After an evening of successful practice and a good night's sleep, Dawn was particularly energetic. While Ash was himself full of energy, he found it hard to keep up with her as she bound towards the Pokemon Center, nearly twirling in the sunshine.
"So, I've decided!" she suddenly said, stopping and turning to her traveling companion. "Ash, I want to challenge you! I wanna practice by going against the team you used when you came to Twinleaf! I haven't had a chance to battle Misdreavus and Charizard looked really cool when you battled Tobias, so go all out with this, alright?" she finished, clenching her fist with the other hand on her hip. While it was a rare occasion that Dawn got particularly serious about a battle that didn't have to do with her career, her spirits were incredibly high right now. She was ready to bring the heat!
Taken off guard by this match offer, it took him half a second longer than usual to agree. A battle was a battle, sure, but Dawn was his friend and he'd known her to be a tough contender in her fair share of battles. This would be good training for him, too.
"Sounds like a plan!" he countered, the late day shade only adding to the dramatic flair the two had taken on. "But, you've gotta use the team you had in Sinnoh. I wanna see how strong they are now!"
Grinning, she let out a hum of agreement. "Then, what're we waiting on? Time to get the teams, right?"
With that, the two of them stepped into the center, a certain combative energy flowing between them. Walking side by side, neither said anything quite yet. The atmosphere was not antagonistic but brimming with excitement. How long had it been since they'd battle one another, since they'd had the personal pleasure of picking each other's strategies apart, and feeling the duality of both pride and concern one could only feel when one battled a friend?
There were many ways to know another person well, to bond and share the most sincere of mannerisms and mental mechanics. Battling was the language these two knew how to express it best in.
With that, Dawn stepped before one PC and Ash another. He rang up Professor Oak, already juggling pokeballs in his hands to exchange them as quickly as possible for the right team.
"Hello, Ash! Is Typhlosion doing well with you?"
"He's doing great!" Ash replied. "How are you doing, Professor?"
"Good, thank you. But, I'm going to assume you didn't call just for pleasantries, especially not so soon after speaking with me. What can I do for you?"
"Well… you see, Dawn and I want to battle each other, but with specific teams…"
Oak looked a little disappointed at the work of rounding up Ash's pokemon, but his smile didn't falter. "Very well. Go ahead and transfer over the ones you won't need. Could you key in the ones you want so I won't forget? I'm getting a little on in years, after all!" the man explained with a laugh.
"Of course!" Ash entered the names of his requested pokemon once an entry box appeared on his side of the screen.
Approximately twenty minutes later, Ash had gotten everyone he needed. He stood, noting that Dawn was short one pokeball. She tapped her finger impatiently before growing giddy, her last one sent over.
Right, he recalled, Professor Rowan wasn't nearly as close to her as he was to Professor Oak, and she might be keeping her pokemon at home. While Ash had a bit of an advantage by being so close to a professor, she had to do a little more work to get her pokemon transferred.
All the same, it was time to start.
"We'll have to find somewhere to battle," she explained after putting her pokeballs away. "I think the lot we used to train Quilava on could use a break…"
Ash nodded. "I think I saw an empty lot between here and the Contest Hall yesterday."
"Let's go, then!"
With that, the two of them set out, air electric between them, and neither bothering to hide how excited they were for the battle to begin. The walk was not quite tense, but there was a certain heaviness to it. Neither was angry, but they both wanted to say little aside from brief questions of whether this lot would do or that one for their battle; much more would give away their potential strategies, their ambitions for how the battle would go.
Finally, they settled on a field expansive and surprisingly dusty, lacking in grass but bearing a chalk outline that looked faded. That was reasonable. It was many sprawling streets from the Pokemon Center, but the roof of the contest hall was still a ways in the distance. It was probably commonly disregarded.
That was fine by the both of them. Their battle wouldn't be interrupted.
Pulling out a pokeball, Dawn decided to play it safe with a normal type. "Buneary, spotlight!" she called.
The little brown rabbit landed with her typical pizzazz, spinning in place before stopping on a single foot. All of her charm in grace, however, melted away when she spotted the apple of her eye - Pikachu. Though she knew she was in the middle of a battle, her true nature shined through briefly as she momentarily hid behind her cream wool.
"Oh, Buneary…" Dawn sighed. The coordinator wondered how the rabbit would do if she had to battle Pikachu. Would she go all out in an attempt to impress the electric type or let her affections hamper her fighting ability?
Meanwhile, Pikachu waved back, a small sweat drop rolling down his forehead in mild embarrassment. His number one "fan" was the same as ever.
"Buneary, huh?" The teen nodded to himself before tossing out a pokeball. "Alright, Rosa, I choose you!" The little fighting type appeared in a flash, assessing the situation before tensing and getting into fighting position. "Let's get started with a Force Palm!"
"Buneary, try spinning to ward it off!" Dawn countered.
The Emanation pokemon lunged forward, pressing the sole of her paw into Buneary, a stunning burst of energy pulsating after contact. However, as Buneary had tried to dodge by spinning, the paw didn't stay in one place long enough to do as much damage as it could have; likewise, the pulse didn't have a chance to cause her paralysis. It was a decidedly good save.
"Buneary, use Bounce!" Dawn decided it was time to put some distance between the two little brawlers.
As Buneary kicked herself high into the air, Ash remained silent.
This eventually began to bother Dawn. 'Is he planning something?' she wondered. 'No! He knows I expect him to retaliate!' she figured. 'He knows if he stands there long enough, he'll psyche me out! So, I won't let him do it! I'll go for a head-on attack!'
Buneary, unknowing of her trainer's internal turmoil, merely assumed Rosa was being left open for an attack and came down like a comet towards her opponent.
Ash cracked a grin. One of the cons of battling with Dawn is that if he actually used a plan, she'd know what to expect. The perk of that was that stalling was pretty much guaranteed to psych her out - as it had - because she knew him too well to really expect for him to be a sitting duck. "Rosa, Detect."
Dawn let out an irritated groan as the Riolu's eyes glowed blue. "You little weasel!" she shouted as Buneary came barreling down… to kick at the earth rather than her opponent.
"All's fair in battles," Ash quipped back, shrugging cockily. "Now, Rosa, use Aura Sphere!"
At the short range between the two brawlers, the Aura Sphere went off quickly. Though it wasn't as strong as it could be due to Rosa's development stage, it was still enough to blast Buneary back.
Buneary rolled to a stop, sitting up and coughing. She muttered a curse strong enough in the language of for Pikachu and Piplup to look surprised. Though Rosa was confused by the new word, she didn't understand the meaning and looked to Pikachu for such. Naturally, the mouse remained quiet. He wasn't about to teach Rosa cusses!
