit or miss?"
"How do you think they'd go?" Bonnie asked.
"Other than the last match, it could really go either way." May said thinking on it. "Serena beat Miette in Coumarine and showed her growth in the Wallace Cup, but Miette grew from that event as well and proceeded to win three ribbons in the wake of it, including the finally one of Serena in Aquacorde in a battle she controlled. They're evenly split but the biggest factor will be the nature of the battle itself."
"A double battle?" Bonnie asked confused. "How does that determine things?"
"It's a different strategy to a single one." May said and Misty nodded. "That's actually why the Big 3 have such an advantage in the Grand Festival, they've done these before as double battles are standard for Grand Festivals and often other circuits have a handful of Contests each year with them. They serve as a way to practice for the Grand Festival, so they usually attract the best making them really some of the hottest regular season Contests of the year."
"However, Kalos can't have them because of the nature of their rules." Misty said. "So, they opted instead to only have them in the Grand Festival as a way to pay tribute to the other regions and adds another challenge to a Grand Festival with only 50 participants. So far they've both only had one double battle each so barely understand the nuances of them."
"Didn't Miette have that practice battle with you Misty?" Ash asked thinking back on it. "When you first met, she wanted to get some experience as a coordinator I recall so you offered her a double battle as it was different to what Serena had done and could help her should she make the Grand Festival."
"I did have a double battle with Miette and yes that was at least part of the reason for it." Misty said not elaborating on the deeper reason for said battle as it was Miette's secret and Ash was clearly not going to pick up on it anytime soon so best to leave it as is for the moment. "But it was so long ago that it probably doesn't mean much now."
"The same with Serena's double battle last year with Aria so this battle could really go either way." May said. "Serena did well to beat Shauna and as she's faced a friend and rival she may have some edge to it but Miette conducted her own battle well so I can't say for certain who'd win in their third Contest battle of the year."
"It really is a tossup." Shauna added, she'd joined them just before lunch having changed out of her clothes following her loss to Serena and coming up to support her and the others in their remaining battles and thanking her friends in the stands for their words of support following her loss. "Serena's talented and has a greater understanding of the pageantry of our style, which she's one of the key developers in, but Miette's sharpness gives her a battle edge over Serena. I can't wait to see how it will go."
"It will be interesting for sure." Misty said with a nod. "As will the other battles as both Khoury and Tierno have tough challenges ahead of them."
"Yeah, does my darling Khoury have a shot?" Lyra asked. "He's up against Jessilina and they've never faced off this year so what do you think? Can he beat one of the Big 3 in a Contest battle?"
"Hard to say." Misty said thinking on it as she was the best to do so given her experiences facing Jessilina. "Khoury knows how to battle, and he showed that today, but I've faced Jessilina, and I can assure you that she has more than earned her favorite status. She's crafty and unpredictable, that's her style and it's a good one. She may be a homely character, but her mind is as sharp as they come."
"I do remember her being rather odd in Sinnoh." Ash said.
"She took a while to find her niche but then she did, and she really showed it." Misty said. "Remember, she was the last person to beat me in a Contest battle that wasn't a final when she beat me in the semifinal of the Lilypad Town Contest back in Sinnoh when we were both rookies."
"I remember that she was really flexible with her Carnivine in it." Lyra said worry creeping into her voice as she spoke. "It bested your Mamoswine if I recall."
"Correct but that was a long time ago and it was Mamoswine's first ever Contest so the loss was understandable." Misty said. "However, Khoury's done well this year so you never know what might happen. Best to be with him tonight and help him prepare for anything."
"Will do." Lyra said as she got up. "Anyway, I gotta go and find my man, he needs my advice and comfort to get ready for tomorrow."
"I should help Emily as well." Adam said rising as Lyra headed off. "I don't expect her to have an issue tomorrow but still, best to be prepared for anything and there to support her."
"She'll appreciate that." Misty said as Adam nodded and headed off. "Though he's right, of the four battles hers is the easiest. Serena v. Miette will be a tossup and Jessilina v. Khoury will be interesting though Jessilina has the edge given her experience and unpredictable style but as Emily herself showed last year upsets can occur in the Grand Festival."
"That just leaves Tierno's battle." Trevor said. "And he's against that little brat."
"She really is something else." Shauna said. "Amelia was bad, but she was focused on me, Miette, and Serena because of her whole best performer thing. That girl is a whole level above her when it comes to being messed up."
"Brianna has many issues with her." May said darkly. "From what we can gather, and from personal experience with her when I first met her, she had darkness inside her long before Drew made it worse. She was predisposed to this I'd say but when she and Drew met up in Hoenn after he'd gone off the deep end as well, well it was a perfect storm to create the hurricane that they've become."
"She'll be a thorn until the end." Misty said with a sigh. "Tierno's good though, he battles more like Ash which could throw her."
"I hope so." Shauna said. "I'd like him to win."
"He has a chance, Ash showed that in the Wallace Cup, but, well, Brianna isn't the overall favorite to win the Ribbon Cup for nothing." May said. "She'll have seen how he lost to Serena, mainly because of her obsession with crushing Serena, and figured out how to counter a traditional trainer like Ash."
"What will happen then?" Trevor asked. "Can Tierno win it?"
"Hard to say." May admitted. "Brianna and Drew will be prepared for his style and have an idea of what Pokémon he may use so they will have a strategy to deal with him. She showed that against Emily in the Laverre Contest even if it backfired because Adam predicted it as well. Lastly, she did lose to Ash, which would have severely hurt her ego, and any coordinator who's ranked as high as her will be able to adapt to a loss like that and improve."
"True." Misty said. "I lost to Ash back in the HopHopHop Town Contest and then beat him the Wallace Cup a few weeks later because I figured out how best to counter a trainer in a Contest. Well, that and I used his own style against him, but I did know him well enough to manage it. Brianna, for all her vileness, is still a talented coordinator so she'll know what to do."
"Which just means that we have to be there for our friends." May said standing. "So, let's go and be there for them."
The others nodded as they all got up and headed to the exit to meet up with their friends and head back to their lodgings. The first day of battles were over and only Shauna was out but that would change tomorrow as the battles continued and at least one more would fall as the first ever Kalos Grand Festival continued.
"Alright folks, it's time for the first match of the Grand Festival quarterfinals!" Jillian said excitedly as the crowd cheered and Serena and Miette walked out of their sides of the stadium and made their way to the battlefield. "Only 8 coordinators remain to challenge for the Ribbon Cup, and we've got 4 great matchups for you today to cut that number down to four and what a matchup do we have to begin the day with. I for one can't wait for this!"
Serena couldn't deny that it was a good matchup to start the day again as it was another all Kalos, top level performer battle to kick off a day of Contest battles. Yesterday it had been her and Shauna, now it was time for her and Miette to battle and settle their score. They'd split their matchups this year when they'd faced off, once in a semifinal and once in a final, and now in the biggest event of the year they'd get to decide it with a spot in the semifinals on the line while doing so in their first ever double battle. Serena was more than ready for it.
As was Miette she just grinned as she walked to her starting box at the same pace as Serena while the crowd cheered, cameras panned around them, and Jillian continued to hype them up. This was the matchup she really wanted in the Grand Festival, a chance to break the tie with Serena and see which of them would advance to the semifinal and be one step closer to the Ribbon Cup. It was fitting for their decider to be here and now and for it to be in a double battle after splitting the single battles, so Miette was eager to begin her match against Serena.
"That's because once again we're starting off with a performer v. performer matchup between two great Showcase rivals who once went head-to-head in a Master Class final, the same final that Shauna was also a part of." Jillian said as Serena and Miette neared their starting points. "And to add to it they've gone 1 and 1 against each other on the Contest circuit this year so this will be a deciding battle between them which only adds to everything else going on in this battle."
"She certainly has that right." Miette said as she reached her starting box and called across the battlefield to Serena who'd reached her own box at the same time as Miette had. "This will determine us Serena, time to put it all on the line and see who's better. At Contests at least, I'll admit that you currently have the edge on me in Showcases."
"I wouldn't have it any other way than to decide our record here and now in the Grand Festival." Serena said with a nod as she came to a halt. "So, bring it on Miette, let's see which of us will prevail and continue on to represent Kalos in the semifinal."
"Yes folks that's right, this is an all Kalos match so one of our home region girls will get the honor of representing us in the semifinals of Kalos's first ever Grand Festival, but which will it be?" Jillian said, interrupting them as the crowd roared at her words, and she raised her arm to Miette's side. "On the one hand we have the only one of the three performers from the last Master Class before the Contest circuit commenced this year who achieved 5 ribbons in Contests this year and made it to the Grand Festival outright. She got her last ribbon off her rival in the Aquacorde Contest and is now going for another win to advance so give it up for the Bluebell of Kalos, Miette!"
The crowd cheered at that, and Miette smiled and waved happily to them as she bounced a little showing a peppy attitude she was known for though it wasn't like the one that Shauna portrayed as all knew of the sharpness Miette had to her. Still, as a performer Miette knew to engage the crowd and she fully planned on doing that now as she did her best to get them on her side for this match. She'd win it with the grace and elegance of a performer but also show how to battle, Miette swore it.
