Pokemon NG 3: Hoenn Saga

by PokemonFreak90

Adam Ketchum and Jason Oak begin a new journey. This time, in the Hoenn region. They'll meet a new friend to travel with, catch new Pokemon, and face new challenges. But Team Rocket, and one member in particular, are seeking revenge on Ash for their past defeats and our heroes will be forced to step up and fight for the fate of the world once more.

45. For Love and Contests

Author's Note: After more than a year, Pokemon NG is back! And it's all thanks to my new coauthor: A-LionGleek! Because of you, this series is able to continue!

To make up for this long wait, we give you the longest chapter in the entire series thus far!

Megan's POV

I stared intently, my eyes narrowed in concentration as I trained with Kirlia for tomorrow. Since tomorrow was the day of the Mossdeep City contest and a victory in said contest would mean acquiring the 5th and final ribbon I'd need to qualify for the Grand Festival, I knew I'd need to really get everything just right.

And so, I was currently in the area behind the Pokemon Center, taking advantage of the opportunity I had to squeeze in a final bit of practice for the performance I had in mind for the appeal round before I went to bed. And while I was primarily focused on making sure that Kirlia would be ready for the appeal round, I was also making sure that Espeon would be similarly prepared for when I used her in the battle round. At that moment, Espeon was calmly lounging behind me and watching as I worked with Kirlia, occasionally vocalizing every now and then as if voicing her support. So far, I had to admit that Kirlia was looking as if she'd had her routine for tomorrow's appeal round down pretty well.

'So far, my odds of reaching the battle round are looking pretty high.' I thought to myself, briefly shuddering as I remembered that humiliating day in which I'd managed to end up failing to even make it past the appeal round. I shook my head to get my thoughts focused on the task at hand again, already lifting my hand in preparation to give Kirlia to do her planned appeal routine for tomorrow one last time. Now was not the time to get distracted.

"You're definitely taking this contest extra seriously, Megan."

Eyes widening, I turned my head in time to see Adam standing nearby with his Pikachu on his shoulder. Espeon and Kirlia, themselves similarly caught off-guard, also turned their heads in time to see Adam.

"Not that I blame you, though." he then added. "I mean, considering how close you are to getting the last ribbon you need for the Grand Festival, I'd be surprised if you weren't putting in as much effort as possible to ensure you'll win tomorrow."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle and reply, "You're certainly not wrong about that. I've been really working hard to make sure that I get everything just right."

Adam nodded his head and took a quick look at Kirlia and Espeon before saying, "You know, I'm honestly surprised you're only choosing to use Kirlia in the appeal round and Espeon in the battle round. Didn't the flyer for tomorrow's contest say that all participating coordinators could be allowed to use two Pokemon for the appeal round if they wanted to?"

I nodded my head at the memory of what Adam had just mentioned.

"Yeah, I probably could have used two Pokemon for my appeal instead of just Kirlia." I admitted. "But honestly, this time I really wanted to just do something simple and personal for my appeal. And I guess I just felt that this time around, using two Pokemon for this appeal would be a little too driven by spectacle."

"I suppose I can't really argue with that." He then looked to Espeon. "You're certain that Espeon will be able to handle herself tomorrow? I mean, not that I'm trying to put her down, but I know that she seemed to have some low self-esteem after how she fared in her first contest."

"True enough." I admitted. "But she's definitely gotten much better, both in terms of ability and self-esteem, since how much she showed herself to have improved over the course of the second contest she was in. Believe me, if I didn't have full confidence in her, I wouldn't be using her, or really be that good of a coordinator, for that matter."

"Fair enough." Adam admitted. "On a related note, I had another reason for coming out to find you."

I chuckled and joked, "Watching me practice wasn't reason enough?"

Adam chuckled back. "Well...okay, watching you practice was definitely a good reason in its own right, but there really was something that I wanted to tell you before we went to bed tonight."

"What is it?"

"Well, I've been thinking hard about the possibility of performing in a contest, like my dad did a couple times while traveling with my mom." He rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish blush starting to form on his face. "And at this point, I'm starting to get the feeling that, regardless of whether or not you win tomorrow, I just might go ahead and participate in the next contest we happen to be in town for."

My eyes widened, clear excitement on my face at this news.

"That's great to hear!" I exclaimed. "I guess you'll be paying extra close attention to tomorrow's contest, then?"

"You betcha. I mean, I could claim that I should already have plenty of knowledge of how contests work, after how many I've watched you and Michelle perform in. But all those times, I was just watching as an ordinary spectator and focused primarily on the entertainment, as well as on how well you, Michelle, and your friends did. But this time, I'm going to be watching with the prospective of a new part-time coordinator, to see if I can get a full idea of how contests work, as well as possibly start getting the earliest inklings of a routine thought up."

'He's planning on performing in a contest with me, after all?' I thought to myself, my mind racing with excitement. 'By Arceus, I hope that he does well when he does. Not to mention that I could make an extra good impression on him tomorrow to further pump him up for when he finally does compete!'

---

The next morning, I stood in the lobby of the contest hall with an excited smile on my face. At that moment, Adam and Jason had just parted ways with me to take their seats with the rest of the audience assembled for the contest. All I needed to do now was head backstage and get dressed in my contest outfit for when the time came to get the show on the road.

It was at that moment that I caught sight of April and Adrian about a yard or so ahead of me. I currently had time to perhaps exchange a quick word or two with April before the contest began. And considering how I had something especially important to say to her, the fact that I had noticed her just now was quite the stroke of luck. Smiling, I walked in their direction, with neither of them noticing that I was even there. As I eventually came to a stop a couple feet away from their position, I was finally able to clearly hear them talking.

"I can tell you this much, April." Adrian said, a wide grin on his face and his eyes agleam with the exact same shine as his blonde hair in the light of the sun coming through the nearby window. "If you win your 5th ribbon today, I have a congratulatory gift ready for you."

April chuckled and said, "Let me guess. More roses?"

"It's that obvious, huh?" Adrian jokingly asked.

April chuckled again and said, "It's okay, I don't mind. It's the thought that counts, right? And at any rate, I know you're always thinking about how to make me happy each and every day."

Adrian nodded in agreement and kissed April on her cheek. Wishing her luck, he turned and went off to find his seat in the audience.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched April standing there and staring lovingly at Adrian as he left. Even now, I was still happy that my sister had found a "special someone" for herself, and one that had formed a dynamic with her so similar in a couple of key ways to the one that had formed between Mom and Dad when they'd been our ages.

And while I was well aware of how I still had yet to officially say the same about myself, I was still confident that I'd someday have my own "special someone". My heart was set on Adam, but I had yet to tell him how I truly felt about him.

It was in that instant that April finally noticed me standing not too far behind her. She turned her head to face me, her eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Let me guess, you overheard all that?" she asked me.

"Just the real good stuff." I said, winking, but not without a slight twinge of nerves in my smile.

April, ever the perceptive one when it came to me, let a look of mild concern come on her face as she turned around to fully face me.

"Is everything alright, Megan?"

I took a deep breath, knowing that there would be no going back from what I was about to say.

"I've finally figured out how I feel about Adam." I said. "And seeing how well Adrian treats you has left me wanting something similar."

At this, April raised her eyebrow, a cheeky grin of curiosity coming onto her face.

"Well, go ahead then, Megan. Tell me more. What exactly are your feelings for Adam, now that you've figured them out? Do tell."

"Well, I already knew for a while that I cared for Adam and liked how he treats me. But recently, Adam and I went traveling alongside Amber, and I heard her making flirty remarks towards him. And not only that, but Adam also started spending a decent amount of time with her, too. And in all honesty...I really didn't like it."

April raised her eyebrow in mock confusion, the cheeky grin still on her face, and inquired, "Why not?"

"Isn't it obvious? I wanted to be the one that he was treating to a good time and being sweet to. I mean, come on! By Arceus, is it unreasonable for me to want to have joyful times like that with a boy I'm in love with?!"

At this, I reflexively slapped my hands over my mouth, eyes widening as I fully realized the gravity of what I'd finally said aloud for the first time in my life.

Hearing this, April nodded her head, a much more serious look now on her face.

"Feels good, finally saying it out loud, doesn't it?"

I thought to myself, and then eventually lowered my hands from my mouth while nodding my head.

"Yeah." I admitted quietly. "It does, actually."

"I was hoping that that would be your answer." April responded. Then a look of warmth came onto her face. "In all seriousness, though...I'm very happy to hear that. Not to mention that you finally got it all figured out. I may not be constantly around him like you are. But from what I've been able to see in the times we've shared the same space together, I can tell that Adam's been very helpful to you, not to mention that you tend to act very...differently towards him than you do with any of your other friends."

