Unlike most contests, the Fuchsia City Contest wasn't scheduled to start until three in the afternoon rather than mid-morning like the others. As the approached the three-story building, they noticed that it was much more industrial and modern looking than any previous contest halls. While they had been shades of pink, yellow, or - most uniquely - green like Celadon's, this one was concrete gray. A neon sign flashing white and purple notified the building for what it was. Tinted windows lined the building. A concrete canopy stretched out to greet the travelers while two massive spotlights waited for nightfall to beam brightly beside the entrance. Aside from that, there were no decorations on the outside. It was very minimal.

"It's kinda edgy," Ash noted, stepping over the pale gray threshold.

Dawn nodded in agreement. "Maybe it'll have a different kind of crowd than the others. I've heard some contests favor different types of appeals!"

"You made a good choice by preparing to use Houndoom, then," he pointed out, following her to the sleek black metal counters.

The lights were harsh fluorescents. The entire place felt open and cold. Most of the people seeking admission were dressed in drab hues and wearing numerous layers. It all felt vaguely dystopian. The leather wearing deviants crawling all over the place didn't help matters any.

Ash couldn't help but look around for his biker friends. None could be found, unfortunately.

"I wonder how Rosa'll do in the battle rounds…"

"She's pretty tough," Ash assured.

Dawn couldn't help but look over at the sweet, smiling pup who occupied the shoulder that Pikachu didn't on Ash. "... She's pretty cute."

Rosa's ears tilted back, embarrassed but flattered.

All the same, it was now registration time. As Dawn stood at the front counter, handing over her pale pink Pokédex, Rosa hopped onto Dawn's shoulder while Empoleon went to stand by Ash. After all, since he wouldn't be competing in this contest, he wanted to at least watch!

"Well, that's it!" Dawn said cheerily after getting her name in the system. She held her hand up. "Wish me luck?"

"No need to worry," he assured, clapping his hand against hers. With that, they each walked away from the other.


Once Dawn got to the backstage waiting area, she found it much in the same theme as the rest of the building. Metal lockers lined the room while a surprisingly drab looking Nurse Joy in the reddest pink dress Dawn had ever seen waited almost impatiently in a corner healing station. Jet black flat screen televisions had yet to flicker on, waiting for the main event to start. Grate metal benches lined the room.

Well, this was going to be an uncomfortable wait. The concrete floor, ceiling, and walls gave off the same industrial feel as the rest of the building. She couldn't help but wonder what, exactly, had inspired the place's whole atmosphere.

A low whimper was enough of a sign that Dawn wasn't the only one unsettled. Perched on the girl's shoulder, the Riolu shuddered, all too aware of the uncomfortable vibes the unusual contest hall bathed in. All the unfamiliar faces that tended to leave Rosa dizzy weren't offset by the cheer and colorful surroundings that usually accompanied these contests. "Rio…" She muttered, already feeling quite uncomfortable. Between one scowling face and the next, it was quite hard to find solace.

"I guess this place gives you the creeps too, huh?" Dawn offered the pup a sympathetic smile, reaching to scratch under her chin, much the way Ash often would. "Ash said that some crowds might bother you, after all…" Seeing her get psyched out before the contest was the last thing Dawn wanted, for her sake and Rosa's alike. "Hm… Why don't you just go in your pokeball, for now? We wouldn't want you psyched out from the start, huh?"

"Rio, Rio…" Rosa agreed, letting out a huff. Maybe the actual contest would be better…

With that, a flash of red light absorbed the Emanation pokemon, calling her into the small sphere in Dawn's hand. "No need to worry," she insisted under her breath. She'd handle things from here.

In the sea of stone gray features and unfamiliar faces, Dawn spotted a particularly memorable face. It was Glenda, the woman with the Persian she had battled back in her first Kanto contest!

"Glenda!" Dawn called out, walking over to the woman.

The old woman looked up, looking at the other coordinator. "Oh, my. Dawn, wasn't it? How are you?"

"Very well," the youth answered.

"Did you mind my advice?" the woman pressed.

"Oh yeah, I did!"

Glenda nodded. "Well, I hope you're staying as strong as you are tricky."

Dawn lifted her chin, a well of pride springing in her chest. "You know it! I keep up with my traveling partner Ash most of the time, even if I'm not as strong as him!"

The old woman laughed. "Well, you've certainly still got that delightfully prideful spirit of yours. Refreshing to see a girl so sure of herself."

The two hushed as the monitors in the waiting room flickered on. Lilian Meridian tapped onto the stage, her typically blue and black outfit a bit more somber than usual.

"Curiouser and curiouser," Glenda trailed off just as Lilian began speaking.

"Welcome to today's Fuschia City Contest! We're going to bring you the act, the energy, the full-frontal ferocity! Starting off our appeal rounds is none other than Paige and her Pikachu!"

Dawn supposed the girl had already gone to wait for her entrance as the youth stepped onto the

stage. Oh! She remembered this girl. She hoped her Pikachu was less clumsy now.


The young girl smiled widely at the crowd, releasing her Pikachu with flourish. The little mouse landed, tail twirling behind her.

"Quick Attack!" she called. "Then, Double Team!"

The Pikachu obeyed, dashing across the stage in a zigzag pattern. At every jerking turn, a Double Team illusion was left behind, soon creating an adorable crowd of dashing Pikachu.

"Now, Play Nice!" the little girl ordered.

The bundle of yellow rodents began to prance and dance around one another, creating an adorable cluster of black and yellow in the center of the stage.

"Finish up with Nuzzle!"

All of the copies swarmed together, forming a chirping, crackling orb of electricity. Soon enough, it disappeared in a flash, leaving only the original Pikachu in its wake.

"Tada!" Paige cheered.

The judges panel, meanwhile, had mixed reactions.

Raoul Contesta, whose watchful eyes and endless history with contests gave him ample comparison for Paige's appeal, gave a neutral response. Her abilities had improved, and the appeal had been extremely tasteful. However, she seemed slightly unaware of her audience. It was a part of a coordinator's job to woo their audience, after all. All the same, he scribbled down a few pleasant notes by her name. "A charming show. Paige, you've definitely improved!"

Mr. Sukizo, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the neutrality of their audience or even the technical precision of young Paige. He only enthusiastically clapped, seeing her bond with her Pikachu and praising it. That was enough for him. "A cute performance; I'd say it was remarkable!"

