Worthy of You (PenguinShipping version), a pokémon fanfic

Worthy of you (PenguinShipping version)

By Fox McCloude.

Sinnoh region, Lake Valor …

For every Pokémon Coordinator, the Grand Festival finals were the most important event of the year. Even for those who failed and stayed behind on their way to the top, staying to watch it was more than a habit. It was a chance to cheer and support your friends or rivals who made it to the top.

And that was exactly what Kenny was focused on at the moment. The Twinleaf Coordinator was on the best seat he could find, watching the battle on course with his fists balling over his knees, and his eyes fixated on the right side of the arena. It wasn't the first time Dawn and Zoey faced each other in a Grand Festival finale, but certainly things were different now.

For starters, both had grown in more than one sense: age, stature, and Coordinator skills. And even though both were people he respected deeply, at the moment his support was a hundred percent for his childhood friend.

"Mamoswine, Ancient Power! Piplup, Drill Peck!"

The large mammoth created between his tusks a large white energy sphere, while the small penguin, standing on his partner's back, created a spiraling energy in his beak. When Mamoswine launched his attack, Piplup inserted himself into the Ancient Power, and Mamoswine fired him like a living torpedo, the power being channeled through the Drill Peck's spiral.

"Leafeon, Energy Ball! Glameow, reinforce it with Thunderbolt!"

Answering to Zoey's call, the Grass-type fired the green ball, while the cat fired the electric attack to increase its size and make it spark. The attack clashed head on against Piplup, still engulfed in the Ancient Power, but although it removed the white coating, the penguin himself continued moving forward, hitting him with Drill Peck and landing on the other side with a stylish pirouette as he fired a bubble barrage to show off, and draining several points from Zoey's bar to put Dawn ahead just as the timer hit the three-minute mark.

"She has really improved," Kenny told himself, still looking at the bluenette. "And look at me now, just as a spectator."

While he was happy to see Dawn in the finals and he wholeheartedly supported her, it wasn't easy for Kenny to be in that position at the time. While he had built up a good rep as one of Sinnoh's best coordinators in his generation, it didn't change the fact that he was frequently left in the shadow of several of his peers, who still had at least one victory under their names each.

By contrast, he had made it to several finals in the Grand Festivals he had competed in, and while he didn't feel bad for losing to opponents among the likes of Nando, Zoey, and very specially Dawn, being 'second best', getting so far and not making it in the end was hard to ignore. Somehow, it made him feel he was falling behind.

"Let's end this now!" Dawn declared. "Piplup, get in the center and give them your biggest Whirlpool!"

"Piplup!"

Raising his little hands, the penguin jumped to the center of the stage and summoned the biggest water vortex Kenny had ever seen, especially for such a small Pokémon. It could easily take up about half the battlefield, even blocking the reflectors' light over Glameow and Leafeon. While Zoey was left wondering what they were up to, Dawn had already planned her finishing move.

"Piplup, throw it, and Mamoswine, freeze it with Blizzard!"

"Pi… PLUP!" Waving his arms, Piplup hurled the Whirlpool against his opponents, while Mamoswine fired a strong artic current from his nostrils. The water vortex turned into a tsunami and then it solidified, and it was about to fall on them.

"Glameow, cut that wave with Iron Tail! Leafeon, stay behind!"

Leafeon jumped behind Glameow as she jumped, her tail became a metal blade and she spun around to slice the frozen wave in half. Unfortunately, she couldn't break it completely and several shards still hit Leafeon, leaving him stunned and making way for Dawn to press on the attack.

"Mamoswine, Ice Shard against Leafeon!"

"Mamo!" Several icy darts formed between Mamoswine's darts, holding them back just a second before firing them. Zoey, however, foresaw the move and reacted immediately.

"Glameow, protect Leafeon! Deflect them with Fury Swipes and Shadow Claw!"

"Meow!"

The feline jumped again in front of her partner, her forepaws extending spectral energy claws. With a barrage of fast scratches, she was able to break all icy projectiles before they could hit Leafeon, allowing him to recover from the last attack, and the ice sparkles helped Glameow to show off her twirls with each swipe, lowering Dawn's score.

