Author's Note: Happy New Year, readers! Welcome to our first chapter of 2025!
Megan's POV
It had been half an hour since the break between today's two rounds had begun. But even with the time that had passed, I still couldn't help but feel both excited and nervous at how I'd be facing my sister in the quarterfinals. Admittedly, this was hardly the first time that April and I had battled each other in a contest. But this time felt strangely different, compared to the other times.
"You seem to have a lot on your mind right now."
Rolling my eyes in mock annoyance, I turned my head to see that April had moved over into the seat right next to mine.
April chuckled and added, "Not that I blame you. I mean, all things considered, our upcoming battle in the quarterfinals certainly does feel a lot more daunting, compared to the previous times we've battled each other in a contest."
"No kidding." I agreed. "I mean, the other times we faced off in a contest's battle round, all that either of us had to lose was our chance at winning one of the ribbons needed to qualify for the Grand Festival. But now? Whichever one of us loses is automatically guaranteed to lose their shot at becoming a Top Coordinator. I mean, there's always the opportunity to try again next year, but still."
"You're certainly not wrong. Still, whichever one of us wins won't be in an entirely unenviable position herself, what with all of the added pressure that will end up on the victor's shoulders."
I raised my eyebrow in confusion and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Really think about it, Megan. Considering who our parents are, there's already high expectations on us proving our abilities to measure up to their level. Adam likely has this issue as well, considering that his dad is the Pokemon Master. And since we've both made it into the Grand Festival in only our first contest cycle, the expectations for us to live up to have only gotten that much higher. So long as we've both remained in the running, we've both shouldered the burden together.
"But after the quarterfinals? Well, just think: Whichever one of us wins will be tasked with the sole responsibility of becoming the first member of this family's new generation to become a Top Coordinator."
I couldn't help but shudder at that thought.
"Well, when you put it like that," I admitted, "Our upcoming battle's honestly starting to feel even more daunting."
April then placed her left hand on my right hand in a gesture of comfort.
"But regardless of how far either of us go in this year's Grand Festival, I'm sure that we'll both feel happy, as long as we continue bringing our A-game. And I'm sure that Mom and Dad will be proud of us regardless, as long as we continue doing our absolute best."
"Yeah. No pressure." I said.
We both chuckled and nodded our heads before looking at the screen. There was just 25 minutes left. Still a decent amount of time to wait.
"Well, may the best of us move on to the semifinals." said April.
"Right back at you, Sis." I replied.
... ...
"Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls!" Sofia announced proudly with her usual excited tone. "It's time to get to our next round of fabulous contest entertainment!"
"You can say that again." said Ashlyn.
"No kidding." Amber agreed. "Here's hoping that Skye and Christina are ready to see what we have to offer in this round, not to mention Jason and Adam."
"Indeed." I stated in agreement.
Ramsey was already up from his chair and confidently strolling his way over to the doorway to the corridor leading out to the stage. Ashlyn's eyes widened as she remembered that she was set to go up against him this round. Then a slight grimace came onto her face as she remembered how the outcome had been less than ideal for her the last time she'd fought against him, back in the Mossdeep City contest. But then she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded her head.
"Wish me luck, everyone." she said as she started making her way out to the stage.
Before long, Ashlyn and Ramsey had both taken their places on the stage's battlefield.
"Small world, isn't it?" Ramsey chuckled, clearly remembering the last time that he and Ashlyn had battled. "I'll admit, I was hoping to battle one of the Hayden sisters again. But since your parents are pretty respectable in their own right, I certainly won't be unhappy if you put up a much better fight today than you did last time."
Ashlyn narrowed her eyes and asked, "You're saying that I wasn't all that good back in Mossdeep?"
"Not necessarily." Ramsey stated. "But I won't say no to you trying to do even better this time."
"Well, consider it on, then!"
"Now that's what I'm talking about!"
"On my left, we have Ashlyn." Sofia announced, the tone of her voice making it very clear that she was expecting a particularly exciting match. "And on my right, we have Ramsey. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Aron, Pidgeotto! All eyes on you!"
"Manectric, Hippowdon! Bring the noise!"
"Isn't Manectric the same Pokemon that he defeated her with in Mossdeep?" Adrian asked.
April nodded in confirmation.
Judging by the look on Ashlyn's face, she clearly hadn't forgotten that fact, either. But she shook her head and let a determined glare come onto her face. She clearly wasn't about to let the presence of this old foe throw her off her game.
"Aron, open with Rock Slide!" she yelled. Aron caused a massive boulder to burst out of the arena floor while encased in an aura of white light and send it flying high into the air before it exploded into multiple smaller boulders that went falling down toward Manectric and Hippowdon. And while Manectric managed to dodge out of the way without being ordered, Hippowdon was too slow and got hit by a decent number of the rocks.