I felt a small blush coming onto my face as I rubbed the back of my head and said, "Th-thank you."

"You're most welcome." she said, chuckling. "Having said that, you'll probably need to find out how you're gonna tell Adam about it, though. I mean, something as big as what you've now admitted to me isn't something that you should keep to yourself for too long, especially with a potential rival for his own feelings, like your friend Amber."

I winced upon hearing this, but admitted, "Too true."

April nodded, and then placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Just remember, sometimes things might not always go how you want. So as much as I'm rooting for you to hopefully get Adam feeling the same way for you that you feel for him, you should be ready for the less-pleasant outcome, just in case. Don't take this the wrong way, I really do hope that you don't get hurt. But if you do, I'll be there for you."

"Thank you so much, Sis."

"And even if it doesn't go the way that you want, I'm sure that you and Adam will stay good friends, just like our mom and Adam's dad have done. I mean, you two and Jason have gone through far too much together and gotten too close as a result to let something like that make things irreparably awkward between you all."

I chuckled nervously and said, "Easy for you to say."

"Only because it's true." April retorted before chuckling again, grabbing me by the hand, and leading me down a nearby hallway. "Come on, let's get dressed for the contest. We don't want to be late. Especially not with this contest clearly being an opportune time to really get Adam impressed with your skills."

At this, I couldn't help but chuckle in agreement.

"Adam's actually thinking of perhaps taking part in the next contest that I perform in." I said with a smile.

"All the more reason for you to impress him now!"

Ten minutes later, I exited the changing room I'd chosen to get dressed in, all styled up and ready to perform in my usual yellow knee-length dress with the white bow tied around the waist, yellow flats with white ribbons on top, and elbow-length white gloves. My hair, as per usual, was once again out of the ponytail I usually wore it in outside of contests for the sake of its straight, full-length look I always let it have for contests. And to sweeten things further, I wore the bracelet that Adam had gotten me back on Wazoo Island. After all, what better way to show him my appreciation than to wear such a beautiful gift from him at today's contest?

April, having evidently finished getting dressed before me, was already out in the waiting area, standing not too far in front of me in her knee-length dark purple dress.

"Took you long enough." she chuckled in a joking fashion before gesturing towards the waiting area. "Come on, we'd best be ready for when the contest begins. Not to mention when our friends performing alongside us today are ready to join us, too."

We took the nearest available seats that we could find. After about fifteen minutes, we saw three of our friends come walking into view in their respective contest outfits.

"Nice to see you, girls." Ashlyn said as she came strolling over in her all-white outfit.

"Looking good as ever." Skye said as she came rushing along, close behind Ashlyn in her usual strapless floor-length lavender gown.

"Always good to see you performing with us." Amber said as she came sashaying into view as well, in her own strapless ankle-length yellow dress.

I nodded my head, happy to see my three friends there, and at the ready to perform in today's contest. Even the sight of Amber wasn't enough to decrease my good spirits. After all, rival for Adam's affections or not, she was still my friend.

"Right back at you, girls." I said as they all approached, with April and I getting up from our chairs to greet them properly in the process. And as we all exchanged hugs and smiles, I soon noticed that one friend in particular appeared to be missing.

"But...where's Christina?"

"Oh, there was another contest recently that she managed to attend and win since the last time we were all together." Skye responded, nodding her head with a congratulatory smile on her face. "So now it's just the five of us who need to still get our fifth ribbons, then we can perform with her in the Grand Festival."

I nodded my head, eyes widened in pleasant surprise at how swiftly Christina had managed to win her fifth ribbon since the last time I'd seen her. Admittedly, a small part of me felt bad that she wouldn't be around to perform with us now, but the rest of me felt very glad indeed that she'd successfully gotten all of the ribbons she needed to perform in the Grand Festival. And hopefully, one of us would be able to say the same by the end of this day.

It was at this point that Amber took a glance at my bracelet and an amused grin came onto her face.

"Nice to see that you're still wearing that bracelet that Adam was so nice to get for you on Wazoo Island." she said, lifting her right wrist so that her own bracelet that Adam had gotten for her on Wazoo Island would be in my line of sight. "But so am I."

I nodded my head, a tight smile on my face.

Amber chuckled, nodding her head good-naturedly before she directed an almost affectionate look towards her bracelet.

"It really was nice of Adam, buying this for me." she said. "In fact, I honestly think it could perhaps be my new good luck charm."

At this, I couldn't help but narrow my eyes into a subtle glare, feeling rather annoyed at just how blatantly Amber seemed to be laying on thick just how strong of a torch she seemed to be carrying for Adam. In fact, the more that I believed she was wearing her own Wazoo Island bracelet gift from Adam for likely the same reason I myself was wearing mine, the less I liked the idea.

"What a coincidence." I managed to say, miraculously managing to avoid making myself sound too bitter or resentful in the process before lifting my own bracelet-adorned wrist into a more direct position within Amber's line of sight. "I've decided to use my own bracelet as my new good luck charm as well."

At this, Amber raised her eyebrow in amusement and retorted, "Well now, I suppose there's nothing like a healthy sense of competition between friendly rivals on a day like today."

"I'll say." Skye said, her eyebrow raised in slight confusion before looking in both my direction and Amber's in alternating fashion. "Dare I ask what's gotten into you two today?"

"Let's just keep it between them for now." April said, directing a concerned look towards me, as if silently asking if I was okay.

I subtly nodded my head to indicate that I was alright. As annoying as I was starting to find Amber's somewhat unsubtle efforts at showing how hard she was gonna keep working to secure her chances at her own feelings for Adam being reciprocated, I was not going to let such a matter risk ruining our friendship. After all, I could tell that Amber wasn't at all trying to be mean or cruel. It was all in good fun, like a friendly rivalry, simple as that. And I'd definitely need to ensure that I kept it that way on my end as well.

Amber nodded her head in seeming agreement with April.

"I've got an extra good show prepared for my appeal." she said, her usual friendly smile back on her face and taking the place of her earlier amused grin. "Here's hoping that the same can be said for the rest of us. Believe me, I'd very much like it if we all made it to the battle round."

Even as she said this, I couldn't help but notice her briefly direct her gaze at me slightly longer than she did to the rest of our little group. At this, I subtly nodded my head.

"Don't you worry, Amber." I said with a confident grin on my face. "With how hard I've practiced for my appeal today, I have a good feeling that you and I will both make it to the battle round today. And considering how Adam's planning on taking part in the next contest that I compete in, I have extra good reason to give it my all today."

Amber chuckled and replied, "Really now? Well, thank you for letting me know that. I guess that I can now say that I have extra good reason to give it my all today as well."

I took a deep breath to keep myself calm. Already, I couldn't wait for the contest to begin. And I could only hope that Adam would be impressed with what I had to offer. After a few more minutes, the moment we'd all been waiting for finally arrived.

"Welcome, everyone!" Sofia announced from her position on the stage, an excited smile on her face as she welcomed the audience. "We hope you're all ready for a spectacular show today in Mossdeep City, because that's what we all hope to treat you to with today's contest!"

The audience quickly cheered in response to this, at which point Sofia gestured to her right, where the judges were positioned.

"Let's give a welcome to our judges before we begin!"

As this happened, I clasped my hands together, nervously waiting for when the contest would begin. After all, if I won this contest, I'd have the final ribbon I'd need to qualify for the Grand Festival this year. And if I didn't win this contest, the fact that Adam was now seriously considering taking a stab at performing in the next contest that Amber and I took part in gave me extra good reason to want to really put on the best performance that I could muster today.

You'd better pay extra good attention in the audience today, Adam. I thought to myself, an excited smile on my face as I waited excitedly for Sofia to finally say the words that would officially set the contest in motion.

The sound of a slight chuckle to my left caused me to notice Amber directing a sly grin my way.

"I take it you're really hoping to put on a good show today, now that Adam's considering taking part in the next contest we enter? I suppose I can't really blame you."

I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Oh, hush."

Amber chuckled again and added, "Just keep in mind that you're not the only one who will be putting in her best effort to give Adam good reason to fully commit to performing alongside us."

I couldn't help but briefly chuckle upon hearing this.

At last, with a nod of her head, Sofia turned to face the audience once more, having finished introducing the judges.

"Let's get this show on the road!" She then gestured to where the contestants would emerge onto the stage. "Starting with...Amber!"

This was all that Amber needed to hear. She eagerly went rushing off down the hall leading onstage. And as I continued to watch the screen, out onto the stage she went, a confident look on her face as she began to spin around with a Pokeball ready in her hand.