One minute left on the timer, and Kenny couldn't take his eyes off the battle. Both were evenly matched: Dawn displayed an almost perfect offensive, faced against equal defenses and counterattacks from Zoey. Victory was uncertain, and for experience he knew that in this kind of matches, the result could be decided at the first mistake and its capitalization.

On the other hand, Kenny knew Dawn had another factor on her side: her spontaneity. If she was able to improvise something and jump out of the norm, even in the last second, that could mark the difference. And that was what he was waiting for, since that was the way she beat him the last time they fought.

"C'mon, Dawn, what are you gonna do this time?" the brunet asked, involuntarily clenching his fists.

And as if answering his thoughts, when the timer hit the forty-second mark and it seemed like Zoey was about to win with a combo of Double team and Thunderbolt-boosted Energy Balls for Glameow to detonate with Iron Tail, making a pseudo-meteorite shower all over Dawn's side of the field, the bluenette gave the order for a desperate move: her death-of-glory attack.

"Piplup, jump and use Hydro Pump all over Zoey's field! Mamoswine, Blizzard on the ground at full power!"

Both Pokémon did as they were asked. The Hydro Pump was actually not for causing damage, but so it would get Zoey's field wet. In the meantime, Mamoswine's Blizzard froze the water on that side of the field.

Including that beneath Zoey's Pokémon feet.

"Oh no!" the redhead shouted as she realized what it meant.

"Mamoswine, slide on the ice and use Take Down! And Piplup, finish them with Drill Peck!"

Despite his humongous size and weight, Mamoswine was able to move pretty fast, and by sliding on the ice he could do so even more, increasing his attack's power and sending Leafeon and Glameow with his fangs. Meanwhile, Piplup propelled himself from above and hit them both with his beak, sending them plummeting to the ground and never to get back up, with only five seconds left. The timer stopped and the horns went off as the X's appeared on the judge's panels to seal the match.

"What a comeback!" Marian announced. "With only five seconds for the end, we've got an incredible turnaround and victory by KO! The winner of the match and this year's Sinnoh Grand Festival is, DAWN BERLITZ, FROM TWINLEAF TOWN!"

The crowd stood up for a big ovation, and Kenny himself jumped off his chair with so much excitement, he almost fell off the stands. Fortunately he managed to get a hold of the handrail, and once again glanced at Dawn. The bluenette immediately took to celebrate with her Pokémon. Zoey for her part returned hers and after thanking them for a job well done, she approached to congratulate her opponent.

The award ceremony went by just like the last time: confetti and streamers flew all over the place while the crowd applauded and cheered at Dawn's victory. Kenny caught on that she saw him and waved at him, while she held the Ribbon Cup with the other hand, and he replied the same way. He loved to see her smiling that way: that cheerfulness she radiated made him feel happy for her instead of feeling sad for his own loss.

A bit later…

Kenny knew Dawn was planning to stick around town a couple days while the crowd's excitement for the Grand Festival dimmed down, before going back home. As much as he'd love to accompany her back to Twinleaf, he had other business to attend, so he had to take the only chance to talk to her.

After that excitement yet draining battle, her next stop would be the Pokémon Center, so he stood at the lobby until she entered, and waited for her to leave her Pokémon with Nurse Joy. He took a deep breath and approached her. This couldn't be too hard to do.

"Hey, Dawn," he greeted her. The girl turned around and Kenny took a couple of seconds to admire her from head to toe.

Years had been kind to the girl, and while he loved seeing her with lovely dresses for Pokémon Contests, he couldn't deny there was a certain charm in her street clothes. The outfit she wore now was similar yet different to when she was a rookie: a black sleeveless blouse with a scarf around her neck, a white wool cap and a miniskirt, but she had substituted pink for dark red, and same for her boots, and she also wore black leggings. Also, her scarf was white, but beyond that, her height and hair length, she was still the same old Dawn.

"Kenny, hi," she replied. "I thought you'd be gone by now, now the Grand Festival is over."

"Ah, one or two days won't hurt me." He placed his hands behind his head. "Hey, do you have plans for the rest of the afternoon. I was thinking, I don't know, shall we go eat something?"

"Are you inviting me?" the girl asked, tilting her head.

"Hey, it's only fair for winning, isn't it?" He smirked. "We gotta celebrate as it's due. Besides… there are some things I'd like to talk with you."

