The 4 Coordinators moved to the back room after seeing the matchups. They figured they could all talk a little while Vivian was hyping them up. They had to admit that, as the master of ceremonies, she was really good at her job. They weren't even out yet, and they could already hear the crowd cheering for them.
May looked over at the bracket before letting out a small laugh.
"...Well, guess I'm fighting the loud one."
Across the room, Chaz suddenly gasped dramatically before pointing at himself.
"Loud!? Me!?" he asked, placing a hand over his chest in fake offense, "I am deeply wounded! I am merely expressing my naturally overwhelming a-a-a-a-awesome charisma!"
Macherie, beside him, nodded proudly, "Machoke!"
May couldn't help smiling, "...Yeah, that."
Chaz suddenly rushed over, stopping only a foot away from her, "You know what this means!"
May blinked, "That one of us is getting eliminated?"
"NO!"
He pointed dramatically toward the ceiling, "It means destiny has chosen us for the greatest Contest Battle ever witnessed by mankind!"
"..."
"..."
May slowly looked over at Drew, "...Was he always like this?"
Drew sighed, "Unfortunately."
"I heard that!" Chaz shouted.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Solidad walked over to Lisia, "I've wanted this battle for a long time."
Lisia smiled brightly, "So have I."
That was it. No more words needed to be said between them.
Vivian's voice echoed through the speakers again, "Coordinators! The semifinal matches will begin in ten minutes! Please make your final preparations!"
Immediately, everyone split up.
Chaz crouched down in front of Macherie, "Ready?"
"Macho!" Macherie nodded, raising her hands.
"You know..." He smiled, and his voice dropped into something that could almost be described as normal, "Let's make this fun."
She smiled, "Sure, but don't expect me to go easy on you."
"I WOULD BE INSULTED IF YOU DID!" Chaz said, immediately going back to his usual volume.
As they reached the tunnel leading to the stadium, the noise of the audience grew louder with every step.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, our first semifinal battle!" Vivian announced.
May took a slow breath. This was it, only one more win stood between her and the finals.
Beside her, Chaz wasn't nervous in the slightest. Instead, he was bouncing on the balls of his feet, "Ohhh, listen to that crowd!"
"They're ready!"
"I'm ready!"
"Macherie's ready!"
He suddenly leaned toward the Poké Ball on his belt, "...You're ready, right?" The ball gave a small wiggle.
Chaz threw both hands into the air, "SHE'S READY!"
May chuckled as she walked to her position, and Chaz did the same on the opposite side of the field. Both of them grabbed a Poké Ball.
Vivian didn't bother with the introductions, everyone already knew who they were, "So, it's time to get into the battle!"
As Vivian announced it, Chaz threw out Macherie, and May quickly grabbed one Poké Ball in particular and threw it out. As it hit the ground, out came her Gardevoir.
She did have months to train, so during that time she managed to evolve Gardevoir, and now it was her time to shine, especially since she had a little necklace with a stone around her neck, but that's for later.
The battle began, and Chaz made the first move, "Macherie! Charge in with [Bullet Punch]!"
Macherie exploded forward, her fists becoming silver blurs as she rocketed across the field.
May didn't panic, "Gardevoir, [Teleport]."
She took a page out of Ash's fighting style, and as Macherie rushed in, she teleported out of the way. She reappeared several feet away, her dress fluttering gently as if she hadn't moved at all.
May smiled, "Now [Dazzling Gleam]."
A brilliant burst of rainbow-colored light exploded from Gardevoir, flooding the battlefield. Macherie threw an arm over her eyes, but she still took the full force of the attack.
"Ha, not bad, but still no match for the great Chaz!" Chaz suddenly snapped his fingers, "Macherie! Time to show them what we've been practicing! [Bullet Punch] into [Mach Punch]!"
Macherie immediately took off, dashing forward, but as another [Dazzling Gleam] was fired, she changed direction mid-run, zigzagging back and forth, creating afterimages that the attack struck harmlessly.
May reacted immediately, "Quick, [Psychic]!"
A wave of blue energy crashed into Macherie, but instead of stopping, she punched straight through it.
"What!?" May gasped.
Chaz grinned, "Never underestimate Macherie!"
Macherie's fist slammed into Gardevoir's stomach so hard that the impact sent Gardevoir skidding several meters across the battlefield.
Gardevoir tried standing up, but Macherie slammed her hands into the ground and pulled out a large chunk of the battlefield, raising it above her head.
Chaz flicked his hair, "Now [Fling]!"