"Not bad. But don't get comfortable. Manectric, take care of Pidgeotto with Thunderbolt! Hippowdon, give Aron a good Fire Fang!"
"Dodge, Pidgeotto! Use Protect, Aron!"
Fortunately, despite the unsurprisingly high speed of Manectric and somewhat-less-expected high speed of Hippowdon, Pidgeotto managed to successfully swoop aside to avoid getting struck by the Thunderbolt that Manectric launched while Aron successfully summoned the force field of Protect in time to prevent himself from getting snapped up in Hippowdon's fiery jaws.
"Things are looking promising for Ashlyn right now!" Sofia announced. "But keep your eyes open! The battle's only just begun!"
"Manectric, use Discharge! Now!"
"Dodge!" Ashlyn yelled.
But it was too late, and Aron and Pidgeotto both screamed in pain as they got blasted by the Discharge, with the latter being understandably more pained and affected than Aron, due to his weakness to Electric attacks.
But Ashlyn shook her head with a determined glare on her face, declaring, "We can still salvage this! Pidgeotto, use Feather Dance on Hippowdon! Aron, use Metal Claw on Manectric!"
"Not gonna happen! Manectric, finish Pidgeotto off with Thunder!"
"Dodge that, Pidgeotto!"
By sheer luck, despite Pidgeotto's pained and exhausted state, he managed to just barely swoop aside to avoid getting hit by the massive lightning bolt.
"You got lucky that time. But your luck won't last for-"
A sudden howl from Manectric caused Ramsey's eyes to widen in surprise before he turned his head in time to see Manectric getting sent stumbling backwards by Aron's Metal Claw. And as Aron subsequently shrank his front legs back to normal size and jumped back to his starting position, Ramsey gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut, as if mentally facepalming, apparently having forgotten about Aron in his eagerness to try to get Pidgeotto out of the game.
Ashlyn chuckled and grinned, saying, "What was that you were saying about me just being lucky?"
"This isn't over yet! Hippowdon, teach Aron some manners with Iron Head!" Hippowdon coated itself in an aura of solid metallic white light before charging headfirst at Aron.
"Jump, Aron!" Ashlyn yelled. "And use Metal Claw once you're directly above Hippowdon!" Aron did as ordered, with Hippowdon bellowing in discomfort as he felt the metallic claw-like blades slashing across its back, then collapsing and skidding to a rather unflattering stop by Ashlyn's feet.
"Good job, Aron." Ashlyn stated, eager to continue her new momentum.
"Pidgeotto, strike Hippowdon with Wing Attack! Aron, use Headbutt!" Both of her Pokemon obeyed, with Hippowdon bellowing in discomfort and rage as it was struck from above by Pidgeotto's Wing Attack, and then from behind by Aron's Headbutt.
"Good job!" Ashlyn yelled, clearly feeling extra confident at the moment. "You're doing great!"
"You could say that." Ramsey said in a disturbingly calm voice. "But it's odd that you now fall into the same trap that I fell into not long ago. Manectric, cast Thunder on Hippowdon while Pidgeotto and Aron are still nearby!"
Ashlyn's eyes widened, her face turning pale in horror as she screamed, "NO!"
Pidgeotto flew away just in time, but Aron was sent flying by the shockwave from the Thunder striking Hippowdon, who was entirely unaffected, thanks to its immunity to Electric attacks, being a Ground Pokemon.
"Ramsey's certainly not going down without a fight!" Sofia announced.
"Manectric, use Wild Charge on Aron!"
Ashlyn had just enough time to widen her eyes before the voltage-coated Manectric rocketed across the stage and rammed into Aron, sending him flying. But while she winced at this, she was quick to make an effort to turn things around.
"Don't give up yet! Pidgeotto, use Feather Dance on Manectric!" she shouted. Manectric snarled in annoyance as it found itself getting coated in the thick feathers that Pidgeotto sent its way.
"Hippowdon, get yourself rejuvenated with a nice Rest! Manectric, ready yourself with Charge!" Manectric snarled and coated itself in voltage once more as it started powering up with Charge while Hippowdon let out a yawn before curling up on the arena floor and going to sleep with Rest.
"Be ready for anything." Ashlyn said to her Pokemon.
"Time for another Discharge, Manectric! Don't hold back!" Ramsey yelled.
"Dodge that, Pidgeotto!" Ashlyn yelled. "Use Protect, Aron!"
By sheer luck, both of her Pokemon were able to successfully do as ordered, allowing another small portion of Ramsey's points to get chipped away, allowing Ashlyn to just barely remain in the lead.
"You can't keep this up forever, you know." Ramsey said.
"I'm well aware." Ashlyn stated. "But that's not gonna stop me from doing my absolute best!"
