Welcome to Chapter 10! It's hard to believe that in just over two weeks later, I'm already penning the tenth chapter of this story, which started as an impulsive creation that I didn't expect to go anywhere. However, we're not even close to the end. Anyway, here's a much longer chapter for you, over 7,000 words. A major event will be happening towards the end of this chapter, so read on!

Last thing, now that Thanksgiving break is here I'm going to be away with family starting in the middle of this break. I'll likely get in at least 1, hopefully 2 more chapters before then, depending on how fast I write. Maybe I will get lucky and have lots of time to hang out by myself and write, and I can spam-update a few chapters closer to the end of break. Until then, thanks so much to everyone for reading this far, we've got a long way to go! Please remember to leave a review!

Edit: thanks to Guest for catching a mistake. I incorrectly referred to Cyndaquil as a middle-stage Pokémon. In the original draft I had written in Dawn's Quilava, but after fact checking, found Dawn's Cyndaquil did not evolve until a Japan-only episode set after the DP finale.

Edit #2, 5.5.2017: This chapter has been edited close to the end.

The Journey Continues

Chapter 10

Winning and Losing

Johto Region - Mahogany Town

"Flaaffy, take the stage!"

Flaaffy came forth from its Poké Ball, its tail orb glowing as it headed for the ground. Flaaffy baaed and showed off a small spark of electricity. May swung out her arm as she called for the start of Flaaffy's appeal.

"Flaaffy, use Charge!"

"Flaaf!"

Flaaffy tucked in its arms and squeezed itself together, its tail orb glowing a brilliant yellow as electricity built up inside of it. Flaaffy's tail swished back and forth as stray voltage surged into its wool.

"Now, Flaaffy, use Thunderbolt, up!"

Flaaffy baaed again and pointed its tail and arms up, releasing a powerful Thunderbolt into the sky. "Flaaffy, now! Spin!"

Flaaffy danced on its toes as it spun in a circle, turning itself over so that the electricity fanned out in various directions. The now spread out Thunderbolt attack forked outward further, creating what appeared to be some sort of hazy cloud above the electric-type.

The crowd clapped as Flaaffy came to a stop, stray electricity surging back into its tail as its Appeal was finished. The judges nodded their heads, indicating that May had passed their judgment and would be moving onto the Battle Round. This was nothing new to the experienced Coordinator, and only extended her streak of passing through Appeal Rounds. The crowd, all too familiar with who May was, chanted "Princess May!" as the Coordinator headed backstage.

Ash and Pikachu clapped along with the riled crowd. Despite his actions of support, Ash's mind was indeed elsewhere, still reeling with how he would have to break the news to Dawn that he was leaving.

I'm sure she won't be too upset…she knows that our dreams and ultimately, our paths, are different. She knows that I still want to travel with her. But she wouldn't be allowed up on Mt. Silver, it's too dangerous. Besides, I'd never be able to live with myself if something happened to her up there.

"Now, give it up for Dawn from Twinleaf Town!" the announcer shouted into the microphone, stunning Ash out of his train of thought. The crowd became almost as loud as it had for May's Appeal just before. Ash caught that Dawn was grinning as the support from the crowd grew with each step she took toward the stage. Her attire for today's Contest was a dandelion yellow sundress that clung to her form, yet still allowed her to move freely. Long white gloves traveled up to the halfway point of her forearms, and her blue hair was pulled back behind her back, yet still let down so that her locks flowed freely without her hair clips. It was a certain change from her usual Contest attire, which had always been a consistent pink dress for most of her competitions before this, so the change was welcome.

Dawn gripped a Poké Ball in her hand, a confident stare now on her face rather than the happy smile she had worn on her way up to the stage.

"Cyndaquil, spotlight!"

The Poké Ball opened and dots of fire accompanied the flash of white light that expelled the fire-type from its Poké Ball. Cyndaquil landed gracefully and then powered its back flames up, increasing their size greatly as it showed its confidence. Cyndaquil was the only Pokémon that Ash and Dawn had in common (although Ash's was now a Quilava), so the Pallet native was definitely looking forward to watching the first-stage fire-type perform.

"Cyndaquil, let's use Flame Wheel!"

Cyndaquil chirped in agreement and then summoned the flames on its back, which washed over the small fire-type and formed an almost liquid-looking wheel of fire. Cyndaquil rolled forward, the wheel of fire increasing in both size and speed, and sudden sparks trailed behind the Flame Wheel attack as Cyndaquil looped back and forth around the stage.

"Now Cyndaquil, stay in that Flame Wheel and use Smokescreen!"

Without much response, a trail of thick smoke suddenly began rolling off of the fiery wheel. Cyndaquil continued to make laps around the stage, but now smoke served as an outer layer of the Flame Wheel, mashing together smoke and hungry flames to create a beautiful fiery scene. After a few more laps, Dawn called to the fire-type.

"Cyndaquil, get out of that Flame Wheel and use Swift at the sky!"