Finally, the Nurse Joy… Well, she was different from the other two judges in opinion and from her sisters and cousins in demeanor and appearance. Whereas most Nurse Joys kept a bright smile, she had, until the end of Paige's performance, her face was remarkably blank, eyes half lidded. Though her hair was the same pleasant pink as the others, her dress was so dark a shade of blush to border on rose. That didn't even cover the black cross on her hat! "It was definitely sweet," she quipped, voice devoid of any real approval.

Paige sensed this disapproval and nodded her head, confidence wavering a bit. The judges had given their review and now all she could do was go back to wait.

In the waiting room, watching it all on the big screen, Dawn frowned. "She looked like she worked hard on that, too... I kind of feel bad for her," she remarked.


"Now, onto the next round! Give a warm welcome to Oceanica and her Dratini!"

Running onto the stage, Oceanica clearly gave off a more prepared look. Dawn could tell that from backstage. "Dratini, let's get it with Thunder Wave!" she called.

Still yet to evolve, the girl's Dratini nonetheless left its pokeball with energy and vigor, a circle of electricity rotating off of it.

"Twister, then Aqua Tail!"

Swishing its tail back and forth, Dratini was quick to conjure two spinning funnels, following it up with a watery cyclone from the tip of its tail. Leftover static from Thunder Wave coiled into the contained natural disaster, creating something of a small storm on stage.

"Dragon Rage!"

Using up the last move on his roster, the little Dratini sent out a devastating beam of draconic energy. Clashing with the chaotic succession of moves, Dragon Pulse burst into a thunderous finale.

This time, there was a tiny bit more enthusiasm from the crowd; The appeal had definitely been on the cool side, but Dratini just looked too cute to truly be taken seriously. Likewise, the judges gave mixed feedback, too.


"Now, we'll count on our next contestant to liven things up! Coming all the way from the Sinnoh region, Dawn's ready to show us her stuff!"

The crowd murmured and gossiped, a good portion of them growing antsy. If things didn't start getting more interesting soon, there was a good chance the whole contest would be a letdown.

Meanwhile, a very particular face was ready to take the spotlight.

Dawn strutted her way onto the stage, teal boots clacking against the floor. Eyeing the crowd, she allowed a smile to pick up on the corners of her lips. "Now, we know the kind of show this audience wants… And we'll sure as heck give it to them! Let's make a real impression, Houndoom! Spotlight!" With that, she winded up before so gracefully tossing the ball forward.

"Houuu!" The hellhound yowled upon materializing, fangs bared and ready.

A few whoops could be heard from the crowd, then. Finally, a cool-looking pokemon!

"We're just getting started," Dawn boasted. "Let's heat things up, right out of the gate!" With that, the coordinator threw an arm outward, brows furrowed. "Houndoom, Flamethrower!"

Meanwhile, in the audience, Ash found himself quite proud when he overheard the pun.

Aiming towards the ground, a curtain of flames circled up around Houndoom, washing himself in fire. After the curtain of fire died down, his fur remained lightly rolling in fire. His Flash Fire ability had been activated, strengthening his fire attacks and giving him a superficial suit of "armor."

Now, time for the move they'd trained hard to learn yesterday! "Feint Attack!" It was a bit of a gamble. She had seen how it'd worked outdoors, but she wasn't quite sure how it would work here.

Speeding up to the point where he was a black and bone armor blur with a trail of fire, Houndoom dazzled the crowd. Dawn couldn't help but smile at this. He looked positively radical! It was very dark and almost menacing, but not in the same unapproachable way Absol had looked. He was scary, but fun!

Judging by the way he stopped after the Feint Attack to wag his tail at the crowd, he seemed to be enjoying the attention.

"Great, now use Smog, right up!" Dawn ordered, arms anxiously waiting to strike out.

"Doom!" he barked, belching up a cloud of heavy toxic fumes over his head. The sickly green clouds culminated near the ceiling of the stadium.

Then, Dawn's plan came to fruition. Embers from Houndoom's hide ignited the toxins from the bottom up, quickly consuming the large cloud in a blanket of flames. Instigating the worst of the cloud, the flames erupted in a booming explosion, giving the impression that Houndoom was spitting a hellish, deafening fireball from his maw. Indeed, Houndoom lived up to his name.

Dawn's arms had been thrown outward upon the ignition, her composure steady in the face of the startling boom. The whole appeal had been somewhere between cool and terrifying.

For the first time that day, the crowd burst into genuine cheers. Similarly, the judges looked favorably on the excellent display.


After the crowd had begun to quiet, the next appeal began. A navy-haired girl, looking to be the age of a beginning trainer tossed out a pokeball, calling on her personal choice. "Phanpy, I choose you!"

A pokeball was tossed upward, releasing a Phanpy that let out a jovial cry.

"Alright, use Charm!"

"Phan, Phan~!" The small ground type chimed, releasing several large, pink hearts from his trunk.

"Now, Defense Curl, and Rollout!"

Tucking into itself on the trainer's command, Phanpy then circled around the stage merrily, even bouncing around a little along the way.

"Chow time! Give us a Natural Gift!" the navy-haired girl chimed.

Popping out of its circular form to reveal a Pinap berry in its grasp, the Panphy cutely chomped down on it before twirling, using a grass-type Natural Gift.

The crowd seemed underwhelmed, clapping only politely. The judges, meanwhile, were once again split in their response. Mr. Contesta found the appeal tasteful but not quite as energetic as it could be. Mr. Sukizo looked a little underwhelmed himself, but he responded kindly to the girl. Nurse Joy's response just barely bordered on critical.

When the girl and her Phanpy left the stage, they did so less than enthusiastically.


Next, Glenda stepped onto the stage with her usual elegance, once again calling on a Persian.

"That's weird," Dawn quipped, eyes glued to one of the grey-rimmed screens backstage. "That Persian looks a little different from the one she used last time… Did she raise two of them?"

"Screech," Glenda solemnly instructed.

Without hassle or fuss, the Persian tossed its head to and fro, yowling angrily.

"Swift, Power Gem," the old woman said passively, a neat little grin on her lips, but her hands folded before her politely.

Turning rapidly in a circle and swishing its tail, the Persian created a circle of stars around itself. As the small galaxy clustered around the feline, it proceeded to lift its head, firing Power Gem out of its mouth. The gleaming shards collided with the stars, exploding in a shower of gold, ruby, emerald, and sapphire colored sparks.