The piece of rock became covered in Dark-type energy, and Macherie hurled it directly at Gardevoir.
But May stood tall and reached into her pocket, "Alright then, time to put on a show, Gardevoir."
She pulled out her Keystone. No, she didn't have a bracelet or charm for it yet, but that didn't matter, "Now, Mega Evolve!"
The Keystone in May's hand burst into light, and the stone in Gardevoir's necklace began shining as well, causing her entire body to glow.
Then, as the giant piece of earth came hurtling toward her, Gardevoir released a burst of psychic energy and sliced straight through it. First in half, then into multiple pieces.
As the shattered rock fell away, everyone finally got a clear look at her. Standing at the center of it all was Mega Gardevoir.
May smiled as the crowd erupted into cheers. Then she looked back at Chaz and Macherie, "Come on, let's finish this and give them a real show!"
And to Chaz's credit, he was grinning from ear to ear, "That's what I love to hear! Let us show them our awesome power!"
Chaz shot his arm forward, "Macherie! [Stone Edge]!"
Macherie slammed both fists into the ground. Jagged pillars of rock erupted upward in a wide circle around Mega Gardevoir, trying to trap her before she could move.
May didn't hesitate, "Gardevoir, rise above it with [Psychic]!"
Blue energy wrapped around Gardevoir's body and lifted her smoothly into the air just as the spikes burst beneath her feet.
"Now spin and use [Mystical Fire]!"
Gardevoir twirled gracefully in midair, releasing a ring of pink flames that spiraled outward like flower petals. The fire washed over the battlefield, lighting the stone pillars from every angle.
Chaz thrust an arm forward, "Macherie, jump through it!"
Before anyone could protest, Macherie charged straight into the curtain of pink fire. The flames exploded around her, but she burst out the other side with her fists glowing silver once again.
"She went through it!?" May blurted out.
"Yes, she did." Chaz flicked his hair again, "Now [Thunder Punch]!"
Electricity crackled around Macherie's fist as she leapt upward toward Gardevoir.
May quickly countered, "Gardevoir, [Teleport]!"
Mega Gardevoir vanished a split second before the punch connected. Macherie crashed through one of the remaining stone pillars instead, shattering it into glittering fragments that rained across the field.
Gardevoir reappeared behind her, "Now! [Moonblast]!"
A sphere of pale lunar light formed between Gardevoir's hands and fired point-blank into Macherie's back. The explosion sent the Machoke tumbling across the battlefield.
But she caught herself by digging her fingers into the ground.
Chaz smiled and pointed forward, "Let's end this now! [Close Combat]!"
Macherie exploded forward faster than before, the ground cracking beneath each step. In an instant, she was in front of Gardevoir, launching a furious barrage of punches and kicks.
Gardevoir blocked the first strike with [Psychic], dodged the second with a short [Teleport], but the third punch clipped her shoulder and sent sparks of psychic energy scattering through the air.
"Hold on!" May shouted.
"Don't stop!" Chaz yelled back.
The exchange became a blur, silver fists, flashes of blue psychic power, pink sparks from Mega Gardevoir's dress, and chunks of the battlefield flying everywhere.
But then May suddenly saw an opening, "Gardevoir, now! [Psychic], full power!"
A massive wave of psychic energy erupted outward. Macherie tried to punch through it again, but after all the damage she had taken, her charge slowed for just a moment.
That moment was enough.
The wave struck her head-on and launched Macherie backward across the field. She rolled across the ground until she finally came to a stop, no longer moving.
She was knocked out and the buzzer rang out.
Vivian finally found her voice, "Macherie is unable to battle! The winner is May and Gardevoir!"
The stadium exploded into cheers, while May let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face.
She really did it, across the field, Chaz stared at Macherie for a long moment before smiling softly, "You did great. Get the rest you need."
He returned Macherie to her Poké Ball and took a deep breath. His smile never faded as he turned and walked back toward the waiting room to grab something before talking to May there.
Meanwhile, May followed not too long after. She was still processing this, she really made it to the finals. She had a chance. But then, when she got there, Lisia came to mind, not because of anything special, but because she literally ran up to her and pulled May into a hug.
"May, you did it! It was incredible!" Lisia said with a big smile, "I knew you had what it takes. Now I've got to win too. If you and I appear in a Contest Spectacular together, the fans will love it. Most importantly, it will be really, really, really fun!"
Solidad, meanwhile, walked in from behind and cleared her throat, "You know, you'll still have to beat me if you want to face May, and I don't plan to lose either."