Oblivious as to what her seemingly sweet normal type had uttered, Dawn pressed on with the battle. "We're just going to have to make this a long range battle for a bit, Buneary. Use Ice Beam!"
Recovered enough to continue, Buneary gulped down a huge breath before exhaling it in a frosty burst of air and ice shards.
"Counter with another Aura Sphere!"
Though Rosa obeyed, Buneary was more experienced than Rosa and it showed in the way the ice crystals climbed and wrapped around the fighting energy. As the frosty beam tore down the Aura Sphere, the lights went out of the energy attack. It made short work of the opposing attack, making its way all the way down to Rosa to blast into her.
Shivering and suddenly tired thanks to the powerful Ice Beam attack, while Buneary had taken a few super effective attacks, it became abundantly obvious that when Buneary managed a hit, she hit hard.
Which was exactly why Ash was glad Rosa knew Reversal. He called for the attack.
"Oh, boy." Dawn threw out her hand. "Buneary, Spinning Dizzy Punch!"
Torque was put into her normally stupefying punches as Buneary ran to meet Rosa. The two little girl's blows landed in perfect synchronization. Rosa, returning injury for injury, had slammed her knee into Buneary's side. Buneary, executing a perfect Dizzy Punch with added strength from whirling around and putting her whole body into it, sank her own paw into Rosa's cheek.
The two were knocked away from each other and knocked flat out.
"Oh, man. Good job, Rosa, return for a rest!" Ash called.
Dawn, likewise, quickly got Buneary's pokeball. "Thanks, Buneary. That was good!" Thinking for a moment, Dawn decided on her next pokemon. "Quilava, spotlight!"
Crossing his arms for a split second, Ash tried to figure out which pokemon he should use before snapping his fingers and tipping his cap. "Heheh! Fight fire with fire, right? Charizard, I choose you!"
The gargantuan dragon appeared, letting loose a roaring flame into the sky along with a bellowing roar. His teal hues turned to Quilava. Although he wouldn't disobey Ash like he had in the past, the Flame Pokemon could only hope that this little sausage of a fire type would prove him a challenge.
"Incredible…!" Dawn whispered. Charizard's arrival was nothing less than stunning. Even Quilava was stilled into an almost reverential stillness.
"Use Flamethrower!" the trainer called.
Aware of exactly what Charizard could do, Dawn knew to act fast. "Use Eruption as a shield!"
Charizard's head was thrown forward along with a roaring stream of flames, spewing across the battlefield towards its target.
The Quilava obeyed, hunkering down into the earth as she squinted her eyes shut. Seconds later, the earth beneath her crackled and pseudo-lava spewed forth. The move was extremely draining, so all she could do was watch as the arcs of magma blocked some of the blazing trail. Intense heat made it to her, though. Despite all this and the typing, Charizard's massive jump on the other fire starter in experience caused her to freeze up in pain upon being hit.
They were not going to win this by going head to head with Charizard.
"Quilava, use Smokescreen, and don't let up!" Dawn decided, switching tactics.
Her flames burning lower, inky black smoke poured off the Quilava as she stood up among the cooling puddles of lava, looking up determinedly at the Charizard. While the faint glow of her body flames would give her away and the Charizard's own tail tip would serve the same, she also had the leftover light of the lava to obscure her in the smoke cloud.
"Smokescreen, huh? I can already tell what kind of match this is gonna be!" Ash quipped, cocky as ever, before he was greeted with a sheet of soot. He coughed and hacked, clumsily falling short of the cool persona he'd been putting on. He could hear Dawn laughing at him briefly even from across the field.
"Use Dragon Pulse, fire off a few of 'em!"
Charizard's eyes were nearly shut, not wanting to deal with any sparse soot getting in his eyes. The heat was no object at all, actually somewhat soothing to the Flame Pokemon. But, of course, he hadn't been confronted directly with an attack yet.
His jaws parted, a teal sphere of energy glowing before being launched into the smoke. Soon, a second blast was fired off as well, and a third soon after.
"Dodge it!" Dawn called out.
As if the little Quilava needed to be told twice. Run-waddling along, she tried to focus just avoiding the all-out assault. The first blast she avoided with relative ease; the second, not so much.
"Lav!" she cried out as it landed just to the left of her, her little red eyes going wide as it singed her fur and the aftershocks of its landing rocked through her. Being jarred from the second dragon pulse, the third struck her head on.
Without Quilava up and ready to maintain the line, the veil of smoke began to drift on. It revealed the fire type trembling, barely standing. But, she glared up at the Charizard with gritted teeth, determined to prove herself.
"Hey, she's still hanging in there!" Ash remarked, clearly impressed.
"Good job, Quilava!" Dawn's little one had some kind of stamina. "Use Swift!"
The Quilava released what would be her first and only barrage of starry energy at the dragon, putting her all into it. After all, she knew there was no reason to reserve energy for a second attack when she might not have that chance.
Charizard was pummeled with Swift, unable to dodge this particular move. Although he was surely at a higher level, Quilava packed quite the punch for her size.
"Now, use Dragon Tail!"
The larger Pokemon launched his body towards Quilava, its tail glowing brilliantly with a bright teal light. The flaming limb was swung around, aiming to pulverize the poor fire type.
"Uh-oh…" If Dawn didn't figure out a way to slow that down before it hit Quilava, Charizard might actually do serious damage. "Now, use Flamethrower—but only on his rump! Slow him down!"
Obeying and drawing upon reserves of energy to the point where her body flames began to die down, the Quilava expelled a flurry of flames at the incoming Charizard.
Dawn's tactical, if not comical move did yield results; the unexpected flame startled Charizard, causing him to lose quite a bit of momentum on his follow-through. The dragon landed on its hind legs, wincing and gritting its teeth in a mixture of pain and humiliation.
"Quil!" Quilava cried out, wincing as she was thrown through the air even after Dawn's tactic.
Seeing her hatchling going through the air, Dawn naturally ran to go catch her. So what if Quilava had long become too heavy for Dawn to tote around! If one of her pokemon was falling, she was going to catch them, darn it!
"I've got you, I've got you!" she assured the navy-backed monster as she sailed into the coordinator, sending Dawn onto her butt. A heap of settled soot was sent up…
But, aside from being dusty now, the duo were relatively fine.
Throwing her thumb up, Dawn let the other two know that everything was fine, even if Quilava was slack-jawed and unconscious.
