Megan's POV
Today was the day of the contest. I had spent the last week training Beautifly and preparing her for today. Despite being fairly new to my team, she was fitting in perfectly with my other Pokemon. Today would be Beautifly's contest debut. I couldn't wait to see just how much our hard work would pay off!
I also couldn't help but wonder what my mom would think when she watched the contest. I had gotten yet another Pokemon that she had owned while she had been traveling across Hoenn.
I broke out of my thoughts as I heard some loud girls talking in the waiting area. So far, I was the only one of my friends or my sister to be in the waiting area. I was already dressed and ready for the contest.
As a few minutes went by, the others joined me one by one. We all sat together, waiting and chatting amongst ourselves.
Skye sighed and frowned. "I'm the only one of us who has yet to win a ribbon. I'm beginning to feel left out."
"Skye, your moment will come, you just have to believe. You've been training harder lately and that hard work will pay off and show. Just believe in yourself and your Pokemon." I said.
"That's right. Remember that you've come so far." Ashlyn chimed in.
Skye nodded her head and smiled. Ashlyn had really helped Skye with the tag team contest by partnering with her. She had given Skye the confidence that she'd lacked and helped her to continue pursuing her goal.
I looked around the room and saw Christina approaching. She shoved her ribbon case towards my face. It had one ribbon in it.
"I just wanted to let you know that while you were competing in the tag team contest, I was training for another one, which I won. So don't think that the fact that you won a ribbon means you're ahead of me." she said, and walked off.
I shook my head and squared my shoulders. I needed to brush off her bragging and focus on the task ahead. The contest was my priority.
As Victoria began her introductions to the audience, I was told by one of the helpers that I was up first for this contest. My sister and friends each wished me luck.
"Good luck, Sis."
"You've got this!"
"Good luck,"
"Best of luck!"
I made my way through the halls to the curtains and waited for Victoria to announce me.
"Entry number one is...Megan!"
The curtain opened and I ran out and spun, tossing my Pokeballs.
"Beautifly, Kirlia, spotlight!" My Pokemon appeared, surrounded by glitter.
"Beautifly, use Silver Wind! Kirlia, use Double Team and then Psybeam!" As Beautifly released the Silver Wind, multiple copies of Kirlia formed a circle around it and released their Psybeams into the Silver Wind, making it change into a blue and pink color from the psychic powers.
"Beautifly, use Gust!" Beautifly used Gust and created a cyclone of the Silver Wind and Psybeam.
"Confusion, Kirlia!" Kirlia's copies vanished and she kept the twister in place as it still spun within the psychic powers.
"Air Cutter, Beautifly!" Air Cutter hit it and as the twister burst, glitter fell across the stage.
I curtsied as the crowd cheered and my Pokemon also took in the applause.
8.8, 8.5, and 9, totaling to 26.3 points. This was a great way to start the contest!
After hearing the judges' comments, I returned my Pokemon and made my way back to the waiting area and over to my friends and sister.
"Great job, Megan! You were able to get Beautifly in sync with your other Pokemon very easily. This is hands-down the best performance I've seen you pull off in a contest so far!" April congratulated me.
"Thanks, April. I knew that Beautifly could work wonderfully with Kirlia, since both like to showcase their moves with grace and beauty."
It really did feel like things were getting better between April and I. Our relationship as sisters was already improving. I then saw that all of our friends were looking at us with confused faces.
"What?" I asked.
"Why are you two being so nice to one another for a change? You used to always seem to be at odds with each other...in a playful sibling kind of way." Amber said.
"Yeah, I went through something similar with my own brother. While growing up, we were always getting on each other's nerves. But while traveling together last year, things between us quickly changed for the better. And judging by how April just complimented Megan on her performance, you could see that how they looked at each other and talked to each other is different than the last time we saw them. What happened between you two? What changed to make you more friendly towards each other?" Ashlyn added.
"Well, our family has been having some trouble as of late. Plus, I've missed having her around while traveling. I never realized just how much I took her constantly being around me for granted until we left on our separate journeys and weren't around one another every day anymore." April said.
