Normal POV
After a while, the break was finally over and the time had come for the Wallace Cup to resume, with the beginning of the quarterfinals.
"Welcome back, everyone!" said Sofia, clear excitement on her face and in her voice. "I hope you've had a good break and have been looking forward to what's next!"
The crowd went wild! Clearly, they'd been looking forward to the show continuing.
"And don't you worry." Sofia then stated, nodding her head in approval at how excited the audience was. "We won't keep you waiting." She then gestured towards where Megan and Nikki were standing, ready for battle.
"To my left is Megan, and to my right is Nikki. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Espeon, spotlight!"
"Ivysaur, curtain!"
In a flash, Megan's Espeon and Nikki's Ivysaur were released from their Pokeballs, vocalizing accordingly upon fully materializing.
"Alright, Espeon!" said Megan, eager to take the initiative. "Open things up with Swift!" Espeon purred and sent a flurry of star-shaped energy projectiles flying at Ivysaur.
"Ivysaur, deflect them with Vine Whip!" Ivysaur roared as it extended its vines and started whipping the Swift stars away. Already, Megan's points were starting to take a hit.
"This isn't looking like a good start for Megan!" Sofia announced.
But as it so happened, Megan was smiling. She had a plan.
"Now, Espeon! Use Psychic and grab Ivysaur by the vines!"
"Ivysaur, retract your vines!"
But it was too late, and Ivysaur hissed in surprise as its vines became encased in the energy that came from Psychic, before being yanked forward across the battlefield towards Espeon. And once Ivysaur was just close enough...
"Use Psybeam!" Megan ordered. Ivysaur roared in pain as it got hit right in the face by the Psybeam and got sent flying, coming to a painful landing upon its pool pad, directly in front of Nikki.
"Wow!" Sofia yelled excitedly. "What a comeback!"
"Not bad." said Nikki. "Clever trick, using one move to get Ivysaur to leave itself open for a different move. But you haven't won this battle yet! Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf!" Ivysaur roared, already getting back to its feet before sending sharp leaves flying from its back, straight at Espeon.
"Espeon, deflect with Swi-" Megan began. But Espeon shrieked as she was unable to react in time before getting bombarded with Razor Leaf.
"And once again, the pendulum has swung in Nikki's favor." Sofia announced. "Best keep your eyes peeled, everyone. This could be quite the match!"
"Ivysaur, use Sleep Powder! Now!" Nikki shouted, trying to stay on the offense.
"Use Psychic! Blow that Sleep Powder right back at Ivysaur!" Megan countered.
Ivysaur was ultimately unable to get out of the way in time before its own Sleep Powder got blown back onto it, forcing it asleep.
"No!" Nikki screamed. "Ivysaur, wake up!"
"Now's your chance, Espeon!" Megan yelled. "Heal yourself with Morning Sun! Then use Psybeam!" Espeon purred, her forehead's red gem glowing as she healed herself with Morning Sun. Once she was sufficiently rejuvenated, she fired off another Psybeam at the sleeping Ivysaur.
Nikki winced as this happened, both in sympathy for her Ivysaur, and in bitter awareness of how her points were starting to become at risk of getting quite low.
"Don't let up now." said Megan. "Use Swift!" Espeon fired off a Swift, lowering Nikki's points further still...before Ivysaur finally woke up.
"No time to waste! Use Synthesis!" Nikki screamed. Ivysaur roared as it started absorbing sunlight to heal itself.
"Espeon, use Psychic to lift up a wall of water!"
"Now you're just looking desperate." Nikki said, sounding quite unamused. "Ivysaur, finish this with Razor Leaf!"
Ivysaur roared as it fired off Razor Leaf at Espeon once again, clearly confident that the wall of water that Espeon had lifted into position wouldn't be all that effective as a shield, let alone as an attack. Little did Ivysaur and Nikki realize that it would soon prove a lot more devastating than they thought!
"Espeon, slam the water down into a wave!" Megan cried. Nikki had just enough time to widen her eyes before Espeon did as asked, causing a massive wave of water to be spawned that went rushing forward, crashing into the Razor Leaf and sending it flying away harmlessly, before plowing into both her and her Pokemon.
"Wow!" Sofia yelled in excitement. "Look at Megan making waves! In more ways than one!"