"Then I'd best work extra hard to see if you can put your money where your mouth is. Manectric, give Aron a Thunderbolt!"
"Aron, deflect it with Metal Claw!"
Aron managed to use Metal Claw in time to deflect Manectric's Thunderbolt. But just two seconds later, Hippowdon woke up.
"Time to make up for lost time, Hippowdon!" Ramsey yelled. "Use Fire Fang on Aron!"
"Pidgeotto, disorient Hippowdon with Air Slash!"
Pidgeotto obeyed, causing Hippowdon to briefly stumble.
"Manectric, put Pidgeotto in his place with Thunder!"
"Dodge that!"
And from there, Ashlyn and Ramsey continued calling out command after command, gradually whittling away at each other's points. But eventually, right as both trainers and their Pokemon were starting to look visibly exhausted from their efforts...
"Time's up!"
Eyes widening, Ashlyn, Ramsey, and their Pokemon looked to the scoreboard screen.
"The winner is Ashlyn!"
Ramsey nodded his head, admitting, "Not bad. Just remember that there can always be room for even further improvement."
As if to emphasize Ramsey's point, Pidgeotto and Aron, both visibly battered and exhausted, finally collapsed to the arena floor, unconscious.
Ashlyn winced, but nodded her head, saying, "I'll keep that in mind."
Ramsey nodded his head, returned his Pokemon, and bowed with grace to Ashlyn before departing, with the audience starting to applaud. Ashlyn, despite still being well aware of just how lucky she'd been to win this time, let a warm smile come onto her face as she turned and waved to the audience in gratitude.
"She really got lucky this time." I stated.
"No kidding." April agreed. "She was really at a disadvantage against Ramsey's Pokemon. It really puts into perspective just how lucky she was to have even gotten the lead in points that she did, not to mention for her Pokemon to last long enough to allow her to win."
April then directed a meaningful glance my way and added, "Here's hoping that you and I will put on a similarly good show for everyone."
I let out a nervous chuckle at the reminder that she and I would be battling each other after Ashlyn returned to the waiting area.
... ...
Five minutes later, April and I had taken our positions on the stage.
"You'd better give this your all, regardless of who wins." April said to me.
"Just remember to do the same, Sis." I stated confidently.
"On my left, we have April." Sofia announced. "And on my right, we have Megan. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Blaziken, Espeon! Spotlight!"
"Sceptile, Illumise! Curtain!"
As our Pokemon materialized, I nodded my head with an impressed smile on my face, briefly distracted by seeing my sister's Illumise for the very first time. April, however, was quick to take advantage of my brief moment of getting distracted.
"Sceptile, hit Espeon with Energy Ball!"
"Blaziken, deflect that with Flamethrower!"
Blaziken, thankfully, managed to react just in time, spewing a jet of flames from his beak so that it collided with Sceptile's Energy Ball, and pushed it away before it could strike Espeon.
"Rookie mistake, getting distracted like that, Megan." April chuckled.
"That was just an unlucky fluke." I grumbled. "You aren't gonna beat me that easily!"
"I'll be holding you to that. Illumise, use Sweet Scent!" Illumise allowed the aromatic pink powder to be released from underneath her wings, swiftly blowing it over to where Blaziken and Espeon were standing.
"Don't let that distract you!" I yelled as Blaziken and Espeon briefly closed their eyes and seemingly hummed in content as they started smelling the Sweet Scent. "She's probably gonna call an attack next!"
"Correct!" April yelled gleefully. "Sceptile, jump at Espeon with Leaf Blade!" Sceptile lunged at Espeon while drawing back his right arm as the leaves on it began to glow and form the shape of a blade.
"Espeon, knock that back with Psychic!" Espeon unleashed her attack, managing to catch Sceptile in her grasp as he was seconds away from slamming his Leaf Blade down on her, before then throwing him back to his starting position.
"Good job, Espeon." I stated. "Now fire a Psybeam at him!"
"Illumise, counter with Struggle Bug!"
Illumise started glowing with red energy before causing multiple streaks of that same energy to explode out and go flying at the Psybeam. And while the two attacks did manage to push against each other for a couple of seconds, the Struggle Bug ultimately began to slowly overpower the Psybeam, due to the type advantage.
"Cancel the Psybeam, Espeon! Dodge!" Espeon did as requested, jumping aside just in time to avoid getting hit by the Struggle Bug blast.
"Hurry, Sceptile! Fire off another Energy Ball at Espeon!" And this time, the attack hit its mark.
"Blaziken, use Double Kick!" Blaziken leaned back in preparation for his kicking attack, only for his right leg to unexpectedly ignite into flames before he lunged at Illumise in time to slam his burning right foot against her.
"Wow, everyone!" Sofia yelled in excitement. "It would appear Blaziken has learned Blaze Kick!"
