A/N: Just a few quick bits of information that should help you understand the story more.
1) I try to update every Wednesday (although I may be a few days late sometimes), and my chapters will be longer than this one. This one's about two thousand and a half words, and the norm will be more than five thousand (hopefully!). This is short only because it's the introduction.
2) I try to keep as close to game canon as much as possible. However, I don't have time to research every little detail (high school deducts so much of your free time it's not even funny). Plus, I need to use some of those wacky show changes, because of all the juicy extra characters and plots they have. So, yes, I'm trying to keep to game canon and at the same time keep to anime canon. Correct me if I'm wrong about something!
3) My contests are like the contests in the games, just because I don't like how the anime makes the contests appear. I think the game contests are much more fun!
4) This takes place about five years after the time period the anime is at currently, so Dawn is fifteen. Her friends are all around that age--give or take a couple years--except Brock, who is twenty.
5) Pretend Piplup knows ice beam.
Enjoy!
-*-*-DAWN'S P.O.V.-*-*-
"You know he's soooo in love with you, right?" Zoey, one of my best friends, teased me. I blushed, and Zoey giggled harder.
"Which one?" I asked, joining in on the joke.
"Oh, I don't know…how about all of them? Ash...Brock...Gary...Drew...Barry...Lucas...Paul? Should I continue?"
Ugh. Why was Zoey so right--all the time? Okay. So maybe a few of them have been acting a little weird around me for a while. But that didn't mean anything!
"Whatever," I shrugged. I leaned forward, looking back into the mirror. We were both backstage at the Hearthome contest. Zoey was dressed and ready, quick as a wink, as usual. And managed to still look amazing--as usual! But here I was still, perfecting my makeup, double checking for eyeliner smudges, lipstick on my teeth, and other small stuff. I winked at my reflection, satisfied, before turning back to Zoey. "Isn't it a little awkward seeing how all the guys you just mentioned are going to be watching our contest today?"
"Plus May!" May was our other best friend. She was an absolute angel, one of the sweetest girls I've ever met. Unfortunately, she didn't live in Sinnoh with us, so we don't get to see her as much as we'd like. I was so psyched she was coming today!
"And Misty," I sighed. Misty was such a challenge. She was...nice... I guess. But for some reason, we didn't get along as well as I wish we could. We were just such opposites. She was a gym leader, but I was a top coordinator. She was sporty, quick to speak her mind, and stubborn. I was girly, slightly naive, and frankly, I was so much sweeter. Even our hair colors were complete opposites! Not that we were outright rude to each other. We just didn't connect like I did with Zoey and May. Zoey sat there, taking in my tone.
"I know you don't like her, but Misty's not so bad!"
I scoffed. "You two just bonded over your mutual redheaded-ness."
She laughed. "Okay, you have a point." She changed the subject. "So we know now that you're more excited to see May than Misty. But which boy are you most looking forward to seeing?"
I thought seriously about that one. Ash was always fun to see. He was adorable, and funny, and strong. Ash was without a doubt my best guy friend. He always will be. Brock came in a close second though, but he was four years older than me. He was twenty, for Pete's sake, and I was just fifteen. As you can imagine, it's a lot harder to really click with someone from an entirely different generation. But Brock's always been there for me. He's been there to give me advice, or just to cheer me up, and for that, I owed him the world. Now, Gary is my ex. We dated; it was fun. But it didn't really last. Okay, strike that--we had a year together. And it was one of the best years of my life. Gary was sweet, smart, rich, and hot. What more could a girl ask for? But we had a huge fight and now it's just not the same. I don't like to think about it. I don't know if I am pleased he is here. My heart still skips a beat each time I think about him...but nothing can change the past. And Lucas. Oh, Lucas...I refuse to believe Lucas could ever be in love with me. That's impossible--I've known him since I was four. Lucas and Dawn, that's practically incest! Drew, on the other hand, is a sexy beast. Not gonna lie. He is SO dreamy. But every girl thinks that, and even worse, he knows that every girl thinks that. Who else had Zoey accused of loving me? Oh right--Barry. Barry was a cutie, but I didn't know much about him. He was a good trainer, and I knew that because he became the newest gym leader of Oreburgh. Roark had gone on a trip to Johto, to visit Steven Stone, and obsess over rocks or something like that. Byron, Roark's father, went along with him, so Sinnoh needed two new gym leaders. Which leads me to the last person Zoey thought of: Paul, who replaced Byron, and became one of the toughest leaders in Sinnoh. Paul...wow, I haven't seen Paul in years. I wonder why he's even at this contest. I mulled over all my choices and was just about to answer Zoey's question, when I was interrupted.
