Episode 67: Getting into Team Spirit
Brenda and Will are standing side-by-side. In front of them is their Pokémon. Brenda has her Frostcicle out while Will has a Duosion. Will declares, "Alright Brenda, do it now!"
Brenda nods. "You heard him, Frostcicle, use your Icy Wind!"
Will then orders, "Duosion, use Psychic!" Duosion uses Psychic to manipulate the path taken by the Icy Wind, forming it into a whirlwind that circles around the two Pokémon.
It seems like the ghosts of Brenda's past performances might finally stop haunting her, now that she's begun training and made amends with Will. Just in time too, as the Horizoport Tag Contest is less than a day away!
Seeing the result of their combination, Brenda exclaims joyously, "We did it!"
Will nods. "Yes, we did. It seems that we make an excellent team. I must also admit; I am impressed by how well you are training. You have removed all doubt from my mind about you. I am glad I chose you as my partner."
Brenda smiles at him. "I'm happy to be your partner. Your Pokémon are pretty great, too." She thinks of something. "Speaking of…" She pulls out her Pokédex and points it at Duosion.
"Duosion, the Mitosis Pokémon and a Psychic-Type. It is believed that, originally, Solosis would replicate themselves through a process similar to mitosis in cells. But at one point a mutation occurred that stopped the two Solosis from dividing, creating Duosion, a new Pokémon with two brains. Evolves from Solosis at level 32 and into Reuniclus at level 41."
Watching Brenda and Will train from the side is Ash and Brock. Ash comments, "Wow, Brenda seems like a whole different person from before. She's actually getting into this training."
Brock nods in agreement. "Definitely. I sense that something has changed in her too. Something that happened to her while we were gone seems to have helped her accept this whole change a whole lot easier."
Ash nods. "I get the same feeling."
Brenda and Will are just about to try another combination, when somebody shouts, "Brenda! There you are! I'm so glad I found you!" Brenda looks towards the source of the voice to see her childhood friend Michelle running right at her.
Brenda smiles and begins to greet, "Michelle, it's great to-"
She is cut off when Michelle grabs ahold of her and gives her a big hug. Overly eager about something, she declares with pep, "This is great, now that we're together no one will be able to stop us. Our partnership is one that's been built up for years. The other teams won't have a chance!"
Once she's finally let go of, Brenda questions, "Wait…what are you talking about?"
Michelle scoffs, "The tag contest, silly. Obviously you must know that the Horizoport Contest requires we enter with a partner, and what better person to have as a partner than your best friend?"
As soon as the realization strikes Brenda what Michelle is saying, she is put into a very awkward situation. She chuckles to relieve tension. "Well…um…about that…"
Michelle tilts her head in confusion. "What? Is something wrong, Brenda?"
Brenda gulps. "Well…you see…I've already promised Will that I would be his partner." She beckons towards Will, who is leaving Brenda to her business while he tends to his Pokémon
Noticing him for the first time, Michelle turns to look at him. Suddenly she gasps in awe. "It's you…" She has a quick flashback to Will's Ravenoir defeating her Poliwhirl during her first contest. She particularly remembers how handsome he looked doing it. Suddenly a smug smile appears on her face. She nudges Brenda in the side with her elbow and comments, "Right. I see what's going on here. Partnering up with this cutie."
Realizing what she's insinuating, Brenda's face goes red with embarrassment. She denies, "No! It's not like that at all! We're friends, we've gone against each other in contests a few times. That's all."
Michelle, still acting smug, nods. "Sure thing, Brenda. Sure thing."
Trying frantically to change the topic, Brenda apologizes, "Sorry I can't be your partner, I hadn't even thought of the possibility that you would be here."
It is obvious that the comments stings Michelle, but she tries to cover it up the best she can and asks, "Really?"
Seeing Michelle's reaction, Brenda tries some damage control and says frantically, "No, that's not how I meant it at all! It's just that…it's just that my mind has been on other things, that's all."
