Chapter 11: The Borrowed Strength Rises

(Outside the Grand Festival Stadium) (Sunset)

"Haaa… nothing like a good meal for celebrating a well earned victory, right Pikachu? (Pika pika!)" that was the sound of Ash rubbing his stomach after gorging at the snack bar earlier after his victory at the Sinnoh stadium. After 9 burgers 4 hotdogs and 12 double large soda drink he practically ate a whole month worth of food that afternoon. The vendors there were really glad that he ate there because of his popularity and fame, many other trainers from the city began to come by just to get a picture of him. They all gave Ash a hearty thanks and urge him to come back any time even though he didn't even know why. "I bet everyone in the stadium must've won already. Hey, maybe we should ask Brock to cook us up one of his good old meals. We could all have a victory feast back at the Pokemon center"

And right on cue the Grand Festival stadium was right in sight. The usual crowd had already left except for a few guards to make sure everything was in check. But at the front of the gate were a few trainers that were waiting for their pickups and right at the center was a group that Ash knew well. "Hey there they are. Hey guys!" the gang quickly noted the boy and waved back. "Sorry I wasn't able to catch your match"

"Hey look who's here. The winner of the day" Brock motioned with his usual proud smile.

"Hey that's ok" Kenny replied, "But we saw your match on TV. You were great!"

"Yeah, you didn't even lose a single Pokemon" Zoey added, "That trainer didn't stand a chance"

Nando was still reading his novelty book so he wasn't going to say anything for awhile. "So how about you guys? How were your matches?" Ash asked.

Kenny snobbily rubbed his nose looking like a tough guy. "Hehehe… it was nothing. My opponent was too easy. I beat him with one hand tied behind my back. He was no match against my Breloom"

"In Kenny's language, that means: I almost got beaten if my opponent didn't make a bad move" Brock translated in a way.

"I had a little difficulty" Zoey inclined, "But I managed to way in the end. But you should've seen Nando. He practically won without losing a single point"

"Wow! Is that true Nando?"

"Hmm?" the harpist was quickly drawn away from his book when his name was mentioned. "Oh hello Ash. I didn't even know you were here" the others face faulted. "I'm sorry, I'm just so into this new book I bought that I haven't been able to focus on anything nowadays. What were you talking about?"

"N… nothing…" Ash let out a sweat drop. But before he continued, he noticed that Dawn and Johanna were nowhere to be found. "A hey… where's Dawn?" a deathly silence came over the area by the mention of that girl's name. With just a whiff, everyone became oddly quiet and the expression on their faces changed instantly. Brock folded his arms with the frown that clearly says 'Don't want to talk about it'. Zoey looked away for a moment not wanting to glance back at the boy. Kenny looked down to his feet with his hair covering his eyes and Nando quickly folded down his hat and silently returned to his book. "Uh… guys?" quickly a sudden dread feeling crept up his spine. "Wait, don't tell me that she lost!"

Seeing that the boy was demanding answers, Zoey soon decided to be the bearer of some slightly bad news. "Well no… she didn't lose"

"Then why all the silence? (Pika?)"

"Well… let's just say that she won, but not the way we expected"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Well…" she sighed, "I guess it kind of started about ten minutes after you left"

(Flashback 3 hours ago)

"Phew… what a relief…" Kenny let out a hearty groan after he finally returned to the waiting room where all of his friends. His match had ended thankfully to the timer that went beep. If the bell did not end then, he would definitely be defeated today. "That guy almost had me"

"Congratulations Kenny" Zoey came by with Nando. "That was a close one. A little longer and you might've taken another beating"

He rubbed his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, I underestimated that guy for a minute there. If he pulled off his real power sooner then I would've really lost. But enough about me, I'm guessing after this next match it'll be your turn to battle huh?"

"That's right. But don't worry, I'll be sure to do…"

"My best…" they said together which was then followed by a small laugh.

As the next pair of coordinators went up on stage, the speaker suddenly perked in. "Attention trainers" a computerized voice came, "We will now be having a ten minute break after the next match is decided. Visitors will be allowed in the waiting room for that period only. Snacks and beverages will be distributed shortly. Thank you and good fortune. That is all"

"Well it looks like that match will have to wait a little while longer" Kenny noted the announcement. But then he realized that someone was missing from the group. "Ah hey, where's Dawn?"