Nikki, immediately after the wave receded, coughed and spat as she and Ivysaur got back to their feet, with Nikki shaking her head to get the water out of her hair.
"You got me good there, Megan." she said. "But don't get too comfortable. I've still got some fight left in me! Ivysaur-"
"Time's up!" Sofia suddenly shouted.
Eyes widening, Nikki and Megan turned their heads towards the scoreboard, with Ivysaur and Espeon doing the same...just in time to see that Megan had ultimately edged Nikki out in points.
"The winner is Megan!"
As everyone cheered, Nikki nodded and returned her Ivysaur to its Pokeball, saying, "You did good, Ivysaur. Take a long break."
She then looked over to Megan with an approving smile on her face.
"Not bad, Megan. You went up against a Top Coordinator like me and won. That's really saying something about your skills. You've proven that you're Top Coordinator material as well."
"Thanks, Nikki. I'm very proud of myself and my Pokemon."
"Best of luck to you in the semifinals."
Megan nodded her head in acknowledgement, returned Espeon to her Pokeball, and thanked her for her hard work before she and Nikki departed from the stage.
... ...
"To my left is Leon, and to my right is Adam." Sofia said, once Adam and Leon had taken their positions on the stage for their battle. "Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Showtime, Swampert!" Adam yelled as he unleashed his Swampert.
"Gogoat, charm up!" Leon yelled with a smirk as he unleashed his Gogoat.
Adam gritted his teeth, clearly aware of the serious type disadvantage he was at. Leon chuckled, also clearly aware of his advantage.
"You may be the son of Master Ketchum, but contests are very different from gym battles! You're gonna have to really work hard for any hope of a victory against me!"
"Aren't you forgetting who my mom is? I learned quite a few things from watching her compete, you know." Adam answered back.
Leon ignored him and shouted, "Gogoat, use Seed Bomb!" Gogoat bleated enthusiastically before opening its mouth and spitting out a volley of energy-encased seeds at Swampert.
"Deflect them with Mud Shot!" Adam yelled. Swampert bellowed and spewed a stream of mud from his mouth, just barely managing to impede the Bullet Seed enough to cause the attack to fall harmlessly into the water.
"Not bad. Gogoat, use Aerial Ace!" Swampert bellowed in surprise as Gogoat zoomed across the water and rammed its horned head into Swampert's chest.
"Hurry, Swampert! Blast Gogoat back with Hydro Pump!" In a flash, Swampert opened his mouth and shot out a massive burst of water to send flying Gogoat back.
Leon still didn't seem worried as Gogoat landed gracefully on its feet, back on its pool pad.
"Use Bulk Up, Gogoat!" Gogoat bleated as it crouched down menacingly while starting to glow with red energy, raising its attack and defence. "Now use Double Edge!"
Adam's eyes widened in horror and shouted, "Swampert, keep it away with-" But it was too late. Swampert hissed in shock and pain as Gogoat rammed into him with Double Edge.
"Ooh!" Sofia yelled, slightly wincing from the sight. "That's gotta hurt!"
"Hurry, Gogoat!" Leon yelled. "Let him have it with Bullet Seed before he recovers!" Gogoat opened its jaws and fired off Bullet Seed, now guaranteed to hit Swampert at the close range that they were both positioned at. Swampert bellowed in pain as he was bombarded with Bullet Seed and sent sliding back towards Adam, only barely able to stop himself before he could crash into his trainer, now looking visibly weakened.
"Things are not looking good for Adam Ketchum, everyone." Sofia stated.
With Adam having really taken a hit to his points, plus only three minutes left on the timer, it was looking like a miracle would be required for Adam to turn things around.
"Well, let's not delay the inevitable. Put Swampert out of his misery with Aerial Ace."
"Swampert, block it with Mud Shot!"
Swampert opened his jaws as Gogoat became encased in white light and began zooming forward with Aerial Ace, readying itself to fire out a Mud Shot...only for an orb of white light to form inside his mouth instead, which fired off vaguely lightning-like beams of the same light! Gogoat had just enough time to bleat in surprise, moving too fast to stop before the beams struck, sending it flying backwards and back upon its pool pad. And while it managed to get back to its feet, it was visibly shivering.
