Megan's POV
I didn't know if I'd ever felt as equally nervous and excited as I did now, standing in the lobby of the contest hall, alongside my friends and everyone else who'd come to watch us perform in the Wallace Cup. But regardless, I already had a feeling that today would be quite the memorable day for me, regardless of how things unfolded. One way or another, it would all end today, with a new winner crowned.
"You'd better put up a good fight today, Adam." said Michelle, a determined smirk on her face. "You may not be planning on being the winner of the Wallace Cup, but that doesn't mean that you have the right to purposely put in your worst effort against whoever you go up against today!"
Adam chuckled and nodded his head, saying, "Don't you worry, Michelle. I haven't forgotten. No matter what the challenge is, be it contest, gym battle, or otherwise, I'll always give it my all."
"I certainly hope so." said Skye. "I certainly know that I'll be giving it my all, too."
"As will I." Amber agreed. "And I trust that the same can be said about you, Megan?"
"You can bet on Arceus's horns, I will." I responded.
"Well, that's good to hear," said Nikki with a smile.
"And on that note, you guys should probably head backstage to get ready." Michelle said.
"You sure that they don't have time for a quick announcement first?" Misty asked her daughter.
"Is there something that you want to tell us, Misty?" Ash asked as we all turned to look at her.
Misty looked to Ross, who nodded his head with a smile, with Robyn and Michelle also starting to look quite noticeably happy. Clearly, they were all well aware of what their mom wished to announce. And with a nod of her head, Misty turned her head to directly face all of us before casually lifting her left hand and turning it around so that we could get a clear look at what turned out to be a diamond ring on her finger. And at the sight of everyone's eyes widening, she nodded her head with a warm smile, confirming what we all realized.
"Ross proposed to me last night." she said, linking her left arm with Ross's right arm, nodding her head with warm smile still on her face. "And as you can see, I said yes!"
This announcement from Misty immediately brightened up the atmosphere as Ash and Adam rushed walked over to congratulate Misty and Michelle.
"Congratulations, Misty." Ash said, a proud smile on his face as he gave her a warm, friendly hug. "I was hoping that you and Ross would reach that step sooner or later."
"This is amazing news to hear, Michelle!" Adam said as he gave her a big hug in congratulations. "I can already tell you'll be very happy having Ross as your new dad."
"You can say that again, Adam." she said, hugging him back.
Jason, Nikki, me, and the rest of the girls then hurried over to join Adam in congratulating Michelle.
"You're so lucky, Michelle!" Amber said joyfully with her hands clasped together. "You're getting a new dad!"
"I mean, he was already acting like a dad, but now it can be official!" Skye exclaimed.
"You said it, Skye." said Jason. "I can already tell that Ross will be a much better dad for you than your birth father ever was!"
"Rather strong choice of words." said Nikki. "But I can't say that I disagree. And believe me, I'm just as certain that Ross will be an excellent dad for you and Robyn."
"Both of you deserve a wonderful dad, after how Robyn lost her old dad and how your biological father turned out to be complete garbage." I said.
I then looked awkwardly at Misty, adding, "Uh, no offense."
Misty chuckled and replied, "None taken, Megan. I mean, once Paul finally revealed his true colors to me, 'garbage' is certainly one of the kinder words that one could refer to him by."
Ross chuckled at this. "I suppose I'll have to take your word for it," he admitted.
"Believe me, he's a real piece of work, Dad. And that's putting it lightly." Michelle said, apparently already quite comfortable with calling him "dad", now that he was set to officially marry her mom.
At this, we all couldn't help but chuckle. Then we looked at the clock.
"And on that note, we should probably be going." said Amber.
"Agreed." said Adam.
"Have fun today, everyone." Ash said.
"Here's wishing you all the best." said Antonio.
"We won't let you down." I said.
And with that, we all split off to either take seats in the audience or enter the backstage area to prepare for today's performances.
Ten minutes later, with only another ten minutes left before the semifinals began, Adam, Amber, Skye, and I were all dressed up and ready to go. But even as the four of us exited the dressing rooms, another surprise turned out to be present in the backstage area waiting for us. More specifically, none other than Wallace himself.
"Dad..." Skye said, her eyes understandably widened with shock at the sight of her father standing there. "What are you doing here?"
Adam, Amber, and I were also shocked to see Wallace, but we all chose to remain quiet for the time being. After all, it was entirely likely that what was about to happen was something best kept between father and daughter.
"Well, to start," he said, a loving smile on his face, "I'd like to give you my most sincere congratulations for making it so far in this tournament, not to mention for having proven to be such a talented coordinator, despite your current age and what I've been informed was a rather rough start to your journey. And before you ask, no, I am not only saying all of this because I'm your dad." He then clasped his hands together. "And with that in mind, I'm wishing you the best of luck in the remainder of the tournament today. But regardless of whether you win, just remember that I truly am proud of you."
Skye let a warm smile come onto her face, slight signs of tears starting to form in her eyes as she replied, "Thank you, Dad."