"Spotlight, Psyduck!" she cried as she threw the Pokeball. Psyduck promptly appeared, surrounded by a dazzling ring of stars. Psyduck quacked as it stood tall within the center of the ring of stars around it, clearly ready for business.

"Alright, Psyduck! Use Confusion on the stars!" Psyduck groaned, its eyes glowing purple as it caused the stars surrounding it to become encased with purple light and subsequently get lifted up and moved around into various positions in the air.

"Now jump, Psyduck! Do a counter-shield with Water Gun to strike the stars!" Psyduck quickly obeyed, jumping into the air and spinning around while using Water Gun at the same time. Miraculously, the Water Gun managed to successfully strike all of the stars as the jet of water bursting from out of Psyduck's mouth twirled around as per the counter-shield motion, causing them all to explode into glittering golden sparks and water droplets, much to the amusement of the crowd. Psyduck soon came to a smooth landing on the stage.

"Not bad." I said to myself. And considering his parents' history with the counter-shield maneuver, I wouldn't have been surprised if Psyduck's counter-shield had earned some points from Adam. "Well played, Amber."

However, Amber wasn't done yet!

"Hurry, Psyduck!" she said while pointing at the water, so far still in the air and starting to fall down to the ground. "Use Confusion again and get the water formed up into a ball!" Psyduck quacked determinedly as its eyes started glowing purple again before it managed by sheer luck to successfully catch the remaining water from the Water Gun before it could land, and mesh it all together into a large ball of water hovering directly above the stage.

April silently whistled at the sight of this. "Wow, that must have taken a lot of practice to get right." she said.

"No kidding." I stated, in agreement with my sister.

"Now let's finish this with Zen Headbutt!" Amber cried as she pointed at the ball of water that Psyduck was still holding over the stage with the purple light of Confusion. The three black hairs on Psyduck's head glowed a solid bright blue as a similarly colored reflective shield formed across the entire topmost portion of its head. And then, without warning, it jumped into the air and slammed its head against the hovering ball of water, causing it to explode into a shower of water droplets and a shockwave of purple light particles that all came flying out at the audience like a rain shower. As this happened, Psyduck landed back on the stage before he and Amber both stretched their arms out sideways.

At this, the crowd went wild, cheering in delight at the appeal as Amber curtsied with a warm smile on her face. As this happened, she directed a subtle glance towards the screen to see what score the judges would give her, which turned out to be 8.5, 8.5, and 9.3, giving her a grand total of 26.3 points. Smile widening ever so slightly, Amber nodded her head and returned Psyduck before departing from the stage.

"Looks to me like Amber really put a lot of effort into that one. I guess she must have really wanted to impress someone with that appeal." April said.

"I certainly wouldn't be surprised." I admitted.

After all, considering how my sister seemed to be well aware of how Amber and I both felt about Adam, there was hardly any use trying to deny what she already knew I was thinking.

Amber soon came proudly strolling backstage, clearly in a good mood, and said, "Best of luck to the rest of you."

I nodded my head, an appreciative look of thanks on my face before I looked back at the screen to make sure that I wouldn't miss anything as the 2nd coordinator to perform got called to come out onstage.

As I continued to watch, I kept my ears open for when my name got called. For with Amber having almost certainly gotten Adam's attention with her appeal, I was already hoping that I'd be able to put on an equally impressive appeal when my turn came. Unfortunately, there were still multiple coordinators who would need to perform before I had my turn.

And as it so happened, Skye would be going before me as the 6th coordinator to perform in the appeal round. She certainly seemed confident as she drew back her hand, holding the Pokeball containing her chosen Pokemon for the appeal.

"Showtime, Xatu!" Xatu appeared, surrounded by beautiful sparkles that went very well with its feathered coat.

The sight of this caused my eyes to widen, both in awe at the affect of the sparkles and pleasant surprise at the sight of her Natu having apparently evolved since the last time I'd seen her use it.

"Use Light Screen!" The resulting barrier of light seemed to meld directly with the sparkles, resulting in a quite mesmerizing effect.

"Now use Future Sight on the Light Screen barrier!" With a low squawk, Xatu initiated Future Sight. And when the attack finally came into effect, the resulting burst of energy slammed down on the Light Screen barrier hard enough to shatter it into multiple shards of light that went all around the stage as Skye curtsied and Xatu, humorously enough, spread its wings and bowed. The score was soon revealed to be 8, 8.5, and 8.3. A grand total of 24.8 points.

After that, another three coordinators went before it was finally my turn. And the instant my name was announced, I eagerly rushed out onto the stage, Kirlia's Pokeball already at the ready in my hand.

"Kirlia, spotlight!" I yelled as I threw the Pokeball to release her. Kirlia appeared, a dazzling shower of glitter falling down around her. The sound of her joyful cry was enough to further embolden me into getting the show on the road.

"Use Charm!" Kirlia obliged, placing her hands together and letting a cute smile come onto her face as she caused a ring of pink hearts to materialize around her. These hearts, in combination with the glitter, made her look very adorable indeed. But I knew that I couldn't stop there.

"Now use Psychic!" Letting out her joyful cry, Kirlia stopped the hearts in midair and then started spinning around in a beautiful dance while still using Psychic to control the hearts to make them spin around her while she danced. But unlike the previous time I'd done an act like this, this time I had Kirlia also cause the hearts to eventually form a makeshift tornado around herself, resulting in quite the attention-grabbing display. And when Kirlia finally ended her dance, causing all of the hearts to go flying off in all directions in the process, I already had her next move in mind.

"Use Psybeam!" Kirlia nodded her head and placed her hands together. The resulting beam that flew out moved around as needed to strike all of the hearts, causing them to burst into glitter. But now was the time for the real finishing touch!

"Now use Psychic again!" Kirlia obeyed, getting a hold of all the glitter and moving it into place to form a single, massive heart-shaped outline above the stage before sending it rocketing down upon the stage and exploding into a veritable mushroom cloud of glitter!

Already, the crowd was going wild as Kirlia and I curtsied, but I made sure to direct a subtle glance towards the screen to see my score. As it turned out, my score was 9, 9, and 8.3, giving me 26.3 points...the exact same score as Amber.

Part of me had been hoping to maybe have a slightly higher score than Amber, but the score I'd managed to earn was definitely something to be happy about. So I smiled as I returned Kirlia to her Pokeball and departed backstage where April and the rest of the girls were already waiting.

"Not bad, Sis." April said with an approving smile on her face.

"You got the same score as I did." Amber said proudly.

"Well done, Megan." said Ashlyn.

"Thanks, everyone. I worked really hard to get that appeal just right."

"Well, considering your score, I'd say your chances of reaching the battle round are pretty high." said Amber. "Both our chances, really."

I nodded my head in agreement.

From there, another eight coordinators performed before Ashlyn's turn was announced. And upon hearing her name, she calmly strolled out onto the stage.

"Cloyster, curtain!" Cloyster appeared, a grin on its face as it materialized into view while surrounded by, rather appropriately, what appeared to be snowflakes.

"Let's go for a spin, Cloyster! And use Icy Wind!" Cloyster groaned eagerly as it obeyed, spinning around in circles while spewing out a continuous burst of icy wind from its mouth, cloaking the entire stage in icy mist as it did so. The crowd "oohed" and "aahed" at the sight of this, now feeling very intrigued as to how this would unfold. As it turned out, once Cloyster had finally stopped its spinning, Ashlyn already knew exactly what her next move would be.

"Cloyster, use Iron Defense and start preparing a Razor Shell while you're at it!" Cloyster snapped its outer shell closed, its entire outer armor starting to glow with white light as the Iron Defense activated, allowing its silhouette to be visible to the audience despite otherwise being completely obscured by the icy mist. And at the same time its Iron Defense move was activated, the sight of a distinct light blue glow around the two spikes directly above where its head would be located could also be seen, as it proceeded to also charge up a use of its Razor Shell attack. And within seconds, the aura around the spikes eventually extended into bright blue curved blades of energy.

"Now, Cloyster! Use Razor Shell!" Cloyster finally unleashed the attack, simultaneously opening its shell and slashing its two energy blades with enough force to cause the icy mist directly in front of it to part and completely clear away from the entire front half of the stage.

"Let's hear it for Ashlyn, everyone!" Sofia yelled, clearly impressed. The crowd proved very quick to agree as they went wild, with Ashlyn smiling joyfully as she curtsied. It wasn't long before her score was revealed to be 8, 8, and 9.2, making a total of 25.2. Ashlyn nodded her head, clearly satisfied, as she returned Cloyster and departed backstage.

As it so happened, April's turn was the second performance after Ashlyn's, and she was quick to rush out onto the stage to initiate her turn when her name was announced.

"Showtime, Surskit!" Surskit appeared, surrounded by a ring of seemingly dazzling bubbles.