Nando pointed towards the benches where the girl in question was sitting silently with her Pachirisu on her lap. "She's still quite depressed that she was chosen to be the last to be on stage. She was probably hoping to go out first and end her stress quickly. Poor girl (pause) Oh well, I'm going back to my book. If you need me, I'll be in the lounge" and before any of them could reply, the harpist was long gone.

Kenny, sensing that something was wrong with his childhood friend, walked up to her with a smile on his face. "Hey there Deedee" he was hoping to get a little reaction by saying her least favorite nickname, but to his shocking surprise, the girl barely even made a move or a comment. "Hello? Hey Dawn, are you there?" he quickly flicked his finger in front of her eyes trying to get her attention.

"Huh?" she was instantly brought out of her trance, "Oh hey Kenny. How was your match?"

The boy literally dropped his head below his shoulders as he was quite disappointed that his friend didn't even watch the battle he had. "Weren't you supposed to watch my match earlier? It was quite a battle. Man…" he sighed depressingly. "Were you sitting here sighing all this time?"

"Ahehehehe… sorry, I guess I'm not my usual self today" she reasoned, "Ahehehe… but seeing you here, that must mean that you won right? So no worries right?"

"I figured you'd say something like that" the boy mumbled to himself. "But anyway. We'll be having a ten minute break after the next match, so you might as well think of a good strategy against your opponent. None of these matches will be easy, that much I can tell you"

"Hey no need to worry" she said her usual catchphrase, "Didn't you see me on my performing act? I did so well I bet even my mom was surprised. What do you think about it?" she suddenly got a little too close to Kenny's face when she asked that question to him. Their nose barely touch that moment making the boy take a few steps back with a feint blush coming on his cheeks.

"W… well, it was good… I guess" he quickly looked the other way not wanting to show his red face to her. "You don't exactly see that kind of performance everyday so I'll you credit for that"

"Tee hee… coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment" Dawn smirked triumphantly. "Anyway, I think I better get some refreshments for myself. All this waiting is making me and Pachirisu thirsty (Chupa!) hehehe"

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She quickly followed the path that Nando took and made her way towards the lounge where she spotted the young musician back to reading his book again while sipping on a drink that he purchased from the vending machine. Dawn was conflicted either to be glad or irritated about that man and his novel. If he didn't have that book, he would've taken the situation back in the Pokemon center a little differently. But thinking of the boy now, Dawn felt a sudden chilling fear creep through her veins. She looked at the palm of her right hand and noticed that it was shaking. "What the? My hand is… shaking" she gripped it together and allowed the fear to subside, but for some reason she can still feel its presence lurking deep in her heart. It was quiet for now, but there was no telling when it might resurface and strike.

But her thoughts were quickly blown away when she heard a couple of whispers from the reception desk. "Hey, did you hear: that famous trainer from Pallet town is having his battle right now"

"What? Seriously? Aww man, I wish I could watch him. He's one of my favorite. My sister is a big fan too. Hey do you think they're broadcasting it on TV right now?"

"Yeah! I bet Sinnoh Now is having first scoop at the battle. There's a TV at the longue, maybe we can ask to change it to that battle"

"Alright, lead the way!"

Dawn really wanted to follow them to the longue area for the visitors and audience, but her mind kept telling her to stay put so that she can participate in the next battle. She conflicted against herself. "Hmm… maybe I'll go watch too? No… no no… I have to wait here. But maybe just for a few minutes? No no no no! Arghh! What am I doing!?" she gave herself a few slaps on the cheek and turned her attention to the vending machine. She slammed a couple of coins in the insert area and took out two soda cans to drown away the thought. "Alright Dawn, come on! Focus! You have a battle soon and you need to be in tip top shape. There's no need for distractions. Focus… focus… focus"

"Hey there sweetie"

Dawn nearly had a heart failure that moment when her mother called out from behind. "AHH!! Mom!? You scared me!"

"Sorry dear. You were just so out of it that I just couldn't resist. I was hoping to find you in the waiting room along with everyone else, but instead I find you here drinking like it was the last day on earth" she chuckled half heartedly, "Is something bothering you dear? You look rather flustered" she was gesturing to the girl's cheeks which were a bit red from her earlier wake up slap and blushes that were appearing.