She was clearly touched at hearing this kind of praise from her dad, but also surprised to be hearing it, after how much of her childhood had involved him paying minimal attention to her, compared to her two older siblings.
"You are most welcome." Wallace said, then let a more serious look come onto his face. "And on that note, there's one more thing that I should discuss with you before the semifinals begin. Your mother told me about the talk that she had with you in Fortree City."
Skye gulped, seemingly becoming nervous as to what her father was going to say. But then Wallace placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"And...I owe you an apology of my own." he continued, a look of regret now on his face. "As your mother no doubt reminded you during your talk, you were an unplanned third child that we had, unlike your two siblings. From a certain point of view, one could say that you were a miracle in that sense, and we should have appropriately treated you as such. But instead, it appears our difficulty in fully figuring out what to think came across as your mother, siblings, and myself viewing you as a 'mistake' that served as dead weight upon the family. And while a less-caring parent would almost certainly blame you for not voicing your grievances sooner and for seemingly giving off the impression that you just naturally preferred keeping to yourself, the truth is that your mother and I shouldn't have had to have the truth of the matter spelled out to us by you, and should have instead made proper effort to talk with you about it sooner. And for all that, I truly am sorry, Skye."
Amber, Adam, and I turned our heads towards Skye, silently wondering how she'd react. On the one hand, an apology like this was probably something that she'd been hoping for, especially after how she'd already patched things up with her mom at this point. But on the other hand, there was always the possibility of her not being quick to forgive her dad after just how long she'd been ignored by him.
But then Skye nodded her head with a warm, teary-eyed smile on her face as she stepped forward and gave her dad a big hug.
"Thanks, Dad." she stated. "I'll make you proud today."
Wallace smiled and returned Skye's hug, saying, "You already have, Skye. You already have. And I already have a good feeling that you'll have a real crowd-pleasing performance in store for us today."
Then the hug ended and Wallace looked at the clock.
"And on that note, I'd best hurry over and join the other judges. The semifinals will be starting soon. Do your best out there, everyone. And best of luck to you all!"
Once Wallace was gone, we all looked to Skye, who still had a slightly teary-eyed smile on her face.
"You okay, Skye?" I asked.
"I definitely feel a lot better." she admitted. "I mean, now that I've finally talked with him and gotten things patched up with him, just like with mom, I think that I can now fully focus on my performance. After all, I may not necessarily look it right now, but my mind's already starting to feel so much more at ease."
At that moment, the nearby television monitor turned on as Sofia's voice spoke out through the speakers.
"Alright, everyone! I hope you're all ready for another spellbinding round of performances today, because the semifinals will soon begin, starting with Adam Ketchum and Megan Hayden!"
Hearing this, Adam and I departed into the corridor leading out to the stage.
For several minutes, we walked down the corridor. Naturally, I was feeling both excited and nervous. After all, I'd made it all the way to the semifinals. But at the same time, Adam was a pretty skilled battler, which made it entirely possible that I could lose. And that was before taking into account that I was also... I gulped, a slight blush forming on my face at the memory of my current standing with Adam.
Now might be a good time to tell him. I thought to myself. And the more I thought about it, the more this current moment seemed like the most ideal time to tell Adam about how I felt about him, especially with Amber not around and having seemingly not quite made her move yet.
I came to a stop, now feeling more determined than ever. Adam walked a few steps ahead before finally noticing that I'd stopped. He turned his head in confusion.
"Uh, Megan? Why did you stop?"
I took a deep breath and asked, "Do you mind if I tell you something, Adam?"
"Is it something really important? We need to get out there."
"It won't take very long, I promise." I said, taking another deep breath and closing my eyes, steeling myself for what I was about to say. "And believe me, it's something that I really feel that you need to know, especially considering just how long I've been holding this information in."
I opened my eyes, declaring, "Adam, I..."
But before I could say it, Adam placed a finger against my lips! I squeaked in surprise, eyes widened in both confusion and mild annoyance as I was effectively silenced, and right as I was feeling the absolute bravest that I could ever hope to feel in order to tell him what I'd been about to say!
"I'm sure what you were about to say is important." he said. "But I'm also currently getting the feeling that it's something that will be incredibly emotional in nature. And right now, I think that you should really be focusing on the contest, and not letting your current emotions cloud your mind and interfere with your chances of winning. And even though I'm not even planning on going to the Grand Festival, I still don't plan to make it easy for any of my opponents to beat me. And believe me, I'm going to be giving it my all against you, knowing firsthand just how talented a coordinator you are, and I want you to do the same against me, with no distractions.
Adam then removed his finger from my lips and added, "And don't take this the wrong way, but whatever it is that you want to tell me, I'll be ready to hear it after the tournament is over. I promise."
I thought to myself for a few seconds, carefully considering what Adam had just said...and then I nodded in understanding. He was right, I had to focus on the more immediate priority.
"You're right, Adam. In fact, you always know the right words to say to me, whenever I need to hear them." I said with a warm smile on my face.
Adam then gave me a warm hug, which I returned. We then wished each other luck and continued down the hallway to the stage.