"I suppose it was only a matter of time, considering how relatively recently your Combusken evolved into Blaziken." April admitted. "But type advantages alone never guarantee victory! Illumise, get yourself juiced back up with Moonlight! Sceptile, use X-Scissor on Espeon!"
"No you don't!" I yelled. "Blaziken, block Sceptile with Flamethrower!"
Sceptile had already begun his lunge towards Espeon and was helpless to do anything but shriek in surprise as the Flamethrower crashed into him and sent him flying. He was still visibly smoking when he landed on his back and skidded to a halt by April's feet.
April grumbled as she noticed the sizable number of points that had gotten docked from her score as a result.
"Illumise, use Struggle Bug on Blaziken!"
"Espeon, block that with Swift!"
Illumise and Espeon let their attacks fly, with the two attacks colliding together as a result of Espeon successfully preventing the Struggle Bug from striking Blaziken.
"Sceptile, hit Espeon with X-Scissor!" April shouted.
My eyes widened, realizing how Espeon was now a sitting duck while still engaged with Illumise's Struggle Bug. Espeon cried in pain as she was sent flying by Sceptile's X-Scissor.
"And just like that, the pendulum swings again!" Sofia announced.
"Well, get ready for it to swing back again!" I yelled. "Blaziken, retaliate with Quick Attack mixed with Black Kick!" Sceptile shrieked in surprise as he was sent flying by the Blaze Kick right in the face, after Blaziken zoomed over with Quick Attack.
"Good job, Blaziken! Now use Flamethrower on Illumise!" Blaziken did as ordered, with Illumise crying in pain as she was successfully struck by Blaziken, too.
"Espeon, heal yourself with Morning Sun!" Espeon purred obediently as she began using the light to heal herself.
"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade on Espeon!"
"Blaziken, block that with Blaze Kick!"
"Illumise, intercept with Quick Attack!"
"Espeon, keep her away with Psychic!"
As the time continued to go by, my sister and I continued giving commands to our Pokemon at almost breakneck speed, both of us eager to put in our absolute best effort. But after what felt like an eternity...
"Blaziken, use Flamethrower on Sceptile! Espeon, finish off Illumise with Swift!" Blaziken and Espeon launched the attacks that I'd commanded them to use. And before long, Sceptile and Illumise were both knocked to the arena floor, completely out cold.
"Megan wins!" Sofia yelled in triumph. "With precisely two seconds to spare, no less!"
The audience went wild at the sight of my victory. As this happened, April nodded her head in stoic acceptance and returned her Pokemon before walking over to me.
"A wise trainer always knows when she's been beaten." April stated, looking directly at me. "And in this case, I've definitely been beaten."
I nodded my head and said, "Sorry, Sis."
"Don't be sorry. You won fair and square, and we both did our best, like we promised. Congrats on winning."
"Well, congrats on making it this far."
"Just make extra sure you make it to the finals now. For both of us."
"Yeah. No pressure." I said, chuckling.
We then hugged with warm smiles on our faces. Once we finally finished our hug, April went back to the waiting area while I returned my Pokemon and curtsied to the audience before hurrying back to the waiting area myself.
... ...
Five minutes later, Amber and Pepper were on the stage and had taken their positions.
"Here's hoping we both put on a good show today." Amber said.
"You can say that again." Pepper replied. "After all, considering how I was able to defeat the daughter of Wallace, you shouldn't be too much of a challenge. Hopefully, you'll at least make this battle entertaining to watch."
"On my left, we have Amber." Sofia announced. "And on my right, we have Pepper. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Golduck, Loudred! Charm up!" Amber yelled.
"Camerupt, Zebstrika! All eyes on you!" Pepper screamed.
I couldn't help but wince slightly. I was well aware that the Zebstrika could prove problematic, due to it having a type advantage against Golduck.
She'd best focus on getting Zebstrika out of the picture first. I thought to myself.
Amber was clearly having very similar thoughts, as she called out, "Loudred, use Hyper Voice on Zebstrika!"
"Dodge that, Zebstrika!" Pepper yelled. "Then counter with Flame Charge, combined with Agility!"
Zebstrika very swiftly burst into flames and went charging at Loudred after jumping aside to avoid getting hit by the Hyper Voice. And with literal lightning speed, it slammed into Loudred.
Amber couldn't help but wince at this development. But Pepper wasn't done yet!
"Camerupt, use Heat Wave! Show our opponent who's boss!" Camerupt took a deep breath, arching its back as smoke started billowing out from its two humps. And with a loud bellow, Camerupt straightened back down and unleashed a gigantic blast of orange air at Golduck and Loudred.
But Amber, as it would turn out, had a trick of her own up her sleeve!
