Part CLXXXI: Which Women Will Win

"Well folks, here it is, the final day of the first Kalos Grand Festival is finally upon us and what a way to start out the semifinals that occupy the morning session than with the first matchup between two of the Big 3 in the Grand Festival!" Jillian said excitedly as Jessie and Brianna walked out of the wings and headed to the battlefield while the crowd roared. "We couldn't have asked for a better way to begin the day that will end with the crowning of a new Top Coordinator!"

Both Jessie and Brianna were certain that they would be that next Top Coordinator and were prepared to go through the other to claim that title that both had long coveted. This was a big semifinal for them, and they were ready for it as they made their way to the center of the battlefield.

Neither had faced the other in a Contest this year and had spent the night preparing for their first, and possibly only, matchup with a spot in the Grand Festival final on the line for them. It had been a lot of work as neither was underestimating the other in this matchup so were both coming out swinging for their shot at the Kalos Ribbon Cup that afternoon.

The one thing that was going to really decide it though was that they couldn't use the Pokémon that they'd used in the quarterfinals the day before and that meant that whoever they used now would be unavailable in the final. It made everything even more tactical than it already was and had caused both to spend a lot of time deciding who to use in this match.

For her part Jessie was ready for it. She had a good team planned for it with her 4 Pokémon to choose from, well 3 as she wanted to save one for the final to pair with Gourgeist in it should she reach it. She had a good understanding of the other two semifinalists so she and was certain that pairing that Pokémon with Gourgeist could handle either of her potential foes. That meant that she had to be ready for the little brat before her and she was going to be, she knew it.

Jessie may not have faced Brianna yet this year, but she'd kept an eye on the overall favorite regardless because of her status as the biggest hurdle to Jessie and her long overdue Ribbon Cup. Brianna was the one who was supported by the experts, those who cared only for skill and not who the coordinator was, to win the firs Kalos Grand Festival though her horrid personality meant she had little fans unlike Jessie who as Jessilina had plenty of fans and was the second of the Big 3 due to her past successes.

True, both of them had lost to the king twerp himself, so they were even there, but Jessie had losses to both of the remaining semifinalists while Brianna had only lost to Emily and that was more her own fault it seemed. Therefore, because Jessie was considered more experience due to debuting longer ago, and because of that historic win over Misty that wasn't actually her, had established Jessie as the second of the Big 3 over Emily. Well, all that and her lack of a decisive battle against Brianna added to her mystique a bit as no one knew how she compared to Brianna.

As such this was an open match and Jessie was going to make sure that she won it so that she'd be the one to raise the Ribbon Cup at last. Last time she'd been stopped by the Sinnoh twerpette who'd failed to then win it all causing her sudden retirement from Contests.

Now, what with the whole ease of the expansion region making her chances higher, Jessilina was back which only added to her marketability because of her years away adding more allure to the character, and Jessie fully intended to win it this time around. She'd won the Master Class as Jessilee, now Jessilina would burst into her first final to go for her Ribbon Cup.

Naturally Brianna was also planning on going all out to win this one. This wasn't like a battle with some insignificant coordinator on the circuit or one of the great evils that she had to vanquish to prove how good Drew was, this was a challenge with the only coordinator who Brianna actually acknowledged as a threat to her and her chances at becoming a Top Coordinator.

That annoying countrywoman of hers may have bested her in Laverre but that was from cheating, how else could she have expected Brianna to use Roselia and counter her perfectly with that damned Klefki after all, so Emily wasn't really a threat to her, and she'd proved that all the way back in Geosenge when she established herself in Kalos as the best here. Jessilina by contrast was actually a serious threat and so Brianna was taking this battle extremely seriously.

Yes, the older Sinnoh woman had lost to Serena in Coumarine, the only one of the Big 3 to fall to a coordinator on the circuit as Ash beating all three of them in the Wallace Cup didn't count to Brianna as he wasn't a coordinator and had cheated to beat her, but that loss had been due to an illegal evolution of Serena's Rhyhorn so to Brianna Jessilina hadn't actually lost that battle. In fact, the other loss Jessilina had had, her one to Emily, had been when Emily's Eevee had evolved into a Sylveon illegally as well. All that made her an actual threat to Brianna.

Add in that unlike the others Jessilina wasn't actually evil, she was just a talented coordinator from Sinnoh who had in fact once bested evil herself as she'd beaten Misty when they were both rookies, Brianna ignored her multiple losses to Misty as well, as that win made her not as bad as the others to Brianna. She'd still win and beating the only coordinator with a win over a future Top Coordinator would help further prove to all how great Brianna was when she did win the Grand Festival that afternoon.

"Don't you dare let me down." Brianna called out as she reached her starting point and glared across the battlefield at Jessilina who'd reached her starting point as well as they'd been walking at roughly the same speed while the crowd cheered. "I actually recognize your skill and the fact that you're not corrupted like the others so you'd better prove that to me now so that I can reach the finals properly. As far as I'm concerned this is the real final because whoever wins this is bound to win the finals because good must always triumph."

"My, my, do you need a motherly figure dear." Jessie said coating her words with honey as she really played up the Jessilina homely act that the crowd loved though she wasn't actually wrong about Brianna's need for proper guidance not that she, as a member of Team Rocket, really cared but she did have to live up to her image. "You've got some issues. Don't worry, I'll show you what a mature, experienced, worldly, woman who's been around the block can do and when you lose I recommend you seek help."

"Keep talking, I'll win this at a much younger age than you ever will." Brianna said and Jessie felt a vain in her forehead throb at that. "It only motivates me to beat you more."

"Age means experience, you should learn to respect those who came before you, we made it possible so that you could be here doing this today." Jessie said, she didn't really care about Brianna's attitude but insulting her age was too far in her books and now Jessie was going to teach her a lesson. "I'll start by humbling you here and now as I make my first final."

"Yes, that's it ladies, we've wanted this matchup all year and at last we have it!" Jillian said interrupting them with her usual lack of understanding the deeper meaning of what was going on and really getting into the upcoming battle as she swept an arm to Jessie's side. "It's the only Big 3 matchup we've not seen but now it is time for it so let's start with the woman considered the second best on the circuit this year and the only one to best a future Top Coordinator in the past. She's made a semifinal before a few years ago in her native Sinnoh, and now she's in one again seeking her first finals. You all know her as the homely Maiden of Sinnoh, give it up for Jessilina!"

The crowd gave a roar at that, and Jessie smiled, waved, and even blew some kisses to some of the louder cheering men, including James not that she understood why she actually wanted to do that one, as she basked in their adoration. Other than the Kalos twerpette who was somehow still in the Grand Festival, Jessie, as Jessilina, was the fan favorite and she was going to enjoy it while it lasted before looking and smiling sweetly at a sneering Brianna to remind the brat that she had the fan's support here.

"Facing off against her for the first time is the overall favorite this year and that's for good reason." Jillian said as the cheers began to die down with a few actual boos thrown in for good measure as Jillian swept her arm to Brianna's side. "She's the only one with more than one Grand Festival appearance in the Kalos Grand Festival having made one each of the last three years in Kanto, Hoenn, and most recently Johto respectively. In that last one she made it to the final before losing making her the only finalist in the Grand Festival and now she's aiming for her second straight final. From Chrysanthemum Town, it's the Flower of Kanto herself, Brianna!"