Cyndaquil returned to Dawn and jumped up, exiting the Flame Wheel and letting it die out in a flash of smoke and flame, and then the small fire-type pointed its open mouth to the air, still airborne and at the mercy of gravity. Beautiful stars spun out of Cyndaquil's maw, curving back and forth as each individual star flew out to reach a different spot in the air. Finally, all of the stars glowed in unison before fading away, just as Cyndaquil landed perfectly.

The crowd cheered, perhaps more ecstatically than they had for May, and the judges immediately nodded, approving Dawn's passage to the next round. The Twinleaf Coordinator crouched down so that Cyndaquil could run up to her and leap into her arms, Trainer and Pokémon hugging happily. Rather than return Cyndaquil, Dawn walked off of the stage and back to the curtains, carrying the Johto starter Pokémon.

Ash and Pikachu clapped along with the crowd, both impressed by the fire-type's performance in the Appeal. A long line of more appeals followed, with half of the competitors being cut prior to the Battle Round. May and Dawn were both in it, placed on opposite ends of the bracket, meaning they would only face each other if they both made it to the finals.

May's battle came first, against a nameless female Coordinator. The battle was a breeze for the experienced May, and the poor girl was eliminated. The same happened for Dawn, being matched up in a relatively easy battle that didn't present many challenges.

The quarterfinals were much of the same for both Coordinators; dominant wins setting the tone as they moved on to the semifinals. Before Ash knew it, there were only 4 Coordinators left in the Mahogany Town Contest, two of them being Dawn and May.

Dawn's semifinal match was first, matching her up against a male Coordinator who went by the name of Palmer. He was a stocky teen, with shoulder-length dirty blonde hair and a leather jacket making his presence seem very classic rock-y. He didn't say anything as he sent out his pair of Pokémon, per the rules of the semifinals.

Palmer had selected Hoppip and Raticate. Dawn then revealed her chosen Poké Balls.

"Mamoswine, Togekiss, spotlight!"

The gargantuan Mamoswine and the flying Togekiss were spat from their capsules, both stretching out as they zeroed their eyes in on the opponents across the field of battle.

"Coordinators, ready? All right, battle, begin!"

Palmer's voice was gravely as he called out for the first move. "Raticate, get in there with Take Down! Hoppip, use Razor Wind!"

Raticate immediately fell to all fours and rushed forward, its wide body bouncing as it thundered toward its opponents. Hoppip hung back, spinning its little grass blades as it stirred up some sort of whirlwind. The whirlwind became stronger by the second, but Dawn couldn't pay attention to the stirring attack, as Raticate was closing in.

"Mamoswine, meet Raticate with your own Take Down!" Dawn countered, and the massive ice/ground-type lurched forward, the ground shaking. She then turned to the stationary Togekiss, "Togekiss, let's knock Hoppip out of action! Use Sky Attack!"

Togekiss chirped in response and surged forward, zeroing in its gaze on the stationary Hoppip and summoning a blazing white aura around its body. Meanwhile, Mamoswine collided with Raticate, sending the smaller normal-type Pokémon tumbling backward thanks to the ice-type's overarching size and strength. Palmer gritted his teeth and clenched a fist, and then turned to Hoppip.

"Hoppip, use Razor Wind on Togekiss!"

Hoppip complied, and released the strange whirlwind toward the oncoming Togekiss. The wind then suddenly morphed into a spiraling ball of wind, its air blades whistling loudly as it aimed home.

"Togekiss, dodge it and hit Hoppip!"

Togekiss heard the command and barrel rolled, twirling out of the way of the Razor Wind attack and then charging up its Sky Attack again and surging toward Hoppip. Palmer had no answer as the normal-type crashed into Hoppip, sending the far smaller Pokémon into panic mode as it spiraled back.

"Hoppip, Raticate, together! Use Razor Tackle!"

Dawn raised her eyebrow at the move call, and watched as Hoppip flew toward the recovering Raticate and landed on top of the large rat. Raticate gnashed its buckteeth together and started to move toward its enemies as Hoppip charged up another whirlwind.

"Mamoswine, use Ice Armor!"

Mamoswine summoned the familiar Ice Shard attack and then swallowed it, resulting in great spikes of ice shooting up from Mamoswine's back.

"Togekiss, get on Mamoswine's back!"

Togekiss complied and the Coordinators now had both Pokémon riding each other in order to execute their next attack.

"Mamoswine, meet Raticate and Hoppip with Take Down!" Dawn called, "Togekiss, be ready!"

Mamoswine lurched forward again, but Raticate didn't hesitate as it closed in on Mamoswine. Hoppip's Razor Wind was all charged up, and the small grass-type sent the whirlwind attack flying toward the oncoming Mamoswine. Togekiss attached its arms to Mamoswine's Ice Armor spikes, waiting for the right moment. They had practiced this combination a few days before, back when May and Ash weren't around, and the normal-type was definitely ready.

Hoppip released the Razor Wind attack just in time, but it quickly became clear that Mamoswine wasn't stopping for anyone. The whirlwind slashed at Mamoswine's fur, but the ice-type pushed through the attack as if it were nothing. Togekiss then launched itself in the air, freely flying in the skies, and barely even needed Dawn's command to execute its move. Mamoswine barreled into Raticate and Hoppip, knocking apart their combination and sending the two Pokémon in different directions.