"Surskit, use Water Sport!" Surskit obeyed, coating itself in water. Combined with the dazzling bubbles, the effect proved quite dazzling.

"Good job, Surskit! Now use Bubble Beam!" Surskit did so, its antenna glowing blue before it fired off a rapid fire burst of bubbles from the tip, spinning its body around in circles in the process so that the bubbles all went flying in different directions. Once it had finished spinning and ended its Bubble Beam attack, April already knew exactly how to have it finish the appeal.

"And for the finishing touch, use Sweet Scent!" With an almost joyful-sounding cry, Surskit obeyed, unleashing a burst of incredibly aromatic pink mist from the tip of its antenna that spread all throughout the room, much to the amusement and delight of the assembled onlookers.

And as it soon turned out, the judges were equally pleased with April's performance, as they soon revealed my sister's score to be 9.5, 9.5, and 7.5, resulting in a score of 26.5, just the slightest bit higher of a score than Amber and I had gotten.

"Let's hear it for April, everyone!" Sofia yelled as the audience continued to go wild.

Chuckling, April curtsied once more before then returning Surskit to its Pokeball and departing backstage. We were all very happy for her when she came back.

"Well done, Sis." I said as I immediately gave her a hug.

"Not bad." said Ashlyn.

"Very good job." said Amber.

"You really put on a good show there." said Skye.

April smiled and said, "Thanks, girls."

And from there, after multiple other coordinates took their turns onstage for their appeals, the time finally came for the last coordinator attending today's contest to have his turn.

The coordinator in question was fair-skinned boy with yellow eyes and snowy white hair, named Ramsey. He seemed very excited as he confidently made his way onto the stage.

It was just as I saw him finally come out onto the stage while watching the screen that I finally noticed that he had two Pokeballs at the ready instead of just one. This was enough to really get my attention, for I remembered how the advertisements for today's contest had said that the contestants could use either one or two Pokémon for their appeals in this particular contest as they wished. And counting Ramsey, only about 1/3 of the coordinators taking part in the contest today had chosen to use two Pokemon in their appeal instead of just one. Assuming that Ramsey was skilled enough, it was entirely likely that we'd be in for quite the attention-grabbing appeal.

And I wasn't the only one thinking of such, as I soon noticed that April, Amber, Ashlyn, and Skye were also staring intently at the screen alongside me.

"Showtime, boys!" Ramsey yelled as he opened both Pokeballs in his hands, releasing a Swellow and an Arcanine onto the stage. Both Pokemon screamed in seeming excitement upon being let out onto the stage, with the Swellow seemingly surrounded by bolts of lightning and the Arcanine surrounded by flames, which made Ramsey look very happy indeed.

"Swellow, take to the air now, just like we practiced!" Swellow shrieked loudly as it took to the air. And as it did so, Ramsey swiftly turned to Arcanine.

"Arcanine, use Swift! Aim for the sky!" Growling determinedly, Arcanine opened its jaws and spat out the star-shaped energy projectiles that Swift was known for, sending a veritable shower of them flying up towards the ceiling of the contest hall.

"Now, Swellow! Use Air Slash on the stars!" Shrieking as if to say 'yes', Swellow drew back its wings and started rapidly slashing them left and right, sending blades of wind flying at each and every one of the stars that Arcanine had spat out, causing them all to explode into glittering golden dust, much to the clear awe of the crowd.

"Arcanine, let's warm things up some more with a Flame Charge!" Arcanine was quick to obey, growling determinedly as its entire body bursting into flames before it then went rushing around the stage.

"Swellow, land in front of me and start preparing to use an Aerial Agility Ace!" Swellow obediently swooped down a couple of yards or so in front of Ramsey and began simultaneously charging up both an aerial ace and agility at the same time, even as the literally fiery Arcanine continued rushing about the stage. The audience continued to watch, holding their breaths in equal parts nerves and anticipation for what Ramsey had in store for them next.

"Arcanine, do a jumping counter-shield with Flamethrower!" Roaring loudly, Arcanine jumped into the air right as it was about to charge towards the area in between where Swellow and Ramsey were positioned and spun around while using Flamethrower, the resulting jet of flames spewing from Arcanine's jaws elegantly twirling around like a sash. The crowd "oohed" and "aahed" at the beautiful display, completely failing to notice a series of star-shaped rings that were starting to lower down from the ceiling. By the time the audience finally started to notice this detail, Arcanine had already finished its flamethrower move and came to a landing on all fours directly behind Swellow, who was, at that moment, seemingly seconds away from unleashing its Aerial Ace Agility combo move.

"Excellent work, Arcanine! Now give Swellow a nice boost!" In that instant, before the crowd and judges had a chance to even wonder what Ramsey meant, Arcanine abruptly used Roar, the resulting burst of loud noise crashing against Swellow from behind at literally the exact moment it started to go flying forward and into the air as per its Aerial Agility Ace combo move, resulting in it flying at almost double the speed it would have already been flying at without the Roar-induced boost. And from there, Swellow proceeded to shriek triumphantly as it flew threw each and every one of the star-shaped rings dangling from the ceiling, rapidly changing direction as needed with grace and reflexes that had probably taken many days of training and practice to accomplish. And eventually, after flying through the 13th and final ring positioned directly above the stage, Swellow managed, with a stunning amount of grace, to come to a gentle landing right back where it had first initiated its highspeed flight through the rings, its wings still spread and its full upper body reared up as if it were saying "tada" to the adoring audience. At this, Ramsey flashed a thumbs up from where he was standing behind Arcanine.

And at this, the crowd went absolutely wild, screaming and cheering in delight at the awe-inspiring appeal. The judges, as it soon turned out, were also reasonably impressed, as one of them had a full "10" displayed on his score while the other two each gave 8.5 points, leaving Ramsey with 27 points.

"Looks like this guy could be a difficult guy to beat." April whispered to me.

I nodded my head numbly, a somewhat worried look on my face at the thought of just how much of a challenge that boy could be for myself, April, or any of our friends to beat in the battle round.

... ...

About ten minutes after the appeal round was over, the results were finally announced. All five of us had made it to the battle round, much to our delight. Three boys had also made it. And as it swiftly turned out, Ramsey was one of them.

"No surprise there, I suppose." said April.

"No kidding." I admitted.

Already, I was hurriedly looking to see who'd be battling who. And as it so happened, Ashlyn would be battling Ramsey, April would be battling one of the other boys, I'd be battling Amber, and Skye would be battling the 3rd boy. I could tell that this would potentially be quite the memorable contest.

---

"To my left is Ashlyn and to my right is Ramsey! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!" Sofia announced.

"Dewgong, curtain!" Ashlyn yelled.

"Manectric, spotlight!" Ramsey shouted.

"Dewgong, use Ice Beam!" Ashlyn shouted, not letting the fact that she was going to be at a type disadvantage give her pause.

"Counter that with Discharge!" Ramsey yelled.

The two moves collided, sparks flying in the resulting battle for dominance. Unfortunately, with Dewgong's Ice Beam only being able to account for one of the multiple bolts of electricity spouting from Manectric as a result of the Discharge, Ashlyn was soon forced to call Dewgong to break the connection and move aside to avoid the risk of getting zapped, and so she lost points.

"Alright, you've got some breathing room, Manectric. Use Charge!" Manectric obeyed, snarling determinedly as yellow sparks of electricity began coating its body.

"Hurry, Dewgong!" Ashlyn yelled, well aware of how much more powerful Manectric's Electric attacks would be if allowed to finish its Charge. "Use Aurora Beam!" Dewgong fired off an Aurora Beam from the tip of its horn, scoring a direct hit and interrupting its Charge while also deducting some points from Ramsey's score.

"Now use Ice Beam!" Ashlyn yelled, hoping to press her momentum forward.

"Dodge!" Ramsey yelled.

Manectric snarled, having still been in the midst of recovering from the Aurora Beam, but was nonetheless able to just barely leap aside to avoid getting hit by the Ice Beam, costing Ashlyn another point.

"Hurry!" Ramsey yelled. "Use Wild Charge!"

"Dodge!" Ashlyn screamed, eyes widened at the news of what move Manectric was about to use.

The Electric Pokemon snarled fiercely while surrounding its body with electricity before then abruptly rushing straight towards Dewgong, who was only just barely able to dodge, in turn costing Ramsey points.

"Dewgong, use Take Down!"

"Get back, Manectric!"

Manectric jumped aside and back in its trainer's direction in time to avoid getting hit by the charging Dewgong.

"Now use Charge!" Manectric snarled, once again coating its body with yellow sparks to build up its electrical power.