"Exactly. We've both missed one another and we realized that we need to have a better and nicer relationship with one another than what we had. Because if we don't, we may end up regretting it in the end. We're sisters and we'll always have each other." I replied.
Adrian then stopped by our group and looked at me instead of April and said to me, "While I admire April's coordinating abilities, the appeal that you just performed was just as amazing. It's clear that your parents raised not just one, but two amazing coordinators."
I felt my cheeks redden at the praise, since it was from a boy. But I had to admit, it was nice to be complimented by someone who recognized my efforts. Plus, it was nice to be noticed by Adrian, since I had originally thought that he had talked about me when I first saw him at the flower shop.
Sure, he may like April, but it was nice to see that I had earned his respect, too. Maybe he figured that in order to get on April's good side, he needed to try and be kind to me to win me over and get my approval, too.
Before long, it was April's turn.
"Next up is April!" Victoria announced.
"Zigzagoon, Roselia, curtain!" April cried as she ran out and tossed her Pokeballs. Her Pokemon appeared, surrounded by hearts.
"Petal Dance!" Roselia's attack shattered the hearts and rained down glitter on her Pokemon as they landed on the stage.
"Zigzagoon, use Pin Missile! Roselia, use Magical Leaf!" Zigzagoon fired the Pin Missile towards Roselia, who released her attack. The leaves made their way through the Pin Missile as it also wove its way around the leaves. It was a very pretty and mesmerizing appeal.
"Zigzagoon, use Sand Attack!" Zigzagoon began kicking sand up around the stage.
"Energy Ball, Roselia!" Roselia shot the attack towards the sand.
"Headbutt!" As the ball shot through the sand, Zigzagoon jumped and smashed the orb, causing sparks to go everywhere as April curtsied.
8.5, 8.4, and 8.7, totaling to 25.6. That made April the second highest scoring coordinator in the contest so far, while I still remained with the top score.
Ashlyn was up next after April and as Victoria announced her, she ran out and spun, tossing her Pokeballs.
"Swinub, Pidgeotto, spotlight! Pidgeotto, use Whirlwind!"
A twister was formed in the middle of the stage.
"Swinub, use Icy Wind!" The Icy Wind froze the twister in the center of the stage.
"Pidgeotto, use Air Slash! Swinub, use Take Down!" Both moves hit the ice twister and shattered it, creating shards of ice that flew around.
"Powder Snow!" The shards of ice mixed in with the snow and as the move ended, Ashlyn curtsied.
8, 7.5, and 8.8, totaling to 24.3 points.
A few more coordinators passed and then it was Amber's turn.
"Next up is Amber!"
Amber ran out and jumped over the stairs, spinning.
"Spotlight, Jumpluff and Jigglypuff!" Her Pokemon appeared, surrounded in a bubble.
"Jigglypuff, use Defense Curl! Bullet Seed, Jumpluff!" The seeds bounced off of Jigglypuff and went flying off in all directions.
"Now use Fairy Wind, Jumpluff!"
As the appeal ended, her score was being shown. 7.5, 7.8, and 8, totaling to 23.3 points.
Adrian was after Amber.
"Mudkip, Abra, let's go!" he said, tossing his Pokeballs.
"Use Water Gun, Mudkip! Abra, use Confusion!" Mudkip shot the Water Gun towards the air and Abra stopped it and began controlling the water. Abra then made it slam into the stage and splash everywhere.
"Mudkip, use Take Down. Abra, use Shadow Ball." Abra shot off a Shadow Ball and Mudkip hit it, breaking it.
"Mudkip, use Protect! Abra, use Psyshock!" A golden bubble formed around Mudkip and as the Psyshock collided with the shield, it made a pretty color combination. That was how Adrian ended his performance.
He received 8.7, 8.5, and 8, totaling to 25.2 points.
A few more coordinators went and then it was Skye's turn to perform.
"Next up is Skye!"
"Electrike, Corphish, spotlight!" Skye ran out and jumped over the stairs, tossing her Pokeballs as she spun.