Returning her pokemon, Dawn turned to Piplup. "Okay, buddy, your turn!"
"Lup!" the water type agreed, running out onto the field.
Charizard's next opponent was… That little thing? The Flame Pokemon let out a mock yawn, not showing very much interest in battling a Pokemon so tiny. That was, unless it proved itself to be of Pikachu's merit. But how often was that?
"Oh, c'mon, Charizard. Are you really bringing that attitude back?" Ash sulked.
"Oh no." Dawn couldn't help but offer a knowing smile. "Well, this won't end well."
Piplup took offense to Charizard's flippant dismissal, squawking in place.
Deciding her starter could use all that energy for good, Dawn started off with their signature move. "Piplup, use Whirlpool!" If successful, it would trap Charizard for a bit, which could only work in their favor.
Piplup obeyed, focusing less on the appeal of the move and more on just trying to hit Charizard. Both of his flippers raised above his head, forming a raging cyclone of water with a cry before tossing it.
"Charizard, fly up and dodge it!"
Dodge? Ash wanted him to dodge an attack from that… Runt? No sale. Charizard stood its ground, initially intending to take the attack head-on… Until it began to look more intimidating close-up. Taking a water type attack like that close-up wasn't a good idea, and despite how puny Piplup looked, it did look like it had some power behind it.
Not willing to risk his pride on such a situation, Charizard unleashed a scalding Fire Spin attack in retaliation. The two spinning attacks met center-stage, forming an explosive encounter.
Ash's hand slapped his forehead, dragging downward dramatically. "Please tell me he's not going back to doing that again…"
While the ripping, snarling sound left by the literally steamy encounter between the fire attack and the water attack was certain impressive… It was also entirely too raw for Dawn to do anything with it as inspiration for her up-coming contest. On another note, was her hair curling up due to the sudden rise in humidity?!
Dawn's face fell at the thought. "You've gotta be kidding… Ugh, Piplup, use Hydro Pump!" Clearly, against this titanic opponent, they weren't going to get anywhere unless they went all out as well.
The Piplup happily obeyed, eager to see Charizard was taking him a bit more seriously. The Hydro Pump pushed his little body backwards a little bit, but he dug his heels in so as to get a better aim. He'd had a good view of the dragon before firing off, but once the Hydro Pump of began, his visuals were botched.
The torrential jet of water cut straight through the steam, managing to strike Charizard head-on. It had hit him square in the chest, forcing the dragon to skid back across the battlefield, feet digging up dirt and rock as he refused to give up his stance. Finally his endurance persevered, a bellowing roar leaving him. A stubborn shockwave dispersed, blowing the remainder of Piplup's attack away.
"Now we're talking!" Ash couldn't help but grin. At least Charizard was fighting back now. But, would Piplup be able to handle his might?
"What the heck was that?!" The blue-haired girl gawked. What power!
"You've got me! Charizard started pulling that off when we were training. I guess he's… Just that strong! The Pokedex doesn't say anything about it." It was a head-scratcher, that was for sure. "Now use Dragon Pulse!"
Charizard parted its jaws once more, unleashing another teal blast of energy.
"C'mon, Dawn! Show me what you've got!"
"Spinning Ice Beam! Just like with Bubblebeam!"
A bit thrown off by the switch in the routine, but obedient for once, the water type spun in place, careful to completely cover the area around him in a thick layer of ice. It eventually formed a half-sphere over and around him. Just in time, too - otherwise, he, rather than his icy shield, would have taken the brunt of the dragon pulse.
"Hey, that's Counter Shield!" Seeing Dawn use it in battle certainly was a surprise - one that was exciting to Ash, no less. After adapting her appeal to create the move, it had truly come full circle.
Still, the Dragon Pulse completely shattered the ice dome. If any of the pseudo-lava from the previous round wasn't yet cool and dry, the chunks of ice from that would be sure to take care of them.
Her only real option against the Charizard was having Piplup use Hydro Pump, but after that intense counter shield, she knew he wouldn't have it him. Better to conserve and remain on the defensive.
"We're keeping up!" she challenged in retort to Ash's earlier taunt.
"Yeah, you guys're hanging in there! For someone facing Charizard, that's pretty great." Not that he was one to condescend - but this was the same Pokemon who had toppled an Articuno, and much, much more. "Now, use Flamethrower!"
A brilliant flame was tossed towards Piplup. As unfair as this seemed, it was simply against Ash's code to hold back during a battle. But, sometimes the worst situations brought the best out of a Pokemon!
"Piplup! Spin with Bubblebeam this time!"
The Piplup obeyed again, a thick cocoon of bubbles forming a foamy wall of protection, only for the Flamethrower to sweep through and reduce the lather to a thick veil of steam. The tiny water type stood amidst the vapor, beady eyes and body trembling. He stared into the eyes of his towering attacker, flippers digging into the muddy ground below. Trying as he might, he really couldn't hold up… Ash's pokemon was just too powerful! Tiny beak gritting together, frustration boiling just below Piplup's feathery hide.
Every time he battled alongside Dawn, he tried to get stronger… Strong enough to ward off big, tough pokemon for his trainer's sake - and, needless to say, his own. For quite a long time, he hated the idea of change. But, what would that stubbornness get him, if he couldn't grow stronger? Stronger, even if it meant changing...
A brilliant light began to overtake him, obscuring the penguin's blue body from view.
A few tears of bitterness and realization slipped down his cheeks as he stood up, body glimmering. He could do this. He was okay with it, finally. He'd been so scared of changing, of what it meant. He'd seen Aipom blossom into Ambipom, and she'd left with the change. But… Mamoswine had changed, and he had stayed. So, it was fine if Piplup changed, too, right? He supposed to himself it was.
Changing didn't mean losing the bonds he cherished necessarily. He could grow stronger, able to defend those precious things.
"Ah, Piplup…!" Dawn sputtered, scrambling through her backpack for his Everstone. "Hold on, I'll take care of it!" As soon as she started to approach, though, a glowing, growing fin was held outward. The water type made no move to get closer to Dawn, nor the supernatural rock in her palm. "You… Really want to?" she questioned.
The changing form was answer enough. A small, rotund body rapidly grew, tiny flippers becoming long fins, a more streamlined head growing from a taller, more bulky body. A small crest even appeared atop the glowing form. Soon enough, the glow dispersed, revealing a fully evolved Prinplup. "Lup."
He turned to look at his trainer, smiling proudly. He'd grown up some, physically and emotionally.
"No way… Pi- I mean, Prinplup! You evolved!" Ash gushed, eyes wide.
