Megan's POV
It was the day of the tag team contest, and my friends, sister, and I were all dressed and ready for the contest to begin. My only missing friend was Ashlyn.
"Where's Ashlyn?" I asked.
"She isn't competing this time." Amber answered.
"How many ribbons does everyone have now?" I asked, since it had been a while since I had seen any of the others.
"Three." Amber said.
"I have three now." Skye said.
"I do, too." Christina replied.
"I have four." April said.
"Same here. Meaning that, if we win today, we'll both qualify for the Grand Festival." Adrian replied.
So Skye, Christina, Amber, and myself all had the same number of ribbons. My sister and Adrian were just one ribbon away from having five, and being able to go to the Grand Festival.
"So April, Adrian, how has it been, traveling together?" I asked.
"It's been a lot of fun. I'm really enjoying having company and it's nice having someone to talk to and be there if I ever need it. Plus, it's nice getting to know Adrian better." April replied.
"It's been amazing, having April traveling with me and getting to know her better. Plus, we're able to practice against one another for contests and train together, so it's helpful, having a partner." Adrian added.
Amber then leaned over and whispered to me, "So have you told Adam your feelings yet? Because if you aren't interested in making a move, then I will!"
"I haven't told him yet." I whispered back.
I felt like time was running out and I knew that Amber was serious about Adam. I could risk the chance of telling Adam how I felt, once I became certain. I knew that Amber was already certain of how she felt.
"Skye, have you spoken to your mom since the confrontation?" I asked, since I knew that Winona had wanted to talk to her daughter.
"No, I haven't. I haven't seen my mom since that day. I've been staying at the Pokemon Center and I haven't gone home because I'm too hurt and angry to face my mom, or even my dad, because I'm sure that he knows now, too."
I realized that Winona hadn't had to chance to explain things to Skye yet because Skye had been avoiding her. Skye wasn't aware that her mom was feeling remorseful for how she had been treating her.
"Skye, your mom showed remorse when you ran off after the outburst. She never meant to make you feel that way and she wants to make things right with you. Skye, don't risk losing your family because you put everything out in the open but won't listen to your family, now that it's been revealed." I said.
Skye reluctantly said, "Okay...I'll talk to my mom after the contest."
Any further conversation was halted as Sofia appeared on the TV screen, ready to introduce the contest.
"Good morning, everyone! Today we will be making history here in Fortree City, since it's the very first contest to ever be held here! Whoever wins will have a ribbon that signifies the importance of this! I'm honored to be hosting this contest and being a part of history. Thank you, Fortree City, for allowing this moment to happen! I'm Sofia, and without further ado, let's begin!"
A few pairs of coordinators went before it was Skye and Amber's turn.
"Next up, we have Skye and Amber! Skye is from right here in Fortree!" Sofia announced.
That announcement caused a loud uproar from the fans. Skye had her hometown's support.
Both girls ran out and spun, tossing their Pokeballs.
"Spotlight, Psyduck!" Amber cried.
"Showtime, Electrike!" Skye cried.
Both Pokemon appeared, surrounded by a big heart, before landing on the stage.
"Use Water Pulse, Psyduck!"
"Electrike, use Shock Wave!"
The electric waves wrapped around the rings of water.
"Now use Confusion, Psyduck!" Psyduck's eyes glowed before the water rings wrapped in electricity also glowed, and Psyduck began moving them around the stage. Psyduck then released the Confusion and the water rings began to fall.
"Thunder Fang!" Electrike leaped into the air and bit through the rings of water, causing water droplets and sparks to rain down across the stage.
Amber and Skye curtsied and awaited their score. 8.8, 9, and 9.2, totaling to 27 points.
A few more teams went, then it was April and Adrian's turn.
"Next up, we have April and Adrian!" Sofia announced.
"Curtain, Roselia!" April cried as she spun.
"Kadabra, showtime!" Adrian cried.
Roselia appeared, surrounded by petals, while Kadabra was surrounded by confetti. They landed on opposite sides of the stage, facing each other.
"Use Magical Leaf!"
"Use Teleport!"
Kadabra avoided the attack by teleporting and appearing behind Roselia.