Ashlyn gritted her teeth, her points still dwindling alongside Ramsey's and realizing she'd potentially need to resort to desperate measures to salvage a victory. And so, she settled for a move that she knew would allow Dewgong to move swiftly, despite it not being a move that would be particularly effective against Manectric.

"Use Aqua Jet!" With a determined bark, Dewgong activated Aqua Jet, sending itself rushing towards Manectric while cocooned in the water it summoned around itself. Unfortunately, Ashlyn had been just the slightest few seconds too late to make the call in time to allow this ploy to interrupt the Charge. And mere seconds after Manectric had finished its Charge...

"Use Thunder!"

"NO! GET BACK!"

Dewgong only just barely managed to skid itself to a stop as Manectric lifted its head and howled loudly, and then subsequently jump back towards Ashlyn in time to avoid getting directly caught in the blast of the massive lightning bolt that came rocketing down upon the center of the stage. The resulting burst of smoke that arose from the blast obscured the stage for the competitors and onlookers alike.

"Just be calm now, Dewgong." Ashlyn said to her Pokemon. "Have an Ice Beam ready for when the smoke clears."

Unfortunately, Ramsey had other ideas. And he chose to act just the slightest bit earlier than Ashlyn herself had been planning to act.

"Now, Manectric! Use Wild Charge!" With a loud roar, Manectric suddenly lunged right through the smoke, completely covered in electricity and its eyes were glowing as it rocketed straight at Dewgong. Dewgong barked in surprise and pain as the voltage-covered Manectric slammed into it with the Wild Charge. The impact, combined with the devastatingly powerful electrical shock that ensued, sent Dewgong sliding across the stage floor towards Ashlyn, groaning in pain as smoke rose from its body before its head fell to the floor as it fainted.

"Dewgong is unable to battle." Sofia announced. "Ramsey wins!"

... ...

"To my left is April and to my right is Julius." Sofia announced. "Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"

"Showtime, Grovyle!" April yelled.

"Let's go, Grumpig!" Julius shouted.

"Grovyle, use Energy Ball!"

"Counter with Psybeam!"

The two moves collided together and began pushing back and forth against each other in a battle for dominance. But the Psybeam, by virtue of it being a continuous beam, soon proved stronger as it began to eventually push the Energy Ball right back towards Grovyle!

"Dodge!" April yelled. Chirping in acknowledgment, Grovyle lunged aside just in time to avoid getting blasted by both the Psybeam and its own Energy Ball. But April nonetheless lost some points.

"Come on, April. You can do it." I whispered under my breath, holding my hands in a praying position.

"Alright, Grumpig! Let them have it with Confuse Ray!" Grumpig charged up a Confuse Ray and fired it out at Grovyle from the black pearl on its belly.

"Jump over it, Grovyle! And strike at Grumpig with Leaf Blade!"

"Dodge it!"

But Grumpig was unable to stop using the Confuse Ray in time to dodge, and it was soon sent stumbling backwards when Grovyle's Leaf Blade hit it right in the face! Julius winced at both the blow to his Pokemon and the subsequent deduction of points from his score.

"We can still salvage this, Grumpig!" he cried. "Use Power Gem! That should give you some breathing room!"

"Don't let it hit you, Grovyle!" April yelled. "Block it with Energy Ball!"

Grovyle obeyed, and used the momentum given from the resulting explosion that ensued when the Energy Ball collided with the Power Gem blast to jump backwards to a comparatively safer distance.

"Now, Grumpig! Use Zen Headbutt before it can recover!" Grumpig coated the top of its head with clear blue light, leaned its whole body forward, and then started rushing straight at Grovyle.

"Grovyle! Use X-Scissor!"

"Get back!" Julius shouted, well aware of how X-Scissor, being a Bug attack, would be super-affective against his Psychic Pokemon.

But Grumpig was moving too fast to stop, let alone jump backwards, and the subsequent direct hit from X-Scissor sent it skidding back. And April wasn't about to leave it at that, either.

"Quickly!" she yelled. "Follow up with Giga Drain!" Grumpig squealed in shock and discomfort as it felt its energy start to get drained from it as the Giga Drain beams fired from Grovyle's fingertips struck it and began absorbing energy to rejuvenate Grovyle. By the time Grovyle finished the Giga Drain, Grumpig was so drained from the Giga Drain and the earlier blow from X-Scissor that it collapsed right onto its back, immediately coming to a stop from its earlier skidding.

"Sorry, buddy." Julius stated, clearly regretful of the whole mess. "But don't give up yet. We can still do this!"

"That's what you think." said April. "Keep at it, Grovyle! Use Leaf Blade while it's still down!"

"Dodge it! Then counter with Power Gem!"

... ...

Several minutes later, the clock was rapidly ticking down to the end of the time limit. For a decent bit of time, April and Julius had been neck and neck. But now, April's points were just barely higher than those of Julius.

"Use Energy Ball!"

"Counter with Psybeam!"

The two moves clashed and fought for dominance once again, but April wasn't about to let that stop her.

"Jump over it and use Leaf Blade!" Another direct hit was struck against Grumpig.

Julius growled, "Strike at it with Confuse Ray!"

"Deflect it with X-Scissor!"

Grumpig squealed, having gotten unexpectedly hit by its own Confuse Ray!

"Now follow up with another Energy Ball!" Grovyle obeyed, bringing Grumpig down to its knees, just as time ran out.

"Time's up!" Sofia yelled. "The winner is...April!"

... ...

With my sister having successfully earned her progression to the semifinals, it was now time to see if I'd be able to do the same.

I stood tall on one end of the stage while facing Amber on the other side of the stage. Amber chuckled, a companionable smile on her face as she held her Pokeball at the ready.

"May the best girl win." she said in a good-natured tone.

"Oh, I intend to." I purred gleefully.

"To my left is Megan and to my right is Amber." said Sofia. "Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"

"Spotlight, Espeon!"

"Showtime, Rapidash!"

"Espeon! Use Swift!"

"Flame Wheel! Now!"

In a flash, Rapidash activated its Flame Wheel and rushed straight through the Swift stars, the fire incinerating them, before very rapidly galloping right towards Espeon. But I was quick to react, knowing that I couldn't afford to lose too many points this early on.

"Dodge!" Espeon jumped aside just in time to avoid getting hit by the charging flaming Rapidash, which made a graceful swerve to run back in Amber's direction immediately after barreling through the now-empty space where Espeon had originally been standing.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that, Amber!" I yelled, unable to resist the urge in the heat of the moment to state that friendly little taunt. Amber, to her credit, took it in stride as any friend would be expected to do.

"Oh, I intend to!" she replied, pointing back in Espeon's direction while looking to Rapidash, who had now come to a stop back in its starting position from the beginning of the battle.

"Rapidash, use Flamethrower!"

"Use Psybeam!"

Meowing and neighing determinedly in unison, Espeon and Rapidash both let their respective attacks fly at the exact same time. The jet of flames and beam of psychic energy collided together above the very center of the stage and began to battle for dominance. So far, in a testament to just how powerful both Pokemon were, the two moves currently appeared to be evenly matched. But it wasn't long before a convergence point started to form. And eventually, I decided that it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Espeon! Move aside!"

"Rapidash! Jump away!"

Amber had evidently reached the same conclusion as me. Espeon and Rapidash obediently jumped aside and broke the "connection" between the Psybeam and Flamethrower just in time for the convergence point to burst into a firework-like explosion. While this did attract some decent applause from the audience, we also both found ourselves each losing half a point, due to how that little stunt could just as easily have ended rather dangerously for us and everyone else.

"Enough messing around." I then said. "Espeon, use Swift again!"

"Quick Attack, Rapidash!" Amber yelled. "And combine that with Agility!"

Whinnying determinedly, Rapidash obeyed, bursting off into a run to the side just in time to dodge Swift, the combined usage of Agility and Quick Attack allowing it to be almost entirely a blur.

At this point, it was clear that I'd have to throw caution to the wind and hope for the best. Fortunately, over the course of my training for this contest, Espeon had managed to demonstrate knowledge of a powerful new move that I already had a feeling would work perfectly for this current situation.

"Espeon, use Psychic! Now!" Espeon used Psychic just in time to catch Rapidash and bring it to a standstill, right as it had been seconds away from crashing into her from the side. Rapidash snorted and whinnied in surprise and rage as it found itself so suddenly halted in its charge.

I looked to Amber, a small smirk coming onto my face at the sight of her nodding her head with an almost impressed look on her face.

"Try to beat me now." I said.

"Gladly." Amber stated, looking back to Rapidash. "Rapidash, use Fire Spin!"

My eyes widened, my face blanching as I realized how disadvantageous a position Espeon was now in.

"Espeon, dodge!"