This time the cheer was noticeably quieter for Brianna with only really those who supported her skill cheering, and the boos were now clear as those who didn't like her attitude, though not in Ash's group, were making their feelings known. Brianna still didn't care at all what the ignorant masses thought of her so she just calmly ignored it, using their unjustified hatred of her and her goodness to fuel her righteous rage that would propel her to victory.

To Brianna, only her darling Drew truly mattered and now she was going to really show it off as she had just the Pokémon pair to honor him and advance to the final. Plus, if she had her predictions right, at least one would be strong against what Jessilina would likely use against her.

"Hear that, they like to support coordinators who acknowledge and respect the fans." Jessie said as she pulled out her two Poke Balls. "That's why I'm the fan favorite of the Big 3 because I embrace those who helped me reach this point and am there for them when they want to see their favorite coordinator."

"Please, I can see right through you, you just like the attention and validation that they give you." Brianna scoffed as she too drew her Poke Balls for the coming battle. "That's why you're always milking your image and reputation outside of Contests with those interviews and ads you like to do. I only care about the greatest coordinator who ever lived and his support which I have, the rest can just watch and be annoyed when I win it all. I will prove that Drew is the best by winning this for him."

"Say what you will, you are young and immature." Jessie said dismissively as she tried to repress her anger at what the little brat was saying to her. "I've done what a coordinator should do, what the actual greats like Wallace have done since then. Even twer…I mean recent ones like May and Misty have shown what a Top Coordinator needs to be. I will join them at last after years of being in their shadows."

"Don't you dare say such blasphemous names of people who got lucky and unjustly earned their titles to me." Brianna snapped barely controlling more righteous words from coming out at such heresies being uttered before her as it took all her willpower not to devolve into righteous rantings of the injustices of the world that would probably trigger that damned warning. "Just show me that you're a worthy challenge already, I have a spot in the final awaiting me."

"That's it ladies, really hype up this match, we can't wait any longer." Jillian said still missing any subtlety and just enjoying what was being bantered around as it really helped hype up the final to come. "It's time to start the semifinals. Battle begin!"

"Yanmega, Swoobat, come on out and dazzle." Jessie said tossing out her Poke Balls with an elegant grace.

"Yes just what I wanted." Brianna said as she threw out her own Poke Balls with no where near as much grace as Jessie had done, not that she cared. "Masquerain, Absol, steal the show."

The four Poke Balls burst open at nearly the same time and the three secondary flying types, and the one pure dark type landed before their trainers and locked eyes already for this battle for their precious humans. The Grand Festival semifinals had truly begun.

"Swoobat, Future Sight." Jessie ordered to get a move off for later. "Make it nice and strong for when it comes back. Yanmega, Sonic Boom."

"Intercept that with Gust, Masquerain." Brianna called out as Swoobat opened his mouth and shot out the delayed psychic type move as several balls of psychic power that soared into the air and vanished into portals that appeared to take them away for later while Yanmega buzzed her wings violently to send out the Sonic Boom. "Absol, focus on Swoobat and use Snarl. We have the edge against that Pokémon."

Jessie had to repress a grimace as she recalled that Absol was a dark type meaning that it was going to be good against her recently evolved Swoobat but that was fine, she could just switch things up after this. First though she had to get through the opening moves.

That was because Masquerain buzzed her wings fast and unleashed her Gust that tore across the battlefield and slammed into the Sonic Boom upon which the moves negated each other with a, well, boom but as both weren't visible attacks nothing happened other than a lot of wind being kicked up around them, but all three flying types easily handled it. Regardless, Yanmega glowed showing her Speed Boost had been activated which Jessie would use to her advantage.

At the same time Absol looked at Swoobat and let out a yell at it as if ranting about something. It was a move Jessie had never heard of before and looked strange, but it was a ranged dark type move that landed on Swoobat who let out a wail of pain from it that caused Jessie to wince as she understood what it was now. Swoobat was weak to dark type attacks which only furthered Jessie's goal to change things up.

"Yanmega, Steel Wing on Absol, get in close and then douse it with Silver Wind the moment you have a clean shot." Jessie ordered. "Dodge anything sent at you. Swoobat, cover her with Air Slash at Masquerain."

"Masquerain, avoid that with your flying and do the same, get in close to Swoobat and use Silver Wind to show how it's properly done." Brianna yelled as Yanmega suddenly shot at Absol faster than usual. "Absol, roast that bug with Flamethrower."

As Yanmega tore at Absol, Swoobat knew what he had to do and flapped his wings to get up higher before he sent out a blade of air that sliced through the sky at Masquerain at such and angle that it ensured that Masquerain had to fly to the side to avoid it and give Yanmega a clean path to Absol. Absol of course wasn't idle as he opened his mouth and unleashed a gout of intense flames right at the speeding Ogre Darner Pokémon.

Both Yanmega and Masquerain showed their flying prowess at that moment however as Masquerain shot up and forward to fly over the blade of air that would have been super effective on her before she shot right at Swoobat as fast as she could. At the same time, Yanmega buzzed as she spun just before the fire reached her so that she was able to twist in a swirl around the flames close enough to feel the heat while not letting them touch her as she bore down on a surprised Absol who's eyes went wide as the attack missed and Yanmega reached him.

The flames had barely ended when Yanmega was on Absol and struck him across the face with her Steel Wing causing him to howl in pain and rear back from the blow. Yanmega knew her orders and pressed her advantage as she closed on the staggering Absol and flew past the Disaster Pokémon unleashing a super effective Silver Wind on him as she did. He continued to howl in pain as she buzzed over with the Silver Wind and then arced back and rolled in the air to turn and shoot back to help Swoobat.

That was because as soon as Masquerain was past the Air Slash she closed and did the same thing as Yanmega by flying over Swoobat and dousing him in her own Silver Wind. The big difference however was that the Silver Wind wasn't super effective on Swoobat like it had been on Absol thanks to Swoobat's flying type negating his psychic type's weakness to bug type attacks. Still, it was a hit and Masquerain quickly shot to the side to evade any counter as Swoobat spluttered from the Silver Wind.

"Yanmega, Ancient Power on Masquerain." Jessie yelled. "Swoobat, use Gust on Absol to keep it at bay."

"Absol, down that Yanmega with Aerial Ace, push through whatever is thrown at you." Brianna shouted. "Masquerain, continue showing off how well you can fly by dodging it and then strike Swoobat with Bubble."

Yanmega buzzed as she flew at Masquerain and send out the prehistoric power that was Ancient Power at her foe, the ranged rock type move was going to be a devastating one for a bug and flying type like Masquerain. She knew this very well and buzzed herself as the rock type attack shot at her as she used her 4 wings to drop down and to the side to shoot away and avoid the attack before she unleashed her Bubble at the side of Swoobat who wasn't paying attention to her.

That was because Swoobat himself had dropped down to be clear of Yanmega's attack run and beat his wings powerfully at Absol who was already charging across the battlefield at Yanmega with his claws glowing with flying type power. Swoobat was so focused on it that he didn't notice the bubbles of water until they slammed into his side and sent him reeling sideways, flipping through the air and trying to get under control again.

However, it had been worth it as the Gust had torn across the battlefield and hit Absol in the side as he leapt up at Yanmega's back. He just ignored the flying type move that struck him as he raised his claws above his head and brought them down onto Yanmega's back as she flew with a roar, imparting his own flying type attack into her in the process and sending her careening down to the ground to land with a crash and a wail from the super effective attack.