It was time to top off the decadence. "Pay Day," the old woman ordered.

While the pseudo-fireworks came to an end, Persian closed its eyes. Its forehead gem glowed before illusionary coins were released, bouncing onto the stage.

The crowd was thoroughly impressed. It was all the big rock star grandeur they loved. Or, rather, that most of them loved. As the judges were marking down positive reviews, an audience member stood up.

"What's with the fat cat appeal?! Are we tryna mimic the man now?!" he yelled.

That was all it took. One anti-establishment punk sparked fifteen others to get rowdy and from there the entire audience was thrown into a mild chaos.

Lilian rushed onto the stage as Glenda was ushered off.

"Haha, folks, we're going to take a short intermission! Please return in about ten minutes! Have a fresh water or a refreshing lemonade while you wait!" she encouraged, trying to de-escalate the situation.

"Man, what a crowd," Ash scoffed, his arms folded across his chest. Sitting amongst a bustling, and in his opinion, childish crowd, he frowned at the onslaught of criticism. "I thought her appeal was pretty good, too… At least Dawn's in the clear though, right, Pikachu?"

The mouse, who'd been busy frowning in disapproval at the crowd, turned to his trainer with perked ears and a smile. "Pika, Pikachu!" Through this picky audience, their friend had come out unscathed, for now!


Backstage, Dawn noticed the turmoil even behind the scenes. Several of the coordinators were sneering at Glenda's performance, while others found themselves lost as to what the problem was.

"They've got very particular tastes," Dawn remarked aloud, a hand resting on her hip.

Just then, Glenda burst in from the stage, looking thoroughly agitated. "T-Those ruffians!" she snarled, marching over to where Dawn was, returning her Persian in a huff.

Just then, a rather large, tall man dressed in black leather elbowed Dawn. While the girl frowned up at his gesture, he only grinned down at her. "Rocking the duds!" he barked. Then, he looked to Glenda, pointing a black polished finger at her. "Old geezers either gotta get with the times or move on! We don't want your old money crap here!"

"You aren't anyone's boss!" Dawn yelled, putting a little bit of space between her and the muscular punk.

The punk grinned, green eyes zeroing in on her. "Right on, sister!" He cackled before giving her a thumbs up. "Good luck; you should get all you can!"

Dawn grew angrier. Was this black and neon green metalhead telling her that she needed good luck?! "I'll show you…"

"I look forward to it," he responded with a wave, walking back off from where he'd just jostled Dawn and antagonized Glenda.

"... Kids these days," the old woman finally hissed.


After the crowd returned, noticeably settled from the commotion, a rather awkward looking middle-aged man walked onto stage. He released a Gardevoir.

"My lovely!" he cried. "Enrapture them with your gorgeous visage! Start us off with Double Team, then Captivate!"

The Gardevoir twirled, illusionary copies of her spinning off her form. Then, each turned to the audience, winking and sending off pale pink hearts into the air.

"Charm!" he wheezed.

The Gardevoir and its copies posed, hands under their chins and eyelashes fluttering at the audience. Even more hearts were projected out into the air from the move.

"Now… Psychic!" the man giddily ordered.

Closing her eyes, it and the clones all raised their arms, gathering the artificial hearts into a blue sphere before crushing them all, sending out a pink mist to obscure the crowd of Gardevoir. When the mist cleared, only one Gardevoir was left smiling at the crowd.

There was a deafening silence. Even the cute appeals had gotten some kind of grumbling response. Everyone felt uncomfortable. The judges seemed particularly harsh when writing down the reviews of this. Even Nurse Joy was fazed.


Dressed grungy, a young boy ran out onto the stage next. He snickered as he released his chosen pokemon: a Glameow.

"Show 'em we mean business! Growl!"

Trying to look serious, the Glameow growled. It was almost intimidating. Almost.

The boy didn't seem to mind, though. He was completely impressed with his pokemon's display. "Okey, dokey, Glameow, let's hit 'em with your Hone Claws!"

Enjoying the limelight just as much as his trainer, Glameow quickly agreed to do as asked, dragging his claws along the stage to sharpen them.

"Cool! Now, Fury Swipes!"

Leaping into the air to scratch at it in a display of promised destruction and pain, Glameow continued to build up its cool and tough edge. The crowd seemed to be responding well. This was very cool for such a young duo!

"Finish us up with Slash!" the boy asked, dropping onto one knee.

Running at the boy, the Glameow did a forward flip, cutting at the air, careful not to slice at his own trainer. He landed on the boy's back. The two stood, grinning at the crowd.

The crowd whooped, eating the appeal up. The judges seemed to approve, happy to see a young challenger put such vigor and optimism into his performance.


Next onto the stage was that same black-and-neon-green punk from before. Backstage, Dawn huffed, not looking forward to whatever a mess of an appeal he could possibly have.

"Bet you'll need all the luck you can get," she scorned, cheek puffed out.

It was only then that she noted a disapproving glance from Glenda. A motherly one, at that.

A sheepish chuckle followed, the bluenette scratching her cheek.

"Let's give a warm round of applause to our final coordinator: Maddox!" Lilian cheered.

Raising a fist towards the spotlights above, Maddox used his spare hand to toss out his pokeball in a wild, unrestrained swing. "Steelix, let's rumble."

Bursting out of the pokeball was a huge metallic snake. Its silver hide was marked with a few nicks and even burn marks. Gritty and worn, it'd clearly seen plenty of action.

"Rock Tomb!"

The Steelix shook, summoning massive stones seemingly from thin air. Crashing down upon the stony grey stage, the rugged stones crumbled to form a craggy landscape right in the middle of the arena.

Maddox grinned, running over to the nearest rock and jumping on top of it. "Autotomize!"

Twirling its various joints, Steelix snaked across the rocky terrain quickly, avoiding the rocks to wind in between all of them.

"Now, go nuts! Use Sand Tomb!" Maddox encouraged, raising another first as he watched his steel type snake around.

Emboldened, Steelix used Sand Tomb on a rock just before he reached it, weakening the stone enough for him to burst through it and shatter the solid rock. "Steeeeelix!" it roared, turning around to do the same to another storm. It left the largest stone that Maddox stood upon alone.

"Alright, clean up your mess and then use Sandstorm!"