As the steam rolled off his uncomfortably warm body, vibrant colors decked out the starter's new form. The Prinplup's metallic crown and his flippers glowed momentarily, though it faded as he grew a bit frenzied, evolution's new aggressiveness shining through brilliantly. He'd matured, but with maturity came a bit of rebellious phase. And, with how he already acted, everyone was in for an, ahem, interesting time.
"Prinplup!" he shouted, crossing his flippers before he fired off another Hydro Pump at the Charizard. This one was belted off as a single, horrendously dense blast rather than a continuous flood.
"Pip - I mean, Prinplup!" Dawn chided.
He looked back at her, realizing what he'd done, before clicking his beak. Between the stubborn pride all of that evolutionary line possessed, and the super-charge of adrenaline he'd received upon evolving, he was finding it very hard to control himself.
"Okay, Charizard, Flamethrower, one more time!"
The Flame Pokemon's jaws parted, ready to unleash its fury upon the newly evolved Pokemon. But, his window to react had been sorely overestimated and the Hydro Pump pummeled Charizard! He was sent flying back, sustaining considerable damage before digging his claws into the earth once more.
Now this was an opponent worth facing.
Ash's thoughts mirrored Charizard's. "Now that's more like it! Charizard, Dragon Pulse!"
"Pri!" he cheered when his Hydro Pump hit. Prinplup flashed a little grin at Ash, glad his evolution had been so well received.
Not one to be outdone by a type disadvantage, the creature let out a bellowing roar as a teal blast of energy launched from his maw, careening straight for the newly evolved Prinplup.
"…Drill Peck, don't move!"
Prinplup obeyed, pointing his beak into the oncoming dragon pulse. While he still took damage from it, it kept the move from being a finishing blow. It split the brunt of it, creating an almost cone shape around his form. When the attack finished, there was the water starter, standing on shaking knees.
Ash's smile widened as Prinplup warded the worst of Dragon Pulse off. Dawn was certainly creative in her counters. Maybe he could consider something similar for one of his own Pokemon…
Realizing another Pokemon would fall to Charizard, Dawn was going to have to make the most of him. She'd have to soak the dragon for what she had in mind next. "Now, use Bubble Beam!"
That move…? It'd be too weak against Charizard… But, he trusted whatever Dawn had in mind, so Prinplup obeyed, spewing forth a stream of bubbles.
Already knowing Charizard would refuse to dodge, he called for another attack. "Use Flamethrower, Charizard!" Just what was Dawn trying to pull? Ash wondered.
Charizard did just that, throwing its head forward to unleash a roaring hot rush of flames towards Prinplup's attack.
"Darn it!" Dawn's hair whipped back when the attacks collided, the air getting more and more humid. If hers hadn't frizzed up already, it was now. However, her complaint wasn't directed towards her hair. She had to follow through on this plan.
"Prinplup, don't give in!" she encouraged as the Prinplup's little shoulders dropped a bit, clearly discouraged that his new evolution and type advantage weren't making as much headway as he would have liked. "I want you to use a Hydro Pump, alright? And, I want you to really soak him!" This had to work, otherwise Charizard would sweep the rest of her team.
Prinplup followed instructions, belching out another torrent of water as his aptly named ability began to activate. Bubblebeam had slowed down Flamethrower, but it wasn't nearly enough on its own to put an end to Charizard's more potent attack.
Hydro Pump augmented burst through the weakened flames, once again striking Charizard head-on. Shockingly enough, the attack had managed to knock him over!
Charizard pushed himself up onto one knee, absolutely soaked, and equally frustrated. This battle wasn't going nearly as easily as he had assumed from the start.
"Woah…" Ash stared in disbelief, not quite coming to a proper decision for retaliation just yet. Pure awe had gripped him as he watched the titan's attack overcome by Prinplup's. He had not been counting on that.
"Prinplup, return!" Having turned the situation in her favor, it was time to decisively put Charizard down. Though her water type was a bit vexed - why wasn't he able to finish off Charizard? - He allowed himself to be recalled.
"…Return?" She called back Prinplup after an evolution? But, Prinplup was the best chance at her victory on the team? Ash felt confused.
"Pachirisu, spotlight!"
The Pachirisu danced in place, too excited to realize the opponent she was up against.
That was what she had been setting up - soaked and shocked, it wouldn't be a good scenario for the fire type. The typing wasn't in his favor and Dawn was using that to her advantage. "…Uh oh."
"Use Spark!"
"Chi!" Pachirisu singsonged as she rushed towards the dragon, her electric pouches bright as day.
"Charizard, dodge it - !" Ash called for a move to avoid the attack at pretty much the last moment, quickly piecing together what Dawn had planned for them. Whether Charizard would or wouldn't, though, it was too late. He was still recovering from Hydro Pump and Ash had been late on the draw. Pachirisu crashed into his body, doing little concussive damage on her own. The electricity dealt by Spark, however, inflicted plenty as the water conducted plenty of volts that were sufficient to knock the poor fire-type out cold.
"…I've gotta say. You really caught me off-guard, there! Good thinking, Dawn!" He bore a wide smile, dark eyes meeting hers. Like himself, she was quick on her feet, and deserved every measure of respect for holding her own in this battle. Wits alone had triumphed over might - a theme Ash was very fond of.
"I've got good testing grounds," Dawn quipped. To say battling Ash didn't help her improve her own style would be a lie. "Awesome job, Pachirisu!"
"Can't argue with that!" Ash boasted, brushing his index finger over his nose. "Return, Charizard!" He held out the felled titan's Pokeball, calling it back in a flash of light. "You were awesome as ever. But, now I'm gonna use… Pikachu! You're up, buddy! Use Thunderbolt!"
It was all too fitting after all; electric rodent versus electric rodent. Pikachu had no hesitation in leaping off Ash's shoulder, unleashing a furious arrow of electricity aimed towards Pachirisu.
'Okay, okay, I still have Togekiss, Prinplup, and Mamoswine; Pachirisu's on the field… I could recall her for Mamoswine… But, let's see where this goes.' Dawn recited her thoughts in her head, looking for a way out of being overpowered. She didn't want this match to turn into a game of switcheroo, after all.
Struck by Pikachu's own higher volts, Pachirisu let out a tiny squeak. She crackled with excess power, blinking with confusion. She'd not fought another electric type in some time, after all.
"Pachirisu! Use Super Fang!"
"Chi-pa!" She chimed in response before rushing at Pikachu. If she succeeded, the remarkably powerful move would take a chunk out of his stamina.
"Pikachu, dodge it!"