Michelle looks over to Will and nods. "I can see that." She turns around to leave, but before she does, she says, "Look, don't worry about it Brenda. I'll find someone else to partner up with. It's no big deal, really." She walks away.
Brenda sighs. She says to herself, "Wow, I really just screwed up."
Ash comes up to her and asks, "Why's that? She said it was no big deal."
"Yeah, but that's not what she meant. It takes a lot to upset Michelle, and she hides her negative emotions well, too. If she looks even the slightest bit upset, and you know her as well as I do, you know that she's actually very upset." She sighs. "I just hope she can find another partner."
Will mentions, "She'll find someone, there are plenty of coordinators here who either weren't expecting to need a partner or hoping to find one once they got here. Your friend will be able to compete for sure."
Brenda nods. "That's good."
Will beckons to her. "Now come on, let's get back to our training."
Brenda agrees, "Right."
Team Rocket is walking through Horizoport City in disguises. Jessie is dressed as Princess Jessileia while Meowth and James are dressed in suits. James seems preoccupied as he stares at something in his hand. Jessie snickers with joy, "Another contest, another chance to demonstrate my beauty to the world. Ah, it's great to have a calling!" She then looks to James and lectures sternly, "Just don't mess this up for me. Understand? Just because you're going to be my partner doesn't mean you should do anything to upstage me. Don't you ever forget that I am the main attraction."
James still seems distracted by something and doesn't immediately answer.
Jessie shouts, "Hello!? Earth to James!"
James quickly shakes his head. "Sorry, right. Don't upstage you. Understood."
Jessie nods. "Glad we're in agreement."
James suddenly stops walking as something catches his eyes. It's the Horizoport Gym. He has a flashback to words told to him by Hailey after being given his Comet Badge. Hailey says to him, "Sometimes I see something in a trainer, even if they don't defeat me. I saw that something in you when we battled. I want you to take that gym badge, and I want you to think about why I'm giving it to you. Maybe, just maybe, you might come to understand my decision someday."
James looks once more to the item in his hand. It's his Comet Badge. He remembers what Jessie said only moments ago, "Ah, it's great to have a calling!"
James clenches the badge and says to himself, "A calling…? Is that what he meant…?"
Suddenly he is snapped out of his deep thoughts when Meowth shouts, "Hey James! What are you standing there for!? We've got to get to the contest hall!"
James quickly puts away the badge. "Right. Sorry. On my way." He runs to catch up with the other two.
Who's that Pokémon!?
These Pokémon are created when spirits possess rotten tree stumps. They prefer to live in abandoned forests.
The Horizoport Contest has begun. A massive audience fills the contest hall. Gillian announces, "It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this year's Horizoport Contest, the only place in the Tenno Region to watch the exciting and unique spectacle presented by the tag contest! I'm Gillian, and I'll be your host, here to enjoy every moment of the experience with you!"
From his seat in the audience, Brock cries out in love, "O Gillian, I too am here to be with you!"
Meteorfight appears in the seat next to Brock and punches him across the face, instantly stopping his proclamation.
Ignoring Brock and Meteorfight, Ash comments with anticipation, "I've never seen a tag contest before. This should be great!"
Gillian continues, "Of course, I won't be the only one here to enjoy this with you! There's also our wonderful panel of judges! The director of the contest committee himself, Mr. Contesta!"
Mr. Contesta greets, "Hello to one and all. It's rare to be able to see a tag contest here in Tenno, and boy am I looking forward to it!"
Gillian then introduces, "And of course, there's the president of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo!"
Mr. Sukizo enthusiastically declares, "Tag contests are remarkable!"
"And lastly, who else would it be but Horizoport's Nurse Joy!"
"I can't wait to see the team work put on here not only between coordinator and Pokémon, but also between pairs of coordinators!"