Absol was going to press this advantage as he landed on her, his forepaws on her wings as he did to pin her to the ground while they skidded over it. He had this flying type right where he wanted her and was just waiting his human's orders to end her.

At least that was the plan and Brianna had just opened her mouth to order a Flamethrower to end it when suddenly the sky above them opened out and the Future Sight appeared to rain down on them. Instantly Brianna changed her tactics with this as she'd been waiting for it just as much as Jessie had been.

"Masquerain, use your flying to dodge and then strike Yanmega with Gust." Brianna ordered. "Absol, that won't affect you so charge at Swoobat and hit it with Night Slash."

"Yanmega, evade with your speed and then counter with Ancient Power on Masquerain." Jessie said. "Swoobat, stop Absol with Air Slash."

"When that's done, Flamethrower on Yanmega." Brianna added thinking of another way to press what she knew was her current advantage.

All this had to take place as the Future Sight rained down upon them by all four Pokémon were fighting hard to win the match for their beloved humans and leapt into action as it was happening. Absol knew that he had nothing to worry about as he was immune to psychic type attacks, so he just charged forward at Swoobat who flew up and to the side before beating his wings fast and sending a blade of air at Absol.

However, Absol just roared as he leapt up, his head thing glowing with dark type power, and flipped over the Air Slash with the grace of a Contest Pokémon to dodge it as one of the Future Sight things just bounced off him in the process not doing any damage thanks to his immunity to it. It was certainly an impressive sequence and really showed his training even if it was only possible because he was a dark type.

Regardless, this was what Absol excelled at as the grace of the leap and flip allowed him to bring down his glowing blade thing right into Swoobat's face with a roar and a boom from the impact. Swoobat didn't get a wail out as the super effective dark type attack that had also triggered a critical hit drove him down into the stage with a boom. Absol was mid flip when this happened and turned, still in the air, and unleashed an intense gout of fire at Yanmega as he fell to the ground thankfully that the opposing bug and flying type had suddenly stopped in midair.

That was because while Absol was attacking Swoobat, Yanmega and Masquerain were flying around as they avoided the Future Sight and tried to close in to look for an opening to exploit to strike the other. That came when one of the Future Sight things struck Masquerain cleaning on top of her head as she flew to the side causing her to yelp and fall. That was the opening Yanmega had been looking for and she pivoted on her wing to get a clear shot and sent out her Ancient Power as she came to a brief halt in the air.

The rock type attack flew at Masquerain and slammed into her as she fell driving her to the ground where she bounced off it spinning through the air her wings limp, but Yanmega didn't get a chance to rejoice as at that moment an intense gout of flames hit her in the side and washed over her, obscuring her from view. To top it all off the rest of the Future Sight struck the stage at that moment and blew up covering everything in dust and blowing around.

Jessie and Brianna braced themselves as the dust and wind tore around them, their skirts flapping in it as the judges hunkered down with arms over their eyes to protect them while Jillian commentated excitedly on the sudden happenings in the battle. No one could see anything for a few seconds as the moves ended and both coordinators grit their teeth waiting for it to clear but neither willing to risk a missed Gust attack just to clear the dust away.

Finally, the wind and dust died down and everyone gasped at the sight before them. Swoobat lay on his back in a small crater on the ground, wings splayed and tongue out with swirls for eyes while across the battlefield Masquerain was flat on her chest, wings limp around her and also showing swirled eyes. Two Pokémon were clearly out of it but the other two were still in it.

Absol was panting but still standing several feet past Swoobat looking towards where he'd sent his Flamethrower and probably the one with the most health left in the fight, but he wasn't the only one still conscious. No, across the battlefield from him and still in her position was a singed, battered, but still hovering Yanmega who slowly turned to look at her opponent as a glow from Speed Boost faded on her showing it had activated again.

Both were still fighting, still giving their all as they had downed the other's partner, so they wanted to end this and win for their respective trainers. Pride and the final was on the line and neither Pokémon was going to back down until the other was unconscious and their respective human had claimed victory.

"Aerial Ace." Brianna roared.

"Silver Wind." Jessie said at the same time as both coordinators used their best moves for the situation.

Absol roared and charged, his claws glowing with flying type power as he ran while Yanmega let out a buzz and shot as fast as she could at Absol ready to shoot up when he leapt to douse him in Silver Wind. All was going to come down to this as they neared each other and Absol leapt into the air to swipe at Yanmega as she prepared to take evasive action, or at least that had been what they were going for but before they could clash the buzzer suddenly sounded ending the match to everyone's shock.

Both Pokémon were well trained and knew what to do when they heard that sound as Yanmega suddenly shot directly upwards as her Silver Wind flew from her into the air around her while Absol just aborted his attack and landed on the stage, skidding a few paces before he came to a stop while Yanmega rolled and leveled out. Both were looking at the other, but they knew that this was over and after a tense moment they turned and returned to stand or hover before their humans.

"Wow, just wow." Jillian said as she recovered from the sudden ending and began to speak to the stunned crowd who were still processing it. "That was a climax unlike any we've seen all year I'd say, what a way to end the first semifinal of the Grand Festival. Both coordinators lost a Pokémon and had one left though those final moves won't count towards the scores as they hadn't happened when the buzzer went off to remind us that there was still a time limit. I know I wanted to see that match go until only one was left standing but alas there is a time limit for a reason and so who has won the first semifinal? Let's check the points and the winner is…"

Jessie and Brianna quickly looked to the scoreboard to see how many points they had left after such an intense battle as neither had really been paying attention to their points as both were giving it all to win by Battle Off in the end. With so many hits and dodges and a lost Pokémon each it wasn't going to be much left, and they were right. Both had lost at least 90% of their points in that match however one was just below 90%, around 8 or 9% while the other was clearly hovering around 5%. That meant that the winner was…

"…Brianna!" Jillian said as the crowd suddenly roared at the results though more the whole battle than Brianna actually winning it as most had wanted Jessilina to come out on top. "For the second straight year she's punched herself a ticket in a Grand Festival final and she really earned this one. Jessilina, you fought well and reminded us why you are a favorite and one day we all know you will raise a Ribbon Cup so we can't wait to see you in a Grand Festival, hopefully Kalos's, again."

"Masquerain, Absol, return." Brianna said recalling her Pokémon and looking at the Poke Balls in her hands with a smirk on her face. "You two were great out there, fought through a lot against the only real challenger we had in the Grand Festival, and you came out on top even if Masquerain fainted in the end but that just shows how good Jessilina is which will add to our inevitable victory this afternoon. We won and have advanced to a final now, a final were good will finally defeat evil, I swear it. Take a rest my friends, you earned it."

"Yanmega, Swoobat, return." Jessie said at the same time with a small, sad smile on her face as she spoke softly so that only her Pokémon could hear her. "We gave it our all but unfortunately that little brat beat us, she's as good as she claims to be, but I don't want to see her win, she's too annoying so we've got to support a twerpette or that Emily girl though if she does win we've at least lost to the winner of the Grand Festival. We tried and failed but this year has been great to us and next year we'll make sure that nothing stands in our way. Let's go and get back to James and Meowth, next time I promise we will win it all."

With that Jessie put her Poke Balls away before she gave Brianna a short, simple, curtsy I keeping with her style that Brianna returned with the barest of formalities to be polite. Once that was done, Jessie turned and left the stage for the last time in Kalos.