"Look at that, everyone!" Sofia yelled in excitement. "Looks like Adam's Swampert just managed to learn Ice Beam!"
Leon nodded his head, saying, "Apparently so. But don't get too comfortable! Don't worry, Gogoat. You can do this. Use Seed Bomb!"
"Deflect it with Hydro Pump!" Adam yelled.
Swampert just barely managed to throw off the seeds' momentum before they could hit.
"Aerial Ace! Now!"
"Use Mud Shot! That should give you some breathing room!"
Swampert did as commanded, just barely managing to knock Gogoat back in mid-charge.
Leon narrowed his yellow eyes, as if starting to get mildly annoyed, then said, "Gogoat, use Bulk Up."
"Don't waste this opportunity, Swampert!" Adam yelled. "Hit it with Ice Beam!"
Once again, Swampert was quick to obey, firing off Ice Beam from his jaws. The still-glowing-red Gogoat had just enough time to bleat in surprise before getting hit by the Ice Beam and subsequently becoming encased in ice.
Adam pointed his finger at the frozen Gogoat, shouting, "Alright, Swampert! Let's finish this with Water Pulse!" Swampert began forming a large ball of water in his jaws before launching it through the air, slamming into Gogoat with a viciously strong impact, shattering its prison of ice. Gogoat was revealed to be unconscious upon the pool pad, and with only a minute to spare on the timer.
"Gogoat is unable to battle." said Sofia. "Adam wins! What a comeback!"
As the crowd cheered, both boys returned their Pokemon and departed from the stage, but not without Adam privately reflecting on just how lucky he'd been to win the battle.
If Swampert hadn't learned Ice Beam at that moment, I definitely would've lost. I got lucky this time, but my next battle might not end so well. Megan will be my next opponent and I know more than anybody that she'll be ready, given that we've trained together so much on our long journey. Will I really be able to win? Adam thought, starting to doubt himself.
... ...
"To my left, we have Michelle. To my right, we have Amber! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Togetic, curtain!"
"Psyduck, spotlight!"
In a flash, both Pokemon were unleashed from their balls, vocalizing appropriately upon materializing.
"Best pay close attention, ladies and gentlemen!" Sofia announced. "Considering that this appears to be a battle between good friends, this could get intense!"
Michelle smirked and said, "Don't forget, Amber. Just because I'm only in this for the fun and not for the ribbon doesn't mean that I'm gonna let you win easily."
Amber chuckled and replied, "Michelle, we've been friends for a long time, so I know better than to think that you'd take it easy on me, regardless of your reasons for competing. You always put your all into your performances, and I always do the same."
"I know that you do, Amber. That's what makes you a great rival...and a great friend."
"Then let's give these people a show to remember!"
"Yeah! Let's do it!"
"Psyduck, use Zen Headbutt!" Psyduck quacked as the three hairs on the top of his head began glowing with a solid bright blue light that spread to encase the entire topmost portion of his head. Seconds later, Psyduck jumped into the air, his glowing head already rearing backwards in preparation for slamming it down against Togetic. Unfortunately, at his current midair position, Psyduck would have a somewhat higher difficulty in defending himself. And that was something that Michelle was very aware of.
"Togetic, use Fairy Wind!" Togetic started to rapidly spin around, sending strong gusts of sparkling wind blowing towards Psyduck, who quacked in surprise as he got caught in the wind gusts and was sent flying through the air, back towards Amber.
"Don't worry, Psyduck." Amber stated. "We can still salvage this."
"Well, let's put that claim to the test." said Michelle as she clasped her hands together. "Togetic, use Sweet Kiss!" Togetic spat out a trio of pink heart-shaped energy projectiles at once.
"Psyduck, use Confusion on the Sweet Kiss!" Psyduck concentrated as hard as he could, managing by sheer luck to successfully catch the three heart-shaped projectiles in the purple light of Confusion, just seconds away from them hitting him. He then sent all three of the heart-shaped projectiles rocketing up into the sky before releasing his Confusion's hold upon them in time for them to explode into dazzling pink sparkles as if they were fireworks.
"Wow!" Sofia yelled in excitement. "What a showstopper!"
Michelle nodded her head, visibly impressed.