Lisia waved her hand, "Details, details, but you're right, Solidad. Good luck, and no holding back! Let's both give it our all!"
Solidad smiled softly, "Good luck to you too."
Then they heard Vivian call for them, making Lisia sigh, "Okay, May, I'd like to talk some more, but we have a show to do!"
Solidad also nodded, and together they walked out toward the stage.
May gave a helpless smile. She always forgot how bubbly Lisia was, and she wondered if she could really win. I mean, it was a genuine question. She really didn't know, especially compared to Lisia.
But before she could dwell on that, she slapped her own cheeks.
No. She was not doing that again. That's how she got in her own head last time, and she was past that. She was not going through all that again.
As she gathered her thoughts and Vivian began announcing Lisia and Solidad, Chaz walked back in. When he saw her, he cleared his throat, "May, can I talk to you?"
He was speaking in a normal voice now, not the loud, exaggerated one he had used before, and Macherie, now awake, stood behind him holding a small box.
Yeah, Chaz could talk normally. It was just that when he was performing, he put on the exaggerated voice to make himself stand out. Normally, he talked like any other person, and right now he wanted to tell May something.
"Um, sure. What is it, Chaz?" May asked, a little taken aback, though she still wanted to be nice.
Chaz scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "...Um...this is kinda embarrassing...Can you beat Lisia?"
May was caught completely off guard, "...What?"
Chaz let out a small laugh, though there wasn't much humor in it, "I know, weird question coming from the guy you literally just beat."
He shoved both hands into his pockets, "But...I mean it."
Macherie quietly walked beside him, carrying the small wooden box in both hands without saying a word.
Chaz looked toward the stadium entrance, "...Lisia's spending all her time practicing moves with Ali lately."
"She's waiting for more people to get to her level, and she said she's waiting for you to become a real Contest star," he continued, "She says she wants to become better than ever so she can do her best performance together with you."
His smile became softer, "That's why she's trying so hard. She's practically never here anymore."
He looked down, "But...when she's practicing, she looks happy. A different kind of happy."
"I guess..." He rubbed the back of his neck, "...I guess she wants to show you something that'll knock your socks off."
Chaz sighed, "Lisia...she's been waiting for someone to stand toe-to-toe with her, and I think you can be that person. I know Lisia always smiles, but under all that, I can tell she's lonely at the top. That's why she spends less and less time doing Contests."
"But when you started, Lisia got excited again and started training again. Sometimes I even saw her watching your Contests, and when she did, she got all excited."
Chaz continued quietly, "Honestly...I really wanted it to be me, but I know I can't stand toe-to-toe with her." He scratched the back of his head, "I said I'm her best rival for life, and I stand by it, but I also know she's better than me...FOR NOW!" Chaz said that last part in the tone May was used to.
But then he looked down at May and smiled, "But that doesn't mean I don't have a part to play too, and you do as well. So, um...you know...just take this and give it your all. Macherie, could you open the box?"
Macherie walked up and opened the box, and inside it was a small charm. On the charm itself was a round hole that looked suspiciously like it could hold a Keystone.
As May took it, Chaz scratched the back of his head one more time, "Lisia's not the type to care about beating somebody else or whatever...The point is that the Contest lets you show off how fantastic your Pokémon are...Guess I'm saying...well...I'm behind you, too."
Macherie nodded and pumped her hands, "Cham cham!"
May smiled and held the charm tightly, "Okay, I'll beat Lisia. It's a promise."
—
Meanwhile, back on the field, the battle had been going on. Lisia had Ali the Altaria out, while Solidad had her Slowbro.
And for a bit, the battle looked evenly matched, with Ali and Slowbro having gone a few rounds.
Lisia, meanwhile, was just smiling like usual, clapping her hands happily, "Haha, wow, you're really good, Solidad!"
Solidad smiled back, though unlike Lisia, she stayed perfectly composed, "I could say the same thing."
"This is exactly why I love Contests," Lisia said with a smile, "So, I think it's time me and Ali show you what we can really do!" She pulled out her charm, and on it everyone saw a Keystone.
"Alright, I haven't used this in a while, but let's shine brighter than ever, Ali!" Lisia said as she pressed on the charm, "Mega Evolve!"
Ali burst into light and grew. His feathers expanded and became fluffier as he transformed into Mega Altaria.
Even Solidad blinked in surprise.
Lisia giggled, "I know, right? Ali worked really hard! I haven't gotten to use this in so long!"