But it was too late, and with a loud neigh, Rapidash breathed out a jet of flames that began to curl into a spiral around Espeon and soon trapped her in a tornado of flames! Espeon hissed in fright and pain as she felt herself getting burned by the spiraling flames that had now trapped her. Rapidash, now free of the Psychic as a result of Espeon's loss of concentration, hurriedly galloped back over to where Amber was standing.

"Espeon, use Morning Sun!" I yelled, hoping that this healing move would allow her to regain just enough of her energy to last long enough for me to figure out an escape strategy for her. Espeon hurriedly used the move to rejuvenate her health to the best of her ability.

"Rapidash, use Flamethrower!" Amber yelled. Rapidash launched the flames towards Espeon.

"Swift!" I yelled, desperate to let Espeon defend herself and avoid losing too many more points. Meowing determinedly despite still being trapped in the Fire Spin, Espeon unleashed another burst of Swift. The jet of flames from Rapidash and burst of stars from Espeon clashed at the center of the stage and began battling for dominance. For what felt like an eternity, the two moves continued to push back and forth against each other as Espeon and Rapidash struggled to gain dominance over each other.

"Come on, come on." I whispered under my breath as Espeon continued to use Swift to push with all her might against Rapidash's Flamethrower. "You can do this, you can do this..."

"Time's up!"

Amber and I widened our eyes in shock. Had time really gone by that quickly? Quickly having our Pokemon stop their respective attacks, we turned our heads towards the screen displaying the points...and my heart promptly sank as I saw that Amber had won.

"The winner is Amber!" Sofia yelled.

... ...

I walked out of the changing rooms, now back in my normal clothes.

"For what it's worth, you did pretty good today, Megan." Amber said to me.

"Thanks, Amber." I said with a weak smile as I finished preparing my bag. I then turned around to completely face her. "Good luck in the semifinals. I'll be watching."

And with that, after sticking around to witness Amber nod her head in confirmation, I turned and calmly strode out the doorway that led into the hallway that would take me to where the audience was gathered. It wasn't long before I caught sight of a sympathetic-looking Adam and Jason amongst the audience, who I calmly walked over to sit with.

"Sorry that you didn't make it past the first battle round." said Adam.

"We can tell that you really worked hard, training for today." Jason pointed out.

"It's alright." I said, taking a seat directly next to Adam. "I've still got a few contests left to try to earn my 5th ribbon. And at any rate, I'll still gladly support April and our friends here in the audience."

"That's the spirit, Megan." Adam said, sounding very relieved that I didn't appear to be letting my recent loss get me down. "And at any rate, I'm definitely strongly leaning towards taking a stab at competing in the next contest that you take part in."

I smiled. "That's good to hear."

Then the time came for the next battle. I could see Skye now on the stage while the third boy to win the appeal round today was standing opposite her.

"To my left is Skye and to my right is Daniel. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"

"Xatu, spotlight!"

"Makuhita, curtain!"

"Xatu! Use Psyshock!"

"Dodge that! Then use Bulk Up!"

As the Pokemon began to do as ordered, Jason said, "Isn't Xatu both a Flying and Psychic type, both of which are strong against a Fighting Pokemon?"

Adam nodded his head and added, "It certainly looks like Makuhita is in for a rough time."

"Let's just hope that Skye doesn't get too cocky about this." I stated. "As your father has proven time and time again, type advantages don't automatically net you a victory. And last I checked, Fighting types do tend to be capable of learning Rock attacks."

Meanwhile, the battle between Skye's Xatu and Daniel's Makuhita continued to unfold on the stage.

"Makuhita!" Daniel yelled. 'Use Force Palm!" Makuhita let out a scream of exertion as it charged towards Xatu with Force Palm at the ready, the move now set to cause somewhat heightened damage as a result of the Bulk Up.

"Xatu, use Psychic!" Screeching obediently, Xatu used Psychic to halt Makuhita in mid-charge, lift it up off the stage, and then fling it straight back at Daniel!

At this point, Skye was far ahead of Daniel when it came to points, something that I could see Daniel looked visibly unhappy with. Nonetheless, he tried his best to keep his cool and salvage things.

"Don't give up yet, Makuhita." he stated as the Fighting Pokemon worked to get back to its feet. "Use Bulk Up again!" Makuhita got to work, but Skye was quick to take advantage of this moment of Makuhita standing relatively still.

"Use Psyshock, Xatu!" Xatu fired off a Psyshock, sending Makuhita stumbling backwards. This, however, swiftly angered Daniel, who pointed his finger straight at Xatu.

"Makuhita! Use Rock Slide! Now!"

"Light Screen, Xatu!"

Xatu just barely got the Light Screen set up in time to limit the damage it received from Makuhita's Rock Slide. And even at that, Xatu still managed to get hit by at least three of the rocks when the continuous impact against the Light Screen finally shattered the energy shield. But while the Rock Slide would almost certainly leave a mark on Xatu, it still looked as if it was willing to fight through the pain and was in no hurry to give up yet, which was something that I could see that Skye clearly felt proud to notice.

"Xatu, get to work with Future Sight!" Warbling in acknowledgement, Xatu spread its wings and started charging up a Future Sight.

Daniel, however, was eager to take advantage of the opportunity he'd have to strike another blow in the time that it would take for Xatu to charge up the Future Sight.

"Now, Makuhita! Leap at Xatu with Brick Break!" Screaming determinedly, Makuhita jumped into the air, already raising its right hand in preparation for the planned Brick Break as it went flying off in Xatu's direction. In that moment, Daniel had a noticeably excited grin on his face as he clasped his hands together. It was quite clear that he believed he had his victory in the bag. But all of a sudden, right as Makuhita was halfway between Daniel's position and Xatu's position...

"Now, Xatu!" Skye yelled.

"NO!" Daniel screamed in a mixture of horror and rage.

But it was too late. And in that instant, Makuhita could only scream in shock and pain as Xatu at last unleashed its Future Sight attack, with the resulting burst of energy slamming down on Makuhita from above and slamming it into the center of the stage! When the resulting cloud of smoke and dust finally dissipated, a very bruised and battered Makuhita was revealed to be trying desperately to get back up onto its feet...before collapsing back down, completely out cold.

"Makuhita is unable to battle! Skye wins!"

... ...

Several minutes later, the semifinals for this contest's battle round were finally about to begin. At that moment, as Adam, Jason, and I watched intently alongside the rest of the audience, April and Ramsey stood opposite each other on the stage. Ramsey nodded his head, a confident, yet also respectful smirk on his face.

"Your parents are practically royalty amongst coordinators." he stated, his Pokeball already in hand for when the time came to start battling. "It will be a great honor, battling you."

April snorted and said, "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"I'd be disappointed if it did get me anywhere here."

"To my left is Ramsey." said Sofia. "And to my right is April. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"

"Spotlight, Manectric!"

"Grovyle, curtain!"

Both Pokemon were released from their Pokeballs, letting out their cries immediately afterward as they faced each other. And from there, Ramsey chose to make his move first.

"Manectric, use Wild Charge!" Manectric howled as it engulfed its body in electricity before bursting into a run, straight towards Grovyle.

"Dodge, Grovyle!" April yelled. "Then use Leaf Blade!" Grovyle jumped into the air in time to avoid getting hit by the Wild Charge. And in that instant, right as it was directly above the still-charging and Manectric, Grovyle swung its left arm down upon its foe with a Leaf Blade. Manectric yowled in shock as the blow to its back from above caused it to stumble and crash-land on its belly before skidding to an embarrassing halt while Grovyle engaged in a graceful three-point landing not too far behind Manectric. April chuckled at the sight of how Ramsey had now already lost some points as a result.

"Making me work for my victory, huh?" he said while rubbing a hand through his snowy white hair, his yellow eyes agleam and his teeth bared in a challenge-seeking grin. "Just as I'd hoped would be the case for the daughter of Drew and May Hayden." His grin then widened at the sight of Manectric starting to get back on its feet.

"Hurry, Manectric! Use Discharge!" With another loud howl, Manectric unleashed the requested attack. Grovyle, standing too close to dodge in time, got hit by one of the bolts and was sent stumbling backwards. Ramsey was quick to try to press his newfound moment of advantage.

"Quick, Manectric! Use Thunderbolt!" Manectric growled, its jaws opening to the fullest as electricity rapidly charged up inside its mouth in preparation for the Thunderbolt.

But now, April was ready to fight back, and Grovyle had managed to recover from its earlier electrocution.