"Not bad." she admitted. "But you haven't won yet! Togetic, use Magical Leaf!" Togetic glowed green and caused a large collection of glowing green leaves to materialize from out of thin air around her before then sending them all flying at Psyduck.
"Don't let that hit you, Psyduck!" Amber yelled. "Create a shield with Water Gun!" Psyduck was quick to obey, spinning around in circles while spewing a jet of water from his beak and successfully knocking the leaves away before they could strike.
"Good job, Psyduck! Now get yourself some extra breathing room with Disable!" Psyduck sent rings of blue energy from his body that crashed into Togetic, who yelped in surprise as she found herself suddenly unable to remember how to use Magical Leaf.
"Smart move." Michelle stated, clearly aware of the wisdom behind Amber having Psyduck deprive Togetic of her ability to use a move with a clear type advantage against Water Pokemon.
"Got that right." Amber said. "Now hurry, Psyduck! Use Zen Headbutt!" Psyduck did as ordered, hitting Togetic hard with his glowing head while Michelle was still trying to figure out how best to proceed without Magical Leaf.
"Come on, come on!" Michelle hissed to herself, gritting her teeth at the sight of Togetic helpless to defend herself. "Think, darn it! Think!"
"Don't stop there, Psyduck." Amber stated. "Use Confusion and give Togetic a good slam!" Psyduck encased Togetic in the purple light of Confusion and lifted her up high into the air, then slammed her back down hard upon her pool pad with enough force to cause a geyser of water to erupt around her from underneath!
But when the makeshift geyser finally shut off, Togetic proceeded to shake herself dry, now looking more than a little peeved. And quite fittingly, in that moment, Michelle finally seemed to come to a decision on how to proceed.
"Alright, that's enough!" she declared, pointing at Psyduck. "Togetic, use Dazzling Gleam!" Togetic started to shine with a rainbow-colored aura.
"Psyduck, dodge!" Amber cried. But the command to dodge came too late as Togetic fired off a massive beam of rainbow light from her body, straight at Psyduck, who was engulfed by the blast.
Sofia and the audience held their breath, waiting for the Dazzling Gleam to end, so that they could get a good view of the end result. And when the rainbow light finally faded away, a very weakened Psyduck was seen, managing to just barely struggle to his feet.
Michelle raised her eyebrow in amusement, saying, "Well, your Psyduck certainly isn't the type to give up easily."
Amber let out a slight chuckle and said, "NONE of my Pokemon ever give up easily."
"Togetic, fire off another Dazzling Gleam!" Togetic started glowing with rainbow light to charge up another Dazzling Gleam when...
"PSY!" Psyduck suddenly yelled, an almost angry look of determination forming on his face as he unexpectedly started to glow with white light, which soon completely encased him as he started growing in size and changing shape. The white light eventually faded away to reveal that he'd evolved into a Golduck!
"Well this ought to be interesting." Michelle said, clearly impressed. "But don't let this development stop you, Togetic. Fire when ready!" Togetic shook her head to clear her thoughts and then fired off the Dazzling Gleam.
"Dodge!" Amber yelled. Golduck dove into the pool just in time to avoid getting hit.
"Keep your eyes on him, Togetic!" Michelle screamed.
"Oh, that won't be too hard." Amber said, having noticed something that Michelle had missed.
"Golduck, use Zen Headbutt!" In a flash, Golduck burst up from the water, inches in front of Togetic's position, smashing his glowing head into Togetic's face.
"Good job, Golduck! Now give yourself some breathing room with Water Gun!" Togetic was hit in the face with Water Gun, which in turn sent Golduck flying back to his pool pad as a result of the force in which the water was splashing against Togetic.
"Try to beat that!" Amber challenged Michelle.
"Challenge accepted." Michelle stated. "You heard her, Togetic. See if you can sweep Golduck off his feet with Fairy Wind!"
"Golduck, use Confusion on the water! Give Togetic a bath!" Golduck growled as his eyes glowed purple and he raised his glowing purple fins just in time to cause the water in front of him to rise in the form of a truly spectacularly-sized wall of water.
The sight of this caused Togetic to halt her preparation of Fairy Wind as she and Michelle, plus the audience, judges, and Sofia, all gasped in equal parts shock, awe, and mild nerves at the sight of the massive watery wall that Golduck had now conjured up with Confusion.