"N… no of course not!" she stammered becoming even redder by the minute and showing one of her most genuine fake smiles. "I'm perfectly fine. Really"

"Well…… if you say so. But remember, if you're troubled, all you need to do is think about happy thoughts and everything will be all right. Ok? It's never good to hold feelings back. Especially when they're important"

"Yeah, sure thing mom"

"Well, I should be off now. The ten minute break doesn't really last that long. Good luck on your match" and with that her mother left through where she originally came, vanishing into the large sea of audience members spectating the next the match with wide open eyes and ears as Kitty announced the next contestants.

Dawn thought what her mother said and soon began to agree. Her thoughts were indeed clouded with doubts at the moment and she really needed some support to help her carry this weight. She sat down on one of the benches and thought of the good happy times she had during her Pokemon journey. She thought of the time when she saved Piplup from the pack of Aridoses and became her starting Pokemon. She remembered the competitions she had during her adventures. The cheers, the battles, the crowd chanting her name… it all felt like they just happened yesterday. As she opened her eyes, she felt as if the weight that was holding her back lifted away by some magical force. "Hooo… mom was right. Thinking happy thoughts does make me feel better. This competition will definitely be a breeze" she closed her eyes again and continued to create a happy thought in her mind.

(Dawn's mindscape)

"Haa…" Dawn imagined herself back at home where her Pokemon journey began. She was back on her soft comfy bed looking at the sun through the veil of her window. The warm heat was a pleasure to her cold feet and her blanket always seemed shorter than it was supposed to be. She reminded herself to ask mom to get her a bigger blanket next time around. But her sleep was suddenly interrupted when her alarm Starly alarm clock began ringing. After a few minutes of more snoozing she folded herself up and opened the window to greet the morning light.

Knowing that her Pokemon journey begins today, the young trainer changed into her traveling outfit so that she could be the first one to pick a Pokemon. After combing her hair and tying the golden hairclips she checked herself one more time at the mirror before jerking back to the room.

"Dawn" came her mother's voice from downstairs. "Are you up? Breakfast is almost ready. You'd better get here quick if you want to go to Sandgem town first"

"Coming mom" she hastily ran down the stairs and into the living room where it was always brightly colored and lively decorated by Johanna's trophy cabinet. Every time Dawn walks through that cabinet she can't help but admire on just how many trophies that her mother had won during her Pokemon journey. There were trophies of all sorts of shapes and sizes, but the one that Johanna prized the most was probably the Sinnoh Grand Festival Cup. It was the prime of her life and the best of her best wins of all.

But her thoughts were dashed away when she heard the sound of the stove being turned on. "The eggs will be ready in a bit" came her mother's voice from the kitchen. "There are some toasts on the table if you want"

"Thanks mom" she quickly dug into the bread and put in some butter to add the flavor. It wasn't long then till a familiar Glameow came by purring on her feet. "Oh, hey there Glameow. How are you? (Meow…) Hehehe… I see you're just as fine as always" she petted the little cat by its spring like tail and smiled happily. Even though she couldn't understand why her mother chose her to be her starter Pokemon, its agility really made it quite the fast fighter. "Hehehe… you're just as cute as always"

"Dawn, stop playing with Glameow like that, you'll get your hands all dirty" came her mother's voice as she appeared with a plate of sunny side up eggs. Dawn was still playing with Glameow so she couldn't see her mother's face. "Come on dear, eat up before your food gets cold"

"Yes mom" but just when Dawn grabbed the plate, she noticed that the hand on the opposite side was wearing fingerless gloves. As she looked up, what was supposed to be the face of her mother was replaced by a boy wearing that silly cap and a funny grin on his lips. It was of course… none other than "Ash…?"

"Hey, you better eat up if you want to get strong" he continued where Johanna's voice trailed off, "Your big debut is starting a few minutes" he was wearing his usual clothes but added a white apron in front. His Pikachu was standing on his left shoulder also smiling like his master. At that very second, Dawn could've swore that her mind had processed almost light-years worth of information. But to sum it all up, she just put these words in mind to keep her from confusing herself.