Bursting through the last few rocks with plenty of debris on stage, it was all too easy to whip up an intimidating gale. The base of the stage was soon obscured. Even Maddox and the Steelix were hidden from sight.

After a second, though, Steelix reared up. Standing on its back and clinging to one of the metallic spikes poking out of its side was Maddox, cheekily grinning and looking thoroughly proud of his big pokemon.

"Attaboy!" the coordinator enthused, heavily patting the side of his Steelix. With that, the Sandstorm dissipated, revealing that Steelix was standing on the remaining rock to be tall enough to be seen.

The crowd absolutely loved it. The raw, industrial nature of it combined with the full force power of the moves was absolutely up their alley. Maddox's nonchalant charm with Steelix's adoring obedience won over the judges, as well.

The contest now had a favored lead.


After a short intermission, the battle rounds were poised to begin.

"Thank you all for sticking with us this long!" Lilian chanted over the intercom, for backstage contestants and antsy spectators alike. "After that interesting round of appeals, the judges have decided on their four favored contestants! If you'll keep your eyes on the screen, you'll see the coordinators that we'll follow to the final rounds!"

A collection of the contestants' faces appeared on each display, shuffling amongst one another, most disappearing in mere seconds. The herd was thinned until only four visages remained, each revealing themselves in succession.

Maddox appeared first, prompting a rowdy cheer from the punk.

Dawn was next. "Alright!" The coordinator chirped under her breath.

Up next was Glenda. The older woman only bore a modest smile.

And, finally, the child with the Glameow. "Yes!" The boy practically jumped for joy.

"Now that we have our contestants, let's mix them up and see who faces who in the next round!" Lilian's voice echoed as the faces on screen did just that. They mingled before splitting into two pairs. Dawn was matched off against the boy, and Maddox against Glenda.

The burly punk grinned. Time to show this stiff what he was made of! "Get ready to rock 'n roll!"

Glenda huffed. As reluctant as she was to admit it, the punk did have some talent to back up his brutish bravado. Much like Dawn, even. The girl, though, had a better attitude… Most of the time, anyway.

"H-hey!" A young voice rang, catching the attention of said blue-haired coordinator. She was approached by the boy who had advanced with the others, who had his fists balled in front of him.

He couldn't quite help shaking a little; she was older than him, and her appeal had been so cool! He'd have a hard time beating that! "Let's have an awesome match! I'm not gonna hold back with you, y'know!"

Dawn had grown silent, all too wary of the tension between the first two contestants. Hearing the last of them, though, her blue orbs glistened. "That sounds great!" She beamed, a fist raised to the younger trainer. He couldn't have been more than ten years old, but he had guts. "I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun!"

Coincidentally enough, the two coordinators were called upon just then over the intercom. "Now, it's time for the first match of the battle rounds to begin! Dawn, the seasoned coordinator from Sinnoh, will face off against Nelly, a young, ambitious trainer from Hoenn!"

"That's our cue," Dawn chimed, winking at her opponent. "See you on stage!"

"You got it!" Nelly barked back, chasing after the bluenette.

With the two coordinators in place, Lilian was quick to begin the match in earnest. "Now, both Dawn and Nelly are on the stage, so… Let the first match begin!" With that, the clock started ticking.

"Alright, Rosa! Time for your debut! Spotlight!" Dawn chanted, gripping the borrowed pokeball before releasing the little Riolu.

Landing in perfect balance, Rosa stepped forward into the ring as Nelly threw forward a pokeball, revealing a mighty energetic looking Poochyena.

From where she was commentating, Lilian grew excited. "It's gonna be a dog fight of a battle, folks! All eyes are on these two exotic pokemon: a Poochyena all the way from Hoenn and a Sinnoh native species, Riolu! This is definitely a battle worth the draw of our huge crowd! Let's hope they make it worth the ticket sell out!"

Dawn's chin lifted a little bit in pride. That's right, she was competing in a completely sold out contest! However, as she looked over at Rosa, the bluenette noticed that the pup was shaking. The confidence she'd built up disappeared. "R-Rosa!" she half-whispered, knowing they had limited time until the timer started, and Lilian finished with her opening banter. "What's wrong?!"

~Too many people…!~ the pup squeaked mentally, eyes wide and breathing shallow as she tried to keep her eyes on her opponent and not on the crowd. Her teeth were on the verge of clattering. She could see the confused, almost concerned look on the Poochyena as she stared at him.

The coordinator's mood fell further. She hadn't accounted for that. Rosa had done so well at the Grand Prix, though! But… The Grand Prix was half empty. Clenching her fist tight enough to have her nails dig into her hand a little, she tried to think of a solution. "Alright, Rosa, don't look out, okay? You just have to battle. It's like before."

Rosa didn't seem moved as she only let out a passive whimper, shoulders sinking at the prospect of having to perform in front of all these people. Quite frankly, she wanted to run off… But, she would brave this for Dawn! Or, at least try to do as much as she could with shaking legs.

At that moment, Lilian finished her opening spiel. "- So," she chimed, "let's get ready to be bow wowed, haha!" The crowd let out mixed reactions to her joke, ranging from boos to unnecessarily loud laughter. "Start the timer and let the match begin!"

"Hehe, Poochyena, use Poison Fang!" the youth called, bouncing on the balls of his heels.

"Rosa, Force Palm!" Dawn decided, brows furrowed as she could only hope that Rosa would be able to pull through with it.

Poochyena rushed forward while Rosa remained frozen, heart hammering in her chest at knowing if she moved she might mess up, but if she stayed here she would disappoint Dawn. The endless loop of negative thinking paralyzed her, leaving her wide open to Poochyena's attack.

She only really woke up to the situation with her own reflexive yelp as Poochyena's purple glowing fangs sank into her arm. Rosa looked down, eyes still wide as venom coursed through her. ~Get away!~ she yelped, swatting at the retreating pokemon all too late with the Force Palm Dawn had already ordered her to do.

She continued clutching at her arm after, a sickly feeling coming over her. She'd been poisoned.

Noticing the way Rosa was swaying, Dawn gritted her teeth. This wasn't good.

"Oh, and Dawn's Riolu couldn't keep her composure, which left her open to a Poison Fang!" Lilian narrated. Reflecting on said loss of coordination, Dawn's points began to drop.

"Poochyena, give 'em the best Taunt you've got!"