"Golduck, use Water Gun! Loudred, assist with Hyper Voice!" Golduck swiftly spewed a jet of water from his beak in time for it to crash into one side of the Heat Wave blast heading towards him and Loudred. And while Loudred proved slightly slower to react, due to still recovering from the Flame Charge, he eventually got to his feet in time to scream out the Hyper Voice in time for the resulting beam of noise waves to crash against the Heat Wave and work alongside the Water Gun to push it back in Camerupt and Zebstrika's direction.
Pepper's eyes widened at this, and Camerupt and Zebstrika both got hit by the full force of the redirected Heat Wave.
"Talk about a turnaround, everyone!" Sofia cried.
"Don't get too comfortable!" Pepper yelled. "Zebstrika, use Discharge!"
"Loudred, interrupt that with Uproar!" Amber yelled. In a flash, Loudred began roaring and stomping his feet, with a burst of blue noise waves flying from his jaws and straight at Zebstrika. By sheer luck, the Uproar crashed into Zebstrika just in time to break its concentration before it could finish charging up the Discharge.
"You got lucky that time. Camerupt, use Rock Slide!" Camerupt bellowed, already causing a large boulder to rise up from the arena floor and levitate in the air in preparation for splitting into multiple smaller boulders that would be sent falling on Amber's Pokemon.
"Golduck, wait until the Rock Slide gets launched! Then use Confusion to fling it back at Camerupt and Zebstrika!" Amber cried.
Pepper's eyes widened as she screamed, "Stop! Cancel the attack!"
But it was too late. Camerupt chose that exact moment to split the larger boulder and send the resulting volley of rocks flying at Loudred and Golduck. But the latter's eyes glowed light blue as he proceeded to encase the Rock Slide in the telekinetic energy that came with his use of Confusion, and send it flying back at Camerupt and Zebstrika, getting themselves utterly bombarded by the rocks.
Pepper growled, now looking visibly ticked off.
"That's it! Now you've really made me mad! Zebstrika, apologies in advance if you're unable to dodge this. Camerupt, use Lava Plume!" she screamed. Zebstrika nodded and braced itself in preparation to either dodge or take the incoming blast while Camerupt started letting smoke rise from its humps in preparation for the volcanic explosion that it was preparing to release.
Things were not looking good. And judging by the grimace on Amber's face, she was clearly well aware of that fact. But as she'd soon reveal, she wasn't about to give up just yet!
"Golduck, be ready to jump and dodge what's about to come next! Loudred, be ready to use Bulldoze at the same time that Camerupt unleashes Lava Plume! Hopefully, that will allow the two moves to cancel each other out!" Loudred lifted his right foot in preparation for stomping it down to produce the shockwave from Bulldoze. Luckily, he was able to time things just right, so that he unleashed his Bulldoze attack at the exact same time that Camerupt unleashed its Lava Plume. Both attacks crashed together and canceled each other out.
"Good job, Loudred!" Amber yelled confidently.
She then looked to Golduck, who was now coming to a graceful three-point landing, after having successfully jumped in time to avoid getting effected by the Bulldoze.
"Alright, Golduck! It's your time to shine now! Leap at Camerupt with Zen Headbutt!" The top of his head became encased in a shield-shaped construct of blue light as he charged up Zen Headbutt. He then leaped at Camerupt, head already drawn back to slam down against it.
"No you don't!" Pepper yelled. "Zebstrika, use Discharge!" With pained screams from Loudred and Golduck alike, Zebstrika unleashed a Discharge, with Camerupt only groaning in mild disinterest as it harmlessly absorbed the electricity being unleashed.
Golduck and Loudred were laboriously trying to get back to their feet once the Discharge ended, with Golduck noticeably having more difficulty than Loudred.
"There goes your lucky streak! Zebstrika, a nice Flame Charge combined with Agility ought to put Golduck out of its misery!" Zebstrika let itself burst into flames and become encased with the full-body glow that came with using Agility before it went rushing at Golduck.
"Golduck, use Water Gun! Now!" Golduck spat out the stream of water, which crashed into Zebstrika and threw off its concentration just in time for it lose its balance and collapse onto its side.
"Good job!" Amber yelled. "Now use Confusion!"
"Like that's gonna happen!" Pepper yelled. "Camerupt, use Heat Wave!"
"Strike that order." Amber stated. "Golduck, use Confusion to lift yourself out of the way! Loudred, use Bulldoze!"
In a flash, both of Amber's Pokemon did as ordered, with Zebstrika crying out in pain as it received the full force of the Bulldoze attack.
The sight of the sheer frustration that was now on Pepper's face was enough to cause Amber to let out a brief chuckle.
"Today's certainly not looking like your lucky day right now. Must have used up all of your luck in defeating my friend Skye!" Amber said.