"Use Bubblebeam!" Corphish shot out bubbles.
"Electrike, use Shock Wave!" The electricity surrounded the bubbles before it caused them to burst and sent sparks and water droplets falling across the stage.
"Use Whirlpool, Corphish!" A whirlpool was now in the middle of the stage.
"Electrike, use Discharge!" The electricity surrounded the whirlpool and it made a pretty scene to look at, two elements that didn't usually mix well with one another.
Skye curtsied as the whirlpool burst. She was awarded 8.5, 7.5, and 8, totaling to 24 points.
"Lastly, we have Christina!" Victoria announced as Christina ran out from behind the curtains.
"Shuppet, Luvdisc, curtain!" The stage was opened up to reveal a pool.
"Luvdisc, use Aqua Ring! Shuppet, use Will-o-Wisp!" An Aqua Ring surrounded Luvdisc and was shot into the air. Shuppet floated through the rings with flames around its body.
"Now use Shadow Ball!" Shadow Ball was launched at the rings and shattered them.
Christina received 8.4, 8, and 8.8, totaling to 25.2 points.
"That concludes the first round as the judges decide on the coordinators who will be moving on!"
Adam and Jason came backstage to see me as we waited for the qualifying coordinators to be announced.
"Way to go on getting the highest score!" Adam said to me.
"Yeah, it shows that you're the coordinator to beat for this ribbon!" Jason added. "Plus, Beautifly really worked well with Kirlia."
"It's nice that things are going better for me than any other contest I've ever been in, but I can't get too confident or cocky. Last time I did that, I ended up losing. I just have to do my best. That's all that I can do." I replied.
"Here are the coordinators moving onto the battle round." Victoria announced as their pictures appeared on the screen.
All of my friends and myself were moving on. Christina had also made the cut, along with one other boy.
"Good luck, Megan." Adam and Jason said as they made their way back to the seats.
The first round of battles were shown. Amber was facing Ashlyn, Christina was going up against April, I would be fighting the other boy coordinator, and Skye was up against Adrian.
Amber and Ashlyn would battle first, so they both made their way to the stage.
... ...
"To my right is Amber and to my left is Ashlyn. Five minutes on the clock and begin!" Victoria announced.
"Spotlight, Dragonair and Cloyster!" Ashlyn cried.
"Spotlight, Rapidash and Pidgeot!" Amber cried.
Amber was at a disadvantage right off the bat.
"Dragonair, use Twister!"
"Pidgeot, use Gust and blow it away!"
The two powerful Pokemon battled the winds for control.
... ...
The buzzer sounded and the winner would be...
"Ashlyn wins!"
Amber battled well, but in the end, she just couldn't overcome her type disadvantages.
... ...
"To my right is April and to my left is Christina. Five minutes on the clock and begin!"
"Treecko, Surskit, curtain!" April cried.
"Seviper, Bagon, showtime!" Christina cried.
"Use Ember, Bagon! Seviper, Poison Tail!"
"Dodge!" April cried.
... ...
Christina was targeting Treecko with Bagon's moves mostly. And despite April's attempts to counter and protect her Pokemon, the damage had been done. As the buzzer sounded, Christina smirked.
"Christina wins!"
... ...
It was now my turn and I stood across from my opponent.
"To my right is Falcon and to my left is Megan. Five minutes on the clock and begin!"
"Eevee, Torchic, spotlight!" I cried.
"Linoone, Zubat, go!" Falcon cried.
"Torchic, use Ember! Eevee, use Tackle!"
"Dodge it!" Falcon cried, and they dodged. "Now use Supersonic, Zubat!"
"Stop it with Ember, Torchic! Eevee, help out with Quick Attack!"
Eevee ran forwards quickly and slammed into Zubat before also hitting Linoone. Torchic's Ember was quick to follow after Eevee and landed a direct hit on Zubat.
... ...
The buzzer sounded.
"Megan wins!"
"Yes!" I cried. I had won the first round of battles!
... ...
"To my right is Adrian and to my left is Skye. Five minutes on the clock and begin!"