Dawn frowned. Taunt, taunt, taunt… She couldn't quite remember what that move did, but she couldn't leave her partner a sitting Farfetch'd out there. "Rosa, use Detect!" Hopefully, the pup would respond in time this go around.

Meanwhile, the Poochyena raised a paw, doing as best as he could with no proper fingers, and began squishing his face together, blowing raspberries at Rosa before turning around and swinging his butt at his opponent. "Poochy Poochyena!" he teased.

Rosa's fur bristled, the pup unable to even think about using Detect. She felt nauseous and embarrassed, and now so very pissed by the Poochyena's Taunt.

"And, there's a successful Taunt! Unfortunately for Dawn, defensive moves won't help out here."

With their second slip-up, Dawn's points dropped another inch.


"Crap… That's no good," Ash grimaced. It was bad enough that Rosa's surroundings had put her in a bad state of mind, but now she was just thrown off altogether. "C'mon, Rosa!" Ash shouted, hands cupping around his mouth. "You can do this! No need to worry!"

Amongst the hustle and the bustle of the crowd, though, trying to call out to the pup he cared so much for seemed to be in vain. "Man… I shoulda known she'd get psyched out here…"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu interrupted his trainer's thoughts, nudging his cheek to get his attention. Placing both of his paws to his forehead with drooping ears to imitate Rosa to boot, he hummed in yet another game of Pika-charades. "Chuuu…~"

Ash blinked several times, initially puzzled. Soon enough, though, he had it! "Got it! "You think I should use aura to get to 'er, right, Pikachu?"

The mouse crossed his arms and nodded, satisfied he'd understood. "Pika, Pika!"

"Huh… That's a pretty good idea," Ash admitted. His eyes drifted towards the stage, though, landing on Dawn. Looking equally frustrated, she was shouting out something or another.

"...I can't. This is Dawn's challenge to handle, not mine." The trainer resigned, forcing a smile. Closed fists betrayed him, though, gripping tightly at the arms of his seat. "Besides, that might be cheating, right?" He turned his gaze from Pikachu back to the action. "Besides, I know she can do it. Dawn's plenty good enough to get this under wraps."

"Pikachu," the mouse replied. He hoped that his trainer was right.


Dawn leaned forward, eyes narrowing. So, that was what the move did. It pissed Rosa off so all she wanted to do was actually fight. Was that a good thing, though? Did her rage now overwhelm her shyness?

"No need to worry," Dawn huffed. This kid was tricky, too. "He can only handle so many Force Palms! Try to keep your head on straight and show 'im what we've got!"

"Show these jokers our Swagger, Poochyena!" Nelly enthused.

Hesitating for a moment, Rosa finally found her inner strength upon seeing the Poochyena's smug little smirk. She was gonna pop him right in his little needle-toothed jaw, she decided, overcome with strength from the Swagger. The sudden haziness in her head pushed any anxiety that had flooded her to the back of her head.

Rushing forward, she came closer and closer to her patiently waiting opponent, ready to bring the pain when -

"Rio!" she whimpered, having tripped on her own feet in her haste to brutalize her opponent.

"Sand Attack! We're gonna get 'em good, boy!" Nelly cheered.

"Rosa, use Aura Sphere!" Dawn encouraged, brief relief returning quickly to worry. Rosa was strong, Dawn knew, but most of her battles were very different from this. Maybe she should have spent more time training with the puppy for contests.

Swishing his tail, Poochyena summoned a burst of sand to half-blind Rosa. The pup shot blindly, Aura Sphere missing its target.

"Nelly and his Poochyena are tripping Dawn and little up - literally!" The MC announced. With that, Dawn's points had gone down to under half.

"Finish it up with Poison Fang!"

Dawn gritted her teeth. They couldn't just sit here. "Dodge it, with Detect!"

Thankfully, the Taunt had worn off. Rosa closed her eyes, doing as told and barely spinning out of the path of the oncoming Poochyena's poison covered fangs.

Dawn sighed in relief. "Now, Reversal!"

Rosa, eyes watering still from the sand, ran forward to the still close form of the Poochyena and grappled with him, returning every ounce of injury she'd received just far to her opponent by slamming him into the ground. Her head was clear, focusing on the task at hand and not the audience, and she kept the adrenaline boost afforded by Swagger, to boot.

Thrilled to see the brutal counterattack, a portion of the crowd whooped in approval.

"Crap," Nelly whined. "Poison Fang, one more time!"

"Aura Sphere!" Dawn called.

The Riolu raised a paw, her concentration momentarily stunted by purple sparks running along her form, her poisoned status sapping more of her vitality. The orb wavered, growing once more.

It was a beautiful set up. Poochyena's gaping maw turned right towards Rosa… Just in time to get a mouthful of Aura Sphere.

Blasted back, the pup landed in an unconscious heap at the other end of the stage.

Dawn had won the match. Having been too occupied to keep up with the points, she looked over at the scoreboard. Her heart sank. She'd won, but just barely. This was too close for comfort.

Meanwhile, with the match over, Swagger wore off. The last of Rosa's artificial courage disappeared and she looked to the audience. She whimpered before running over to Dawn, jumping into her arms and shivering.

"Sorry," Dawn apologized as Lilian began praising the duo over the loudspeakers. "You did so good." The bluenette headed backstage, still cradling the distraught fighting type.


With the roaring crowd and commotion behind them, the coordinator carried the Riolu into the greyish area, which was notably empty compared to the earlier rounds. Taking a seat on a metallic bench, Dawn cradled Rosa in one arm, using the other to set her bag beside her.

"You feeling any better?" She questioned, digging through one of the yellow pouches.

~I… I dunno,~ the cub answered, her nose a darker shade of blue than the rest of her fur. The nagging pain of poison still coursed through her occasionally, making what had been feverish stress less than manageable. ~I'm not hurting that bad, though…!~

"Well, you are pretty tough, after all!" Dawn couldn't help but smile. The pokemon's bravado was endearing. It was very much a mirror of how her trainer tended to act, at that. With that thought, a spray bottle was fetched. "Here," she warned, holding the container up. "This is an Antidote. With this, you'll be feeling better in no time!"

The Riolu was sprayed with the medicine, letting out a yelp, fur bristled. Soon enough, though, the worst of the toxins had dissipated completely, giving the pokemon some relief.