"Just you wait! I can still turn this around! Zebstrika, I know that you're really hurt right now, but try to do a Flame Charge mixed with Agility one last time!"
"Loudred, block that with Bite!"
"Get back, Zebstrika!"
But it was too late, and Zebstrika found itself trapped in Loudred's mighty jaws!
"Things are really not looking good for Pepper right now!" Sofia announced. "And considering that there's only one minute left..."
"That's it! No guts, no glory! Camerupt, it's time to go out with a bang! Use Lava Plume!" Pepper screamed. Bellowing in determination and fury, Camerupt began charging up another Lava Plume.
"Golduck, defend yourself with Water Gun! Loudred, spit out Zebstrika and assist with Hyper Voice!" Amber screamed. Golduck opened his beak as he charged up his Water Gun attack. Loudred spat out Zebstrika before opening his mouth to charge up his Hyper Voice.
A few seconds later, Golduck spewed out an unexpectedly bigger beam of water from his beak than expected before the Lava Plume finished charging and went off. There was just enough time to notice Golduck's abnormally large Water attack seemingly cut through the Lava Plume heading his way and strike Camerupt before the resulting smoke completely spread out all over the area and obscured the battle from sight entirely!
"Everyone hold your breath!" Sofia announced. "Let's see how things look once the smoke finally clears!"
Eventually, the smoke cleared and it became instantly clear that Zebstrika, Camerupt, and Loudred had all fainted, with only a visibly weary and panting Golduck left standing.
"Times up, everyone!" Sofia announced. "And with only her Golduck still standing, plus a clear lead in points, Amber's the winner!"
Pepper nodded in stoic acceptance as she returned her fallen Pokemon, saying, "I suppose that I had this coming. A little dosage of humility, after my victory against Wallace's daughter."
"At least we both put on a good show for everyone." Amber replied, returning her Pokemon.
Pepper turned and departed from the stage as Amber turned to the loudly applauding audience with a smile on her face before she curtsied.
"Things are certainly looking good for our group of friends so far." said Ashlyn.
"Yeah, they are." I agreed.
... ...
About five minutes later, Adrian and Jude had taken their places on the stage.
"Here's hoping that accept your loss with grace." Jude stated. "Especially after how unexpectedly graceful the daughter of that loathsome washout Harley proved to be when I defeated her."
Adrian let a wide grin come onto his face, but not without a clear look of barely restrained annoyance flashing in his eyes.
Amber sighed in annoyance and said, "Was that comment really necessary?"
"Here's hoping that Christina's sitting next to her mother, or won't take issue with that remark regardless." Ashlyn muttered.
"On my left, we have Adrian." Sofia announced. "And on my right, we have Jude. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Kadabra, Mightyena! Showtime!"
"Muk, Cofagrigus! Our public awaits!"
As the Pokemon all materialized upon being summoned, the other girls and I raised our eyebrows at the sight of Cofagrigus being on Jude's team for the 2nd time in a row today.
"That's certainly...a choice." Ashlyn stated.
"His victory against Christina must have him in a particularly confident mood right now." I muttered.
"Kadabra, ready yourself with Calm Mind! Mightyena, use Scary Face!" Adrian ordered. His Pokemon did as requested, with Kadabra's head becoming encased in white light as he calmed himself down, and both of Jude's Pokemon flinched at the sight of the Scary Face that Mightyena pulled off.
"Letting me off easy on the opening, huh? I'll be nice and let two play at that game! Muk, use Screech! Cofagrigus, use Mean Look!" Jude ordered. In a flash, Cofagrigus let off the same unnerving Mean Look that it had previously used in its battle against Christina.
"Anticipation is certainly building up, everyone!" Sofia announced.
"Kadabra, show Muk who's boss with Psyshock!" Adrian yelled.
"Hurry, Cofagrigus!" Jude yelled. "Block that with Shadow Claw!"
Cofagrigus darted into place just in time to dissipate the Psyshock with a slash of its Shadow Claw.
"Beat that!"
"Oh, I can." Adrian confidently said. "Mightyena, teach Cofagrigus some manners with Bite!" Cofagrigus cried out in pain as it found itself getting caught in Mightyena's jaws.
"Muk, put Mightyena in its place with Sludge Bomb!" Muk opened its gooey jaws and spewed out a volley of brown sludge orbs that splattered against Mightyena, who snarled and released Cofagrigus from his jaws as he jumped back to his starting position, leaving Cofagrigus to hover back to its own starting position.
"It'll take more than that to dampen my spirit!" Adrian yelled. "Kadabra, use Psychic on Muk! Throw it against Cofagrigus!"
"Dirty trick!" Jude yelled. "Cofagrigus, stop that with Shadow Ball!"
But Adrian, as it would turn out, had been expecting Jude to pull off a move like that.