"Spin and use Petal Dance!"
"Use Confusion on the petals!"
As Roselia spun, Kadabra used its attack and moved the petals wider and closer together. Roselia was dancing around while the petals were being controlled around her with a glow around them from the Confusion attack. It was a pretty appeal and Roselia had a glow about her.
It was clear that April and Adrian had practiced together a lot since they'd started traveling together, and they'd both greatly improved in their performances, learning from each other. Their Pokemon were in perfect sync!
The combo finished and their appeal was over. The judges revealed their scores of 7.8, 8.5, and 9, totaling to 25.3 points.
They shared a warm hug as the crowd cheered for their performance. I felt happy, clearly seeing that my sister had found someone special, and that she wasn't afraid to show it. This made me think back to Amber's earlier words about Adam.
Before long, it was my turn, along with Christina.
"Next up, we have Christina and Megan!"
We ran out and jumped over the stairs, spinning and tossing our Pokeballs.
"Curtain, Shuppet!"
"Spotlight, Swablu!"
Both Pokemon appeared, surrounded by glitter.
"Use Mist, Swablu!" A coating of mist covered the stage.
"Will-o-Wisp, Shuppet!" The flames circled Shuppet and cast an eerie glow within the mist.
"Swablu, use Swift!" Stars shot out from the mist and helped to split up the mist so that Shuppet and Swablu were visible.
"Use Shadow Ball towards Swablu!"
"Use Disarming Voice on the Shadow Ball!"
Multiple Shadow Balls were shot towards Swablu and the sound waves caused them to burst.
We both curtsied and waited for our scores. 8.7, 8.5, and 8.5, totaling to 25.7 points.
When we got backstage, our friends complimented our performance.
"You two work well together, having never partnered before." Amber commented.
"If I didn't know better, I would've thought that you two had been partners before." April added.
I felt proud of our performance as a team. We had practiced hard to perfect our moves and fight well in battles together.
Before long, the last team had gone and we were all waiting to see which coordinators would move on to the battles.
"Well, the results are in. Here are the eight pairs of coordinators that will be moving on to the battles!"
All three of our groups were moving on, along with five other pairs. Each of us would be going against one of the other pairs in the first round of battles. None of us would have to face one another yet.
"To my left are Skye and Amber. To my right are Jessie and Marian. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!" Sofia announced.
"Spotlight, Swellow!" Skye cried.
"Absol, spotlight!" Amber cried.
"Nuzleaf, go!" Jessie cried.
"Gulpin, let's go!" Marian cried.
"Swellow, use Wing Attack!"
"Use Sludge when Swellow is near, Gulpin!"
"Don't let that happen, Absol! Use Night Slash!" Amber commanded.
Absol was quick to hit Gulpin with the attack and Swellow landed the hit on Nuzleaf successfully.
"Now use Peck! Don't give them time to recover, Swellow!" Skye was being brutal and wasn't giving the opponent time to allow their Pokemon to recover.
"Razor Leaf, quick!" Nuzleaf managed to use the attack and it stopped Swellow in its tracks.
"Absol, use Double Team!" Amber commanded. Gulpin and Nuzleaf began to panic slightly as the copies and the real Absol now surrounded them.
"Keep calm!"
"Don't panic!"
"Swellow, use Agility, and then Aerial Ace!"
"Nuzleaf, get ready to use Sucker Punch when Swellow is near. Don't let the hit land!"
"Gulpin, be ready to use Sludge!"
"Absol, use Slash now!"
Each Pokemon began to move. Gulpin and Nuzleaf, with their attention on Swellow and unsure of where the real Absol was, they weren't prepared to be attacked from behind.
"No! Nuzleaf, spin with the attack!"
But it was too late. Absol landed the Slash attack from behind, knocking the two into a daze, and Swellow came in with Aerial Ace, landing a direct hit.
Then the buzzer sounded.
"Amber and Skye win!" Sofia announced.
... ...
"To my left are April and Adrian. To my right are Steven and Raymond. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Curtain, Grovyle!" April cried. Her starting Pokemon had evolved since the last time I had seen her.