Gillian picks back up, "Our first performance promises to be a good one. On their own each of these coordinators have become quite the sensation. Together, who knows what we'll see? Here they are, Brenda and Will!"
Brenda and Will both come out onto the stage, each in their own way. Brenda runs out waving to everyone excitedly, while Will steps out in a calm and collected manner. Judging by the amount of girls shrieking his name, it would seem that Will is the more popular one. Once both have made their way to the stage, Will asks, "Are you ready, Brenda?"
Brenda nods. "This is what we trained for. Let's do it!"
Will nods. "Alright. Go!"
They both throw their Pokéballs at the exact same time with synchronous movements. Brenda shouts, "Rabbolt, center stage!"
While Will shouts, "Duosion, grace the stage!"
The two Pokéballs have matching seals, both releasing a beam of golden energy. The two beams twist and turn around each other before separating. Out of one beam emerges Rabbolt, and from the other, Duosion.
Will starts things off by commanding, "Duosion, use Future Sight!" Duosion's eyes glow blue as it foresees a future attack.
Gillian comments, "What's this!? What could Will and Brenda possibly have planned with a Future Sight attack!?"
Brenda orders, "Rabbolt, use Hidden Power!" Rabbolt gathers energy and then releases green orbs of energy in several directions around it.
Will immediately adds, "Duosion, Light Screen!" Duosion quickly floats in front of Rabbolt and encases the two Pokémon in a box of light. The orbs of energy from the Hidden Power hit the inside of this box and break into sparkling dust that flies out from the box in all directions.
Brenda then cheers, "Alright Rabbolt, now use Bounce!"
Will shouts, "Stay with it, Duosion!"
Rabbolt leaps into the air and Duosion keeps pace with it by floating upwards, taking the Light Screen with it.
Brenda encourages, "Now just as we practiced, use Shockwave as you land!"
Ash is at the edge of his seat with anticipation. "Brenda's actually going to try this! That must mean her and Rabbolt figured it out!"
Brock nods. "Not only that, but it looks Like Will and Duosion have something up their sleeves to improve it."
Rabbolt begins its descent and readies itself for its Shockwave attack. Duosion continues to follow it down. Just before they land on the ground, Will shouts, "Duosion, use Reflect!" Around the light screen, a blue bubble of light appears. Just as it forms, Rabbolt impacts the ground, kicking up debris from it, and just as it practiced, is uses its Shockwave attack at that very moment. The shockwave spreads from piece of debris to piece of debris. The debris, being physical, passes right through the Light Screen, but the energy of the Shockwave is redirected and refracted in all different directions. But then once the debris hits the outer Reflect layer, it passes through it, but emerges as a spray of dust with an electrical web woven through it.
Suddenly at once both Will and Brenda shout, "Out of the way, now!" Both Rabbolt and Duosion leap back, leaving the boundary of the barriers. Just as they do this, a massive beam of energy appears above the stage and hits the point where they stood just moments ago, shattering the two barriers into glittery dust.
Ash is absolutely stunned. "What was that!?"
To answer him and all the other surprised spectators, Gillian points out, "What you all just saw was the result of Duosion's Future Sight! Will and Brenda had the timing on that move down to the second! Wow!
Will, Brenda, and their Pokémon take a bow to conclude their performance.
Mr. Contesta declares, "A truly amazing and well-polished performance. Everything you two did, you did with absolute precision!"
Mr. Sukizo happily remarks, "I expect nothing less from coordinators as remarkable as you two!"
Nurse Joy comments, "I was most impressed by your use of Future Sight. If you had missed the timing by just a little in either direction the result wouldn't have been nearly as grand!"
Everyone cheers for the tag team as they leave the stage.
It's Phantump!
Brenda plops down on a bench backstage and breathes a sigh of relief. "It went perfectly. I was so afraid I was going to mess something up."
Will sits down next to her and comments, "I knew we would do fine. That's the benefit of practicing so hard."