Surprisingly, though, Pikachu was outrun, sharp fangs sinking into his side. The mouse let out a loud shriek, cringing in pain from the unusually effective move. Man that hurt!
"Pikachu, shake her off and use Iron Tail!"
The mouse regained his bearings as fast as he was able, swinging his body around to toss Pachirisu into the air. Once free, he would allow his tail to solidify with iron, ready to bat his opponent away.
"Chuaaa…!" He readied himself before finally swinging around, aiming to land a solid blow on Pachirisu! "PIKA!"
"Are you kidding me?!" Dawn asked in disbelief. Pachirisu was swung away like a ball against a bat. Trying to figure out where she would land, Dawn pranced back and forth a few steps until Pachirisu roughly landed against her chest. "Gah!"
"Su!" Pachirisu whined.
Whelp; Dawn was still unlucky as ever.
Hoping down with a chatter of gratitude, Pachirisu shook herself, getting down on all fours.
"Time to see how well this works… Rollout!"
Tucking into herself, the little electric type began collecting stones and gravel as she rolled towards Pikachu. However, having never used this move in battle before, she didn't have great aim.
"Hey, awesome! It did learn a move like that, after all! Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash chattered. On the way over to Mulberry, Dawn mentioned that Pachirisu might have learned, or even already known, Rollout, but the coordinator was uncertain of how well the little electric type could perform it.
The electric mouse jolted forward, dashing left and right to gain momentum as silver light trailed his form. Finally, he launched his body, aiming to slam into Pachirisu - much the same way a flipper would collide with a ping-pong ball.
"No, no, no, dodge it!" Dawn wasn't looking to get hit in the chest again. Having to catch Pachirisu like that once was bad enough, but twice… nope. NOPE.
However, no matter how much Dawn pleaded, Pachirisu was not able to change her direction or dodge. As such, her Rollout collided with Pikachu's Quick Attack. However, rather than launching her out, it sent the Pachirisu spinning further, though backwards now.
Untucking after being batted away, the electric type stood very still… before flopping over. "Risu…" Talk about being dizzy.
"Pachirisu…" Letting out a sigh, she realized they'd have to change strategy. "Use Sweet Kiss."
Staggering, but determined, she made her way towards Pikachu to deliver a confusing little kiss. Buneary was going to have her hide for this.
"…Uh oh." Ash gawked, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. "Pikachu, don't let her-!"
But, it was too late. Pachirisu had given Pikachu a peck on the cheek, the mouse soon sporting rather comical pink hearts in place of his eyes. Did he have any feelings for Pachirisu? Not at all. But, attacks and pheromones overrode actual feelings in a Pokemon battle. The mouse stumbled about, face red and a goofy smile plastered on him. He had been confused.
"…Oh, crap." Ash sulked. This wasn't good.
There were times when charms should be used for good and a time to use them for evil. This was one of the latter, Dawn figured. "Alright, Pachirisu, use Rollout again!" she commanded, confident that Pikachu would be a little easier to hit this time. Or, at least he wouldn't send her pokemon flying like he had before.
Pachirisu obeyed, taking a step back and then tucking into herself, spinning over the earth as she picked up gravel and stone again, before attempting to slam into Pikachu.
"Pikachu, dodge it!"
Still stumbling, Pikachu was struck by Rollout, sent tumbling through the air before landing on his belly. It was hard to tell one way or another exactly how he was feeling.
"Uh… Use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu clumsily managed to stand, finally breaking the spell of confusion to fire off the powerful electric attack - at least temporarily.
Being another electric type, it was hard for Pachirisu to dodge electric attacks—so much so, that Dawn knew better than to try to do so. The little squirrel let out a cry of pain before uncurling.
She won't last long, Dawn realized. Pikachu was incredibly strong, as evidenced by the way that Pachirisu's tiny chest heaved as she stood on all fours, waiting on new orders. Her cheek pouches crackled with excess electricity… Or, what Dawn thought to be excess electricity.
She was paralyzed, the coordinator realized, and with how low her stamina was now, it was pretty much a faint. Okay, Prinplup, Togekiss, and Mamoswine… Half her team was gone, but Ash was still going strong with Pikachu.
"You were great, Pachirisu. Why don't you take a rest?" As Pachirisu actually gave out upon hearing her turn was over, Dawn was very glad she had done such. Her poor little electric type was pooped.
Pachirisu was down. At least they wouldn't have to deal with that Sweet Kiss again. "Pikachu, can you still fight?"
The mouse steadied himself, giving a nod to his trainer. "Pika!"
Moments later, Mamoswine replaced her. "Mamoooo!" The giant pokemon trumpeted, ready to battle.
Ash grinned, punching forward. "Okay, then use Iron Tail!"
Pikachu jumped towards Mamoswine, his tail taking on a brilliant metal coat. A quick twist of his hips allowed him to wield his tail like a weapon, his entire body flipping over as he attempted to smash down on Mamoswine with the jagged hammer.
"That's no good…! Mamoswine, use Ice Armor!"
The orders came too late, and the attack sent Mamoswine… staggering? Between the force and the typing, it was rather effective. The ice/ground type wouldn't be bested so quickly, though. He snorted and threw his head to and fro.
"Use Dig!" she commanded.
The Mamoswine obeyed, beginning to burrow himself under the earth with surprising efficiency.
Crap… How were they supposed to fight that? "Pikachu! Listen carefully for Mamoswine! When he's getting close, let me know!" Ash shouted out in warning, his own dark hues darting left and right for any signs of weakness in the ground.
Well, if nothing else, they had a good strategy. Just before Mamoswine emerged, the ground above him buckled before bursting up, revealing the massive form of the twin tusk pokemon.
"Mamo!" he roared.
Ash's eyes only caught the crumbling dirt at the last second. "Pikachu, Quick Dodge!"
Not an all new move, but a little maneuver of theirs. Pikachu was way ahead of Ash, crouching before shooting up into the air above, a brilliant light dropping off of his form, giving him the appearance of a small star in the dark night sky, the sun having set during some point during their intense battle. He had every intention of coming down with just the much illumination, crashing down with another Iron Tail.
"Alright! Stay on him! Ice Shard!"
The ice/ground type summoned a large shard of ice to be shot at the electric mouse.
He'd avoided Dig completely… But, unfortunately, neither of the two had accounted for Ice Shard. The concussive mass of frozen water crashed into Pikachu, drawing a shriek as he tumbled out of the air towards Ash's feet. Swirls showed in the mouse's eyes, indicating a loss.