"Well, since you insist, it's really nice of you. Where are we going?"

"I made reservations at the best place I could think of. I think you'll like it…"

…

Half an hour later, the two were enjoying a full-course dinner for two at Lake Valor's Seven Star Restaurant. As usual, they had to battle for it, but it was well worth it, so they enjoyed a bit of everything they loved and then some.

"Boy, I'll have to go on a diet after this," Dawn said after she finished the last desert, a big ice-cream, and held her stomach. "But then again, who can resist food this good?"

"You said it." Kenny was just as stuffed. "I hadn't eaten this much in my life, so better enjoy it while we can."

They both chuckled at that. It was well worth it to make that reservation in advance. And it was a good thing both of them were good battlers, otherwise the bill would have probably been so high, they'd probably have to wash dishes for over ten years to pay the debt.

"So then, what did you want to talk about?" Dawn asked.

Kenny stared at her intently. The easiest answer would have been 'many things'. But the big question was, where to begin? Especially since a few of them seemed more relevant than others, with one in particular overshadowing the rest. Should he start there, or leave it for the end?

"Maybe… about what has been happening in the past few years," he finally said, once he sorted out his thoughts. "We've both come a long way as Pokémon Coordinators, after all. It almost feels like it was yesterday when I started my own journey."

Dawn nodded. "I agree. It's hard to believe it's been almost ten years since then. Many things have happened, we've traveled through many places, and a lot of stuff has changed."

"Maybe for you," he said. "Looking back now… I don't feel I've changed much since then."

"How can you say that?" Dawn asked. "You've become a great Coordinator."

"Not as good as you. Truth to be told, I feel that unlike you and the others, I've been falling behind, especially in my last competitions."

"Care to explain?" Dawn asked, not fully catching the message. That made Kenny sigh: he hated to recap all of that, but maybe she'd need for him to tell in detail.

"Let's review the past five years," he said. "In three of them, I've made it to the Grand Festival finals. Four years ago, you and I faced each other in Johto. You won."

"Obviously, how could I forget my first Ribbon Cup?" Dawn said. "But I don't get what you're…"

"Two years ago, in Kanto, I made it to the finals too," he continued, interrupting her. "I faced Nando, and he won. And last year, again in the Hoenn finals, I fought Zoey. She won. Do you see a pattern here?"

Dawn was left speechless. It seemed she finally understood the issue. Normally, some would say his achievements were nothing to sneeze at, but… making it to the finals so many times, so close to achieve victory, and not making it in the end, it was hard to ignore. Especially since most of his peers in Pokémon Contests had at least one victory under their belts each. He was the only one yet to win a Ribbon Cup of his own.

"So then… you're saying you feel bad for end up always second best to the rest of us?" Dawn inquired.

"Possibly," he admitted with a smirk. "It's not easy to stay behind your friends, especially when it's someone you've seen grow, while you're getting stuck."

"Who are you talking about?" Dawn asked. "You don't mean me, do you?"

Kenny didn't answer, he just snorted a little chuckle, and that was all the answer Dawn needed. Admittedly, he had seen her grow going beyond that. He had started a little ahead of her, and after meeting again after so long, he was clearly the superior of the two, or at least, he felt he was. At the time, he would only see her as "Dee-Dee", his old kindergarten playmate.

But then, their first Grand Festival happened. Despite his hard work, that last error he made during the appeal round cost him dearly. By contrast, Dawn made it to the finals, and on her first competition no less. The battle was really close and while she lost to Zoey in the end, making it that far on her first try was quite an achievement. And as the years went by, she grew, while he got stuck, or at least he felt it so. Now she had gone up another step, winning her second Ribbon Cup and her first in Sinnoh.

"You know, before coming to the Grand Festival, I had an interesting chat with Leona," he finally said.

"Really? What did you talk about?" the bluenette asked. Kenny smiled again. This would be an interesting tale.

…

After winning his fifth ribbon, Kenny decided to give himself and his Pokémon a gift for a job well done, and the best thing he could come up with was to relax at some hot springs. Lucky for him he had a friend whose family ran one of those places, and their door was always open.