"Great! Now, I'll heal you up for real…" Dawn fished out a Super Potion, holding it up to the Emanation pokemon's arm. "This one'll sting a little, but you won't need any more after that!"

Rosa braced herself, canines bearing at the harsh spray of chemicals. Just as her trainer's companion had said, a stinging sensation soon faded away, along with any remaining soreness.

The two smiled at each other in silence then, Rosa's wounds tended and now sitting comfortably in Dawn's lap. The coordinator soothingly rubbed the pup's back, content to know her breathing was no longer labored.

Then, she had to asked. "Are you gonna be okay to go back out? I think I can switch to -"

~I can do it!~ Rosa interrupted, looking up suddenly. She'd wanted this for so long. Just as quickly as she'd looked up, though, she looked at her own paws. ~I wanna do this, Dawn,~ she whimpered, her internal sorrow resonating poignantly in Dawn's mind. ~I'm sorry I got scared. B-But, we still made it.~

"Oh, no," Dawn whispered, picking up the distraught Riolu, cuddling her close again. "Shshsh, this isn't your fault. I assumed too much. We'll know better next time. You have done so, so well." She held the pup out, noticing the disbelief in her eyes. "Hey, you sure beat that Poochyena's butt, and you were still scared then, huh? How many times did you make him yelp?"

Rosa giggled at the praise, mood lightened by what she couldn't deny. She was a little proud of her strength. It was a family trait of sorts. ~Hehe, a whole lot!~ She settled down. ~... I did okay?~

"You did great," Dawn assured.

Smiling and wagging her tail, Rosa wiggled out of Dawn's grip to bound forward and give her a quick hug before plopping down in the girl's lap, so they could watch the big screen. Dawn giggled at the sudden action before deciding to leave it be.

However, on the screen was what could only be described as a beat down.

Glenda looked to be cornered, her points hanging low and a curt frown stitched onto her lips.

"Delcatty, Assist!" She commanded, calling on the normal type before her.

"Del~!" Delcatty hissed, already battered but not yet out. A purple glow manifested before her fangs, ready to fire at its brutish opponent.

"Let's show 'em who's really out to win this!" Maddox interjected, punching a fist in the air with a grin. "Use Headbutt, Granbull!"

The snarling bulldog launched himself at Delcatty with nothing but brute force.

Dark Pulse fired from Delcatty's Assist, colliding with Granbull.

Boasting its fairy typing, as well as a stronger exterior, the fairy powered through, slamming his skull into the leaner pokemon's hide. Delcatty was sent reeling, skidding across the field.

A buzzer sounded, then. Their five minutes were up.

Dawn watch silently, trying to process the situation. If it didn't end in a knockout, that meant the two were even in terms of strength. Considering that this wasn't the beginning of the season anymore, Glenda had probably taken her kiddy gloves off. Dawn knew how strong the elder had been back in Mulberry. The fact that she had Maddox had ended not in a decisive knockout but by running out of time said so much.

Evermore, it was concerning that Maddox had beaten her with points. Was he that good?

"No need to worry," Dawn muttered, brushing aside her concern. She watched as Glenda walked off stage, giving Maddox a brief chance to cheese it up on stage with his surprisingly affectionate Granbull.

As Glenda walked backstage, Dawn got up, once again carrying Rosa.

"That was a good match!" Dawn assured, trying to figure out a way to ease the sting of defeat. "I mean, I didn't even know you had a Delcatty! You really used the element of -"

"Dawn."

The girl stopped talking, looking at the surprisingly calm old woman.

"It's fine. I've already got two ribbons. I still have plenty of time. I'm not bothered by this." Glenda frowned, eyes cutting back to the stage as Maddox walked into the room and over to his bag, tending to his Granbull. "Well, I'm not bothered by the loss. The attendees to this whole affair are… Hm." Trailing off, Glenda looked to Dawn. "I'm going to go, but I'm going to wish you luck. I'm grown tired of… these people. Do your best though, dearie. By Articuno's winters, this place could use your calm head."

With that, Dawn watched Glenda go, waving weakly.

"Bye? Thanks…"

~S-she seemed kinda sad,~ Rosa noted, aura feelers dropping at the somber mood left behind.

"... She's… Well. You're not wrong," Dawn decided, letting the topic go as the screen caught her attention once more. Lilian was on stage again.

"We're going to have a brief break while our battlers get ready, but up next is our final match: the crowd favorite, Maddox, up against the interregional sensation, Dawn!"

The crowd let out a rancorous whoop of happy anticipation. They were ready to see it. That same man who had devastated his opponents and brought the raw power they so craved to see would go up against the clever girl. With the performance of her Riolu earlier in mind, they became only even more enthralled, like sharks in the water. Surely their favored competitor would win!


After a short intermission, Dawn was walking towards the stage with Maddox. Though there was an arm's length worth of space between them, they kept even in pacing. Even before they reached the stage and the bright lights that shined down on them, they could hear Lilian's crowd rousing narration.

"-giving us what we've all been waiting for! This finale will be nothing short of the pulse pounding, heart throbbing, seat scooting show that the final round's bound to offer!"

Maddox looked over at Dawn as she headed towards her part of the stage. He lifted his chin, smiling widely and flaring his nostrils a bit. Or, was it a smirk? Dawn couldn't tell, but she knew she was going to wipe it off his face.

Then again, she reconsidered, gripping Rosa's pokeball tighter, could she even do that? No! She couldn't doubt Rosa or herself at this vital moment.

"Now, let's see our competitors get ready," Lilian egged on.

"Rosa, spotlight," Dawn called, trying to keep her voice chipper. She had to believe in Rosa or Rosa wouldn't believe in herself!

Maddox tossed forward his pokeball as Dawn did. "Granbull, let's rumble!" He slipped a hand into his pocket, resting his weight upon one foot on the stage. He looked so at ease, contrasting sharply with the tense illusion of excitement Dawn put forth.

In much the same way, Granbull put Rosa on alert, his intimidate ability making her think twice already.

"Let the match begin!" With Lilian's announcement, the final round for the Fuchsia City contest had begun.

"Let's knock 'em down a notch, Granbull! Play Rough!"

"Gran!" The bulldog snarled, stomping off towards the Riolu. His speed was remarkable, and his ferocity showed no signs of slowing down.

"Rosa, look out!" Dawn warned, to no avail.

Granbull's full weight collided into the intimidated Riolu, sending the yipping pokemon reeling. To top it off, a comical pink cloud of smoke arose from the collision, giving the attack quite a cartoonish effect.