The trainer approached his fallen Pokemon, scooping him into his arms. "You did your best, buddy." Ash reassured him, moving back to his spot on the field before reaching for another Pokeball. He'd lost Charizard, Rosa, and Pikachu… That left him, like Dawn, with three to go. He knew just the Pokemon to call for in this situation, too.
"That was great!" Dawn praised. That Quick Dodge was like… A small comet! Oh, now Dawn suddenly wished one of her pokemon knew something like that. Perhaps she should catch one that could…?
Dawn's daydreaming was interrupted by Ash's spirited shout. "It's your turn… Wartortle!"
The second stage water type appeared from his sphere, landing on his hind legs. Wartortle was initially wearing his trusty shades, quickly depositing them in his shell after coming to the conclusion that the sun had already set.
"Use Hydro Pump!"
Utilizing its primary method of firing the powerful move, Wartortle opened his mouth wide to fire a highly pressurized jet towards his colossal opponent.
Dawn's eyes widened. A stylish Wartortle? Whatever the case, he fired off a mean Hydro Pump. Now she knew what it was like to watch her pokemon be on the receiving end of such.
Mamoswine let out a noise which was a cross between an elephant's trumpet and a pig's squeal as he was pushed back by the Hydro Pump. At the end of it, though, he snorted and tossed his head, sounding off again.
"Mamoswine, calm down!" she ordered first. This was a match, not a real situation.
Reminding himself that it was a game, Mamoswine calmed.
When he was safe to compete again, Dawn grinned. "Alright, now you can use Take Down!"
Shuffling forward, Mamoswine picked up speed as he headed recklessly towards the Wartortle.
"Wartortle, use Skull Bash!"
Against such a bulky Pokemon, there weren't any other options. The smaller Pokemon tucked its head in, its own sense of self confidence overriding any lick of common sense. Prepared for the upcoming move, it shot forward, beginning to run before simply launching at Mamoswine like a missile, aiming to take it head-on.
"Don't—!" Dawn gasped.
The collision was met with a definite crunch. Mamoswine staggered back, tears in his eyes. He'd taken the skull bash to his big, fleshy snout and the result had been critical.
"Mamoswine…" She sighed, mulling it over.
"Ouch… That's got to hurt!" Ash cringed, sympathy washing over him.
"Mm… use…" What should he use? "Ancient Power!" It wasn't Mamoswine's most powerful attack, but she lucked out and it managed to raise his other stats, as evidenced by his sudden triumphant look as the rocks sailed towards Wartortle.
Well, Mamoswine was still in the game. And, stronger than ever, no less! "Wartortle, use your Counter Shield, now!"
Now, Wartortle's Hydro Pump already pretty much qualified on a Counter Shield on its own, even before Ash had invented the maneuver. But, it had one sore weak spot; it only fired horizontally.
Mastering an upgrade had taken a lot of hard work, and a few dizzy headaches, but the two had found an answer to this problem.
The water type landed on his hind legs, flinching from the heavy impact of the move. Even if he had been the winner out of that collision, hitting such a heavy surface was a bit stunning, to say the least.
Still, he obeyed, jumping and retreating to his shell before spinning every which way; horizontally, diagonally, vertically. Finally, Hydro Pump started firing out of every hole in its shell, creating one monster of the technique Ash and Dawn had created together. The rocks were struck and pulverized by its highly trained jets, dousing the field in pressurized shots of water.
The results were stunning, to say the least. Dawn's jaw dropped and Mamoswine stomped in place. "Did he just...?" Shaking her head, she realized her only options were to press on or give up in the face of that. Frowning, she pointed forward. "Mamoswine! Use Take Down again!"
The twin tusk pokemon obeyed.
"Now, skid!"
W-What had she just said?! The big pig obeyed, though, and found satisfaction in the new discovery. His big, massive weight was still headed straight for the Wartortle, but he had a shield of mud before him from all the water attacks.
You could almost see his smirk beneath all his fur.
In turn, Ash's jaw dropped at the display. That was incredibly unexpected.
Before Wartortle could do anything, though, Mamoswine's heavy body crashed into its shell, sending the poor turtle ricocheting before crashing into the ground below. The attack left a decent sized crater when the dust cleared, where the red shell lay covered in dirt and scratches.
"…Are you sure you don't wanna look into League battles?" Ash didn't have to explain any further. While her specialty was on the stage, she was an exemplary battler. Unlike May, though, who at one point was imitating his style, Dawn simply learned from it and reflected it with her own. Despite his rather large experience gap on her, she tended to surprise him at every turn, and he, her.
Wartortle soon rattled its way to its feet, looking a tad dizzy, but determined. Dismissing the worst of Ash's fears, he hopped back onto the battlefield.
"You know something? That's a thought!" Maybe she'd go speak to Nando at some point, but perhaps when her schedule was more open, she might set aside a few months to tour a region and take on its League and circuit. "Mamoswine, remember that, though! We're gonna call it the Freight Train Attack!"
"Alright, great! Bubblebeam!" The thought of Dawn battling hardline, though, did sound kind of cool. At least, that's what Ash was thinking.
The tortoise's mouth opened wide, shooting off an explosive flurry of bubbles towards Mamoswine.
Large and in charge agreed to Dawn's words as he stood back up… only to be pummeled with a bubblebeam.
Eyes widening, she chided herself for letting her and thus Mamoswine's guards down. Wartortle would have a heads up on how to handle another Dig, going for another Take Down was risky due to the recoil damage he'd already taken—though he stubbornly refused to show that the second time—and she didn't think any of the frosty moves would amount to much.
He really only had enough juice for one more blow, anyway. Between the Iron Tail and the Hydro Pump, Mamoswine had been thoroughly zapped. This match had really come down to her thinking on her feet, because Ash's team outclassed hers in experience, power levels, and access to a trainer with more battle strategies pre-planned to call upon.
"Ancient Power!"
His stats didn't raise this time, but Mamoswine sent rocks flying again all the same.
He didn't want to risk a second Counter Shield, though, with the effect it had on Wartortle in particular. Maybe they could try something else similar. "Wartortle, use Ice Beam on Ancient Power!"
Knowing he had little time to waste, Wartortle complied, firing a freezing ray of energy that covered the boulders in ice.
"Now, use Hydro Pump!"
The water type sprang up once more, retreating to his shell before blasting out with several rotating water cannons. The frozen stones had been weakened, shattered by the powerful jets. They would surely move on to Mamoswine as well, though, hopefully putting an end to the battle.
When the torrents of water were turned on Mamoswine, again, the giant of an ice type let out another squealing trumpet.