What he didn't expect was to see Dawn on TV on her last Contest. The girl had a spectacular performance, not to mention how beautiful she looked in that outfit. She had a perfect score during the appeal round, and in the battle round, she showed off like Kenny had never seen before. He especially loved how she perfected Mamoswine's ice armor, and turned it into an attack to fire the ice spikes to literally demolish her opponents.

At the end, however, he felt strange inside. And unsure as to what to do, he just walked outside for a bit to stargaze and try and sort out his thoughts.

"You should rest by now, it's a bit late," Leona's voice called out. The brunet turned to see his friend, already wearing her night jacket and with her hands on her hips.

"I couldn't sleep. I've got too many things in my mind."

"It's Dawn, isn't it?" Leona inquired.

"It's been a while since we both started our journey," he said. "And look how far she's come. I know I should be happy for her, and I am, but… I don't know why I feel bad inside."

"I think I know why," said Leona, standing next to him. "Conflicting feelings. It's not easy to see the person you like advancing so fast, and without you."

Normally, Kenny would have tried to deny the "person you like" part, since he knew she was talking about Dawn. But having known each other since kindergarten, there was no point. Besides, Leona was a good friend, and she respected how important those feelings were for him.

"I remember our first meeting after beginning our journeys. To me, she was still 'Dee-Dee'. And I guess I felt a bit jealous to see her with Ash… and I don't even know why."

"I can think of two plausible reasons. First, you were jealous because she had a new friend, and you were afraid he'd take her from you," Leona said. "But we both know Ash cares for her like a sister, and he already has someone he loves."

"Yeah, you have no idea the relief I felt when they announced their engagement," Kenny admitted without shame. "And the second?"

"The second… maybe Ash helped her grow much more," Leona continued. "Maybe he wasn't in love with her, but if you think about it, her relationship with him is closer than with any of us. He was her sparring partner, a mentor of sorts, a big brother who helped her grow stronger. And I think the reason why you were jealous was because it didn't occur to you to do the same before."

Kenny frowned slightly, but didn't reply. All that was true: he admittedly had had a crush on Dawn since kindergarten, but as he got used to tease her calling her "Dee-Dee" just to bring out her ire, looking back now he probably should have stopped it before if he wanted to grow closer to her. Furthermore, she had achieved a lot as a coordinator, and Kenny's influence had been almost null in said growth. The girl who had been zapped by Plusle and Minun back at kindergarten had made way for a beautiful and talented young woman, one he had come to admire greatly.

"What should I do?" Kenny asked. "How can I tell her that I admire her, and that she's always been a very important person for me, even if I never showed it as I should have?"

"Well, you might start by apologizing for all those times you called her Dee-Dee," Leona suggested.

"Really? Did you do that already?" Kenny inquired.

"As a matter of fact, I have," Leona replied. "For the record, I did it affectionately, but even I could say how much she hated that nickname. You just did it for fun making her angry."

"Guilty as charged," Kenny admitted. "I don't know, I thought she was adorable when she was mad. In any case… there are many things I want to tell her, and I don't know how to start."

"There's still some time, the Grand Festival is a month away," Leona said. "You can think it over calmly. But in the meantime, I'd advise you to be sincere with her. Make her see how you feel, and she'll understand. Dawn's a nice girl, she will appreciate your honesty."

…

"Wow, did she really say all that?" Dawn asked. "Was that why you apologized before the Grand Festival started?"

"I didn't know how you were going to take it," he admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "No hard feelings, right?"

"No, of course not," Dawn smiled. "But you wouldn't have gotten me to have a private chat just to apologize for something I've long forgotten, and we've already put behind us so long ago. There's something else, isn't there?"

Kenny nodded. There was so much stuff to say. He wanted to tell her that he admired her, that she had become someone very special to him. No, she always had been, beyond just a friend or a rival to beat. Dawn wasn't completely unaware of his crush on her, but said crush had evolved, changed, to the point of seeing her in ways he had never imagined before.

"Dawn… I know I wasn't always the best of friends, and sometimes I really went a bit overboard," he said, holding her hand. "But I want you to know, you're very special to me. Even if I do feel bad for falling behind, I'm really happy for your victories."