Togekiss's Air Slash materialized in its wings, and the Jubilee Pokémon sent the sharp gust of air flying toward the downed Hoppip. The grass-type didn't even have time to react as the brutal Air Slash collided with it, sending dirt up into the air. The dust cleared and Hoppip was found unable to battle. Regardless of the result, the scoreboard did not look good at all for Palmer, who was being blown out mercilessly by Dawn's larger and obviously superior Pokémon.

"Raticate, we're still in it!" Palmer tried to sound positive, but the rat did its best to stand its ground. However, a bell sounded and drew the Coordinators' attentions, seeing the clock strike double zeroes. Dawn had only a small notch of her points taken away, while Palmer's circle of points had been devastated with less than half of the total remaining.

"Folks, it looks like this wasn't even a contest! The winner is Dawn and her Mamoswine and Togekiss! Dawn moves on to the finals with that win!"

Palmer returned Hoppip and Raticate, harshly nodding at Dawn before turning and walking away from the scene of the blowout. Dawn returned her Pokémon as well, disappearing behind the curtains.

The next battle was between May and a Coordinator that Ash didn't recognize. He had a smug look about him, and Ash found that he was wearing a basic suit and tie when he walked out from behind the curtains and made his way to the stage.

"This next battle is between May, the Princess of Hoenn, and Jacen from Fuchsia City!" the announcer proclaimed. The crowd clapped in response, anticipating the Princess of Hoenn's next battle.

"Hmm, Fuchsia City." Ash pondered aloud as he scratched his chin, "Wonder what this guy's got in store."

"Coordinators, ready?" the announcer asked rhetorically as the two Coordinators reached the battle boxes and brandished their two Poké Balls, "All right, battle, begin!"

Jacen sent out his Pokémon first. "All right, Tyranitar, Magmar, battle stations!"

The pair of Poké Balls spawned the massive rock/dark-type and the medium-sized fire-type, both Pokémon itching for battle. The choice of Tyranitar was notably unusual to Ash when it came to Contests, Pokémon such as that were known for their power rather than their grace. May didn't flinch, throwing her own two Poké Balls and calling out her choices.

"Blaziken, Wartortle, take the stage!"

Blaziken and Wartortle burst free from their capsules, both eagerly awaiting their next scuffle. Blaziken's wrists burned with large flames, while Wartortle beat his shell with his arms. This battle was sure to be a true display of brute power.

"Tyranitar, you use Dark Pulse! And Magmar, use Flamethrower!"

The two powerful Pokémon answered their Trainer, the rock/dark-type spitting forth a vile beam of darkness while Magmar blasted a beam of flame from its maw. The two attacks merged together and turned into an oddly beautiful spiral of fire and darkness as they surged toward the two opponents.

"Wartortle, block that with Hydro Pump!"

"War!" the water-type boasted as it hopped into the path of the Dark Pulse/Flamethrower combination. A powerful burst of water was launched from the turtle, and the two attacks crashed together in an explosion.

Unfortunately for May, a Hydro Pump was not enough to defeat the combination attack. While the water had done a good job of extinguishing Magmar's contribution, the Dark Pulse moved forward undeterred, and with no defense prepared, the dark-type attack knocked Wartortle down hard before dissipating, taking out a good chunk of May's points.

May gritted her teeth. "Blaziken, use Fire Spin! Wartortle, you use Ice Beam! Let's give 'em a taste of their own medicine!"

Ash smirked at May's offense-minded response to the powerful attack as the two counter-types merged their own beam-like attack. Fire Spin created a revolving flame around the forked Ice Beam, and some of Jacen's points went away at the sight of the exquisitely beautiful counter-type attack.

"Tyranitar, destroy it with Dark Pulse." Jacen commanded sternly, and the powerful rock/dark-type leaped in front of the attack just as Wartortle had done. That blasted Dark Pulse attack reappeared and in a second all May saw was the explosion resulting from the move.

The dust cleared, and May deadpanned as she realized that Tyranitar was no longer where it was. A large hole was in the ground, which meant—

"Tyranitar's using Dig! Wa—"

An explosion arrived underneath Blaziken's feet, and Tyranitar surged forward with a brutal uppercut as it powered out from under the ground and sent Blaziken into the air.

"Wartortle, hit Tyranitar with Ice Beam!"

Wartortle responded instantly, shooting a forked beam of cold energy into Tyranitar's arm. The Ice Beam attack was very well trained, and immediately created a frozen block around Tyranitar's arm. The Armor Pokémon roared angrily as it tore at the ice that now encased its arm.

"Blaziken, use Blaze Kick!"

Blaziken soared down from the air, its feet entrenched in scorching hot flames, and a brutal downward kick sent Tyranitar staggering to the ground, one its arms lame and useless. Blaziken followed with another, angrier kick to the dark-type's chest, all of the Hoenn starter's power channeled into the kick. Tyranitar flew back, landing short of Magmar, and limped back to the battlefield. Magmar walked over and simply burned the ice off of Tyranitar's arm with a flaming breath, and the two Pokémon reassumed their battle stance.