Ash not mom…

Ash wearing an apron…

Ash making her breakfast…

Ash seeing her in her pajamas…

Ash in her house…

Ash in the same room as her…

Alone…

(End of mindscape)

"AHHHHH!!!!!" at the end of Dawn's dream she slammed her fist into the air, knocking Kenny by the face sending him five meters off the ground and onto the floor with stars floating on his head. "Huh? Oh no! Kenny! Are you alright?"

"Is that you god?" he stated dazzled and unconscious. A few minutes after recovering from the blow, the boy borrowed a pack of ice from the ice cream store and placed it on his head where a giant red lump appeared out of the attack. "Man… that was one heck of a punch" he groaned, "What was that all about? All I said was 'hey'. You didn't have to hit me so hard you know"

"Sorry. I was just thinking hard for a second. I was in the moment so I didn't know you were there"

"Heh, the only time I ever see you thinking hard is when you're doing your homework" Kenny humored. "Back during nursery school, we always were a rowdy bunch weren't we?"

"Yeah, I remember you and your friends sneaking out during story time just to get first dibs on the playground hehehehe"

"And you never let anyone bully you too" Kenny added, rubbing the ice on his chin this time where it hurt the most from the punch. "You and Leona always teamed up whenever the bullies come at ya"

"Hehehe… yeah, those were the days. It feels like yesterday you and I were starting on our own Pokemon journey"

"Well, I went first since I was born three months earlier than you"

Dawn fumed, "Hey just because you got a head start doesn't mean you're better than me! Don't forget that it was me who beat you back in the Floaroma contest and saved your hide one too many times in those 'sticky' situations"

Kenny let out a mother of all sweat drops. "Ahehehehe I guess your right about the first half of that sentence. But if I remember correctly, it was Ash who saved you and me from that pit fall back in Mt. Coronet and let's not forget that time when you fell into that ancient temple back in Solaceon town. We had a hard time just looking for you up and down those stairs"

"I told you that it was an accident! It's not like I was the one who made the stairs go up like that!" the girl roared out at him comically. "Besides, if it wasn't for that, my Ambipom would still be an Aipom"

"Oh yeah, speaking of Ambipom. I thought that was Ash's Aipom" the mere mention of the boy's name quickly made the girl flush slightly. "You traded the Buizel you got from the river right?" Dawn began to tremble slightly as she picked out her Ambipom's Pokeball from her side pocket. She remembered how it used to be an Aipom and how it always seemed to cling onto Ash whenever it was scared, lonely or just plain bored.

"Oh… yeah…" she seemed to have forgotten that she never caught the two tailed monkey on her own and realized that Ash was the one who trained it before it became an Ambipom. "I almost forgot about that. (pause) We traded Pokemon that time…" as she recalled that event where they traded their Pokemons in that machine, she began to feel herself blush again making the rose look pink.

But just when she was about to put it back, Kitty's voice came through the speaker to declare the winner. "Ladies and gentlemen, what a spectacular victory by Zoey! With just four moves, she defeated her opponent so gracefully that I couldn't even see what happened during those last two minutes! Give her a round of applause because she's advancing through to the next round!" the crowd went out and gave the red head a full blown applause as she waved back at them.

"Well… it looks like Zoey won without any trouble" Kenny noted, "Looks like we'll have to improve if we're gonna catch up to her level any time soon"

"Yeah…" they both truly agreed that Zoey was better than them that moment. Even though she didn't pull out any fancy moves, her brilliant strategy and tactical thinking made her an opponent worthy of attention. Heck, some of the other trainers were already considering her a worthy opponent other than Dawn whose opening performance went through the roof. "Maybe I should talk to her next time. At least then I'll know I won't get hit by one of your super-punches"

"Geeze I already said sorry" Dawn hmphed back at him. "It's not like I did it on purpose like when we were in kindergarten"

"Oh yeah, every time I called you Deedee, you'd be the first to give me a black eye"

WHAM!

The boy should've remained quiet on that topic because the moment he called her least favorite nickname, he got himself another black eye. "Nurse…" he groaned, "Another ice pack please…"

Dawn made it back to the waiting room without much problem. She looked around and noticed that the numbers of coordinators in the room has dwindled to a select few who managed to make it to the second round. To think that this room was filled with the most talented coordinators from all over the world almost felt like it was a dream long since past. She looked around again and noticed Zoey entering from the stage zone with a smile plastered on her face.