"Hey, stop underselling yourself," Dawn said. "Just because you haven't won a Grand Festival yet, it doesn't mean you're not a good coordinator. All the times we've faced each other you've made me work hard for my victories, and admittedly, sometimes I've been a bit lucky when I improvise."

"Aw c'mon, are you telling me now that some of your victories were just lucky strikes?" Kenny chuckled, half-seriously, half-sarcastically.

"Maybe," Dawn admitted. "Blame it on Ash's influence. He tends to improvise in the heat of the moment, and sometimes he doesn't stop to think whether it'll work or not. He just focuses on making it work no matter how, just like me."

Kenny chuckled again. Yeah, Ash Ketchum's influence was notable. Most Coordinators liked to plan their routines ahead, rehearsing them over and over until they were perfect. For the appeal round, that was crucial. On the other hand, the battle round was much more unpredictable, and a well-rehearsed attack could fail, and with the timer running, sometimes the deciding factor was to adapt and bring out an ace in the hole in the last second, sometimes an improvised one. Risky, yes, but if it turned out well, it was worth it.

"Maybe I should try that sometime," Kenny said. "Maybe you could, I don't know, show me how you do it?"

"That's not something you can teach. You need to learn it by yourself," Dawn replied. "That was the case for Ash, and for me too."

"I figured you'd say something like that," he said, a little disappointed. "Well, shall we ask for something on the go before we leave?"

"Sounds good to me. It'll be a long way home after all."

They both ordered one last service. Luckily they both carried lunch boxes in their backpacks, so they'd have supplies for the long road home.

At the restaurant's exit, however, they ran into someone else, who arched an eyebrow as she saw them cross the door side by side.

"Well, look who do have here." It was Zoey. "Are you two on a date or something?"

"A victory meal, I invited her to celebrate," Kenny replied, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks. "How's it going, Zoey? Going home already?"

"Yeah, the ship to Snowpoint is leaving in two hours," the redhead replied. "I think I'll take a rest before deciding my next destination. What about you two? Have you made your plans?"

"To be honest, not yet," Dawn said. "I've been considering to stay at home for a while. Mom must have felt very lonely these days."

The redhead stared at them, first turning from Dawn to Kenny, and then back to Dawn. Then she smiled in a way Kenny knew very well, as if she was getting ideas. Although he didn't know what, she definitely was up to something.

"You know, a close friend told me Pokémon Contests have started recently at the Kalos region," Zoey finally said. "Also that they have a very interesting modality, with the region's local touch."

"Modality?" Dawn asked. "What do you mean?"

"You figure it out yourselves." Zoey winked at them. "Especially you, Kenny, I think you're going to like it very much."

The childhood friends from Twinleaf exchanged glances, not understanding a bit of what she meant, but the redhead didn't want to elaborate any further. She immediately looked at her watch and glanced at the harbor.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat with you, but if I don't leave now I'll miss the ship. See you soon, and keep doing your best."

Bidding them farewell, Zoey went to board her ship home, leaving Dawn and Kenny with confused stares as they waved her goodbye. An interesting Pokémon Contest modality? What did she mean exactly?

Two weeks after, Twinleaf Town…

Back at home, Kenny decided drop himself and rest on his fluffy couch. Last night he had watched a live tournament broadcasted by 'Sinnoh now!', where none other than his friend, Barry, was competing against his own father, Palmer. The battle was spectacular from beginning to end, ending with a Hydro Cannon/Earth Power clash, leaving Barry's Empoleon and Palmer's Rhyperior in a double KO. Heck, between that and winning the last Lily of the Valley Conference, even his best friend was leaving him behind, who'd have thought it?

Not wanting to keep feeling sorry for himself and trying to distract his mind, Kenny grabbed the remote control and switched channels, stopping just a couple seconds to see if there was something interested. At times he wondered why he asked for Satellite TV. Having over three hundred channels was worthless if there wasn't anything good 80% of the time.

However, he stopped on a Kalosian channel which at the time seemed to be broadcasting a Contest Battle. Recalling what Zoey had told him about an 'interesting modality', he stopped to check it out. Indeed, he quickly understood what she meant: it wasn't a one-on-one battle, but with two Coordinators on each side of the arena directing a Pokémon each, and working as a team. This caught the brunet's interest.

"What do we have here?" he said, getting on the edge of the seat to look at it closer.