Ali twirled happily through the air before settling in front of Lisia, fluffing up his now cloud-like wings.
Then Solidad smiled, "I've been looking forward to seeing it." She pointed forward, "Slowbro, [Psychic]!"
Slowbro's eyes flashed bright purple. Chunks of the shattered battlefield ripped free and shot toward Ali from every direction.
"Let's spin!" Lisia answered.
Ali folded one wing before spinning gracefully through the air.
Rather than simply dodging, Ali weaved between every floating boulder, and when he got high enough, he spread his wings, fluttering as Lisia continued.
"[Hyper Voice]!"
Ali let out a powerful screech directly at Slowbro, hitting it head-on and forcing Slowbro to grab its ears in pain.
Solidad adjusted a strand of hair behind her ear, "I expected as much. Slowbro, [Ice Beam]."
"No you don't, Ali!" Lisia responded.
And Ali already knew. As the beam came at him, he flapped his wings and shot out [Cotton Spore]. The balls of cotton hit the beam, and they were what ended up getting frozen.
As the frozen balls of cotton fell, Ali followed them, descending back to the ground for Lisia's next command, "[Dragon Pulse]!"
Ali took a deep breath and unleashed a spiraling blast of purple dragon energy around Slowbro, leaving it no room to dodge or counter without getting hit. Slowbro tried putting it out with [Water Gun].
But Lisia smiled and gave a small twirl, "It was a great show, but all good things must come to an end. Ali, [Hyper Voice]!"
Ali flew upward and gathered all of his energy before unleashing one final screech directly at Slowbro, hitting the Water-type head-on. It couldn't even try to move. Slowbro was launched backward and landed on its stomach with spirals in its eyes.
Vivian rushed in, "And that's it, folks! The winner is Lisia and Ali, meaning your final battle is going to be May vs. Lisia! I can hardly wait!"
Lisia jumped up in celebration as Ali flew over and nuzzled her happily. Meanwhile, Solidad returned Slowbro to its Poké Ball and walked up to Lisia.
"That was a great battle," Solidad said, stopping in front of her.
Lisia smiled and let go of Ali, "It was! I hope you had as much fun as I did. That's what Contests are all about!"
As the crowd cheered for them both, Vivian cut in, "Let's give our competitors some time to rest and recover. Then we'll all come back and watch the finals of this year's Hoenn Grand Festival!"
–
May sat in the waiting room with the charm Chaz had given her. She put it on and even placed her Keystone into it. Meanwhile, in her other hand, she held her phone and read through her messages.
She could see everyone congratulating her. She had really made it to the finals, and when she opened Ash's message, she saw a picture of all of them cheering for her with a message at the bottom that read, 'Do your best, May. You're already our superstar!'
May smiled as she read it, but then she heard footsteps. She looked back and saw Lisia come in after getting Ali healed up. Lisia smiled and ran over to her.
"May! Looks like we're both the finalists!"
May smiled, "Yeah, looks like it. But I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."
"Don't say nonsense. If I didn't find you that day, you'd have been fine, but I'm glad I did. I knew there was something special when I met you!" Lisia said happily.
"Haha, thanks." May scratched the back of her head, "Even if it took me a bit to realize it myself, I'm glad we're here."
"Totally! And now we get to compete on equal grounds!" Lisia said happily, "I just know we're gonna give everyone a show they'll never forget!"
Lisia stood excitedly and put her hands on her hips, pointing at May.
"So, May, let's promise: no holding back from either of us. I'm gonna give it all I've got, and I want you to do the same!"
May blinked, but slowly a smile spread across her face, and she nodded, "Okay, I'm going to give it all I've got, and I WILL win."
Lisia laughed and clapped her hands, "That's what I love to hear, but I won't make it easy!"
Then they heard Vivian call for them, and together they walked out onto the field. As they did, they heard the crowd chanting for them. Granted, most of them were chanting for Lisia, but at this point May had quite a few fans of her own.
"Everyone, the time has come for this year's very magical Hoenn Region Grand Festival to finally reach its final battle, between contestant May and our very own Lisia! Who will win the Ribbon Cup this year and write their name into the annals of history by becoming a Top Coordinator?"
"It's finally here! Now let the battle begin!" Vivian announced happily.
Immediately, Lisia threw out Ali, and May, of course, brought out none other than Blaziken. Lisia smiled and, on frame one, pressed the Keystone in her tiara, Mega Evolving Ali.
Everyone expected it, but they still cheered. May looked at her charm and Keystone and took a deep breath.
