Megan's POV

I ran out of the contest hall and saw Adam and Jason outside. The words of whatever were on Adam's lips died as he saw my worried expression.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked.

"Once I was eliminated, I was waiting backstage to congratulate April if she won. After that, I realized that Eevee was missing! I don't know where she is! Did you see her?" I asked.

"We only just got here. So Eevee most likely ran out before we got here." Adam said.

I felt my heart escalate and my palms grow sweaty.

"Eevee could be anywhere!" I cried.

"Rustboro City is a big place and we have no leads on where Eevee could be. So we can't just run around, looking for her. That's like looking for a needle in a haystack." Adam said.

"Then what can we do?!" I asked, trying to calm down, but couldn't.

"Megan, Kirlia might be able to help." Jason said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Remember when you caught Kirlia? Your Pokedex talked about Kirlia's special Psychic ability."

"That's right! My mom and dad experienced it with a Kirlia on their Sinnoh journey. Pikachu had been captured by Hunter J and they used Kirlia's help to find where they were. She sent a telepathic vision that allowed them to figure out key clues to find out where Hunter J was." Adam explained.

"Okay...it's worth a shot." I agreed.

We walked outside and I released Kirlia. Her cheerful expression left her face as she realized how worried I was.

"Kirlia, we need your help. Eevee is missing and we don't know where she is. Can you use your powers to show us where Eevee is?"

Kirlia nodded her head and closed her eyes. The horns on her head began to glow.

I gasped as an image appeared in my head that Kirlia was sending telepathically. The image showed a forest and it soon focused on a small hole in the ground under the roots of a large tree. Zooming in, inside the hole was Eevee, curled up and sobbing.

Seeing Eevee like that, it reminded me of when I'd first found her. She had been trapped, alone, and in a space that was small and dark. It hurt me to see her crying and so discouraged.

The image cut off from my mind and I was back in reality. Kirlia's horns stopped glowing and she fainted to the ground. I knelt down and held her upwards.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Kirlia's eyes fluttered open and she nodded her head. I sighed in relief.

"It takes a lot of Kirlia's Psychic power to show people images like that, which is why they don't use that power very often and it can only be used for a few seconds. Kirlia simply got lightheaded from showing us where Eevee is, which is why she fainted so suddenly. But don't worry, Kirlia will be fine after some rest." Jason explained.

Once again, I sighed in relief. "Thank you for your help. Get some rest." I said as I tapped Kirlia's Pokeball to her head and returned her.

"Jason, how do you know so much about Kirlia's power and how using it affects her?" I asked.

"Well, after both of my earlier journeys with Adam, I spent a lot of my free time helping my dad around the lab and researching Pokemon in my spare time. I wanted to educate myself and learn more so that I could know things in case they were ever needed on my future journeys." he replied.

"The forest that Eevee might have ran off to isn't too far outside the city. We should look there first." Adam suggested.

We nodded our heads and hurried out of the city.

As we entered the forest, I broke the silence. "Remember to look for a big tree with a hole under its roots. That's where Eevee should be." I said.

"Let's split up and search. We'll cover more ground." Jason suggested.

Pikachu hopped off of Adam's shoulder, wanting to help, too. We started to call out Eevee's name.

"Eevee?!" I cried.

"Eevee?" Adam's voice called from behind me.

"Eevee?" Jason's voice came from my left.

"Pika Pi!"

There was no response...

I was growing worried. We had been searching for half an hour and Eevee still had yet to be found!

"Eevee?!" I cried.

"PIKA PI!" Pikachu cried out excitedly from my right.

"Pikachu, did you find it?" Adam called.

"PIKA!"

I ran to where Pikachu's call had come from and found him standing in front of the big tree with roots spread wide and on the forest floor, I saw the hole. Adam and Jason ran up behind me.

"This is it!" I exclaimed.

We bent down and looked inside the hole. I sighed in relief as I spotted the brown fur that belonged to my Pokemon. Eevee was laying there with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Eevee, I'm so glad you're okay. Please come out," I said in a soft voice, pleading with her to come out from underneath the tree.

Eevee shook her head and turned away from me.

"Eevee, please..."