"Against her is the performer who won that Master Class final and has been the favorite of them on the circuit this year despite not earning as many ribbons as Miette." Jillian said after the crowd had had a chance to properly cheer before she swept her arm to Serena's side. "She may have only won 3 ribbons this year, but one came off a Big 3 in the Coumarine Contest, the same one she beat Miette in, and one of them is the Misty Ribbon from the Wallace Cup which she shocked the world by winning. She qualified for this via the Wildcard and is one of two wildcards remaining in the Grand Festival, but you all know her as the Darling of Kalos, from Vaniville Town, it's Serena!"
The crowd cheered even louder for Serena which made her give them a warm smile and a wave, but Serena knew that all it would do would motivate Miette to beat her even more than she already was. That was good, they both made each other better and that was going to continue now.
"You may be our darling Serena, but you can't best the bluebell today." Miette said with a grin as she pulled out her two Poke Balls for the battle. "We will decide it now so show me that you deserve your title and I'll show you that I deserve mine."
"I'll show you why I won the Master Class over you and Shauna last year." Serena said as she too drew her Poke Balls for the battle. "And why I'm higher than you in the pack Miette, this will decide it for us, for the moment, but I'll always be ahead of you when it comes to our order behind Misty."
"We shall see, she may be the alpha but the rest of us are all equal in our loss." Miette said her grin not faltering at what Serena was saying, it actually grew because Serena was truly embracing that similarity between them. "So, let's show her, Ash, May, and all the others what we Kalos girls can do."
"For them, our passion, and our region." Serena said with a nod knowing that the two Pokémon who she would use against Miette were the right ones and having a good feeling she knew who her rival would use. "Let's do this and make everyone who supports and loves us proud."
"That's it girls, that's just what we love to see." Jillian said happily at the rivalry and comradery they were displaying while totally missing any subtext to it. "And on that note, battle begin!"
"Meowstic, Slurpuff, time to perform." Miette said tossing out her Pokémon, the ones who'd lost and beaten Serena respectively this year, so they were perfect for it.
"Delphox, Vivillon, go." Serena said throwing out her Poke Balls, the same Pokémon who'd faced Miette in those matches ensuring that this was the best matchup to truly decide things between the girls on the Contest level. "Vivillon start by getting in close with Acrobatics. Delphox, use Flamethrower to keep them occupied."
"Meowstic, redirect that Flamethrower with Psychic and use it to try and hit Vivillon, Slurpuff, counter with Cotton Spore but be tactical and play off what Meowstic does." Miette said as the first semifinal began in earnest with Vivillon shooting at his opponents with Acrobatics. "Use it to slow down Vivillon."
Miette had just finished her orders when Delphox sent out a blast of fire from her stick that shot out below Vivillon and bore down on her foes as Vivillon flew above it. However, Meowstic unfurled his ears and glowed blue before he floated into the air and took hold of the flames that had been shot at him and Slurpuff and moving them up and away from him, going with the flow of the move to ensure that it worked and created a high arc of flames that were now in Vivillon's path as they'd outpaced him.
"Dodge with the last of that Acrobatics." Serena yelled out, she couldn't afford to let Vivillon be hit by a super effective move, especially as indirect friendly fire which could affect moral in the team. "And then unleash a Powder between them and us."
Vivillon buzzed in understanding, and he pivoted his wings and dove down with the last of his Acrobatics causing it to register as a miss but what was worse was that the only path he could take to avoid the fire had been one that Meowstic had orchestrated, and it ensured that he fell towards where Slurpuff was. As soon as that happened, Slurpuff unleashed the cotton-like spores of Cotton Spore that Vivillon couldn't avoid, and he had to fly into them thus registering a hit and docking more points for Serena and slowing himself down at the same time.
However, he left a passing present as he let off his Powder before he hit the Cotton Spore. It was now between the two teams, and he was able to fly up and clear of his foes though he was a shade slower now thanks to the effect that Cotton Spore had on his speed, but he'd accomplished at least a parting gift, one that would come in handy in a moment.
"Press our advantage." Miette said eager to exploit her hot start. "Meowstic, use Sucker Punch on Delphox, Slurpuff, surround yourself with Fairy Wind as a defensive shield from Vivillon."
"Brace and counter with Scratch the moment you can." Serena said as she thought on what to do while Meowstic launched himself at Delphox and through the Powder, which suddenly gave Serena an idea, and Slurpuff surrounded herself with a dense cloud of Fairy Wind to protect her in what Misty would later call a variant of Ash's Counter Shield technique that Miette had come up with on her own. Vivillon, wait my order."
Vivillon just buzzed at that as he kept his distance from what was going on but watched intensely, something that actually cost Miette some points as the Fairy Wind got registered as a miss, and Delphox braced herself. While she probably could have dodged it, she understood that sometimes one had to take a hit to land a counter and press an advantage in battle, something Serena had explained to her after learning it from the one trainer she'd ever seen defeat Aria at anything. That alone was enough for Serena and Delphox to take the tactic seriously.
As such she braced and her claws on her left hand glowed with normal type power as she held it at her side. Regardless, the Sucker Punch was going to hit first, and it was going to hurt as she was weak to dark type attacks. Still, she was ready and grit her teeth as Meowstic reached her and punched her in the chest as hard as he could.
Thanks to being heavier and taller than Meowstic, Delphox was able to remain on her feet and wasn't pushed back to far. Instead, she rolled with the move and took a few steps backwards before she brought her left claw up to scratch Meowstic's face as he fell back to the ground causing him to let out a grunt of pain and take a step back upon landing. That was when Serena launched her next moves.
"Now combo time." Serena said. "Vivillon, Sunny Day, trigger that Powder and the moment it is blast Meowstic back with Psybeam to get some distance between you and him."
"Meowstic, use Sucker Punch again." Miette said as she saw the predicament she was in and tried to counter it. "Slurpuff, ground Vivillon with Psychic."
Alas for Miette her order came a second too late as Vivillon had been anticipating a move like that so the moment he heard it he extended his wings and the sun suddenly intensified, an effect that would be in effect for a while. However, the biggest part of it was that the fire type move being used triggered the Powder, a combo Serena and Vivillon were becoming known for as it was a staple of their tactics be it in an appeal or a battle, and it combusted.
The only place there was Powder now was on Meowstic as he'd leapt through it to land the first Sucker Punch that he'd been ordered to use so before he could launch the Sucker Punch it blew up on him and staggered him back a pace. He didn't even finish moving as he was wailing in pain when Delphox leveled her stick at him and shot out the peculiar beam of psychic power that was Psybeam at Meowstic.
The flames hadn't even died down when the beam struck him in the face and blasted him back with a wail of annoyance. Thankfully, he was resistant to his own type, so it didn't do too much damage, but it did send him flying backwards until he hit the ground and bounced and rolled away as the last of the flames died.
Miette's other Pokémon hadn't been idle during this however and Slurpuff used the moment to grab Vivillon in a psychic hold, her eyes glowing blue before Vivillon's body did, and bring him down to the ground with as much force as she could muster right after he got his Sunny Day off while he let out a buzz of surprise at it. The landing was a thud thanks to Vivillon's light weight but still it was a good attack and Serena's points dropped from it. Regardless, neither girl was giving up and both were already adapting to what was going on.
"Delphox fire a Fire Blast at Slurpuff then get close to her but stay at range so that Vivillon can protect your back and you can land hits easier." Serena said, her orders mainly done to counter the fact that basically the whole battlefield was between Delphox and Slurpuff which would make it easier for the latter to dodge ranged attacks. "Vivillon, the moment you're free from that hold hit Meowstic with Acrobatics."
"Slurpuff dodge that Fire Blast and wait for your opening that I'll create for you." Miette said. "Meowstic, dodge that Acrobatics by using Sucker Punch once more on Delphox the moment she's open and send her to Slurpuff for some close quarters fighting."
Serena wasn't too sure what that meant but she didn't really have time to think about it as Delphox was the first to act, blasting off a five-point star of fire at Slurpuff who still held Vivillon in a Psychic hold and was pinning him to the ground to prevent him from flying away. The angle was such that the Fire Blast would miss Vivillon but as it was on a crash course with Slurpuff. However, it didn't matter if it hit, the goal was simple and that was shown a moment later when Slurpuff ended her hold on Vivillon and spun away from the fire type attack to avoid it.
The moment he was free of the Psychic, Vivillon beat his wings and got up before shooting off and at Meowstic, flying low to the ground as he did while Delphox charged forward behind her Fire Blast to get close to Slurpuff and let Vivillon take the fight to Meowstic. It was a good plan, but Miette's counter was better unfortunately.
That was because the moment Meowstic had recovered he had enough time to wait for Delphox to get into position while Vivillon bore down upon him and got in too close to change courses. Then, when it was clear that Vivillon couldn't use the rest of the Acrobatics change direction, he launched himself at Delphox's back with Sucker Punch, using the priority of the move to get clear of Vivillon's Acrobatics at the same time in an impressive two-way use of the move.