"Ninjask and Poochyena, go!" Adrian cried.
"Taillow, Shroomish, spotlight!" Skye cried.
"Use Agility, Ninjask!"
"Taillow, you use Agility also. Then use Wing Attack on Ninjask!" Skye commanded.
"Poochyena, use Bite!"
"Shroomish, dodge it then use Absorb!"
... ...
The battle was halfway over and the battle wasn't going in Skye's favor so far.
Shroomish fell to the ground and became motionless.
"Come on, Shroomish!" Skye cried. "Shroomish!"
Then...Shroomish began to glow.
"Folks, it looks like Shroomish is evolving!" Victoria announced.
Maybe this would help her turn things around!
As the light died down, Breloom stood where Shroomish had once been.
"Okay, let's do this!" Skye cried, her confidence renewed.
"Taillow, use Aerial Ace! Breloom, let's show them what you can do!"
... ...
The buzzer to signal that a Pokemon had fainted sounded. Breloom's Fighting type moves had done a number on Poochyena, a Dark Pokemon, who had fainted.
Only five seconds remained in the battle and it seemed that Skye had turned it around!
Then the buzzer sounded.
"Skye wins!"
... ...
As the semifinals were determined, it was shown that Ashlyn would face Christina and I would face Skye. Ashlyn and Christina would battle first.
"It's time to begin the semifinals to determine which coordinators will move on to the finals to battle for the ribbon! To my right is Ashlyn and to my left is Christina! Fives minutes on the clock and begin!"
"Bagon, Seviper, curtain!" Christina cried.
"Spotlight, Dragonair and Cloyster!" Ashlyn cried.
... ...
"Stop it with Hydro Pump!" Ashlyn cried as Seviper headed towards her Pokemon with Poison Tail. Cloyster's attack shot the snake backwards and into Bagon.
They were knocked down and Ashlyn saw her chance to win!
"Dragonair, use Dragon Tail on both of them!" Ashlyn commanded.
"No!" Christina cried as direct hits made contact with her Pokemon and the buzzer sounded.
"The coordinator moving on to the finals is...Ashlyn!"
... ...
I stood across from Skye.
"Good luck, Skye." I said.
"Same to you, Megan." Skye replied.
"To my right is Megan and to my left is Skye. Five minutes on the clock and begin!"
"Breloom, Taillow, spotlight!" Skye cried.
"Spotlight, Eevee and Torchic!" I cried.
"Use Aerial Ace, Taillow!"
"Use Ember, Torchic!"
"Use Absorb, Breloom!"
"Use Quick Attack to dodge it, Eevee!"
... ...
"Focus on Torchic, Breloom. Taillow, go for Eevee! Aerial Ace!"
"Dodge it!"
Eevee wasn't able to dodge the attacks and I didn't have the moves to hit Taillow. I was in trouble!
"Use Agility!"
I frowned. Now Eevee was in even more trouble!
"Use Mach Punch, Breloom!"
I snapped out of my thoughts at Skye's voice.
"Dodge it!" I cried to Torchic, but I was too late in my command and Torchic took the hit.
"Wing Attack!"
"Dodge it, Eevee!"
But Eevee was weak and couldn't dodge in time and fell to the ground. She had fainted. The buzzer sounded and I returned Eevee.
Despite having a type advantage against Breloom, it was proving to be too fast for Torchic to hit and its Fighting type moves were taking their toll.
"Okay. Torchic, use Fire Spin!"
"Dodge it and use Mach Punch once more!"
Breloom managed to dodge the attack and ran towards Torchic quickly.
"Torchic, dodge!"
"Keep at it!" Skye commanded.
Breloom wasn't about to give up and managed to trick Torchic into moving one way and then following that with Mach Punch directly into Torchic before I could commanded him to dodge.
"No!"
The buzzer sounded once more as Torchic fell to the ground.
"Both of Megan's Pokemon have fainted. Skye wins!"
I returned my Pokemon, nodded my head to Skye, and made my way backstage to change back into my usual clothes. I could then join Adam and Jason in the stands to watch the final battle between Skye and Ashlyn.