"GOOD MORNING, HOENN!" Sofia yelled excitedly. "I hope you're all ready to start the day with another fantastic show, because now it's time for the semifinals to begin!"
As the crowd applauded in excitement, Sofia gestured to the respective sides of the battlefield where Adam and I were standing.
"To my left is Megan, and to my right is Adam. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Swablu, spotlight!" I yelled as I summoned my Pokemon, with Swablu squawking in delight as she was released.
"Showtime, Feraligatr!" Adam yelled as he summoned his own Pokemon, with Feraligatr letting out a roar upon fully materializing.
"Alright, Swablu! Time to get the show on the road! Use Dragon Breath!" I yelled.
"You've got this, Feraligatr! Deflect it with Hydro Pump!" Adam shouted.
Feraligatr roared and spewed out the Hydro Pump from his jaws, with the massive jet of water and equally large beam of Dragon energy crashing against each other above the center of the pool. Both moves began pushing against each other back and forth in a duel for dominance.
"Come on, come on." I whispered, teeth gritted as I watched Swablu to see if there would be any signs of her Dragon Breath gaining sufficient ground against Feraligatr's Hydro Pump. But ultimately, the stronger and more experienced Feraligatr soon started gaining more ground with his Hydro Pump.
"Dodge!" Swablu stopped her attack and flew off in time to avoid getting hit by the Hydro Pump, but I'd still lost points. Clearly, I'd need to rework my strategy a little.
"We can still salvage this, Swablu! Use Mist!" Swablu used Mist as ordered, spewing a sizable amount of mist from her beak that completely engulfed the battlefield.
"Stay calm, Feraligatr. Be ready for anything. Swablu will probably try to attack while your vision's obscured."
"You know me too well, Adam. Swablu, Fury Attack!" Swablu chirped, her beak glowing with white light before she went soaring towards Feraligatr. The sound of Feraligatr's pained roars was enough to make me feel very relieved that my current strategy was working. Unfortunately, Swablu only managed to strike Feraligatr with Fury Attack three times out of a maximum of five before Adam managed to turn things around in his favor.
"Ice Fang! Now!" The subsequent sound of Swablu's pained shrieking coincided with the Mist finally dissipating revealed Feraligatr holding Swablu in his visibly glowing icy teeth.
I winced. This really wasn't looking good for me!
"Don't give up, Swablu! Use Dragon Breath to get out!" Swablu warbled in pain, but did as commanded, startling Feraligatr enough to make him let her go. She then flew back to me.
"Good job, Swablu. Now hurry and use Disarming Voice!"
"Dodge!"
Snarling, Feraligatr was quick to obey Adam's command, diving into the water just in time to avoid getting hit by the Disarming Voice as the attack crashed down upon the pool pad where he'd been standing.
"Keep your eyes open, Swablu." I said, not about to give up just yet. "And be ready to use Dragon Breath as soon as he surfaces!"
"There's a problem with that strategy." Adam stated. "Now I know exactly what to have Feraligatr do instead. Use Aqua Tail and strike from underneath the pool pad!"
"Dodge that!" I screamed, my eyes widening in horror.
But it was too late, and the subsequent use of Aqua Tail by Feraligatr from underneath the pool pad caused Swablu to be sent rocketing up into the air as a result of the impact when the pool pad slammed up into her from underneath.
"Things are not looking good for Megan right now." Sofia noted.
I couldn't help but wince, for Sofia certainly wasn't wrong. In my mind, I was panicking, trying to think of something quickly when...a miracle happened!
Swablu suddenly started glowing with a white light and in a flash, all eyes were on her as the white light completely engulfed her and she began to change shape. And when the white light faded away, she was revealed to have evolved into Altaria!
"WOW!" Sofia yelled in excitement. "Ain't this a beautiful surprise?"
"I'll say." I stated in wonder before drawing out my Pokedex and scanning my new Pokemon.
"Altaria, the Humming Pokemon and the evolved form of Swablu. It has a melodious voice that it's unafraid to show off when it gets the opportunity to sing, and is overall very kindly in nature to those it considers a friend. It can also be very merciless in its attacks against its enemies and can whip up incredibly strong gusts with even the lightest flaps of its wings."
"Wow..." Adam said, briefly forgetting to focus on the duel going on between him and I as he gaped at Altaria in awe. "Your new Altaria looks awesome!"
"Oh, I certainly agree with you there. And she'll no doubt continue to look that way when I kick your butt! Altaria, use Dragon Breath!" I announced. Altaria snapped her head down in the direction of where Feraligatr was currently positioned with his head above the water and let loose a Dragon Breath attack. Feraligatr had just enough time to hiss in surprise before getting struck by the attack and was sent flying through the air and back onto his pool pad. The sight of this was all that I needed to feel confident once more as I pointed my finger at the downed Feraligatr.
"Don't lose your momentum, Altaria! Use Fury Attack!" Altaria shrieked in acknowledgement as she began swooping down and striking at Feraligatr with her glowing beak. She managed to successfully strike Feraligatr four times in this fashion, but Adam was able to make a counterattack as Altaria was heading in for a fifth strike.