It was an ingenious move and showed Serena why Miette was the best of them when it came to the pure battle aspect of Contests, well the best of the performers that is, because she'd moved things right to ensure that Delphox was punched in the back by the Sucker Punch, a second super effective attack that causes Delphox to wail and blasted her forward as the surprise nature prevented her from bracing for the attack. She was blasted right at Slurpuff who was waiting for her foe and her trainer's command that came a second later.
"Play Rough with Delphox." Miette said as Delphox was hit but Serena was now on autopilot, and she acted at the same time in a way that showed how much she'd seen and learned from Ash that year.
"Vivillon, intercept that with Acrobatics." Serena yelled and the first Acrobatics was just ending so Vivillon instantly activated his second one and tore at Slurpuff. "I know that you can do it. Show off your speed my darling!"
What happened next was almost impossible to see as Delphox was blasted at Slurpuff who was running at Delphox while Vivillon tore across the stage at her and Meowstic landed back on the ground after the Sucker Punch to watch what happened next. It was going to come down to timing, precision, and speed to determine how it all played out.
That ended up falling to Vivillon, ironically because his speed was actually a fraction lower thanks to taken that Cotton Spore right at the start of the battle, who speed across the battlefield nice and low before moving his wings just slightly to slam his head into Slurpuff's side with his Acrobatics as she leapt up to knock a still airborne Delphox to the ground and play rough with her.
Delphox was the most stunned of everyone as one moment she was in pain and nearing a leaping Slurpuff who would do more damage but her resistance to the new fairy type would at least ensure she wasn't knocked out of the battle so she could recover it for Serena. The next Vivillon suddenly shot in from the side and slammed into Slurpuff as she was about to reach Delphox and sending Slurpuff wailing away to the side as he followed her and Delphox continued through the place Slurpuff had been unhindered.
She was surprised to say the least, but Delphox didn't question it at the moment as she used the opening Vivillon had given her to twist in the air before she landed on the ground, leaning forward to place her left paw on the ground to help her slide back, her stick to the side and eyes locked on the shocked Meowstic that had hit her. He had been surprised by Vivillon's arrival and all he could do was watch as Slurpuff bounced and rolled off to the side while Vivillon arched up into the air and away from the contact. Serena naturally used all of this to her advantage.
"Delphox, Fire Blast at Meowstic." Serena said. "Vivillon, stay high and away and use Acrobatics to dodge anything Slurpuff tries to get you with. We can't let her ground you again."
"Meowstic, stop it with Psychic." Miette said recovering from the shock of what had happened and getting right back into the battle. "Slurpuff, bring Vivillon down and into the fire with your own Psychic."
Serena just grinned as her plan came to her the moment she heard Miette's orders. She knew that she had this as the 5-star blast of fire shot out of Delphox's stick and at Meowstic while Vivillon darted up and away to get out of the range of a Psychic from Slurpuff using Acrobatics to achieve such a feat. Both of Miette's Pokémon activated their Psychics, Slurpuff's eyes glowing blue while Meowstic unfurled his ears and glowed blue all over.
The results were mixed for Miette. Slurpuff missed Vivillon as he was out of range but both girls lost points for missed moves, though Miette more than Serena as it was a deliberate attack and not a dodge like what Serena had ordered from it, while Meowstic did stop the Fire Blast costing Serena more points. However, that was just what Serena was expecting and now she was going to show Miette how much she'd grown and learned from the last battle they'd had, as well as showing Miette that she was also inspired by her rival at the same time.
"Delphox, flamethrower at Meowstic." Serena said. "Fire it under the star like how Slurpuff slid under it to fight you back in Aquacorde. Vivillon, keep doing what you're doing."
Before Miette could get out a word Delphox grinned and lowered her stick before firing off an intense gout of flames from it in a straight line. Meowstic was still holding the Fire Blast and couldn't move so the flames from Flamethrower shot under it and washed over him, engulfing him in fire and causing him to wail in pain and drop his hold on the Fire Blast that vanished as he did.
"Meowstic, Sucker P…" Miette began as a counter came into her mind when suddenly the buzzer sounded surprising both girls.
"Just like yesterday's opening battle we got lost in that one, but time has to end eventually, and the 5 minutes are now up." Jillian said as the crowd cheered and the girls recovered, they'd been too lost in the battle to notice the timer just like they had been the last time they'd battled, while their Pokémon returned to their sides. "After that intense and evenly matched battle, who is the winner?"
The girls turned to the screen to look, and it was a lot closer than either of their matches the day before. This time both were near the bottom with about a quarter of their points left but it was still just about clear enough to make out that one of them was slightly above 25% and the other slightly below it.
"It's Serena!" Jillian said as the crowd cheered, and the girls processed the results. "She moves onto the semifinals and will represent Kalos there, let's see if Tierno can join her in it as he's next but he's got a tough task ahead of him as he's up against the overall favorite in Brianna. As for Miette, you gave it your all and we hope to see you again next year as you have 5 ribbons so can come back anytime."
"Delphox, Vivillon, return." Serena said recalling her Pokémon and smiling at the Poke Balls in her hands. "You two were amazing out there, I couldn't have beaten Miette without you and your teamwork in that battle. I may be 2-1 against her but we both know that this isn't over, it never will be because she's that great a rival and friend who makes me better just by being who she is. Take a rest, you earned it."
"Slurpuff, Meowstic, return." Miette said a small, sad, smile on her face. "You gave it your all my friends, but this time Serena had it on us. We always make each other better; I did it for her after Aquacorde, and she showed it today so now it is my turn to improve because of her. I wouldn't want to lose to anyone else and we will get better to get her next time, I swear it. The true prize it the tiara of the Kalos Queen and we will get it one day, that I promise. Take a rest, let's go support our friends and hope they advance so that Kalos raises the first Ribbon Cup here."
With that Miette put away her Poke Balls and looked up to see Serena had already done so and smiling kindly at her. It was just the kind of thing that Serena would do, and Miette knew exactly what she had to do, not that she wouldn't anyway as Serena deserved no less.
Miette returned the smile before she carefully took the skirt part of her dress in her bare hands and raised it before lowering herself into a deep curtsy that she gave to her friend, her head bowed as she fought back tears. She had lost to Serena again on a big stage so naturally she was upset but her friend had shown she was still the best performer not named Aria and Miette's deep curtsy to her showed the level of respect that she held for Serena. It was actually deeper than the one Shauna had offered Serena the day before, that was how much Miette respected Serena.
Serena was honestly taken aback by the proper curtsy done to acknowledge someone who you respect as better than you in that moment but as Miette rose, Serena offered her a curtsy as well, not as deep nor did she lower her head so as to not dishonor Miette's actions but rather show her friend that she was grateful and that she too respected Miette's talents. Serena wouldn't let her or Shauna down. Once again she'd be the one of them to shoulder the burden of the best of their generation in Kalos and she'd do it with pride.
Both girls then turned and left the stage as Jillian commented on their sportsmanship and the nature of Kalos honor that they'd displayed for all to see before getting ready to introduce the next ones. Miette composed herself and pointedly ignored the smirking Brianna she had to pass as she entered the wings and made her way to the changing room to change back into her street clothes before rejoining Shauna and the others to watch their friends battle more. She was going to support them all but Serena most of all as she continued in the Grand Festival.
For her part Serena smiled at Tierno to wish him luck, he'd have a decent chance against Brianna with his style she thought and continued onto the waiting room. There was still Emily and Khoury in their group as well, so Serena was going to get back to be with them and watch Tierno and then their matches after lunch and root for them to advance as well. The Grand Festival was really heating up and Serena hoped she had her friends with her in the semifinals when the dust settled at the end of the day.
"The first quarterfinal is in the books and now let's see who will join Serena in the semifinals tomorrow." Jillian said as Tierno and Brianna walked out of the wings. "Will it be one of the favorites or will Kalos get a second semifinalist?"
Tierno certainly hoped that it would be the case that he joined his darling Serena, who had smiled at him as she passed on her way to the waiting room after her win over Miette which had motivated him to win this match because he wanted to show her how good he was. He just had to best the number 1 favorite in Brianna, but he knew he could do it.
He wasn't winging this match; he had a plan to deal with her. Tierno had watched her loss to Ash closely in the Wallace Cup, mainly to watch Ash as the boy from Pallet Town was clearly talented, and had noted that Brianna had struggled against a traditional trainer like Ash. Despite his style, Tierno was still a traditional trainer, so he was going to use that to win. That and she made Serena unhappy and that wasn't allowed to happen in his book.
Brianna for her part had just smirked at Miette for losing but in all honest she didn't really care for her loss at all as a false coordinator like Miette was the least of her concerns as she wasn't associated with May at all. True, she was still evil because she was an Ash girl who'd been seduced by his corruptive ways like May had, that was the reason for her treachery to Drew, but that was it as far as Brianna was concerned when it came to an insignificant blip like Miette.
The taint of evil from people like May and Ash got on all those foolish enough to follow them, that was just a fact that Brianna knew to be true. She would destroy it with her righteous good whenever she encountered it and now was one of those times.