"Go, Ninjask!" Adrian cried.
"Vigoroth, go!" Raymond cried.
"Spheal, showtime!" Steven cried.
"Use Slash, Vigoroth!"
"Spheal, provide some protection with Water Gun!"
"Ninjask, use Agility and then Fury Cutter! Stop the Water Gun!"
"Grovyle, meet that Slash with X-Scissor!"
April and Adrian were once again working wonderfully as a team. They were both calm, even if Spheal posed a slight disadvantage, being partly an Ice Pokemon against a Grass Pokemon, but April had an advantage over the Water half.
With the added boost of speed, Ninjask was able to hit Spheal, stopping the Water Gun from reaching Grovyle. Meanwhile, Grovyle collided with Spheal's attack. Both moves canceled one another out.
"Use Energy Ball, Grovyle!" April cried. Grovyle jumped back and shot an Energy Ball at Spheal.
"Vigoroth, use Fury Swipes!" Vigoroth ran forward towards Grovyle.
"Ninjask, use Fury Cutter!"
"Spheal, use Aurora Beam!"
Spheal's attack hit Ninjask from below while Vigoroth and Grovyle were fighting for dominance before canceling one another out.
"Use-"
But the buzzer sounded, ending any further battling.
"April and Adrian win!" Sofia announced.
... ...
"To my left are Megan and Christina. To my right are Wesley and Trinity. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Spotlight, Beautifly!"
"Curtain, Shelgon!"
"Let's go, Spoink!"
"Go, go, Delcatty!"
"Use Psybeam, Spoink!"
"Beautifly, use Silver Wind!"
"Shelgon, meet that Psybeam with Dragon Breath!"
"Delcatty, use Protect on yourself!"
Dragon Breath overpowered Psybeam and slammed into Spoink. Silver Wind also hit Spoink, whereas Delcatty was protected.
"Use Zen Headbutt, Shelgon!"
"Bounce, Spoink! Dodge it!"
"Delcatty, use Double Team and dodge it!"
"Beautifly, use Whirlwind!"
Beautifly began causing the copies of Delcatty to vanish. Shelgon's Zen Headbutt had missed.
"Use Dragon Breath upwards! Stop Spoink from hitting either of you!" Spoink was hit directly from below and took the Dragon Breath directly.
The buzzer sounded as Spoink fainted from that direct hit. Now it was down to Trinity's Delcatty.
"Beautifly, use Gust!"
"Shelgon, use Zen Headbutt!"
Delcatty couldn't dodge and took both hits directly.
The buzzer sounded as time ran out.
"April and Adrian win!"
... ...
So all three groups had advanced to the semifinals, which meant that one group of us would end up facing a group of friends. Now we had to see who would face who.
"Now to show the match-ups for the semifinals!" Sofia announced.
Amber and Skye were going up against myself and Christina. April and Adrian were going up against the other winners of the first round.
... ...
"To my left are April and Adrian. To my right are Hopper and Felix. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Curtain, Grovyle!"
"Let's go, Ninjask!"
"Go, Combusken!"
"Showtime, Masquerain!"
They were at a type disadvantage, since their opponents had Combusken, a Fire Pokemon, against their Grass and Bug Pokemon.
"Use Quick Attack, Masquerain!"
"Meet that with Aerial Ace, Ninjask!"
Both moves collided with one another.
"Use Flamethrower!"
"Grovyle, jump! Then use Leaf Blade!"
... ...
"The team moving on to the finals will be...April and Adrian!" Sofia announced.
Against all odds, they had won, despite being at a type disadvantage! Their teamwork was even better than I'd thought!
... ...
"To my left are Amber and Skye. To my right are Christina and Megan. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!" Sofia announced.
"Spotlight, Swellow!" Skye cried.
"Spotlight, Absol!" Amber cried.
"Spotlight, Beautifly!" I cried.
"Curtain, Shelgon!" Christina cried.
"Use Silver Wind, Beautifly!"
"Use Agility to dodge it!" Amber commanded.
"Fly up high, Swellow!"
"Use Zen Headbutt, Shelgon!"
"Meet it with Slash, Absol!"