Kenny kept watching the battle with full attention, never missing one detail. Unlike the double battles he was used to, where the Coordinator had to direct both Pokémon simultaneously, it looked much harder to achieve a good synch between both. It looked like they had to trust each other so the combined techniques came out well, but once they succeeded, the results were devastating and spectacular. In particular, one of the duos did a combined attack, with the Fire Spin of a red and yellow foxlike bipedal Pokémon with a wooden stick, along with a Glaceon that jumped through the fiery spiral and defied the flames using Secret Power to ram at the foes, ending with a Boreal Aurora that enveloped the entire field and gave a grand finale for a great battle.

However, what caught the boy's attention the most was the following report. As he raised the volume, he learned it was a special modality of Pokémon Contests introduced exclusively for the Kalos region. The place was famous for its romantic atmosphere, and from what he saw, it was rather popular among couples who sought to earn a Twin Ribbon, working together to achieve victory, and it was growing increasingly more and more in popularity.

"Pokémon Contests in pairs… is this what Zoey was talking about?" he said as he idly reached for the phone next to him and dialed the number without even looking. He knew it by heart after all.

Waiting for a bit, a minute or so passed before they answered.

"Hello?" a motherly voice replied. Kenny turned towards the screen, though he still looked through the corner of the eye at the TV.

"Hey, Ms. Johanna," he greeted her. "Could I talk to Dawn for a bit?"

"Hold on a minute," the woman replied. "Dawn, Kenny's on the phone!"

He waited again. He caught Dawn's footsteps as she walked downstairs, and didn't stop looking at the TV until he heard the voice she was expecting.

"Hello? Do you need something, Kenny?"

"Dawn, if you can, tune on Channel 124," he said urgently. "You gotta see this, fast."

"See what?" The bluenette tilted her head.

"Just trust me," he insisted.

Still confused, the girl did as he said, and Kenny saw through the screen how she grabbed the remote to tune on the channel. Inside, he kept his fingers crossed, and he took it as a good sign when she briefly widened her eyes after a minute or two, even noticing how she took an interested expression. Luckily for him, as the report ended shortly after. Hopefully what she saw would be enough; once the girl got her attention back to the videophone's screen, the brunet was smiling from ear to ear.

"What do you think?" Kenny said. "Maybe this is what Zoey was talking about."

"Pokémon Contests in pairs? Sounds interesting, but what does it have to do with me?"

"Dawn, I don't know if you remember, but years ago I asked you if you wanted to travel with me," Kenny reminded her.

"How could I forget? You even fought Ash over that right," she replied.

"Yeah, but that's beside the point," Kenny said. "Thing is… wouldn't you like it if we competed in those Pokémon Contests together?"

"Say what?"

"Think about it: we could learn a lot from each other," Kenny said. "And I've been reflecting about what you told me, that I need to improvise more in my Contest performances. Maybe being close to someone who knows how to do it helps me understand better."

"Or maybe you're just looking for an excuse to be with me?" Dawn gave him an inquisitive glare. "Even learning how to beat me eventually?"

"Maybe… but in a Double Contest, I'd rather be sure I have the best partner I know," he defended himself. "Someone whom I know I can trust."

Dawn grabbed her chin, as if she was considering. Kenny crossed his fingers once more, praying to Arceus she would say yes. If he had a chance to get closer to Dawn that way, he couldn't let it pass. Besides, he couldn't think of a better way to improve himself than learning from who he considered the best.

"Are you too much in a hurry for that? Because I'd like to stay at least until the end of the month. You know, to rest after the Grand Festival".

"Is that a yes?" Kenny asked hopeful.

"Kenny…" The girl glared at him through the screen.

"There, there, don't get mad," he stepped back a little. "I have no issue with resting a little, we both have just returned home. Spending some time with the family would be nice before we embark on another journey. Just don't make me give you sad Growlithe eyes."

Dawn rolled her eyes at the comment, but Kenny noticed that she found it funny. Of course he wasn't planning to go that far, he had his dignity. Still, he had to try.

"Alright, you win," said Dawn. "But only if you pay my plane ticket."

"Done," Kenny replied without hesitation. "Well, I'm not wasting any more of your time, thanks for accepting. See ya."

