"Piplup. Spotlight!" Dawn threw the ball and I appeared with a flurry of hearts.
"Houndoom." The opponent coordinator said and with rainbow confetti, Houndoom appeared.
"Open up with Swift." Houndoom shot out rainbow-colored stars at me. reducing our points.
That hurt! I moaned in my head, as I received the attack.
"Catch the Swift with Bubble Beam." I fired off the bubbles and each bubble caught a star. "Spin and use Peck." I then popped all the bubbles and destroyed the Swift making rainbow sparkles fall around me. Making the other Coordinator's points reduced by triple that of Dawn's. Leaving about two-thirds left.
"Ultimate Rainbow Flamethrower!" Rick commanded clearly irritated that we countered so effectively. Houndoom launched the rainbow-colored flames but this time the flames reshaped into the head of Houndoom about to bite me.
T-that's scary! I shuddered. How is he doing that?!
"Bubble Beam. Extinguish the flames." I was about to do that when the head grew to a colossal size shocking me. Then the head bit down on me followed by the continuous stream of rainbow fire.
I screamed in pain. When the attack finally ended I was still standing but heavily damaged. As a water-type pokemon, the fire should not hurt me that much but the pain I felt was excruciating.
"Piplup!" I heard Dawn yell. from the corner of my eye, I could see that there was only one-third of our points left.
"Shadow Ball and Swift!" Houndoom launched a rainbow Shadow Ball and surrounded it with rainbow stars.
"Piplup, surround the stage with Bubble Beam." I jumped and started spinning, making a Bubble Beam vortex that destroyed the Shadow Ball-Swift combo, which then expanded and successfully hit Houndoom.
"All right!/All right!" Dawn and I yelled together, as we managed to land a hit.
For a second I felt in total synch with my trainer. Is this what Pikachu-senpai and Ash-senpai feel when they fight together? If so I loved it! I want to feel like this all the time. Though, we still have a long way before reaching the same level as our mentors. If we ever reach that level of synchronicity. I really hope so, I will work hard for it!
My joy was stopped short, by shock. By Dawn's gasp, I knew she felt the same. Shock from the scene before us: Houndoom began to glow a dim purple and a totally different pokemon appeared.
It looked like a fox with long hair. Everyone was in shock for a moment and some whispering to themselves, until the normally calm Mr. Contesta slammed both his hands on the table he was sitting at. "What is the meaning of this?!" He asked angrily.
"Zoroark, The illusion fox pokemon. They have the ability to make large-scale illusions and can make impossible things seem to happen and make other things invisible. It is because of that, Zoroark has been banned from all contests because it can appeal with little to no effort." Nurse joy added.
"So then the rainbow was an illusion?" Dawn asked finally getting it as people started to boo at the other coordinator if you can call him one now.
"What? You came for a show and I gave you one. It isn't easy to make appeals and be strong as well." The man replied to the boos.
"You should be ashamed of yourself!" Dawn said getting everyone's attention. I was startled for a moment. It was not rare to hear her shout. But I've never heard her snap like that, with so much indignation and barely contained anger. "Being a coordinator takes time, love, patience, and effort. Sure not all of us have the raw power of a league trainer, but that doesn't make us any less of a trainer. We take pride in our appeals and the work it takes to get them to work and wow the audience. The fact that you took an easy route and gave coordinators a bad name is a disgrace. And for what? Easy fame or money? A good coordinator competes because we want to show off our pokemon and we genuinely like performing. The fact that you had to use illusions and fake everything is just sad, and really tells us a lot about you as a trainer and a person in general!" Dawn concluded her speech. Everyone in the stadium was captivated by here speech and was rendered speechless.
I can almost see the people watching the contest from their homes stunned like me, I am sure that Joanna was just as proud as me. I was barely containing the tears of pride from falling. I was still in a fight! A coordinator and their pokemon should always look good and in control on a stage.
However, not everyone was as captivated. Rick's face just got more red in embarrassment and rage and suddenly he pulled out a gun. Making everyone gasp. When he shot a single bullet at Dawn in a blind rage, I felt my heart stop. My trainer, my best friend, was about to die and I could not move. I stood frozen in shock and fear, as the bullet traveled above me towards my trainer. I clenched my eyes shut, not wanting to see her blood, not wanting to see the lifeless body of my most important person.
It felt like an eternity as if time slowed down. But then I heard it, the voice of our hero and mentor... and I felt hope.
"Pikachu Agility and Iron Tail!" Ash-senpai shouted. I rapidly turned around to see the bullet just a few inches away from Dawn's head when Pikachu-senpai's Iron Tail caught the bullet and sent it back to the gun, shooting the gun out of the other coordinator's hand.
Dawn didn't move. She had the face of someone who had just seen her life flash before her eyes. She fell to her knees in utter shock, unable to stand at the moment.
"Dawn!" Ash yelled as he ran the check on my trainer.
"The Saint!" The bastard yelled.
But before he could get away a Seviper wrapped around him. Before Zoroark could help out his trainer, in ice-cold rage I used a move I've never used before: Ice Beam. I felt great satisfaction when I saw the frozen statue of that cheating Zoroark.