"Congratulations Zoey" she cheered her.

"Hey there Dawn. Thanks. It was nothing. My opponent didn't really look like he was prepared to face me so it was kind of easy" the red head replied as she removed her hat and wiping the sweat off her brow. "You're probably up next right? Good luck, even though you don't really need it"

"Hehehe… that's already a given factor" Dawn said confidently posing in her charming way. "I'm sure this battle will be a breeze. Just you watch. I'll be back in this room in no time" and with that she march off towards the stage area to prepare for her next battle.

When she was gone, Zoey could only sigh in return. "I just don't get that girl. Either she got her attitude from Ash or she's really just too overconfident to begin with. Oh well… I guess there's no turning back now. Good luck Dawn"

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Back on the stands, Brock and Johanna glued themselves on their seats as Dawn finally came out from the waiting room with her opponent. The crowd went on and gave the two of them a full house cheer that lit up the entire stadium. "Wow… listen to all that roar" Brock motioned as he had to put ear plugs on just to keep his ears from bleeding. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised knowing that this is the last round after all" he then turned his head to Johanna who was intently starring at the battlefield. "What's your take in all of this Johanna?"

"Huh?" she turned to him with a questioning look, "Well… I'm not sure. But if Dawn performs just like she did in the opening performance, then she'll be just fine. Besides, there's no point in worrying about something that we have no control over… right?" she let out a motherly smile which only made Brock sweat drop.

Listening to that last sentence well enough, he soon realized that she was saying almost the exact same thing as Dawn saying 'No need to worry'. He grinned nervously and looked away before chuckling to himself. "Oh yeah… Dawn… you are definitely your mother's daughter"

"Hey there Brock" came Kenny's voice as he, Nando and Zoey came by. "Mind if we scoot in?"

"Huh? Oh hey there Kenny" the squinty eyed boy noted his presence and slowly scooted away, giving the three of them some room to sit. "What are you guys doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the waiting room?"

"The manager told us we could leave" Nando explained, "It was uncomfortable being cramped in that small room for the whole match so we decided to come here"

"Besides, we wanted to cheer on Dawn on her next battle as well" Zoey added with her casual smile. "We wouldn't have been able to cheer her if we were stuck in that room all day"

"I guess you guys got a point" Brock nodded.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" came Kitty's voice on the microphone speakers which broke off their conversation. "It is now time to begin the final battle of today's 1st half, 2nd round between Dawn Berlitz from Twinleaf town and Misaki Toro from Jubilife city! (cheers) The fans are expecting big things from these two so without any further ado… Coordinators, are you ready!?"

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Back on the battlefield, Dawn and her opponent took their respective sides on the court and looked to each other waiting for the bell to sound. As the time went on, she jerked her head to the side to see her friends waving at her with glee. She waved back but soon noticed that amidst that large crowd. A particular boy and his Pikachu seemed to be missing. She quickly remembered that Ash was still in his battle back at the arena and wouldn't be here in a while. "Coordinators, are you ready!?"

"I was born ready!" Dawn replied holding her Pokeball.

"Always… ready…" Misaki said seductively in her kimono.

"Alright then, five minutes on the clock! (beep) And… get ready…"

"Ok Dawn" Dawn thought to herself as she closed her eyes to think of a happy moment just like what she did earlier at the longue. "Just remember what mom taught you. Have a clear mind and a happy thought and you'll win for sure. Ok happy thoughts… umm… mom cooking my favorite dinner" she tried to picture herself back at home as a little kid again waiting on the table where her mother was preparing her favorite rice curry. But just as she pictured it clearly, her mother's face fazed out of the picture and was replaced with Ash's smiling posture. "No! Not him again! Great, now my heart is beating fast again. I… I… what am I doing? Come on FOCUS!" she tried to scare herself back to normal by doing a mental scream, but it seemed to have worked the other way around. She seemed to have lost even more focus than before.

"And…… BEGIN!!!"

"Grovyle, the stage is yours!" immediately a grass Pokemon that resembled a wood gecko appeared with a bowtie on its neck.