"Feraligatr, use Slash!" Altaria squawked in surprise as she got knocked away by the subsequent swing of Feraligatr's sharp claws.
"Looks like Adam and Megan are neck and neck now." said Sofia. "Better keep watching closely, everyone! This could be a real close match!"
"Don't let this be too easy for her, Feraligatr!" Adam yelled. "Use Hydro Pump!"
"Dragon Breath!" I yelled.
In a flash, Feraligatr and Altaria let out their respective attacks, both of which collided together above the center of the pool in a duel for dominance. I was feeling a sense of deja vu, witnessing this second occurrence of a duel between Hydro Pump and Dragon Breath. But this time, thanks to the increased strength that came with the evolution-induced revitalizing that had been bestowed upon Altaria, the Dragon Breath slowly began to gain ground before finally sending itself rocketing downwards against the force of the Hydro Pump. And it wasn't long before Adam's own eyes widened as he realized what was now about to happen.
"Dodge!" Adam screamed. Snarling, Feraligatr did as ordered, diving into the water just in time to avoid getting directly hit by the Dragon Breath, which struck the pool pad he'd been standing on hard enough to cause it to explode!
"Wow!" Sofia yelled in excitement. "Now that's a showstopper right there!"
"Oh, just you wait." I purred under my breath. "Altaria, use Disarming Voice!"
"Dodge that!"
Snarling, Feraligatr swam away as fast as he could, to avoid getting hit by the Disarming Voice, and was soon forced to continuously swim all throughout the pool as Altaria kept spewing out the Disarming Voice attack in an apparent pursuit, resulting in quite the impressive continuous line of splashes, almost like an extravagant fountain.
"It looks like Megan's outdone herself yet again, ladies and gentlemen!" Sofia declared.
Even Adam couldn't help but nod his head in agreement.
"Pretty good. But don't get too comfortable. I've still got some fight left in me! Feraligatr-"
"Time's up!"
Eyes widening, Adam and I both looked to the scoreboard. The winner of this round was...me!
"Megan is going to the finals!" Sofia announced, as if to further confirm what was already on the scoreboard screen.
And with that, we both returned our Pokemon and departed from the stage as the crowd cheered our performances. Now all that needed to be done was for Amber and Skye to have their battle and I'd face whichever one of them triumphed.
... ...
I was now alone backstage, watching the other semifinal battle on the TV screen.
"On my left, we have Amber." Sofia said once Amber and Skye had gotten to their positions. "And on my right, we have Skye. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Whismur, curtain!" Amber yelled as she released her Whismur onto the stage.
"Xatu, charm up!" Skye yelled as she released her Xatu onto the stage.
Both Pokemon vocalized accordingly upon fully materializing on stage, clearly ready to go. Amber was the first to take the initiative.
"Whismur, use Hyper Voice! Now!" Whismur took a deep breath and screamed as loud as it could with Hyper Voice, which went flying straight towards Xatu.
"Xatu, block that with Light Screen!" Xatu summoned a Light Screen as ordered, just in time for the resulting energy barrier to get shattered by the Hyper Voice, but not without throwing off the attack's momentum enough to make it dissipate, as well as causing the resulting shattered Light Screen to serve as quite a dazzling visual effect.
"Now that's a real dazzler if I ever saw one!" Sofia announced.
"And I've got more where that came from." Skye boasted. "Use Psyshock!"
"Uproar!" Amber screamed.
In a flash, both moves were unleashed in time to clash together above the center of the water. The beam of psychic energy from Xatu and blue noise waves from Whismur pushed back and forth against each other in a duel for dominance.
"You can do this, Whismur!" Amber yelled encouragingly. "I know you can!"
"Don't let up, Xatu!" Skye yelled in an equally encouraging tone.
Before long, a convergence point started to form at the center of the beams. Amber and Skye both widened their eyes at the sight of this, well aware of what would likely happen when that energy was unleashed!
"GET BACK!" Amber and Skye both yelled in unison.
Whismur and Xatu promptly stopped their attacks and jumped away just in time to avoid being directly in the area of affect when the convergence point exploded mere seconds later. Fortunately, the explosion was limited to above the center of the pool and was visually impressive at the same time.
"So far, they're neck and neck, everyone!" Sofia announced. "And with three minutes still on the clock, they'd best start upping their game if there's to be a clear winner between them!"
"Whismur, use Pound!" Amber cried. Whismur's ears starting to glow with white light before it jumped at Xatu while drawing its right ear back for a striking blow.
"Psychic, please." Skye said. Xatu did as requested, causing Whismur to be brought to a halt in midair, mere inches away from Xatu's face.
"Come on, Amber." Skye stated, a mildly disappointed tone to her voice. "Did you really expect that to work?"
Amber smirked and replied, "Oh contraire. You've got Whismur just where I want it. Use Hyper Voice!"