That was because the large Kalos man walking towards her from the other side of the stadium as she made her way to her starting point was part of that great evil. He was in love with Serena but couldn't have her, that was at least something Brianna understood but didn't care about because evil didn't deserve to be happy, and this guy was evil by association with the great evils of the world. She'd dispatch him with ease and advance to where she'd be one step closer to winning it and to crushing the true villain of the Grand Festival in Serena beneath her.
The one thing that Brianna would have to deal with was the fact that Tierno was not a traditional coordinator but a trainer using Contests to get better. That made him an abomination to her because like the performers using Contests to improve he was sullying the good name of true, noble, and pure coordinators like her.
She'd faced this heinous evil before in Ash and lost because he cheated, she wouldn't lose again like that, and she'd make an example of Tierno in the process so that all knew that a pathetic trainer had no place in a Contest battle, let alone the quarterfinals of a Grand Festival. She knew just who to use as she had an expectation for who he'd go with and so she was going to win this with ease.
"First up let's go with the home region boy and the underdog in this match but you can't ever count him out when it comes to a Contest battle." Jillian said as they reached the starting points, and she swept her arm to Tierno's side. "He's one of the few Kalos coordinators to get 5 ribbons and the best battler of them by far but that's because he's also a notable trainer as well going for the Lumiose Conference after this and trying to surpass his quarterfinals appearance in last year's Lumiose Conference. Can he keep his run going in this battle? Well, we shall see so give it up for the Dancer from Santalune, Tierno!"
The crowd cheered at that as Tierno danced for them a bit and pulled out his Poke Balls while he did so that he was ready for when the battle started. He was prepared for the battle to come and was helping get the crowd going for it so that they could cheer him to victory. Brianna for her part just sneered at it, he didn't deserve such a cheer, but the ignorant masses were ignorant for a reason in her eyes, so it was to be expected she guessed.
"And against him it's the highest ranked favorite on the circuit this year." Jillian said sweeping her arm to Brianna's side as the crowd cheering died down a bit as Brianna was introduced. "She's been to three Grand Festivals before and is coming off a runner up performance in last year's Johto Grand Festival making her the only coordinator in the Kalos Grand Festival to have reached a final in the past. She's been the dominant force on the circuit this year with just two losses but one did come to a traditional trainer so anything can happen. From Chrysanthemum Town in the Kanto region, it's the Flower of Kanto herself, Brianna!"
The crowd didn't really cheer any louder at the end of her introduction as it had at the star but that was fine with Brianna as she pulled out her Poke Balls. She didn't care what the morons watching thought of her. Only her darling Drew mattered and she knew that he was cheering for her, so she was going to win this all for him.
"Don't you dare cheat like Ash did." Brianna said keeping her cool as best she could to avoid triggering her damned warning that she should have ever received. "I want to win this fair and square."
"But Ash didn't cheat." Tierno said confused but shook his head at that and focused on the brat before him. "But that doesn't matter, I'll still beat you because you make Serena sad, and no one should make someone as beautiful as her sad. For that you will not advance today."
"Right, you're a total simp for her." Brianna said scoffing at how pathetic Tierno's one sided love for Serena was and completely missing the hypocrisy in her own actions towards Drew in the process. "Well, you'll never win her, so it doesn't matter and don't worry, I'll crush her after I beat you so just shut it and send out your Pokémon. I have a spot in my third straight semifinals awaiting me. That will match May and show her I'm just as good as she was at this stage in her career."
"I'll get Serena to realize my feelings one day but before then I'll make sure that you never insult her again." Tierno said fired up now. "I'll make sure she's protected from you by preventing you from reaching the semifinals."
"Yes, that's it, we can't wait to see this battle now." Jillian said excited for the coming battle and as always completely missing what was actually going on in the trash talk between the coordinators. "So, with that, battle begin!"
"Ludicolo, Blastoise, let's go." Tierno sending out his Pokémon while adding a dance move to it to really show off his Pokémon's entrance.
"Just what I thought." Brianna said with a grin as she tossed out her own Poke Balls without much grace. "I'll get this by Battle Off. Roserade, Trevenant, steal the show."
"Blastoise, Rapid Spin." Tierno said as the two grass types that Brianna had burst from their Poke Balls and landed in front of her only seconds after his water types, well one pure and one dual water and grass type, appeared before him. "Ludicolo use Rain Dance, boost your speed for this match and really sharpen those dance moves you've got."
"Roserade, leap up and onto Trevenant." Brianna said as Blastoise leapt forward, withdrawing into his shell before he shot at them and Ludicolo opened its mouth to blast a ball of water into the air. "And use Earthquake to stop that overgrown tortoise and the other thing whatever it is."
Roserade sang as she leapt up and onto Trevenant's shoulder before he raised his arms and then brought them down hard on the ground right as the ball of water burst in the air and the battlefield and the rain began to fall all over it and the coordinators in the match. Ludicolo glowed from it as his Swift Swim ability was activated boosting his speed but that was all that happened before the battlefield began to shake from the Earthquake.
Ludicolo staggered but he danced with the rumbles the way he liked and had trained for with Tierno to stay on his feet. He was also resistant to the ground type moves so he wasn't too badly hurt by it. The one who was affected the most by it was Blastoise as he was rumbled up and out of his shell by the Earthquake that did average damage to him as it ended his move before it could hit, and he fell to the ground with a wail where he bounced a few more times as the Earthquake ran its course. This was just where Brianna wanted things to be.
"That's it, show your goodness with a Wood Hammer on Blastoise, Trevenant, and Roserade use Venoshock on Ludicolo." Brianna said. "Don't let up, we will show all who's better while protecting the sanctity of Contests in the process."
Brianna hated having to tone down her righteous statements for the censorious and small-minded Contest Committee, but she did so to prevent them from taking her rightful victory and eventual Ribbon Cup away from her. Still, she was going to win this regardless as Trevenant leapt up as the Earthquake's aftershocks ended and raised his right arm over his head, a green hammer of grass type power forming there. As he did, Roserade held on and then leapt off it and towards Ludicolo. Of course, Tierno wasn't going to lay down and take it.
"Blastoise, dodge and counter with Ice Beam, Ludicolo use Blizzard on Roserade, it's too close to dodge it." Tierno said. "I know that you guys can do it."
"Push through that you two, evil will never beat us." Brianna said slightly losing it as Blastoise tried to get up and Ludicolo opened his mouth to spew forth the Blizzard.
What happened next was partially good for Tierno but overall better for Brianna. That was because Blastoise had landed on the back of his shell so struggled to get up before the Wood Hammer came down hard and struck him in the center of the face as Trevenant landed on his chest at the same time. The super effective grass type attack hit Blastoise with a boom that sent rain flying and caused Blastoise to wail in pain, but he was in the right place to counter, not that Brianna would give him the chance when that happened.
At the same time as that was happening, Ludicolo had blasted out the ice type attack right at Roserade. The super effective ice type attack took the grass and poison type in the face and upper chest, but the potential freezing side effect wasn't triggered, and she endured it so that when it ended she was too close to miss, her mouth open.
Before Ludicolo could react Roserade unleashed a gout of purple poison that struck him in the face causing him to wail in pain from it and stagger back as he too took a super effective attack. However, he wasn't currently poisoned so it wasn't as bad as it could potentially be.
"Push through it and keep it up with your Ice Beam Blastoise." Tierno said reminding Blastoise of the counter that he had open for him as Ludicolo staggered back and Roserade landed in front of him. "Ludicolo, use Hydro Pump on Roserade. Send it back."
"Phantom Force and Giga Drain." Brianna said. "Beta orders you two."
That confused Tierno and it was made even more so when Trevenant suddenly vanished from on top of Blastoise as the blast of ice was formed in the latter's mouth so that it shot up, cutting through and freezing any rain that it shot past while harmlessly missing a no longer present Trevenant. At the same time, Roserade danced to the side and avoided the Hydro Pump that was blasted at her before she leveled her bouquets at Blastoise and shot something at him. A second later it hit him in the neck and suddenly a large amount of his energy was sucked out.
As it was another grass type attack it was super effective on Blastoise and really good for Roserade as it regained her health she'd lost from the Blizzard she'd taken, well a good portion of it at least. It was a clever move and really threw Tierno for a loop while reminding people of how strong Brianna was in battles.
"Now Petal Blizzard." Brianna said ignoring that the area move would affect Trevenant as well as he was resistant to it, and they'd practiced this, so he knew it was coming. "And when you reappear use Brutal Swing right afterwards Trevenant. Don't give those regular battle Pokémon an inch, show them what Contest Pokémon can do."
"Blastoise, use Hydro Canon." Tierno said getting desperate as the battle was steadily slipping away from him. "Ludicolo, Blizzard again."
Blastoise managed to get to his feet, level his cannons and blasted out the powerful water type attack right at Roserade. Roserade however just stayed put and raised her bouquets to the air and let off a storm of petals that covered the stage right before she took the water type attack in her side.
True it was powerful but her resistance to the type negated it enough that it was just like an attack she wasn't resistant or weak to that did average damage. It blasted her to the side as well, but she did get her attack off and that was all that counted as she rolled away across the slick stage as the rain continued to fall.
