Dawn's POV

Crystal walked up onto the field and to her respective side as her opponent went to their's.

"For our first battle, we have Coordinator Crystal versus Coordinator William! Good luck, Coordinators!"

I watched in anticipation in the dressing room. Ash and Serena sat beside me, Ash cheering wildly and Serena cheering as well, though not as crazy.

Crystal released May and Drew from their pokeballs while William released Flygon and Beedrill.

"Alright Drew! Use Aura Sphere and May, use Dual Chop!" Crystal shouted.

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Time Skip cuz I'm lazy...

"And there you have it folks! Coordinator Crystal has successfully won the semifinal match and will be going against Coordinator Ryan! We'll have a five minute break so that our Coordinators can heal their pokemon."

The screen changed to a picture of the Rustboro ribbon. I collapsed in my seat.

"Gosh, That was nerve wrecking..." I muttered.

"Yeah! That part where that Beedrill and Flygon used that combination move really had my fur on end! I never would've imagined that those two could make such an amazing duo. I almost fell off my seat!" Ash said excitedly.

"You don't even look surprised," Serena commented.

"...So, Crystal and the others won't be coming back here?" I asked.

Serena shook her head.

"No. They have to go heal up right now. Crystal's gonna take them to Nurse Joy and then go back on stage. We'll see her after the finals though," Serena answered.

I nodded and looked at the screen.

Five minutes then passed and Vivian appeared on the screen once again.

"Welcome back everyone! We're finally to the climax of the contest! The finals! Whoever has more points on their bar when the timer runs out wins the Rustboro City Contest and the Rustboro Contest Ribbon!" She exclaimed as she held the ribbon high for everyone to see.

The crowd cheered, clapped, and whistled.

"Now let's welcome our Coordinator finalists! Coordinator Ryan and Crystal!"

The crowd cheered louder.

"Good luck and begin!" Vivian finished off as the attention went fully to the two Coordinators.

"On stage!" Crystal shouted as she released May and Drew.

"Let's go!" Ryan called as he released an Ivysaur and Charmeleon.

Before Crystal could call out any moves, Ryan acted.

"Use Leech Seed!"

Ivysaur shot seeds out of the bulb on it's back and they dug into the soil in front of May and Drew. Both didn't react quickly enough and were caught by roots that shot out of the ground. They both let out pained gasps as the move sucked the energy from them. Crystal's point bar decreased 20%.

"And Crystal loses points due to Ivysaur's Leech Seed! How will she get out of this tricky situation? Fifteen seconds have passed!" Vivian announced.

Crystal's face was clouded for a second before becoming determined.

"Alright! Drew, use Focus Blast and May, use Dual Chop on it!" Crystal shouted, gaining some confused mutters from the audience.

Drew and May didn't argue against her. Both of their arms were free enough for them to use the moves. Drew's Focus Blast shot above them, but before it hit the ground, May used Dual Chop and cut up the move. The Focus Blast then exploded and a cloud of dust surrounded them.

When the dust cleared, May and Drew were free of the Leech Seed and some sparkles remained around them.

"Amazing! Lucario and Meinshao freed themselves from the Leech Seed with a combination move! That's gonna cost some points to Ryan! 5:23 now remains on the clock," Vivian commented.

Ryan's points went down 25%.

"Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf and Charmeleon, use Ember!" Ryan shouted.

Both pokemon did as they were told. The sharp leaves started flying towards Drew and May. Then the Ember caught up to the leaves and lit them on fire. Flaming leaves now headed for the fighting types. Both attempted to dodge, but both still got hit. Since the flaming Razor Leaf was not one, but two moves, the damage did twice as much, meaning twice as much points lost.

20% more of Crystal's points were lost.

"And Ryan takes the far lead! Four minutes are left!" Vivian exclaimed.

"Solar Beam! Charmeleon, use Fire Spin to hold them off!" Ryan told his pokemon.

Sparkles started forming around Ivysaur's bulb as it stored energy for the powerful grass type move. Charmeleon shot a tornado of fire towards May and Drew. Both easily dodged.

Ryan lost 15% of his bar.