"GOL!" Golduck quacked, causing the watery wall to take the form of a large wave that went plowing into Togetic and Michelle, with the former even ending up getting sent crashing into the latter as a result!
"Whoa!" Sofia yelled. "Talk about a wipeout!"
When the wave finally receded, Togetic and Michelle were both revealed to be coughing and wheezing before Togetic finally managed to get off of her trainer and fly back over towards where her pool pad had miraculously managed to get dragged back into position while the water receded. Michelle, now looking equal parts miffed and impressed, got back to her feet.
"I'll admit, I'm impressed." she said as she hurried back to her original position as swiftly as she could safely manage. "But if you think that's gonna make me give up, then-"
"Time's up!" Sofia announced.
Eyes widening in surprise, Amber and Michelle looked to the scoreboard, with Golduck and Togetic doing the same. And in that moment, clear as day...
"The winner is Amber!"
The crowd went wild at this announcement. Even Michelle couldn't help but let a respectful smile come onto her face as she nodded her head before returning Togetic to her Pokeball. Michelle then walked around the pool and came to a stop not too far from where Amber was standing, after having just finished returning Golduck.
"Well done, Amber." Michelle stated warmly. "It's been a pleasure battling you again, after such a long time. Best of luck to you in the semifinals."
Amber smiled warmly at her friend and said, "Thanks, Michelle. You're a true friend."
The girls then shared a warm, friendly hug. The entire audience 'awed' at the sight of this.
"Now this is true friendship, everyone." Sofia commented. "And quite the shining example of respect and good sportsmanship, too."
... ...
Five minutes later, Skye and Yolanda had taken their positions on the stage.
Yolanda nodded her head, her red eyes agleam with excitement as she brushed a hand through her snowy white hair.
"You'd better not be hoping that I'll be going easy on you just because you're Wallace's daughter." she purred. "Because right now, my boyfriend Leon is in extra need of getting treated to a good show after losing to your friend."
Skye nodded her head, not at all intimidated. "Nice to know." she said.
"To my left, we have Yolanda." said Sofia. "And to my right, we have Skye. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Glalie, spotlight!"
"Showtime, Breloom!"
"Skye certainly looks like she's got her work cut out for her, especially with her current type disadvantage." Sofia said.
"Glalie, use Frost Breath!" Glalie opened its mouth before spewing out a large gust of wind with icy sparkles.
"Dodge that!" Skye yelled. "Then use Seed Bomb!" Breloom jumped out of the way, allowing the Frost Breath to harmlessly pass by, before hopping back into its original position just in time to spit out a Seed Bomb that successfully hit Glalie. Unfortunately, due to being an Ice Pokemon, and resistant to Grass attacks, Glalie was only briefly pushed back a couple of inches and looked only mildly annoyed at getting hit.
Yolanda also looked mildly annoyed, and also slightly amused. "Come on," she said, "Surely you can do better than that."
"Oh, you bet I can!" Skye yelled. "Trust me, that Seed Bomb was just to lower your guard! Breloom, use Dynamic Punch!" Breloom jumped into the air at astonishing speed and came to a landing upon Glalie's pool pad just in time to slam its glowing hand into Glalie's face.
"Oof! That had to hurt!" Sofia yelled.
"Breloom's not just a Grass Pokemon, you know. It also knows Fighting attacks." Skye reminded her opponent.
"But what's this? Breloom's in awfully close range. Glalie, use Frost Breath!"
Skye's eyes widened. "Breloom, get back!"
But it was too late, and Breloom shrieked in surprise and pain as it got sent flying back from getting hit point blank by Freeze Breath.
"Don't worry, Breloom." Skye said. "We can salvage this!"
"Oh really? Let's test that. "Glalie, zoom on over with a Crunch!" Glalie chuckled before zooming over towards Breloom with its jaws at the ready.
"Dodge that!" Breloom jumped into the air just in time for Glalie to harmlessly speed by underneath before doubling back and repositioning itself, so that it would be face-to-face with Breloom when Breloom landed.
Skye raised her eyebrow in confusion upon seeing this detail, asking, "Why do you have your Glalie so close to my Breloom?"