"Are you ok?" Ash-senpai asked.
Pikachu-senpai was also checked. I jumping into Dawn's lap. Dawn looked at me and hugged me tightly. When once I would have struggled and tried to get away, now I melted into her arms. Glad and relieved I could hear her heart beating strongly in her chest. Then I felt guilty, I almost lost her and it would have been all my fault. If I hadn't stood there frozen and acted faster... I could have lost her!
"I'm fine thanks. Just a little shaken." Dawn responded as Ash helped her up. But I knew she was lying, her body was shaking uncontrollably.
Not long after Officer Jenny showed up and Seviper loosened its grip enough to let her handcuff the bastard. I wanted to protest, I wanted to tell Jessie's Seviper to strangle that cheating bastard. however, My trainer needed me now. So, I stayed put and allowed her to turn me into an emotional support pokemon. Another officer recalled the Zoroark and they were both taken away. Seviper slithering back to Jessie.
"We have to discuss what to do now. This entire contest was a farce." Mr. Contesta said. Everyone agreed and things were put to a halt for now.
The contest organizer staff gave us a private room, with security shielding us from the reporters. I wanted to use my new move on them and freeze the insensitive idiots. But a glare from Ash-senpai and sparks from Pikachu-senpai seem to be more effective. We were rapidly shepherded to the private room. Nurse Joy followed us and entered the room with Chansey to check on my trainer.
"Oh, sweetie, we are so sorry." The nurse apologized profoundly, I could see the immense guilt and sorrow in her eyes.
They tried to take me from Dawn's arms, so Chansey could check on me. But Dawn started to hyperventilate. So, they decided to check on us as we were. It was harder, but by the end, I was healed and my burns were tended. When they were done, Officer Jenny entered the scene to ask some questions. Mostly to Ash-senpai, as Dawn seemed in a state of shock.
A few minutes later Ash-senpai came closer slowly, not to startle or surprise my trainer, with a staff member.
"Hey, your mom it's on the phone." He told her gently.
"M-mom!" Dawn answered and finally broke. She shook in sobs, hugging me tightly as Joanna whispered calming words in her ear.
It took a lot of discussions, Jessie had to present the judges with some papers that helped decide the best course of action. When things were finally decided, all coordinators were called onto the stage. Ash-senpai was allowed too, for Dawn and security measures.
"We have decided to start the contest over in a week. Everyone needs to recover from this and we need some time to prepare everything again. We also need to figure out how security never caught on." Mr. Contesta started. Causing everyone to murmur to themselves. "We have one more announcement. Dawn. Please step forth." Mr. Contesta said as Dawn stepped from the crowd, with me, Ash-senpai and Pikachu-senpai. "To all to coordinators who participated and to all who are watching, I as the chief of the pokemon activities committee apologize." Mr. Contesta apologized before continuing. "While we are restarting the contest a ribbon will still be handed out." Mr. Contesta continued before an Alakazam teleported onto the stage and handed Mr. Contesta a small safe. Mr. Contesta opened the safe and retrieved the item from within it. Then gave the empty safe back to the Alakazam who teleported off. Mr. Contesta turned his attention to Dawn. "One of the things discussed was if you should still get a ribbon since you technically did win the contest. After receiving a vote that unanimously said that all Coordinators present said that you receive a ribbon."
"That combined with the fact that you managed to out him, You nearly died, and the speech you gave, we have decided to grant you a very special ribbon." Mr. Contesta opened the container, revealing the ribbon inside it. It is a red and white ribbon with a red jewel in the center of an 8 point star with red jewels on each point. It looked much higher grade than most ribbons in general. "This is a ribbon that has never been given out lightly and very few possess it because it isn't an ordinary ribbon. It was designed as both an official contest ribbon and an honor medal of sorts. It is only to be given out to someone who deserves it rather than wins it. In fact, it was Jessilina who gave in a vote tally where every Coordinator unanimously say you deserve the ribbon after everything. Since we are doing the contest over and we feel this ribbon is warranted here, I present the gorgeous Royal Ribbon." Mr. Contesta handed Dawn the ribbon which was in a glass case.
Everyone applauded with mixed looks of envy and awe. I myself couldn't feel prouder of my trainer.
After getting over her initial shock, Dawn's expression brightened. "Thank you so much and thank all of you," Dawn said before looking at the ribbon. "I have heard of a ribbon that is said to be almost as grand as the Ribbon Cup, but I didn't think it existed," Dawn said.
"As Mr. Contesta said, it is a ribbon that has special requirements to earn it. So its existence is rarely confirmed until those requirements are met. You more than have met those requirements today." Nurse joy explained.
"I see." Dawn smiled at the ribbon again.
I could still feel how tense she was. How she wanted to run off the stage and hide backstage. But as her face brightened when she looked at the Royal Ribbon. I felt hope. It will take time but she'll get better, that bastard had not ruined contests for her. Of that I was sure.
It didn't matter how long it will take, I'll be there every step of the way. I was, after all, her starter.