May was furious. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?! This is a Contest, not a Gym Battle!"

The Coordinator called Jacen snorted before replying, "So what? A Contest and a Gym Battle can both be won the same way: with a knockout! Magmar, use Overheat!"

Magmar crouched down and summoned all of the air around it and then superheated it. May staggered back, appalled at the Coordinator's comments, but did her best to steel herself.

"Wartortle, get in front of Blaziken and use Protect!"

The Turtle Pokémon hightailed it to his partner in the battle as Magmar released the superheated wave of fire. A green, glowing half-sphere surrounded Wartortle and Blaziken, and the flames bounced around the Protect move, docking some of Jacen's points. Jacen gritted his teeth as the Protect deflected the devastating move.

"Blaziken, Wartortle, let's use Aqua Uppercut!"

The two Pokémon complied and rushed in toward their opponents. Tyranitar and Magmar growled at the oncoming enemies, but waited for command.

Wartortle leapt high into the air, charging up an Aqua Tail on its way down. Wartortle's tail collided with the ground in front of Tyranitar and Magmar, creating a shock wave that ran toward the enemy Pokémon and sent Magmar and Tyranitar flying into the air. Blaziken then ran up beside Wartortle and used its powerful legs to jump, rocketing high into the air. Its fist closed and the Blaze Pokémon neared its target: Tyranitar

"Tyranitar, Dark Pulse!"

Tyranitar quickly threw out a beam of dark energy, hitting Blaziken square in the chest and knocking it back toward the ground. May gasped at the speed, and called to Wartortle to try and cushion Blaziken's landing, but Jacen had other plans.

"Giga Impact!"

Tyranitar had righted itself now, and summoned a terrible blast of energy around itself and began charging for the falling Blaziken. Tyranitar's downward speed increased, and before Wartortle could do anything to help, the Armor Pokémon had thrown the fire-type square into the ground with unfathomable force. The ground exploded in a blast of rock and dirt, leaving a crater in the ground.

Tyranitar walked away from the blast, mostly unharmed but still suffering from recoil damage. Jacen smiled as the dust cleared, and clear as day, Blaziken's eyes were nothing but swirls, leaving Wartortle all alone to face the two monstrous enemies. May returned Blaziken to its Poké Ball, per the rules, and did her best to calm her nerves. This Coordinator had taken an overly aggressive approach and knocked out one of her Pokémon without hesitation.

"Wartortle, use Hydro Pump on Magmar!"

"And it would seem we've got more of a battle than a Contest on our hands here, folks! Tyranitar has eliminated May's Blaziken from contention, leaving Wartortle alone to face it and Magmar at once!"

Wartortle summoned the high-pressure blast of water, sending it straight at Magmar. Reveling in his half-victory, Jacen hadn't had time to come up with a counter, so Magmar took the powerful attack and tumbled to the ground. Now once again angry, Jacen spat out commands.

"Tyranitar, bring Wartortle down with Dark Pulse! Magmar, you use Fire Punch!"

Tyranitar acted quick as Magmar sat up and retook its footing. The Dark Pulse hit Wartortle square in the shell, knocking him away and on his back, while Magmar was rushing with a fistful of fire.

"Protect!"

Wartortle summoned the impenetrable barrier, managing to deflect the point-blank Fire Punch. Magmar jumped back from the recovering Wartortle, who was quickly getting tired from the two-on-one battle.

"Where's that offense you pride yourself on, Princess of Hoenn?" Jacen snarled, "It would seem you're only on your back to me!"

May bristled at the rude and frankly sexual comment, and her emotions were definitely getting the better of her. "Wartortle, use Aqua Tail!"

Wartortle got back up, weary and significantly slower, and summoned an Aqua Tail attack, running toward Magmar. The odds were extremely against it, and Wartortle knew that. Finally reaching Magmar, Wartortle turned to deliver the Aqua Tail attack.

"Tyranitar, Dark Pulse."

A Dark Pulse attack knocked Wartortle away from Magmar, saving the fire-type from the certainly painful attack. Wartortle bounced away, landing on its belly. The Turtle Pokémon had taken a lot of damage, and May's points were dangerously low as the clock wound down.

"Wartortle!" May cried, more out of fear for her Pokémon's health than her competitive will.

Wartortle bristled as it struggled to get up, trying to lift itself up on its arms. Wartortle's muscles cried as it struggled, pleading for the water-type to stop. Finally, truly out of energy, Wartortle collapsed, hitting the floor.

"Battle Off!" called the referee, "The winners are Tyranitar and Magmar!"

The crowd was very quiet, wholly shocked at what they had just witnessed. Tyranitar and Magmar celebrated before being returned to their Balls by the aggressive Coordinator, while May ran over to Wartortle to cradle the exhausted water-type.