Brenda nods. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I shouldn't be so doubtful of myself. To tell the truth, I don't know if I'll ever be the same after the Starside Contest."
Will simply responds, "And you shouldn't."
Brenda stares at him in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is that was a learning experience for you. It may have turned out disastrously, but you came out of it with valuable experience. Something would be wrong if you hadn't changed for good from it."
Brenda contemplates his words and slowly nods in agreement. "I suppose you're right."
Someone from across the room calls, "Yoo-hoo! Brenda!" Brenda looks over to see Michelle approaching her.
Brenda smiles. "Michelle! Glad to see you're here. I presume that means you found a partner?"
Michelle stops in front of her and chuckles oddly. "Yeah…I found one."
Brenda questions, "Where are they?"
"Oh, well…to tell the truth, I have no idea." Trying to change the topic, she shrugs it off and says, "Don't worry about that now though, I want to hear all the juicy details."
Brenda tilts her head. "Details? Of what?"
"Oh don't be silly." She leans and whispers to Brenda's ear, "I want to hear all about how things are going with mister cutie over there."
Brenda blushes and begins to chuckle awkwardly. "He's just my partner, that's all. No details."
Michelle smiles smugly. "Sure thing Brenda, sure thing."
Then seemingly out of nowhere with, no warning, a guy appears behind Michelle. He has pale skin, wears a black hoodie with the hood up, obscuring much of his face, and black, circular-rimmed glasses that hide his eyes. In a somewhat creepy and monotone manner, he asks, "What are you talking about, girls?"
Michelle instantly becomes paralyzed upon hearing his voice without warning. She then turns around and shouts angrily, "I've told you before! Stop sneaking up on me like that! And what we're talking about is none of your business!"
The guy shrugs and gives in insincere, "Sorry." He looks toward Brenda and asks, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"
Michelle sighs. "Brenda, this is Damien…he's my tag partner."
Damien extends a hand and says in his monotone voice, "Nice to meet you."
Seeming creeped out by him, Brenda just kind of chuckles and ignores the hand. "Nice to meet you too…"
Damien looks to Michelle and reminds, "We're on stage after the performance going on now, so we'd better get going."
Michelle nods. "Yeah…let's go." She takes a deep breath and mentally prepares herself. The two leave.
Brenda breathes a sigh of relief once they're out of sight.
Jessie and James are on stage in their disguises with Buzzsaw and Haking. Jessie commands, "Buzzsaw, use Bug Buzz!"
Buzzsaw begins its buzzing attack, but both it and Jessie seem to be waiting for something. After a moment of nothing happening, Jessie looks to the side to James, who appears to be contemplating something. She tries to get his attention, "Hey, James! This is where you're supposed to use Sludge Bomb!"
James looks to her in momentary confusion. "What?" Suddenly he remembers what he's supposed to be doing and says, "Oh yeah, right. Haking, use Sludge Bomb!" Haking launches its Sludge Bomb, which is immediately vibrated into a cascade of droplets by the Bug Buzz, creating a shimmering effect.
Jessie takes a bow, while James returns to his contemplation. Mr. Contesta comments, "Well, Jessileia did great, but I'm not sure I can say the same about her partner."
Mr. Sukizo says with reluctance, "I'm not quite sure what to say, but remarkable is not the right word."
Nurse Joy finishes the judging by saying, "Everything that needed to be there was there, I'm just not sure it was pulled off in the right manner."
Jessie angrily drags James off stage.
Gillian then announces, "And that brings us to our next performance. Please welcome the tag team of Michelle and Damien to the stage!"
As they come out, Damien comments, "Just remember, follow my perfectly calculated plan and there's no way we can lose."
Michelle responds, "Yeah…sure."
They both get to their positions and toss their Pokéballs. Michelle declares, "Arctick, come on out!"
Damien says in his same monotone voice, "Forward, Noxic."
Michelle's Pokémon is an extremely small white bug Pokémon with six legs. It has a large abdomen and looks somewhat like a tick.