That was because the petals were indiscriminate and struck both Ludicolo, who's water type negated his grass's resistance to it, and Blastoise who was weak to it. It was too much for Blastoise and he wailed before he crashed back with swirls for eyes out of the battle from three direct grass type attacks that were all strong to begin with.
As Blastoise hit the ground, Trevenant suddenly appeared behind Ludicolo and slammed into his back while laughing with Phantom Force. The blow from the ghost type attack staggered Ludicolo as he was trying to get his Blizzard off at Roserade causing it to miss wildly and only freeze any rain that it hit which caused the frozen droplets to shatter upon hitting the battlefield.
The blow from Phantom Force also exposed Ludicolo for a Brutal Swing as he tried to get up but was hit in the side by the violent swing of Trevenant's body and sent towards Roserade who was getting to her feet. All this plus the Petal Blizzard still raging around him was hurting Ludicolo and that was about to get worse.
"Finish this with Venoshock." Brianna said as she laughed through the rain and sounding slightly manic as she did but not enough to cause any issues with her warning as it came off as just part of the battle. "We have won!"
"Ludicolo, use…" Tierno began but that was all he got out before the gout of poison that Roserade had shot out of her mouth hit Ludicolo in the face for the second time that battle.
That was too much for Ludicolo and he let out a wail before he fell forward and into a puddle with a splash, the top part of his head turned to the side, his mouth open and eyes swirls. All the attacks he had taken, two of which were super effective, had been just too much, and he too went down.
The moment it happened the 3 Xs went off on the judges' podiums showing that it was a Battle Off. A moment later the rain ended, and the match was officially over, it had barely lasted 3 minutes.
"And as expected, Brianna has won by Battle Off, her 20th of the year and second of the Grand Festival." Jillian said as the crowd let out a muted cheer for the win, but Brianna didn't care what the moronic masses thought about her win, she knew Drew was cheering for her and that was all that mattered. "A well fought battle by Tierno, we wish him luck in the upcoming Lumiose Conference and hope to see him in another Grand Festival sometime soon."
"Blastoise, Ludicolo, return." Tierno said as he recalled his Pokémon and looked at the Poke Balls in his hands with a small smile on his face. "You two were great out there but we are against the heavy favorite to win the Grand Festival, so it was an uphill battle made harder by the type advantage she had but that's no excuse for our loss. Take a rest my friends, let's get back and support our darling Serena in the rest of the Grand Festival and use the experiences we gained from Contests this year in the upcoming Lumiose Conference, we'll do better there, I swear it."
"Trevenant, Roserade, return." Briana said recalling her Pokémon a smirk on her face at her victory. "You were as good as ever, we won against an inferior foe who is of little concern to us so no need to relish in it other than besting his evil due to his association with the greatest evils in the world. We will continue to purge that as we go through the Grand Festival and win. Rest up, we've got more work to do."
With that Brianna looked up to see Tierno offer her a short bow, Kalos honor and all that, before he turned and left after she'd offered him the barest of curtsies to avoid issues with the Committee for 'poor sportsmanship'. He should be kneeling to her and begging for forgiveness of his sins against her and Drew by associating with evil and by being a trainer in Contests thus polluting them but whatever, he wasn't worth her time.
Tierno really didn't care for Brianna and her attitude, he just wanted to protect Serena and he'd failed her, but he also knew that she was a strong girl she could win regardless. He'd learned a lot from Contests this year, done well in the Grand Festival, and would now employ it all in his quest to win the Lumiose Conference this time around. As such he just left the arena to dry off, get some food, and rejoin his friends to support Serena and hope that she won it all.
For her part Brianna just turned and strode off to get some food and watch the last two matches and see if the other favorites joined her in the semifinal. She didn't really care if they did or not because she knew one thing, she was going to win the first Kalos Grand Festival.
"Well, that was to be expected." May said with a sigh as the match ended and the lunch break began. "Albeit quicker than I imagined. I expected Tierno to last longer though I was still expecting it to end with a Battle Off."
"He would have but Brianna had the type advantage and used a good mix of area and strange moves to surprise him." Shauna said upset that Tierno too had lost. "It showed in that match. That Phantom Force into Brutal Swing really did it while she went hard for his Blastoise with all those grass type attacks. It was the switch that really threw Tierno, and he never recovered from it. He'll be fine in the Lumiose Conference however, those aren't double battles."
"Moves like those that Brianna showed off are useful moves to use in a Contest battle, my Spiritomb knows Phantom Force and it was the move he used to win it for me in Kanto last year." Misty said. "But clearly Brianna predicted Blastoise and focused on it with super effective moves the moment she had it on the ropes. She got a bonus with Ludicolo as the other one as it's weak to poison type attacks like Venoshock, so Roserade had an advantage there despite Ludicolo's grass type negating its water type's weakness to that type."
"It was to be expected from a coordinator like her." Adam said making notes as always. "She's very good at going for the type advantages to boost her chances of winning while employing prediction and research that her mentor or master or whatever he is clearly helps her with. Most of her wins this year have been when she held type or at least raw power advantage over her opponents. Her only legit win without it was her first Ribbon in Geosenge when she used her Flygon against Emily's Clefable. It was this habit that allowed me to predict that she'd use her Roserade against Emily, so I recommended she use Klefki to counter it in Laverre."
"That does sound like something Brianna would do." Miette, who had joined them shortly after the start of the battle following her loss to Serena, said with a nod. "And even in her loss against Ash in the Wallace Cup, she had the power advantage in a matchup between Flygon and Noibat at the start despite the mutual dragon type advantages they had. It was the evolution and Ash's overall battle skills that bested her there."
"That is true, and I wouldn't be surprised if she trained hard to be able to overcome a trainer who's in a Contest the way Ash was hence why she was so strong against Tierno." Misty added. "Plus, she also prevented Tierno from employing his usually style and kept him on the back foot the entire time which clearly helped her win it."
"That would seem likely." May said. "But oh well, she did what she had to do and reminded us why she's considered to be the best on the circuit this year. We will be there for Tierno when he returns, and we still have Khoury and Emily to try and advance and join Serena."
"She really did well against me." Miette said. "That Vivillon interception of Slurpuff was unexpected and brilliant, I'll give her that."
"You were both good in that battle." Misty said. "It honestly could have gone either way, but that interception was probably the deciding factor along with how she uses Vivillon's Powder with Sunny Day. Honestly, I'd say the Cotton Spore, while clever, probably slowed Vivillon down enough to land that hit though perhaps that's just nitpicking."
"Ash's influence at work." May said as she looked at Ash who was now looking at the photos Trevor had taken and not listening as they all waited for Tierno before they went to get food and help him process his loss. "It's truly amazing and unlike me, Serena has her own Showcase style that she's really using to her advantage there as well as what she's learned from watching Ash this year. She's more than earned her place in the semifinal."
"Will the others join her?" Lyra asked. "Mainly Khoury."
"Khoury is hit or miss as we discussed yesterday." Misty said. "That match could go either way and will come down to Pokémon, moves, and styles I'd say. Emily, she'll make it that is pretty certain. It will be interesting regardless of what happens."
"Yes, I can't wait to see how the rest of the day goes." Shauna said as they noticed Tierno returning to them. "But let's go be there for Tierno as we were for Miette and myself and get some food."
The others all nodded in agreement at that and got up to go see Tierno who didn't seem too upset about his loss and then get food. Two of the semifinalists had been decided in Serena and Brianna and after lunch two more would join them. Who it would be was anyone's guess, but they were all ready to see how the quarterfinals of the inaugural Kalos Grand Festival ended.
"Well folks, we have had time to enjoy lunch and digest our food and the first battles of the quarterfinals." Jillian said as Khoury and Jessie walked out of the wings and headed to the battlefield as the crowd cheered for the resumption of the Grand Festival. "We've got two of our semifinalists confirmed and now it's time to round out the field but who will it be?"
Khoury fully intended it to be himself as he made his way to his starting point. Jessilina may be a Big 3 coordinator and had Grand Festival experience, as well as a win over Misty in that one Contest he and Lyra had watched in Sinnoh when they briefly traveled with Ash, Misty, and Brock, but he didn't let himself get intimidated by Jessilina. He was going to win and advance, he had to focus on that, and he'd win.
Jessie for her part was calm and collected. This wasn't a battle she was concerned about; she knew she could, and would, win. She vaguely remembered this dude from her time in Sinnoh, he and some other girl from Johto had been running a festival promoting Johto there that hadn't taken too kindly to Team Rocket taking the free samples they deserved before the pair joined the twerps for a bit to see more of Sinnoh apparently.
After that she'd forgotten about them until she saw them at Pierre's party and then the Wallace Cup. Well, they were with the twerps so that made them almost as bad as them. Jessie was going to win to show them up and advance to her second Grand Festival semifinal in the process.
"Our underdog for this battle is trying to show that he's worthy of being a dark horse in the Grand Festival as he aims to have the first upset of the day." Jillian said as they reached the starting points, and she swept her arm to Khoury's side as he reached his starting box. "He's really shown his stuff this year and qualified outright with 5 wins and only 4 losses, so he's got a winning record that he's looking to carry him to the Ribbon Cup. From New Bark Town in the Johto region, give it up for Khoury!"