"Mightyena, distract Cofagrigus with Taunt!" Mightyena jumped to turn around, so that his back was towards Cofagrigus, then turned his head to gaze at Cofagrigus with a sly grin while lifting his tail and waving it side-to-side in a mocking wave. Cofagrigus hissed, an outraged look on its face at the Taunt...and then shrieked in surprise and pain as Muk was sent slamming into it, as per Kadabra's use of Psychic!
"And just like that, the ball's back in Adrian's court!" Sofia declared.
"That can easily be remedied!" Jude yelled. "Cofagrigus, be ready to dodge! Muk, use Sludge Wave!" Muk took a deep breath, seemingly causing itself to inflate as nauseatingly dark purple sludge began to form inside its mouth.
"Kadabra, dodge with Teleport!" Adrian yelled. "Mightyena-"
But suddenly, Muk opened its mouth and let the entire gross mess come spewing out in the form of a massive purple wave of dark purple sludge, with Cofagrigus and Kadabra managing to successfully dodge as ordered, but Mightyena snarled in surprise and disgust as it was engulfed in the disgusting mess. Afterwards, Mightyena shook himself to get rid of the sludge that was still on his fur, and Kadabra reappeared from his Teleport.
"Kadabra, retaliate against Muk with Psyshock!" Adrian cried.
"Seriously?" Jude asked in an almost bored fashion. "This again? Cofagrigus, defend Muk with Shadow Ball!"
"Now, Mightyena! Fire off a Snarl at Cofagrigus!"
"Change of plans! Fire your Shadow Ball at Mightyena!"
Cofagrigus and Mightyena fired off their respective orbs of shadow energy and both moves collided above the center of the stage, pushing back and forth against each other in a duel for dominance.
"Keep your eyes peeled, everyone!" Sofia stated. "Things are really looking good right now!"
Adrian chuckled and said, "All things considered, you're only delaying the inevitable."
Jude snorted and replied, "Surely you now better than to count your Torchics before they-"
A sudden frustrated moan from Cofagrigus caused Jude to look back just in time for Mightyena's Dark attack to overpower Cofagrigus's Ghost attack and sent it flying back at Cofagrigus, with the resulting explosion of combined Ghost and Dark energy sending Cofagrigus flying back, right into the arena wall, directly behind Jude.
"Oh!" Sofia yelled. "That's probably gonna leave a mark!"
"In more ways than one." I said as I took note of the large dent that had been formed in the wall that Cofagrigus had just crashed into.
Eventually, Cofagrigus let out a low moan of pain and peeled itself away from the wall. It was slowly moving and loudly gasping from pain and exhaustion.
"That must have really taken a lot out of Cofagrigus." Amber stated.
"It makes you wonder if Jude even had the sense to give it a potion or two to revitalize Cofagrigus during the break, after its first battle." Ashlyn noted. "I mean, considering how Cofagrigus had to sacrifice exactly half its energy for the sake of that Curse attack..."
But at that moment, Jude swiftly proved just how aware he was of his current odds of victory not looking promising.
"Alright, no more messing around!" he yelled. "Muk, use Sludge Bomb on Mightyena!" Muk started spewing out another volley of brown sludge globs.
"Kadabra, block that with Psychic and send that attack right back at Cofagrigus!" Adrian yelled.
"Cofagrigus, block that with Shadow Claw!"
Cofagrigus managed to use Shadow Claw to harmlessly dissipate the first of the Sludge Bomb shots, but the rest of the Sludge Bomb shots struck it right in its face and chest.
"Mightyena, finish Cofagrigus with Snarl!"
"Dodge that!"
But sadly, in Cofagrigus's current exhausted state, it was unable to dodge, and that was all that Mightyena needed for his Snarl attack to successfully slam into Cofagrigus at full force. Within seconds after Cofagrigus had skidded to a landing near Jude's feet, one look at Cofagrigus's face was all that we needed to see.
"Cofagrigus is unable to battle!" Sofia announced. "And with just two minutes left on the clock!"
Jude growled irritably, but not without a brief flash of embarrassed regret showing up in his eyes, as if realizing how using Cofagrigus twice in a row and potentially without even healing it in between the two rounds for today may not have been his wisest choice to make.
"Muk, use Sludge Wave!"
"Mightyena, Kadabra, block that with Snarl and Psyshock!"
Mightyena and Kadabra began preparing their respective attacks. Eventually, all three Pokemon launched their attacks and all three attacks collided together in the center of the battlefield.
"This could be a real showstopper, everyone!" Sofia announced in clear excitement.
"Come on, come on, come on!" Jude grumbled as he watched to see if Muk would be able to successfully get its Sludge Wave to power through the combined Snarl and Psyshock.
