The closing ceremony began. May was put on a pedestal with everyone clapping for her. Juan was the one who stepped up, grabbing the trophy. He walked up to May and handed it to her.
Juan smiled, "You've grown tremendously from when I last saw you."
May felt her eyes sting slightly as she accepted the Ribbon Cup with both hands, "...Thank you."
Juan nodded, "I believe your journey as a Coordinator has only just begun. Wear this victory with pride, but never let it become the destination. Let it be the first step toward an even greater future."
May smiled, "I will."
Juan stepped aside as Vivian nearly skipped onto the stage, microphone in hand.
"And there you have it, everyone! Your newest Hoenn Grand Festival Champion!"
The cheers somehow became even louder.
Confetti cannons erupted all around the arena, showering the stage in ribbons of gold, silver, blue, and pink.
Max was practically vibrating with excitement, "That's my sister!!"
Norman folded his arms, and he smiled under the face mask, "She did it."
Caroline already had tears in her eyes, "I knew she could."
Meanwhile, Lisia leaned toward Solidad.
"I told you she'd do it."
Solidad smiled, "You did."
Lisia folded her hands behind her back, "I'm happy. We all had so much fun!"
Chaz, meanwhile, was nearby. He watched and smiled before pushing himself off the wall, "Well, I'm off."
"Where are you going? There is still a party," Lisia asked.
Chaz waved his hand, "The great Chaz doesn't do parties. Besides, now there is someone else I need to catch up with, so I've got to get my adorable Macherie to train lots. You better be ready, or you'll get left behind too."
Lisia smiled and laughed, "Okay, Chaz. I'll look forward to it!" she said, waving him off as he walked away.
This made Solidad let out a soft breath and shake her head.
"I think I'll be going too, but give May my congrats on my behalf," Solidad said, "I need to start training too. The Ever Grande Conference is coming, and I need to train. I may not have won here, but I won't give up."
Lisia smiled, "Well, good luck there too!" she said, waving excitedly.
Then she waited for May.
Meanwhile, May stood on the platform, still holding up her trophy, while the photographers in front of the stage immediately began shouting.
"Over here!"
"Smile!"
"One more!"
Camera flashes filled the stadium as she smiled as big as she could.
—
By the time May was let out, she walked back into the back room again, a little tired, but she was still happy.
She was about to think about texting her parents and friends to see what the plan was because, let's be honest, they really didn't want to go to the afterparty since May would get crowded immediately.
Besides, her mom's cooking beat any restaurant any day.
But when she stepped inside, Lisia immediately ran up to her and spun around with her, "Hahah, incredible! It's all so cool!" Lisia said happily, "You were the coolest."
"Didn't we already go over this!" May said, getting dizzy as Lisia spun her.
Lisia stopped, making May almost fall over, "I know, but I just had to say it again! Besides, you were really cool!"
May smiled, "And you were cool too. We were cool together."
Lisia looked like she might explode from happiness. Then she got close, grabbing May's hands, "Oh, what if we became an idol duo together!"
May blinked, "...An idol duo?"
"Yeah!" Lisia nodded so fast it looked like she might shake herself over, "Think about it! We'd perform together, travel together, do Contests together, put on shows together! We'd get matching outfits! Ooh, and we'd need a really cute name!"
She suddenly began pacing back and forth, "What about...Team Sparkle?...Hmm, no...The Glitter Girls?...No, that's not it either...Oh! The Shining Duo!"
May couldn't help laughing, "You've really thought about this before, haven't you?"
"A little!" Lisia admitted with a giggle.
"...You've thought about it a lot."
"...Maybe."
The two of them laughed together.
Lisia clasped her hands behind her back, rocking happily on her heels, "I just think it'd be fun."
May looked down at the Ribbon Cup in her hands and thought about everything.
Now that she thought about how she got here, her friends, her Pokémon, the highs and lows, she thought about that version of herself who was stressed about being good enough.
And she smiled.
She looked back up at Lisia, who was smiling at her with those same bright eyes she'd had since the day they first met,
"...I don't know what the future's going to look like," May said, taking a sigh.
"I still have a lot I want to do. I want to keep getting stronger, travel more, meet new Coordinators..." She looked at the trophy again before smiling, "And I want to see just how far I can go."
Lisia nodded enthusiastically, "So..."
May laughed softly, "I can't promise anything right now."
Lisia puffed out her cheeks dramatically, "Aww..."