"Block that with Energy Ball!" April yelled. In that moment, with both Pokemon managing to unleash their respective requested attacks at the exact same time, the Thunderbolt and Energy Ball crashed together above the center of the stage, where they began to fight for dominance. Grovyle, by sheer luck, soon proved the stronger of the two in this instance as the Energy Ball began to push back against the Thunderbolt and push it in Manectric's direction. This was enough to convince Ramsey that discretion would be the better part of valor.

"Manectric, dodge!" Manectric stopped its Thunderbolt and jumped aside, just in time for Grovyle's now unimpeded Energy Ball to slam harmlessly against the empty floor space where Manectric had been standing.

"Hurry, Grovyle! Use Giga Drain!" The cries of both Pokemon immediately filled the air as Grovyle struck Manectric with Giga Drain and began absorbing more energy to rejuvenate itself.

"Don't let it weaken you like that, Manectric! Blast Grovyle away with Discharge!"

"Jump over it and strike with Leaf Blade when you're in a good enough position!"

Grovyle obeyed, managing to avoid getting hit by the Discharge. Unfortunately, as it turned out, Ramsey had been expecting April to pull off such a dodge.

"Quick! Fire off a Thunderbolt while Grovyle's still in the air!" Manectric zapped the still-in-mid-jump Grovyle with Thunderbolt and sent it falling back to the center of the stage floor. As Grovyle sat there on the center of the stage, groaning in discomfort from getting hit by the Thunderbolt, Ramsey was quick to take advantage of the moment of breathing room he'd won for Manectric.

"Alright, now use Charge before Grovyle has the chance to interrupt!" Manectric obeyed, clearly preparing to unleash a particularly powerful Electric attack.

April, eyes widening, was quick to react, likely from having an idea as to just which move Ramsey was likely about to have Manectric use.

"Grovyle! Get back!" Hissing from the effort, Grovyle managed to get back to its feet and jump away...and just in time, too!

"Manectric, use Thunder!" Howling skyward, Manectric called down its Thunder attack. The resulting burst of lightning struck the center of the stage in the same devastating fashion as when it had been used earlier against Ashlyn's Dewgong. And much like the first instance of Ramsey's Manectric using Thunder, a massive cloud of dust and smoke was raised from the center of the stage as a result of the impact.

Seeing this, I gritted my teeth, eyes widened nervously as I clasped my hands together.

'Please don't end the way it did for Ashlyn.' I thought to myself, already hoping that April would be able to react to this more favorably than Ashlyn had.

And considering how the time limit was starting to get close to reaching its end, it was especially clear just how much of a difference could be made for the victor, depending on who made the all-important scales-tipping move.

April, as it so happened, was also well aware of just how much was now at stake, not to mention of just how badly things could end for her if she messed up.

"Grovyle, prepare an X-Scissor. I want you to have it for ready for use the instant you catch sight of Manectric!" Grovyle crossed its arms across its chest, already causing them to glow in preparation for when the time came to use X-Scissor. At this point, it would now be a question of whether it managed to be both ready in time and successfully use it when the moment of truth finally came about. And just a few seconds later...

"Now, Manectric! Lunge right at Grovyle with Wild Charge!" In a flash, just as it had done with Dewgong, Manectric lunged right out the center of the slowly dissipating smoke cloud, howling determinedly as its voltage-coated body swooped right at Grovyle!

In that instant, I could feel my heart stopping, my eyes widening and teeth gritting at the hair-raising sight unfolding on the stage. I could even see Ramsey already grinning and readying himself for a victory celebration, as if expecting Manectric to successfully strike Grovyle and secure a victory.

"NOW, GROVYLE!" April screamed with all her might. Manectric was slammed right in the face and sent flying backwards by Grovyle's successfully executed usage of X-Scissor. Manectric crash-landed inches away from where Ramsey was standing.

"Time's up! April wins!"

At the sound of this announcement from Sofia, April visibly gasped in relief. I could hardly blame her. After all, it had been easy to tell from what had unfolded onstage that her battle against Ramsey had been very challenging.

Ramsey, meanwhile, nodded his head with an approving smile of respect on his face. Nodding her head in acknowledgement, April returned Grovyle and turned to depart backstage, with Ramsey returning Manectric and thanking it for its efforts before departing the stage himself.

Next up would be the battle between Skye and Amber. Already, I was equal parts excited and nervous to find out which of my friends would end up doing battle with my sister when the time for the final round came.

... ...

"On my left is Amber and on my right is Skye. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"

"Showtime, Rapidash!"

"Xatu, spotlight!"

In a flash, both Pokemon were let out of their Pokeballs, vocalizing excitedly as they materialized upon the stage.

"Rapidash, use Flamethrower!"

"Xatu, counter with Psyshock!"

Both Pokemon were quick to obey, the resulting moves clashing together at the center of the stage and pushing against each other in a duel for dominance.

Adam, Jason, and I all held our breaths, uncertain as to which of our two friends to root for as the Flamethrower and Psyshock continued to push against each other in a vicious tug-of-war.

But the Psyshock eventually overpowered the Flamethrower and began to rocket straight at Rapidash while pushing back the Flamethrower.

"Dodge!" Amber yelled. But it was too late, and Rapidash whinnied in surprise and mild pain as it got hit.

... ...

A few minutes later, Amber and Skye were neck-and-neck in regards to how many points they had left. At this point, one of them would have to make the key move that would determine a victor.

"Rapidash, use Quick Attack combined with Agility!" Rapidash charged at Xatu with the speed of its combined moves.

"Xatu, use Psychic!" In a flash, Xatu used Psychic as ordered, managing to snap Rapidash to a halt, inches away from directly landing the hit. Unfortunately, this soon turned out to be exactly what Amber had hoped would happen.

"Now, Rapidash! Flamethrower!"

"NO!" Skye yelled.

But it was too late, and Xatu could only shriek in surprise and pain as it was engulfed in the burst of flames that Rapidash breathed out from its mouth, releasing the Fire Pokemon from its Psychic hold in the process.

"Time's up!"

In that instant, Skye and Amber both looked to the screen. In that instant, the winner was clear as day.

"The winner is Amber!"

Nodding her head, Skye returned Xatu, congratulating it on a job well done. She then looked to Amber, who had just returned Rapidash and similarly congratulated her Pokemon for doing great.

"You'd better put up a good fight against April," Skye said. "I don't want to lose to you just to see you lose to April in a measly ten seconds."

Amber chuckled and replied, "Don't you worry. Whether I win or lose, I won't make it easy for April."

... ...

Fifteen minutes later, at long last, the final battle between Amber and April was about to begin. I was holding my breath, my hands clasped together, and my eyes wide with anticipation and excitement as I saw my friendly rival and older sister standing opposite each other with confident smiles on their faces as they prepared to do battle. I silently wished them both the best of luck for this incoming battle.

"On my left is April and on my right is Amber." Sofia said, clear excitement in her tone. "Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"

"Showtime, Grovyle!"

"Spotlight, Rapidash!"

In a flash, both Pokemon were let out onto the stage for the final battle of the contest. I had to admit, while Amber had the type advantage, April could yet be able to score herself her final victory required to qualify for the Grand Festival if she played her cards just right.

"Rapidash, Flamethrower!" Amber yelled, seemingly hoping to gain an advantage by being the first to make a move. Rapidash whinnied determinedly before breathing fire at Grovyle.

"Parry that with Energy Ball!" April yelled. "And leap over it and use Leaf Blade once the smoke goes off!" Grovyle did as requested, and Rapidash was forced to run aside to avoid getting hit across the back by the Leaf Blade.

Amber gritted her teeth, clearly not entirely pleased that April would be a tough opponent to beat, despite having the type advantage. But she was not about to give up yet.

"Rapidash, charge at Grovyle with Flame Wheel!"

"Dodge it! Then use Energy Ball!"

As Grovyle did so, resulting in another loss of points for Amber, I nodded my head. While part of me felt bad that Amber wasn't doing well so far, the other part of me felt very pleased at how well my sister was doing, despite the type disadvantage.

And as the battle continued to unfold, April continued to remain far ahead of Amber in points, taking thorough advantage of Grovyle's high speed and reflexes to allow it to dodge Rapidash and get strikes in while Rapidash was unable to pull off any dodging maneuvers of its own. And while none of Grovyle's moves caused any particularly strong damage to Rapidash due to all the moves in question being of types that Rapidash wasn't remotely weak against, the high number of times Grovyle's moves successfully struck Rapidash, combined with the number of times that Rapidash's own moves failed to land a hit, was enough to ensure that April would have quite a high score indeed. And eventually, at long last...

"Time's up!" Sofia yelled. "The winner of the contest is...April!"

Amber nodded, a clear look of gracious acceptance on her face as she returned Rapidash. She then looked at April and said, "Good job. See you at the Grand Festival."

"I certainly hope so." April replied.