"Wartortle, you did everything right." May soothed the pride-wounded water-type, "You've nothing to be ashamed of. I'll get you to a Center." May returned the water-type to his Ball and walked away from the stage, heading toward the curtains with her head hanging as the announcer declared the final match to be Dawn vs. Jacen.

May trudged into the dressing room where the Coordinators prepared. Dawn immediately ran over, hugging her friend.

"May, I'm so sorry." Dawn said, holding May tight. The Princess of Hoenn didn't hug back, too ashamed and shocked to respond.

"It's not your fault…it's that Coordinator. He was so aggressive. He didn't even show off his moves, he just used brute force to take out my Pokémon and win." May rambled, sitting down on one of the benches and putting her head in her hands. The other nearby Coordinators avoided the scene nearby, the rest of them having been already eliminated and one by one filing out of the room to go and find where their next competition would be.

Jacen walked into the dressing room next, intending to go to the male side of the room (the two were separated by a door), but Dawn immediately called him out.

"Hey!" Dawn spat, "Just what kind of Coordinator do you think you are? You could've really hurt May's Pokémon!"

Jacen turned to glare at Dawn. His stare was cold and unnerving. "And?" he asked coldly, "Nothing I did out there was against the rules. Battle Off exists for a reason."

"Are you kidding?" Dawn shouted, "The point of Contests is to show off your Pokémon's skill and teamwork, not to pummel the opponent into the ground! You want to do that, then go and challenge the Johto League or something!"

"My reasons for competing in Contests are none of your business." Jacen snarled, "As I said, nothing I did out there was against the rules. Everything I did was within those bounds. Now I suggest you get ready, Dawn, because you're next."

Jacen then disappeared into the male side of the dressing room, leaving the two girls by themselves.

"…I'm gonna beat him." Dawn said somewhat to herself, "I'm gonna beat him the way you're supposed to win. I'll show him." Dawn then whirled around to May, "May, get your Pokémon some rest. I've got a cheater to crush."

May half-smiled at Dawn's pep, standing up carefully and looking at the Poké Balls of the beaten Blaziken and Wartortle. "You get him, Dawn. I'll be watching."

And then Dawn stalked out of the dressing room to wait for the moment where they would call her to the stage.

This Ribbon would be hers.

The crowd cheered deafeningly as Dawn was called out to the stage. The Johto Contest Association had been promoting the rivalry between Dawn and May, something the two Coordinators found ridiculous, but the fans ate it up. As such, most everyone knew who Dawn was now, and she had only competed in a single Contest this season.

Ash and Pikachu stood up with the rest of the crowd, clapping along and adding a "Go Dawn!" that was probably lost in the noise.

Next, Jacen was called up. The crowd reacted to this with a mixture of claps and boos. The booing stood out to Ash as the aggressive Coordinator took the stage, standing on the opposite side of the battlefield from Dawn. The announcer chimed in on the PA to declare the match.

"Welcome, one and all, to the finals of the Mahogany Town Contest! This will be a Double Contest Battle between Dawn of Twinleaf Town and Jacen of Fuchsia City! The object will be to deplete your opponent's points while keeping up your own in order to win the Mahogany Ribbon! However, if both of a Coordinator's Pokémon are found to be unable to battle, Battle Off will be declared!"

Jacen smirked as the rule was read, essentially validating the vitriol he'd thrown in the dressing room earlier. Dawn could only imagine that the Coordinator was intent on winning this match the same way.

"Coordinators, are you ready? All right, battle, begin!"

Jacen sent out his Pokémon first. "All right, Beedrill, Croconaw, battle stations!"

"Piplup, Togekiss, spotlight!"

The two pairs of Pokémon stared each other down. Jacen's Croconaw gnashed its teeth as it clamped its jaws together, while Beedrill buzzed loudly. Togekiss and Piplup were much more quiet and calm, watching their opponents carefully.

Jacen, ever the aggressor, called out the first move.

"Croconaw, use Crunch! Beedrill, use Pin Missile!"

Croconaw charged forward, widening its powerful jaws as it lumbered toward its enemies. Beedrill flew back behind the charging Croconaw and fired a series of Pin Missiles. The bug-type attack sped up behind Croconaw and then amazingly curved around Croconaw, creating a sort of Pin Missile shield around the water-type.

"Togekiss, Piplup, use Aura Sphere and Bubblebeam!" Dawn countered. Her two Pokémon responded quickly. Togekiss' Aura Sphere spawned and glowed brilliantly as it was released toward the oncoming Croconaw, while Piplup launched a long Bubblebeam. It was a sort of callback to her Double Battle in the Sinnoh Grand Festival. Piplup's Bubblebeam attack surrounded the Aura Sphere in a spinning ring, and Croconaw realized the danger too late.

The wheel of Bubblebeam and Aura Sphere collided with Croconaw. The water-type croaked in pain and was bounced back in a blast of smoke. However, Jacen's Beedrill then appeared out of the cloud of smoke.

"Beedrill, somersault and use Pin Missile!"