Jessie didn't care about that brat's lack of manners; she'd done her best but in the end she'd fallen just short of the finals for a second time. However, after all of Jessie's successes this year she was still in a good place. It was time to meet up with James and Meowth and decide what came next for Jessilina now that she was out of the Kalos Grand Festival.

Brianna for her part just gave the token courtesy she had to in order to appease the powers that be before turning and leaving right after Jessilina had. She held no ill will to the older woman other than for her annoying words at the start and by winning Brianna had made her eat them for all to see. Other than that, the woman wasn't evil or her enemy, she was just an obstacle who Brianna had overcome and looked good doing it.

Now she was finally in the Kalos Grand Festival final and would face the student of evil in it regardless of who won the second semifinal. She knew who she wanted so it was time to retire to the special room for the first of the two finalists to watch and wait, completely ignoring Emily as she passed the other girl and made her way to her special waiting room. Soon she'd know who she was going to face in the final that afternoon.


"Well folks, we have our first finalist and now we will find out who the second one will be as we end the morning with the second and last semifinal of the Grand Festival." Jillian said as Serena and Emily walked out of the wings and made their way to the stage as the crowd cheered for the second match even louder than it had for the first one mainly because both girls in this final were actually liked by the crowd. "The first one was great, and we know that the second one won't disappoint as we've got the last member of the Big 3 and the home region favorite going at it for a third time this year and this is the biggest stage for them yet."

Serena was ready for this battle as she walked out and onto the walkway while Jillian set it up and the crowd roared louder for the upcoming battle, the battlefield now fully restored for it following the slight damage from the last match. She'd spent the night before thinking and preparing for this battle, but it was one she had done alone. Misty wouldn't help given that she was facing Emily, the closest Misty had to a protégé, and May knew that it would be wrong to meddle seeing as Misty wasn't offering help to Emily either.

As such, Serena had been preparing alone for her semifinal and the chance to advance to face either Jessilina or Brianna in the final. Well, she now knew that she was going to face the latter if she won, not that she was too surprised as Brianna was the best on the circuit for a reason though Jessilina had done well and even offer her a small smile as she left which Serena was grateful for.

It showed the older woman's professionalism and comradery with other coordinators despite her status and usual aloofness in waiting rooms. Naturally Serena didn't know that it was just an act but still she used it to calm herself for this match.

Everything Serena had prepared for was before her as she looked at the younger brunette walking towards her. She'd faced Emily twice before, first in the first ever Contest final in Kalos in Odyssey Village back at the start of the year and again in a semifinal in the Laverre Contest that she'd lost in their Sylveon v. Sylveon match. Both losses, which had been because of Sylveon fainting due to poisoning so that was something Serena was concerned about, had helped shape Serena and now she was ready for it and whatever Emily had in store for her.

Even knowing that Emily would be using two fairy types, she'd used her only non-fairy type that Serena was aware of when she'd used her Alolan Vulpix in the quarterfinals so that Pokémon along with Clefable weren't going to be present. That just left Carbink, Klefki, Whimsicott, and a complete unknown as Emily had yet to reveal her 6th Pokémon. Well, Serena had a feeling she knew who it was and that she'd face it, so she'd chosen the best Pokémon she had to counter it. Her other one was going to be rather different, however.

"Ready for this Serena." Emily called out to her as they reached the starting boxes her voice excited and pleasant with only a hint of nerves in it showing her youthful experience. "Because I am. A year ago, Misty bested me in the Kanto semifinal, but I went the full 5 minutes for the first time against her. Now, I'll surpass that milestone and make the final for the first time before I win it all."

"Last year you were an upset who'd surprised everyone by making it this far just as I have though I did so thanks to the draw not a good win over a favorite." Serena said not adding that Emily's win had been in large part due to the unknown emergence of fairy types at the time. "And like last year this is our third matchup of the year but this time it will be different, this time I'll do what you failed to do and win it. Course, you did have to face the Prodigy of Sinnoh, the woman you look up to the most in the Contest world and a true force to be reckoned with at that point in her career, while I'm just facing a talented coordinator in her second Grand Festival semifinal."

"True, I faced off against my idle and lost but I still want to impress her, to live up to her standard and the lessons she's given me in both Contests and life." Emily said the admiration she held for Misty clear in her voice to Serena. "You've had the pleasure of traveling with her and the Princess of Hoenn, your own mentor, this year and I am jealous of that, but I know I had to forge my own path if I am to become a Top Coordinator be it today or in the future. I will prove that by beating you now."

"May showed me how to grow in my profession and taught me the basics to build off but since then I've developed my own Contest style just as Misty has done for you in helping you forge your own style in the Contest world." Serena said. "And I'll show it now when I use it to beat you, my second win over a member of the Big 3, and make it to the final myself."

"Yes ladies, this is just what we love to see." Jillian said interrupting them and sweeping her arm to Serena's side for the introductions and at least not missing subtext this time as there wasn't any. "But we can't take much more of it so let's remind the world who's battling for the second spot in the final."

This got such a loud cheer from the crowd that Jillian actually paused for a moment which was a first for her in Serena's experience. As soon as it ended Jillian continued as if she hadn't been interrupted in the first place.

"The underdog in this, a position she's only in as a coordinator not a performer where she's one of the best not called Aria, is the only remaining Kalos native in the Grand Festival." Jillian said as the crowd let out another cheer though at least it didn't drown her out this time. "She's become the fan favorite for many reasons, starting due to her Showcase success before becoming a coordinator but in time thanks to upsets and winning the Wallace Cup she's become our region's darling. From Vaniville Town, it's the Darling of Kalos, Serena!"

The crowd roared as the into ended, the loudest yet in the whole Grand Festival, so Serena smiled and waved to them with all her performance pep to really get them on her side. She may be the home region favorite, the undisputed fan favorite now that Jessilina was out, but she still had to win the hearts of the crowd as she continued on and that was what Serena was going to do with Contests. It was time to show all that Kalos had to give by trying to win the Grand Festival as well.

"Against her is the last of the Big 3 still to go in the Grand Festival and looking to join her countrywoman in the final to try and give us an all-Kanto final." Jillian said sweeping her arm to Emily's side. "She's earned her status this year after shocking the Contest world last year by reaching the Kanto Grand Festival semifinal in her first Grand Festival were she fell to the eventual winner, Misty. Now, she's forged her own identity in Kalos as she's only lost thrice this year and is the only coordinator in the Grand Festival to defeat Brianna and Jessilina, the other two Big 3, before Brianna won the last match and she's beaten Serena in their two matchups this year. From Mt. Moon in the Kanto Region, it's the Charming Fairy herself, Emily!"

Serene smiled at the other girl who flushed at the intro and got a little shy from the cheer she received and thus didn't play to the crowd but that was normal as most coordinators didn't do that. She'd noted that Emily had been on the shy side all year and the whole added attention she'd received as one of the favorites seemed to have made it worse at time. However, Serena knew that that shyness would go once the battle started, then Emily would be all serious and it would take everything Serena had to win it.

"For the women who showed us the beauty of Contests." Serena called out as she pulled out her Poke Balls as the crowd cheered and to try and calm Emily down after her intro. "We can't let them down; we have to give it our all to represent them in the final against Brianna and all that she stands for because whoever wins this has to win the Grand Festival."