"Bye."

That said, ended the calla. After placing the auricular back, Kenny dropped himself on the couch and went "YES!". Never in his whole life had he felt so victorious. The first step was done. Next thing, try and not to make himself an idiot in front of her, so she wouldn't regret her decision.

Four months after…

Things turned out to be slightly different to what Kenny and Dawn expected upon arriving in Kalos, at least in regards to Pokémon Contests. In reality the standard modality for Pokémon Contests was very similar to the one seen in other regions where they had competed before, and the paired Contests were only special and occasional events, instead of the norm. That was just the way Kalosians would give their own twist to those Pokémon competitions, which went hand in hand with the region's romantic reputation. Also, despite being popular among dating or married couples, it wasn't strange to see parents and children, sibling, or just close friends competing together.

Until then, they had earned one individual Ribbon each, and this would be their first Twin Ribbon, their first victory together. But of course, they had to beat that Nidoking and Nidoqueen couple, who stood in front of Piplup and Empoleon.

"Nidoking/Nidoqueen, double Submission!"

The Poison/Ground-type couple grabbed each other and turned into a living steamroller towards the penguins, with the full intent to squash them.

"Empoleon, stop them!"

The emperor penguin jumped in front of his unevolved counterpart to protect him. Keeping an ironclad defense and showing off great strength, Empoleon held the attack until they finally stopped and pushed them backwards, sending them back to where they came from.

"Now, Water Pulse up in the air!" Kenny called.

"And you, Piplup, freeze it with Ice Beam!" Dawn added.

Empoleon threw a water sphere bigger than his head up in the air. Piplup then fired the freezing ray to solidify it before it fell, and they prepared for the final blow. Kenny and Dawn exchanged glances and after a nod, they both knew exactly what to do.

"Empoleon/Piplup, now!"

Grabbing Piplup, Empoleon threw him upwards at the frozen sphere. Piplup quickly readied a Drill Peck to pierce through it, shattering it into dozens of ice crystals that rained all over the field, and over Nidoking and Nidoqueen. But they weren't done: before landing he created a Whirlpool trying to drag his opponents at the center of the field. They tried to fight back the current, but they ultimately couldn't and ended up being pulled, ready for the final strike when Piplup landed on the other side.

"Hydro Cannon! /Hydro Pump!"

The combined attack struck the center of the vortex, with Nidoking and Nidoqueen still trapped, creating a huge splash raining all over the field and the Coordinators, but the result was evident. Both Poison-types were knocked out, and with more than one minute and a half in the timer. The horn from the judges' panels sentenced the result.

"Ét that's all. Ze winnairs of la Lumiosé Citay Contest are Dawn and Kenny," Monsieur Pierre announced. "Give zem both a big 'and, s'il vous plait!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, while Kenny and Dawn waved at them. Their opponents hugged each other, the girl crying while the bout tried to comfort her at the same time he tried to hold back his own tears of frustration, and both proclaiming their love for each other atop their lungs. Kenny rolled his eyes he liked Dawn, but it wasn't like he wanted to go all that sickeningly sweet with her. On the other hand, at the award ceremony, when they gave them the Twin Ribbon (brought by a keychain-shaped Pokémon named Klefki) he could forget it easily. At least until…

"C'mon, Kenny, pose with me!"

"Pose?" Kenny asked confused.

"Yeah, our victory pose," Dawn said. "Let's raise our Lumiose Ribbons high, together."

Kenny took a while to let that sink in. He wasn't one to do victory poses, but for Dawn it was a bit of a tradition to do that whenever she earned a Contest Ribbon or caught a new Pokémon. It was a habit she supposedly picked up from Ash, which made the brunet roll his eyes. That influence had extended beyond what he thought. Well, he'd have to get used to it at least whenever he won those Twin Ribbons with her.

…

After leaving the Lumiose Contest Hall, and back in their street clothes, Kenny and Dawn walked back to the Pokémon Center to rest, both themselves and their Pokémon. They were planning to continue their journey in the morning.

"Oof, what a day," Dawn said as they walked upstairs. "Not too bad for our first Double Contest together, huh?"

"With a partner like you, obviously there was no need to worry," Kenny replied. Dawn frowned slightly at that comment. "What? I'm just saying the truth."