"The bigger question is," Yolanda said with an amused grin, "Why didn't you have Breloom knock Glalie away with Dynamic Punch when you had the chance? Now's your chance, Glalie! Use Freeze-Dry!"
Skye's eyes widened in horror as she screamed, "No!"
But it was too late, and Breloom could only screech in surprise as the beam of icy blue air that Glalie spewed from its mouth struck and encased it in ice, freezing it solid.
"Oh dear!" Sofia exclaimed. "Things are not looking good for Skye right now!"
"Good job, Glalie. Now float back over here and let 'em have it with Avalanche!" Glalie floated back to above its pool pad before encasing its body in blue light and summoning a dark black cloud into view from directly above the frozen Breloom. The dark cloud then unleashed a rain of large chunks of ice that came crashing down upon Breloom.
Skye gritted her teeth, well aware of just how easily she could lose this match if she wasn't careful.
"Don't give up yet, Breloom! Use Bulk Up!" Breloom posed as required for Bulk Up and started glowing with a red aura as it increased its physical power.
"Not bad, but you're gonna have to be quick if that's to be of any real use." Yolanda said, then pointed at Breloom. "You've got Breloom on the ropes, Glalie! Let's put it out of its misery with Crunch!"
But in that moment, Skye was very quick to react, shouting, "Now, Breloom! Use Mach Punch!"
"Get back, Glalie! Now!" Yolanda screamed in fright.
But it was too late, and Glalie was moving too fast to stop before it was hit right in the face by Breloom's Mach Punch. And after a brief few seconds that felt like an eternity, the full force of the Mach Punch's impact registered against Glalie's face, and it went flying back towards Yolanda before landing upon its pool pad, causing a loud splash to erupt upon impact. Yolanda reflexively reared back and raised her arms defensively as some of the water from the splash blew back upon her. When the water cleared away, Yolanda and Skye both looked towards the area in time to see Glalie completely out cold.
"And look at that, everyone!" Sofia yelled excitedly. "In a truly grand turnaround, Skye wins!"
Skye gasped in visible relief while Yolanda nodded. She then looked to Skye and nodded her head in grudging respect.
"Well, I suppose you at least obeyed my request to let me put on a good show before you beat me."
Skye chuckled nervously and replied, "I'm sure that Leon will appreciate the show that you put on."
"That will be all for today, folks. Don't forget to come here tomorrow for the semifinals and the finals!" Sofia declared.
... ...
After Adam and the girls had changed back into their regular clothes, headed outside the contest hall to meet up with their families and friends. Ash was especially proud of how well Adam had done.
"You really did good today, Adam." Ash said with a proud smile on his face. "You've already made it further in this tournament than I ever did in any of the contests that I took part in when I was your age."
"You're certainly not wrong, Dad." Adam admitted, remembering how both his dad and his mom had told him about his dad only ever managing to make it to the quarterfinals of a contest's battle round at best, whereas he himself had made it to the semifinals of his very first contest.
"Well, regardless of how you fare tomorrow, you're very lucky to have made it this far, and I'm proud of you Adam. And I know for a fact that your mom is, too."
Brittany nodded her head in agreement and spoke up. "Just think, Uncle Ash... If you'd won in the quarterfinals of the Wallace Cup on your Sinnoh journey, you would've had to face Aunt Dawn in the semifinals. How do you think you would have fared against her if that had happened?"
"I probably would've lost to her. I mean, she's a much better coordinator than I could ever hope to be, especially since I'm a trainer first and foremost, where she's primarily trained herself to be a coordinator."
Meanwhile, the girls were talking with their families as well. Michelle in particular was having a talk not too far away from Adam.
"Sorry that you lost, Michelle." Ross said.
Misty added, "But look at the bright side. You really did great, making it as far as you did. And you certainly gave Amber a run for her money."
"I'm just glad that you all got to see me compete and that I put on such an enjoyable show for you all, especially Ross and Robyn, since they've never watched me compete in person." Michelle said.
"I'm still bummed that you lost, Sis." Robyn said, visibly sad. "I mean, I know that you weren't in it to try to reach the Grand Festival, but you should have at least gotten some reward just for taking part anyway."