The crowd cheered for him though it was pretty average not that Khoury minded. He wasn't a favorite or a fan favorite, he was just some breeder from Johto trying to improve through Contests and having fun, so he wasn't expecting much support and the lack of it actually allowed him to just focus on the matches and enjoying them. Besides, he'd made it to the top 8 of the Grand Festival and now he intended to try and go further but first he had to win the toughest match of the year for him, so far.
"Against him is the second of the Big 3 coordinators to go today and one you all know well." Jillian said as she swept her arm to Jessie's side where she was now standing. "Her charming and homely personality has captured our hearts this year but it's her experience and talent that have made her a favorite for the Ribbon Cup. She's one of only 3 to make it to a Grand Festival semifinal before having done so in her debut season in Sinnoh a few years ago before retiring for a few years but she's back for a chance again here in Kalos. She's also the only one present to have once defeated a future Top Coordinator when she beat Misty in Sinnoh when they were both rookies. Give it up for the Maiden of Sinnoh, Jessilina."
This got a bigger cheer, Jessilina had the largest support of any Big 3 member and any non Kalos native thanks to how she embraced the fans she got over the year and she continued to play into it with a warm smile and cute wave to the adoring masses. Jessie loved all the attention that she got so she basked in it while continuing to show that she was the mature woman that you wanted to take home to meet the parents.
"Best of luck to you sir." Jessie said with a fake smile and sweet tone in her voice as she looked at Khoury, but she had to do this to play into her reputation. "I hope you give me a good match, but I still intend to win. I returned to Contests because I have unfinished business and now I'll do that."
"I will do my best but if you wish to make it to the semifinals again you'll have to go through me." Khoury said as he pulled out his Poke Balls. "And I was in the stands watching when you beat Misty in Sinnoh, so I know how good you are. That's why I am going to give it my all to beat you."
"As I expect, I must show my fans that I am worthy of their love and devotion." Jessie said pulling out her own two Poke Balls while Jillian squealed at Khoury's revelation and raved about it as the Lilypad Town Contest was considered one of Jessilina's greatest wins despite it actually being won by James dressed as Jessilina because Jessie was sick at the time. "Give me a good match to show why I'm a favorite."
"I'll show that with an upset." Khoury said with a smile on his face.
"Ah this is some good banter for a good match to come." Jillian said with a grin as she recovered from her excitement over the past between these two and focused on the match at hand. "So, on that note, battle begin!"
"Garchomp, Feraligatr, let's go." Khoury said sending out his top two Pokémon which he knew he'd need to win against someone like Jessilina without much flourish to his moves but showing off that his Gabite had evolved since the Wallace Cup.
"Gourgeist, Wobbuffet, come on out and dazzle." Jessie said at the same time as she tossed out her Poke Balls with a simply grace that showed her maturity over the rest of the field.
"Garchomp, use Dig on Wobbuffet." Khoury said as the Pokémon burst forth their Poke Balls and the timer began. "Feraligatr, get in close and use Ice Fang on Gourgeist."
"Wobbuffet, Counter." Jessie said calmly. "Gourgeist, dodge by flying up and use Seed Bomb."
Gourgeist sang her name as she rose up into the air and opened her mouth while Feraligatr charged at her, his mouth open and teeth coating with ice as he ran. At the same time Garchomp dove into the ground and began to dig as he headed towards Wobbuffet.
Then the Seed Bombs flew from Gourgeist's mouth at Feraligatr as he ran at her. He tried to avoid them, but she was very accurate with the move she'd used in many Showcases and Contests that year and as such Gourgeist landed one of the Seed Bombs right on Feraligatr's head that blew him up and back with a wail as the grass type move was super effective on him.
Feraligatr hit the ground hard and rolled away but slowly got to his feet, one super effective move wouldn't be enough to take him out, as Khoury grit his teeth at the poor start he'd had. This wasn't an easy matchup for him with the types and the moves Feraligatr knew but he did have some super effective ones, he just needed to land them to have a good bet. Thankfully he'd finally taught Feraligatr a ranged move to make up for the lack of them that he'd had in the past and it was time to use it.
"Hydro Pump." Khoury said. "Try to land it but if not make sure that it forces Gourgeist down and then use Ice Fang again. We will win this."
"Dodge it and use Leech Seed." Jessie said. "Wobbuffet, you know what to do."
"Gourgeist." Gourgeist sang as she focused on the overgrown water lizard she was facing.
"Wobbuffet." Wobbuffet said with a salute right as the ground burst up from under him.
The Dig attack had landed and Wobbuffet wailed from the hit as he was launched into the air, flailing his arms in the process, but he had an order from his darling trainer, and he used it by twisting and lashing his tail across Garchomp's face, his body glowing with Counter. Garchomp let out a grunt of pain as he staggered to the side from the hit that was now twice as strong as the one he'd landed on Wobbuffet. Thankfully he wasn't weak to fighting type attacks, but he also wasn't resistant to them, so it did a fair bit of damage nonetheless.
As for Feraligatr, he blasted the Hydro Pump aiming for her face which forced so Gourgeist to drop down towards the ground to avoid it though she remained hovering above it. That was just what Feraligatr had intended to happen, and he used that to charge forward and close in on her, his teeth again coating in ice, as he ran. Gourgeist barely had time to look towards Feraligatr after dodging the Hydro Pump before he leapt up and snapped his jaws around her lower body.
Gourgeist let out a wail of pain as she took the super effective ice type attack and was shaken by it before Feraligatr tossed her away. However, as she fell through the air she turned her head and opened her mouth to send out a series of seeds that landed at Feraligatr's feet. The moment they landed vines shot up from them and ensnared him, tightening before suddenly draining some of his energy and sending it to Gourgeist as she hit the ground and rolled away. She grinned as she recovered some of the damage she'd taken and slowly rose off the ground.
"That's it, keep it up with Dark Pulse after you dodge whatever Feraligatr throws at you." Jessie said. "Wobbuffet, Mirror Move if it's ranged, Counter if it's up close and personal. That is your order for the rest of the match. Don't let me down my darling."
"Wobbuffet." Wobbuffet said with a salute having already gotten up after his recent engagement with Garchomp as Khoury looked at that a little confused but pushed it away as he focused on the match.
"Garchomp, Rock Blast and then dodge whatever is sent back at you." Khoury said as he tried to keep up the pressure he had on Wobbuffet at least and used the best moves that Feraligatr had on Gourgeist. "Feraligatr, Crunch. We will win this boys."
Feraligatr roared as he charged at Gourgeist, his mouth open and teeth glowing with dark type power ready to leap up and at her at a moment's notice. At the same time Garchomp closed in on Wobbuffet who hadn't moved since getting up and raised his right claw thing as it glowed with fighting type power before he brought it down in a now glowing Wobbuffet's head.
Wobbuffet wailed in reduced pain, more theatrical than anything as he was resistant to fighting type attacks, and rocked back but he kept his feet planted on the ground and used that to bring his head forward and slam the point he'd been struck by Garchomp's claw right into Garchomp's nose. Garchomp wailed as he was hit was a move that did twice the damage he'd just done to Wobbuffet and staggered back though he still had plenty of health left.
At the same time Gourgeist lured Feraligatr in and then flipped back as he leapt up in a graceful arc that caused Feraligatr to bite down on thin air in a miss. Then, as Feraligatr was dropping to the ground, Gourgeist finished her flip, opened her mouth and sent forth the negative aura of Dark Pulse in the form of the dark rings it took. The attack slammed into Feraligatr's chest and blasted him back from her as he wailed in pain, more energy leeching from him in the process as he hit the ground and rolled on it.
"Finish Feraligatr with Seed Bomb." Jessie said. "We've got this my dear."
"Feraligatr, Hydro Pump." Khoury said. "Garchomp, use Strength."
Feraligatr groaned as he rose and opened his mouth, but Gourgeist had already opened hers and a series of seeds shot out of it and tore across the battlefield to slam into Feraligatr's chest right where he'd just been hit by the Dark Pulse. They exploded with a boom, and he was blasted back but he didn't make a noise. That was because between taking two direct grass type attack, the two leechings from Leech Seed which were worse for him as a water type, and a Dark Pulse, Feraligatr was well past his limit the moment the second Seed Bomb hit him.
He just hit the ground limp as a ragdoll and bounced a few times before he rolled past Khoury to lie on his back with his limps splayed, mouth open, tongue out and swirls for eyes. Feraligatr had been beaten and Khoury's points took a big hit from losing one of his Pokémon in the battle.
At the same time Garchomp struck Wobbuffet and he staggered before swinging back with his Counter. This time at least, Garchomp was expecting it and hopped back before he retreated to the middle of the battlefield as he looked at his foes cautiously. His friend and teammate had been bested but he was still in it which meant that it was time and Khoury knew it as well.
"Draco Meteor." Khoury said.