"Flatterer," she said. "Well, what's our next destination?"

The boy pulled out his smartphone and checked his Contest guide. From what he saw, the next Double Contest would take place in Anistar City in a month, and between it there were two individual ones. But with these two… there was a problem.

"It says here the next individual contests will be held in Coumarine City and Laverre City," Kenny said. "But, they're too far from each other. I don't think we'll have enough time to attend both."

"I think that leaves us only one choice," Dawn said. "We'll have to split up; I'll take Coumarine and you take Laverre."

"Split up?" Kenny exclaimed. "Aren't we supposed to travel together?"

"Easy now, it'll only be temporary," Dawn said. "It'll be good for us, that way we can prepare better and surprise each other the next time we meet. Besides, we shouldn't grow dependent on one another. Remember, at the Grand Festival it'll be everyone for themselves."

Kenny opened his mouth to reply, but he had to concede that point. Even with Double Contests, the Grand Festival was still individual. There would be only one winner, and he intended to be that winner. Of course, she had the same goal for herself, and she wouldn't make it any easier for him.

"That's true," he finally said. "Alright, you better win your ribbon. I'll be very disappointed if you lose."

"Oh yeah? Then I say the same to you." she replied. "You better prepare good combos, since we'll need something good when we meet at the Anistar Double Contest."

"Don't you trust me? I'll leave you in a daze when we meet there," Kenny said in a confident tone, puffing out his chest and placing his hands on the waist.

"Well, aren't you confident?" Dawn smiled. "Well, in case you need some additional motivation…"

Without any more words, the girl approached, and standing on tiptoes, she planted a peck on his cheek. The girl was surprised for a split second, and touched himself just to be sure. The slight lipstick stain confirmed that, indeed, it wasn't his imagination.

"Do a good job, and I might give you another." She winked at him. "Well, I'll turn in for the day. Goodnight."

Dawn then went to her room, while Kenny remained still for a while, before smiling. Well, that was definitely a progress. They weren't a couple exactly, and even though Dawn already knew of his feelings for her, she wasn't making it easy for him. She said that if he wanted to win her heart, he'd have to prove through actions that his feelings were genuine.

He couldn't deny it: another advantage of traveling with Dawn was that being so close to her, he could learn her tricks and plan his strategies to defeat her. That was where that old saying 'Keep your friends close and you foes even closer'. Well, Dawn wasn't a 'foe', just a rival, and that was only when they faced each other in a Contest Battle. Outside of that, she was his friend, traveling companion, and maybe over time, she'd become something else.

If possible, he would like it if they could face each other in the finals. Obviously he'd like to win, to make up for that defeat and finally have a victory to his name, but regardless of the result, the most important thing was to grow with this journey. To show her he wasn't that immature boy who called her "Dee-Dee", but a man worthy of her.

FIN.

Author's notes:

And, here's my next oneshot with another Pokémon pairing. Here, I tried something similar yet different to the Contest one, except that unlike Drew, who sees himself as May's equal and feels a complex when he thinks she surpassed him, Kenny here feels he fell behind Dawn long ago. To be honest, unlike other pairings I support like PokéShipping, ContestShipping or LuckShipping, my case with Kenny and Dawn is more the "better than nothing" case, since the attraction is more one-sided from the boy's side, and even then it's not shown as much as it should, becoming more explicit during the last leg of the saga. But, by process of elimination: Ash (their relationship is more brother-sisterly than romantic), Conway (his lack of sense of personal space makes him a bit creepy) and Paul (I frankly don't get why she gets paired with him, he's a jerkass), Kenny is definitely the less bad among her potential boyfriends. Thus, unlike the Contest oneshot, this is more open-ended: Dawn knows of his feelings and is willing to give him a chance, but Kenny has to earn her love, and in the process to prove himself he deserves to be with her. They're on the right track, of course.

Okay, so that's all I have to say. Hope you guys enjoyed it. I've got plans for a merged sequel of this and the Contest oneshot, and maybe I'll get them to the next level. Until next time.

P.S: To the guest reviewer in the other oneshot who signed him/herself as honter11, yeah, the story might have been a bit stupid, but I was aiming for some silliness into it, you know. What were you expecting, huh?