Knowing her pokemon well enough by now to be aware of when he was exhausting himself, Dawn got her pokeball out. The moment his legs buckled and his eyes gained the expression of an unconscious critter, she returned him.
Well. She was certainly on the ropes now.
"Togekiss, spotlight!" She called, elegantly tossing the pokeball into the air.
The Togekiss took to the air upon release, floating above the worn battle field the two trainers had marked with their fray. Despite the scene below, the fairy-type remained aloft with an unreal grace, calm in the midst of it all.
"Okay… use Sky Attack!"
Togekiss made not a move; her blow would come soon enough. Instead, she let out a low hum as her body began to glow brilliantly.
A Sky Attack…. Ash couldn't allow that to follow through. Wartortle was already worn down by Mamoswine's devastating 'Freight Train' attack. He was sturdy, sure, but being knocked out of a Counter Shield like that meant Ash could leave nothing to chance.
"Wartortle, Ice Beam!"
The water type opened its mouth wide once more, firing a freezing ray of energy toward Togekiss. He couldn't help but wonder, whether Dawn had an answer to this one. Unless Togekiss had learned to charge the move more quickly, Sky Attack would leave her a sitting duck - or, a flying one, rather.
Of course, she'd already realized her mistake the moment the Ice Beam left Wartortle's mouth. Note to self: sky attack is not a move to be used when she's flying solo, the girl realized.
As it had taken all of her energy to remain aloft and store up power, there was no way for the Togekiss to dodge even when Dawn called out once, twice, thrice for her to move. "Pull up, pull up!"
A rush of relief fell through Dawn when the fairy-type managed to do so. She skimmed the earth, a light layer of frost on her feathers. She'd been that close to freezing…
"Use Air Slash!"
Togekiss obeyed, raising one of her wings to conjure a swirling orb of air pressure. Then, she launched it.
"Use Rapid Spin!" Ash called out.
Wartortle didn't waste a second, jumping up before retreating into his shell, spinning it at an outrageous speed. Air Slash impacted with the shell, a rather loud "wham" reverberating off of the hard surface. It had likely dealt some damage, but the attack was split in half. Now that it had been countered, the shell launched forward towards Togekiss, aiming to act as an attack every bit as much as it did a defense.
"Fly over it!" Dawn quickly commanded.
Barely able to move quickly enough to do so, Togekiss's belly grazed over Wartortle's shell. The friction and contact changed her flight pattern enough to send the flying type crashing into the earth, landing in a heap.
"You alright?" Giving her trainer an assuring nod as she righted herself, Togekiss took back to the post-sunset skies. "Use Air Slash, again!"
Taking to the air on heavy wings, the battered Togekiss obeyed. "Kiss!" she cried before sending another slicing whirlwind out.
"Wartortle, use Skull Bash!"
Wartortle tucked his head, crouching before launching up towards Togekiss, hoping to avoid the wrath of Air Slash.
"Higher!" Dawn warned. But, it was to no avail.
There were a few benefits to being able to fly—an ability to dodge was one of them. Or, rather, it would have been a benefit if Togekiss were less bulky. The white pokemon wasn't all that dexterous when not flying in patterns, as evidenced by the fact she was unable to avoid the Skull Bash.
"Toge," she called out, dazed as swirls marked her eyes.
"Good job," Dawn praised. Well… last one.
"Prinplup! Spotlight! It's up to you!"
Having been given a minute to cool off in his pokeball, the freshly evolved Prinplup grinned. The ends of his flippers flashed and he looked back at Dawn.
"…Oh? Okay, then. Use Metal Claw!"
No matter how hard that Wartortle's shell was, he decided, he was going to bat that thing around - that, or Wartortle would fight him like he felt a proper battle should go.
"Prin!" he cried as he rushed forward, metallic flipper swinging.
Unfortunately, Wartortle lacked any physical moves that could duel it out with Prinplup. On the bright side, only in his second stage, he was still relatively agile. Wartortle made a swift jump over the first strike with Metal Claw, landing behind Prinplup… Only for a second smack of his wing to send the fatigued turtle flying, landing unconscious.
"Wartortle, return!"
The water type was called back, the ball deposited to Ash's belt. "You were incredible. Get a good long rest."
Now, Ash only had two Pokemon left. Bulbasaur could put a decisive end to this… But that wouldn't be all too interesting. Instead, he called on his other remaining Pokemon. "It's your turn, Misdreavus!"
"Dreavus~!" The tiny ghost sing-songed, floating about the battlefield. Surprised to witness the penguin's new form, the ghost gawked before congratulating him. With that out of the way, she was ready to battle.
"Prinplup, I wanna know more about this one, so you've really got to push her, okay?"
Never one to want to disappoint Dawn, Prinplup nodded.
"You wanna see what she can do, huh? We can arrange that! Misdreavus, start us off with a Power Gem!" Ash called, clenching his fist.
"Power Gem?" Dawn quietly wondered. That had to be… Her eyes widened as the move began to set off. Rock type! Definitely rock type! "Prinplup, Steel Wing!"
"Prinplu - "His victorious cry was cut short as a beam from the Power Gem clocked him. He raised his metallic flipper soon, though, battering away the solidified energy. He had to take this seriously.
"Ice Beam!" Dawn ordered as soon as the Power Gem faded. She furrowed her brows. Charizard was powerful; though Prinplup had a little time to recover in his pokeball, the water type was showing fatigue already. That, or Misdreavus was also very powerful. They'd see shortly.
"Psychic, turn it back on 'em!"
There was a mild struggle for control of the Ice Beam, but Misdreavus was in fact more powerful than Prinplup and soon turned the ice back on the originator of which.
"Bubblebeam!"
The move stalemated, shimmering ice shards falling between the two pokemon after Prinplup destroyed his own move with the water move.
"Hm. Payback might actually give him energy," Ash mused. "Misdreavus, Shadow Ball!"
Dawn's eyes widened. What could they do? Prinplup was being pushed very far. Did he even have another powerful move left in him? She'd have to hope so. "Hydro Pump!"
Thankfully, Prinplup was very good with this particular move and it not only managed to blow back the Shadow Ball but also to hose down Misdreavus. The little ghost sputtered, gasping for air after being doused by her opponent.
"Misdreavus, Psychic, again!" Ash was going in for the kill. If this worked, though, he wouldn't even have a chance to use Bulbasaur. Somehow, that was a little disappointing.
All Prinplup could do was go wide eyed as the telekinetic control took over him. Misdreavus was pretty childish, so before she went to the main part of the move, she made him hit himself twice. Then, she simply slammed him into the ground hard enough to knock him out cold.