"Mirror Move, Wobbuffet." Jessie said to confirm to him what she wanted him to do as Garchomp roared and tipped his head back looking at the sky as the orange light formed in his mouth. "Dodge those meteors and then use Shadow Ball Gourgeist but wait for your opening my dear."
As Jessie was giving her orders the orange ball of dragon type power was shot out of Garchomp's mouth and into the air where it hung before it burst, and meteors rained down all over the battlefield. Gourgeist tried to fly around but she wasn't so lucky as one struck her right on the top of her head and downed her with a wail, but she wasn't out of the battle, so she kept her eyes on Garchomp trusting Wobbuffet to do what he'd been ordered to do. That trust was well placed.
Wobbuffet just stood there glowing and took the blow on his head with a wail, it was the strongest a Draco Meteor could be, but he remained standing before he looked at Garchomp. Then, as Garchomp lowered his head, Wobbuffet held out his arms and opened his mouth as he unleashed a ranged move twice as strong as what he was just hit with.
Garchomp had no time to react before the Mirror Move struck him in the chest and blasted him back with a wail as the twice as strong counter move hit him. He was tough but three moves with twice damage to what he'd inflicted were taking their toll on him as he hit the ground and rolled towards Khoury's feet. He was still in it though and he grimaced as he began to raise ready to keep fighting for his trainer and avenge his friend's defeat. At least that was until the second part of Jessie's attack came.
Gourgeist hadn't bothered to get up but just formed the Shadow Ball in her mouth as she awaited her moment to strike. That game when Garchomp came to a stop after taking the Mirror Move and began to rise, then she launched it and all Garchomp could do was look up before the ghost type attack struck him squarely in the face. That was too much for him and he flopped back to lie on his back, arms spread, and swirls for eyes as he went past the limit of the damage that he could take.
"And I don't believe it but with just under 2 minutes left we have our second Battle Off of the quarterfinals!" Jillian said excited as always as the 3 Xs went off to show that the match was over. "With that blow Jessilina wins and punches her ticket in the semifinal, her second appearance in one. Now there is only one spot left in tomorrow's final day of the Grand Festival."
"Garchomp, Feraligatr, return." Khoury said with a small smile on his face as he recalled his Pokémon. "You were great my friends, I was the one who let your down there. We faced a favorite and lost, there is no shame in it, and I didn't see that Wobbuffet or what it could do coming, she's never used it before this year. Trust someone like Jessilina to have a trick up her sleeve that she kept in story for the Grand Festival. She was always a tricky one even back when we watched her beat Misty in Sinnoh."
"Gourgeist, Wobbuffet, return." Jessie said with a wide smile on her face. "You were great my friends, really won it there for me and without much of a hassle as well. We have matched the last Grand Festival we were in, now let us overcome it tomorrow and take home the Ribbon Cup at last."
With that Jessie put her Poke Balls away and looked up at Khoury who gave her a small nod of respect though it wasn't a full bow as Khoury still didn't know how to give one. Jessie gave him a small curtsy to show her character before he turned to leave the stage and she turned as well. She'd won again and once more would compete in a Grand Festival semifinal, she couldn't wait for it and her latest shot at finally becoming a Top Coordinator.
As for Khoury, he just walked to out and past Emily, giving her a nod as he did despite his loss, and headed to the changing room to change as fast as possible. He wanted to catch some of her match and see his friends again before the end of the day if he could.
He may have lost but he wasn't upset, he'd done better than expected and learned a lot from his year on the Kalos Contest circuit. He'd continue that as the years went forward and he gained more experiences, the Kalos Grand Festival was just one of them and it had come to an end for him. Now it was time to sit back and see who won it with Lyra and his friends, Khoury was looking forward to that.
"That's a shame." Lyra said sadly as Khoury made his way off the battlefield following his loss. "I really wanted my man to win that and join Serena in the semifinals."
"He did well though." Misty pointed. "He landed some good hits and figuring out a way to land an Ice Fang on a mobile Pokémon like Gourgeist was impressive but she's a favorite for a reason. That and the types just weren't on his side with Feraligatr while Wobbuffet was a complete wildcard. I was surprised Jessilina used it if I'm being honest, but she does like to be unpredictable. That and his strategy wasn't the best."
"What do you mean?" Lyra asked. "About Wobbuffet and Khoury's strategy in general that is."
"Jessilina has only once used her Wobbuffet in a Contest as far as I can remember, it was her appeals Pokémon in the Wallace Cup we were both in back in Sinnoh and she didn't advance with it as it was frankly a poor appeal." Misty said remembering that Cup well as Emily and her opponent were introduced. "So, her using it now was a surprise to say the least but that was a clever strategy for sure as Wobbuffet was unexpected. Plus, she had moves to double the effects back for physical and ranged attacks so she had plenty of strong counter attacks that would wear down an opponent faster than it would Wobbuffet."
"Providing that the moves weren't super effective." May added for clarity. "Those may have taken down Wobbuffet before he could take down his opponent. It was a risk but one that paid off for Jessilina."
"I guess that makes sense and as no one had seen her use Wobbuffet all year it was really a surprise for Khoury." Lyra said thinking on what the two Top Coordinators in their group were saying. "But what about his strategy? What was the problem with that?"
"It was too simple." Misty said. "He focused on making it two one on one battles rather than coordinating it as a complete double battle and that won't work against a talent like Jessilina. We really saw that at the end after Feraligatr went down and Jessilina kept the pressure up with both Pokémon though it was a two on one at that point, so she really had the advantage there."
"Very true." May said with a nod as Emily took her place while the watched and discussed. "I'd say that he had a decent idea, but Jessilina showed her favorite status with ease there for sure. He did well to make it this far but it's not a surprise that he lost in the end."
"At least we still have Serena in the Grand Festival." Miette said as the intros ended, and Lyra thought on how and why Khoury had lost. "And probably Emily. Who's she going to use for this?"
"Vulpix and Clefable." Adam said as Emily sent them out to prove his point while her opponent sent out an Arbok and a Durant opting for the same strategy as the last person to face Emily by targeting her type weaknesses. "The former for experience and as a bit of a surprise as she's still a pure ice type, the latter as it's her oldest and strongest so she's going to rely on it to carry her into the semifinals and support Vulpix. Plus, this way she can potentially use Clefable again in the finals if she makes it that far."
"Clever." Misty said as Emily started off with an Ice Shard from Vulpix at the Durant that was charging her while Clefable sent an Ice Beam at Arbok. "What's her plan for this then? She's got the talent, but her opponent has opted for an anti-fairy type lineup because of her type specialty, Emily's biggest weakness that we expected any opponent to try and exploit, and ice is weak to steel if I recall as well."
"It is but don't worry, Emily has a plan, and this matchup actually works to her advantage so long as her plan works." Adam said as the Arbok took the attack before countering with a Poison Sting that Clefable just managed to dodge while Durant began to close in on Vulpix with an Iron Head attack only to be stopped by taking an Ice Shard though it wasn't that effective, but it slowed it down which was clearly the goal. "And this will really work, I'm sure of it. Plus, that Durant may be a steel type but it's also a bug type and let's just say it won't be a great matchup in the long run."
"Oh right." Misty said remembering her own matches against Emily as Vulpix used that moment to retreat behind Clefable while she used a second Ice Beam to keep Arbok at bay though Arbok did twist to avoid it registering a miss for Emily. "If I recall correctly, Clefable is a little different to what you'd expect with her moves."
"Correct as she was trained with her old normal type in mind not her new fairy type and now it's time for the core of the plan." Adam said and they all watched as Emily ordered a Sing from Clefable. "This was the tactic all along, but a Durant is just icing on the cake for her."
"Why?" Miette asked confused as the Sing started and the opposing trainer tried to defend against it but failed as the notes got past them and hit both Pokémon putting them to sleep while Vulpix was spared because she was behind her teammate and Clefable was projecting her voice against their foes. "What does a Durant have…oh that would explain it. It's super weak to that type, isn't it?"
What a Durant had to do with it was that it was a bug and steel type which meant that the one type that it was weak against with that combination was fire and it was doubly weak to that type. That was also a type that Clefable just so happened to know a move for in Flamethrower, one that Misty recalled Emily teaching Clefable to counter steel types after Clefable seemed to have issues with steel and poison types back before it was realized that the species had changed from normal to fairy type. Now it was coming in real handy for her.
They just watched as the Flamethrower washed over the Durant while Vulpix popped out from behind Clefable to blast Arbok with an Extrasensory attack. It was a super effective psychic type attack that did a lot of damage to the sleeping Arbok though not as much as the Flamethrower had done to Durant.
"The Extrasensory is a bonus really as we weren't sure if the opponent would use a poison type or not." Adam admitted to them as Emily's opponent tried to get his Pokémon to get up, but they weren't listening and Emily ordered a Wake-Up slap for Durant, it wasn't resistant to fighting type attacks thanks to its steel type whereas Arbok was, and another Extrasensory for Arbok. "We taught it to Vulpix to counter fighting types that are strong against ice types as she's a pure ice type at the moment but it's also to be against poison types when she evolves and loses the weakness to fighting types when she adds that fairy type. We still have to figure out something for steel types as they're really good against an Alolan Ninetales, however."