Adam then put a hand on my shoulder and I turned to face him. He had a sympathetic look on his face.

He told me, "Megan, put yourself in Eevee's position for a moment. She trained very hard for that contest, even harder than last time. Why? Because since she didn't win you the ribbon the first time, Eevee wanted to train and prepare even more to ensure that she'd win this time. But despite all of her hard work, it still wasn't enough!

"So Eevee feels devastated for letting you down because she knows how much you wanted to win that ribbon and how hard you two worked to prepare for it...and it was all for nothing, because you didn't win. She feels guilty for failing you because as your Pokemon, she cares about you and your dream of becoming a Top Coordinator more than anything and wants to help you make it come true. So by not winning today, she naturally feels like it's all her fault."

"That...does make sense. Putting it into the perspective, it makes sense for Eevee to feel the way that she does. But I don't want her running off and feeling like this again. It hurts me to see her so sad." I replied to Adam, before turning back to look inside the hole.

"Eevee, we'll get the win one day. I don't want you to carry this burden yourself. You have no reason to hide and be ashamed. You did your best and I'm not disappointed in your performance. I'll never be disappointed in you. We've both grown in our skills and you don't need to hide from me. Please come out, Eevee."

Slowly, Eevee crawled out from the hole and I scooped her up into my arms, hugging her and holding her close.

"I'm so glad you're safe. You have no reason to feel ashamed, and you never will have a reason. I'll always love you." I mumbled into her fur.

Eevee said her name quietly as she rubbed her head against my cheek. I could tell that she was calming down and would never run away from me again.

I carried her in my arms as we made our way back to the Pokemon Center.

We were sitting in our room in the Pokemon Center, relaxing. Pikachu was sitting beside Adam. I had Eevee in my lap, brushing her fur, since I knew it made her happy and I wanted to cheer her up after the bad day she'd had.

"You know, in a way, I know how Eevee feels." I said to the boys. "We did train harder to try and win this contest than we did for the first one and I'm disappointed that our work didn't pay off and earn a win. And I had the highest score in the appeals round, no less! I'm frustrated because my Pokemon and I did everything right, and yet we still couldn't manage to win. What am I missing? What do I need to do or change?"

"You aren't missing anything and you don't need to change anything. You'll get your win. Although, seeing the battles in contests, we can see that it's a tad more challenging." Jason said.

"Maybe try a counter-shield, like how Pikachu uses Thunderbolt and spins. It's something that protects and keeps the opponent away, but in a contest it can add an appeal, too. My mom and dad both use it and that's what made me use it on my journeys and in my battles." Adam added.

A small silence passed before Adam asked, "What happened during the contest?"

"Christina told us what had happened between my mom and her dad. Apparently, when they were younger, my mom ate his food at school and that's why he doesn't like her. So that's why Christina doesn't like me or April, either. The dislike has passed to the next generation." I replied.

"I guess that makes sense, but I feel like she should have her own opinion of you and April without letting her parents influence her." said Jason.

"Oh, and the boy that April battled in the finals? His name's Adrian. I think he might have a crush on her." I said.

"Really? What makes you say that?" Jason asked.

"He was very kind to her after she defeated him and spoke very highly of her and her performance. He even gave her a rose to congratulate her on winning the contest."

"Oh, wow! That's like your dad. Seems like Adrian's taking a page out of Drew's book and trying to win her over. April seems to have an admirer. I'm happy for her, she deserves to have someone that could make her happy. Maybe they'll end up like your parents and have a story similar to theirs." Adam theorized.

"Yeah, except Adrian isn't going to pick on and tease April like my dad did to my mom. He's a lot nicer to my sister than that." I said, with a laugh.

I then frowned as I remembered that not everyone who competed had a good day. Just like Eevee, Skye was also upset.

"Eevee wasn't the only one upset with today. Skye was devastated when the results came through and she didn't even make it past the appeals. She was sobbing in the waiting area and even said that she's going to give up on her dream."

"Oh, wow... She's taking that pretty hard." Jason said. "Hopefully, she won't quit."