"For Misty and May, two Top Coordinators who more than earned their titles." Emily said clearly agreeing with Serena as she too took out her Poke Balls. "We can't fail them now or later. I respect all that you stand for Serena, both in Kalos as one of the greatest performers here, and as a symbol for the acceptance of Contests in this region but I can't let down those who got me this far. I will beat you again and face Brianna for the Ribbon Cup, I will show all those who I admire and fight for all that I've learned."

"And I respect all that you've done to get here but this is where it ends for you Emily." Serena said. "As you said, I am from Kalos, we need one of our own to make it to the final, to raise the first Ribbon Cup and expand what Kalos has to offer everyone in Contests. I may be a performer, but I've become a coordinator this year and I will continue being one for all time thanks to this year. I won the Misty Ribbon; I will win the Ribbon Cup as well and I'll do that to protect my friend May from Brianna in it."

"Ah yes, the Misty Ribbon, you have no idea how much I wanted to win the first one of those for all that it stood for and meant to me." Emily said. "But it was fitting that you won it over Ash even if you never went through a favorite to do so. If you want the Ribbon Cup, you'll have to do just that."

"I intend to." Serena said smiling. "No hard feelings but this is my day."

"Ladies, it's too much, we have to start to decide who of you will make the finals." Jillian said before Emily could reply to Serena's latest statement as the crowd really got into the upcoming battle. "So, battle begin!"

"Whimsicott, Sylveon, fairy lights." Emily said tossing out her Poke Balls without much grace Serena noted but Kantonian coordinators weren't exactly trained in that kind of thing the was Sinnoh ones were or how Kalos ones had adopted their own style of throwing out Poke Balls.

"The Pokémon who bested me this year in my two losses to you, fitting." Serena said as she threw out her own Poke Balls with a grace that only performers could produce. "Pancham, Sylveon, go."

The Poke Balls burst open at the same time and the four Pokémon appeared before their trainers. As with the last battle, 3 held the same type while the one that didn't was a single type only this time it was 3 fairy types and a fighting type this time. Regardless, everyone knew that the second semifinal would be just as intense as the first one as it too began in earnest.

"Sylveon, use Quick Attack on the other Sylveon." Emily said to start the battle. "Whimsicott, Moonblast on Pancham."

"Pancham, dodge and intercept that Quick Attack, take it for Sylveon and counter with Ice Punch to send that Sylveon back." Serena said instantly knowing what she had to do. "Sylveon, use that moment to attack with Dig."

"That's unexpected." Emily said as her Sylveon tore at Serena's, but Pancham leapt in front of her as she dove to the side to dig and Whimsicott borrowed power from the moon.

"True but sometimes you have to do something like this." Serena said as the Quick Attack slammed into Pancham who grunted but held his ground thanks to being ready for it as the Moonblast was fired and missed. "Especially when you know your opponent's ability. I remember that double Cute Charm in Laverre but don't worry, it won't work on Pancham."

"Your Pancham is male, isn't it?" Emily asked as Pancham countered by encasing his right fist in ice and then punched Emily's Sylveon in the face with it sending him flying back with a wail from the attack that he was neither weak nor resistant to. "So, you avoided it rather than risk it."

"Exactly and I'm not certain of the gender of your Whimsicott." Serena said grinning as Emily's Sylveon rolled across the battlefield from the blow. "Are you?"

"I do." Emily said as the ground burst from beneath Whimsicott who let out a wail of frustration as the blow hit it. "And she's got the same advantage as your Pancham."

"Not bad." Serena said as she set her focus understanding the dynamics of the battle at last. "Then that makes things more interesting. Pancham, Dark Pulse on the other Sylveon to keep him at bay, Sylveon use Fairy Wind on Whimsicott as you fall back."

"Whimsicott, slow her retreat with Cotton Spore." Emily said as both of Serena's Pokémon opened their mouths to attack. "Sylveon, use your Dig to avoid that."

"Pancham, let's see if this works." Serena said as the Dark Pulse missed thanks to Emily's Sylveon diving into the ground just before it could reach him, but her own Sylveon did manage to cover Whimsicott in the pink mist of Fairy Wind though as she was backing up the spores of Cotton Spore did hit her. "Stone Edge, interrupt that Dig."

"What?" Emily asked sounding confused at Serena's order.

"Traveling with Ash has taught me to think outside the box in battle." Serena said as Pancham slammed his paw into the ground grinning as he did. "This is my way to honor him and counter a move like Dig in my own way. That and neither of my Pokémon know a move like Iron Tail so I can't replicate how his Pikachu does it."

Serena had come up with this strategy as a counter for Dig the night before when she'd recalled how Emily's Sylveon also knew the move and needed a way to overcome it just in case she faced Sylveon, the 6th Pokémon she'd predicted over Emily's Spritzee who was the other option she knew of. That was when she recalled the stories she'd heard of Pikachu using Iron Tail on the ground to force a digging Pokémon out of it as she just mentioned to Emily.

This wasn't exactly the same, but it was her best way she had to counter it as it was still a move that disrupted the ground and the only one either of her current Pokémon had. As such, should she face Sylveon and it use Dig on her Pokémon, this was the order Serena was going to give.

Her theory was proven right a second latter when a series of rock spikes erupted from the ground in a line from where Pancham was and suddenly there was a yelp as Emily's Sylveon was thrust out of the ground on the end of one of the spikes to everyone's, especially Sylveon's surprise. It had worked and Serena was going to exploit it. At least she planned on it, but she wasn't facing a Big 3 coordinator for nothing, even with the surprise Emily seemed ready to counter it.

"Sylveon, use Toxic on Pancham." Emily said as Sylveon was still in the air. "Whimsicott, use Moonblast on the other Sylveon."

"Sylveon, use your ribbons to pick up Pancham and toss him free and towards Whimsicott as you dodge it before using Swift on Sylveon as soon as you can." Serena said, it was her plan anyway, but now it was more critical than ever that it worked. "Pancham, use Ice Punch as soon as you can. Remember, you are Showcase Pokémon, show what Pokémon like you can do."

"Dodge both of you." Emily called out. "Sylveon use Disarming Voice, Whimsicott, Poison Powder as soon as you can after you use your current moves and dodge what Serena is throwing at you."

The only way that all this was possible was because Emily's Sylveon was in the air, so it took a moment for him to reorientate himself and focus on the Toxic as Whimsicott borrowed power from the moon and blasted it at Serena's Sylveon. However, Sylveon was already on the move as she leapt and danced over the stage, her ribbons shooting out to grab Pancham around the waist and then she lifted him up and clean of the ground mere seconds before it bubbled with poisonous sludge and tossed him in a high arc at Whimsicott.

Pancham cried out in a joy as he flipped through the air, spreading his limbs so that Moonblast that was shot at Serena's Sylveon shot between his legs towards her though she just flipped and pivoted on a forepaw to avoid it with a handstand spin, as he fell down on Whimsicott his fist encased in ice. The Windveiled Pokémon only had a moment to look up in surprise before Pancham was on her, the performance training he and Sylveon had had easily enough to make this possible, and he brought his fist down.

Pancham's Ice Punch slammed into Whimsicott's face from above and drove her down into the ground, his fist still there as he roared in triumph at landing the hit. Thankfully for Whimsicott her long cotton stuff that came from her head and cascaded down her back absorbed the impact and Pancham bounced off her, but he still flipped and twisted in the air to land on his feet and slide a few feet grinning as he did.