Skye's eyes widened in fright and Xatu shrieked in surprise and pain as it was sent flying backward by the blast to the face from Whismur's Hyper Voice. Skye, hissing in surprise, had to jump aside to avoid getting crashed into by Xatu. And once Xatu landed flat on its back, Amber was quick to push her new advantage.
"Don't waste your chance, Whismur! Jump over and use Pound!" Whismur did as requested, obediently jumping out of the water and right onto the downed Xatu before slapping it with its ears with the Pound attack. But Xatu wasn't completely down for the count.
"Don't let it get away with beating you up like that! Use Psyshock! Now!"
"Get back!" Amber yelled.
But it was too late, and Whismur shrieked in surprise as the resulting burst of psychic energy from Xatu sent it rocketing into the sky. Whismur then landed flat on its face upon the pool pad in front of Amber, groaning in pain. Amber's face softened immediately at the sight of this, and she leaned forward just enough to ensure that Whismur could hear her.
"It's alright, Whismur." she said. "There's still time to turn things around."
Whismur slowly got to its feet while turning around with an angry look on its face and once again faced Xatu...and then Whismur became encased in a glowing white light.
"What's this?" Sofia asked. "Another evolution?"
As it so happened, it was. Whismur swiftly started to change shape and become visibly larger while encased in the white light. And once the light faded away, Whismur was revealed to have turned into a Loudred!
"Loudred, the Big Voice Pokemon and the evolved form of Whismur. With its incredibly large jaws and impressively strong abdominal muscles, it can produce a loud scream strong enough to blow away houses." my Pokedex said.
Meanwhile, Amber seemed equally pleased to see her new Loudred, and took the initiative.
"Loudred, use Echoed Voice!" Loudred snarled as he drew his hands back, then yelled as he clapped his hands while also unleashing a scream at the same time, with the resulting beam of noise waves heading at Xatu.
"Light Screen!" Xatu complied, summoning the force field of light just in time to successfully shield itself from the Echoed Voice.
"Again!" Amber yelled. Loudred howled as he used Echoed Voice once again, with the resulting attack now being visibly stronger as a result of this being the second time that it had been used. This time, Skye was unable to get Xatu to summon another Light Screen in time, resulting in Xatu getting sent stumbling backwards, just barely managing to avoid falling on its back.
"Again!" Amber yelled.
"Dodge!" Skye yelled.
This time, Xatu was able to dodge.
"Don't let that stop you, Loudred! Jump over and use Pound!" Loudred roared and jumped over to Xatu...but proceeded to use Bite instead of Pound, with Xatu only just barely managing to dodge.
"A new evolution AND a new move? This must be my lucky day!" Amber exclaimed in surprise.
"We'll see about that! Xatu, use Psyshock!" In a flash, Loudred was sent flying back to his pool pad by the burst of energy. And this time, Skye was not gonna let him turn things back around too quickly.
"Psychic! Now!" Loudred shrieked in surprise as he was encased in energy and lifted off the ground before being slammed down against the non-watery portions of the stage.
"Xatu, hold Loudred in place above his pool pad and use Future Sight!" Skye shouted, continuing on the offense.
"Come on, come on." Amber hissed encouragingly as she watched Loudred get brought to a dangling halt above his pool pad as ordered. "Get out of that! We can still do this!"
But as much as Amber was hoping otherwise, the hold on Loudred was simply too strong. And before long...
"Xatu," Skye said with a smile, "Release."
Amber had just enough time to raise her eyebrow in confusion as Xatu withdrew its hold on Loudred while the latter was still high in the sky...before the burst of energy from Future Sight slammed down on Loudred from above and sent him pounding against the pool pad underneath him! And when the resulting splash that ensued finally cleared away, Loudred was revealed to be lying upon the pool pad, completely out cold.
"Loudred is unable to battle!" Sofia announced. "The winner is Skye!"
As the crowd cheered, Amber nodded her head, a stoic look of acceptance on her face as she returned Loudred to his Pokeball.
"You did really good, Amber." Skye said. "I mean, if I hadn't found the ideal time and strategy to turn things around, your Whismur evolving into Loudred probably would have guaranteed a victory for you."
Amber let out a slight chuckle and said, "Well, I wish you and Megan the best of luck in the finals."
However it all unfolded, Skye and I would both need to fight to our best abilities to have any chance of winning. And as much as a victory for Skye would no doubt be especially satisfying, in light of her family's close ties to this particular tournament, there was no way that I was going to just let her win.
So Skye returned Xatu, and she and Amber departed from the stage. The semifinals were over.
"Well, here's hoping you're all still willing to watch one last spectacular battle." Sofia said. "Because that's exactly what's heading your way once we've had a short fifteen-minute break. This will crown our new Wallace Cup Champion, so be ready everyone!"
... ...
"Alright, everyone! Glad you're all still here, because now's the moment you've all been waiting for! The finals!"
The crowd went wild, with the sound of the cheering making me smile from where I was standing.
You'd better be watching me, Adam, Mom, Dad, and April. I thought to myself. Because believe me, I'm gonna be giving this my all! If I win, I'll have the final ribbon needed for me to compete in the Grand Festival, and this may be my last chance to win one!