"But..." May continued, making Lisia perk back up instantly, "...I'll think about it."
For a second, Lisia simply stared. Then her entire face lit up, "Really!?"
May nodded with a laugh, "Really."
"YAAAY!"
Before May knew what was happening, Lisia threw her arms around her in another hug, "I'll make sure you won't regret it!"
"H-Hey!" May laughed as Lisia squeezed tighter, "You're already planning it?"
"Of course!" Lisia beamed, "Now I have to think of a name, matching outfits, songs, performances—"
"And to even see if it's just the 2 of us," May muttered, but she quickly put her hand over her mouth, trying to stop herself from saying that. But it was too late.
Lisia's eyes lit up, "Ohhh, you think there are gonna be other Coordinators that are as good as you and me!"
Lisia looked so excited that May couldn't bring herself to lie to her, "I...um, well, maybe I know a friend that is gonna start soon, and I think she might," she said, mentally apologizing to Dawn.
Lisia stomped her feet excitedly, jumping from one foot to the other, "Ohh, I can't wait! We can be an idol trio! Oh, maybe there will be more! Eeehhh! I can't wait!"
May laughed helplessly, then she smiled down at her trophy, hugging it close to her dress.
She would keep moving forward, no matter where the journey took her. That was one thing she learned from Ash.
—
After May and Lisia parted ways, May heard from her that everyone else had already left, even Drew. He went off with Solidad, probably to prepare for the Grand Festival in Kanto, but she didn't think too much about that.
She used her Gardevoir to teleport away from the building where all the fans and people wanting to interview her were.
She was going to have to get used to that. It was no wonder Ash hated fame like that.
But anyway, she teleported to the park on the other side of town, where her family, Norman, Caroline, Max, and her friends Ash, Brock, Wally, and Brendan were waiting.
Immediately when they saw her, Caroline ran to her and hugged her, "Oh, May, I knew you could do it!"
"M-Mom..." May laughed, returning the hug as carefully as she could while still holding the Ribbon Cup, "I almost dropped it."
Caroline quickly let go, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.
"Oh! Sorry! Sorry!" she laughed through her tears, "I'm just so proud of you."
Max didn't even wait his turn, "SIS!"
He practically tackled her around the waist, "You were AMAZING!"
May laughed, "Glad you enjoyed it."
Norman smiled and clapped as he walked closer. He gave her a hug too, "...Congratulations."
May laughed and hugged him back, "...Thanks, Dad."
Then he pulled back, clearing his throat and totally wasn't crying or holding back those dad tears. Nope.
And Caroline definitely didn't pass him her handkerchief.
Anyway, May looked over at her friends.
Wally clapped his hands happily, "You were incredible out there, May!"
Brendan nodded his head excitedly, "It was great, and I knew you'd win! After everything, this is easy, right?"
May snorted, "I don't know. Saving the world is one thing, but this is another thing alllll together," May said in an exaggerated tone.
That made her and Brendan laugh.
Brock crossed his arms with a grin, "Congratulations, May. You've grown a lot, and that's great to see."
May smiled, "Thanks, Brock. That means a lot."
She scratched her cheek, "I guess I had some pretty good teachers." She said this while looking over at Ash.
Speaking of him, now came the time for Ash.
She looked over at him while Ash smiled back and clapped softly, "May, you did it. I knew you could."
May gulped and put the Ribbon Cup down on the bench, then slowly walked up to Ash and grabbed him into a hug.
Ash blinked for just a second before smiling softly and wrapping one arm around May's shoulders, patting her gently on the back.
"I'm proud of you," he said simply.
May buried her face against his shoulder, laughing quietly as she tried to stop herself from crying.
"Thank you. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."
"No, I know you would. All I did was push what was already there," Ash said, pulling back, "You've always been a star. Now everyone can see that too."
May quickly rubbed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Max was behind the bench rubbing his hands together. He didn't notice Caroline get next to her, rubbing her hands together with him.
When May pulled back, she wiped her eyes, "Okay, well! I'm a Top Coordinator now! I don't know what's next, but I'll come up with it soon!" She said it almost too quickly as she pointed at Ash, Wally, and Brendan,
"You guys are next, right? The Ever Grande Conference is coming up, and if one of you doesn't win, I'll be very disappointed!"
She was mainly saying things to stop the mood from being all about her, because if it was, she knew she would cry a bit.
And by a bit, of course, she meant a lot.