As this was happening Emily's Sylveon had hit the ground and rolled. Thanks to Serena's Sylveon having to avoid the Moonblast he was able to get to his feet and be ready a second later when Serena's Sylveon opened her mouth and unleashed a serious of stars at him. As such he was able to flip to the side to avoid and then opened his mouth and unleashed a charming cry that would affect both Pancham and Sylveon.

"Pancham, dodge with your moves and counter with Ice Punch as you ride out that move." Serena said. "Sylveon, as soon as he has landed it back pull him back with your ribbons."

Sylveon mewled in agreement as she grit her teeth through the Disarming voice and ran to be in position. She wasn't resistant to her own type, so it hurt a fair bit, but she wasn't weak to it either like Pancham was, so she was in a better overall position.

As for Pancham, he was in a lot of pain as he raised his paws to his ears while Whimsicott rolled to the side to get up, even after a super effective attack like Ice Punch she was still in it and looked at Pancham before unleashing her Poison Powder above him. This would be useful in the long run and Whimsicott knew it.

However, Pancham had kept his eyes open, and he flipped to the side to avoid the falling Poison Powder and then rolled forward to get fully clear. As soon as he was clear he popped up and encased his right fist in ice once more. He then closed the distance and slammed it into Whimsicott's chest as hard as he could sending her tumbling back with a wail, but the potential freezing side effect didn't trigger again.

As soon as that happened, Serena's Sylveon had reached the position she needed to be in and grabbed Pancham around the waist with her ribbons to haul him back and avoid any counters. Still, Serena was worried about that disarming voice and needed to do something about it, but Emily wasn't going to give her the time she needed.

"Whimsicott, Giga Impact on Sylveon." Emily ordered. "Sylveon, us Disarming Voice."

"Sylveon drop Pancham, and use Protect, Pancham stop that Disarming Voice with a Dark Pulse." Serena said. "It doesn't matter if you miss, just occupy him and prevent him from using his move as you can't take another one of them I fear."

"Pan, Pancham." Pancham said with a nod as Sylveon dropped him and formed the protective shield around herself as Whimsicott didn't even bother to stand but just launched herself at full speed headfirst at Sylveon a grin on her face.

As Pancham fell he opened his mouth and sent out the negative thoughts of Dark Pulse at the other Sylveon as soon as he could. The move was perfectly timed and slammed into Sylveon's face before he could get the move off disrupting the Disarming Voice and sending him reeling back though he was resistant to the type while Pancham just rolled on landing and began to head back to Sylveon to help his teammate out.

Serena was grinning at this as she felt she had it with everything that was going on. She kept that up right until the moment Whimsicott suddenly passed through Sylveon's Protect and slammed her forehead into Sylveon's.

She knew that she would have sworn if she'd not been on national TV at what just happened. Serena had planned for this and factored in Whimsicott as an opponent but she'd forgotten that in their first match Whimsicott had shown that she had the Infiltrator ability so she could pass through a shield move like Protect. She did that just now and landed a devastating Giga Impact on Sylveon that sent her flying back with a wail of pain to hit the ground hard and rolling over it for several feet.

The one saving grace of this was that Giga Impact was such a powerful move that it caused the Pokémon using it to need to take a pause similar to a move like Hyper Beam. Serena saw this and as Pancham was already running back knew what to do. Plus, she noticed that Sylveon was still in it so she could help out as well by keeping the other Sylveon at bay and allowing Pancham to do what he needed to do to really give Serena a boost in this match.

"Pancham, your opponent is open, Ice Punch." Serena said. "Sylveon, occupy the other Sylveon with Swift to prevent anything from getting in Pancham's way."

"Brace for it Whimsicott, I know you can take it." Emily called out as Pancham closed in, his fist encased in ice once again as he neared. "Sylveon, use Toxic on the other Sylveon."

That had not been what Serena was expecting, she was expecting another Disarming Voice, and she didn't have time to stop it as suddenly a purple sludge appeared below her own Sylveon, who hadn't bothered to rise but rather just raised her head, opened her mouth and unleashed the stars of Swift at the other Sylveon. Emily's Sylveon grimaced as the Swift hit him, but he pushed through it as Serena's was poisoned by the Toxic. That would really help, and boy did Emily need it.

That was because Pancham had reached Whimsicott and punched the briefly immobile Pokémon in the back just before Serena's Sylveon was poisoned, striking her body with the ice type attack through the cotton there. Whimsicott let out a gasp of pain as her back arched as she was thrown forward by the third super effective attack of the day. Along with that Dig from earlier, took her past her limit and she just landed on her chest on the ground, arms spread, cotton all over her, and swirls for eyes.

However, at the same time the poisoning rocked Serena's Sylveon, and she let out a mewl before she just flopped to the side and laid still. The Giga Impact had been damaging and with the Disarming Voice from earlier she was near the edge after taking the former. She was nowhere near strong enough to survive one bout of poising especially as she was weak to the type and that one bout pushed her past her limit, so she just lay there on her side with swirls for eyes.

"Pancham, Stone…" Serena began pushing past the loss of Sylveon to keep the battle going.

"Sylveon, Disarming…" Emily said and with everything that had happened Serena had a feeling that this would be the end of Pancham as he'd taken a few hits so a second super effective one would be too much for him.

Luck was on Serena's side however as both girls only got the start of their orders off when the buzzer suddenly rang to signal the end of the battle. That surprised both of them, but they aborted their orders before they could finish them as their Pokémon that were still standing relaxed as they too had been ready for the moves. This wasn't as jarring as the end to the first semifinal, but it was still a sudden end.

"Again, we go down to the wire in the semifinals in an epic battle where both coordinators lost a Pokémon and we all wanted to see it end with just one standing but alas can't because of Contest rules." Jillian said as the crowd recovered and began to roar at the battle they'd just witnessed causing Jillian to speak louder to be heard over it. "That was just as intense as the first one but there has to be a winner and that winner is…"

Serena looked up to the board to see knowing that Emily was doing the same and looked at their scores that Serena at least had forgotten about during the battle. Both had taken a lot of hits and pushed the other down pretty far with both of them hovering at 10% but it was clear that one of them had a bit more, around 13% to 10% and as soon as the crowd were able to make that determination they let out the loudest cheer yet.

"…Serena!" Jillian said sounding just as shocked as everyone else as Serena's eyes went wide at the realization that she'd won. "Our first true upset of the Grand Festival and what a time for it to happen. Serena, the Darling of Kalos, has again shocked the Contest world with a major upset this time taking down the Charming Fairy of Mt. Moon, Emily, on points in the Grand Festival semifinal to join Brianna in the Grand Festival final after lunch and represent Kalos in its first Grand Festival's final!"

This got another deafening cheer from the crowd as they couldn't wait for the final. Serena was still recovering from the surprise, but she knew that had to get over it quick and she pulled out her Poke Balls to recall her Pokémon as Emily did the same. They were the real heroes here and she intended to let them know that.

"Pancham, Sylveon, return." Serena said recalling her Pokémon and looking at the Poke Balls in her hands as she heard Emily thanking her own Pokémon as well. "I can't thank you enough for what you did in that battle. You gave it your all, put your bodies on the line to win it for us and win it you did. That was a tough, hard, fight but between the training this year, our Showcase pedigree and Ash's influence on how I battle we won it, and I couldn't be happier. Take a break, you more than earned it. I will win this, I promise."

