So with Winter finding a rival for the Hoenn League, it was now time for her to start training her Pokémon and the same thing went for May.

Winter and May were busy for the rest of the month, training their Pokémon for the Hoenn Grand Festival.

During the month some of their pokemon evolved; Winter's Shiny Lairon evolved to S.Aggron and May's Marill evolved into an Azumarill.

Tomo had been training his Pokémon with Winter too and some of his Pokémon evolved too; his Duskull evolved to Dusclops, and his Numel evolved into a Camerupt, a red Pokémon that looked like a camel with two small volcanos on its back. Tomo also trained some of his old Pokémon and his Slugma evolved to Magcargo, Elekid evolved into Electabuzz and finally Shuppet evolved into Banette.

So a lot of things happened during the month especially with the gang Pokémon.

----•••----

Right now the gang was on a luxury cruise ship called the S.S. St Flower and this ship was for contestants of the Hoenn Grand Festival to get to Slateport City.

Winter and May were happy that they were traveling in style, and they were allowed to bring friends with them so Max, Tomo and Brock were happy to be on the ship too.

This ship had everything; a Pokémon Centre, a game room, a movie theatre, restaurants and a shopping gallery.

Winter thought that this ship was better than the S.S. Anne ship and May was delighted to be on a luxurious ship for once.

When Winter and May asked Nurse Joy to take care of their Pokémon for the Hoenn Grand Festival, May asked if she had a water stone, she explained that she decided it was now time for her Staryu to evolve to Starmie.

May's and Staryu had become strong over the months and she knew a lot of moves by now, she knew cover, camouflage, double team, swift, bubble beam, gyro ball, ice beam, thunder bolt, power gem, light screen, cosmic power, hydro pump, water pulse, thunder wave and flash cannon.

Nurse Joy handed a water stone to May and she quickly gave it to Staryu at once. Now Starmie now knew confuse ray, shadow ball and psychic.

"I cannot wait to use my Starmie in the Grand Festival." May said excitedly.

----•••----

At that moment Officer Jenny came up to the group.

"Is there something wrong Officer Jenny?" Brock asked.

"Yes there is," Officer Jenny answered, "you see a man who calls himself Brodie the phantom thief has been sighted on this ship."

"Brodie?" Winter thought, "Officer Jenny you don't mean Brodie from Team Magma do you?"

"Yes I do, you see after the arrest of Team Aqua and Magma, Brodie managed to escape and now he's a thief." Officer Jenny explained.

"Since Brodie disguises himself, it won't be that easy to catch him, especially since he disguises himself very cleverly." Brock said, who remembered Brodie.

"I know, but if you kids do manage to see him please tell me at once." Officer Jenny said.

Suddenly Officer Jenny got called on her two way radio, "Officer Jenny speaking." She spoke, speaking into the radio.

The radio spoke out that something had happened in one of the rooms of the ship.

"I'm on my way." Officer Jenny replied.

The gang asked if they could help in anyway.

"You better come with me, since you kids know much about Brodie, I will need your help in case he is here."

Officer Jenny and the gang ran into a room where, to the gang's surprise, Raoul Contesta was.

Raoul explained that the ribbon cup, which was held on display in the room, had been taken and a fake one was in its place.

The ribbon cup was a trophy that would be given to the winner of the Hoenn Grand Festival.

"If we don't get that trophy back, then I'm afraid the Hoenn Grad Festival will be cancelled." Raoul said sadly.

Winter and May were not happy to hear that, especially since they had come too far to enter the Grand Festival.

"We have to do something," May said,  "we can't just let the Grand Festival be cancelled."

"You're right May," Officer Jenny said, "and I have an idea of what to do."

Officer Jenny's plan was they would hold a fake golden PokéBall in the same room, where the fake ribbon cup was, and lure out the thief.

Everyone thought that was a good idea.

So while Officer Jenny planted a gold painted PokéBall in the glass container, the gang went around spreading news of the golden PokéBall.

Then the gang went back to the room and Officer Jenny told everyone to hide and wait to see if Brodie will turn up.

"I'll give the signal when Brodie turns up," Winter said, "I saw right through him the last time we saw him in a disguise."

"That's right, you noticed him when he was disguised as a woman before." Max said remembering the weather institute incident.

"Okay Winter, I'll leave you to point out Brodie." Officer Jenny said.

So Officer Jenny and the gang waited and watched to see if Brodie would enter the room.

So far everything was quiet and Brodie hadn't turned up yet.

People had come in to see the fake golden PokéBall, but none of them was Brodie.

When the room became empty again, a woman in a green dress and a green hat entered the room alone.

Suddenly Winter walked out of her hiding place. "Hi, nice day isn't it?" She asked the woman.

"Yes." The woman replied.

"You know Brodie you should've got a job as a actor or something that involved your disguise." Winter said cheerfully as Pichu released a weak electric attack.

The woman groaned and she revealed herself as Brodie, "I see that you remember me huh girl? Your the one that ruin my plan to get the disc before." He growled.

"Nice to see you again." Winter greeted sarcastically.

Brodie released a Golbat and told it to use haze, which created a thick black smoke that helped, Brodie escape while everyone else was distracted.

"Come on after him quick," Officer Jenny ordered, "I left a tracking device on the fake golden PokéBall, so we shall be able to follow him."

Thanks to Officer Jenny's tracking device, they were able to follow Brodie up to the deck of the ship.

Brodie had the ribbon cup with him and was about to make a getaway, when Officer Jenny and the gang stopped him in his tracks.

"You aren't taking the ribbon cup anywhere." Officer Jenny said.

We'll see about that." Brodie said and he called out his Ditto.

Brodie Ditto looked at Winter and made a angry face, it wanted revenge. Payback how she defeated it quickly.

"Oh boy, that Ditto what's payback on Winter." Tomo sweat dropped.

"Can't blame it, Sky did defeat the Ditto in a second." Brock said.

"So it wants payback huh? Very well." Winter said and released her Marshtomp into battle, "He's your opponent this time."

Ditto of course transformed into Marshtomp.

"Ditto use hydro pump." Brodie said.

"Marshtomp equal it." Winter said, Marshtomp fired a hydro pump attack back two water attacks hit each other but Winter's Marshtomp was strong so the hydro pump hit Ditto, "Mud bomb." Marshtomp quickly fired two mud bomb attack, causing more damage. "Brodie your Ditto gonna have to do better than that."

Marshtomp pumped up, ready to fight some more and suddenly Marshtomp glowed and evolved into a Swampert.

Swampert, the Mud Fish Pokémon.
The evolved form of Marshtomp. It can swim while towing a large ship. It bashes down foes with a swing of its thick arms.

"Okay then, Swampert hammer arm." Winter said.

Before Brodie could do anything, Swampert punched Ditto hard with his hammer arm attack and Ditto turned back to its real form and fainted.

Brodie growled he wasn't happy with that and was about to grab another PokéBall, but then Pachirisu used thunder wave on Brodie, making him paralyzed.

Officer Jenny arrested Brodie at once, "You will be cured of your paralysis after we place you in jail." She said to him.

Raoul Contesta was pleased that the ribbon cup was back safe and sound and he thanked Officer Jenny and the gang, "Now the Hoenn Grand Festival can go on as planned."

Everyone was happy to hear that, especially Winter and May.

So with the ribbon cup back and Brodie arrested, Winter and the gang could finally look forward to the Hoenn Grand Festival.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~•••~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally! And sorry for the wait!!

1. Brodie and Ditto revenge hehehe, which failed.

Next is the Pokémon Hoenn Grand Festival and lots of rivals are there.