"Well, she did say that she was still trying to figure out if she wanted to do contests or gym battles. Maybe this is how she finds out that she's meant for gym battles rather than contests." Adam said.

I moved Eevee from my lap and stood up, saying, "I'm going to go and call my mom."

I left the room and went to the video phones and dialed my mom in Petalburg City.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hi, sweetie. April just called me a bit ago and told me about her victory."

"Yeah, I'm really happy for her. But afterwards, I noticed that Eevee had run off. She was so devastated by not winning and she ran off into this forest nearby and was sobbing under a tree. It took a lot of coaxing to get her out. And I'm frustrated, too. I mean, I had the highest scores in the appeals round and still didn't manage to win. I don't understand what I'm missing that's keeping me from winning."

"I understand that losses are frustrating, sweetie. I know the feeling. You aren't missing anything, you just need to find the perfect way to appeal and battle together. But I know you'll get there. You're still learning and figuring everything out. I'm proud of you, no matter what, and don't give up."

"Thanks, Mom. I needed to hear that. But the main reason why I called was because Christina told me the reason why her dad hates you, and by extension, me and April."

"What was it?"

"Apparently, when you were both really young, you ate his lunch at school. And he doesn't like you because of that. You stole from him and never apologized."

"Well, I can't say that I recall doing that, but I always did enjoy food. If I did do that, I feel bad about it now. I never meant for him to dislike me because of that. Well, I finally know why Harley never liked me and still doesn't after all these years."

The next day, we boarded a ship just outside of Rustboro City that was bound for Dewford Town, which was where the next gym and contest were. The island was south of Rustboro City.

Once we arrived on the island, we made our way towards the Pokemon Center. As we walked, we passed a large beach that was filled with people. Some people were in the water on surfboards while others were just swimming and others were lounging on the beach.

"The gym leader of Dewford Town is an avid surfer." Adam commented.

"I remember my mom telling me about that." I remembered aloud.

"How about we get a room at the Pokemon Center and come back here for a swim?" Adam suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Jason said.

I nodded my head in agreement. It would be a nice way to relax and get back in a good mood after a disappointing contest the day before.

After we checked in, we headed back out to claim a spot on the beach. We set our bags and towels down and went to change into our swimsuits. We met back at our spot once we had finished. Adam wore black trunks with white stripes down the sides, Jason wore orange trunks with black stripes down the sides, and I wore a one piece swimsuit that was green with blue flowers on it, and I had also taken my hair out of its ponytail.

As Adam scanned the beach, his eyes backtracked to someone.

"There's Amber. Hey, Amber!" he called.

Sure enough, Amber turned and saw us and waved before she ran over. She was wearing a pink bikini.

"Would you like to join us for a day of fun in the sun?" Adam asked.

"Yeah! It'll be a good way for us girls to unwind after failing to win the contest yesterday." Amber said. "I'm a little disappointed that I lost. But I'm happy for Megan's sister. She's a step closer to the Grand Festival."

"Yeah, I was disappointed, too." I admitted.

It seemed like Amber had been feeling the same way that I had, since she had lost two contests in a row, too.

"Well, enough of that depressing talk. We need to forget about it and just focus on having fun today." Amber said, perking up.

I nodded my head in agreement. This would be a day of fun with my friends.

"I'm glad to see that you two are feeling better and not dwelling on your failures. I don't like seeing my friends sad." Adam said.

We smiled at him and we all rushed into the water, with Pikachu and Eevee running in behind us.

And I didn't know it at the time, but I was about to get a big surprise for my next contest!

Author's Note: Megan finds her missing Pokemon with Kirlia's help and is able to reassure Eevee that she's not to blame for failing to win the contest. Megan also gets some words of wisdom from Adam and Jason.

Megan also lets her mom know the reason why Harley dislikes her, and by extension, why Christina dislikes the two sisters.

The group has now arrived in Dewford Town, where the boys will try to win their next gym badges and where Megan will hopefully win her first contest ribbon. To cheer themselves up after their unfortunate loss, our heroes, along with Amber, have a day of fun at the beach!

How will the boys fare in their gym battles?

Will Megan finally win a ribbon?

And what big surprise awaits her in her next contest?

Find out in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!