Dawn jumped into her position and prepared to let out her own Pokemon as well, but for some strange reason, she could not get that strange feeling off her chest. She tried to suppress it with the best of her ability but it almost looked like a closet where all of her fears were lurking. "Pachirisu… spotlight!" she called out her favorite beaver Pokemon with a giant cute fluffy tail. "Let's end this quickly! Use Thunderbolt!" Pachirisu quickly unleash a powerful attack at the little creature.

But Misaki simply smirked at her pathetic attempt to harm her Pokemon. "Grovyle, charge straight at it and use leaf blade" the grass Pokemon charged directly at the thunderbolt, electrocuting itself but the damage was not too severe. Pachirisu was caught unprepared by this and was stunned by Grovyle's counter attack.

"Oh no! Pachirisu!"

"Now Grovyle, use pound and send it up into the sky!" the grass Pokemon obeyed and quickly used its tail to send the little beaver up, making it impossible to attack. "Good! Now follow it up with bullet seed!" the attack hit Pachirisu dead on and sent it to the ground with a stream of smoke.

"What a wonderful combination!" Kitty MCed. "Using three powerful attacks all at once without even once taking a breather! This certainly shows that you can't judge a Pokemon just by their looks ladies and gentlemen!" as the crowd turned to the score board, they quickly noticed that Dawn's points was severely drained to a near half, sending worried chills to all of her friends. "And this doesn't look good for Dawn, with only half her points left"

"Pachirisu, use sweet kiss!" a bunch of heart shaped bubbles appeared over the beaver's mouth, floating onto the air.

"Dawn now sends out a barrage of hearts and covered Pachirisu with a shield full of it. What a spectacular move!"

But Misaki only smirked out in return. "Heh… this should be easy. Grovyle, use leaf blade and cut through those hearts!" the grass Pokemon obeyed and cut through the heart shield of Pachirisu's sweet kiss like knife through butter. "Ha… now that's what I call a broken heart!"

"Amazing! Misaki used Grovyle's leaf blade attack and cut through them like they were paper!"

"Now Grovyle, attack Pachirisu!" and before Dawn could even react, Pachirisu was sent flying through the air again, landing a few feet away from its launch point. "Ahh! Pachirisu! Come on, get up! (chu… chupa?) Come on don't give up now!"

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"This is bad" Brock groaned worryingly. "Not only has Dawn's opponent got the advantage in Pokemon types, but Grovyle's agility is way superior making it almost impossible to beat by an electric type. She's gonna have to do something soon or else this could end up badly for her"

"And the scoreboard isn't looking well for her either" Kenny turned to the scoreboard and frowned at the sight. Dawn's points were now down to almost a quarter and her opponent Misaki still had plenty left to spare. "She only has two minutes left to go"

"With such a small amount of time, the only way to win will be for Dawn to defeat Grovyle utterly. This looks bad"

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Knowing well that time was against her, Dawn quickly collected herself for one more dash effort to turn the tables around. "Come on Dawn, focus! I can do this! There's nothing distracting you now! There's… nothing…… there's… no one" again a feint image of Ash began appearing in front of her mind. She could see his face, his hat, his jacket, his cocky smile. But for some reason she could not touch it.

The crowds in the grand festival were growing stranger by the moment with Dawn's actions. After the match had begun, she had done poorly to say the least. The scoreboard was not in her favor and Pachirisu, the Pokemon that she had chosen for this battle was already badly wounded. She could not tell why… but something deep inside her was missing. Something that she used to have… something that was vital to every battle she went through.

"This is truly an upset everyone!" Kitty announced, "With two minutes on the clock will Dawn be able to make a comeback in such a short time!?"

There was silence in the air… Dawn was hallow… her heart bore a sting of pain that she could not remove. She was helpless and not even a miracle would be enough to save her from a total defeat. She looked to the side, her eyes empty as if the battle spirit had been withered away by some dark force of unknown. She could not lift a finger to save her own life and when her opponent commanded another of her attack, so too did the strength in her muscles… failed.

"Dawn, wake up!"

A mental shout of Ash's voice surged within Dawn's mind, sending a rush of thoughts and energy around her spinal cord. Again she could not explain why, but her it felt like every brain cell up in her head was working at full capacity. It felt like she drank a concentrated juice of energy drink in one gulp and no chaser to clean the aftertaste.