"On my left, we have Megan." Sofia said, clearly just as eager to get the final showdown started as the audience. "And on my right, we have Skye. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Beautifly, spotlight!"
"Corphish, curtain!"
In a flash, both Pokemon were released from their Pokeballs. I nodded my head, ready. No turning back now.
"Beautifly, use Gust!" Beautifly flapped her wings fast enough to unleash several strong gusts of wind at Corphish.
"Protect!" Corphish obediently raised his claws and summoned a bright green force field to shield himself from the Gust.
"Nice try." Skye stated. "Corphish, use Water Gun!" Corphish spewed a jet of water from his mouth at Beautifly.
"Counter with Silver Wind!" I shouted. Beautifly obeyed, firing off her Silver Wind just in time to send it crashing into the Water Gun and causing it to explode into a million water droplets.
"Wow!" Sofia yelled. "Now there's an eye-catcher if I ever did see one!"
"Corphish, use Bubble Beam!"
"Air Cutter!"
Beautifly used Air Cutter right at the same time that Corphish used Bubble Beam, with the two moves colliding in the air above the center of the pool...only for Air Cutter to prove stronger and blast completely through the Bubble Beam.
"Protect!" Corphish was only just barely able to shield himself in time, although this time the force field summoned by Protect appeared just the slightest bit weaker than the last time he'd used that move.
"Dive into the water!" Skye yelled.
"Keep your eyes open, Beautifly. Corphish could strike at any moment." I warned my Pokemon.
Little did I know just how right I'd turn out to be with that statement. Just seconds later, Corphish suddenly burst out of the water directly next to where Beautifly was positioned.
"Now's your chance, Corphish!" Skye yelled. "Use Crab Hammer!" Corphish growled as he drew back his right claw, which was now glowing blue and becoming surrounded with spiraling water.
My eyes widened in horror. With how close to Beautifly Corphish was now positioned, it would be nigh impossible for her to dodge! Beautifly shrieked in pain as she was slammed in the back by Crab Hammer and send rocketing down to her pool pad.
"Good job, Corphish!" Skye yelled, now feeling extra confident. "Now use Crab Hammer on her again! Finish her off!" Corphish caused both of his claws to glow before diving down towards Beautifly.
Fortunately, Beautifly had swiftly recovered, despite the impact against her pool pad, and I was faster to react this time.
"Defend with Silver Wind!" I screamed. Corphish shrieked in surprise as he was sent rocketing into the sky by the Silver Wind.
"No!" Skye yelled.
"Great job, Beautifly!" I yelled proudly. "Now fly up and blow Corphish away with Whirlwind!" Beautifly did as ordered, sending Corphish rocketing right back to his pool pad. So far, so good.
... ...
A decent bit of time later, Skye and I were still battling with all our might, with neither Beautifly nor Corphish showing any sign of giving up. And crazily enough, we were also currently neck and neck in points!
"Just a minute and a half left, everyone! A new champion is about to be crowned!" Sofia announced.
"Corphish, use Water Gun!" Skye ordered.
"Use Whirlwind!" I yelled. "And do a counter-shield with it, too!"
Beautifly screamed in exertion as she unleashed Whirlwind while spinning her body around in circles to cause the Whirlwind to move in the appropriate way required to form a counter-shield. And as a result, the Water Gun was buffeted and burst into multiple tendrils and droplets of water in a dazzling display that proved very popular indeed, with Skye's points swiftly starting to decrease.
"Don't give up, Corphish! Use Bubble Beam!"
"Silver Wind!"
In a flash, the two moves were unleashed at the same time, resulting in yet another battle for dominance in the air.
"Come on, come on." Skye said under her breath for Corphish to hear.
"Keep it up Beautifly." I said for Beautifly to hear. "You can do this."
And sure enough, Beautifly's Silver Wind once again proved the stronger attack, finally cutting straight through Corphish's Bubble Beam once again and it flew right at Corphish.
"Corphish, use Protect!" Corphish grunted as he worked to summon Protect...only for the move to fail this time, since he was just too weak from battling.
Corphish had just enough time to yell in surprise and fright before the Silver Wind crashed into him. And when he landed at Skye's, it was quite clear that he'd been knocked out cold.
"Corphish is unable to battle!" Sofia yelled. "And with five seconds to spare! The winner of this battle, and the new Wallace Cup Champion is...MEGAN!"
The audience immediately burst into applause at the sound of Sofia's announcement. I couldn't help but let out a scream of joy as I raised my hands in the air. I'd done it! I'd won the Wallace Cup and earned my 5th and final ribbon required for the Grand Festival! An immense feeling of relief and emotion washed over me.
I turned my head just in time to see Skye walking over and nod her head with an accepting look on her face before she briefly looked to Corphish and returned him. Then she looked back to me before continuing to walk over to me.
"You were really good." she said. "Here's hoping that you put on another great performance at the Grand Festival, after how well you did here."
"Thanks, Skye. But don't sell yourself short. You were pretty good, too. I'm still surprised that Beautifly wasn't automatically down for the count after that Crab Hammer."