Flipping to land on all fours, Rosa skidded across the field before holding her ground, wincing in pain. It was a move she'd never heard of, but the pain gave her the idea that the move was super-effective.

"And, for the first move of the match, Granbull intimidated Riolu before following up with Play Rough! It looks like its brutish appeal ended up working in Maddox's favor!"

With that, Dawn's points creeped down a bit.

"They are pretty strong…" Dawn trailed off. As if Glenda's match hadn't been enough of a hint. "But, we are, too! Use Reversal and show them what you're made of!"

Still crouching, the Emanation pokemon vaulted forward, using her own agility to slam a foot into Granbull's stomach. Nimble as ever, she followed up by pushing the fairy type back further.

"Bull…!" The larger pokemon coughed and sputtered, the wind knocked out of him.

A few cheers were thrown in Dawn and Rosa's corner, and Maddox's points dropped a touch.

"Your Riolu's got some guts!" Maddox commented before throwing both arms outward. "Granbull, Outrage!"

Granbull let out a feral cry, its eyes glowing a bloody red. It launched at Rosa with flailing arms.

"Oh, and there's a fierce Outrage! How will Dawn handle this!?"

Dawn frowned as she watched her points chipped away. "No need to worry! Use Detect!"

Instilled with confidence by Dawn's words, the Riolu calmed herself, her own eyes glowing a brilliant cyan. Granbull's furor-fueled, unrestrained attacks were easy to follow, allowing her to smoothly duck under the first flail of Granbull's arm. Flipping over a sweep of its foot, Rosa stayed clear again, stepping and hopping out of one blow's range after another.

Finally, she leapt backwards, free from Granbull's assault.

"Check that out! Some smooth moves by Rosa kept her one step ahead of Granbull all the way through!" Lilian called out, followed by cheers in the pup's favor. Maddox's points had slipped a bit with each missed attack, leaving Dawn with a bit of lead.

"Way to fight the power!" The punk grinned. "But, it's not time to chill out, yet!"

The coordinator needn't say another word. Huffing, fangs bared, Granbull took off again in a blind rage, ready to lash out at the smaller canine in earnest. Outrage hadn't ended yet.

"Detect doesn't work if you use it too much, right?" Dawn questioned aloud, blue brows furrowing. "Then we'll just have to stop it with another move… Rosa, Aura Sphere!"

The Emanation pokemon drew a paw away behind her back, pushing a mass of aura into existence. She watched as the Granbull grew closer, shivers running down her spine. It looked downright terrifying… But, she wasn't about to let Dawn down!

Rosa swung the aforementioned arm forward, launching the Aura Sphere at point-blank range.

The attack, just like her last, crashed into Granbull's stomach, sending the fairy type dragging back across the battlefield, despite roars of protest. An explosion followed, shrouding the fierce pokemon in a veil of bright light and smoke.

"Woo-hoo!" "Get 'em, Riolu!" "Rough 'em up!" Rowdy cries could be heard as the underdog fought the good fight, putting on what the crowd seemed to think was an impressive show.

Heavy steps pounded into the stony stage, freeing themselves of the veil. "Gran!" The pokemon snarled, launching itself at the Riolu one last time. This time, it'd rip that cub to shreds!

"It really doesn't give up," Dawn remarked, sweat dripping down her forehead. "Dodge it, with Detect!"

This time, though, Granbull had put the debris to good use, taking the Riolu by surprise far before she could put her fighting senses in gear. Various swings of the brute's arms pummeled a hurting Riolu, showing no mercy from one attack to the next.

"Rosa…!" Dawn called out in worry. This was getting bad. She was too close…

"That's it!" Dawn announced, to no one in particular. "Force Palm, now!"

Amongst the painful barrage of strikes, Dawn's call reached Rosa's ears. The Emanation pokemon did her best to find an opening while getting pummeled, soon enough slipping under a sweep of Granbull's arm. A paw was placed to its chest, unleashing a potent burst of aura.

The explosion propelled her backward, allowing her to land on all fours. "Rio…" She whined, in quite a bit of pain after Granbull's relentless assault. As tough as she was getting, that hadn't been fun.

Between Granbull's brutal attacks and Rosa's slick escapes and counters, Dawn's score and Maddox's alike were both slipping fast.

Both pokemon were huffing at this point, tired and battered.

"You're doing great out there!" Dawn encouraged, hoping the Riolu would persist.

"Radical stuff!" Maddox shouted. "But, you're just about do… Uh, Granbull?"

The fairy type stumbled about clumsily, thoroughly dizzy after the furious slew of attacks. All of the painful hits of Rosa's it'd endured weren't helping matters, either.

"It looks like Maddox is finally paying their toll for Outrage! Granbull's totally out of it!"

With that absence of grace, Maddox's score rested at about a third of what he'd started with.

"Now's our chance to dazzle them!" Dawn's lips picked up into a smile, one of her arms thrown out to the side. "While Granbull's dizzy, get ready to hit him with a double Aura Sphere!"

Pushing herself onto her hind legs, Rosa held her paws outward, a low growl building as twin points of light began to grow into blue spheres. It was a struggle to maintain the two, but she persevered, raising both above her head next. The two orbs were pushed into each other, beginning to merge.

"That's some bad news!" Maddox couldn't help but sweat, punching forward. "Knock 'em dead, with Headbutt!"

The punk's words didn't go unnoticed. Shaking his head, Granbull decided to put it to use as he lunged forward, aiming to pulverize the smaller pokemon with his skull.

"Riooo…!" The pokemon howled, having forced both Aura Spheres to merge high over her head. She was mere moments away from launching it, when...

"Oh! That's got to hurt! Granbull's Headbutt struck Riolu head-on!"

Indeed, the Riolu had been struck right under the chin, thrown completely off-balance. The huge mass of energy was thrown into the air in the moment of devastation, swirling above the battlefield before bursting. Nearly blinding light shone down upon the stage, coating the entire room in a light shade of blue.

The dramatic, powerful scene of one pokemon recoiling from the next was highlighted by the blast, creating a scene that looked like something out of an action movie. A large portion of the crowd whooped and hollered, absolutely ecstatic over the show before them.

"Rosa!" Dawn shouted in worry, leaning forward with wide sclera. "Hang in there!"