"That will come in time." Misty said as the Wake-Up Slap did its job and woke up Durant who promptly fainted from it as the damage was increased due to Durant being asleep so between that, the Flamethrower and Ice Shard it was done for while Vulpix hit Arbok with another Extrasensory that also woke up Arbok, but Arbok was impressively still in the fight. "It looks like Emily has this."
"She should." Adam said. "But that Arbok is still in it and could be a problem."
That was shown a moment later when it dodged a Dark Pulse from Vulpix that likely would have ended it and closed in on Clefable before landing a Gunk Shot on her. The powerful poison type move blasted Clefable back and it was clear that she'd taken some serious damage from it and had been poisoned as they watched her shudder from it when she stood and fell back to the side but wasn't out yet. However, at the same time Arbok suddenly stopped and they all saw the hearts for eyes it, or those that knew Clefable was a female realized he, had.
"Wait a sec." May said confused as Arbok didn't listen and Emily saw her opening for a second Dark Pulse that was going to hit and almost certainly end the Arbok in his current state. "Gunk Shot shoots garbage at it's foes, why did it cause infatuation?"
"For that matter why is Arbok infatuated?" Shauna asked. "I didn't see Clefable use Attract so how is Arbok like that?"
"To answer the second one first it's because Clefable has the Cute Charm ability." Owen said from his seat, he hadn't spoken much but his breeder expertise came out when needed though Ash, Tierno, Trevor, and Max were all still just focused on the battle and not really speaking at the moment. "Contact with it will cause infatuation if the other Pokémon is of the opposite gender, well it will about 30% of the time give or take. It's the same ability as Serena's Sylveon."
"Correct and Clefable is female, so we now know that that Arbok is male because he's infatuated by her." Adam said as Vulpix unleashed her Dark Pulse attack. "And as for Gunk Shot, it's actually classified as a physical move which means it makes contact despite it seeming to be a ranged attack and as contact is the trigger for Cute Charm it can cause it to do so. I am not sure why that is the case, but it is."
"Huh that is unexpected but fortunate for Emily there." May said as the Dark Pulse hit the infatuated Arbok and it fainted though Emily clearly looked perturbed by how she'd beaten Arbok with attacks that hit it when it was asleep or infatuated but status attacks were a valid strategy, one employed by several trainers, so no one was going to fault her for her actions as she'd been proper with them and not cruel. "Well that all worked out and in the fasted time of the day, that won't make Brianna happy."
"True." Misty said as the 3 Xs went up with just more than half the time remaining showing that Emily had won and faster than Brianna which would piss her off but as the Xs going off a second wave of poisoning hit Clefable and she passed out as well leaving a very confused looking Alolan Vulpix to look around the battlefield and blink as the only still conscious Pokémon in the battle. "That was certainly interesting to say the least, but Emily had a strong strategy and the right moves despite having type disadvantages in that match but a lot broke for her then, she may not be as fortunate in the next round."
"No, she won't." Adam agreed as Jillian announced the end of the match and the crowd cheered. "So, we will work on it tonight as soon as we know who she will face in the semifinal."
"That's coming in a moment so let's sit back and enjoy it." May said as the coordinators recalled their Pokémon and thanked them for their efforts in the battle. "Serena and the Big 3 are the semifinalists, certainly going to be good especially when you consider that all three favorites advanced via Battle Offs while Serena had to win on points."
"Just means she's more ready for this after her wins over me and Shauna." Miette said as Shauna nodded while Emily and the other coordinator put their Poke Balls away, turned and left the stage without any other formalities. "So, let's see who she is facing in the semifinals tomorrow morning."
The others just nodded as they sat back, and the 4 images of the semifinalists appeared on the screen while Jillian walked to the center of the stage. The Grand Festival had been great so far and now it was time to find out how the final day would start as the draw for the first semifinal in a Kalos Grand Festival was about to happen.
"Well, there you have it folks, here are our final four coordinators in the Grand Festival!" Jillian said to the cheering crowd as the images of Serena, Brianna, Jessilina, and Emily appeared on the screen in large versions of their player cards. "And what a final four it is. We have the Big 3 all still in it and Kalos's own princess and Contest darling in Serena as the dark horse who's made it this far despite being a wildcard but that just goes to show the potential qualifying via it can have."
Jillian paused for a moment as the crowd let out a roar at this. Serena just focused on watching the TV and waiting for the draw while Jillian whipped the crowd into a frenzy for it.
"What's more, for the first time in years a Grand Festival semifinal is single gender as all four are lovely ladies." Jillian continued once it was clear the crowd was really going. "It's almost as if fate itself saw to it that Kalos's first Grand Festival semifinal would be this way given the nature of Kalos's Showcases, am I right?"
The crowd cheered even louder at this, and Serena had to admit it was kinda fitting but in reality it was pure chance that it ended up this way as the draws could have gone either way. She knew this to be true as the draw in the Wallace Cup had ensured only one Big 3 could make the final while Kalos was all but guaranteed to have a native as the other finalist. As such it was just coincidence that the Grand Festival had played out this way as it could have ended up with only one Big 3 left and three men with her and not an all women semifinal.
Well, that and while Contests weren't gender specific like Showcases, they did tend to be majority female. At least it seemed that way to Serena from her experience on the Kalos circuit this year, and more Top Coordinators were women that Serena knew or had seen since learning of the Contest world.
Of course, she also knew of plenty of men who'd achieved the title like Robert, Wallace, that Harley guy who'd beaten May in Johto and unfortunately Drew and likely soon Kenny as well, so it wasn't dominated by women. Still, it was going to be interesting with 4 women left vying for the title of Top Coordinator.
As Jillian had been speaking, Emily had returned from her win, the guy she beat doing what all the losers had and gone straight to the changing room, and she came over to Serena to wait and watch the final draw of the Grand Festival. Jessilina stood in the area of the waiting room she'd made her own aloof to the others as always while Brianna gave them a wide birth but was clearly watching the upcoming draw closely. It was time for the last bit of randomness in the Grand Festival.
"Now, let's see who is facing who in the semifinals." Jillian said excitedly as the cards flipped over and shuffled before arranging themselves in a square with the vs. between the names and by now the remaining coordinators knew that the top pair would go first and the bottom pair last. "And the matches will be…"
At that the cards flipped over and instantly the crowd roared at it and the girls in the waiting room, well 3 girls and a woman, noted right away who they were facing as it wasn't hard to tell with only 4 left in the Grand Festival. It seemed fitting in a way that it would be like this.
"I'll admit, I would have preferred to face you in the final Serena." Emily said as Serena turned to the younger girl next to her. "It would have been better that way as it would be like May and Misty in the Wallace Cup almost only with us as their stand ins in a way, but this is good as well, I did want to battle you once again. I faced Misty thrice last year, now I can do the same with you."
"And I you Emily, it will be good and civil, but I won't be like you, I won't be swept." Serena said as Jessilina just smiled and left the waiting room thinking of how she'd beat the brat in the semifinal, the first of the two matches tomorrow morning so a good way to kick off the day, and needed to regroup with Meowth and James to plan for it. "So let the best woman win."
"Yes, I'll be rooting for you Serena." Brianna said with a sneer on her face as she addressed them before Emily could respond to Serena, and they looked to her. "I'll beat that old hag and then await you in the final, a fitting place to beat your and prove Drew the superior one. I'd have liked to get my vengeance on Emily as well for the cheating she pulled off in Laverre but whatever, I haven't faced Jessilina yet so a win over her will help solidify me as the best of the year which I'll take. See you tomorrow, princess."
With that Brianna turned and strode out, she dared not say anymore lest they try to alert the committee to trigger her warning though with a camera in the waiting room she knew she was safe from any lies her enemies might spread about her. She didn't care though; she'd let her skills do the talking as tomorrow she dispatched first Jessilina in a match she'd longed to have just to assert herself as the best by beating all of the other favorites and then she'd beat one of the two villains after lunch to raise the Ribbon Cup in Drew's name.
Oh, how she hoped that it would be Serena, then she could show the world that good always trumped evil when she as Drew's proxy crushed Serena as May's proxy for all to see. Yes, tomorrow was going to be her crowning moment, Brianna knew it.
"Well, she's as charming as ever." Emily said as Brianna left the waiting room and the girls turned back to each other to resume their conversation from earlier that Brianna had rudely interrupted. "But regardless, let's give our best tomorrow, for ourselves and for the Top Coordinators who we admire the most."
"Yes, lets." Serena said smiling at Emily. "And we should go meet up with them and the others, we have a lot to get ready for after all. Tomorrow, the Kalos Grand Festival comes to a close and one of us will be a Top Coordinator. It's going to be an interesting day for sure."
Emily nodded before Serena led her out of the waiting room and to where their friends would meet them. The second day of battles were in the books, four women remained standing and the final day of the first Kalos Grand Festival was almost upon them. Three more battles were still to come and at the end of them a new Top Coordinator would be crowned. Who would it be as the Grand Festival's penultimate day drew to a close and they all looked to tomorrow and the conclusion of the inaugural Kalos Grand Festival.