"Well, miraculous or not, you still won fair and square. And for what it's worth, I'm confident that I can still snag a victory in one of the other contests scheduled to unfold between now and the Grand Festival. So no need to feel guilty about beating me. I'll try as hard as I can to be there with you in the tournament."
I hugged Skye, saying, "I want all of my coordinator friends to be there with me. It just wouldn't be the same if you weren't. Here's hoping that you make it. Amber, too."
Skye chuckled and returned my embrace, replying, "I feel the same way. It just wouldn't be the same if we weren't all there."
"Now this is true friendship and sportsmanship, everyone." Sofia said. "One could really learn a lot from these two."
Skye and I both chuckled. After all, Sofia wasn't necessarily wrong.
... ...
Several minutes later, I was feeling on top of the world as Wallace walked over to bestow the Wallace Cup ribbon to me.
"You did very well." he admitted as he came to a stop directly in front of me, an approving smile on his face. "You reminded me of when your mother first graced my tournament with her presence as a contestant when she was young. If anything, I'd say you've actually proved more talented today than she was back then."
Admittedly, a small part of me was hoping that my mom hadn't been watching this particular moment on TV and hadn't gotten the chance to hear what Wallace had just said. But at the same time, the rest of me had a strong feeling that my mom would actually be proud of me for the same reasons that the one small part of me was feeling embarrassed over.
"Thank you, Wallace. That means a lot, coming from an accomplished coordinator like you." I said.
Wallace chuckled, adding, "And you're modest, as well. I like that."
He then took out the Wallace Cup Ribbon and I extended my hands in acceptance with a smile still on my face, feeling awed, honored, and flattered to be receiving my 5th ribbon from the great Wallace himself. He gently placed the ribbon in my hands.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how you, your friends, and your sister perform in the Grand Festival." he then said.
I then turned my head to face the crowd, a joyful smile on my face as I raised the ribbon into the air in victory and excitement. In that instant, a thunderous roar erupted from the crowd, and at the sound of this, plus the looks of sheer joy on the faces of my friends, I couldn't help but chuckle. I knew that this was a moment that I would never forget for the rest of my life.
Adam's POV
I couldn't help but feel incredibly happy as Jason and I, plus everyone else in our entourage waited patiently outside the contest hall for Megan to exit. At long last, Megan had finally won the last of the ribbons that she needed to qualify for the Grand Festival, and at the Wallace Cup, no less! And here I now was, alongside the rest of our gathered friends to congratulate her.
I then briefly remembered how I'd promised to let her talk with me after the tournament was over about what she'd originally wanted to tell me while we'd been on our way to have our battle in the semifinals. As I had this thought, I directed a brief sideways glance to where Amber was standing, alongside Nikki and Michelle. I was already well aware of how Amber felt towards me, and I'd also since become aware of the true nature of Megan's own feelings for me, with the latter detail being (which I'd already determined through my Aura) what Megan was planning to talk to me about. At any rate, now that the Wallace Cup was over, I'd have a very big decision to make in the near future, concerning my own future and theirs.
"Hey, everyone!" a voice called out to us.
We all looked up towards the contest hall's front doors in time to see a smiling Megan coming out, her new ribbon held proudly in her hands.
"I'm glad that you all waited here for me. It only feels right that you all get the chance to congratulate me on a more personal level, now that the Wallace Cup is over." Megan said.
In that moment, I rushed straight over to her, with Jason and the girls following close behind. We all promptly wrapped our arms around her in a tight group hug. Megan yelped, her eyes widening in surprise and her arms and hands reflexively stretching outwards as she found herself getting so suddenly hugged by all of us all at once.
"Well, you're all certainly happy." she noted.
"You've got that right." said Michelle. "After all, you've just won the Wallace Cup tournament, not to mention qualify for the Grand Festival!"
At this point, we all finished our group hug. But we still had plenty of compliments and encouragement left to give.
"Your Beautifly really was a force to be reckoned with today." Amber said with an approving smile.
"I can already tell that I'll have a lot of fun watching you perform at the Grand Festival. Adam was very lucky to have a girl like you to travel with, after I left." said Michelle.
"And don't worry about feeling nervous. Trust me, I felt plenty nervous during my first two runs through the Grand Festival. Even if you don't win your first one, there's always next time." Nikki added.
"But regardless," I said, placing a hand on Megan's shoulder, "Know that we'll be there to watch you, cheer you on, and give you our full support."
"You can say that again!" Jason agreed.
"And don't feel guilty about me and Skye not winning today. This isn't like how close it came to some of us possibly having to miss out on the Grand Festival back in Johto. There's still plenty of time for Skye and I to get our final qualifying ribbons." Amber said encouragingly.
I noticed Megan's smile widen, and she even started to wipe some tears of joy from her eyes.
"Thanks, guys." she said. "That really means a lot."