"I'll admit, it would have been pretty nice to get a ribbon or some sort of reward for taking part. But let's be real, the Wallace Cup would have probably been wasted if it was given to me, since there aren't even enough contests left this year for me to qualify for the Grand Festival. So at least the ribbon can now go to someone who will actually need it." Michelle explained.
"I suppose that's true." Robyn admitted. She then nodded her head, already starting to look happier. "And with how good of a job you did, even while not actively trying to reach the Grand Festival, you'll definitely become a Top Coordinator someday!"
Michelle smiled from Robyn's words and patted her adoptive little sister on the head. Michelle then remembered something.
"Hey, Mom? Can talk with Adam for a minute? There's something I just realized that I think he'd like to know."
Misty nodded and said, "Shouldn't be a problem. Just don't take too long. Ross has plans for us to do something together this evening and we don't want to be late."
"Don't worry. I shouldn't be long."
Michelle then walked over and said, "Hey, Adam?"
Adam turned his head, with Ash and Brittany doing the same.
"Yeah?" Adam asked.
"Got a minute or two? There's something that I recently thought about that you might want to know."
"Is this something private?" Adam asked.
"No, this can be said in front of your dad and cousin."
"Okay. What did you want to tell me?"
"Remember that talk I had with your mom at the end of the Grand Festival last year?"
Adam nodded, remembering perfectly well the talk in question, or at least what his mom and Michelle had told him about it.
"That's good." said Michelle. "I trust that means you remember what your mom asked me during that talk?"
"Yes." Adam responded. "She asked why you wanted to become a Top Coordinator at all. You said that it was because of her. You admired her and her achievements and loved the way that she made her Pokemon look and perform with their attacks."
"Yes, but then she asked me what my reason is now. She asked me if I had learned anything on my two journeys with you and Jason that gave me a new reason. A new purpose for achieving my goal. She also said that there was only one correct answer and the answer does not come down to personal opinion. Every coordinator has to find the answer for themselves, and until I do, she said that I'll never achieve my dream of becoming a Top Coordinator.
"Well, I didn't have an answer then. But now that I've competed in the Wallace Cup, I think I finally know what that reason is. The true reason for why I want to become a Top Coordinator. And I hope that I'll get to see your mom again someday, so that I can tell her in person."
"Well, I'm happy that you've found your answer." Adam said, smiling. "May I ask what it is?"
"Not yet. Your mom asked me specifically, so she should be the first to hear it. Plus, she's my idol and inspiration for becoming a coordinator in the first place. So really, it would only be fair that she be the first to know."
Adam thought to himself, and then nodded, an accepting smile on his face.
That night, Michelle was having fun with her family. Despite having lost in the quarterfinals, her family had been more than happy to pull out all the stops to celebrate her managing to make it as far as she had in the Wallace Cup.
They'd first gone out to eat dinner at the best restaurant in the city that they could afford to eat at, with even Michelle herself being mildly surprised at their ability to afford eating there. And once they'd finished, they'd gone to the city's waterfront, conveniently not too far away, where they were now currently still in the midst of a starry night walk as they enjoyed the cool night air blowing in from the ocean. All in all, they all were feeling very happy indeed. But what neither Misty nor the two young girls realized was how there would soon be reason to be even happier still!
Misty took note of how she, Ross, and the girls were nearby an especially beautiful and scenic area of the waterfront, and she smiled warmly.
"It really is beautiful here." Misty said. "In some ways, it kinda reminds me of Altomare. Don't you think so, Ross?"
"I can definitely see what you mean." he agreed, looking towards the ocean and the starry sky on the horizon ahead, a warm smile on his face. "Definitely a nice way to remind myself of my old home, and especially of where you and I first met."
Robyn and Michelle looked at each other, both silently wondering if they should move away a little to give the two adults some privacy. But what Ross would say next would ultimately convince them to stay, even if out of intrigue.
"And for that, I'm thankful." Ross said softly. "Because there's another reason why I wanted you and the girls out tonight besides congratulating Michelle." He turned to face a very curious-looking Misty. "More specifically, I've got a surprise for you. And with how much this area of the waterfront reminds you and I of where we first met, this seemed like the most appropriate spot to unveil it."
Misty raised her eyebrow in intrigue. She then directed a brief glance towards Michelle and Robyn, and then looked back at Ross.