Beedrill tucked itself in and turned like a wheel, releasing a wild Pin Missile attack that shot in all directions. One of the pins struck Piplup in the midsection and sent the small water-type tumbling backward for a bit, while Togekiss simply shielded itself with one of its wings in defense. Both Coordinators' scores decreased, with Dawn having the upper hand after the first volley of attacks.

"Piplup, get on Togekiss' back!"

Piplup got up from its place on the ground, shrugging off the impact of the Pin Missile, and sprinted toward Togekiss, leaping up high onto the Jubilee Pokémon's back. Togekiss purred and then took flight.

"Now, Togekiss use Sky Attack! Piplup, use Peck!"

Piplup's beak glowed white and got longer, sharpening as it did so, while Togekiss summoned the fiery aura of Sky Attack, speeding toward Croconaw and Beedrill. Almost immediately, the two attacks formed a bright red blaze around the larger normal-type, resembling moves such as Giga Impact.

Jacen didn't flinch, only waiting until the pair of Pokémon closed in. "Croconaw, jump up!"

Croconaw leaped into the air, timing its jump perfectly. The water-type took advantage of gravity and then crashed down onto Togekiss' back, throwing Piplup off of the normal-type entirely. The Penguin Pokémon shrieked as it fell, and Croconaw was now on top of Togekiss, who had no defense.

"Crunch!"

Croconaw's jaws clamped onto Togekiss' back, and the Jubilee Pokémon shrieked in pain.

"Beedrill, hit Piplup with a Pin Missile!"

As Togekiss went down while Croconaw tore its teeth into her back, Beedrill charged up yet another Pin Missile attack at the falling Piplup.

"Piplup, defend with Whirlpool! Togekiss, hang in there! Keep flying!" Dawn called in counter.

Piplup successfully righted itself, still falling, and summoned a great whirlpool. Beedrill's Pin Missile attack came raging toward the Sinnoh starter, but a simple thrust by the Penguin sent the Whirlpool into the attack's path, swallowing the Pin Missiles whole and running over Beedrill, knocking the bug-type into the ground.

Meanwhile, Togekiss was faltering. "Togekiss, spin!" Dawn called as she realized a way to throw Croconaw off. Togekiss, quickly failing, started to spin, her speed increasing as Croconaw's grip grew looser. Soon enough, the Big Jaw Pokémon was struggling to hold on.

"Keep spinning, Togekiss!"

"Croconaw, use Aqua Tail!" Jacen shouted.

Croconaw's grip vanished as it opened its maw, separating it and the twirling normal-type. However, Croconaw wasn't done with the critical damage it had been dealing Togekiss. Its tail charged up with a storm of water and Croconaw whipped the tail out just before it could fall out of range, smacking Togekiss with a slap of powerful water. Piplup fell back to his side of the stage while Togekiss righted itself, doing its best to shake off its pain while water dribbled in great amounts off of her back. The points were then taken away, and Jacen now led the battle as he had dealt more successful hits in that round.

Togekiss cringed as it landed next to Piplup, weak from the digging of Croconaw's teeth. Piplup was in better shape than the normal-type, but Jacen's Pokémon looked relatively unharmed. The clock showed that two and a half minutes remained, and both Coordinators' points were half gone, with Jacen having the slightest edge.

"Beedrill, use Agility, pronto!"

Beedrill raised its spikes and then sped back and forth, moving so quickly that it almost appeared there were two Beedrill. Then, just as quickly as it had begun, Beedrill stopped moving, but its wings were clearly beating faster than they already had been. Dawn clenched a fist. This would mean Beedrill would be moving faster for the rest of the battle.

"Now, Beedrill, use Fury Attack!"

"Piplup, counter with Peck!"

Beedrill sped toward Piplup at an almost undetectable speed, racing forward with glowing spikes. Piplup powered up his Peck attack, thrusting itself forward to meet Beedrill. The Penguin Pokémon and the bug-type clashed, the former's Peck crossing with the double Fury Attack. Beedrill pulsed angrily and tried to attack again, but Piplup deflected the Fury Attack again and again.

"Togekiss, hit Beedrill with an Aura Sphere!"

Togekiss moved quickly, knowing innately that Piplup's defense wouldn't hold up forever with the speedier Beedrill. The Aura Sphere attack generated and then was off in a flash, heading straight for Beedrill. Piplup deflected one more Fury Attack, but moved slower than normal. Beedrill saw the opening and lunged to connect its next Fury Attack, but then a glowing aura crashed into it. Beedrill staggered back, spinning out of control before righting itself. Jacen's points plummeted as a result of the expert double counter, and the aggressive Coordinator gritted his teeth as the clock reached 1 minute.

"Time is running out, and Dawn just took a big lead with that impressive defense of Beedrill's Fury Attack! Could this be it?"

"Not a chance!" Jacen rhetorically answered the PA announcer before pointing at Dawn's Pokémon. "Croconaw, use Slash on Piplup! Beedrill, hit Togekiss with Poison Jab!"

Croconaw and Beedrill raced forward at the same time, the latter taking the lead thanks to its boosted speed.