-*-*-THIRD PERSON P.O.V.-*-*-
Marian's voice blasted over the speakers. "Welcome, everyone, to the second to last contest before the Grand Festival! Today, we have a very interesting group of competitors. Everyone, put your hands together for Entry Number One, Zoey! Zoey is one of the best coordinators in Sinnoh. She's won the Grand Festival once already, and this contest will be her last before she is able to compete in it one more time. Here she is, our number one girl!"
Zoey stepped out onto the stage, grinning hugely and jumping into the air before holding up her fingers in a peace sign.
"Next up we have Grace! Grace is a brand new coordinator, just starting her journey. It's a little too late in the game for her to enter this year's Grand festival, but it's never too late for some good old fun and practice. Everyone, give your warmest welcome to Grace!"
The girl, Grace, was young and innocent looking. She stepped shyly onto the stage before taking a quick, modest curtsy and stepping next to Zoey to await the next contestant.
"Now, here's an exciting turn! We have boy entered into this contest, one by the name of Conway. Originally just a trainer, Conway had a change of heart after watching a few inspiring contests. Show Conway just how loud you can cheer!"
Conway quickly stepped onto the stage, looking from side to side eagerly. "I love you, Dawn!" He cried out before running quickly over to the other two coordinators.
"And last, but most certainly not least, is our fourth entry! This young lady is one of the best coordinators in Sinnoh, rivaling our previously introduced Zoey. She's one two whole Grand Festivals, and if she wins this contest she will be well on her way to winning her third. Everyone, make some noise for....Dawn!"
May jumped up and screamed her cheers as Dawn daintily traipsed on stage. She blew kisses to her audience before giggling and heading towards the other competitors. Marian took center stage herself, threw out her arms and cried, "Let the annual Hearthome contest begin!"
Dawn with her Pachirisu and Zoey with her Glameow easily dominated the appeal round. Conway stumbled by with an awkward bug type. Grace floated somewhere in between with her score, staying unnoticed. In the dance round, Dawn's Piplup tripped over itself, and was too embarrased to continue. Zoey's Glameow was delicate and dainty, Conway once again barely scraped through. Grace, however, stayed true to her name, and completely shocked everyone with her dancing Roselia. They were practically ballerinas, gliding around and twirling like twisters. In the last round, acting, Dawn was feeling nervous. She felt confident about her appeal, but the dancing was pretty bad.
No room for mistakes, Dawn, not while everyone still here and watching, she told herself. Pacing around backstage, she agonizingly waited through all of the other appeals for her own turn. Finally she heard her name called. She noticed Piplup looked even more nervous than she felt.
Smiling gently, she picked up the little penguin and cheerily assured it, "No need to worry!" She gave it one last kiss on the top of its head before skipping out onto the stage with her Pokemon still in her arms.
Dawn was temporarily blinded by the sudden bright lights, but when her eyes adjusted, she could focus on a row of people in the first row: her friends. They were grinning broadly, awaiting another spectacular performance from her--and she wasn't gonna let them down. Once the applause died down, she cried out, "Alright Piplup--SPOTLIGHT!" She threw her arms open wide and the Pokemon jumped gracefully out of them, twirling in midair before blasting a stream of water from its beak towards the ground that propelled it back into the air. Piplup flew up high, then landed in perfect synchronization with the water droplets that sparkled as they fell.
"A remarkable entrance!" One of the judges commented.