The Emanation pokemon had fallen on her behind, rattled and disoriented. Much like her papa, though, she was stubborn as could be. Pushing on her paws, she stood, wavering in exhaustion.

"Great... " Dawn started, soon noticing that it was a bit early to celebrate. With that last display, her points had dropped down to where they were barely visible. "We're really on the ropes now… Let's show them what we're made of, Rosa! Use Reversal!"

With that, the fleet-footed pup dashed forward, leaning towards her opponent, ready for revenge.

"We've gotta stop it now!" The punk ordered. "Don't let it hit ya!"

Granbull lunged forward, ready to put the gutsy Riolu in its place.

"Now!" Dawn called out. Repetition wasn't suiting in contests… So, they'd have to try something different!

This didn't go unnoticed with Rosa. Doing just as she'd been instructed, the Riolu flipped high over Granbull's head, dodging it by a good margin.

Of course, all things that go up must come down.

She tumbled downward by the force of gravity alone, one foot outstretched that slammed into Granbull's skull.

"Oooh! That's got to hurt!" Lilian jeered. "What a brutal maneuver by Dawn and Rosa!"

With Granbull hurting, and both coordinators' bars hovering on empty, Maddox shouted. "Blast it, with Payback!"

Teeth and terrible canines grit, Granbull fumed, wailing loudly in a move that unleashed several terrible rings upon its opponent.

Wailing loudly, Rosa was thrown into the air by the vengeful waves, her body strained and overwhelmed. By time she began her descent, consciousness had slipped from the pokemon completely.

Dawn could only watch as the pokemon fell limp.

"And that settles that! Riolu's out of the match, and Dawn's out of points, too! Maddox just barely held in there by a hair, so that means he's won the Fuschia Contest's final round!"


For a brief moment, Dawn froze. The roar of the audience applauding Maddox as well as Lilian stepping onto the stage woke her up. Resisting her urge to grab Rosa and bolt in an embarrassed rush, she walked over and picked up the pup with all the grace she could manage. As she looked up to where Maddox was patting his Granbull's head, she caught his expression.

He was smiling at her without a care in the world.

Her pride was shattered, and she gave up the illusion of sportsmanship briefly. Was he cocky or what?! Furrowing her brows, she forced herself to focus on Rosa instead, picking her up and heading backstage.

Somehow, stepping away from the stage, and by extension, Maddox, she felt better. She realized it wasn't really the loss she was all that upset about. It happened. She felt bad that it happened during Rosa's first try and wondered if it might discourage the pup from trying again… Then again, she couldn't forget who had raised Rosa. If he'd truly made his mark, it was more than likely she'd be eager to prove herself all too soon.

With this assurance in heart, the bitterness Dawn had felt on stage completely melted away. She kindly thanked Oceanica when the youth offered her a revive. Even if some of the people here were weird and aggressive, there were familiar faces; kind familiar faces.

As Maddox accepted the ribbon and let out a barking laugh on the television, Dawn crushed the revive and placed it on Rosa's lips. With a jolt, the pup sat up.

~... We lost,~ Rosa noted sadly, aura feelers drooping significantly.

"Yeah," Dawn said nonchalantly, trying to take the Riolu's mind off of it as she gathered up her things. "Hey, don't get bummed on me, though! You came runner-up in your first contest! Do you know how I ranked in my first contest?"

Rosa kicked her feet as Dawn shrugged her bag onto her shoulder. ~How'd you rank?~

"Top four."

The Riolu furrowed her brows and scrunched her nose. ~That's not bad! Papa said he made Top Four last time he entered a Tournament!~

"A Tournament is more like a Grand Festival. Me getting fourth in a contest is like… Hm. Well, let's just say I didn't get the 'gym badge,' huh?"

~... That's not so bad. I dunno what a Grand Festival is, though… Hey, at least you never lost bad!~ Rosa enthused.

"Oh, no, I lost bad sometimes. I didn't even make it past the appeal round a few times!"

Rosa looked absolutely devastated. ~And, you were okay with that?!~

"No," Dawn said flatly. "At the time, I was really upset. But, you lose sometimes. Even if you're the best coordinator in the world, sometimes you don't prepare right for the situation, sometimes someone suits the crowd better, and sometimes you just have a bad day. This time, someone suited the crowd better." She crinkled her nose. "So… I guess I'm not really upset about the loss… Maybe who I lost to," she mumbled, "But, I'll beat him later. You're gonna watch that, right?"

~You bet I'm gonna watch!~ Rosa agreed mentally, excitement mirrored vocally with a happy yip. ~... Will you tell me what a Grand Festival is, though?~

Happy to see that Rosa had her mind off the loss, Dawn picked her up and placed the pup on her shoulders. "It might be easier to show you. It's for only the coordinators who get five ribbons each contest season. I… Hm. I don't know if you can re-enter a region's Grand Festival with old ribbons. I wouldn't risk it."

Just as the two girls were about to leave, Ash appeared with Empoleon and Pikachu at his side, both panting.

"Empo!" the great big penguin shouted, throwing himself around Dawn and throwing the coordinator off balance. Rosa held on tight to avoid being tossed off.

"Pikaka," Pikachu quietly greeted, smiling softly at his defeated friend.

"You alright?" Ash said, parroting Pikachu but in plainer words.

With Empoleon just holding her hand as best he could, Dawn shook her head. "We're okay. Aren't we, Rosa?"

~Yup!~ she agreed. ~Sometimes, it's okay to lose even if it isn't your friend winning!~ she explained, thinking back on how everyone had been okay with Primeape winning in the Grand Prix. She was connecting the social dynamics, learning more about how the world worked.

Relieved to see that everything was okay, Ash put his hands on his hips. "Well… Do you want anything? Is there anything I can do?" She'd certainly helped him lick his wounds after his own loss. He was happy to return the favor.

Without hesitation, Dawn smiled so wide her eyes shut. "Battle with me more for practice."

"Hey, that's a win-win situation!" Ash noted with a chuckle. "I'm happy to train with you more directly." He headed out of the doorway, towards the exit of the contest hall.

Pulling Empoleon along with her, Dawn only nodded contently. "Well, that's the point." Yeah… Losing was fine, but she wasn't gonna just accept it without trying to improve herself! A win told her what she needed to keep doing and a loss told her what she needed to do new. With a powerful traveling partner at her side, she had no excuse not to get even stronger!