"Piplup, Togekiss, quick! Use Aura Whirlpool!"

The name for the combination was one that Dawn had recently come up with, but the Pokémon knew all the same. She hadn't had much time to come up with new combinations for the pair, and as such had been resorting to those she had been using in the Sinnoh Grand Festival battle against Zoey. Dawn didn't like remembering the result of that battle, knowing that she had come so close, but the result had nevertheless strengthened her resolve to win, especially right now.

Togekiss charged up its Aura Sphere, watching carefully as Beedrill raced toward her. Piplup's Whirlpool was ready, and Togekiss fired off the Aura Sphere alongside Piplup. The two moves collided, and the Whirlpool glowed brightly, blinding Croconaw and Beedrill. The hesitation that resulted from the glow ultimately doomed the pair, and a glowing wall of water crashed into them, sending both Pokémon flying away. Croconaw landed on top of Beedrill, which infuriated the speedy bug-type, and the Johto starter quickly scrambled off and readied its next attack. Jacen gritted his teeth, knowing that his window was running thin.

"Croconaw, use—"

Ding!

"And that's it! Match over! The winner is…Dawn!"

Piplup jumped in the air while Togekiss smiled with happy realization, and the two turned to their ecstatic Trainer at the same time.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Dawn cheered, jumping up and down and throwing her arms up in triumph, "Piplup and Togekiss, we won!" Dawn declared as she ran to her two Pokémon. The last time they'd competed in the finals, it had ended with a crushing loss for them, but now that they had won their first Ribbon in Johto, the wound of the Sinnoh Grand Festival loss was all but healed. Jubilation overcame the three.

Dawn looked over Togekiss' shoulder to see that Jacen had already walked away, vanishing in the chanting of the satisfied crowd. He had tried to defeat her Pokémon through brute tactics, and had taken a great step toward that goal when Croconaw had landed a Crunch attack on Togekiss' back, but ultimately Dawn's battling style had won out.

Mr. Contesta approached Dawn and her Pokémon, carrying the tablet that held the Mahogany Ribbon. "Congratulations, Dawn." Mr. Contesta declared, reaching the tablet out so Dawn could grab the Ribbon. "I understand this is your first Ribbon in the Johto Region. You defeated a tough opponent to earn this. I hope you will continue to work hard and put on amazing performances in the future."

Dawn nodded, fighting back a tear as she raised her voice to sound confident. "Yes! We will, Mr. Contesta, my Pokémon and I promise!"

Mr. Contesta nodded and smiled, charmed by the Twinleaf girl's youthful enthusiasm. Then, the Chairman walked away, rejoining his fellow judges. Dawn eyed the Mahogany Ribbon, and then, grinning at her Pokémon, walked back to the curtains with them, endlessly smiling at her victory.

Dawn and May celebrated with a little victory dance in the Pokémon Center. May had watched the battle from the TV in the Center, and seeing Dawn win had washed away all of May's sadness at losing to Jacen. Ash hadn't reached the Center yet, probably navigating his way through the crowd pouring out of Contest Hall.

"I'm so happy you beat him like that!" May declared, "You should've seen the look on his face when the camera found him after he lost!"

Ash walked in as soon as May finished her sentence, and Dawn felt a swell of pride. She abandoned May and ran toward Ash, arms wide. He smiled at her and her heart fluttered as she crashed into him, hugging him tightly. Ash tensed in order to absorb the blow, but then lightly hugged back. What he really wanted, though, was a high five. Dawn pulled away and Ash raised his hand in the air. Dawn knew immediately, and met his hand with a loud clap.

The trio of travelers laughed together, but Ash's mood quickly darkened after the high five. The weight of what he had to tell Dawn was beginning to crush him.

Eventually, Ash spoke up, talking to May. "Hey May, do you think you could give Dawn and me a minute?" Ash asked hopefully. The Petalburg coordinator cocked her head and eyed Ash, but understood, nodding her head and getting up from her seat to walk to a nondescript corner of the Pokémon Center. Dawn's senses blew up as she tried to piece together what was happening, and she looked to Ash quizzically.

"Ash? What's up?"

Ash sat in the seat across from Dawn, his head hanging. The brim of his cap guarded his expression, which only worried Dawn further. "Ash? What's wrong? Tell me."

Ash heaved a sigh, croaking as he tried to find the right words. "Dawn, I…I…" he stammered, taking a deep breath, "I'm leaving."

Dawn sat there, stunned, trying to process if she'd heard her friend correctly. "…What?" Dawn asked dumbly, her mind spiraling.

"I'm leaving." Ash repeated, this time more steadily, "I've thought about this for a while, and I really want to do this. I want to go to Mt. Silver and train for a while."

"W-w-what do you mean?" Dawn stammered, "You…you're leaving me?"

"…Pretty much, yeah." Ash said bluntly, looking back at the floor and breathing before looking back at Dawn. She was clearly hurt, and it was absolutely killing Ash inside, but he couldn't afford to bottle this up. "I know I said that I was going to take some time off from battling, but I can't. It's just become a part of me. For the last four years I've trained and trained, and I've traveled all around the world, but only in Sinnoh did I truly become so strong that I had a chance to win the League. I can't give up that strength, not like I have in the past. I'm strong because of my Pokémon, and my Pokémon are strong because of me, and all I know is that I have to get stronger."