Ash takes out his Pokédex, saying, "Never seen that one before."
"Arctick, the Snow Tick Pokémon, and a Bug and Ice Combo-Type. Arctick are born in snowball nests rolled by their parents. Being born in the snow means that Arctick have an extremely low body temperature. In order to compensate, they must suck the body heat of other Pokémon, causing the Pokémon to become colder while Arctick warms itself. Evolves into Beetundra at level 17."
Damien starts things off by ordering, "Noxic, use Acid Rain." A rain cloud appears above the field and drops of green acid begin to fall from it.
Michelle declares, "Arctick, use Frost Breath!" Arctick exhales a breath of cold air that spreads across the field. As the rain falls into it, it flash-freezes, creating green orbs of ice.
Damien then orders, "Now use Dark Pulse." Noxic unleashes a pulse of dark energy in all directions, which shatters the green crystals in glittering green sparkles.
Gillian announces, "Alright, all of our Appeal Stage performances are complete! It's time to see which lucky sixteen coordinators, that's eight tag teams, will be moving on to the next stage! If you would please turn your attention to the main screen!"
Images of coordinators begin to appear. Right off the bat Brenda and Will's picture appears. Brenda jumps with joy while Will nods. Three images later Michelle and Damien appear. Brenda looks over to Michelle and gives her a thumbs up. Michelle smiles back.
All of the images have now appeared, and Jessie and James' is not one of them. Jessie furiously shouts, "What!? What is this madness!?" She turns to James and shouts, "You! This is all your fault! You've ruined my otherwise flawless performance!"
James, still deep in thought, responds with an, "Oh, sorry."
"Sorry!? Sorry isn't going to cut it! Contests are not what you were meant to do!"
James nods. "You know what, you're right, Jessie. Thanks. I've made up my mind, I've got to go do something." He runs off, leaving Jessie completely confused.
Wobbuffet appears. "Wobbuffet!"
Jessie takes her anger out on it and shouts, "Not now, you blobbous buffoon!" She forces it back into its Pokéball.
Meowth asks, "What was that about?"
Jessie shakes her head. "I have no idea."
James, along with Mime Jr. on his shoulder, climbs to the top of a flight of stairs and takes in the view in front of him. He is standing before the Horizoport Gym. He pulls out his Comet Badge again and clenches it in his hand. He looks to Mime Jr. and says, "Alright, Mime Jr., we're really going to do this, then. We're going to go challenge a gym."
Mime Jr. encourages, "Mime mime mime."
James nods. "You're right, Mime Jr. Let's do this." He steps into the gym.
Both the teams of Brenda and Will, and Michelle and Damien work their way through the rounds, rising up on the tournament bracket. Both teams win their battles in the second and third rounds and make it to finals.
Gillian announces, "And here we are, the final round! It's time to see who will be taking home this year's Horizoport Ribbon! Will it be the team of Brenda and Will? Or might it be Michelle and Damien? Remember, here in a tag contest the rules of the battle round are slightly different than a normal double performance! If only one of either team's Pokémon is declared unable to battle, then that team automatically loses! This means that the tag teams must work that much closer together to protect each other! Without any further ado, let's start this! Five minutes on the clock, and begin!"
Michelle and Damien send out their Pokémon first. Michelle shouts, "Poliwhirl, come on out!"
While Damien declares, "Forward, Skorupi!"
Then Brenda and Will throw their Pokéballs simultaneously. "Kappaqueous, center stage!"
"Ravenoir, grace the stage!"
Once all the Pokémon are out, Michelle shouts across the stage, "There's no way I'm losing to either of you again, so you'd better be ready to lose!"
Brenda calls back, "I'm not going to make it easy for you!"
Damien sternly says, "Enough chitchat, let's battle." He then starts things off by ordering, "Skorupi, Pin Missile!" He looks expectantly towards Michelle.