"Pachirisu, dodge it and use quick attack!" amazingly, Pachirisu was able to recover from its stun and attack Grovyle from the right side catching it completely off guard.

"What the?!" Misaki was indeed surprised by the sudden attack but was still determined to fight on knowing well that she still had the lead. "Don't let her get to you Grovyle, use bullet seed and send that little fluff of pillow flying!"

"Oh no you don't!" Dawn countered, "Pachirisu, use discharge!" again Dawn's surprise attack sent Grovyle flying making the crowd gasp in awe. "Now follow it up with another quick attack!" the attack connected and it seemed to have made a critical blow on Grovyle's left leg.

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As Dawn continued to barrage her attacks gracefully like a ballerina doing a routine dance, Brock and the others quickly noted that Misaki's points were depleting in an alarming rate. Though she still had the lead and the time almost up, there was hope… a slim hope that victory might just be within reach again. "Alright!" the young Pokemon breeder cheered in joy. "Keep it up Dawn, you're almost there, just a little more!"

"Come on Dawn! You can do it!" Zoey cheered along with him.

"Give it your all honey!" Johanna added.

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"Grr… this isn't over yet!" Misaki gritted her teeth. "Grovyle, use leaf blade one more time go!" the grass Pokemon quickly recovered from the sudden counter attack and then hastily launched itself towards Pachirisu where it made contact with minimal resistance. The little electric chipmunk fell to the ground heavily beaten, but it still had the will to fight.

"Oh no… Pachirisu!"

"This is the end! Grovyle, finish this off with solar beam!" with Pachirisu unable to move, Grovyle didn't even need to aim for a full blast attack. Everyone knew that this was the end for Dawn, but just when all hope seemed lost, a sweet kiss heart suddenly appeared out in front of the grass Pokemon surprising everyone. "Huh? What is that?"

"Wait… is that… one of Pachirisu's sweet kiss?" Kitty looked at the object a little puzzled.

"Oh no… Grovyle, look out!" but it was too late for Misaki and Grovyle. By the time the grass Pokemon unleash its powerful solar beam, it was caught in the explosion of its own attack creating an auto hit attack. "NO! Grovyle!" the entire stage was engulfed in a puff of smoke making it impossible to see what happened in the aftershock of the attack. Even with the seconds counting by, the whole stadium seemed to be quietly tensed up. Everyone was off their seats, heck, even Nando himself was wide awake wanting to know the result of the battle as much as the guys next to him.

As the smoke finally cleared, the crowd gasped in astonishment as to what laid before them. Grovyle was out cold and it looks like it wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. With only about three seconds left on the clock, the bell rung, signaling the end of the round.

"Uhh…" Kitty seemed a bit confused on who to declare the winner. Though Dawn really wasn't the one who defeated it, she still was the only one with a Pokemon still standing. "Judges… a little help?" Though a bit hesitant at first, the judges all agreed that a lost was still a lost. They all nodded their heads to the MC. "Alright, the decision is unanimous! The victor of this match goes to Dawn from Twinleaf town!" the crowd burst into cheers and whistles when the announcement was made. The gang raised their voices up as well, glad to see that their friend did not fall. But Dawn on the other hand, simply laid on her rear. Her legs were numb and she could barely even feel the shoes on her feet. She did not know what to say or what to even do at the moment. She won, but it didn't feel like a complete victory.

(End of Flashback)

"And that's what happened" Zoey finished with a sigh. "She won… by accident if you could say that"

"Well that wasn't so bad" Ash let out a breath of relief, "A win is a win and there's no need to be ashamed of that. When I fought with Brock back in Kanto I also kind of won by accident thanks to the sprinkler system that I turned on. An't that right Pikachu? (Pika pika) So where is Dawn anyway?"

"She's probably still packing up" Kenny answered. "Her mom is helping out right now"

"I see… well I hope they come out soon. I want to congratulate her myself"

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Inside the changing room where the coordinators had met, Dawn was busy undoing her hairclip and let it flow down by the wind. Her mother was there too carrying the princess dress that her daughter wore earlier. "Dawn, come on now. Your friends are waiting for you at the entrance. They're all planning to celebrate at the Pokemon center later tonight"

"Hmm…" she replied lifelessly. Johanna noticed this and immediately became worried. She had that blank look on her face ever since she returned from the match. She couldn't tell if it was either depression, confused or just plain bored. But no matter which one it was, it had to be bad either way.