Brendan immediately grinned, "You know it! I already know I'm gonna win it all!" He puffed out his chest.
Ash wasn't going to argue with him, but Max did it for him. He jumped up and stood on his tiptoes, trying to look taller, "No way! Big Bro Ash is gonna win!"
"Oh yeah? I bet I'm a hundred times stronger!" Brendan immediately defended himself.
Max crossed his arms, "No! Big Bro Ash is a thousand times stronger!"
Meanwhile, Ash and Wally stood right there, not participating.
Wally cleared his throat, "I just hope I make it far, but I'm still gonna try to win!"
Wally puffed out his chest and tried to smirk.
Ash snorted and patted his head, "Keep working on it. Try showing more teeth on one side."
Ash demonstrated by smirking, but Pikachu climbed up his shoulder and poked his cheek, demanding food.
And while this happened, Brock was looking at them. He looked at May. She got her dream, and he was happy for her. Then he looked over at Ash, Wally, and Brendan and how they were working hard toward their goals. But then he thought about himself.
After the breeding competition, he really hadn't done much to work toward that. And after everything, he didn't even know if being a Breeder was the right path for him anymore.
That was why it felt like he had gotten stagnant.
In a way, he had. There was no clear path he could take to better himself because his dream...he didn't even know the best way to achieve it, or what his dream really was at this point.
Meanwhile, everyone around him had started moving forward.
He had to truly think about it. He'd take some time, but all he knew was that no matter what, what he really loved was helping Pokémon.
But as he was lost in thought, the silence was finally broken by May's stomach of all things. It grumbled loudly.
May blushed and held her stomach, "Umm...I guess I'm hungrier than I thought. Hehehe."
Everyone froze for exactly one second.
Then Max burst out laughing, "I knew it!" he shouted, pointing dramatically at his sister, "You won the Grand Festival, and the first thing you think of is food. Classic May!"
May's face turned bright red, "H-Hey! Battling for that long is hard work!"
"Sureeeee," Max said with a grin, then hiding behind Ash before May could hit him over the head again.
Caroline chuckled, then smiled, "Oh! Then let's go home! I'll make everyone's favorites!"
Max threw both fists into the air, "YES!"
Brock smiled, "I don't think anyone's going to argue with that."
May looked around at everyone, "...Really? Everyone's coming?"
"Of course," Caroline said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"We have to celebrate our newest Top Coordinator."
Norman nodded, "And especially make sure Ash comes too. I already said he'd have to come too."
May felt a sweat drop fall from her head, "And you ruined it...Why do you guys act like this around Ash? He's MY friend. Even I'm not that excited to see him."
"Can you blame us? He's Ash," Caroline said with pride, like Ash was her son.
Ash muttered under his breath, "I swear every day I get closer to the adoption ending." Vee patted him on the back of the head sympathetically.
Ash decided to change the topic, "Annyyyway, moving on. Shall we all go back to Petalburg? I can get Abby to teleport all of us."
"I think we should. I think I hear people coming here. I don't want to get noticed," May said, putting her hands together.
"I've got no objections," Norman said while everyone else nodded.
So Ash pulled out Abby's Ball, let her out, and they all teleported away to go celebrate together.
—
{With Ashtwo}
D was sitting in the room with Matori, crossing his arms and tapping his foot on the ground, "So, how is the situation?"
Matori didn't look bothered by the fact that D just walked into the room without knocking or asking for an appointment. She simply continued finishing her paperwork.
"We managed to gather information from Sird, but we haven't decided on how much we can trust her words."
Then she leaned back, "As for the others, like that weird B-2 guy...let's not talk about him."
She clearly did not want to even think about him, "The only major development is that Io has decided to join Team Rocket. She is under supervision, and we have gotten as much information as we could out of her."
D nodded, he wasn't surprised. In a way, Io was worse than Sird.
She was from the Phantom Thief Pokémon 7 manga, and in some ways she shared a lot of Sird's personality traits. But the main difference was that Sird might backstab you while looking you in the eyes. Io would backstab you with a glock from 100 feet away.
Even though she had zero loyalty to Team Galactic, it would still be a good thing to keep her under heavy supervision.
But that wasn't D's problem, "Do you mind if I get a copy of the information?" D asked.
Matori didn't even look up from her desk. She slid D a folder, "I figured you'd ask. Here is what we got. It's not much, but it's a start."