But ultimately, the type advantage of Psychic attacks against Poison attacks was enough to allow Kadabra's Psyshock to soon start pushing back against the Sludge Wave, with the added assistance of Mightyena's Snarl hastening it. And before long, Muk found itself engulfed in a mixture of all three of the attacks.
Miraculously, when it all finally receded, Muk still hadn't fainted. But judging by how visibly exhausted and battered it was starting to look, things were looking very promising for Adrian.
"Time for the grand finale, everyone!" Adrian yelled. "Kadabra, lift Muk up with Psychic and then slam it back down!" Kadabra proceeded to do as ordered, with Muk letting out a surprised bellow.
All eyes directed a brief glance at Jude, who had his teeth gritted and a frantic look in his eyes as he desperately tried to figure out something that he could do to turn things around.
"As my girlfriend said not too long ago," Adrian stated, "A wise one always knows when they've been beaten."
Jude sighed and nodded his head in stoic acceptance, admitting, "You win."
And so, Muk was slammed down onto the arena floor with Psychic, ending the match.
"Muk is unable to battle!" Sofia yelled. "And with thirty seconds to spare and a clear lead in points for good measure, Adrian is the winner, everyone!"
The audience burst into applause as Adrian and Jude returned their Pokemon, with the latter turning and departing stoically from the stage as Adrian smiled and waved at the audience.
We all couldn't help but smile. All things considered, we'd all done pretty well. And while April, Skye, and Christina were now no longer in the running, they'd at least have nothing but good friends to cheer for in the audience tomorrow.
A few minutes later, Adrian strolled confidently back into the waiting area, a triumphant smile on his face.
"Well, that certainly went well." he stated.
"You can say that again." I agreed. "Here's to having a nice long break for the rest of today before the semifinals tomorrow."
Sofia's then announced, "And now for a quick peek at who will be battling each other in the semifinals tomorrow, before we adjourn for today!"
In a flash, we all looked back to the screen to see our pictures. I'd be battling Ashlyn and Amber would be battling Adrian.
"Definitely at the point of no return now." Adrian stated.
"That's one way to put it." Ashlyn agreed.
"Fortunately, we'll have the rest of today to relax and enjoy ourselves with April, Skye, and Christina, not to mention with Jason and Adam, before we battle each other tomorrow." Amber said. "And on that note, we should probably get changed back into our usual clothes."
It was at that moment that I remembered something, and that this was probably a particularly good time to talk to Amber about it.
"You and Ashlyn can go ahead and start changing, Adrian." I said before looking to a confused-looking Amber. "There's something that I'd like to talk to Amber in private."
Amber's eyes widened as she mentally connected the dots and nodded her head.
Adrian raised his eyebrow in confusion, saying, "Um...okay?"
Ashlyn, however, nodded her head as if swiftly understanding what I was getting at and said, "No problem. Come on, let's give them their privacy."
"If you say so." Adrian said, still looking mildly confused before he and Ashlyn departed to the changing rooms, leaving Amber and I alone together.
"Well," Amber said, "We're nearing the home stretch."
"Got that right." I stated. "If we both win tomorrow, we'll be facing off in the finals, and I'm sure that I don't need to remind you about what sort of unofficial prize we agreed upon for whichever one of us wins the Ribbon Cup and becomes a Top Coordinator?"
"Oh, I certainly haven't forgotten." Amber stated, nodding her head. "I'll admit, tomorrow's battle is already starting to feel a lot more...high stakes, compared to the other times we've faced off in a contest."
"No kidding. Well, may the best girl win."
"Indeed."
Amber then took a deep breath, exhaling heavily, her teeth gritting as if she was about to say something that she really didn't want to say.
"If you win, you'd better take good care of Adam." Amber admitted in a melancholic and reluctantly accepting tone of voice. "I may have known him longer than you and have been in love with him longer than you, but I'm willing to step aside if you're ultimately the one that he wants, painful as that may be for me to consider."
I couldn't help but let a brief flash of guilt come onto my face. In moments like this, it was all too clear just how much Amber truly loved Adam. It was almost enough to make me think that it was unfair that I'd ended up falling in love with him as well. Almost.
But then Amber lifted her head to face me again with a firm, but not entirely unkind look on her face.
"But know this." she stated, her voice leaving no room for argument. "Break his heart...and I can assure you that you'll regret it."
I gulped, a nervous chuckle starting to escape from me as I immediately realized exactly what to expect from Amber in the event I won Adam's heart and subsequently ended up breaking it in the future.
"Eh-heh-heh... Right back at you." I nervously replied.
Author's Note: Only four coordinators remain in the Grand Festival: Megan, Amber, Ashlyn, and Adrian. But only one can win the Ribbon Cup.
Which one will become a Top Coordinator? Find out as the Grand Festival comes to its epic conclusion in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!