"Is this something that can be revealed in front of the kids?" Misty asked.
"Yes. In fact, I want the girls to hear this, too."
And in that moment, with a final deep breath, as if steeling himself for a 'now or never' moment, Ross reached into his pocket and got down on one knee while drawing out a small black box. The sight of this caused Misty, Michelle, and Robyn's eyes to widen in surprise and joy, for they were all well aware of what this box likely meant. And sure enough, when Ross opened the box, there was a golden ring with a shiny blue diamond upon it.
"Misty," Ross said, now fully committing to his current plan, "When I first met you, there was something about you that I couldn't quite put my finger on that intrigued me. But I really found myself respecting you after you and your Corsola managed to beat me and my Wailmer in the Tour de Altomare that year. Granted, when you left the city with your friends after all of the craziness that unfolded in the days that followed, I didn't think that it would go beyond that. But I just kept thinking about you over and over again, over all of the years that have followed. We tried a long distance relationship once, but weren't able to make it work. We were just too stubborn and unwilling to move away from our respective homes and cities. But still, there were some times when I honestly wasn't sure why I couldn't stop thinking about you, and even some of my friends thought that it was strange of how big of a deal I was making, and that I should just move on. But I'm forever grateful that I didn't.
"When I reunited with you in Altomare last year, I took it as a sign that maybe all was not lost for us, and that this was a second chance for you and I to make things work. And I was not about to repeat the mistake I made of losing you again. Over the entire past year that we've had together, I've never been more glad that I didn't forget you or move on with anyone else. I love you, and being with you has never made me happier. And as happy as I've been, living alongside you, Michelle, and Robyn in our current arrangement, I think we've all waited long enough to move on to the next step in our current arrangement."
Nodding his head, he looked directly into Misty's eyes with a determined, hopeful, and mildly nervous look on his face and asked, "Misty Waterflower...will you marry me?"
A gleefully smiling Robyn and Michelle looked to Misty, both of them feeling very eager to see how their mom reacted. And in that moment, for what felt like an eternity, Misty stayed where she was, smiling at Ross with visible tears of joy starting to form in her eyes. But then, at long last, she clasped her hands together, nodded her head, and gave her answer.
"Yes."
"You...you mean it?"
"Yes!" Misty yelled. "Yes, yes, yes, YES!"
Ross stood up in relief as Misty threw her arms around him in a tight embrace, both of them laughing joyfully as Ross wrapped his arms around Misty's waist, lifted her up, and spun her around in a single circle before placing her back down on her feet and allowing the embrace to end so that he could slide the ring on her finger.
As this happened, Robyn and Michelle couldn't help but smile, with Robyn gleefully grinning in joyful excitement as she raised her fists and cheered at the sight of her two unofficial adoptive parents placing themselves well on the way to officially becoming her adoptive parents, and Michelle nodding her head with a more subdued, yet still very warm smile on her face as well as a bonfire of joy deep inside her as she thought of just how lucky her mother was to have reached this step with Ross, and how much she well and truly deserved happiness with a good man who truly loved her, after everything she'd gone through in her time with Paul.
"I'm well aware of how my birth father turned out to be." Michelle said, hugging Ross. "So it will truly be an honor to call you my dad."
"You're gonna be the best dad ever!" Robyn added, hugging him as well.
Misty chuckled at the sight of the girls hugging Ross, small tears of joy once again sliding down her face at how accepting Michelle and Robyn were of her and Ross's engagement. She promptly added her own embrace to the mix, with Ross chuckling as he wrapped his arms around his new fiancé and both of his soon-to-be official daughters, feeling very joyful indeed at how everything turned out.
Misty, Michelle, Robyn, and Ross were all truly blessed to soon become an official family.
Author's Note: The quarterfinals of the Wallace Cup tournament are over. The semifinals will feature Adam vs Megan and Amber vs Skye.
And after thinking about Dawn's question for the past year, Michelle may finally have an answer for her about why she wants to be a Top Coordinator.
But best of all, Michelle and Robyn will officially have a new dad soon, with Ross getting married to Misty!
Who will emerge triumphant in the Wallace Cup? What answer does Michelle have for Dawn? And will they ever meet again so that she can tell her?
Find out as the Wallace Cup concludes and a winner is crowned in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!