And with that, Amber departed backstage while April returned Grovyle and positioned herself to receive her all-important 5th ribbon. As she finally did so, no one cheered louder than I did when the crowd went wild with delight.

Well done, April. I thought to myself, well and truly proud of my big sister for her big victory.

And regardless of how long it took, I was feeling confident that, despite having failed to do so this time, I would definitely gain my own 5th ribbon in due time, between now and the Grand Festival.

---

Outside the contest hall, I waited for April, alongside Adam, Jason, Amber, Skye, and Ashlyn. It truly did feel good that my big sister had won all of the ribbons she'd need to take part in the Grand Festival. And already, I couldn't wait to congratulate her personally alongside my friends when she finally came out of the building.

"I'm glad that your sister won today." said Amber. "I'll bet that your parents will be proud to hear about it."

"I'm sure they will." I agreed. "And I've still got plenty of opportunities left to get my 5th ribbon and qualify for the Grand Festival before it's too late."

Amber nodded her head in agreement and then looked around, as if checking to see if anyone were around to overhear something that she didn't want to be heard. Eventually, with a nod of satisfaction, she leaned her head towards my left ear.

She whispered, "I really am sorry that your lucky charm wasn't as lucky as mine...for this contest, anyway."

I sighed. Amber did have a point. After all, she'd made it further in the contest than I had. And as this thought crossed my mind, I couldn't help but feel slightly disheartened by how Amber had effectively scored a "victory" against me in that regard. After all, by virtue of how much longer than me she'd lasted in today's contest, she'd had all the more opportunity to impress Adam and potentially get herself closer to winning him over before I could.

But at the same time, I also felt more determined than ever to try even harder than before to get Adam before she did. So what if Amber had gotten a slight lead on me? It wasn't too late for me to catch up or pull ahead of her!

I looked to where Adam was standing, currently in the midst of a small chat with Jason. Now that I thought about, I'd never really gotten around yet to asking him what he thought about my appeal...or Amber's, for that matter.

"Hey, everyone!"

Hearing this, I looked back towards the contest hall's front entrance in time to see a very happy-looking April walking towards us, proudly holding her 5th ribbon in her left hand as she did so.

"Look who's going to the Grand Festival!" she declared.

At this, we all cheered as we eagerly rushed over to say hello and congratulate her. I managed to reach April first, giving her a tight hug with a smile on my face.

"Congratulations, April." I said. "Mom and Dad are gonna be so proud!"

"Yes, they will." she admitted, then directed a serious look my way after I ended the hug. "Are...are you okay, Megan?"

I briefly raised my eyebrow, but then realized why April was asking such a question.

"Well, I am a little bummed that I lost in the first battle round." I admitted. I then clenched my right hand into a fist and lifted it up with a determined look on my face. "But hey, I'm still happy that you won, Sis. And I'm sure that I'll still be able to win my 5th ribbon in due time. I just need to practice some more."

"That's the spirit, Megan." I heard Adam say from behind.

"Yeah, what he said, Megan." I heard Amber say. "No need to let a loss today get you down for the rest of the contests."

"Yep." I heard Jason say. "It's like they always say, if at first you don't succeed, try try again."

"Thanks, guys." I stated. "Your support really means a lot to me."

April then looked behind her and her eyes widened as she saw someone walking over to her.

"Oh, here comes Adrian. Please excuse me."

She hurried over to where Adrian was heading her way. At that moment, he looked very happy as he made his way towards April. The instant that he and April came to a stop in front of each other, he drew his right hand out into view from behind his back to reveal, exactly as April had guessed, roses. Specifically, five red roses.

"Congratulations on qualifying for the Grand Festival. I'll admit, you did give me a bit of a scare in your battle against that Ramsey fellow. But judging how well you managed to turn things around, I suppose I didn't need to worry too much. And just as you guessed, I got you roses as a gift for your victory. One rose for each ribbon." Adrian said. "And while I no longer have to worry about anything, I know that competing in the Grand Festival definitely wouldn't have felt nearly as amazing without you competing in it with me."

April chuckled, eagerly accepting the roses from her boyfriend's hand. She gave the roses a deep, appreciative sniff.

"Ah, they smell so good. And you know what? Thank you, Adrian. It wouldn't be the same performing in the Grand Festival without you competing there, either."

She then thought something to herself, lowering the roses away from her face in the process. And then she let a cheeky grin come on her face, asking, "Dare I ask in advance what gift you'll have for me if I win the entire Grand Festival?"

Adrian chuckled and stated, "It's a surprise. Win the Grand Festival and you'll find out." He then winked at her, the smile still on his face.

April chuckled, then gave him a quick kiss on his cheek before saying, "I'll do my best."

I smiled at the sight of this. I really did feel happy, seeing my sister happy with the boy she loved. And in that instant, my eyes widened as I remembered what April and I had talked about in the contest hall's lobby before heading backstage to get changed for the contest.

How was I going to tell Adam that I loved him? What would be the best time and place? Would he want a big spectacle? Or something simple, yet personal at the same time? Would I need a gift? Or would I just need to tell him simply without having a gift to give, and leave it at that?

The sound of footsteps heading my way got my attention back on April just in time to see her walking over towards me and the rest of our friends with the five roses still in her hands.

"These don't belong to me alone." April said with a smile on her face as she came to a stop directly in front of me, Adam, Jason, and my three additional coordinator friends. She then extended four of the roses towards me, Amber, Skye, and Ashlyn. "They belong to all five of us. After all, we all really worked and hard and performed quite well."

Hearing this, the other girls and I couldn't help but smile as we each graciously accepted a rose.

"Thanks, April." I said as I accepted my offered rose.

"This is so sweet of you, sharing your gift like this." Skye said as she also accepted a rose.

"Yeah, no kidding. These are beautiful. You're lucky to have a boy like him." said Ashlyn as she accepted a rose as well.

"We'll definitely make sure to get to the Grand Festival with you." Amber said as she also accepted a rose.

"You're welcome, all of you. Here's to seeing you all at the Grand Festival." She then checked her watch. "Well, I suppose we should probably be parting ways soon."

I nodded my head and gave April a big hug, saying, "See you around, Sis."

"Right back at ya."

And with that, April walked back over to Adrian, who seemed quite happy and not at all offended about how she'd chosen to share his gift for her with me and my friends. And before long, hand in hand, they both departed off in the direction they'd chosen to take.

Then Ashlyn, Skye, and Amber all said their goodbyes and departed one by one as well. Amber, naturally, was the last to depart. And as she walked away, she turned her head to glance in Adam's direction, an adoring look on her face as she winked at him.

"See you again soon, Adam." she said.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to joining you and Megan in the next contest that you two compete in!" he replied.

Amber giggled in response before turning her head to look ahead again, and walked out of sight.

Once Amber was gone, Adam looked to Jason and I and said, "Come on, guys. Let's get back to the Pokemon Center. We could probably all use a nice rest there right now, as well as a nice meal."

"We should probably do some shopping to make sure that we've got sufficient supplies, too." Jason added. "Just so that we won't have to delay our departure tomorrow, or risk finding out the hard way that we're low on anything."

"Certainly wouldn't hurt." I agreed.

And at that, we headed off. As we walked, my eyes widened as I realized how now was a good time to ask Adam something.

"Hey, Adam?" I spoke up.

"Yeah?" Adam asked, turning his head in my direction.

"During the appeal round...what did you think of mine and Amber's appeals?"

"Hmm, I'll admit, Amber's was pretty impressive. But yours was pretty cool, too."

But while he probably hadn't intended as much, I couldn't help but feel slightly nervous at how he'd responded, giving a safe answer like that.

And as we continued walking, I soon found myself silently gulping and widening my eyes as I remembered another potentially upsetting detail. At one point, while we'd been waiting outside the contest hall for April, I'd noticed him surreptitiously draw out his wallet and look at what appeared to have been a photo of himself and Amber that had seemingly been taken on Wazoo Island. And now that I thought about it, he'd seemed awfully happy while looking at that photo. And while the whole thing had seemed like a pretty minor detail at first, especially when I'd been more focused on waiting for April to come out of the contest hall, I now couldn't help but be slightly worried.

Am I too late after all? I thought to myself. Is Adam already leaning towards choosing Amber instead of me? If so, then I don't think that I can afford wait much longer to tell him my feelings.

Author's Note: April wins her 5th ribbon and qualifies for the Grand Festival, with Adrian and Christina already going to be there.

But for Megan, it seems like the window of opportunity to tell Adam her feelings for him is closing!

Will she find the courage to speak from her heart? What will Adam's response be if she does? And what contest will be next, which Adam will compete in?

Find out as the adventure continues in Pokemon NG!