His glare reminds Michelle of what she has to do, and she commands, "Poliwhirl, use Water Gun!" Skorupi first fires its Pin Missiles and then Poliwhirl leaps behind them and blasts them forward with a Water Gun. The attack is aimed at Kappaqueous.
Brenda panics for a moment. "Oh no, that attacks are moving too fast to dodge!" This moment of indecision costs Brenda and Will some points.
Will, however, remains as cool and calm as always and orders, "Use Tornado, Ravenoir!" Ravenoir flaps its wings at a high velocity, creating a whirlwind in front of the combined attack. The attack is then trapped in the whirlwind and begins to spin around with it.
Gillian exclaims, "Wow, look at that! The combination Pin Missile-Water Gun may have been too fast to dodge, but Will thought even faster and blocked it! Now we have a tornado of wind, pins, and water!" Michelle and Damien's points take a hit.
Brenda breathes a sigh of relief. "Whew, that was close."
Will reminds, "Don't forget, we still have to counterattack!"
Brenda nods. "Right. Kappaqueous, use Confusion on the tornado!" Kappaqueous hones its mental focus and takes control of the whirlwind with its psychic powers. It then hurls the whirlwind towards Skorupi and Poliwhirl.
Michelle orders, "Stop it with Mud Shot!" Poliwhirl attacks with several blasts of mud balls, but they just get swept up in the tornado and do nothing to stop it. The tornado hits Poliwhirl, catching it within it as well.
Gillian shouts excitedly, "Wow, there's just no stopping this tornado! It just keeps getting bigger!"
In response, Michelle declares, "That's what you think! Poliwhirl! Slow your spin with Water Gun!" Poliwhirl manages to position itself so that its facing in the same direction as its movement and it attacks with a Water Gun. The propelling force of the Water Gun slows it, as well as the entire tornado down until it stops altogether.
Brenda says to herself, "Wow, it's that move again!" She thinks back to her last battle with Michelle, where she used Water Gun as a way to rocket Poliwhirl through the air.
Will orders, "Ravenoir, use Air Slash!" Ravenoir sends blades of wind flying towards both Skorupi and Poliwhirl.
Damien, who even in the heat of battle has a voice as monotonous as ever, says to Michelle, "Quickly, have your Poliwhirl use Water Gun on Skorupi." Skorupi leaps in front of Poliwhirl. Michelle nods with understanding.
Gillian asks, "What's this? Damien wants his own partner to attack his Pokémon? What's going on here?"
Michelle shouts, "Do it, Poliwhirl!" Poliwhirl attacks with Water Gun, catapulting Skorupi into the air, up over the Air Slash. While the attack misses Skorupi, the air blades still hit Michelle's Pokémon. Both teams lose points from this maneuver.
Damien orders, "Crunch, Skorupi!" Skorupi lands on the back of Ravenoir and bites down on it. Ravenoir cries out in pain.
Brenda shouts, "Get it off of Ravenoir, Kappaqueous! Use Water Gun!"
Kappaqueous readies its attack, but before it can get the right aim, Michelle orders, "Oh no you don't! Use Mud Shot, Poliwhirl!" Poliwhirl attacks with a volley of mud that hit Kappaqueous before it can get Skorupi off of Ravenoir's back. Will and Brenda lose points from this. They also continue to drop due to Skorupi's continued attack on Ravenoir.
Will shouts, "Come on, Ravenoir, shake it off of you!" Ravenoir attempts several maneuvers through the air to get Skorupi off its back, but it's latched on tightly and won't budge.
Brenda says with some desperation, "Come on, Kappaqueous, you've got to try again!"
Michelle apologizes, "Sorry Brenda, but I'm not going to let that happen! Mud Shot again, Poliwhirl!"