... ...
As I settled into my seat, Ashlyn and Skye made their way out and onto the stage.
"The final battle will now begin to determine which coordinator will take home the ribbon! To my right is Ashlyn and to my left is Skye! Five minutes on the clock and begin!"
"Spotlight, Dragonair and Cloyster!" Ashlyn cried.
"Breloom, Taillow, spotlight!" Skye cried.
... ...
Skye was using style and combinations to lower Ashlyn's points as they fought. She knew that Ashlyn was more experienced in battling, so she was using what she could to try and win. Instead of battling head-on, Skye was depleting Ashlyn's points by fighting with combos that looked amazing.
"Mega Drain!" Mega Drain wrapped around the Hydro Pump that Cloyster had just shot and made contact with Ashlyn's Pokemon.
... ...
The buzzer sounded.
"The winner of the contest is...Skye!"
Skye was shocked as her name was announced, but she quickly burst into a huge smile. She had finally won her first ribbon ever!
As Skye was presented with the ribbon, I saw the joy on her face. She had finally earned a ribbon and had taken her first step towards qualifying for the Grand Festival!
Outside, we all stood by, waiting for Skye to emerge. Once she did, she saw us and ran over to us as we all surrounded her in a group hug.
"You did it!"
"After all of the doubts and setbacks, you did it!"
"You won your first ribbon!"
I could tell that Skye was experiencing the same joyous feeling that I had felt when I'd won my first ribbon.
"Thank you all for your support and never giving up on me, even when I was ready to give up on myself. It's especially true to you, Ashlyn. You helped me improve and become a better coordinator when we trained for the tag team contest. And it paid off when I defeated you!" Skye said with joy.
"I'm not upset that you beat me. In fact, I'm glad that I helped you regain your confidence and become a better coordinator. Plus, this makes you a tougher rival and will push me to improve my own abilities, too." Ashlyn said proudly.
"Well, it's time for us to be going."
With a farewell to my friends and sister, they left to all go their separate ways, leaving me with Adam and Jason.
Then it hit me. I had done so well in this contest, but I had still lost. I frowned in frustration.
"What's wrong?" Adam asked, noticing my change in mood.
"My Pokemon weren't able to win in battle...again. Eevee is a physical battler and can't attack long distance targets like Taillow. Torchic had a type advantage, but was too slow and couldn't deal damage fast enough to Breloom.
"I won last time because Amber was helping me and watching my back. But I've never made it through the battle rounds all on my own and after losing today, I now know why. My Pokemon are all amazing in doing appeals, but they're too weak to survive through the battles.
"If I'm going to have any hope of winning five ribbons, my Pokemon need to get stronger in battling and hopefully evolve as well. They can't just be great performers. They need to be strong battlers, too. I'm going to learn how to battle like you and Jason do.
"Since starting my journey, I've only been thinking and training my Pokemon with a coordinator mindset. But now I need to think like a battler. Battle training up until now has simply been to improve my Pokemons' attacks, but now it's time to get serious!
"Thank you for all your help with training me. But from now on, I'm going to battle in contests like a real trainer does! I need to learn from both contests and battles. Will you guys help me?"
"Of course, Megan! We're always here for you, like how real friends always are."
We all hugged one another and I was feeling like I would do much better in the next contest with the boys helping me! I finally understood what I was missing and what I needed to do in order to succeed in my contests!
Author's Note: Skye has won her first contest ribbon! After failure upon failure, it seems like she's finally gotten the hang of things! Christina also reveals to Megan that she has a ribbon, too.
It seems that Adrian, the boy interested in April, has taken notice of Megan's prowess, too.
But despite Megan getting the highest score in the appeals, she's still unable to make it through the battle rounds. However, it seems like she's found the source of her troubles: it's all about how she battles.
Now, Adam and Jason will help her learn how to battle like a real trainer so that she can make it through a contest and go all the way to victory!
Will Megan finally be able to win a contest on her own? And what lies ahead for our heroes as they prepare to hit the road once again?
Find out as the adventure continues in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!