Robyn and all of the adults in our group then exited the building, having taken longer to exit than the rest of us, due to some phone calls and 'important discussions' they'd needed to make. Or in Misty and Ross's case, to ensure that Robyn wouldn't be on her own in the building over the course of a bathroom break she'd ended up needing to take.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting." Antonio said calmly. "It was of high importance for me to file in a status update to my superiors, and I felt it wise to do so inside the building where the phone connection would be more viable."
"All in a day's work, Boss." Annie joked.
Oakley directed a smile towards Amber and said, "I'll say this much: I certainly won't regret seeing you perform in a contest again in the future."
"Thanks, Oakley." Amber said, happy that her dad's new flame was being so nice to her.
"Well, I can already tell that May will be extra happy about you winning today." my dad said to Megan.
Megan chuckled, brushing her right hand across the back of her head.
But suddenly...
"Where's Brittany?"
We all looked in concern towards Darien, who had a worried and confused look on his face as he looked around.
"What do you mean?" Michelle asked.
"We thought that she was with you." Amber stated.
"No, she left immediately after the award presentation." Darien explained. "She wanted to be the first one out here to congratulate Megan."
"Well, I certainly haven't seen her." said Megan.
"Me neither." Skye stated.
The rest of us all shook our heads to indicate that we hadn't seen her, either.
"We were all gathered here not too long after the ribbon presentation was over." I said, gesturing to indicate myself, Jason, and all of the girls who'd been present before Megan exited the building. "But Brittany wasn't here when we got out here, so we thought that she stayed with you."
"Pika, pika." Pikachu said, as if to indicate confirmation of what I'd just said.
"Then something's wrong. Seriously wrong." Darien stated.
"Agreed." said my dad. "We need to start looking around for her."
"You heard him, everyone." Antonio said. "Spread out and see if she's anywhere to be found around here."
"Uncle Darien, do you have anything of Brittany's on you?" I asked. "My Houndoom might be able to track her scent."
Darien nodded, reached into his backpack, and drew out what appeared to be a stuffed Teddiursa toy.
"She asked me to hold onto this for her while she went to congratulate Megan." he explained.
I nodded my head and released Houndoom from his Pokeball. I pointed at the Teddiursa toy and said, "See if you can find Brittany's scent."
Houndoom barked slightly and sniffed at the toy before turning around and starting to sniff along the ground to search for Brittany's scent further from there.
"You heard Antonio, everyone." Darien said. "Let's not let Adam's Houndoom do all of the work for us. See if any of you can find any sign of Brittany."
So we all headed off in different directions to see if we could find Brittany anywhere.
"Is Brittany okay, Mommy?" Robyn asked in concern as she, Michelle, Misty, and Ross headed off in one direction together.
"That's what we're trying to find out, Robyn." Misty said reassuringly.
About ten minutes later, after the rest of us had largely not found anything, the sound of Houndoom loudly barking suddenly filled the air. We all hurried over and saw Houndoom barking and looking in our direction while a dropped Pokeball lay at his feet.
The sight of that last detail made Darien seemingly turn white. His eyes widened as he walked as calmly as he could manage towards the Pokeball. Houndoom, seemingly realizing the gravity of the situation, stopped barking and sat down calmly as Darien reached his position and picked up the Pokeball, which he then opened.
A familiar Glaceon was released into the open. Glaceon looked around in confusion, expecting to see her trainer there, being the one who released her.
"I'd recognize that Glaceon anywhere." Darien said. "Brittany never goes anywhere without her. She loves her Glaceon." He then directed a worried glance towards me and the rest of the group.
We all looked at each other worriedly. None of us spoke, but considering the obvious implications behind what Darien had just said, I doubted any of us really needed to. The fact that Brittany's Pokemon was there, but not her, seemed to indicate that something bad had happened.
I directed a very meaningful look towards my dad, who nodded his head in what seemed to be silent agreement. He and I both seemed to be in agreement that we wouldn't be at all surprised if Team Rocket was involved in whatever had just befallen Brittany. I also had a feeling that Antonio, Annie, and Oakley had similar suspicions. Nobody knew Team Rocket like they did.
As I had these thoughts, I couldn't help but gulp and let my heart sink as I realized that, in light of my past experiences and the general timing, it was entirely likely that something terrible and dangerous would be rearing its ugly head in the very near future. After all, once Team Rocket finally decided to get the ball rolling on whatever sinister plot they had in mind, they tended to REALLY send it rolling, and it would be dangerous on a global scale!
Author's Note: The Wallace Cup tournament has concluded, with Megan emerging as the champion, winning her 5th ribbon and qualifying to compete in the Hoenn Grand Festival!
Also, Skye makes amends with her father Wallace, just like she did with her mom in Fortree City. It seems like both of her parents now have a stronger connection to her, after spending her life being the odd child out.
But not everything is well in the group, with Brittany suddenly disappearing and the only thing left behind is her Glaceon, who she would never part with. This is very upsetting and concerning to everyone.
Where is Brittany now? Why did she disappear? And will Megan ever get the chance to ask Adam the question that he stopped her from asking before they battled?
Let us know if you have any guesses and stay tuned as we approach the climax of Pokemon NG!