D nodded and took it, putting it into his trench coat, then he got to the meat and potatoes of why he was there, "So, I heard that the Boss has given you permission to mobilize the Matori Matrix and move to Sinnoh."
Matori stopped what she was doing and finally looked up at D, "How did you hear about that?"
D didn't answer, he also knew she wasn't really asking that. She was more asking why he was bringing it up, "I'd like to join the mission to go to Sinnoh as well."
Matori stopped and looked at D for a good five seconds. She had to think about it, then she sighed, "You're not gonna give up, are you?"
D shook his head.
She let out another loud sigh, "Fine. I was going to see if I could get more people to join the mission anyway. We'll leave in a week. Get ready and finish any loose ends you have here in Hoenn."
D nodded as he stood, "Thank you."
He turned and walked to the door, then he turned one more time, "I appreciate everything you do."
Then he walked out, leaving Matori in the room. D started walking down the hallway, and he pulled out his phone.
There was a reason he wanted to get to Sinnoh as soon as possible. Because after all this time, he finally got a text from Taka. His good old buddy, old pal Taka.
Ever since D sent him to go off to Sinnoh, he knew from Io and Sird that Team Galactic was fighting against Meteor, so they had been MIA. But today, in the morning, he got a text from Taka. And it said one thing:
—
Scarf: D, I need help!!!!
—
D did try to text back to ask for more details, but he got no response. He frowned as he clenched his hand and put his phone back.
He had to get a rescue mission ready for his buddy. Since he was the one who got him into this, he would be the one to get him out.
But first, he had to make some preparations, to start the raid against Team Galactic. But first, it was time for D to make a call to Anabel.
—
{In the International Police Headquarters}
Anabel walked back into the headquarters finally. She was done with the whole Battle Frontier situation.
Scott was a little sad, but he understood she had things to do. However, he did set up a hologram of her to battle any trainers that came in.
She got inside and immediately looked around, searching for Looker.
She adjusted her suit again. It had been a while since she wore it, and she had actually grown out of it, so she couldn't button it up anymore.
She might have to get a new suit later.
She looked around, "...Where's Looker?" she asked one of the officers.
One of the nearby officers looked up, "Director Looker's in Briefing Room Three."
"...Thank you."
She headed down the hallway, reaching the door just as it slid open.
Out stepped Looker himself, holding an absurdly tall pile of folders.
But across from him was a girl with blonde hair and green eyes,
"I see. Very well, with this you can—" Looker started, but then he looked up and saw Anabel.
He smiled, "Oh, Anabel, you're back! Why didn't you call?"
He stood up, the girl sitting in the chair looked behind her, and Anabel got a good look at her face. But she didn't recognize her,
Looker walked up and shook her hand, "It's good to see you again. I'm glad you're back."
Anabel smiled, "It's good to be back. Um, who is she?"
The girl quickly flinched and stood up, doing a quick bow, "Hello! My name is Miruto. Nice to meet you!"
Looker gestured toward her, "Since you got your promotion, headquarters assigned you a new recruit. Meet your new partner, Miruto."
"Partner?" Anabel muttered.
Miruto let out a tiny laugh before immediately straightening back up, "I-I'll do my best! I've studied all of your reports!"
Anabel tilted her head, "...All of them?"
Miruto nodded repeatedly.
Looker chuckled, "As you can see, she is a no-nonsense kind of person. She just graduated from the academy, but headquarters trusts her enough to send her with us."
"Well, actually, I graduated a few months ago, but...bleh," Miruto added.
"Right..."
Anabel looked back at Looker, "Um, Looker, what about the you-know-who situation?" She muttered it quietly, Looker knew she was talking about D.
After the incident at the Battle Frontier, he was the one she called and explained everything to. However, she did not expose that D was Ash.
Looker cleared his throat, "Um, did he talk to you again recently?"
"Well, no, but...what if he does?" Anabel asked.
Because, you know, it was kind of a strange situation.
Miruto looked between the two of them, "Um...what's going on?"
Looker cleared his throat, "You'll learn when the time is right. For now, why don't you go and familiarize yourself with the base?"
Miruto looked confused but decided to nod, "Okay."
She walked out, waving at them.
They both sighed, Anabel sat across from Looker to talk. But then her phone rang, she looked down and pulled it out.
Her eyes widened, it was from D. She looked up at Looker with that look on her face, then looked back and forth between him and the phone.
Looker looked over and saw what she saw. Looks like things might get interesting again.