"Now, Piplup, flood the floor with water then use ice beam, and don't forget our secret weapon!" Dawn commanded. Piplup did as he was told, but when just a little bit of bare stage was left unfrozen, Piplup increased the flow of water and froze it all quickly so that an ice ramp was formed. With running start, the Penguin Pokemon glided on top of the self-made ice rink, gaining more and more speed as he neared the ramp. The audience held it's breath anxiously. When Piplup reached the end, he had gained enough speed and momentum to go soaring straight into the sky.
"Quickly, whirlpool and ice beam it!" Piplup obeyed, and a giant funnel was frozen midair. "Peck, now!" As the solid whirlpool started to fall, Piplup dived at it, shattering it into a million glittering pieces. The entire audience was dazzled by the scene of sparkles falling from the sky, delicately landing on the even more sparkly stage.
"Finish it off with bubblebeam," and soon rainbows of light shot through the arena, created by the sun and water and reflected by the ice. Piplup landed gracefully on the ice, finishing off its appeal with a quick figure eight and pirouette.
Complete silence. Then all of a sudden, Dawn's ears were filled with thundering, roaring applause, louder than any she'd ever received before. Dawn and Piplup blushed modestly as the judges complimented.
"Dawn and her Piplup used excellent timing and cooridination. They not only have much skill individually, but also as partners."
"What a remarkable display!"
"Dawn and her Piplup showed off a wonderful combination of beauty, speed, and power. Nicely done!"
The successful pair happily ran off stage together. Backstage, they were greeted by a smiling, proud Zoey.
"You go, girl! You have this contest in the bag!"
"Oh, Zoey, your appeal was every bit as good as mine," Dawn blushed again.
Zoey nodded, "Thanks but....yours was genius." Zoey looked at Dawn thoughtfully. "You know, Dawn, you owe me for beating me. How bout a bet?"
Dawn grinned at the challenge. "The stakes?"
"If you win-which you will, you have to do what I say. Same for you if I win."
"Agreed!" The two friends shook on it, sealing their fate.
They were interrupted by Marian's amplified voice. "Now it's time for results! First, we'd like to thank all the contestants for doing their best and..."
Dawn stopped paying attention. She couldn't breathe. She wanted this so badly. She wanted everyone to see her win. "...a big round of applause to Conway, our fourth place winner!" Dawn snapped awake, paying attention again. Everyone, including herself, cheered heartily for the awkward new coordinator.
He seemed content with his place. "I'm just glad I finally got to compete with you, Dawn!"
Marian laughed and continued, "And for our third place...Grace!" Dawn clapped for the little girl too, but inside she was shaking.
"And at last, our judges had a wry difficult time judging the top two places. But in the end they decided that second place should go to... Zoey!" Dawn turned apologetically to her friend, but the latter was smiling broadly.
"You deserve this Dawn," she cried, wrapping her arms around her.
"And give a great big cheer for our first place coordinator--DAWN!"
The cheers that came along with the announcement warmed Dawn to the very core. She couldn't believe that she was finally eligible to enter the Grand Festival! Dawn dazedly accepted her ribbon. She waved at all her fans, but reserved a special dazzling smile for the front row that held all the beat friends she had. She yelled out her thanks one last time, and ran backstage, pulling Zoey along with her.
"You were really good, Zo," Dawn said.
Zoey appreciated the compliment, but she knew Dawn had been better. "I know, but at least I get to make you my slave now!" Dawn groaned before Zoey continued, "I want you to ask and find out which of the boys you were talking about is your Prince Charming."
Dawn gasped. "Whaaaat?!"
"You heard me. I'm tired of seeing you all alone. It's getting pretty old. Yeah, I have Kenny, and it's time we've gone on double dates."
Dawn sighed. She shook on the bet, and she wasn't the type to break her word. "Okay, fine, you win." Dawn winked, "This is going to be fun. Those boys are sure all cute."
Zoey laughed. "Oh, what have I gotten those poor boys into?"
But deep down, Dawn really was excited for this challenge. She was a little tired of being alone, and she never had a real boyfriend before. When she was younger, her career was always first. But now that she was on her way to the third Grand Festival, she was ready to take a slight side trip. She was ready to fall in love.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Review (pretty please!) and tell me exactly what you think. I'm trying to develop a thicker skin for criticism, so I welcome it!