"Uh… Dawn, are you alright sweetie?"

"Hey mom" the girl cut her off, "Can you tell me honestly… how did I do in that last round?"

Johanna paused for a long while unsure what to reply. But Dawn already knew the answer to that question: she knew that she did poorly and her focus was off the mark by huge margin. There were many flaws in her moves and only during the last end of the match did she show exceptional skills. After awhile Johanna closed her eyes and smiled warmly at her daughter. "You did your best, and I believe that's more than what I could ask for. Now come on, let's go meet the others before the sun sets" she was obviously trying to avoid the question as best as possible.

"I… see…" Dawn replied even more lifeless than before.

"Oh come on now Dawn. It was only one match, that doesn't mean it's the end of the world. You'll have plenty of time to make it up tomorrow. Come on, what do you say?"

"Yeah… I guess…"

Seeing that she wasn't getting in any better moods, Johanna decided to use the sneaky gun. "Come on Dawn. I bet Ash is probably waiting for you outside too" she expected a strange reaction to come from her daughter, but what came next was completely unexpected. (even for me)

"Hmph! Like I ever want to see him again" she spat out the thought of meeting him which surprised Johanna. "He can go wherever he likes to for all I care" without another word the girl slung her bag up to her shoulder and walked away leaving her mother behind.

"Eh? What did she mean by that…? Ah! Dawn, wait!" Johanna pleaded. "Oh boy why do I have a feeling that this is going to be one long week?"

And just as Johanna said, there they were. The gang was all assembled outside the stadium entrance. "Hey Dawn, how are you feeling?" Kenny was the first to notice them.

"Oh hey Kenny" Dawn replied a little more cheerful. "I'm feeling better now that I finished. How about you guys?"

"Just peachy" Brock answered for all of them. But then he noted her sad face. "Hey cheer up now. Tell ya what: I'll go cook us a nice fresh meal to celebrate our victory. We can all stay at the park tonight and have dinner there"

"Yeah… that sounds nice" but Dawn's face didn't light up one bit. She held her fake smile as long as she could and she felt like she could break down any minute now. And just when she thought that it was impossible to make her break… that boy appeared. That cocky smile, that ridiculous hat, those little Zs under his eyes.

"Hey Dawn" Ash gave out one of his trademark congratulation smile at her. "Congratulation on your victory. I always knew you could do it teehee" he extended out his hand which Dawn was extremely hesitant to return the gesture. Right now she had strange mixed feeling developing inside her and all of them were alien to her mind and body. But it was those feelings that distracted her from the battle in the first place. She took a step back making the boy wonder what was wrong. "Hey… is something wrong?"

"Why… why is he here?" was her thoughts going at the moment. "Why now? He isn't supposed to be here now…" her heart began to pump faster, increasing the blood flow in her veins. Her thoughts became clouded and unreformed. "What am I… supposed to do? Why is he here!?"

Seeing her face with a mixture of emotions, Ash became worried. "Hey Dawn, are you ok?" he tried to reach out, but was suddenly caught off guard when Dawn slapped his hand away.

"JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed out loud before dashing off towards the horizon. The others were shocked beyond words at that very moment. None of them ever saw Dawn that angry at someone and raising her voice to such extent paralyzed them for a full five seconds. Kenny's eyes were wide open. Zoey was startled. Nando took his eyes off his book also confused on what was going on.

Ash of course was caught unprepared for this. Her scream was so powerful that he actually took a few steps back. Before he was able to recover, the girl was already beyond hearing distance. "W… wait Dawn! (pause) What happened? Was it… was it something I said?" Brock could only shake his head not knowing the answer to those questions.

Johanna also seemed to be confused. She did not know why her daughter acted so rash like that. She was sure that Ash's face would be able to lift her spirit up back again, but instead the effects became the opposite of what she'd hope for. As she looked at the rest of the gang, she could not help but sigh knowing that this was just the beginning of a downhill ride of a comedy-love-story.