Despite the pressure, Will remains completely calm as ever and orders, "Ravenoir, you may not be able to stop Skorupi, but you can stop Poliwhirl! Use Air Cutter!" Ravenoir manages to balance itself correctly for just long enough to attack with an Air Cutter. The attack intercepts and blocks the Mud Shot. "Alright Brenda, your path is clear!"
Brenda nods. "Do it Kappaqueous!" Kappaqueous attacks with Water Gun, aiming precisely enough to blast Skorupi right off of Ravenoir's back without harming Ravenoir in the process.
Gillian marvels, "Wow, what perfect teamwork!" Michelle and Damien lose points.
Will says to Brenda, "I thinks it's time to show them our ultimate combination."
Brenda nods. "Let's do it. Kappaqueous, jump into the air and use Hydroshock!" Kappaqueous leaps high into the air, generates a layer of water around its body, and holds it close with its psychic powers as its charges energy.
Will then commands, "Tornado now, Ravenoir!" Ravenoir creates a whirlwind right beneath Kappaqueous. Kappaqueous falls into its center and begins to spin around its axis at high speeds. Then it completes its attack charge. Kappaqueous sends the layer of water surrounding it out in all directions. The centrifugal force of its spinning creates a unique vortex shape to the propagating shockwave of water, which is also pushing out a cushion of wind from the tornado along with it.
Both Damien and Michelle shout at once, "Dodge it!" But both Pokémon are unable to avoid the attack from all directions. Both Pokémon fall to the ground. The judges all declare a knockout for both Pokémon.
Gillian announces, "Poliwhirl and Skorupi are unable to battle! That means that the team of Brenda and Will are the winners!"
Brenda jumps for joy. "Yes! We did it! We did it Kappaqueous!"
Kappaqueous cheers, "Kappapapapa!"
Will simply nods with pleasure for his celebration.
Michelle wordlessly return Poliwhirl to its Pokéball. She thinks, So I've lost to Brenda again…after all the hours of training I've put in, I still can't beat her… She turns around and walks off stage. Brenda doesn't even notice that she seems upset.
Brenda and Will stand next to each other on a podium along with their Pokémon Kappaqueous, Rabbolt, Ravenoir, and Duosion. Mr. Contesta steps onto the stage and declares, "It is my absolute pleasure to award you both with the Horizoport Ribbon! Congratulations to the both of you!" He holds up a ribbon that is larger than normal, and then pulls it apart, splitting it into two ribbons that each look like half of the larger one. He hands one half to each of them.
Brenda holds up the ribbon and cheers, "Yes, the Horizoport Ribbon is all mine!"
"Kappapapaqueous!"
"Rab rabolt!"
Will simply watches her celebration and gives a barely noticeable smile.
With three ribbons to her name now, Brenda is well on her way to entering the Grand Festival. And now that she's ready to start training on her own and that she's repaired her relationship with Will, she is certainly ready for whatever may come her way.
On the battlefield of the Horizoport Gym, Crate's Meteorfight falls to the ground. A referee declares, "Meteorfight is unable to battle! That means James the challenger is the winner!"
James is speechless. "We did it…we actually did it…" He then shouts with joy, "We did it, Ivine!"
Ivine, who is on the battlefield, leaps up at James and wraps around his face. James doesn't even try to fight back; he actually embraces Ivine back.
Crate walks across the field to James. Once Ivine jumps down, he says, "You proved me wrong today, James. When I first heard you wanted to challenge me, I thought it was some kind of joke. But in battle you showed me that it wasn't. You are serious about this, and I can tell. You've earned this." He holds out a Meteor Badge. James happily accepts it. "I don't know what has changed about you since our last meeting, but something certainly has."
James bows with respect. "Thank you for the kind words." Then, in a similar way to how Ash might, James holds up his badge in victory and declares, "I just got a Meteor Badge!"
Mime Jr. appears in a pose mimicking James' and copies him, "Mime mime mime mime mime mime mime mime!"
James then laughs. "I've always wanted to try that."
Stay tuned!
To Be Continued…