"Both Coordinators are now even! With three minutes left on the clock, who'll win?!" Vivian shouted dramatically.

"Alright guys! Let's wrap this up! Drew, use Dragon Pulse! May, Stone Edge!" Crystal shouted confidently.

At the same time, Ivysaur's Solar Beam had collected enough energy and was ready to be released. Ryan and his pokemon looked confident.

"Release it, Ivysaur! And Charmeleon, use Fire Spin!" Ryan called.

All pokemon fired their attacks. Drew released a purple beam while May punched the ground and blue translucent pillars of rock shot from it and sped towards the starters. Charmeleon once again opened its mouth to shoot another tornado of fire towards the duo while Ivysaur unleashed the stored solar energy towards them as well.

The flurry of moves passed each other and a huge dust cloud formed around the field. A loud BOOM! was heard and the whole hall was eerily quiet. Anticipation filled the air. Even from the other side of the screen. I stared up at the TV impatiently.

When the dust slowly, yet finally disappeared, the truth was revealed. Vivian shot up, mic in hand and proudly announced the winner.

"And with their points just a sliver higher than the other, the winner has been decided!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"And the victor of the Rustboro City Contest is Coordinator Ryan!"

On the stage laid the two fainted fighting types. My ears flopped down in disappointment but I continued to stare at the screen. Crystal ran up to the both of them and hugged them as they slowly awoke.

Ryan walked across the field, both starters limping behind him, and headed straight for Crystal. He stopped in front of her and held a hand out. He said something to her and she replied back, but you couldn't hear what they were talking about over the roar of the crowd. Crystal took his hand, used it to hoist herself up, and then shook it.

The crowd cheered louder at the sportsmanship.

Vivian then gave medals to the two battlers and two more for the performing pokemon. She then awarded Ryan the contest ribbon and he gladly accepted.

Crystal, May, and Drew had disappeared from the stage and the door to the dressing room flung open. Before we could even see them clearly, we tackled them into hugs. They crashed to the floor with a thud.

"S-Still hurting..." May managed to choke out.

I quickly jumped off of them as Serena and Ash did as well, though Ash had lingered linger and was thrown off by Drew.

"You guys were great!" Ash said happily, ignoring Drew's comment about how heavy he was.

"Yeah! It's a shame that you lost," Serena added.

I nodded in agreement. "That Ryan was tough, but you were really close!"

Crystal giggled. "Thanks guys, but if you're trying to cheer us up, it's fine! We're fine!"

"Yup! It was fun!" May added happily.

Drew nodded. "What matters is that we tried. Besides, there's always the next contest," He shrugged.

May smirked. "Grasshead's got heart."

Drew glared at her. "Well, July's still an airhead!"

I sweat dropped. "Okay, so I get the whole, May's nicknames are different names of the month, but why Grasshead? Drew doesn't even have green hair! Much less fur."

May laughed. "When I first met him, Drew was playing in all the flowers and grasses that pieces of the plants got stuck on his head and the rest of his fur. But there was more on his head, so it was like he had green hair."

"And you were still an airhead back then," Drew said.

Suddenly, they broke out into one of their usual daily fights and we all sweat dropped. I turned to Crystal and saw her smiling.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I hopped up onto her shoulder.

"About the contest? I'm fine," Crystal answered. "There's always something to learn from in a contest. You just se it more once you lose." She said as she turned her head towards me.

"So, you're not upset?" I asked again.

"Upset? Of course I'm upset. But there's always the next contest. And someone else is happy, too," Crystal smiled.

She turned her head to the others and watched them mess about.

"Drew, May, Serena, and Ash all tried their best and were amazing. I can't be mad at them for that."

I smiled and then nuzzled the side of her face.

"Welp. I can't wait until my turn."

Sorry for the later update! My only excuse is that I was too lazy :P Also, look at this, guys!

A new cover for a new story with a new name! This was made by my lovely friend, 8oochims, and I am very grateful because she made all of my covers. Anyways, thanks for reading guys! Please vote, comment, and share! Ciao!

~Crystal

Word Count: 1556

4/11/18