1. Ash's Story (Part 9: Alola)

Chapter 76: Ribbon Thunder

Seafolk Village looked different when a Contest stage rose above the water.

The floating houses still rocked gently with the tide, and the boats still creaked against their moorings, but colored banners now stretched between decks. Ribbons hung from rails, stage lights reflected across the waves, and Pokémon practiced appeals in every open corner of the village.

Selene stood near the main stage with Comfey circling her shoulders and Brionne balancing beside her. Rotom hovered close, trying to record three angles at once while Selene checked her Ribbon case for the fifth time.

"You already checked them," I said.

"I know," Selene replied. "That does not stop them from feeling heavier today."

She was one Ribbon away from earning the Ribbon Cup, and everyone could tell how hard she had worked for it. This was not a side project anymore. Selene had spent nights practicing timing, reviewing past performances, and learning how to make her Pokémon look strong without hiding their personalities.

Lillie smiled at Brionne. "You two look ready."

Brionne lifted her head, but her flippers trembled slightly. Her meaning came through a small breath and determined posture. "Ready can still feel scary."

Selene knelt beside her. "Then we will be scared beautifully."

That made Brionne chirp with confidence, though she did not speak in a way anyone needed translated. Comfey drifted around both of them, scattering flowers like a tiny moving spotlight of color.

My mom had been invited to help with the judging table because of how much she had supported past Contest events, and I ended up assisting her by checking contestant order, helping younger Coordinators find their places, and keeping panicked Pokémon from wandering backstage. Somehow that counted as official help, which still felt strange.

Before Selene's round, I helped a younger Coordinator calm a nervous Cutiefly that kept hiding behind the prop boxes. Shiinotic's Poké Ball warmed at my belt, so I released her beside the practice curtain. She did not use a move yet. She only glowed softly, giving the Cutiefly one steady point to face until its Trainer could breathe again.

That small moment made me understand why Mom liked Contest work. Battles showed a Trainer's courage in direct clashes, but Contests showed a different kind of courage. A Coordinator had to stand where everyone could see every mistake and still turn fear into beauty. Selene was about to do that with everything she had.

Selene did not hear the crowd growing louder. She was too focused on Brionne, quietly counting beats with her fingers. That focus made the rest of us lower our voices. It felt wrong to break the fragile space she was building before stepping onto the stage.

Mom gave me a look when I said that. "Helping a Contest run smoothly is part of respecting every performance, Ash."

"I know," I said. "I just did not expect paperwork to be an appeal round."

She laughed and handed me another list.

Selene's final performance came near the end of the Contest. The stage quieted when she stepped forward, because everyone in Seafolk Village seemed to know this performance mattered. Brionne slid onto a ribbon of water, while Comfey's flowers turned the spray into tiny rings of color.

At first, the performance was gentle. Brionne sang softly, letting bubbles rise around her like glass beads. Comfey wove through them, touching each bubble with blossoms until the stage looked like a garden growing underwater.

Then the music shifted around them.

Brionne leaped through the bubbles, voice growing stronger. Selene moved with her, not copying the dance but guiding the shape of it. Comfey's flowers formed a spiral around them, and Brionne's song rose until the water itself seemed to listen.