Dawn understood, she really understood, but her mind was absolutely reeling. And then, immediately underneath the surface was anger. She shed no tears, but her face reddened.

"So you're just going to bail on me? You're going to head to some mountain without me? Without May? After we just got here in Johto, immediately after I win my first Ribbon?" Dawn demanded, speaking quickly and sternly. Then, her mood darkened, and she became truly sad, "This was supposed to be the next leg of our journey together. I turned down that modeling offer and it led me here, Ash, with you. There's nowhere in the world I'd rather be right now, and you're gonna leave just like that?"

"Dawn, you know it's not like that." Ash pleaded, sad. "Think about what we saw in Ecruteak City. Ho-Oh hasn't been there for centuries, and I've seen it four times now, and each time it's led me to a different part of my journey. What's more, Ho-Oh looked at me this time. I can't just ignore that as coincidence. Dawn, you have to understand, I have to do this."

Dawn then became angry again, a wave of red washing over her. "No, Ash Ketchum, you have to understand this. I get that you feel like you've got to do this, but I don't. And if that's what you're gonna do, if you're just gonna leave and go train on a mountain without me, then fine. Fine by me. But you had better understand that you're not catching on to a lot of stuff here. Think on that when you're training by yourself."

Dawn then got up from her seat and walked away, quickly. Ash was stunned, not expecting the outburst from Dawn of all people. The Pallet native got up out of his seat and called out for her. "Dawn! Dawn, come back!" Ash pleaded, but the Coordinator didn't show any sign that she had even heard him, "Please! I'm sorry!"

May watched from the corner, watching the Sinnoh Coordinator stalk down the hallway out of sight, probably headed to her room. The Petalburg native then turned to look at Ash, who met her eyes, and then tucked his head, pulling his cap over his face. And then, Ash turned, walking briskly for the door. People were staring, but he didn't care. Ash Ketchum had just likely burnt a bridge with one of his closest friends, and the only thing that he wanted was to get out of there.

Ash thundered outside, running away from Mahogany Town and out onto Route 44. Pikachu ran behind his partner, trying to keep up. The emotional imbalance exuding from Ash had the electric-type thoroughly alarmed. Ash slowed down and pulled at his spiky raven hair, angrily shouting at nothing. A tree stood tall right off of the path, and in a flash of blind anger, Ash threw his fist into its trunk. The bones in his hand screamed, and he bit his tongue to keep himself from yelling in pain as well as his hand throbbed. He wasn't really sure what he'd been expecting to happen. As the feeling rushed back to his hand, Ash leaned against that very tree, pulling his cap down to cover his eyes as he sulked.

"Pika..." Pikachu murmured as he gently tapped Ash's leg from the ground.

"Thanks, buddy. You've stuck with me all this time…" Ash mumbled. He crumpled to the ground in a sitting position, crossing his legs as he lowered himself closer to Pikachu's height level. "You understand me, right? You understand why I want to do this? Why I have to do this."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, nodding fiercely, "Pika, Pikachu!"

Ash smiled. He averted his gaze back to the ground, sitting under the darkness of the night sky. "Thanks, Pikachu." A raindrop touched his cheek, followed by several more droplets from all around. Thunder rumbled far in the distance, and Ash's skin crawled. Pikachu leaped up and caught himself onto Ash's shoulder, nuzzling up on his partner's cheek. Ash stood up, his gaze fixated on the east, "We might as well start heading that way. I'm not really sure I want to go back in there."

"Piiiii…."

The rain increased, but only enough so that Ash could still tolerate the endless droplets of water littering his clothes. "Let's start by flying to Blackthorn City." Ash suggested, unclipping a Poké Ball from his belt. "Staraptor, I choose you!"

The Predator Pokémon burst from its Ball, screeching proudly as it fluttered to the ground.

"Staraptor, you think you can give us a lift? We need to head to the next town over." Ash asked. The flying-type crowed approvingly, turned and widening itself so that Ash could sit on its back. The powerful flying-type then took to the skies, hefting Ash and Pikachu into the air. The Trainer was heavy, but Staraptor's strength was far greater than its size implied. Flying forward, Staraptor's watchful gaze searched for its target, its wings beating heavily in order to support the weight on its back. Ash looked around as well, picking out the Ice Path from his aerial view. Ash pointed, calling out to the flying-type.

"Staraptor, we're headed to Blackthorn City!"

Okay, so the parting chapter is complete. Just to give some explanation, if Dawn seemed a little, I don't know, bitchy, it's definitely a lapse in character. Rest assured, that's just a result of her conflicted feelings. Anyway, Ash is now starting his journey toward Mt. Silver, while May and Dawn will travel together to compete in Contests. I'd consider this chapter the end of Act 1. Thanks again for reading, and please consider leaving a review!