"Okay, Blaziken, let's do this." She pressed the stone, and it began to glow, "Mega Evolve!"
Blaziken burst into light as the flames along her arms burned brighter into ribbon-like streams. Her hair grew longer, and she became taller until the light finally faded, revealing Mega Blaziken standing proudly on the field.
Lisia pointed first, "Ali! [Dragon Dance]!"
Ali soared gracefully into the air, circling the battlefield in elegant loops. With every turn, shimmering blue light wrapped around her body as her movements became faster and more fluid.
May smiled, "Blaziken, [Flame Charge]!"
Blaziken exploded forward. Fire burst beneath her feet, leaving a blazing trail across the battlefield as she accelerated.
Ali suddenly folded her wings.
"Now!" Lisia called, "[Moonblast]!"
A sphere of silver-white light formed between Ali's wings before launching downward.
May reacted instantly, "Jump!"
Blaziken kicked off the ground. The Moonblast exploded beneath her feet, showering the stadium in sparkling light as Blaziken flipped through the air.
"And now!" May continued, "[Blaze Kick]!"
Blaziken's right leg ignited with brilliant fire as she came crashing down toward Ali.
Lisia wasn't worried, "Meet her with [Dragon Pulse]!"
Ali opened her beak, and a spiraling beam of draconic energy shot upward.
The two attacks collided, and fire and dragon energy burst apart into thousands of glowing embers that drifted across the stadium like fireworks.
Both of them were blown backward by the explosion, but Blaziken had gained the Speed boost from [Flame Charge] and was now at +2 Speed.
"Don't stop! [Quick Attack]!" May continued.
Blaziken vanished.
Lisia blinked, "So fast!"
An instant later, Blaziken appeared underneath Ali and drove upward with an uppercut, launching Ali high into the sky.
Lisia smiled, then clapped happily, "Ali! [Hyper Voice]!"
Ali spread her cloud-like wings wide and let out a powerful cry.
The sound waves rippled through the air like visible rings, crashing into Blaziken before she could land properly.
"Blaze!" Blaziken cried out as she was blasted backward, skidding across the battlefield.
The audience erupted into applause.
May narrowed her eyes, but she stayed calm, "Get back up."
Blaziken pushed herself to her feet, rolling one shoulder before settling back into her stance.
Lisia smiled warmly, "You're really fast! But Ali's been practicing against fast Pokémon too!"
"Then let's see who's practiced more," May answered.
Lisia spun on one foot, "Ali! [Dragon Pulse]!"
Ali inhaled before firing another twisting beam of violet energy.
May answered immediately, "Dodge with [Flame Charge]!"
Blaziken exploded sideways in a burst of fire, barely avoiding the blast as it carved a trench through the battlefield.
"Again!" Lisia called.
Ali fired another.
Then another.
Then another.
Each [Dragon Pulse] forced Blaziken to keep moving, leaving burning footprints across the stadium while purple explosions erupted behind her. She was fast enough to dodge them, but as the draconic flames spread, she had less and less room to move.
And that's just what Lisia was waiting for, "Ali! Cut her off and [Play Rough]!"
Ali folded one wing and dived, slamming shoulder-first into Blaziken before she could react. The impact launched Blaziken across the field. She bounced once before digging both feet into the ground.
But Lisia wasn't done, "Now finish her with [Moonblast]!"
Small spheres of Fairy energy scattered everywhere before detonating around Blaziken one after another, covering May's side of the field with black smoke from the impacts.
Everyone began cheering and muttering, thinking that was it. Vivian was already waiting for the judges to make the call so she could announce the winner. Raoul was about to make his decision, but Juan raised his hand slightly, stopping him.
"Now, now, let's not be too hasty. I think there is more to see," he said, resting his hand as he looked toward May's side of the battlefield. In his mind, he thought, When is she going to use that? The power I saw on the island when I trained her.
Meanwhile, May looked at the cloud of smoke, and she couldn't even tell if Blaziken was still standing. She was taking a long time to come out of it. For a moment, May thought this was over. She closed her eyes, looked down, and clenched her fists.
But then she thought back to what she had done over the break and something interesting that had happened.
–
Around February, when May was training on her own since Ash had said he was busy that day, she had just finished for the day and went back home. Norman was out of the house, and Caroline had taken Max shopping that day, so she had the house all to herself.
She got herself a drink, but as she took a sip, she heard a knock at the door. She looked confused. She wasn't expecting anyone, but she went to answer it anyway.