Serena put her Poke Balls away still hearing Emily speaking so she waited for Emily to do the same and when she was don she looked up at her to see the shock of her loss clear in her eyes though she still offered Serena a small smile despite her clear sadness at losing. Serena smiled back before she took her skirt in her hands and lowered herself into a proper curtsy. It wasn't as deep as the ones that she'd been offered by Miette and Shauna, that wouldn't have been proper given that she'd won, but it was still deep enough to show that her respect for Emily.

Once Serena had risen, Emily offered her a bow of about the same depth, the girl really didn't know how to curtsy Serena realized but as she wasn't from Kalos that was to be expected, and then rose before she no doubt left the battlefield to return to Adam's side and support her in the final. Serena wouldn't let her and everyone else down as she too turned to leave the stage and head to the special room for the second finalist where she could mentally prepare alone for what was to come after lunch. However, before she could Emily started to speak to her.

"You were amazing out there Serena." Emily called out as the crowd continued to cheer and Serena paused, they had a moment so she may as well hear the other girl out and turned back to face her. "I couldn't counter those Showcase moves you used, I never even thought of using a Sylveon like that, you've shown me that there is a lot I still need to learn. Contests are blessed to have people like you, Shauna, Miette, and the other performers taking part this year. Your grace and beauty have really added to them in ways we couldn't have imagined and grown Contests to new, unforeseen, levels. I am glad that of all the people to defeat me it was you."

"Thank you Emily, I wouldn't have been able to reach this level had it not been for the challenges coordinators like you posed to me throughout the year." Serena said smiling at the younger girl. "You know how to have these battles, I had to learn the hard way from losses to you and others how to truly embrace battles and find my own style in order to win them. I promise that I won't let you down."

"Regardless, what you've done is incredible, on par with Misty and Zoey in Sinnoh many years ago." Emily said. "And I know she means a lot to you just as she does to me so please, for me at least, take on my own self-imposed burden to uphold Misty's honor against Brianna and all that she is, as well as May's who you hold already, and win the Grand Festival for all of us. Win it for the girls who have shaped and inspired us so much and defeat Brianna. Don't let her win this strange game she is insisting on playing."

"I will do all I can to ensure that." Serena said seriously. "Last year I watched Misty defeat Kenny, I will do all I can to do the same with Brianna, or at least I will go out trying and prevent her from achieving her ultimate goal. For May, Misty, and all those affected by her, I swear it. I will make all of you proud and I will do all I can to make sure that the first ever winner of the Kalos Grand Festival is a native of the Kalos region."

That clearly made Emily happy, and Serena watched the Kanto girl give her a big smile before she bowed again and then turned and left the stage. Serena smiled back and nodded her head before she too turned to leave the battlefield. She meant all that she'd said, and she'd do all she could to win the Grand Festival.

Serena had managed to upset Emily but the toughest was yet to come for Serena. She still had to face Brianna for the Ribbon Cup, but she'd have it no other way. She was going to be ready as she entered the bowels of the stadium and focused on what was to come. Soon the Kalos Grand Festival would come to a close and a new Top Coordinator crowned, and that Top Coordinator would either be Brianna or Serena as they went head-to-head for the Kalos Ribbon Cup.


"So, um, what now Jessie?" James asked nervously as the second match ended and he and Meowth looked to Jessie, now in her traditional Kalos Jessie disguise who had joined them in the stands following her loss to Brianna. "Are you going to be ok?"

"Yeah…" Meowth said looking at her nervously as usually Jessie got furious at losing especially when it was so close to the finish line like this. "What's the plan?"

"The plan is to watch the final." Jessie said simply, she'd given this a lot of thought and come to a decision on what she wanted to do going forward. "And then do the usual during the Lumiose Conference because we always do that and then after that, well the sky's the limit for Jessilina."

"Huh?" James asked confused by her words and the lack of violence at them for losing in the Grand Festival, again. "You're not upset?"

"Of course, I'm upset, I lost in the semifinal again but this time I actually earned all of my 5 ribbons to make it here, I didn't rely on twerpette charity." Jessie said again ignoring how one of her Sinnoh ribbons had actually been earned by James pretending to be Jessie pretending to be Jessilina, so she'd actually only won 3 of her ribbons herself there. "And Jessilee won the Master Class, so she's got her target but needs to take some time off, really find herself and then come back after no contact with the scene to become Kalos Queen. She'll really be able to milk that. In that time, though, we will go elsewhere and Jessilina will finally win her Ribbon Cup."

"Really?" Meowth asked. "But what of our day jobs? We do have that to do for da boss and to help Team Rocket take over the world."

"About that." James said. "Do we actually do that anymore? We've kinda been busy with all of Jessie's plans in the Master Class and Grand Festival that I can't even recall the last time we actually tried to go after the twerp's Pikachu. I think the last time we tried was in those mountains between Dendemille and Anistar."

"The boss loves us, so long as we keep sending in reports it will be fine, remember he didn't mind the whole year in Sinnoh after all." Jessie said dismissively though none of them had any idea that once again Giovanni had forgotten that the trio were still his employees as they'd failed so many times that the underlings no longer bothered to forward their reports to him. "So why don't we go somewhere else before the twerps decide so we can avoid them, do our job, and Jessilina can win and earn more money for us to further our future plans to steal Pikachu."

"Well then that leaves Galar and Alola." Meowth said thinking on it. "We've been everywhere else, as has the twerp and his Pikachu, and are wanted in most regions but not those two regions plus their expansion regions entering their second year of Contests so easier for a two-time semifinalist like Jessilina to shine in them. Which should we go to?"

"Where does James have a place?" Jessie asked looking at her partner.

"I think we may have one somewhere in Galar but if we go there or to any property my family owns the staff will inform my fiancée that I'm there and she'll come charging in." James reminded them and Jessie felt a wave of irrational jealousy at the mention of that woman wash over her. "So, we probably can't use anything related to my folks even if they never leave Kanto these days."

"Fine, which one is better to avoid her." Jessie said with emphasis on the her part. "And which is going to be nicer to be in where I can maximize my beauty and appeal?"

"Alola." James said right away. "It's warm and sunny there so great for your skin and more laid back so we can really relax there whereas Galar is gloomy and often rainy. Plus, Galar is really large a region, Alola is smaller and just a bunch of islands, so less travel for us to undertake."

"Then Alola it is." Jessie declared. "After this and the Lumiose Conference we will go to Alola where Jessilina will win her Ribbon Cup at last, and we can further Team Rocket's agenda there as well while also avoiding the twerps ever again."

The others cheered, including Wobbuffet who'd been out with them for the battle to avoid bothering Jessie and could now join in the celebration. They had a plan and this time nothing was going to get in their way. The year had been surprisingly good to them, well good to two of Jessie's personas, so how could then not do well. First their time had to end in Kalos, and they intended to just do the usual until that happened as they settled in for what the future held for them.


"Well folks, the semifinals are over, and we have our finalists!" Jillian said excitedly as the board changed to show Brianna and Serena's cards and a big vs. between them to promote the final that was coming up in a couple of hours. "We've had a big upset in the semifinals to really whet our appetite for the coming final so we will see you in a few hours once we've had food and time to digest everything. Then we will crown the first Top Coordinator out of the Kalos Grand Festival!"

That was it for Jillian's moment and they watched her go to the judges panel to chat with them while everyone in the stands began to move be it to stretch, get food, use the bathroom, or what not as the lunch break began. In their group, Max, Owen, Tierno, Trevor, Khoury, Lyra, and Ash all got up to get the food leaving the remaining girls and Adam who was lost in making notes on the last battle to chat about what they'd just seen.