"Use Aerial Ace, Swellow!"
"Dodge it, Beautifly!"
"Don't let up, Swellow! Land it!"
And Swellow did, no matter how much Beautifly tried to get away.
"Use Absorb, Beautifly!" Beautifly needed some health and strength back after having to go against Swellow, who did super-effective damage.
"Swellow, keep Absol safe from Absorb! Use Peck!"
"No!"
Swellow was too fast for Beautifly.
"Absol, use Night Slash!"
"Meet it with Zen Headbutt!"
Beautifly had recovered. But Swellow was quickly coming again!
"Dodge!" But Beautifly couldn't, and fell towards the battle field, having fainted.
"Beautifly has fainted! It's up to Christina's Sheldon!" Sofia announced.
Time wasn't on our side, and neither was a two-against-one battle.
"Use Dragon Breath!" The move hit both Absol and Swellow, who couldn't dodge in time.
But it didn't matter how hard Christina tried. Two against one was impossible and there wasn't enough time.
So when the buzzer sounded, it was no surprise when Sofia announced, "Amber and Skye will advance to the finals!"
Christina and I nodded to our friends and made our way backstage to change and join Adam and Jason in the audience to continue watching the contest.
... ...
"Folks, it's time for the final battle of the Fortree City Contest! To my left are Skye and Amber. To my right are April and Adrian. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Spotlight, Absol!"
"Spotlight, Swellow!"
"Curtain, Grovyle!"
"Let's go, Ninjask!"
"Use Agility, Swellow!"
"Absol, use Double Team!"
"Ninjask, use Agility! Then use Double Team as well!"
"Grovyle, stay calm." April said as the copies of Absol surrounded her Pokemon.
So far, it was a standoff. Who would strike first? Would both teams strike at the same time?
"Swellow, use Aerial Ace at Ninjask!"
"Grovyle, use Energy Ball at Absol!"
"Use Slash to stop that, Absol!"
"Ninjask, dodge it and use X-Scissor!"
Swellow charged forward with speed, but Ninjask was hit.
"Swellow, follow through with Peck, quick! Dodge the X-Scissor!" Swellow swooped low to avoid the attack and flew directly underneath Ninjask.
Absol stopped the Energy Ball with Slash.
"Use Quick Attack, Absol!"
"You use Quick Attack, too!" April cried.
The two collided and fought for dominance before canceling one another out.
... ...
"And the winners of the Fortree City Contest are...Amber and Skye!"
The crowd went wild as Skye's name was announced. They were even chanting her name!
Skye looked around at the crowd and I could see that tears were falling from her eyes. Her hometown was showing her such a strong ovation for winning.
Now outside of the contest hall, we were all gathered together.
"How does it feel?" I asked Skye.
"It feels amazing to have won in front of my hometown, and the city's first contest ever." Skye replied.
"It's pretty cool to have won a ribbon for a first contest held in the city. Now Skye and I each have four ribbons." Amber added.
At that moment, a familiar face approached us. It was Winona. Skye's smile faltered a little as she saw her mom.
"Skye, thank goodness. I've been looking for you for the past two days because I had something to tell you." Winona said.
"I've been staying at the Pokemon Center. I wanted to avoid being home." Skye replied.
"Skye...remember what I told you earlier, before the contest?" I asked.
"Right. I'll hear you out, but let me say something first, Mom."
Winona nodded her head and asked, "Do you want your friends to hear it, too?"
"Yes. They've always been there to support me throughout my journey and I trust them."
Skye took a breath and said, "Even though you and Dad raised me properly and weren't bad parents, or mean or cruel, I never really felt loved, unlike my brother and sister. To me, it felt like you raised me simply because you HAD to, not because you WANTED to. I want to know why."
"Skye...you were an accident. Your father and I had only planned and wanted two children. So you were unexpected, unlike your brother and sister. Your father and I were never mean or cruel to you, but after your outburst, I realized that, subconsciously, we unknowingly treated you like the odd one out because we had never wanted a third child. And you never once complained or spoke up. But now I see that you kept it all bottled up inside and should've said something, but you reached the breaking point the other day.