When she opened the door, she saw someone she wasn't expecting. It was Spencer, with his cane and everything. He looked at May and smiled softly, "It's good to see you, May, may I come in?"
Of course, May still remembered Spencer. I mean, they had gone through that whole thing at the Battle Palace together. It was one of the experiences that had actually helped her, so she nodded and let Spencer come in. Then she quickly made him some tea, which he accepted gratefully.
"So, why did you come visit, Mr. Spencer?" May asked, sitting across from him.
"I came to talk to you about what happened, or more accurately, the part you had to play with Kyogre," Spencer said calmly, and that almost made May drop her cup.
"I...what about it?"
"I would have asked before, but back then we had too much work to do. I have some free time now, though. As for what specifically...well, you touched the Blue Orb, didn't you?" Spencer asked.
"How did you know?" May asked.
But instead of answering immediately, Spencer said, "You know, remember when I said you had something...something familiar, but I couldn't tell what? I finally understood it when I saw you again."
Spencer raised his hand, and on the back of it, the blue Alpha symbol appeared. Then, on May's hand, the same symbol appeared there too.
"What? B-but I asked Ash to remove it," May said, referring to when she and Brendan had the Red and Blue Orbs removed from their bodies, "And how do you have it too?"
Spencer lowered his hand, "I apologize for alarming you, but allow me to tell you a story. In my youth, I saw the Red and Blue Orbs, and, tempted by their power, I touched the Blue Orb. But that caused me to almost lose control. Ever since then, I have trained my spirit to its peak so that it would never happen again."
Then he pointed at May, "You, however...I see that you have a gift. You could not only handle the power, but you could control it too. And if I am right, since you still have it, I think you retained some of Kyogre's power, and your friend Brendan might have done the same with Groudon's. Though I cannot help much with that, what I can do is help you train to control your new gift."
Then Spencer held out his old hand, "So, do you accept? Would you like to learn how to properly use it?" After thinking about it, May slowly took it.
—
{Back to the present}
May took a breath, no, this wasn't the end. She had trained too hard for this to end here.
She slowly looked back up, and this time her eyes were glowing blue. It was a good thing she was wearing gloves too; otherwise, people would have seen that the Alpha symbol had reappeared on the back of her hand.
At the same time, Blaziken kicked the ground so hard that the wind pressure caught the smoke and blew it away, revealing that she was still standing. Not only that, but her eyes had begun glowing blue as well.
No one really paid attention to that right now other than Ash and Brendan, but everyone else was shocked and excited to see that the battle would continue.
Lisia's eyes sparkled, "There you are! Ali, [Dragon Rush]!"
Ali dove once again as blue dragon energy surrounded him, turning him into a living comet.
May raised her hand and finally shouted, "[Blaze Kick]!"
Blaziken launched herself forward, igniting her foot, and delivered a kick so powerful that it knocked Ali straight out of [Dragon Rush].
As Ali tried to recover, but it was too late now. At this point, Blaziken was at +6 Speed. She flickered from sight, then appeared directly beneath Ali and leaped upward, delivering another blazing kick into his back that sent him flying.
She moved quickly across the ground and jumped, appearing above Ali this time. Raising her foot as high as she could, she brought it down like a flaming sledgehammer, knocking the air out of Ali's lungs as he was sent shooting into the ground like a bullet so hard that he was knocked out of his Mega form.
But before Ali could get up, Blaziken came down and stomped onto him, pushing him deeper into the ground until finally Ali stopped resisting, spirals appearing in his eyes.
May was breathing hard as her eyes slowly flickered back to normal. Everyone was silent. No one had expected what had just happened.
But the first one to clap was none other than Lisia, "Tee hee...I lost! Incredible!" Lisia said happily as she clapped.
Shortly after that, everyone else began clapping too. Even the judges stood up and applauded. That was it, May had won.
"Now I can say it, ladies and gentlemen! This year's Grand Festival is officially over! The winner is our underdog, May! Let's all congratulate her on this very impressive achievement!" Vivian announced the victor of the competition as if she were the one who had won it.
Everyone began cheering loudly and clapping. People even started throwing flowers onto the field that they had brought specifically for this moment.
"You're a force to be reckoned with, May! This marks the final chapter in the brilliant story of May! Let's call it 'A Light That Never Dies! The Glittering Contest Star!'" Lisia said happily, clapping along as well.
And May couldn't believe it, this was really happening.
But before she could even react, Blaziken walked over and picked May up, placing her on her shoulder before raising May's hand high into the air, making May laugh, "We did it! We really did it!"