Well, most would be getting food as Lyra and Khoury were probably going to go get their meal on their own but as a couple it was to be expected from them. They'd be back for the final, so no one minded that they took their lunch separately.

"So that was a surprise at the end." Miette said breaking the silence. "Did anyone see Serena beating Emily in the last semifinal. I know Brianna verses Jessilina could have gone either way and the more experienced one won it in the end despite that hectic ending but as much as I wanted Serena to win I didn't actually think she would."

"It was amazing that she won though." Bonnie said happily. "I want her to win it all and now she has a real chance to do so."

"It was certainly an upset but not unexpected as anything can happen in the Grand Festival." May said. "When I was in the Kanto Grand Festival I upset Drew in the quarterfinals, I'd never beaten him before and he was a finalist in Hoenn the year before, so beating him there was big. He upset Solidad a year later in Johto when she was already a Top Coordinator in the same round I'd beaten him in Kanto, and let's not forget that Emily herself upset Nando in the Kanto quarterfinals last year so it was always a possibility."

"And let's not forget that Serena beat Jessilina earlier this year." Misty said. "So, her beating another Big 3 isn't unheard of."

"I was surprised that it was on points though." Shauna said. "Didn't she beat Jessilina by Battle Off when they faced off in Coumarine?"

"She did but that was mainly because of a type advantage and Rhyhorn evolving right when Serena needed him to." May said. "If that evolution hadn't have happened Serena would have lost to Jessilina in that match, there was no doubt about that. Here she didn't have that, actually had a disadvantage with Pancham there though he did have a move that was strong on Whimsicott which helped a lot but the win there was achieved using her own style. That was a true upset without any lucky breaks."

"It was pure performance style as it relied a lot on precision timing." Miette said. "I saw a freestyle with battle elements there, especially with how Sylveon used her ribbons in it. It was a thing of beauty and really shows the emerging style we have. I intend to hone my own variant of it next year in Kanto where I will be traveling."

"I too need to work on it." Shauna admitted. "But I get it now after seeing Serena use it so much. She blends her freestyle style into her battles, that's how we should look at the Kalos performer style for Contest battles."

"It was certainly interesting to see." Adam said from his seat causing the girls to look at him though he was more muttering to himself as he made notes than really addressing their conversation directly. "Serena showed more grace and elegance than a traditional coordinator would do in a battle though that Stone Edge counter to Dig was something else entirely. Emily knows how to battle like a coordinator but that was more a performance, even I didn't predict that, though Emily didn't want my help for this match and prepared on her own for it."

"That is a good way of looking at it." May said while Misty was impressed with Emily handling this on her own without help, Serena had done the same as well, so it was truly a fair battle between them. "It was more like a performance. As for the Dig counter, that was pure Ash style there and Serena employed it perfectly. That helped her a lot I'd say."

"I think I get it." Misty said as it all hit her. "And I get it because I've done a fair few Showcases so know how freestyles work."

"Well other than that your style is just so strange by our standards that it's actually redefined freestyles in a way." Miette pointed out. "It's unpredictable and more story than show like most of us do, not that that's bad as it's really helped expand what we can do especially because you made it to the Master Class final with that style, but if anyone can figure out how Serena's done this it's probably you Misty."

"How did she do it?" Bonnie asked eagerly.

"It comes down to the core of what a Showcase is." Misty said simply. "A Showcase, at least the freestyle part, is a show of a Pokémon's moves and how they use them in conjunction with the trainer's own actions. Transitioning it over to an appeal isn't too hard as you just substitute out the trainer and reduce the Pokémon to one or two if it's a double appeal, but Kalos doesn't do those. We saw how well that transition can be made with Shauna's appeals being the best example of that."

"True she does have nice appeals." Miette said.

"Thanks, that is how I see them." Shauna admitted. "But I don't know how the battles work."

"And that is where Serena has finally come to forefront with it." Misty said. "It's probably because of her year with us and honestly mainly Ash as he's the one having the most battles, but she's gotten an understanding for battles as well which has helped round her out in Contests. We saw it in the Wallace Cup where she began to put it together against Tierno by blending the way a Pokémon moves in a freestyle with timing the actual moves themselves to land them but only after several deliberate misses to force the match onto her own terms. It's an intriguing style and she really had to go all out to beat Emily with it."

"Yes, that does explain it." May said. "It was a freestyle only rather than use her moves to highlight the Pokémon and the dance she used them on her opponents while using the show elements of it in how well she had Pancham and Sylveon working together in the match. Dodge and counter, that is a staple of a Contest battle and Serena with this new performance style has taken it to a new level, one only possible thanks to Showcase experience. Shauna, Miette, and Amelia all have it as well and in time someone will perfect it to emerge as a true Top Coordinator threat."

"It was inspirational." Miette said. "So, I'll use it to get better myself."

"Same." Shauna said with a nod. "Serena really is an inspiration to us."

"She's amazing but she's always been like that." Bonnie said. "But, um, can she win it all? Brianna is the overall favorite, isn't she? So, it's got to be an even tougher battle for her in the upcoming final."

"That is the big question." May said. "Brianna looked strong against Jessilina; it was an even match for sure but in the end she had the edge thanks to her consistent experience as Jessilina took 2 years off competing. I see a lot of Drew in her but at the same time her own anger and darkness comes out and she's managed to harness that into her own style pretty well. I don't like admitting it but she's the best for a reason."

"She has control over it but if she can be riled like she was in her two losses it can be exploited." Misty said. "That's where Serena will have to target, both in the trash talk before the battle and during it, and as she's the big target for Brianna it may work. Talent wise however, no, Serena has no chance."

"Really, that's blunt Misty." Shauna said surprised at just how blunt Misty was being.

"She's not wrong." May said with a sigh. "Brianna is significantly better than Serena. The fact that Serena made it to the finals is a shock even with the draws she's had that got her to the semifinals, she will be proud of that, but Serena knows the score. We've been preparing for this potential match for a long time. We expected she'd face Brianna in the Grand Festival, our luck always causes that, but the final was a little unexpected."

"Still, Serena understands this like I understood how the Master Class worked." Misty said. "She's here to improve her performing and do as well as she can, she's not going to be upset if someone who's in her fifth year as a coordinator and fourth Grand Festival beats her, a fourth year where she had to come to an expansion region to win mind you. Most who have that much time are legit threats in the main regions and seeing as Brianna is a finalist before she is a legit threat in any region."

"It's all a matter of perspective." May said. "We want Serena to win, it would be fitting but if she doesn't we won't be upset. We can't be because if we do then they win, and I won't let them win. A friend helped me see this properly and prepare for it accordingly. We may lose the battle after lunch, but this is a war, one that is far from over, and we won't lose the war."

"That's right." Misty said with a firm nod. "We will win in the long run however that may be. So, for now let's just sit back and enjoy the final of the Grand Festival and see who raises the first Kalos Ribbon Cup."

The others nodded at this as they saw a now back in street clothes Emily return to their group followed by the guys with the food for all of them. It was time to sit back and enjoy lunch and get ready for the upcoming final.

After a long year, the inaugural Kalos Grand Festival boiled down to two coordinators left to claim the Ribbon Cup. The final between Serena and Brianna was almost upon them and everyone was looking forward to seeing who would win the Kalos Grand Festival.