"Misdrea!"
Dawn walked out onto the field, looking between her starter and the new ghost type. "I would have thought she would have been weaker since she's still in her first stage," she explained. "Good job, Prinplup. You gave me what I wanted. Take a nice long rest. I'll wake you up at the Pokemon Center, huh?" Dawn encouraged, petting the penguin's back before returning him.
"Well, I caught her up on Mt. Silver." Ash likewise returned his last used pokemon. "Good job, girl." He then looked at Dawn, hands on her hips. "What gives? I still had a pokemon left?"
Almost about to go off on the boy, the girl held back, realizing he had expected more of a challenge from her. "Hey," she said instead, tone gentle. "You've got a few years on me in battles." Her voice dropped in tone, decidedly less gentle but not quite harsh. "Besides, one of us ran off to a frigid mountain to train while the other took a nice working vacation."
Ash chuckled. "Oh, right! I just assumed everyone was working as hard as I was!"
She shook her head. "Well, I'll have to keep up and give you a real toe to toe battle soon, then, won't I?" she teased, headed out of the lot and towards the Pokemon Center.
Her companion followed after, grinning wildly. "Aw, man, I look forward to it!"
With Pikachu and Prinplup both healed up - along with the rest of their teams - the foursome was complete. Ash stretched as he and Dawn walked away from the Center's counter.
"Man, I'm starved! What do you say we go find somewhere to eat?"
The coordinator hummed. "Yeah, I could go for that. There's a contest coming soon, so there should be a lot of vendors around! Wanna grab street food?" she offered.
"I'm down for it if you are, Pikachu!" Ash clarified. His partner naturally agreed. "Alright! To the street vendors we go!"
The group walked together, Pikachu on Ash's shoulder and Prinplup holding Dawn's hand after he realized he was now too large to be carried. The night had come in full and the moon shone above, perhaps a week at most away from being lush and full. The three-quarters moon was surrounded by a flurry of stars, all shining as magnificently as the paper lanterns and twinkling string-lights of the various booths and vendors.
"Kebabs! Get ya' kebabs here! Fresh, hot, spicy kebabs! We've got hot ones, mild ones, ones that could melt ya' face off! Step right up and get 'em while they're hot!"
"Aw man, that sounds great!" Ash enthused. "C'mon, Dawn, I want two!"
"Two?" she teased. "You gonna share with Pikachu?"
He grinned at they stood in line, remembering his partner in his haste to fill his belly. "Of course…"
Dawn nodded. "Prinplup, do you want one?"
He nodded, pointing to one that was a little different from the rest. It had… seaweed on it?!
"Well, if you like it…" Dawn decided.
Ash turned around, both his and the one he would let Pikachu have in hand. One kebab had plenty of onion, pickles, and potato while the other one had carrots and apples. Pikachu was already nibbling on the baked apples, savoring cinnamon peppered treats.
"Hm… I'll have the one with the bell peppers and the one with the seaweed!" Dawn piped up, fishing for her wallet out of her backpack.
"Well, don't you have the strange appetite, little lady? Mind your friend's breath, though, he got the flavor pack, not the savor pack!"
"... huh?"
The vendor felt the sweat bead on his forehead. "Never mind, little miss. Thank you and enjoy your meal."
Exchanging her money for the kebabs, Dawn gave Prinplup his before nibbling on her own. Perfect! "So, you wanna go see what else there is going on?"
"Sure!" Ash agreed.
As they walked along, they pointed out the various booths. Each tried out the bucking Rhyhorn stall. Though Ash was stronger than Dawn, she had a better sense of balance and thus she got the better time. They watched as the Mawile booth allowed people to test their luck for a prize.
"That's crazy," Dawn muttered.
"What? That? Nah, you just gotta move your hand fast enough!" he assured. "Here, watch this!" With everyone having finished dinner, they were all hands free. Dawn and Prinplup followed Ash and Pikachu over to the Mawile booth.
"I wanna try!" he enthused.
"Certainly, young man. First try's free! I'll stick a prize in Mawile's mouth and if you get it out without getting your hand stuck, it's yours!"
"Nice!" Ash cheered, already consenting. An Ariados-themed tape measurer was placed inside. Ash readied his arm. He shot it forward…
Only for it to get stuck in Mawile's mouth.
"Youch!" the boy yelled.
"Aw, better luck next time!"
Dawn stepped in. "Maybe we should do something less dangerous!" Dawn encouraged, guiding Ash away from that particular booth.
Rubbing his hand, Ash shook his head. "Darn, I really wanted to win."
"Pika pika?" the electric mouse inquired, confused.
"I dunno. It looked cool. Someone could have used it. Don't you need tape measurers for fashion?" Ash inquired.
"Yeah, I guess, but I've already got one in the little sewing kit Mom gave me for travel." Dawn shrugged. It had looked pretty cute, but somehow, she didn't really want an Ariados-themed one.
Realizing his mistake, Ash laughed and scratched his head. "Right, right. Well… Then, it could have been used to… Measure these guns!" Ash struck a pose, Pikachu barely hanging on with the sudden, jerky movements.
"Pika!" the mouse complained, moments away from shocking Ash in retaliation.
Dawn paused for a moment before she burst out laughing, doubling over to hold her stomach. "You… big… dork! Who says that? Haha!" Her twinkling laugh carried on for a moment.
Prinplup decided he should hop on the train. He struck a pose as well.
Ash almost got mad… But, they were having a good time, and he hadn't seen Dawn laugh this hard since, gosh, they were back in Sinnoh when that happened! Setting Pikachu down, he struck another pose. Prinplup at once mimicked him, sending Dawn into another fit of laughs. Pikachu eventually joined them, causing Dawn's laughter to suddenly go silent, her face red.
"Y-You guys… are so stupid!" she giggled, finally gathering herself and wiping away the tears that had gathered for her extended mirth.
All three boys beamed, pleased to have amused Dawn so much.
"Man, that was great. Tell you what, I'll win you guys some prizes!" Dawn boasted. "Good jesters should be awarded, right?"
"... Wait, did you just call me a clown?" Ash interrupted.
"Come along!" Dawn chimed, avoiding the question as she headed to the Goldeen catching booth.
By the end of the night, she made good on their promise, but only barely. Hard won were two vouchers to the cupcake booth, a sticker booklet, and a badge polishing set. All in all, it wasn't a bad haul for a night out among all the vendors and game booths. The sweetest treat, though, each of the teens decided, was just getting to hang out with an old friend.