"Even though we didn't realize how we'd treated you was affecting you, it's no excuse. We were wrong. I've now learned that life doesn't always go the way that we plan. When something unexpected happens, we have to learn to embrace it and just roll with it, not brush it off or pretend it's not there.
"Skye, I want you to know that you can always talk to me about anything. You don't need to hide your problems anymore. I'm sorry for how I treated you for your whole life, compared to your brother and sister.
"Also, I saw you compete today and win the contest. I'm so proud of you. You're a talented coordinator and you pulled your weight as a teammate and even supported your partner's Pokemon. In a tag battle, teamwork is the key to victory, and I see how well you act as part of a team. I'm looking forward to just how far you'll go as a coordinator and seeing what the future holds for you. You have real potential to become a Top Coordinator, just like your father and brother.
"But above all, I want you to know that we love you, Skye. No matter what. And I'm sorry how we made you feel like that was something that you...had to earn from us."
Skye silently looked at her mom for a moment before saying, "I forgive you, Mom. And I love you, too. I promise that I'll never keep things hidden again and come to you and Dad if I ever have something wrong."
They hugged each other and both cried together. Skye was crying from happiness and Winona was crying from the sorrow she felt from having caused her daughter to hurt inside.
I smiled at the sight. I was glad and relieved that the two had finally made up. Skye finally had everything out in the open with her family and she had the love she'd always wanted. She could have a real relationship with her parents, and probably even her siblings now.
After that touching moment, we all decided to go and enjoy the festival!
Normal POV
The girls had separated from the boys to enjoy the festival together, leaving the boys to explore the festival themselves.
The girls had done some shopping and taken photos together. Now they were in a jewelry store, looking at some bracelets.
"It would be fun to get matching bracelets that we can all have to show our friendship." Amber said.
"Yes! I love that idea!" Megan cried.
"You would want to include me...even though we've only been friends for a little while?" Christina asked.
"Of course, Christina. You redeemed yourself and you're part of our group now." April said.
The others nodded their heads.
"We should get one for Ashlyn, too. We can give it to her when we see her again." Skye said. "Now to decide on what kind..."
"How about we do charms? A charm for something that signifies each friend?" April suggested.
"What would Ashlyn's be?"
"Hmm...how about a Dratini? That was her starter Pokemon, and she likes Dragon types."
"I think that would work nicely."
"I'm gonna pick Eevee. You all met me when Espeon was still an Eevee." Megan said.
"I'm picking a rose. I've always loved them, and it's part of my contest attire." April said.
"I'm gonna chose a moon. Night has always been my favorite time of day and I'm kind of a night Noctowl." Christina said.
"I'm choosing a feather, since Flying types and Fortree City are important to me." Skye said.
"I'm going to chose a notepad, because no matter what, I'll always keep in contact with all of you. And writing letters or reading them has always been important to me." Amber said.
With that, each of the girls brought a bracelet and then the number of their charms needed before they assembled their bracelets and put them on.
"To friendship!" they all cheered, raising their hands into the sky together.
... ...
Adam, Jason, and Adrian walked around the festival, talking and getting to know one another. After all, neither Adam nor Jason knew much of Adrian, and vice versa.
"I'll be right back. I saw something that I want to get for April." Adrian said, and he ran over to a stall.
"Hmm...I think I'm gonna get Amber and Megan something." Adam said.
"Like what?" Jason asked.
"Maybe a stuffed plushie or a piece of jewelry. Which do you think girls would like better?"
"Well, what's the reason behind it?"
"They're my friends."
"How about you try your luck at one of the games and win a plushie, then? Adrian went to get April something, since they're together now."
So Adam tried his luck and eventually won a Swablu plushie for Megan and a Pidgeot plushie for Amber.
Author's Note: With help from Amber, Skye is able to win her fourth ribbon...in front of her hometown fans, no less! She also finally reconciles with her mom, who apologizes, having learned the error of her ways. At last, they finally feel like a real family.
After enjoying the festival, our heroes will then focus on Adam and Jason's gym battles against Skye's mom.
Find out if the boys can with their sixth badges in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!